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**CAxrrAYN** · 03-23-2010, 03:04 PM

Suñña Sutta
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."
---

So, saying 'the world is emptiness' directly relates to the six sense bases, referred to often by the Buddha as "this fathom-length body". In this respect, emptiness might or might not be ontologically true about the cosmos, but the Buddha is only concerned with showing it in the case of the Self.

Using the word 'emptiness' instead of 'non-self' seems to me to be putting the importance of theory ahead of application and practice.

03-23-2010, 03:04 PM	#19
CAxrrAYN Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 458 Senior Member	Suñña Sutta 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." --- So, saying 'the world is emptiness' directly relates to the six sense bases, referred to often by the Buddha as "this fathom-length body". In this respect, emptiness might or might not be ontologically true about the cosmos, but the Buddha is only concerned with showing it in the case of the Self. Using the word 'emptiness' instead of 'non-self' seems to me to be putting the importance of theory ahead of application and practice.
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