1.
The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness
176.
Thus have I heard.
On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in the Eastern Park, in Migāramātā's mansion.
Then the venerable Ānanda, in the afternoon, having emerged from seclusion, approached the Blessed One;
having approached, he paid respect to the Blessed One and sat down to one side.
Seated to one side, the venerable Ānanda said this to the Blessed One:
"On one occasion, venerable sir, the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Nagaraka, a market town of the Sakyans.
There, venerable sir, I heard from the Blessed One face to face, I received face to face -
'I, Ānanda, now frequently dwell in the abiding in emptiness.'
Was this, venerable sir, well heard by me, rightly grasped, well attended to, well considered?"
"Truly this was, Ānanda, well heard by you, rightly grasped, well attended to, well considered.
Both formerly, Ānanda, and now too I frequently dwell in the abiding in emptiness.
Just as, Ānanda, this Migāramātā's mansion is empty of elephants, cattle, horses, and mares, empty of gold and silver, empty of the assembly of women and men, and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the Community of monks;
so too, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of village, not attending to the perception of people, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of forest.
His mind turns towards the perception of forest, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of village, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of people, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of forest.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of village'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of people'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of forest.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
177.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of people, not attending to the perception of forest, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of earth.
His mind turns towards the perception of earth, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
Just as, Ānanda, a bull's hide fully stretched out with a hundred stakes is free from wrinkles;
so too, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to whatever on this earth is uphill and downhill, river fastnesses, places of stumps and thorns, mountain unevenness - all that - attends to the unity dependent on the perception of earth.
His mind turns towards the perception of earth, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of people, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of forest, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of earth.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of people'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of forest'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of earth.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
178.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of forest, not attending to the perception of earth, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite space.
His mind turns towards the perception of the plane of infinite space, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of forest, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of earth, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite space.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of forest'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of earth'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite space.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
179.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of earth, not attending to the perception of the plane of infinite space, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness.
His mind turns towards the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of earth, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite space, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of earth'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of infinite space'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
180.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the plane of infinite space, not attending to the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of nothingness.
His mind turns towards the perception of the plane of nothingness, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite space, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of nothingness.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of infinite space'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of nothingness.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
181.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness, not attending to the perception of the plane of nothingness, attends to the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.
His mind turns towards the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of nothingness, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of infinite consciousness'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of nothingness'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
the unity dependent on the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
182.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the plane of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, attends to the unity dependent on the signless concentration of mind.
His mind turns towards the signless concentration of mind, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of nothingness, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
dependent on this very body having six sense bases, conditioned by life.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of nothingness'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
dependent on this very body having six sense bases, conditioned by life.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, and pure.
183.
"Furthermore, Ānanda, a monk, not attending to the perception of the plane of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, attends to the unity dependent on the signless concentration of mind.
His mind turns towards the signless concentration of mind, and becomes placid, settled, and focused on it.
He thus understands:
'This signless concentration of mind too is conditioned, fashioned by volition.'
'But whatever is conditioned, fashioned by volition, that is impermanent, having the nature of cessation,' he understands.
For one knowing thus, seeing thus, the mind becomes liberated from the mental corruption of sensuality, the mind becomes liberated from the mental corruption of existence, the mind becomes liberated from the mental corruption of ignorance.
When liberated, there is the knowledge: 'Liberated.'
He understands: 'Birth is eliminated, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to any state of being.'
He thus understands:
'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the mental corruption of sensuality, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the mental corruption of existence, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the mental corruption of ignorance, those are not present here; and there is only this measure of disturbance, namely -
dependent on this very body having six sense bases, conditioned by life.'
He understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the mental corruption of sensuality'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the mental corruption of existence'; he understands: 'This field of perception is empty of the mental corruption of ignorance'; 'and there is only this non-emptiness, namely -
dependent on this very body having six sense bases, conditioned by life.'
Thus whatever is not there, he regards that as empty of it; but whatever remains there, he understands: 'This being present, this exists.'
Thus, Ānanda, this is for him the entry into emptiness that is in conformity with the truth, undistorted, pure, and supremely unsurpassed.
184.
"Whatever, Ānanda, ascetics or brahmins in the past, having attained, dwelt in pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them, having attained, dwelt in this very pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness.
And whatever, Ānanda, ascetics or brahmins in the future, having attained, will dwell in pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them, having attained, will dwell in this very pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness.
And whatever, Ānanda, ascetics or brahmins at present, having attained, dwell in pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them, having attained, dwell in this very pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness.
Therefore, Ānanda, 'Having attained, we will dwell in pure, supreme, unsurpassed emptiness' -
thus indeed, Ānanda, should you train."
This is what the Blessed One said. Pleased, the venerable Ānanda delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness is concluded as first.