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Majjhima Nikāya
Uparipaṇṇāsapāḷi
Suññatavaggo
Cūḷasuññatasuttaṃ
MN121

So I learned:

At one time the exalted one he dwells in Sāvatthi, at the eastern park, at Migāramātupāsāda. Now then senior Ānanda at evening time 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. At one side seated now senior Ānanda said this to the exalted one:

'At this one time, 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: 'By dwelling by emptiness I, 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 formerly also, Ānanda, also at present, by dwelling by emptiness I dwell a lot. Just as, 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 viz. the generalization depending on the order of almsmen. Just so now, 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 on 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 viz. 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 viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the forest'. So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clear entry into emptiness^[1].

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 on the perception of the earth the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. Just as, Ānanda, a bull's hide, well spread by a hundred pegs, is having the folds gone away, thus so then, Ānanda, an almsmen which of this earth's highs and lows, rivers with difficult passages, places with stumps and thorns, irregular rocks, therefor not attending to all; he pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the earth. For him on 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 viz. 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 viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the earth.' Thus now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus 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 base of boundless-sky. For him on the perception of the base of boundless-sky 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 viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of boundless-sky.' 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 viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of boundless-sky.' So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus 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 base of boundless-sky, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition. For him on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition 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 base of boundless-sky, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the earth the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the base of boundless-sky the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition.' So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus 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 base of boundless-sky, not attending to the perception of the base of boundless-cognition, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the base of non-ownership. For him on the perception of the base of non-ownership the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the base of boundless-sky, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of non-ownership.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the base of boundless-sky the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the base of boundless-cognition the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of posessionlessness.' So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus 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 base of boundless-cognition, not attending to the perception of the base of non-ownership, pays attention to the generalization depending on the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. For him on the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the base of boundless-cognition, here those are not. What might be the wearinesses depending on the perception of the base of non-ownership, here those are not. And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.' He knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the base of boundless-cognition the perception is gone', knows: 'This is empty; from the perception of the base of non-ownership the perception is gone', 'And so this is the moderation of weariness viz. the generalization depending on the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception.' So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus 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 base of non-ownership, not attending to the perception of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, pays attention to the generalization depending on the signless mental-concentration. For him on the signless mental-concentration the mind jumps at, reconciles, settles, is drawn to. So he knows: 'Now also this signless mental-concentration is arranged, intended', knows: 'But now anything what is arranged, intended, that is impermanent; 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: 'Exhausted is birth, fulfilled is the divine life, done is what ought to be done, no further for such a state'. 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 viz. 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 viz. just this body depending on the hexad-base support for life.' So now for what is not there by that, therefor, he sees emptiness, yet what is left there therefor he knows: 'Soothed this is'. Thus also for him this, Ānanda, exists being as it is; the undistorted clean, furthest and unsurpassed entry into emptiness.

Also what for, Ānanda, in times gone by, 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 times to 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. Thus from that here, Ānanda, 'We shall dwell obtaining the clean, the furthest and unsurpassed emptiness' for so by you guys, Ānanda, it should be trained.'

Thus spoke the exalted one.

N o t e s

Here is shown the method by emptying where with proper attention right view follows going all the way up to right concentration (the drawn into, settling) indicating the practise of the whole noble eightfold path. It describes calm (samatha) and insight (vipassanā), all in a way known and affirmed by oneself (undistorted, clear). If through this we get to experience that calmness and understanding, we then have obtained for ourselves a nice atmosphere to dwell in. And thus can we speak of dwelling in emptiness, and thus can we speak of an entry into emptiness as well.