Copyright (C) 2022. Tomás Morales y Durán
The fascination that the concept of “void” subjects to the mind is surprising. The imagination soars and elucidates empty nothings of themselves floating in nowhere. But this is just imagination. The void is the great container of everything that it supports and, in turn, is sustained by other voids. The void is not "nothing", quite the opposite. The "Short Discourse on Cessation" is an elegant exercise in discovering layers of emptiness that support objects. When removing the objects, the void that contains it remains, which, in turn, is an object that exists on top of another void. Like a matryoshka. This sutta is perfectly understandable if it is translated correctly and is shown as a successive exercise of detachment from the anxiety produced by attachment, aversion and ignorance in each layer of existence, starting from the most usual concepts, such as "man" or "man". "village" to the very root of existence, leaving it bare and ready to be uprooted. It is a mystical exercise of the first order.
Medium-Length Discourses Collection
MN 121. Brief Discourse on Cessation
Thus I heard: At that time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the Eastern Monastery, in the stilt communal house of Migāra's mother. One evening, the venerable Ānanda came out of his retreat and went to where the Buddha was. He greeted you upon arrival and sat you down properly. Once seated, the venerable Ānanda said to the Buddha: —When you were staying with the sākkas, near the sākka village called Nagaraka there, I heard from your mouth, I learned in your presence: “Today, Ānanda, I remain in a state empty of attachment, aversion and ignorance. Have I heard correctly, Master? Did I understand it correctly? Pay attention? Did I remember correctly? —Certainly, Ānanda, you heard it well, you understood it well, you paid attention and you remembered it well. Previously, as now, he remained in an empty state of attachment, aversion and ignorance. It is like this communal house of Migāra's mother which is empty, devoid of elephants, cows, horses and mares, it is empty of gold and silver, empty of assemblies of women and men. However, it is not empty, as the community of bhikkhus is here. Similarly, the bhikkhu who aspires to this state, does not consider the image of "the Village", does not consider the image of "the People", but only considers the image of "the Jungle". His mind penetrates into that perception of "the Jungle", he enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of "the Village" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of "the People" no longer exists, but that a remnant of uneasiness remains, due only to the image of "Jungle". He rightly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of «the Village», empty of the image of «the People», but that there is still something that is not empty, that is, the image of «the Jungle» . And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus this state arises in him: genuine, undistorted and pure. So, Ānanda, the bhikkhu does not consider the image of “the People” either, he does not consider the image of “the Jungle” either, he only considers the image of “the Earth”. His mind enters the image of "the Earth", enjoys it, stays there and stays there. Like a hide of cattle, well stretched and fixed by means of a hundred stakes, it loses all its folds in the same way, if the bhikkhu does not consider the prominences and the cavities of the Earth, the streams and the difficult passages, the stumps and the the thorns, the hills and the irregularities, and only considers the image, his mind enters the image of "the Earth", enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of "the People" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of "the Jungle" no longer exists, but that a rest of uneasiness remains, due solely to the image of "the earth". He rightly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of “the People”, empty of the image of “the Jungle”, but that there is still something that is not empty, that is, the image of “the Earth”. . And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus this state arises in him: genuine, undistorted and pure. So, Ānanda, the bhikkhu does not consider the image of “the Jungle” either, he no longer considers the image of “the Earth”, he only considers the image of the Dimension of an Empty Place. His mind enters this image, enjoys it, stays there and stays there. He clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of "the Jungle" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of "the Earth" no longer exists, but that there is still a rest of agitation, due only to the image of to «Dimension of an Empty Place». He rightly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of «the Jungle», empty of the image of «the Earth», but that there is still something that is not empty, that is, the image of the «Dimension of a Empty place". And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus this state arises in him: genuine, undistorted and pure. So, Ānanda, the bhikkhu does not consider the image “the Earth” either, he no longer considers the image of the “Dimension of an Empty Place”, he only considers the “Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits”. His mind enters this image, enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of "the Earth" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Empty Place Dimension" does not exist, but that a rest of agitation remains, due only to the image of the «Dimension of a Place without Known Limits». He correctly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image "the Earth", empty of the image of the "Dimension of an Empty Place", but that there is still a non-empty, due only to the image of the "Dimension of an Empty Place". a Place without Known Limits”. And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus this state arises in him: genuine, undistorted and pure. So, Ānanda, the bhikkhu also does not consider the image of the “Dimension of an Empty Place”, he no longer considers the image of the “Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits”, he only considers the image of the “Dimension of No Place”. His mind enters this image, enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Dimension of an Empty Place" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits" no longer exists, but that it remains a remnant of unease due solely to the image of the "Nowhere Dimension." He correctly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of the "Dimension of an Empty Place", empty of the image of the "Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits", but that there is still an emptiness, due only to the image of the «Nowhere Dimension». And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus this state arises in him: genuine, undistorted and pure. Next, Ānanda, the bhikkhu also does not consider the image of the "Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits", he no longer considers the image of the "Dimension of Nowhere", he only considers the image of the "Dimension of the Absence of the Factors of Grasping to Existence». His mind enters this image, enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Dimension of Nowhere" no longer exists, but that there is a remnant of agitation due solely to the image of the «Dimension of the Absence of the Factors of Grasping to Existence». He rightly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of the "Dimension of a Place Without Known Limits", empty of the image of the "Dimension of Nowhere", but that there is still something that is not empty, i.e. , the image of the «Dimension of the Absence of the Factors of Grasping to Existence». And so he considers it empty of what is not there, but as for what is left, he understands that it is present. Thus arises in him this state: genuine, undistorted and pure Then, Ānanda, the bhikkhu also does not consider the image of the "Dimension of Nowhere", he no longer considers the image of the "Dimension of Absence of Grasping Factors". Existence”, only consider the contemplation of the mind without negative tendencies. His mind goes into this image, his mind goes into this image, enjoys it, stays there and stays there. It clearly admits that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Nowhere Dimension" no longer exists, that the anxiety caused by the image of the "Dimension of Absence of Existence-Grasping Factors" no longer exists, but that there is still a remnant of agitation due to the body itself made up of the four elements and associated with the six sense bases and related to the life process, while life lasts. He correctly recognizes that this type of image is empty of the image of the "Dimension of Nowhere", empty of the image of the "Dimension of the Absence of Existence-Grasping Factors", but that there is still an absence of emptiness. due to this body associated with the six sense bases and related to the life process. He thus he contemplates the void according to what is absent
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