English
“There is nothing whatsoever” is the attainment of the sphere of nothingness. For what reason? “There is nothing whatsoever” is the attainment of the sphere of nothingness. Because, having attained the sphere of infinite consciousness mindfully, and having emerged from it, he makes that very consciousness non-existent, he makes it vanish, he makes it disappear, he sees “there is nothing whatsoever”— for that reason, “there is nothing whatsoever” is the attainment of the sphere of nothingness— thus, “who sees that inwardly and outwardly, there is nothing whatsoever.” “I ask the Wise One about his knowledge.” “Wise One” means Sakka. The Blessed One, having gone forth from the Sakya clan, is also Sakka… …pe… one who has abandoned fear and terror. He is Sakka, whose hair does not stand on end. I ask Sakka about knowledge, I ask him about knowledge, I ask about wisdom, I ask the Perfectly Enlightened One. “What kind of knowledge, of what form, of what nature, of what part, is to be desired?” – I ask Sakka about knowledge. How is such a one to be led? How is he to be guided, disciplined, persuaded, instructed, made to reflect, made to observe, made to be serene? How is further knowledge to be produced in him? Such a one is he who has attained the attainment of the base of nothingness – how is such a one to be led? Therefore, that brahmin said – “For one whose perception of form is vanished, who has abandoned all bodies, who sees that inwardly and outwardly there is nothing; I ask Sakka about knowledge: how is such a one to be led?” 83. All stations of consciousness, the Tathāgata, fully knowing, knows him who stands, who is liberated by wisdom, whose refuge is that. All stations of consciousness: the Blessed One knows the four stations of consciousness by way of volitional formations, and knows the seven stations of consciousness by way of rebirth-linking. How does the Blessed One know the four stations of consciousness by way of volitional formations? For this was said by the Blessed One: “Monks, consciousness, if it stands, would stand connected with form, with form as its object, with form as its support, seeking delight, it would come to growth, increase, and development. Or, monks, connected with feeling… or, monks, connected with perception… or, monks, connected with volitional formations, consciousness, if it stands, would stand, with volitional formations as its object, with volitional formations as its support, seeking delight, it would come to growth, increase, and development.” Thus, the Blessed One knows the four stations of consciousness by way of volitional formations. How does the Blessed One know the seven stations of consciousness by way of rebirth-linking? For this was said by the Blessed One: “There are, Monks, there are beings with diverse bodies and diverse perceptions, just like humans, some gods, and some in states of woe. This is the first station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings with diverse bodies and unified perception, just like the Brahma-devas who are reborn first. This is the second station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings with unified bodies and diverse perceptions, just like the Abhassara gods. This is the third station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings with unified bodies and unified perception, just like the Subhakiṇha gods. This is the fourth station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings who, by completely transcending perceptions of form, by the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, by not attending to perceptions of diversity, (thinking) "Space is infinite," have attained the base of infinite space. This is the fifth station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings who, by completely transcending the base of infinite space, (thinking) "Consciousness is infinite," have attained the base of infinite consciousness. This is the sixth station of consciousness. Monks, there are beings who, by completely transcending the base of infinite consciousness, (thinking) "There is nothing," have attained the base of nothingness. This is the seventh station of consciousness. Thus the Blessed One knows seven stations of consciousness in terms of rebirth. All the stations of consciousness. "Posāla," said the Blessed One. "Posāla," the Blessed One addressed that brahmin by name. "Blessed One" is a term of respect... ...a true designation, that is, "Blessed One." "Posāla," said the Blessed One. "The Tathāgata knows." "Knows" means knowing, understanding, comprehending, penetrating, the Tathāgata. This was said by the Blessed One: "Even if, Cunda, something was in the past, unreal, untrue, unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Even if, Cunda, something was in the past, real, true, unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Even if, Cunda, something was in the past, real, true, beneficial, there the Tathāgata is timely for the explanation of that very question. Even if, Cunda, it is future, or past, or present, unreal, untrue, unbeneficial, the Tathāgata does not declare it. Even if, Cunda, it is present, real, true, but unbeneficial, the Tathāgata also does not declare it. Even if, Cunda, it is present, real, true, beneficial, there the Tathāgata is timely for the explanation of that question. Thus, Cunda, concerning past, future, and present things, the Tathāgata is a speaker at the right time, a speaker of what is real, a speaker of what is beneficial, a speaker of Dhamma, a speaker of Vinaya. Therefore he is called Tathāgata. Whatever, Cunda, in the world with its devas, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, among the generation of recluses and brahmins, with its devas and humans, is seen, heard, sensed, cognized, attained, sought, pondered by the mind, all that has been fully understood by the Tathāgata. Therefore he is called Tathāgata. And whatever night, Cunda, the Tathāgata fully awakens to unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, and whatever night he utterly passes away into the Nibbāna-element with no fuel remaining, whatever he speaks, says, teaches in that interval, all that is just so, not otherwise. Therefore he is called Tathāgata. As the Tathāgata speaks, so he acts; as he acts, so he speaks. Thus, as he speaks, so he acts; as he acts, so he speaks. Therefore he is called Tathāgata. In the world with its devas, Cunda, with its Māras, with its Brahmās, among the generation of recluses and brahmins, with its devas and humans, the Tathāgata is victorious, unconquered, all-seeing, exercising mastery. Therefore he is called Tathāgata" – thus the Tathāgata knows. "He knows him standing" – the Blessed One knows this very thing here by way of kamma-formations: "This person, with the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn in a state of woe, a bad destination, a downfall, hell." The Blessed One knows this very thing here by way of kamma-formations... by way of karma-formations – "This person, with the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn in the animal realm." The Blessed One here and now knows by way of karma-formations – "This person, with the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts." The Blessed One here and now knows by way of karma-formations – "This person, with the breaking up of the body, after death, will arise among humans." The Blessed One here and now knows by way of karma-formations – "This person, well-practiced, with the breaking up of the body, after death, will be reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world." This was said by the Blessed One: "Here, Sāriputta, I, encompassing the mind of a certain person with my mind, thus know: 'This person has so practiced, and so behaves, and has entered upon that path, that with the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a state of woe, a bad destination, a downfall, hell.'" "Here, Sāriputta, I, encompassing the mind of a certain person with my mind, thus know: 'This person has so practiced, and so behaves, and has entered upon that path, that with the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be reborn in the animal realm.'" "Here, Sāriputta, I, encompassing the mind of a certain person with my mind, thus know: 'This person has so practiced, and so behaves, and has entered upon that path, that with the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be reborn in the realm of hungry ghosts.'" "Here, Sāriputta, I, encompassing the mind of a certain person with my mind, thus know: 'This person has so practiced, and so behaves, and has entered upon that path, that with the breaking up of the body, after death, they will arise among humans.'" "Here, Sāriputta, I, encompassing the mind of a certain person with my mind, thus know: 'This person has so practiced, and so behaves, and has entered upon that path, that with the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a good destination, a heavenly world.'" where he will arise. "Here, Sāriputta, I encompass the mind of a certain person with my mind, and thus I know: 'This person has practiced in such a way, and behaves in such a way, and has entered upon that path, so that by the destruction of the taints, the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, he will abide, having realized it for himself with direct knowledge in this very life.'" He knows him as one who stands. Inclined and with that as their destination. 'Inclined' means the sphere of nothingness. 'Inclined' means inclined by liberation, inclined towards that, devoted to that, having that as their chief. Or, the Blessed One knows: 'This person is inclined towards forms, inclined towards sounds, inclined towards smells, inclined towards tastes, inclined towards touches, inclined towards families, inclined towards groups, inclined towards dwellings, inclined towards gains, inclined towards fame, inclined towards praise, inclined towards pleasure, inclined towards robes, inclined towards almsfood, inclined towards lodgings,