The Five Aggregates Are Empty Sutra

The Five Aggregates Are Empty Sutra (Ch. 五蘊皆空經, P. Anattalakkhaṇa Sutta) was held by most early schools of Buddhism to be one of the Buddha's first sermons to his initial five disciples. The Theravāda tradition considers it his second sermon, while the Mūlasarvâstivāda tradition considered it to be his third sermon. The Theravāda tradition version of the sermon emphasizes the non-self nature of the aggregates rather than their emptiness, thus their version is titled differently.

Canonical Texts

Below is a partial list of canonical versions of this sutra prefixed with their sectarian affiliation:

• (Sarvâstivāda:) Saṃyukta Āgama (SĀ 1.146)
• Mūlasarvâstivāda: Vinaya Kṣudrakavastu (T102, T1451.407a26-b15)
• Theravāda: Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN 22.59)
• Theravāda: Vinaya Khandhaka (Vin Kd 1.6)