(9.66) (Samkhya) “The different aspects are not true, only their nature is.”
If the aspects are not true, why say their nature is true?
(Samkhya) “Their nature is true and the same in that they are both merely conscious apprehenders.”
Well then, all living beings must be one and the same because they are all conscious apprehenders.

(9.67) Moreover, it follows that animate and inanimate phenomena must be one and the same,
As creations of the general principle, the independent creator of all.
If all the particular aspects are false,
How can their basis, their nature, be true?

This debate is actually very important because most of us are actually Samkhyas!  The Christian view is there is an independent creator of all, and that all of his creation is the same nature as the creator.  This is also what the Samkhyas are more or less saying.

We need to ask one simple question:  are we independent from God or not?  If we are independent from him, how can he create us because that would imply there is some point of connection between the two.  If we are not independent from him, how can he exist inherently?  We would have to be the same nature as him, which means he would have to be the same nature as us.  Since we ourselves are empty, so is he.   Realizing emptiness enables you to eliminate the final gap between you and the creator by realizing you are the creator – your mind is the creator of all. 

So we can agree that God is the creator of all, and that the whole universe is his creation – it is one with him.  But so are we.  The only way that can be is if we are him.  It does not feel that way because our ignorance is grasping at a self that is independent of the creator – an inherently existent I.  This is what needs to be abandoned.  We need to let go of that to fully unite with the creator, both his conventional and ultimate nature.  The only way you can establish a permanent, unchanging God is if you understand his emptiness.  All functioning things are by nature impermanent, but the ultimate nature of God, his emptiness, is unchanging – he never becomes more or less empty.  Because the creator is empty, then its creation can completely change in every moment.  We grasp at there being an underlying unchanging nature to our conventional self, but this is impossible because if it were, it could not function.  When we feel the correct view, we feel very fluid and supple.

Once we see that our own mind is the creator, the question then becomes:  are we a good creator or a bad one?  If we check, we have created a world of suffering – our self-centered mind has created a world of suffering.  So a bodhisattva resolves to become a good creator and with wisdom and compassion create a pure world filled with pure beings.

One of the best ways to increase your understanding of emptiness is find a few key phrases from the explanations of emptiness that really speak to us, and contemplate them informally throughout the day, such as on the bus, while exercising, etc.  We ask ourselves what does this mean? How can I understand this? What is its practical value?

We request blessings to have answers to these questions.  We need to continue to contemplate these things until they make sense to us – yeah, I get it.  That makes sense.  The key is we should enjoy it, like trying to solve a puzzle that has great meaning.  We think about the arguments and try to understand them like a game.  Then it is fun.  If we do this continually, our understanding will gradually deepen.