sutta » sn » sn35 » Saṁyutta Nikāya 35.85

Suññatalokasutta

The World is Empty

Atha kho āyasmā ānando …pe… bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:
And then Venerable Ānanda … said to the Buddha:

“‘suñño loko, suñño loko’ti, bhante, vuccati.
“Sir, they say that ‘the world is empty’.

Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, suñño lokoti vuccatī”ti?
What does the saying ‘the world is empty’ refer to?”

“Yasmā ca kho, ānanda, suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā tasmā suñño lokoti vuccati.
“Ānanda, they say that ‘the world is empty’ because it’s empty of self or what belongs to self.

Kiñca, ānanda, suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā?
And what is empty of self or what belongs to self?

Cakkhu kho, ānanda, suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā.
The eye,

Rūpā suññā attena vā attaniyena vā, cakkhuviññāṇaṁ suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā, cakkhusamphasso suñño attena vā attaniyena vā …pe…
sights, eye consciousness, and eye contact are empty of self or what belongs to self. …

yampidaṁ manosamphassapaccayā uppajjati vedayitaṁ sukhaṁ vā dukkhaṁ vā adukkhamasukhaṁ vā tampi suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā.
The pleasant, painful, or neutral feeling that arises conditioned by mind contact is also empty of self or what belongs to self.

Yasmā ca kho, ānanda, suññaṁ attena vā attaniyena vā, tasmā suñño lokoti vuccatī”ti.
They say that ‘the world is empty’ because it’s empty of self or what belongs to self.”

Dutiyaṁ.