DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - The Stillness of being, -and a question about 'emptiness'

**gundas** · 09-23-2010, 11:49 PM

or dazzle is going to be terse!

Not at all ! When I'm explaining to you how to use the website it isn't being ''terse'' Truelotus, dear.

Its also helpful to start a new topic if possible, if you have a different subject to the original post, so that subject areas can be found more easily afterwards by others reading the forums.

If you look at the very bottom of the topic title list in each forum you'll see "New Topic"
Click on that, fill in a title where it says 'Subject' and then fill the box below it with what you want to say. (General info about using the website can be obtained in the Technical Help forum and in the 'help' section in the bar at the top of the page)

As an addition to what Stuka has already said, my understanding is that if one examines phenomena and establishes logically that they are empty of 'self', of any inherent and independent existence ,then one can examine the mind itself and sees that mental formations are also empty of 'self'. It doesn't mean that the mind, or anything else, is like empty space.

The chair I'm sitting on, for example, is empty of an independant 'self' and so is everything else in this room.

So if we can look directly at our thoughts and emotions, as they change and come and go, we can see that they are empty of any inherent existence of permanent 'self' too.

Buddha's words in Sunna Sutta follow :

Suñña Sutta: Empty. SN 35.85

Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, "It is said that the world is empty, the world is empty, lord. In what respect is it said that the world is empty?"

"Insofar as it is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self: Thus it is said, Ananda, that the world is empty.

And what is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self? The eye is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Forms... Eye-consciousness... Eye-contact is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self.

"The ear is empty...

"The nose is empty...

"The tongue is empty...

"The body is empty...

"The intellect is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Ideas... Intellect-consciousness... Intellect-contact is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Thus it is said that the world is empty."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....085.than.html

09-23-2010, 11:49 PM	#6
gundas Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 488 Senior Member	or dazzle is going to be terse! Not at all ! When I'm explaining to you how to use the website it isn't being ''terse'' Truelotus, dear. Its also helpful to start a new topic if possible, if you have a different subject to the original post, so that subject areas can be found more easily afterwards by others reading the forums. If you look at the very bottom of the topic title list in each forum you'll see "New Topic" Click on that, fill in a title where it says 'Subject' and then fill the box below it with what you want to say. (General info about using the website can be obtained in the Technical Help forum and in the 'help' section in the bar at the top of the page) As an addition to what Stuka has already said, my understanding is that if one examines phenomena and establishes logically that they are empty of 'self', of any inherent and independent existence ,then one can examine the mind itself and sees that mental formations are also empty of 'self'. It doesn't mean that the mind, or anything else, is like empty space. The chair I'm sitting on, for example, is empty of an independant 'self' and so is everything else in this room. So if we can look directly at our thoughts and emotions, as they change and come and go, we can see that they are empty of any inherent existence of permanent 'self' too. Buddha's words in Sunna Sutta follow : Suñña Sutta: Empty. SN 35.85 Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, "It is said that the world is empty, the world is empty, lord. In what respect is it said that the world is empty?" "Insofar as it is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self: Thus it is said, Ananda, that the world is empty. And what is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self? The eye is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Forms... Eye-consciousness... Eye-contact is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. "The ear is empty... "The nose is empty... "The tongue is empty... "The body is empty... "The intellect is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Ideas... Intellect-consciousness... Intellect-contact is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self. Thus it is said that the world is empty." http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipit....085.than.html
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