(c) Suññata Vagga

Cūḷasuññata Sutta
The Buddha once told Ānanda that he often dwelt in the liberation of the void, suññata-vihāra. When requested by Ānanda, he explained what liberation of the void meant-liberation through insight that discerns voidness of self.

Mahāsuññata Sutta
Seeing many bhikkhus living together in a crowded dwelling place, the Buddha told Ānanda that a bhikkhu should not like living in company. Solitude is most beneficial for a bhikkhu. He urged bhikkhus to look upon him as a sincere friend who would repeatedly point out their faults to help correct them.

Acchariya-abbhuta Sutta
This discourse is an account of the twenty marvelous attributes of the Buddha as extolled by the Venerable Ānanda.

Bākula Sutta
Bhikkhu Bākula, aged one hundred and sixty years, met his old friend, the naked ascetic Kassapa, after he had been in the order of the Buddha for eighty years. Kassapa asked him how often he had indulged in sexual intercourse during those eighty years. Bākula told his friend the marvellous attributes he possessed as an arahat, including the fact that he became an arahat after seven days of strenuous endeavour, after which he was completely rid of moral defilements.

Dantabhūmi Sutta
In this discourse the Buddha explained to the novice Aciravata how a young prince like Prince Jayasena, son of King Bimbisāra could not hope to know, to see, to realize such dhammas as concentration and jhānas, living as he did in the lap of luxury, surrounded by pleasures of the senses, enjoying the pleasures of the senses and consumed and overwhelmed by the flames of desire. The Buddha pointed out the difference in outlook between an arahat and an ordinary uninstructed person giving the simile of a tamed elephant and wild elephant of the forest.

Bhūmija Sutta
This discourse was given by the Venerable Bhūmija to his nephew, Prince Jayasena to explain how fruition would result by practising the Noble Path of Eight Constituents. The Buddha confirmed that only by following the right path, namely, the Noble Path of Eight Constituents and not any other path, would fruition result. The Buddha gave the similes of attempting to make oil out of sand, squeezing the horns of a cow for milk, churning water to make butter, and rubbing two pieces of wet green wood to make fire.

Anuruddha Sutta
This discourse was given by the Venerable Anuruddha to Pañcakaṅga, the carpenter, to explain the difference between appamāna cetovimutti-liberation through practice of four brahmavihāra meditations and mahaggata cetovimutti-liberation through kasiṇa meditation using a meditational device.

Upakkilesa Sutta
Once the Buddha left Kosambī because of quarrelling, contentious bhikkhus and went to Pācīnavaṃsa Park where the Venerable Anuruddha, the Venerable Nandiya and the Venerable Kimbila were staying. When these bhikkhus informed the Buddha about the aura (obhāsa) and vision (dassana) of various shapes and forms they perceived in the course of their meditation, the Buddha taught them about upakkilesa (mental defilements), that appear at a certain stage in the meditation process. They should be on their guard not to be led astray by these deceptive defilements.

Bālapaṇḍita Sutta
This discourse was given by the Buddha at Sāvatthi on fools and the characteristic behaviour of fools; on how evil thoughts, words and deeds of fools harm themselves and others; and on how these evil actions lead fools to states of misery and woe. The utter wretchedness and intense suffering in such states are beyond description. Once a fool through his evil actions finds himself in one of the nether regions, there is very little likelihood for him to rise again to the upper realms. The chances are more remote than that of a blind turtle to get his head through a single hole in a yoke which is being tossed about in a stormy sea.

The discourse deals also with the wise and their characteristics; the wholesome thoughts, words and deeds of the wise, the wholesome effects resulting from such meritorious actions and the bliss enjoyed by them in the realms of happiness.

Devadūta Sutta
This is a discourse on evil results arising from evil action, giving details of suffering in realms of misery and woe.