Verses on Dhamma 92-2

92-2

Suññato and animitto are adjectives belonging to vimokho, one of the many names of Nirvâna, or, according to Childers, s.v. nibbâna, p, 270, Arhatship; see Burnouf, Introduction, pp. 442, 462, on sûnya. The Sanskrit expression sûnyatânimittâpranihitam occurs in L'enfant egaré, 5 a, l. 4. Nimitta is cause in the most general sense, i.e, what causes existence. The commentator explains it chiefly in a moral sense: Râgâdinimittâbhâvena animittam, tehi ka vimuttan ti animitto vimokho, i.e. owing to the absence of passion and other causes, without causation; because freed from these causes, therefore it is called freedom without causation. See Childers, Pâli Dictionary, p. 270, col. 2, line 1.
The simile is intended to compare the ways of those who have obtained spiritual freedom to the flight of birds, it being difficult to understand how the birds move on without putting their feet on anything. This, at least, is the explanation of the commentator; The same metaphor occurs Mahâbh. XII, 6763. Childers translates, 'leaving no more trace of existence than a bird in the air.']