@ what the Buddha taught
Majjhima Nikāya
Cūḷasuññatasuttaṃ
MN121
So I learned:
On one occasion the exalted one dwells in the eastern park, at Migāramātupāsāda, at Sāvatthi. OK, then senior Ānanda, on an evening occasion, returned from seclusion, went by there where the exalted one was. Having gone up to the exalted one, saluted, he sat down at one side. OK, at one side seated, senior Ānanda said this to the exalted one:
'On this one occasion, venerable, the exalted one he dwells amongst the Sakyans at a market town of the Sakyans, named Nagaraka. There I, venerable, learned face to face, received face to face from the exalted one: 'I by dwelling with emptiness, Ānanda, at present dwell a lot'. I hope this is by me, venerable, well learned, well grasped, well attended to, well retained?'
'Surely you got this, Ānanda, well learned, well grasped, well attended to, well retained. I also in the prior, Ānanda, also at present, dwell at lot by dwelling with emptiness. Also as that, Ānanda, this Migāramātupāsāda is empty of elephants, cows, horses and meres, empty of gold and silver, empty of female and male assemblies and so this is the non-emptiness, which is the generalization depending on the order of almsmen. OK just so, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of the village, not attending to the perception of men, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the forest. For him at the perception of the forest the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the village, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of men, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the forest.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the village the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of men the perception is gone', 'And so this is the non-emptiness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the forest'. OK thus for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of men, not attending to the perception of the forest, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the earth. For him at the perception of the earth the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. Also as that, Ānanda, a bull's hide, well spread by a hundred pegs, is having the folds gone away, OK just so, Ānanda, an almsmen what of this earth are the highs and lows, rivers with difficult passages, places with stumps and thorns, irregular rocks, is not attending to that all; he pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the earth. For him at the perception of the earth the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of men here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the forest, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the earth.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of men the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the forest the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the earth.' OK thus for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of the forest, not attending to the perception of the earth, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the boundless sky as base. For him at the perception of the boundless sky as base the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the forest here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the earth, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the boundless sky as base.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the forest the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the earth the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of the boundless sky as base.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of the earth, not attending to the perception of the boundless sky as base, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of boundless cognition as base. For him at the perception of boundless cognition as base the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the earth here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the boundless sky as base, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of boundless cognition as base.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the earth the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the boundless sky as base the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of boundless cognition as base.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of the boundless sky as base, not attending to the perception of boundless cognition as base, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of possessionlessness as base. For him at the perception of possessionlessness as base the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the boundless sky as base, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of boundless cognition as base, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of possessionlessness as base.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the boundless sky as base the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of boundless cognition as base the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of possessionlessness as base.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of boundless cognition as base, not attending to the perception of possessionlessness as base, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base. For him at the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of boundless cognition as base, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of possessionlessness as base, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of boundless cognition as base the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of possessionlessness as base the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is the generalization depending on the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of possessionlessness as base, not attending to the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base, pays attention to the generalization depending on the signless mental-concentration. For him at the signless mental-concentration the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of possessionlessness as base, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is just this body depending on the hexad-base support for life'. He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of possessionlessness as base the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base the perception is gone', 'And so this is the non-emptiness, which is just this body depending on the hexad-base support for life.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness.
And further following, Ānanda, an almsmen not attending to the perception of possessionlessness as base, not attending to the perception of neither-perception-nor-no-perception as base, pays attention to the generalization depending on the signless mental-concentration. For him at the signless mental-concentration the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'OK also this signless mental-concentration is arranged, intended', knows: 'OK yet anything what is arranged, intended, that is unstable; the principle of cessation'. For him thus from knowing, thus from seeing, and the mind emancipated from the drain of lust, and the mind emancipated from the drain of existence, and the minded emancipated from the drain of not knowing, upon emancipation, thus emancipated, the knowledge is. He knows: 'Birth is barren, the divine life is fulfiled, done is what ought to be done, no more gain of presence'. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the drain of lust, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the drain of existence, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the drain of not knowing, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness, which is just this body depending on the hexad-base support for life.' He knows: 'This is empty from the drain of lust', knows: 'This is empty from the drain of existence', knows: 'This is empty from the drain of not knowing, And so this is the non-emptiness, which is just this body depending on the hexad-base support for life.' OK, so for what is not there by that he sees that is empty, yet what is left there he knows that: 'Soothed this is'. So also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clean, furthest and unsurpassed entry into emptiness.
Also for whatever, Ānanda, in past durations, recluses and divine men obtaining the clean, the furthest and unsurpassed emptiness, they all dwelt obtaining just this clean, furthest and unsurpassed emptiness. Also what for, Ānanda, in durations not yet come, recluses and divine men, obtaining the clean, the furthest and unsurpassed emptiness, they all will dwell obtaining just this clean, furthest and unsurpassed emptiness. Also what for, Ānanda, at present, recluses and divine men, obtaining the clean, the furthest and unsurpassed emptiness, they all dwell obtaining just this clean, furthest and unsurpassed emptiness. Therefore, Ānanda, 'We shall dwell obtaining the clean, the furthest and unsurpassed emptiness' for so by you guys, Ānanda, it should be trained.'
This said the exalted one.