There is a word in Buddhism that covers this completely, the word sunnata, or emptiness, emptiness of selfhood, emptiness of any essence that we might have a right to cling to with all our might as being ‘mine’…
anatta
Brothers and sisters in suffering, old age, sickness and death, by Ajahn Sumedho
If the Buddha had started with the teaching that there is no suffering, none of us would have believed it: There certainly is! He certainly got that wrong! So he started with: There is suffering…
The Point of Intersection between the timeless and time, by Ajahn Sumedho
Contemplate contentment and gratitude. This isn’t an imperative to be content and grateful. I’m not saying you have to feel these emotions. It’s more like encouraging a way of living in which these kinds of feelings come to you; you cultivate them. In monastic life we deliberately cultivate contentment. It doesn’t come that naturally. A lot of the time we’re discontented with everything. But through contemplating discontent and the suffering that comes from always complaining or wanting something to be better, you see the suffering of those negative mental states…
Liberation Here and Now, by Ayya Khema
To get a glimpse of wishless liberation, we can notice the dissatisfaction—the dukkha—that arises in the heart and mind whenever we want something. When we drop the wish, we experience relief. The dukkha does not necessarily arise because we can’t fulfil our wish; most likely we can. It’s an old axiom that if we want something badly enough, we will get it. The problem is that most people don’t know what will bring them happiness. The dukkha, however, lies in the desire itself, which creates tension, a feeling of expectation tinged with worry…
Anicca
One of the first insights of the Buddha ‘all that arises ceases’, are not reality, not nirvana, not liberation.
