MN 122
Maha-suññata Sutta
The Greater Discourse on Emptiness
Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro BhikkhuPTS: M iii 109
Source: Transcribed from a file provided by the translator.
Copyright © 2005 Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight edition © 2005
For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted,
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Translator's Introduction
This sutta gives many valuable lessons on practical issues surrounding the
attempt to develop an internal meditative dwelling of emptiness, to maintain it,
and to see it through to Awakening. Some of these issues include the need for
seclusion as a conducive setting for the practice, types of conversation and
thinking that are beneficial and harmful for the practice, the dangers of being
distracted by visitors, and the proper attitude to have toward one's teacher.
However, for an explanation of emptiness in and of itself, it's necessary to
look elsewhere in the Canon.
There you find emptiness approached from three perspectives, treating it (1) as
a meditative dwelling, (2) as an attribute of objects, and (3) as a type of
awareness-release. The first approach is obviously the most immediately relevant
to the discussion in this sutta, but in fact all three approaches play a role
here.
Emptiness as a meditative dwelling is most fully discussed in MN 121.
Essentially, it boils down to the ability to center the mind in a particular
mode of perception, to maintain it there, and then to notice the absence and
presence of disturbance within that mode. The process starts with perceptions of
one's external surroundings — village, wilderness, the earth property — and then
moves internally to the four formless states, the "themeless concentration of
awareness," and finally to release from all mental fermentation. Each step is
compared to the one preceding it to see how its more refined perception
engenders less disturbance. For instance, if you move from a perception of the
wilderness to a perception of earth, the first step is to settle and "indulge"
in that perception. Then you notice what types of disturbance have been
abandoned in the move from the perception of wilderness to the perception of
earth — for example, all thought of the dangers of wilderness are gone — and
then to see what disturbances remain based on the latter perception. Then you
abandon the perception causing those disturbances and move on to a more refined
level of perception. This process is pursued until it arrives at the "themeless
concentration of awareness." When noting that even this refined level of
concentration is fabricated, inconstant, and subject to cessation, one gains
total release from all mental fermentations and the disturbances that would
arise based on them. This is the level of emptiness that is "superior and
unsurpassed," and is apparently what the Buddha is referring to in this sutta
when he says that by "not attending to any themes, he enters & remains in
internal emptiness."
Notice that in every step along the way of this process, the emptiness is the
lack of disturbance experienced in a particular mind state. This means that the
mind state is to be perceived simply as an example of the presence and absence
of stress. In other words, emptiness in this sense relates directly to the
second of the three characteristics — stress or suffering. The pursuit of this
emptiness relates to the four noble truths, as it looks for the causes of stress
and uses tranquility together with insight to abandon those causes in a quest to
put a total end to suffering.
Emptiness in its second meaning, as an attribute of objects, is most fully
discussed in SN 35.85. That sutta describes emptiness as meaning the lack of
self or anything pertaining to a self in the internal and external sense media.
Whatever sense of self that may surround these objects is not inherent in them,
and is instead simply the result of one's own penchant for "I-making" and
"my-making." Seeing the artificiality of "I-making" and "my-making" in this way
helps lead to a sense of disenchantment with these "makings," thus helping to
abandon any clinging associated with them.
Thus emptiness in this sense relates directly to the third of the three
characteristics: not-self. However, just as the three characteristics are not
radically separate from one another — everything stressful is for that reason
not-self — the practical application of this sense of emptiness is not radically
different from the first. As SN 12.15 points out, when one no longer latches
onto any idea of "my self," one sees phenomena within and without simply as
examples of stress arising and passing away. To practice meditation from this
perspective — seeing each state of concentration as an example of stress arising
and passing away — is to develop emptiness as a meditative dwelling.
Emptiness in its third meaning, as a type of awareness-release, is an
application of emptiness in its second. MN 43 describes this state of
concentration as follows: "There is the case where a monk — having gone into the
wilderness, to the root of a tree, or into an empty dwelling — considers this:
'This is empty of self or of anything pertaining to self.'" It adds that this
awareness-release is different from the awareness-release that results when one
doesn't attend to any themes. Thus this state of concentration cannot be
entirely equated with the emptiness as a meditative dwelling mentioned in this
sutta. MN 106 further adds that if one frequently abides in the emptiness
awareness-release, one may either attain the dimension of nothingness — one of
the formless states — or be committed to the discernment that will lead to
Awakening. The first of these two alternatives is another way in which emptiness
as an awareness-release differs from emptiness as a meditative dwelling as
defined in MN 121. However, because the standard definition of discernment is
seeing phenomena in terms of the four noble truths, the second alternative —
being committed to discernment — would apparently follow the same pattern
suggested by SN 12.15, above. In other words, as one no longer perceives
phenomena in terms of self, one tends to view them simply as examples of stress
arising and passing away. So, again, this third meaning of emptiness, like the
second, eventually leads in practice back to the first. As MN 43 notes, when one
attains full awakening, the themeless awareness-release and the emptiness
awareness-release come to differ only in name, and not in actuality.
In reading the following sutta, you will notice that the various meanings of
emptiness will fit some contexts better than others. Still, it is important to
remember that in the course of practice, all three meanings are related and all
will inevitably play a role in Awakening.
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying among the Sakyans
at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan Park. Then in the early morning, the Blessed One,
having put on his robes and carrying his bowl and outer robe, went into
Kapilavatthu for alms. Having gone for alms in Kapilavatthu, after the meal,
returning from his alms round, he went to the dwelling of Kala-khemaka the
Sakyan for the day's abiding. Now at that time many resting places had been
prepared in Kala-khemaka the Sakyan's dwelling. The Blessed One saw the many
resting places prepared there and, on seeing them, the thought occurred to him,
"There are many resting places prepared here. Do many monks live here?"
Now at that time Ven. Ananda, together with many other monks, was making robes
at the dwelling of Ghata the Sakyan. Then, when it was evening, the Blessed One
rose from seclusion and went to the dwelling of Ghata the Sakyan. On arrival, he
sat down on a seat made ready. Having sat down, he asked Ven. Ananda, "There are
many resting places prepared in Kala-khemaka the Sakyan's dwelling. Do many
monks live there?"
"Yes, lord, there are many resting places prepared in Kala-khemaka the Sakyan's
dwelling. Many monks live there. Our time for making robes has come around."
"Ananda, a monk does not shine if he delights in company, enjoys company, is
committed to delighting in company; if he delights in a group, enjoys a group,
rejoices in a group. Indeed, Ananda, it is impossible that a monk who delights
in company, enjoys company, is committed to delighting in company; who delights
in a group, enjoys a group, rejoices in a group, will obtain at will — without
difficulty, without trouble — the pleasure of renunciation, the pleasure of
seclusion, the pleasure of peace, the pleasure of self-awakening. But it is
possible that a monk who lives alone, withdrawn from the group, can expect to
obtain at will — without difficulty, without trouble — the pleasure of
renunciation, the pleasure of seclusion, the pleasure of peace, the pleasure of
self-awakening.
"Indeed, Ananda, it is impossible that a monk who delights in company, enjoys
company, is committed to delighting in company; who delights in a group, enjoys
a group, rejoices in a group, will enter & remain in the awareness-release that
is temporary and pleasing, or in the awareness-release that is not-temporary and
beyond provocation. But it is possible that a monk who lives alone, withdrawn
from the group, can expect to enter & remain in the awareness-release that is
temporary and pleasing, or in the awareness-release that is not-temporary and
beyond provocation.
"Ananda, I do not envision even a single form whose change & alteration would
not give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair in one who is
passionate for it and takes delight in it.
"But there is this (mental) dwelling discovered by the Tathagata where, not
attending to any themes, he enters & remains in internal emptiness. If, while he
is dwelling there by means of this dwelling, he is visited by monks, nuns, lay
men, lay women, kings, royal ministers, sectarians & their disciples, then —
with his mind bent on seclusion, tending toward seclusion, inclined toward
seclusion, aiming at seclusion, relishing renunciation, having destroyed those
qualities that are the basis for mental fermentation — he converses with them
only as much is necessary for them to take their leave.1
"So, Ananda, if a monk should wish, 'May I enter & remain in internal
emptiness,' then he should get the mind steadied right within, settled, unified,
& concentrated. And how does the monk get the mind steadied right within,
settled, unified, & concentrated? There is the case where a monk — quite
withdrawn from sensual pleasures, withdrawn from unskillful qualities — enters &
remains in the first jhana... the second jhana... the third jhana... the fourth
jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-pleasure-nor-pain. That is
how a monk gets the mind steadied right within, settled, unified, &
concentrated.
"He attends to internal emptiness. While he is attending to internal emptiness,
his mind does not take pleasure, find satisfaction, grow steady, or indulge in
internal emptiness. When this is the case, he discerns, 'While I am attending to
internal emptiness, my mind does not take pleasure, find satisfaction, grow
steady, or indulge in internal emptiness.' In this way he is alert there.
"He attends to external emptiness...2
"He attends to internal & external emptiness...
"He attends to the imperturbable.3 While he is attending to the imperturbable,
his mind does not take pleasure, find satisfaction, grow steady, or indulge in
the imperturbable. When this is the case, he discerns, 'While I am attending to
the imperturbable, my mind does not take pleasure, find satisfaction, grow
steady, or indulge in the imperturbable.' In this way he is alert there.
"When that is the case, he should get the mind steadied right within, settled,
unified, & concentrated in his first theme of concentration.
"He then attends to internal emptiness. While he is attending to internal
emptiness, his mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, grows steady, & indulges
in internal emptiness. When this is the case, he discerns, 'While I am attending
to internal emptiness, my mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, grows steady,
& indulges in internal emptiness.' In this way he is alert there.
"He attends to external emptiness...
"He attends to internal & external emptiness...
"He attends to the imperturbable. While he is attending to the imperturbable,
his mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, grows steady, & indulges in the
imperturbable. When this is the case, he discerns, 'While I am attending to the
imperturbable, my mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, grows steady, &
indulges in the imperturbable.' In this way he is alert there.
"If, while the monk is dwelling by means of this dwelling, his mind inclines to
walking back & forth, he walks back & forth [thinking,] 'While I am walking
thus, no covetousness or sadness, no evil, unskillful qualities will take
possession of me.' In this way he is alert there.
"If, while he is dwelling by means of this dwelling, his mind inclines to
standing... to sitting... to lying down, he lies down, [thinking,] 'While I am
lying down thus, no covetousness or sadness, no evil, unskillful qualities will
take possession of me.' In this way he is alert there.
"If, while he is dwelling by means of this dwelling, his mind inclines to
speaking, he resolves that 'I will not engage in talk that is base, vulgar,
common, ignoble, unbeneficial, that does not lead to disenchantment, dispassion,
cessation, calm, direct knowledge, self-awakening, or Unbinding — i.e., talk
about kings, robbers, & ministers of state; armies, alarms, & battles; food &
drink; clothing, furniture, garlands, & scents; relatives; vehicles; villages,
towns, cities, the countryside; women & heroes; the gossip of the street & the
well; tales of the dead; tales of diversity, the creation of the world & of the
sea; talk of whether things exist or not.' In this way he is alert there.
"'But,' [he resolves,] 'I will engage in talk that is scrupulous, conducive to
release of awareness, and leads exclusively to disenchantment, dispassion,
cessation, calm, direct knowledge, self-awakening, & Unbinding — i.e., talk on
modesty, contentment, seclusion, non-entanglement, arousing persistence, virtue,
concentration, discernment, release, and the knowledge & vision of release.' In
this way he is alert there.
"If, while he is dwelling by means of this dwelling, his mind inclines to
thinking, he resolves that 'I will not think thoughts that are base, vulgar,
common, ignoble, unbeneficial, that do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion,
cessation, calm, direct knowledge, self-awakening, or Unbinding — i.e., thoughts
of sensuality, thoughts of ill will, thoughts of harmfulness.' In this way he is
alert there.
"'But,' [he resolves,] 'I will think thoughts that are noble, onward-leading,
that lead to the right ending of stress for the person who acts on them — i.e.,
thoughts of renunciation, thoughts of no ill will, thoughts of harmlessness.' In
this way he is alert there.
"Ananda, there are these five strings of sensuality. Which five? Forms
cognizable via the eye — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering
desire, enticing. Sounds cognizable via the ear... Aromas cognizable via the
nose... Flavors cognizable via the tongue... Tactile sensations cognizable via
the body — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing.
These are the five strings of sensuality where a monk should reflect on his mind
repeatedly: 'Is there within me, in any circumstance or another, any engagement
of awareness that arises with regard to these five strings of sensuality?' If,
on reflection, the monk discerns, 'There is within me, in one circumstance or
another, an engagement of awareness that arises with regard to these five
strings of sensuality,' then — this being the case — he discerns that
'Desire-passion for the five strings of sensuality has not been abandoned by
me.' But if, on reflection, he discerns, 'There is not within me, in any
circumstance or another, any engagement of awareness that arises with regard to
these five strings of sensuality,' then — this being the case — he discerns that
'Desire-passion for the five strings of sensuality has been abandoned by me.' In
this way he is alert there.
"There are these five clinging-aggregates where a monk should stay, keeping
track of arising & passing away (thus): 'Such is form, such its origination,
such its disappearance. Such is feeling... Such is perception... Such are
fabrications... Such is consciousness, such its origination, such its
disappearance.' As he stays keeping track of arising & passing away with regard
to these five clinging-aggregates, he abandons any conceit that 'I am' with
regard to these five clinging-aggregates. This being the case, he discerns, 'I
have abandoned any conceit that "I am" with regard to these five
clinging-aggregates.' In this way he is alert there.
"These qualities, Ananda, are exclusively skillful in their grounding, noble,
transcendent, inaccessible to the Evil One.
"What do you think, Ananda: When envisioning what aim is it proper for a
disciple to follow after the Teacher even when being rebuked?"
"For us, lord, the teachings have the Blessed One as their root, their guide, &
their arbitrator. It would be good if the Blessed One himself would explicate
the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the monks
will remember it."
"Ananda, it's not proper for a disciple to follow after the Teacher to hear
discourses, verses, or catechisms. Why is that? For a long time, Ananda, have
you listened to the teachings, retained them, discussed them, accumulated them,
examined them with your mind, and penetrated them well in terms of your views.
But as for talk that is scrupulous, conducive to release of awareness, and leads
exclusively to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calm, direct knowledge,
self-awakening, & Unbinding — i.e., talk on modesty, contentment, seclusion,
non-entanglement, arousing persistence, virtue, concentration, discernment,
release, and the knowledge & vision of release: It's for the sake of hearing
talk of this sort that it is proper for a disciple to follow after the Teacher
as if yoked to him.
"This being the case, there is the teacher's undoing, there is the student's
undoing, there is the undoing of one who leads the holy life.
"And how is there the teacher's undoing? There is the case where a certain
teacher4 resorts to a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, the shade of a tree, a
mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open
air, a heap of straw. While he is living thus secluded, brahmans & householders
from town & countryside visit him. When they visit him, he gets smitten with
things that infatuate, falls into greed, and reverts to luxury. This is called a
teacher undone with a teacher's undoing. He has been struck down by evil,
unskillful qualities that defile, that lead to further becoming, are
troublesome, ripen in pain, and lead to future birth, aging, & death. Such is
the teacher's undoing.5
"And how is there the student's undoing? A student of that teacher, imitating
his teacher's seclusion, resorts to a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, the shade
of a tree... a heap of straw. While he is living thus secluded, brahmans &
householders from town & countryside visit him. When they visit him, he gets
smitten with things that infatuate, falls into greed, and reverts to luxury.
This is called a student undone with a student's undoing. He has been struck
down by evil, unskillful qualities that defile, that lead to further becoming,
are troublesome, ripen in pain, and lead to future birth, aging, & death. Such
is the student's undoing.
"And how is there the undoing of one who leads the holy life? There is the case
where a Tathagata arises in the world, worthy and rightly self-awakened,
consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-gone, an expert with regard to the
world, unexcelled as a trainer for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of
divine & human beings, awakened, blessed. He resorts to a secluded dwelling: a
wilderness, the shade of a tree, a mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel
ground, a forest grove, the open air, a heap of straw. While he is living thus
secluded, brahmans & householders from town & countryside visit him. When they
visit him, he doesn't get smitten with things that infatuate, doesn't fall into
greed, doesn't revert to luxury. A student of that teacher, imitating his
teacher's seclusion, resorts to a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, the shade of
a tree... a heap of straw. While he is living thus secluded, brahmans &
householders from town & countryside visit him. When they visit him, he gets
smitten with things that infatuate, falls into greed, and reverts to luxury.
This is called one following the holy life who is undone with the undoing of one
who leads the holy life. He has been struck down by evil, unskillful qualities
that defile, that lead to further becoming, are troublesome, ripen in pain, and
lead to future birth, aging, & death. Such is the undoing of one who leads the
holy life.
"And in this regard, Ananda, the undoing of one who leads the holy life ripens
in more pain, more bitterness, than the teacher's undoing or the student's
undoing. It leads even to the states of deprivation.
"Therefore, Ananda, engage with me as friends and not as opponents. That will be
for your long-term well-being & happiness.
"And how do students engage with the teacher as opponents and not as friends?
There is the case where a teacher teaches the Dhamma to his students
sympathetically, seeking their well-being, out of sympathy: 'This is for your
well-being; this is for your happiness.' His disciples do not listen or lend ear
or apply their minds to gnosis. Turning aside, they stray from the Teacher's
message. This is how students engage with the teacher as opponents and not as
friends.6
"And how do students engage with the teacher friends and not as opponents? There
is the case where a teacher teaches the Dhamma to his students sympathetically,
seeking their well-being, out of sympathy: 'This is for your well-being; this is
for your happiness.' His disciples listen, lend ear, & apply their minds to
gnosis. Not turning aside, they don't stray from the Teacher's message. This is
how students engage with the teacher as friends and not as opponents.
"Therefore, Ananda, engage with me friends and not as opponents. That will be
for your long-term well-being & happiness.
"I won't hover over you like a potter over damp, unbaked clay goods. Scolding
again & again, I will speak. Urging you on again & again, I will speak. Whatever
is of essential worth will remain."
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Ananda delighted in the
Blessed One's words.
Notes
1. See AN 8.86.
2. Because all three types of emptiness apply both internally and externally, it
would seem that when the Buddha mentions external emptiness here, he could be
referring to the way any of the three types of emptiness applies to external
phenomena. Similarly, when he mentions internal emptiness, he could be referring
to the way any of them applies within.
3. See MN 106.
4. I.e., a non-Buddhist teacher.
5. See Iti 109.
6. See MN 137.
See also: MN 121; SN 35.85; AN 5.30; AN 6.42; AN 8.30; Sn 1.3
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