[soprofaxelbis]

As for the deity Avalokiteshvara, do we really need to believe in deities ?

Hopefully not... but some people are needed so to think there will be something "there" that will save them. Mahayana share some features with Christianism and its corrupted version called Catholicism. Gods, saints, saviours, redeemers of human suffering, prayers and a holly guru are all around the Mahayana suttas.

Knowing that the historical Buddha just awaken, IMO is a much more healthier approach to his teachings.

Personally I don't think its particularly necessary for emptiness to be regarded as a philosophical view or even as an intellectual insight. I think maybe some people either get very confused about 'emptiness' and misundestand what it means..or else get obsessed with it.

Emptiness understood through impermanence should be experienced through meditation. Philosophical view and intellectual insight can lead to subtle attachments. Also the philosophical views and the extreme intellectual struggle have lead to the foundation of the many New Age mysticisms.

My opinion is that perhaps when we let go and relax a little mentally and begin to fully understand impermanence and not-self, that a far more direct understanding of emptiness will be developed through our meditation practice, as well as through our everyday awareness on a moment-to-moment basis.

That's it... no need to make this so difficult and elaborated...