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Emptiness, Step by Step

MN 121, the Cūḷasuññata Sutta — set 3, Learning to Look at Your Own Mind

Reading time: about 12 min · 2,069 words

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Before you read

Ānanda reminds the Buddha that he once said, "These days I mostly dwell in emptiness," and asks whether he heard it right. The Buddha says he did, and explains what he means.

He starts with the room they are sitting in. This mansion, he says, is empty of elephants and cattle, of gold and silver, of crowds of men and women. What is not empty is the community of monks. Emptiness here is always empty of something, and something always remains.

Then he lays out a gradual practice built on that pattern. Leave aside the village and the people, and attend only to the forest. What has dropped away is no longer disturbing you; what remains is a smaller disturbance. Then leave aside the forest for the earth, the earth for boundless space, and so on through ever subtler states, each time noticing what is now absent and what is still present.

At the last step even the subtlest state is seen as something put together and intended, and so impermanent. Seeing that, the heart is released, and all that remains is this living body with its senses.

It pairs naturally with MN 122, the longer discourse on emptiness.

Translation

The Setting

So I heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī, in the Eastern Monastery, in Migāra's Mother's mansion.

Then in the late afternoon Venerable Ānanda came out of retreat, went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat down to one side. Seated there, he said to the Buddha:

"Bhante, at one time the Buddha was staying among the Sakyans, at their town of Nagaraka. There I heard and learned from the Buddha's own mouth: 'Ānanda, these days I mostly dwell in emptiness.' I hope I heard that correctly, learned it correctly, attended to it correctly, and remembered it correctly?"

"Yes, Ānanda, you heard it correctly, learned it correctly, attended to it correctly, and remembered it correctly. Both before and now, I mostly dwell in emptiness.

The Recognition of the Forest

This mansion of Migāra's Mother is empty of elephants, cattle, horses, and mares, empty of gold and silver, and empty of gatherings of men and women. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the Saṅgha of bhikkhus. In the same way, Ānanda, a bhikkhu does not attend to the recognition of the village or to the recognition of people. They attend to the oneness that depends on the recognition of the forest. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of the forest, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the village are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of people are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the forest.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the village.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of people. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the forest.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

The Recognition of Earth

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of people, not attending to the recognition of the forest, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of earth. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of earth, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

Just as a bull's hide is stretched out with a hundred pegs until it is free of folds, in the same way, Ānanda, not attending to whatever on this earth is high or low, its rivers and ravines, its stumps and thorns, its mountains and uneven ground, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of earth. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of earth, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of people are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the forest are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of earth.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of people.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the forest. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of earth.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

The Formless Spheres

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of the forest, not attending to the recognition of earth, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless space. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of the sphere of boundless space, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the forest are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of earth are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless space.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the forest.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of earth. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless space.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of earth, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of boundless space, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of earth are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of boundless space are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of earth.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of boundless space. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of boundless space, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of nothingness. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of the sphere of nothingness, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of boundless space are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of nothingness.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of boundless space.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of nothingness.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of nothingness, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition. Their heart leaps forward into the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of nothingness are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of boundless knowing.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of nothingness. There is only this that is not empty: the oneness that depends on the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

The Signless Unification of Mind

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of nothingness, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the signless unification of mind. Their heart leaps forward into the signless unification of mind, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of nothingness are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the six fields of experience that depend on this very body and are conditioned by life.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of nothingness.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition. There is only this that is not empty: the six fields of experience that depend on this very body and are conditioned by life.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, and purely.

The Release of the Heart

Then again, Ānanda, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of nothingness, not attending to the recognition of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-non-recognition, a bhikkhu attends to the oneness that depends on the signless unification of mind. Their heart leaps forward into the signless unification of mind, becomes clear, settles, and commits to it.

They discern: 'This signless unification of mind too is constructed and intended.' They discern: 'Whatever is constructed and intended is impermanent and subject to cessation.'

As they know and see like this, the heart is released from the sensual outflow, from the outflow of becoming, and from the outflow of ignorance. When it is released, there is the knowledge: 'It is released.' They discern: 'Birth is worn away, the spiritual life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no more of this state of being.'

They discern: 'Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the sensual outflow are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the outflow of becoming are not present here. Whatever disturbances there would be dependent on the outflow of ignorance are not present here. There is only this much disturbance: the six fields of experience that depend on this very body and are conditioned by life.'

They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the sensual outflow.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the outflow of becoming.' They discern: 'This field of recognition is empty of the outflow of ignorance. There is only this that is not empty: the six fields of experience that depend on this very body and are conditioned by life.' So they regard it as empty of whatever is not there, and of what remains they discern: 'This is present.'

Ānanda, this too is how they come into emptiness genuinely, without distortion, purely, and in the highest and unsurpassed way.

The Highest Emptiness

Ānanda, whatever samaṇas or brahmins in the past entered and remained in the pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them entered and remained in this same pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness.

Whatever samaṇas or brahmins in the future will enter and remain in the pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them will enter and remain in this same pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness.

Whatever samaṇas or brahmins at present enter and remain in the pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness, all of them enter and remain in this same pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness.

So, Ānanda, you should train like this: 'We will enter and remain in the pure, highest, unsurpassed emptiness.'"

That is what the Buddha said. Venerable Ānanda was glad and welcomed what the Buddha had said.

The first discourse is finished.

Words used in this translation (21)
becoming
This project's rendering of "bhava" -- the settling of experience into a way of being that feels like somebody being something. Often translated "existence."
Bhante
A respectful way of addressing a senior monastic, roughly "venerable sir." Left untranslated because English has no natural equivalent.
bhikkhu
A Buddhist monk -- someone who has left household life to practise full time. Left untranslated because "monk" carries centuries of unrelated European associations.
bhikkhus
Buddhist monks -- those who have left household life to practise full time. The Buddha's usual way of addressing the assembly, roughly "friends" in force.
birth
This project's rendering of "jāti": birth, coming into being. In the dependent-arising sequence, ageing and dying depend on it. In MN 141 the word appears once in its everyday sense instead, in a simile about a mother.
body
The physical body, as distinct from speech and the mental side of experience.
cessation
The ending of dissatisfaction and its causes: what practice is finally for. Elsewhere on this site the same idea appears as "quenching". Both render the same Pali word, "nirodha", in different sentences.
conditioned
This project's rendering of "saṅkhata" -- anything that came about because other things did, and that stops when they stop. Nearly everything is.
emptiness
This project's rendering of "suññatā". In MN 122 it is a way of dwelling, entered by not attending to any signs.
heart
This project's rendering of "citta": the feeling side of mind. It takes on moods, wants, leans, and reacts. Practice can gladden, steady, train, and release it. Some call it the "heart-mind" or "feeling mind". Here "heart" does not mean only emotion, or the physical organ.
ignorance
This project's rendering of "avijjā" -- not general stupidity, but specifically not seeing how dissatisfaction works and how it ends. The first link in the dependent-arising sequence.
oneness
This project's rendering of "ekatta" in MN 121: the single recognition the mind rests on at each step, once it has set the coarser ones aside.
outflow
This project's rendering of "āsava" -- a deep-running habit that keeps seeping out and driving behaviour. Often translated "taint" or "defilement."
recognition
This project's rendering of "saññā" (often translated "perception") -- the mind's act of identifying and labeling what it encounters.
Saṅgha
The community of the Buddha's disciples. In traditional recollection formulas, as in AN 11.12, it means especially those who have entered and realized the path, not everyone who calls themselves Buddhist.
six fields of experience
The six channels through which you experience anything at all: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and thinking. Other translations often say "sense bases".
sphere of boundless knowing
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on knowing itself without limit.
sphere of boundless space
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on space without limit.
sphere of nothingness
A deep meditative state in which awareness rests on there being nothing at all to take up.
spiritual life
The Buddhist path of practice as a whole -- not just a set of beliefs, but a whole way of living.
unification of mind
This project's rendering of "samādhi" -- the thinking mind and heart gathered together into one organized, workable whole instead of pulling against each other. It does not mean narrowing attention onto one point. Usually translated "concentration," which this project avoids because it suggests forcing and strain.
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