The Truth of Emptiness is the teaching that everything that exists is empty of a permanent and independent essence. In other words, everything exists temporarily as part of a changing process that includes all other things in different ways. A tomato, for instance, comes in to existence as part of a process that begins with a seed. The seed develops into a ripened tomato when it has the proper soil, water, and sunlight as conditions that allow it to sprout and grow. The same tomato inevitably disappears when it is eaten by people or animals, and then it becomes a contributing factor to the existence of whoever has eaten it. In this way, everything participates in the law of cause and effect.