https://suttacentral.net/sn41.7/en/sujatoIt’s when a mendicant meditates spreading a heart full of love to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of love to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. They meditate spreading a heart full of compassion … They meditate spreading a heart full of rejoicing … They meditate spreading a heart full of equanimity to one direction, and to the second, and to the third, and to the fourth. In the same way above, below, across, everywhere, all around, they spread a heart full of equanimity to the whole world—abundant, expansive, limitless, free of enmity and ill will. This is called the limitless release of the heart.
And what is the release of the heart through nothingness? It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness, aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness. This is called the release of the heart through nothingness.
And what is the release of the heart through emptiness? It’s when a mendicant has gone to a wilderness, or to the root of a tree, or to an empty hut, and reflects like this: ‘This is empty of a self or what belongs to a self.’ This is called the release of the heart through emptiness.
And what is the signless heart’s release? It’s when a mendicant, not focusing on any signs, enters and remains in the signless immersion of the heart. This is called the signless release of the heart.
I take this to mean that they are 4 distinct meditation exercises (quite advanced ones). Then we are told there is a way in which they mean the same thing but differ only in the phrasing.
I take this to mean that even thought they are distinct meditations they all result in the extinction of greed, hatred and delusion. So far so good, but notice what has happened. The emptiness meditation seems to have disappeared, or has it? Could it be that the former emptiness meditation, regarding the emptiness of the self, is included here by why of when there is a notion of a self then there is hate, jealously, things to be desired and signs and so when there is no notion of a self then there is no more hate etc, no more "something" to be desired and no more "signs"? Another way of putting it is that when there is a self then there are people to hate, things to get and sense object "out there" in relation to "me". This would then mean that if someone approaches nibbāna by way of nothingness, then they also become free of atta. Likewise, if someone approaches nibbāna by way of emptiness of self then they are also free from hate, sense desire and notions of sense objects. This does of course lend itself to a Perfection of Wisdom type view, but what do people think? How do you understand the sutta here? Why does 4 become 3 when discussing how they are the of the same meaning but simply worded differently?Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of limits. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of limitless release of the heart. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.
Greed is something, hate is something, and delusion is something. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of release of the heart through nothingness. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.
Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of signs. A mendicant who has ended the defilements has given these up, cut them off at the root, made them like a palm stump, and obliterated them, so they are unable to arise in the future. The unshakable release of the heart is said to be the best kind of signless release of the heart. That unshakable release of the heart is empty of greed, hate, and delusion.
