Cula Suata Sutta

The Lesser Discourse on Emptiness

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
For free distribution only
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Savatthi in the Eastern Monastery, the
palace of Migara's mother. Then in the evening, Ven. nanda, coming o!t of secl!sion, approached the
Blessed One and, on arrival, having "owed down, sat down to one side. #s he was sitting there, he said
to the Blessed One$ %On one occasion, when the Blessed One was staying among the Sa&yans in a
Sa&yan town named 'agara&a, there (( face to face with the Blessed One (( I heard and learned this$ 'I
now often remain in an attit!de of emptiness.' )id I hear that correctly, learn it correctly, attend to it
correctly, remem"er it correctly*%
+The Buddha$, %-es, nanda, yo! heard that correctly, learned it correctly, attended to it correctly,
remem"ered it correctly. 'ow, as well as "efore, I often remain in an attit!de of emptiness. .!st as this
palace of Migara's mother is empty of elephants, cattle and mares, empty of gold and silver, empty of
assem"lies of women and men, and there is only this non(emptiness (( the singleness "ased on the
comm!nity of mon&s/ even so, nanda, a mon& (( not attending to the perception 0mental note1 of
village, not attending to the perception of h!man "eing (( attends to the singleness "ased on the
perception of forest. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its perception
of forest.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of village are not
present. 4hatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of h!man "eing are not
present. There is only this modic!m of dist!r"ance$ the singleness "ased on the perception of forest.'
2e discerns that 'this mode of perception is empty of the perception of village. This mode of perception
is empty of the perception of h!man "eing. There is only this non(emptiness$ the singleness "ased on
the perception of forest.' Th!s he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he
discerns as present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is
!ndistorted in meaning, and p!re.

The Perception of Earth
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of h!man "eing, not attending to the
perception of forest (( attends to the singleness "ased on the perception of earth. 2is mind ta&es
pleas!re, finds satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its perception of earth. .!st as a "!ll's hide is
stretched free from wrin&les with a h!ndred sta&es, even so (( witho!t attending to all the ridges and
hollows, the river ravines, the tracts of st!mps and thorns, the craggy irreg!larities of this earth (( he
attends to the singleness "ased on the perception of earth. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds satisfaction,
settles, and ind!lges in its perception of earth.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of h!man "eing are
not present. 4hatever dist!r"ances wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of forest are not present. There
is only this modic!m of dist!r"ance$ the singleness "ased on the perception of earth.' 2e discerns that
'this mode of perception is empty of the perception of h!man "eing. This mode of perception is empty
of the perception of forest. There is only this non(emptiness$ the singleness "ased on the perception of
earth.' Th!s he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as present$
'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning,
and p!re.

The Infinitude of Space
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of forest, not attending to the perception
of earth (( attends to the singleness "ased on the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of space.
2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its perception of the dimension of
the infinit!de of space.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of forest are not
present. 4hatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of earth are not present. There
is only this modic!m of dist!r"ance$ the singleness "ased on the perception of the dimension of the
infinit!de of space.' 2e discerns that 'this mode of perception is empty of the perception of forest. This
mode of perception is empty of the perception of earth. There is only this non(emptiness$ the singleness
"ased on the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of space.' Th!s he regards it as empty of
whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry
into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning, and p!re.

The Infinitude of Consciousness
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of earth, not attending to the perception
of the dimension of the infinit!de of space (( attends to the singleness "ased on the perception of the
dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds satisfaction, settles, and
ind!lges in its perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of earth are not
present. 4hatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of the dimension of the
infinit!de of space are not present. There is only this modic!m of dist!r"ance$ the singleness "ased on
the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness.' 2e discerns that 'this mode of
perception is empty of the perception of earth. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of
the dimension of the infinit!de of space. There is only this non(emptiness$ the singleness "ased on the
perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness.' Th!s he regards it as empty of
whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry
into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning, and p!re.

othin!ness
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of
space, not attending to the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness (( attends to
the singleness "ased on the perception of the dimension of nothingness. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds
satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its perception of the dimension of nothingness.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of the dimension of
the infinit!de of space are not present. 4hatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception
of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness are not present. There is only this modic!m of
dist!r"ance$ the singleness "ased on the perception of the dimension of nothingness.' 2e discerns that
'this mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of space. This
mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness.
There is only this non(emptiness$ the singleness "ased on the perception of the dimension of
nothingness.' Th!s he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as
present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in
meaning, and p!re.

either Perception nor on"Perception
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of
conscio!sness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness (( attends to the
singleness "ased on the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re,
finds satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of the dimension of
the infinit!de of conscio!sness are not present. 4hatever dist!r"ances that wo!ld e3ist "ased on the
perception of the dimension of nothingness are not present. There is only this modic!m of dist!r"ance$
the singleness "ased on the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception.' 2e discerns that 'this
mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of the infinit!de of conscio!sness. This
mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness. There is only this non(
emptiness$ the singleness "ased on the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception.' Th!s he
regards it as empty of whatever is not there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as present$ 'There is this.'
#nd so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning, and p!re.

Theme"Less Concentration
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not
attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception (( attends to the
singleness "ased on the theme(less concentration of awareness. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds
satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its theme(less concentration of awareness.
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of the dimension of
nothingness are not present. 4hatever dist!r"ances wo!ld e3ist "ased on the perception of the
dimension of neither perception nor non(perception, are not present. #nd there is only this modic!m of
dist!r"ance$ that connected with the si3 sensory spheres, dependent on this very "ody with life as its
condition.' 2e discerns that 'this mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of
nothingness. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception
nor non(perception. There is only this non(emptiness$ that connected with the si3 sensory spheres,
dependent on this very "ody with life as its condition.' Th!s he regards it as empty of whatever is not
there. 4hatever remains, he discerns as present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry into emptiness,
accords with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning, and p!re.

#elease
%5!rther, nanda, the mon& (( not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not
attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non(perception (( attends to the
singleness "ased on the theme(less concentration of awareness. 2is mind ta&es pleas!re, finds
satisfaction, settles, and ind!lges in its theme(less concentration of awareness.
%2e discerns that 'This theme(less concentration of awareness is fa"ricated and mentally fashioned.'
#nd he discerns that '4hatever is fa"ricated and mentally fashioned is inconstant and s!"6ect to
cessation.' 5or him (( th!s &nowing, th!s seeing (( the mind is released from the effl!ent of sens!ality,
the effl!ent of "ecoming, the effl!ent of ignorance. 4ith release, there is the &nowledge, '7eleased.' 2e
discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life f!lfilled, the tas& done. There is nothing f!rther for this
world.'
%2e discerns that 'whatever dist!r"ances wo!ld e3ist "ased on the effl!ent of sens!ality... the effl!ent
of "ecoming... the effl!ent of ignorance, are not present. #nd there is only this modic!m of
dist!r"ance$ that connected with the si3 sensory spheres, dependent on this very "ody with life as its
condition.' 2e discerns that 'this mode of perception is empty of the effl!ent of sens!ality... "ecoming...
ignorance. #nd there is 6!st this non(emptiness$ that connected with the si3 sensory spheres, dependent
on this very "ody with life as its condition.' Th!s he regards it as empty of whatever is not there.
4hatever remains, he discerns as present$ 'There is this.' #nd so this, his entry into emptiness, accords
with act!ality, is !ndistorted in meaning, p!re (( s!perior and !ns!rpassed.
%nanda, whatever contemplatives and priests who in the past entered and remained in an emptiness
that was p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed, they all entered and remained in this very same emptiness that
is p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed. 4hatever contemplatives and priests who in the f!t!re will enter
and remain in an emptiness that will "e p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed, they all will enter and remain
in this very same emptiness that is p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed. 4hatever contemplatives and
priests who at present enter and remain in an emptiness that is p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed, they all
enter and remain in this very same emptiness that is p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed.
%Therefore, nanda, yo! sho!ld train yo!rselves$ '4e will enter and remain in the emptiness that is
p!re, s!perior, and !ns!rpassed.'%
That is what the Blessed One said. 8ratified, Ven. nanda delighted in the Blessed One's words.