A Question About the Dimension of Infinite ConsciousnessViññāṇañcāyatanapañhāsutta

“They speak of this thing called the ‘dimension of infinite consciousness’.“‘Viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ, viññāṇañcāyatanan’ti vuccati. What is the dimension of infinite consciousness?Katamaṁ nu kho viññāṇañcāyatananti? It occurred to me:Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, etadahosi: ‘It’s when a mendicant, going totally beyond the dimension of infinite space, aware that “consciousness is infinite”, enters and remains in the dimension of infinite consciousness.‘idha bhikkhu sabbaso ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma anantaṁ viññāṇanti viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharati. This is called the dimension of infinite consciousness.’Idaṁ vuccati viññāṇañcāyatanan’ti.

And so … I was entering and remaining in the dimension of infinite consciousness.So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, sabbaso ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma anantaṁ viññāṇanti viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ upasampajja viharāmi. While I was in that meditation, perception and focus accompanied by the dimension of infinite space beset me.Tassa mayhaṁ, āvuso, iminā vihārena viharato ākāsānañcāyatanasahagatā 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 consciousness, brahmin! Settle your mind in the dimension of infinite consciousness; unify your mind and immerse it in the dimension of infinite consciousness.’Mā, brāhmaṇa, viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ pamādo, viññāṇañcāyatane cittaṁ saṇṭhapehi, viññāṇañcāyatane cittaṁ ekodiṁ karohi, viññāṇañcāyatane cittaṁ samādahā’ti.

And so, after some time … I entered and remained in the dimension of infinite consciousness.So khvāhaṁ, āvuso, aparena samayena sabbaso ākāsānañcāyatanaṁ samatikkamma anantaṁ viññāṇanti viññāṇañcāyatanaṁ 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.