This dissertation compares the translations and grammatical interpretation of lattice, number and gender, in Pāli version of Cūḷasuññatasuttaṃ and its different versions of English translation, with its corresponding Chinese translation, and analyses the differences between them. The second step is to discuss the concept of practicing emptiness. While doing so, the first and above all is to deal with linguistic part which is interpretation of Pāli grammar, then divide the entire concept of practice of emptiness into eight part including, Pāli, Chinese and English translations and compare each other to find the differences among all three versions of the texts. And then, through analysis and penetrations into their meaning this paper makes a semantic conclusion on the concept of emptiness. While comparing the concept of “Neither perception nor not perception” in all three translations such as; Pāli, Chinese and English Version; in Chinese version “Madhayama Nikāya-Cūlasuññata Sutta” with Pāli version of “Majjhima-nikāya Cūlasuññata Sutta ”; both differ radically. The sutta interprets different kinds of “thoughts”, such as, “lost thoughts”, “human thoughts”, “forest thoughts”, etc. they are all related with external thoughts. To focus on one of the thoughts among them from outside to inside one cannot get disturbed by the outer world. The mind still remains pleased, calm and secure. It is a gradual development of thoughts from outside to inside starting from “The Perception of Earth”, “ The Infinitude of Space”, “ The Infinitude of Consciousness”, “ Nothingness” and “ Neither Perception nor Non-Perception”. It is because of gradual movement from outside to inside, from coarse to subtle, everything is grasped and placed gradually asymptotic abandonment, thus finally in order to enter into the realm of without perception, even the most subtle thoughts must also be abandoned. Most probably because of this reason the Chinese translation of “Neither perception nor not perception” does not provide its four grounds. To conclude, “Majjhima-nikāya-Cūlasuññata Sutta” is centered on single practice of Arahant path, the attainment of Enlightenment. The path taught by the Buddha to the disciples is how to practice the spiritual path; that is how to attain the mental peace from a complex and complicated external world to the most subtle inner realm of without perception. The summery is to eradicate the perception through the method of thought, grasping and releasing of thought of emptiness, through pure thoughts, and emptiness to emptiness. It is the special feature of the Cūlasuññata Sutta.
目次
致謝 i 中文摘要 iii Abstract iv 【縮略語與略符】 vi 目次 viii 表次 xi 附錄 xii
