Awakening from Conditioning:
The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness
SimoneVomFeld
Introduction
In the Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (in the Pāli language, Culasuññata Sutta, Majjhimanikaya 121), the Buddha gives us his suggested approach to traversing the formless layers or “spheres”, temporary meditative states that arise, or perhaps better are revealed, as the interpretive functions of the mind are allowed to slow and even stop. Along the way, we have several first-hand experiences of emptiness as we peel away layers of experience: the mind is gradually cleared of the constructs such as space, consciousness and perception, the underpinnings of daily life that we might otherwise take for granted. As important as those aspects of experience might seem, we see first-hand that they are not permanent fixtures. Instead, we have only conditioned ourselves to assume they are there.
As profound as these meditative experiences might be, the real focus of the discourse is on awakening, which can occur from the vantage point of the signless abiding. Buddhism literally means “awakened-ism”, and that is where the discourse eventually leads us. By seeing how we habitually project what we want to see and know onto our experience, and then stopping those projections, “what’s left” is what is referred to as awakening. Awakening is not restricted to those who practice Buddhism, but is what happens when we shed our illusions about what is happening in and around us.
In the Shorter Discourse, how “emptiness” is described and experienced may be rather different from what you have read or reflected on; however, while there are two different types of emptiness, they are in fact complimentary. The discourse also reveals that the meanings of “conditioned” and “impermanent” may be rather different from how these terms are conventionally understood.
The following sets of essays explore these foundational terms (Chapter I), provide background information on engaging with the formless layer meditations (Chapter II), and provide a full translation and commentary of the Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (Chapter III).
Chapter I: Emptiness, Conditionality and Non-Permanence
- Introduction
- Emptiness
- Conditionality and Non-Permanence
- The Conditioning Process
- Going Beyond Conditionality
- Conventional Buddhism
Chapter II: Formless Layer Practice
- The Formless Layers
- Engaging with the Formless Layers
- A World of Signs
- The Signless Abiding and Signless State
- A Continuum of Naturally-Occurring States
- Temporary States versus Awakened Experience
Chapter III: The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness - Translation and Commentary
1. The Forest
2. Earth
3. The Layer of No Finite Space
4. The Layer of No Finite Consciousness
5. The Layer of No Somethingness
6. The Layer of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception
7. The Signless State - Calming
8. The Signless State - Awakening
In the Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (in the Pāli language, Culasuññata Sutta, Majjhimanikaya 121), the Buddha gives us his suggested approach to traversing the formless layers or “spheres”, temporary meditative states that arise, or perhaps better are revealed, as the interpretive functions of the mind are allowed to slow and even stop. Along the way, we have several first-hand experiences of emptiness as we peel away layers of experience: the mind is gradually cleared of the constructs such as space, consciousness and perception, the underpinnings of daily life that we might otherwise take for granted. As important as those aspects of experience might seem, we see first-hand that they are not permanent fixtures. Instead, we have only conditioned ourselves to assume they are there.
As profound as these meditative experiences might be, the real focus of the discourse is on awakening, which can occur from the vantage point of the signless abiding. Buddhism literally means “awakened-ism”, and that is where the discourse eventually leads us. By seeing how we habitually project what we want to see and know onto our experience, and then stopping those projections, “what’s left” is what is referred to as awakening. Awakening is not restricted to those who practice Buddhism, but is what happens when we shed our illusions about what is happening in and around us.
In the Shorter Discourse, how “emptiness” is described and experienced may be rather different from what you have read or reflected on; however, while there are two different types of emptiness, they are in fact complimentary. The discourse also reveals that the meanings of “conditioned” and “impermanent” may be rather different from how these terms are conventionally understood.
The following sets of essays explore these foundational terms (Chapter I), provide background information on engaging with the formless layer meditations (Chapter II), and provide a full translation and commentary of the Shorter Discourse on Emptiness (Chapter III).
Chapter I: Emptiness, Conditionality and Non-Permanence
- Introduction
- Emptiness
- Conditionality and Non-Permanence
- The Conditioning Process
- Going Beyond Conditionality
- Conventional Buddhism
Chapter II: Formless Layer Practice
- The Formless Layers
- Engaging with the Formless Layers
- A World of Signs
- The Signless Abiding and Signless State
- A Continuum of Naturally-Occurring States
- Temporary States versus Awakened Experience
Chapter III: The Shorter Discourse on Emptiness - Translation and Commentary
1. The Forest
2. Earth
3. The Layer of No Finite Space
4. The Layer of No Finite Consciousness
5. The Layer of No Somethingness
6. The Layer of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception
7. The Signless State - Calming
8. The Signless State - Awakening