A Question About the Dimension of Infinite SpaceĀkāsānañcāyatanapañhāsutta

“They speak of this thing called the ‘dimension of infinite space’.“‘Ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ, ākāsānañcāyatanan’ti vuccati. What is the dimension of infinite space?Katamaṁ nu kho ākāsānañcāyatananti? It occurred to me:Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond perceptions of form, with the disappearance of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite space.‘idha bhikkhu sabbaso rūpasaññānaṁ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṁ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṁ amanasikārā ananto ākāsoti ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called the dimension of infinite space.’Idaṁ vuccati ākāsānañcāyatanan’ti.

And so … I was entering and remaining in the dimension of infinite space.So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, sabbaso rūpasaññānaṁ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṁ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṁ amanasikārā ananto ākāsoti ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by forms beset me.Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato rūpasahagatā saññāmanasikārā samudācaranti.

Then the Buddha came up to me with his psychic power and said,Atha kho maṁ, āvuso, bhagavā iddhiyā upasaṅkamitvā etadavoca: ‘Moggallāna, Moggallāna!‘moggallāna, moggallāna. Don’t neglect the dimension of infinite space, brahmin! Settle your mind in the dimension of infinite space; unify your mind and immerse it in the dimension of infinite space.’Mā, brāhmaṇa, ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ pamādo, ākāsānañcāyatane cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, ākāsānañcāyatane cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, ākāsānañcāyatane cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

And so, after some time … I entered and remained in the dimension of infinite space.So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena sabbaso rūpasaññānaṁ samatikkamā paṭighasaññānaṁ atthaṅgamā nānattasaññānaṁ amanasikārā ananto ākāsoti ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ upasampajja vihāsiṁ.

So if anyone should be rightly called a disciple who attained to great direct knowledge with help from the Teacher, it’s me.”Yañhi taṁ, āvuso, sammā vadamāno vadeyya …pe… mahābhiññataṁ patto”ti.