Deep emptiness is none other than deep compassion, leading to the end of suffering.

In “Compassion and Emptiness” we explore the teachings that Bhikkhu Analayo highlights in his book of the same name. These combine the divine abodes with the progressive series of emptiness contemplatins found in the Shorter Suññata Sutta I’ve found that on these retreats we rarely have sufficient time to adequately explore all of the contemplations. It may seem audacious to suppose that we can even approach the emptiness of the formless attainments (ārupa dhyāna). But they are all pointing to ways in which we fabricate ‘self’ and ‘world’ and, though subtle, they relate to aspects of our everyday, moment-to-moment experience.

We believe we’re experiencing separate forms or things ‘out there’, arising in space (and time), that we have a quality that experiences this, namely ‘consciousness,’ in which really-existing ‘things’ arise, including ‘my-self’. We also believe that whatever we perceive is objectively real, along with ‘me’ the perceiver. All of this is mental fabrication and the sutta shows us the way to liberation by seeing and knowing directly that they are fabrications.

The contemplations will proceed from heartfelt kindness and compassion, but the main focus will be on exploring the empty nature of space, consciousness and ‘things’ – especially the ‘me thing’ as an independent, lasting and potentially satisfactory self. We’ll follow the contemplations through to signlessness, in which there are no reference points at all. Whether this leads to the final ‘stage’ – nibbana – remains to be seen!

This retreat stands in its own right – it would be helpful but is not necessary to have been on a Compassion and Emptiness retreat previously.