Harsha,

There was a group working on the mathematical connection to Mahayana about 15 or 20 years ago. I was looking through my emails but can't find it. As far as I know they never published anything on it. The best I was able to do was to show the political origins of emptiness but I would have loved it to find a mathematical angle as well. Let me know if any Indian mathematics experts come back to you with anything.

Best

Joseph Walser

Department of Religion

Tufts University

Medford, MA 02155

From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces@list.indology.info> on behalf of Harsha Dehejia via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>
Sent: Monday, July 25, 2022 7:08:47 AM
To: Indology List <indology@list.indology.info>
Subject: [External] [INDOLOGY] Sunya

Friends:

Thank you for the many useful responses.

While it is clear that no definite scientific evidence is forthcoming to suggest that the mathematical concept of sunya arose from the Mahayana concept of sunyata, it is difficult to dismiss that the similarity of the two words is accidental.

Sunya can only rise in an ethos where the concept of sunyata is well understood.

Kind regards,

Harsha

Prof. Harsha V. Dehejia

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