The positive side of emptiness

There is a negative and a positive side to emptiness.  When it is said that to meditate a monk may go to an empty hut (S.v.311) it is common sense to understand that this hut is empty of distractions.  This is the negative side.  On the other hand,  this same hut is real.  This same empty hut is protection from wild beasts and the elements.  This is the positive side.

In the Culasunnata Sutta (M.iii.104), the Buddha explains to Ananda the meditation on emptiness by saying that when the monks are gathered in the hall, the hall is said to be "empty of elephants, cows and so forth."  What remains in the hall is the community of monks.  Again, the Buddha explains to Ananda that when a monk goes to the forest to meditate, he perceives the lack of a village and villagers.  What remains is the positive forest where he is practicing.

Key to understanding the proper notion of emptiness is that while something is removed or set aside, something always positive remains (avashista).  In a word, correctly applying emptiness, the positive is disclosed.  There is no attainment of a super emptiness—a sheer lack or absence, as it were.

By the same token, the same thing can be said of mind.  Let’s use the example of Zen master Tsung-mi (Zongmi).  He said the following: “When there are no discriminating thoughts such as desire or anger in the mind, the mind is said to be empty—it does not mean that there is no mind.”  For Tsung-mi, a mind which is empty is positive.  It is only empty of defilements (klesha).  This is the negative.  Once the defilements have been emptied out, only the immaculate mind (vimalacitta) remains.  This mind is immortal.  This mind has always been liberated.  However much our bodies and thoughts change—and however much we engage with the changing conditions of the world, the empty mind (wu-hsin) is untroubled and undisturbed.  Ironically, this mind is positive although it is empty!

Turning back to the Culasunnata Sutta, when a monk achieves the signless samadhi of mind (animittam cetosamadhim), what is removed are the spell binding disturbances of mind which prevent one from seeing mind as being truly liberated.  What remains after the emptying out of these disturbances is the pure Mind (cittamatra).

Now let me conclude this with a little Zen story.  One day the Zen master who saw that his best monk was now like low hanging fruit, ready to be plucked, asked the monk to bring him an empty water pitcher.  The monk quickly complied with his master’s request and brought him an empty water pitcher setting it on the table.  The master then requested that the monk bring two empty cups.  Again the monk complied with his master’s request and went to fetch the empty cups.  Then the master asked the monk, who had just put the two cups on the table, “Now bring me your empty mind!”  Upon hearing the master’s request, the monk’s mind froze on the spot—in a split second he uncovered something he had never seen before.

Comments

[Bodhiratna]

Brilliant! this is a first class caliber style of teaching!. Bodhidharma would yank carpet from under one's feet so one might see that hidden source as well :)

Thanks much,

Bodhiratna