A Little Spell of Emptiness

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I, Ánanda, Live in the Fullness of Emptiness
Empty of Empty
Habits
Not an Empty Habitat

Translated from the Pali by Michael
Olds

I hear tell:
Once Upon A Time, The Lucky Man, Savatthi-Town, East-Park, The Palace of
Migara’s Mother came-a-visiting. At this time, Ánanda, just emerging from his
afternoon’s sit down practice, went to the Teacher, greeted him, and sat down to
one side. There he said:
Sir, at one time, The Lucky Man was residing among the Sakyans in the market
town of Nagaraka, and I, also, was there. In that place, I recall having heard,
learnt, studied, grasped, face-to-face with the Lucky Man, this statement made
by him: "At this time, Ánanda, I reside in the fullness of emptiness." Did I
hear this correctly?
Yes, Ánanda, you heard, learnt, studied, grasped this correctly. Previously,
as well as now, I reside in the fullness of emptiness.
In the same way, Ánanda, as this Palace of Migara’s Mother [1] is
empty of the disturbances of the city: empty of elephants, cows, horses, asses;
empty of dealings with gold and silver; empty of groups of men and women, and
there is only this that remains to disturb the emptiness: that is, the vibration
emanating off the beggars here; in the same way, a beggar, paying no attention
to the disturbances of the city, paying no attention to human beings, pays
attention only to the vibration emanating off the forest. He takes to paying
attention only to perception of the forest, and cleans out, tidies up and
liberates his mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of the city. This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception of human
beings. This way there is only that disturbance which emanates off perception of
the forest." Thus: "This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception
of the city. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of human
beings. This way there is only this that disturbs the emptiness: that is, the
vibration which emanates off perception of the forest."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present; and, with regard to what remains, he understands that: ‘That being;
this is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to human beings,
paying no attention to the forest, he takes to paying attention only to
perception of earth, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his mind.
In the same way as he would regard a bull’s hide, stretched out to cure, held
down by a hundred pegs, it’s life done gone; when he pays attention to earth, he
does not think about anything on earth such as dry land or rivers or swamps or
marshes with plants with branches and thorns or mountains or plains, but he only
just pays attention to the vibration which emanates off perception of earth. He
takes to paying attention only to perception of earth, and cleans out, tidies up
and liberates his mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of human beings. This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception of
the forest." Thus: "This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception
of human beings. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of
the forest. This way there is only this that disturbs the emptiness: that is,
the vibration which emanates off perception of earth."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present; and, with regard to what remains, he understands that: ‘That being;
this is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to the forest,
paying no attention to earth, he takes to paying attention only to perception of
The Sphere of Unlimited Space, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his
mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of the forest. This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception of
earth." Thus: "This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of the
forest. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of earth.
This way there is only this that disturbs the emptiness: that is, the vibration
which emanates off perception of the Sphere of Unlimited Space."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to earth, paying no
attention to The Sphere of Unlimited Space, he takes to paying attention only to
perception of the Sphere of Unlimited Consciousness, and cleans out, tidies up
and liberates his mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of earth. This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception of The
Sphere of Unlimited Space." Thus: "This way is empty of disturbance emanating
from perception of earth. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from
perception of The Sphere of Unlimited Space. This way there is only this that
disturbs the emptiness: that is, the vibration which emanates off perception of
the Sphere of Unlimited Consciousness."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to The Sphere of
Unlimited Space, paying no attention to The Sphere of Unlimited Consciousness,
he takes to paying attention only to perception of The Sphere Where No Thing’s
There, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of The Sphere of Unlimited Space. This way there is no disturbance emanating
from the perception of The Sphere of Unlimited Consciousness." Thus: "This way
is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of the Sphere of Unlimited
Space. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of The Sphere
of Unlimited Consciousness. This way there is only this that disturbs the
emptiness: that is, the vibration which emanates off perception of the Sphere
Where No Thing’s There."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to The Sphere of
Unlimited Consciousness, paying no attention to The Sphere Where No Thing’s
There, he takes to paying attention only to perception of The Sphere of Neither
Perception Nor Non Perception, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his
mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of The Sphere of Unlimited Consciousness. This way there is no disturbance
emanating from perception of The Sphere Where No Thing’s There." Thus: "This way
is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of the Sphere of Unlimited
Consciousness. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from the perception of
The Sphere Where No Thing’s There. This way there is only this that disturbs the
emptiness: that is, the vibration which emanates off perception of the Sphere of
Neither Perception Nor Non Perception."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to The Sphere Where
No Thing’s There, paying no attention to The Sphere of Neither Perception Nor
Non Perception, he takes to paying attention only to the mental High-Getting
that is Sign-less, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his mind.
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from perception
of The Sphere Where No Thing’s There. This way there is no disturbance emanating
from perception of the Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non Perception." Thus:
"This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of The Sphere Where
No Thing’s There. This way is empty of disturbance emanating from perception of
The Sphere of Neither Perception Nor Non Perception. This way there is only this
that disturbs the emptiness: that is, the six sense-realms bound to this body
reacting to life."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And again, Ánanda, deeper than that, paying no attention to The Sphere Where
No Thing’s There, paying no attention to The Sphere of Neither Perception Nor
Non Perception, he takes to paying attention only to the mental High-Getting
that is Sign-less, and cleans out, tidies up and liberates his mind.
He understands: "This Mental High-Getting that is Sign-less is something that
has been constructed, thought out. Whatever has been constructed or thought out
is subject to change and coming to an end." Knowing and seeing this, his heart
is free from the grip of sense pleasures, his heart is freed from the grip of
living, his mind is free from the grip of blindness. In Freedom comes the
knowledge of Freedom, and he knows: "Left Behind is Rebirth, Lived is the Best
of Lives, Done is Duty’s Doing, Crossed over Am I; No More It’n and At’n for
Me!"
He understands: "This way there is no disturbance emanating from the grip of
sense pleasures. This way there is no disturbance emanating from the grip of
living. This way there is no disturbance emanating from the grip of blindness."
Thus: "This way is empty of the disturbance emanating from the grip of sense
pleasures. This way is empty of the disturbance emanating from the grip of
living. This way is empty of the disturbance emanating from the grip of
blindness. This way there is only this that disturbs the emptiness, that is the
six sense-realms bound to this body reacting to life."
In this way he regards that which is present as empty of that which is not
present, and, with regard to what remains, he understands that ‘That being, this
is.’
Thus, Ánanda, there is in the case of this case, a sitting-down-to-empty-out
that results in surpassing purity.
And, Ánanda, all those Shamen or Brahmen of the long distant past who
attained the highest surpassing purity of emptiness and made it a habitat, all
of them did so by attaining this same highest surpassing purity of emptiness and
making it a habitat.
And, Ánanda, all those Shamen or Brahmen who in the far distant future will
attain the highest surpassing purity of emptiness and make it a habitat, all of
them will do so by attaining this same highest surpassing purity of emptiness
and making it a habitat.
And, Ánanda, all those Shamen or Brahmen who at present are able to attain
the highest surpassing purity of emptiness and make it a habitat, all of them do
so by attaining this same highest surpassing purity of emptiness and making it a
habitat.
Wherefore, Ánanda, train yourself this way: "I will attain the highest
surpassing purity of emptiness and make a habitat of that."

Footnote:


[1] Pasade: Palace, Balustrade, Terraced house; as we understand it
today not much more elegant than what would have been a well constructed
two-story adobe home in what we might call an "open space preserve" -- a bit of
forest nearby town. The Palace was apparently covered top to bottom in precious
rugs and cloth coverings.