Aṇguttara Nikāya
Sattaka Nipāta
5. Mahāyaññā Vagga
The Book of Sevens
Sutta 41
Viññāṇa-ṭ-Ṭhiti Suttaṃ
Stands for Consciousness[1]
Translated from the Pāḷi
by
Michael M. Olds
Once upon a time, Bhagava, Sāvatthi-town revisiting.
There then he said this to the beggars:
"There are these seven stands for consciousness.[2]
What seven?
2. There are, beggars, beings diverse in body
diverse in perception:[3]
such as man,
some gods,
and some who have fallen.
This is the first stand for consciousness.
3. There are, beggars, beings diverse in body,
uniform in perception,
such as the gods of the Brahma group,
first reborn there.[4]
This is the second first stand for consciousness.
4. There are, beggars, beings uniform in body,
diverse in perception,
such as the Radiant gods.[5]
This is the third stand for consciousness.
5. There are, beggars, beings uniform in body,
uniform in perception,
such as the Luminous Gods.[6]
This is the fourth stand for consciousness.
6. There are, beggars, beings,
all perception of form transcending,
perception of reaction having gone home,
without mental study of perception of diversity,
thinking:
'Unending Space'
who reach The Sphere of Space.
This is the fifth stand for consciousness.
7. There are, beggars, beings,
all perception of The Sphere of Space transcending,
thinking:
'Unending Consciousness'
who reach The Sphere of Consciousness.
This is the sixth stand for consciousness.
8. There are, beggars, beings,
all perception of The Sphere of Consciousness transcending,
thinking:
'There are No Things Had'
who reach The Sphere of No Things Had.
This is the seventh state of consciousness.
These then, beggars, are the seven stands for consciousness."
[1] Note The Ninth Lesson: Nava Satta Vassa and AN 9 24 where the state of Non-Perception and the state of Neither-perception-nor-non-perception are included.
[2] Viññāṇa-ṭ-ṭhitiya consciousness-stand. Here this is individualized consciousness; consciousness with a form of existence as its object.
[3] Saññā. Perception. Not 'mind', but note that perception is being equated to consciousness.
[4] Paṭhama abhini-b-battā. First reborn there. Hare glosses "by reason of first (musing)" which is a common commentarial understanding of the requirement for rebirth in the Brahmā realms but is not what is said in the Pāḷi.
[5] Ābhassarā.
[6] Subakiṇhā.
References:
The Ninth Lesson: Nava Satta Vassa
AN 9 24
