Intangible Culture ISSN:2799-3868(Print) 무형문화연구

This study explores the emergence and development of the concept of zero in mathematics, focusing on the practical aspects of suññatā in early Buddhism and the dependent-arising aspects of śūnyatā emphasized by Nāgārjuna. Zero first appeared as a placeholder driven by practical needs and was later conceptualized as a number in Indian mathematics as śūnya, derived from Buddhist śūnyatā. Over time, zero assumed multiple roles—as part of operations and their results, as a reference point, and as a limit value—through mathematicians’ exploration of condition-dependent change and the continual relating of seemingly unrelated entities. In elementary mathematics education, zero appears in multiple ways and offers a meaningful context for students to experience doing mathematics; accordingly, this study reexamines zero from the practical and dependent-arising perspectives of śūnyatā and presents implications.