English
3. The Chapter on Emptiness 1. The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness 176. Thus have I heard: On one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Sāvatthī, in the Eastern Park, in Migāra’s Mother’s Palace. Then, in the evening, Venerable Ānanda rose from his seclusion, went to the Blessed One, and after bowing to him, sat down to one side. Sitting to one side, Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: “On one occasion, venerable sir, the Blessed One was staying among the Sakyans, at a Sakyan town named Nagaraka. There, venerable sir, I heard and received directly from the Blessed One: ‘I, Ānanda, now mostly dwell in the emptiness-abiding.’ Is this, venerable sir, well-heard, well-received, well-attended, well-considered by me?” “Indeed, Ānanda, it is well-heard, well-received, well-attended, well-considered by you. Formerly, Ānanda, and even now, I mostly dwell in the emptiness-abiding. Just as, Ānanda, this Migāra’s Mother’s Palace is empty of elephants, cattle, horses, and mares; empty of gold and silver; empty of gatherings of women and men; but there is this which is not empty, namely, the singleness based on the community of bhikkhus; even so, Ānanda, a bhikkhu, not attending to the perception of village, not attending to the perception of human beings, attends to the singleness based on the perception of forest. His mind enters into, is gladdened by, settles in, and is resolved upon the perception of forest. He understands thus: ‘Those disturbances that would arise based on the perception of village are not here. Those disturbances that would arise based on the perception of human beings are not here. There is only this much disturbance, namely, the singleness based on the perception of forest.’ He understands: ‘This perception-attainment is empty of the perception of village.’ He understands: ‘This perception-attainment is empty of the perception of human beings.’ He understands: ‘There is this which is not empty, namely, the singleness based on the perception of forest.’ Thus, whatever is not there and by that he perceives it as empty, and whatever remains there, he understands, ‘This existing thing is present.’ Thus, Ananda, for him this becomes a true, unperverted, purified penetration of emptiness. 177. Again, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of humans, not attending to the perception of wilderness, attends to the oneness based on the perception of earth. His mind leaps into, is pleased with, stands firm in, and is liberated by the perception of earth. Just as, Ananda, a bull's hide, well-stretched with a hundred stakes, is free from wrinkles; even so, Ananda, a monk, not attending to all the unevenness of this earth – its hills and hollows, river ravines, stumps and thorns, mountainous unevenness – attends to the oneness based on the perception of earth. His mind leaps into, is pleased with, stands firm in, and is liberated by the perception of earth. He understands thus: ‘Whatever agitations there might be based on the perception of humans, they are not present here. Whatever agitations there might be based on the perception of wilderness, they are not present here. There is only this much agitation, namely – the oneness based on the perception of earth.’ He understands: ‘This perception-attainment is empty of the perception of humans.’ He understands: ‘This perception-attainment is empty of the perception of wilderness.’ And he understands: ‘There is this non-emptiness, namely – the oneness based on the perception of earth.’ Thus, whatever is not present there, by that he perceives it as empty. And whatever remains there, he understands, ‘This existing thing is present.’ Thus, Ananda, for him this becomes a true, unperverted, purified penetration of emptiness. 178. Again, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of wilderness, not attending to the perception of earth, attends to the oneness based on the perception of the infinitude of space. His mind leaps into, is pleased with, stands firm in, and is liberated by the perception of the infinitude of space. He understands thus: ‘Whatever agitations there might be based on the perception of wilderness... Dependent on the perception of wilderness, they are not there. Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of earth, they are not there. But there is just this much agitation, namely: dependent on the perception of the infinity of space, the oneness. He understands: "This perception-state is empty of the perception of wilderness." He understands: "This perception-state is empty of the perception of earth." But there is this not-emptiness, namely: dependent on the perception of the infinity of space, the oneness. Thus, whatever is not there, by that he regards it as empty. But whatever remains there, that he understands as: "This is present, it exists." Thus, Ananda, for him this entry into emptiness is real, undistorted, purified. 179. Furthermore, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of earth, not attending to the perception of the infinity of space, attends to the oneness dependent on the perception of the infinity of consciousness. In him, on account of the perception of the infinity of consciousness, his mind leaps forth, becomes confident, stands firm, is released. He understands thus: "Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of earth, they are not there. Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of the infinity of space, they are not there. But there is just this much agitation, namely: dependent on the perception of the infinity of consciousness, the oneness." He understands: "This perception-state is empty of the perception of earth." He understands: "This perception-state is empty of the perception of the infinity of space." But there is this not-emptiness, namely: dependent on the perception of the infinity of consciousness, the oneness. Thus, whatever is not there, by that he regards it as empty. But whatever remains there, that he understands as: "This is present, it exists." Thus, Ananda, for him this entry into emptiness is real, undistorted, purified. 180. Furthermore, Ananda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the infinity of space, not attending to the perception of the infinity of consciousness, attends to the oneness dependent on the perception of nothingness. In him... The mind enters, is purified, stands firm, and is released into the perception of the dimension of nothingness. He thus understands: ‘Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of the dimension of infinite space, they are not present there. Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, they are not present there. There is only this much agitation, namely, the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of nothingness.’ He understands: ‘This perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of infinite space.’ He understands: ‘This perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness.’ He understands: ‘There is this non-emptiness, namely, the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of nothingness.’ Thus, what is not present there, he sees as empty by that. What remains present there, he understands as ‘this is present, this exists.’ Thus, Ānanda, for him, this true, undistorted, pure entry into emptiness occurs. 181. Again, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, attends to the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. For him, the mind enters, is purified, stands firm, and is released into the perception of the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. He thus understands: ‘Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness, they are not present there. Whatever agitations there might be dependent on the perception of the dimension of nothingness, they are not present there. There is only this much agitation, namely, the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.’ He understands: ‘This perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of infinite consciousness.’ He understands: ‘This perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness.’ He understands: ‘There is this non-emptiness, namely, the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.’ Thus, what is not present there, he sees as empty by that. What remains present there, he understands as ‘this is present, this exists.’ Thus, Ānanda, for him, this true, undistorted, pure becomes an entry into emptiness. 182. “Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, attends to oneness, based on the signless concentration of mind. His mind enters, is gladdened, stands firm, and is released into that signless concentration of mind. He thus understands: ‘Whatever distress there might be, based on the perception of the dimension of nothingness, that is not here. Whatever distress there might be, based on the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, that is not here. There is only this much distress, namely, that which is based on this very body, with its six sense bases, dependent on life.’ He understands: ‘This perception-aggregate is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness.’ He understands: ‘This perception-aggregate is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.’ He understands: ‘There is only this not-empty, namely, that which is based on this very body, with its six sense bases, dependent on life.’