I recall vividly Jhananda once said that it was when he could read through all the mistranslated suttas and know what they were actually meant to say--this being great evidence or proof to his attainment of arahantship. His experience translated the poorly chosen words. This is logical to me. This has sparked my interest in finishing up the Middle Length Discourses. To my joy, I found I understood the importance of uncommon subjects like charnel grounds.
And I also saw that the Buddha really only ever talks about accessing jhana. He says it from so many different angles, but it's always going back to the same thing. Jhana. There is one part I came across that I would like to attempt translating. It is because it was the first teaching I came across that I felt some uncertainty about the actual meaning. Here is the Culasunnata Sutta (The Shorter Discourses on Voidness.) I have emboldened the content in question.
[104 ] 1. THUS HAVE I HEARD. On one occasion the Blessed One
was living at Savatthl in the Eastern Park, in the Palace of
Migara's Mother.
2. Then, when it was evening, the venerable Ananda rose from
meditation, went to the Blessed One, and after paying homage
to him, he sat down at one side and said to the Blessed One:
3. "Venerable sir, on one occasion the Blessed One was living
in the Sakyan country at a town of the Sakyans named
Nagaraka. There, venerable sir, I heard and learned this from
the Blessed One's own lips: 'Now, Ananda, I often abide in
voidness.'1137 Did I hear that correctly, venerable sir, did I learn
that correctly, attend to that correctly, remember that correctly?"
"Certainly, Ananda, you heard that correctly, learned that correctly,
attended to that correctly, remembered that correctly. As
formerly, Ananda, so now too I often abide in voidness.
4. "Ananda, just as this Palace of Migara's Mother is void of
elephants, cattle, horses, and mares, void of gold and silver,
void of the assembly of men and women, and there is present
only this non-voidness, namely, the singleness dependent on the
Sangha of bhikkhus; so too, a bhikkhu - not attending to the
perception of village, not attending to the perception of people -
attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of forest.
113 8 His mind enters into that perception of forest and
acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands
thus: 'Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the
perception of village, those are not present here; whatever disturbances
there might be dependent on the perception of people,
those are not present here. There is present only this amount
of disturbance, namely, the singleness dependent on the perception
of forest.'1139 He understands: 'This field of perception is
965 966 Culasunata Sutta: Sutta 121 iii 10
void of the perception of village; this field of perception is void of
the perception of people. There is present only this non-voidness,
namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of forest.'
Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to what
[105] remains there he understands that which is present thus:
'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this is his genuine, undistorted,
pure descent into voidness.
5. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of people, not attending to the perception of forest - attends
to the singleness dependent on the perception of earth.2240 His
mind enters into that perception of earth and acquires confidence,
steadiness, and decision. Just as a bull's hide becomes
free from folds when fully stretched with a hundred pegs; so
too, a bhikkhu - not attending to any of the ridges and hollows
of this earth, to the rivers and ravines, the tracts of stumps and
thorns, the mountains and uneven places - attends to the singleness
dependent on the perception of earth. His mind enters into
that perception of earth and acquires confidence, steadiness, and
decision. He understands thus: 'Whatever disturbances there
might be dependent on the perception of people, those are not
present here; whatever disturbances there might be dependent
on the perception of forest, those are not present here. There is
present only this amount of disturbance, namely, the singleness
dependent on the perception of earth.' He understands: 'This
field of perception is void of the perception of- people; this field
of perception is void of the perception of forest. There is present
only this non-voidness, namely, the singleness dependent on the
perception of earth.' Thus he regards it as void of what is not
there, but as to what remains there he understands that which is
present thus: 'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this too is his genuine,
undistorted, pure descent into voidness.
6. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of forest, not attending to the perception of earth - attends
to the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of infinite
space.1141 His mind enters into that perception of the base of
infinite space and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision.
He understands thus: 'Whatever disturbances there might be
dependent on the perception of forest, those are not present
here; whatever disturbances there might be [106] dependent on
the perception of earth, those are not present here. There is iii 106 The Shorter Discourse on Voidness 967
present only this amount of disturbance, namely, the singleness
dependent on the perception of the base of infinite space.' He
understands: 'This field of perception is void of the perception
of forest; this field of perception is void of the perception of
earth. There is present only this non-voidness, namely, the singleness
dependent on the perception of the base of infinite
space.' Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to
what remains there he understands that which is present thus:
'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this too is his genuine, undistorted,
pure descent into voidness.
7. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of earth, not attending to the perception of the base of infinite
space - attends to the singleness dependent on the perception of
the base of infinite consciousness. His mind enters into that perception
of the base of infinite consciousness and acquires confidence,
steadiness, and decision. He understands thus: 'Whatever
disturbances there might be dependent on the perception of
earth, those are not present here; whatever disturbances there
might be dependent on the perception of the base of infinite
space, those are not present here. There is present only this
amount of disturbance, namely, the singleness dependent on the
perception of the base of infinite consciousness.' He understands:
'This field of perception is void of the perception of
earth; this field of perception is void of the perception of the
base of infinite space. There is present only this non-voidness,
namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base
of infinite consciousness.' Thus he regards it as void of what is
not there, but as to what remains there he understands that
which is present thus: 'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this too is
his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness.
8. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the percept
tion of the base of infinite space, not attending to the perception
of the base of infinite consciousness - attends to the singleness
dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness. His
mind enters into that perception of the base of nothingness and
acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands
thus: 'Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the
perception of the base of infinite space, those are not present
here; whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the
perception of the base of infinite consciousness, those are not 968 Culasufinata Sutta: Sutta 121 iii 107
present here. There is present only this amount of disturbance,
namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base
of nothingness.' He understands: 'This field of perception is
void of the perception of the base of infinite space; [107] this
field of perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite
consciousness. There is present only this non-voidness,
namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base
of nothingness.' Thus he regards it as void of what is not there,
but as to what remains there he understands that which is present
thus: 'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this too is his genuine,
undistorted, pure descent into voidness.
9. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of the base of infinite consciousness, not attending to the
perception of the base of nothingness - attends to the singleness
dependent on the perception of the base of neither-perceptionnor-non-perception.
His mind enters into that perception of the
base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception and acquires
confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands thus:
'Whatever disturbances there might be dependent on the perception
of the base of infinite consciousness, those are not present
here; whatever disturbances there might be dependent on
the perception of the base of nothingness, those are not present
here. There is present only this amount of disturbance, namely,
the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of neitherperception-nor-non-perception.'
He understands: 'This field of
perception is void of the perception of the base of infinite consciousness;
this field of perception is void of the perception of the
base of nothingness. There is present only this non-voidness,
namely, the singleness dependent on the perception of the base of
neither-perception-nor-non-perception.' Thus he regards it as
void of what is not there, but as to what remains there he understands
that which is present thus: 'This is present.' Thus, Ananda,
this too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness.
10. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of the base of nothingness, not attending to the perception
of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception - attends
to the singleness dependent on the signless concentration of
mind. 114 2 His mind enters into that signless concentration of
mind and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He
understand thus: 'Whatever disturbances there might be iii
dependent on the perception of the base of nothingness, those
are not present here; whatever disturbances there might be
dependent on the perception of the base of neither-perceptionnor-non-perception,
those are not present here. There is present
only this amount of disturbance, namely, that connected with
the six bases that are dependent on this body and [108] conditioned
by life.' He understands: 'This field of perception is void of
the perception of the base of nothingness; this field of perception
is void of the perception of the base of neither-perception-nornon-perception.
There is present only this non-voidness, namely,
that connected with the six bases that are dependent on this
body and conditioned by life.' Thus he regards it as void of
what is not there, but as to what remains there he understands
that which is present thus: 'This is present.' Thus, Ananda, this
too is his genuine, undistorted, pure descent into voidness.
11. "Again, Ananda, a bhikkhu - not attending to the perception
of the base of nothingness, not attending to the perception
of the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception - attends
to the singleness dependent on the signless concentration of
mind. His mind enters into that signless concentration of mind
and acquires confidence, steadiness, and decision. He understands
thus: 'This signless concentration of mind is conditioned
and volitionally produced. But whatever is conditioned and
volitionally produced is impermanent, subject to cessation.'1143
When he knows and sees thus, his mind is liberated from the
taint of sensual desire, from the taint of being, and from the taint
of ignorance. When it is liberated there comes the knowledge: 'It
is liberated.' He understands: 'Birth is destroyed, the holy life
has been lived, what had to be done has been done, there is no
more coming to any state of being.'
12. "He understands thus: 'Whatever disturbances there might
be dependent on the taint of sensual desire, those are not present
here; whatever disturbances there might be dependent on
the taint of being, those are not present here; whatever disturbances
there might be dependent on the taint of ignorance,
those are not present here. There is present only this amount of
disturbance, namely, that connected with the six bases that are
dependent on this body and conditioned by life.' He understands:
'This field of perception is void of the taint of sensual
desire; this field of perception is void of the taint of being; this 970 Culasunata Sutta: Sutta 121 iii 10
field of perception is void of the taint of ignorance. There is present
only this non-voidness, namely, that connected with the six
bases that are dependent on this body and conditioned by life.'
Thus he regards it as void of what is not there, but as to what
remains there he understands that which is present thus: 'This is
present.' Thus, Ananda, this is his genuine, [109] undistorted,
pure descent into voidness, supreme and unsurpassed.1144
13. "Ananda, whatever recluses and brahmins in the past
entered upon and abided in pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness,
all entered upon and abided in this same pure, supreme,
unsurpassed voidness. Whatever recluses and brahmins in the
future will enter upon and abide in pure, supreme, unsurpassed
voidness, all will enter upon and abide in this same pure,
supreme, unsurpassed voidness. Whatever recluses and brahmins
in the present enter upon and abide in pure, supreme,
unsurpassed voidness, all enter upon and abide in this same
pure, supreme, unsurpassed voidness. Therefore, Ananda, you
should train thus: 'We will enter upon and abide in pure,
supreme, unsurpassed voidness.'"
That is what the Blessed One said. The venerable Ananda was
satisfied and delighted in the Blessed One's words.
Now, I understand "signless" to be an indication that there is no jhana-nimitta remaining, since nimitta is also called a "sign". Is this to say that a "state" of voidness transcendent of samadhi is experienced upon full enlightenment? It makes sense in so far that voidness is beyond the three characteristics, which implies it is Nibanna.
