Paṭisambhidāmagga Suññatākathā

An Eternal Now SG

Paṭisambhidāmagga Suññatākathā (Excerpts)
Posted in Discernment, Theravāda
What is emptiness in [relation to] change?
Born, form is empty of self-nature (sabhāvena suñña); disappeared, form is both changed and empty.
Born, feeling is empty of self-nature; disappeared, feeling is both changed and empty.
Born, recognition is empty of self-nature; disappeared, recognition is both changed and empty.
Born, fabrications are empty of self-nature; disappeared, fabrications are both changed and empty.
Born, consciousness is empty of self-nature; disappeared, consciousness is both changed and empty.
Born, the eye is empty … the ear is empty … the nose is empty … the tongue is empty … the body is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, forms are empty … sounds are empty … odors are empty … flavors are empty … tactile sensations are empty of self-nature; disappeared, they are both changed and empty.
Born, visual consciousness is empty … auditory consciousness is empty … olfactory consciousness is empty … gustatory consciousness is empty … tactile consciousness is empty … mental consciousness is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, eye-contact is empty … ear-contact is empty … nose-contact is empty … tongue-contact is empty … body-contact is empty … mind-contact is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, feeling born of eye-contact is empty … feeling born of ear-contact is empty … feeling born of nose-contact is empty … feeling born of tongue-contact is empty … feeling born of body-contact is empty … feeling born of mind-contact is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, recognition of forms is empty … recognition of sounds is empty … recognition of odors is empty … recognition of flavors is empty … recognition of tactile sensations is empty … recognition of mental phenomena is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, volitional intention pertaining to forms is empty … volitional intention pertaining to sounds is empty … volitional intention pertaining to odors is empty … volitional intention pertaining to flavors is empty … volitional intention pertaining to tactile sensations is empty … volitional intention pertaining to mental phenomena is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, craving for forms is empty … craving for sounds is empty … craving for odors is empty … craving for flavors is empty … craving for tactile sensations is empty … craving for mental phenomena is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, directed thought pertaining to forms is empty … directed thought pertaining to sounds is empty … directed thought pertaining to odors is empty … directed thought pertaining to flavors is empty … directed thought pertaining to tactile sensations is empty … directed thought pertaining to mental phenomena is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, evaluation pertaining to forms is empty … evaluation pertaining to sounds is empty … evaluation pertaining to odors is empty … evaluation pertaining to flavors is empty … evaluation pertaining to tactile sensations is empty … evaluation pertaining to mental phenomena is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, the eye sensory sphere is empty … the form sensory sphere is empty … the ear sensory sphere is empty … the sound sensory sphere is empty … the nose sensory sphere is empty … the odor sensory sphere is empty … the tongue sensory sphere is empty … the flavor sensory sphere is empty … the body sensory sphere is empty … the tactile sensation sensory sphere is empty … the mind sensory sphere is empty … the mental phenomena sensory sphere is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, the eye component is empty … the form component is empty … the visual consciousness component is empty … the ear component is empty … the sound component is empty … the auditory consciousness component is empty … the nose component is empty … the odor component is empty … the olfactory consciousness component is empty … the tongue component is empty … the flavor component is empty … the gustatory consciousness component is empty … the body component is empty … the tactile sensation component is empty … the tactile consciousness component is empty … the mind component is empty … the mental phenomena component is empty … the mental consciousness component is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, the sensual desire dhātu is empty … the form dhātu is empty … the formless dhātu is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
Born, ignorance is empty … fabrications are empty … consciousness is empty … name and form are empty … the sixfold sensory spheres are empty … contact is empty … feeling is empty … craving is empty … grasping is empty … becoming is empty of self-nature; disappeared, it is both changed and empty.
What is supreme emptiness?
This dhamma is supreme, this dhamma is superior, this dhamma is excellent: the calming of all fabrications, the release of all acquisitions, the elimination of craving, dispassion, cessation, nibbāna. This is supreme emptiness.
What is internal emptiness?
Internally the eye is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the ear is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the nose is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the tongue is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the body is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the mind is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
This is internal emptiness.
What is external emptiness?
Externally form is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Externally sound is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Externally odor is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Externally flavor is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Externally tactile sensation is empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Externally mental phenomena are empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
This is external emptiness.
What is emptiness both ways?
Internally the eye and externally form are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the ear and externally sound are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the nose and externally odor are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the tongue and externally flavor are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the body and externally tactile sensation are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
Internally the mind and externally mental phenomena are both empty of a self or that which belongs to a self or of what is permanent and everlasting and eternal and not subject to change.
This is emptiness both ways.
What is the ultimate meaning (paramattha) of emptiness [as it relates to] all kinds of emptiness, which is the terminating of occurrence in one who is fully aware?
Here, through renunciation one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of sensual desire; through nonaggression one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of aggression; through recognition of light one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of dullness and drowsiness; through nondistraction one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of agitation; through understanding phenomena one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of doubt; through knowledge one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of ignorance; through gladness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of boredom.
Through the first jhāna one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the hindrances; through the second jhāna one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of directed thought and evaluation; through the third jhāna one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of rapture; through the fourth jhāna one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of pleasure; through the attainment of the sphere of infinite space one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of recognitions of form, recognitions of resistance, and recognitions of diversity; through the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of recognition of the sphere of infinite space; through the attainment of the sphere of nothingness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of recognition of the sphere of infinite consciousness; through the attainment of the sphere of neither-recognition-nor-nonrecognition one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of recognition of the sphere of nothingness.
Through the contemplation of impermanence one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the recognition of permanence; through the contemplation of unsatisfactoriness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the recognition of satisfactoriness; through the contemplation of not-self one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the recognition of self; through the contemplation of dispassion one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of delight; through the contemplation of fading away one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of greed; through the contemplation of cessation one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of arising; through the contemplation of relinquishment one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of grasping; through the contemplation of decay one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the recognition of compactness; through the contemplation of fall one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of accumulation; through the contemplation of change one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of the recognition of everlastingness; through the contemplation of signlessness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of signs; through the contemplation of desirelessness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of desire; through the contemplation of emptiness one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of misinterpretation; through the clear seeing of phenomena that is higher discernment one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of misinterpretation due to grasping at a core; through gnosis and seeing one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of misinterpretation due to delusion; through the contemplation of [the] danger [of fabrications] one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of misinterpretation due to reliance [on fabrications]; through the contemplation of reflection one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of non-reflection; through the contemplation of turning away one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of misinterpretation due to bondage.
Through the stream-entry path one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of defilements associated with wrong view; through the once-returner path one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of gross defilements; through the non-returner path one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of secondary defilements; through the arahant path one who is fully aware terminates the occurrence of all defilements [i.e. ignorance].
Or through the nibbāna component (nibbānadhātu) without any fuel remaining for one who is fully aware this occurrence of eye ends and no further occurrence of eye arises; this occurrence of ear ends and no further occurrence of ear arises; this occurrence of nose ends and no further occurrence of nose arises; this occurrence of tongue ends and no further occurrence of tongue arises; this occurrence of body ends and no further occurrence of body arises; this occurrence of mind ends and no further occurrence of mind arises.
This is the ultimate meaning of emptiness [as it relates to] all kinds of emptiness, which is the terminating of occurrence in one who is fully aware.