This practice from the Majjhima Nikaya works with a series of perspectives that are established and then replaced. With each shift, the meditator notices what daratha/disturbance that was present has gone away, and what new disturbance comes with the new perspective.
The order is as follows:
- Village
- Forest/nature
- Earth element
- Space without end
- Consciousness without end
- The experience of no-“thing”-ness
- The experience of neither perception nor non-perception
- Sign-less concentration of mind
The Chinese version of this text omits the experience of neither perception nor non-perception step. This model is used for the example practice instructions below
- Begin the practice indoors, eyes open.
- Adopt the perspective of “being” in the city or town you are practicing in, and look for any feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- After establishing the perception of practicing in a city/town, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of city/town, and think of the practice location as simply part of nature. Wind comes in and flows out, sunlight falls both inside and outside, and beings may often move both inside and outside at times. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- After establishing the perception of practicing within nature, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of nature, and bring attention to the feeling of tangible hardness and softness (earth element) that exists both within the experience of the body, and in the surrounding area. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- The eyes may be closed once this step is reached.
- Any time the mind wanders, simply return to feeling and experiencing the sense of earth element directly.
- Stay on this step until the experience grows calm, clear, and stable.
- After establishing the perception of experiencing earth element, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of earth element, and bring attention to the experience of the endless space that all earth element is experienced within. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- After establishing the perception of experiencing space without end, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of space without end, and bring attention to the experience of the consciousness without end that the perception of space without end is experienced within. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- After establishing the perception of experiencing consciousness without end, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of consciousness without end, and bring attention to the experience of empty awareness that consciousness without end took place within. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- After establishing the perception of experiencing this awareness that is empty of “things”, and becoming familiar with any sense of mental disturbance that is present, drop the perspective of the experience of no-“thing”-ness and begin to release the mind from the disturbance of using labels, including the concept of “emptiness” that experiences take place within. Notice as this happens any change in the feeling of disturbance within the experience.
- Continually reside in this sign-less/theme-less concentration, noticing any disturbance present and releasing it whenever possible.
Towards the end of this sutta, the move from sign-less/theme-less concentration to superior and unsurpassed emptiness is detailed
“…Further, Ānanda, the monk…attends to the singleness based on the theme-less concentration of awareness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its theme-less concentration of awareness.
He discerns that ‘This theme-less concentration of awareness is fabricated & mentally fashioned.’ And he discerns that ‘Whatever is fabricated & mentally fashioned is inconstant & subject to cessation.’ Thus knowing, thus seeing, his heart is released from the effluent of sensuality, released from the effluent of becoming, released from the effluent of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, ‘Released.’ He discerns that ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.’
He discerns that ‘Whatever disturbances would exist based on the effluent of sensuality…the effluent of becoming…the effluent of ignorance, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ He discerns that ‘This mode of perception is empty of the effluent of sensuality…becoming…ignorance. And there is just this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.’ Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: ‘There is this.’ And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, pure—superior & unsurpassed.
Ānanda, whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the past entered & remained in an emptiness that was pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all entered & remained in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who in the future will enter & remain in an emptiness that will be pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all will enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed. Whatever contemplatives and brahmans who at present enter & remain in an emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed, they all enter & remain in this very same emptiness that is pure, superior, & unsurpassed…”