190. （一九〇）小空经

I have heard thus:

At one time, the Buddha was traveling in the country of Shravasti, staying at the Deer Mother's Hall in the Eastern Garden.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda rose from his afternoon meditation, went to where the Buddha was, bowed at the Buddha's feet, stood to one side, and said, "World-Honored One, once when you were traveling among the Shakyas, in the city called Shakyapura, I heard you say, 'Ānanda, I often practice emptiness.' Did I understand and accept well what the World-Honored One said, and did I uphold it well? "

At that time, the World-Honored One replied, "Ānanda, what I said, you indeed understood well, accepted well, and upheld well. Why is that? Since then until now, I have often practiced emptiness. Ānanda, this Deer Mother's Hall is empty of elephants, horses, cattle, sheep, wealth, grain, and slaves, but it is not empty of the assembly of monks. This, Ānanda, is what I see as empty. If there is anything else here, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted. Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of villages, should not think of people, but should often think of the thought of one thing being without affairs. If he knows emptiness in the thought of villages, emptiness in the thought of people, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being without affairs, if there is weariness due to the thought of villages, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of people, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being without affairs. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

Furthermore, Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of people, should not think of the thought of one thing being without affairs, but should often think of the thought of one thing being the earth. If that monk sees this earth as having highs and lows, as having snake mounds, as having thorn bushes, as having sand and stones, as having steep mountains and deep rivers, he should not think of them. If he sees this earth as flat like the palm of a hand, as a good place to look out over, he should often think of it. Ānanda, it is like a cowhide stretched with a hundred nails, stretched tightly, without wrinkles or shrinking. If he sees this earth as having highs and lows, as having snake mounds, as having thorn bushes, as having sand and stones, as having steep mountains and deep rivers, he should not think of them. If he sees this earth as flat like the palm of a hand, as a good place to look out over, he should often think of it. If he knows emptiness in the thought of people, emptiness in the thought of one thing being without affairs, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being the earth, if there is weariness due to the thought of people, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being without affairs, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being the earth. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

Furthermore, Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of the thought of one thing being without affairs, should not think of the thought of one thing being the earth, but should often think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space. If he knows emptiness in the thought of one thing being without affairs, emptiness in the thought of one thing being the earth, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, if there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being without affairs, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the earth, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

Furthermore, Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of the thought of one thing being the earth, should not think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, but should often think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness. If he knows emptiness in the thought of one thing being the earth, emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, if there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the earth, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

Furthermore, Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, should not think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, but should often think of the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness. If he knows emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness, if there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable space, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

Furthermore, Ānanda, if a monk wishes to practice emptiness extensively, that monk should not think of the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, should not think of the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness, but should often think of the thought of one thing being the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. If he knows emptiness in the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, emptiness in the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness, but there is not emptiness in the thought of one thing being the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, if there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the immeasurable consciousness, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the thought of one thing being the sphere of nothingness, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to the thought of one thing being the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

He thinks: 'I had the thought of one thing being the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception before, what I practiced and thought about before, if what I practiced and thought about before, I do not enjoy it, do not seek it, do not abide in it. Knowing and seeing like this, the mind is liberated from the leakage of desire, the leakage of existence, and the leakage of ignorance. Having been liberated, one knows liberation. Birth is exhausted, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, there will be no more continuation of existence in the future, knowing it as it really is.' He knows emptiness in the leakage of desire, emptiness in the leakage of existence, emptiness in the leakage of ignorance, but there is not emptiness in this body of mine, the six sense bases, and life. If there is weariness due to the leakage of desire, I do not have that. If there is weariness due to the leakage of existence and ignorance, I also do not have that. There is only weariness due to this body of mine, the six sense bases, and life. If there is nothing in that, then I see it as empty. If there is anything else in that, I see it as truly existent. Ānanda, this is called practicing the true, the empty, and the non-inverted.

"Ānanda, if the past Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, they all practiced this truth, emptiness, and non-inverted, namely the exhaustion of the taints, the uncontaminated, the unconditioned, and the mind liberation. Ānanda, if the future Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Perfectly Enlightened Ones, they all will practice this truth, emptiness, and non-inverted, namely the exhaustion of the taints, the uncontaminated, the unconditioned, and the mind liberation. Ānanda, if the present Tathāgata, Arhat, and Perfectly Enlightened One, I also practice this truth, emptiness, and non-inverted, namely the exhaustion of the taints, the uncontaminated, the unconditioned, and the mind liberation. Ānanda, you should study like this, I also practice this truth, emptiness, and non-inverted, namely the exhaustion of the taints, the uncontaminated, the unconditioned, and the mind liberation. Therefore, Ānanda, you should study like this."

The Buddha spoke thus. Venerable Ānanda and the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha said, and they joyfully practiced it.