(2) The Base Consisting of Boundless Consciousness

25. When he wants to develop the base consisting of boundless consciousness, he must first achieve mastery in the five ways in the attainment of the base consisting of boundless space. Then he should see the danger in the base consisting of boundless space in this way: “This attainment has fine-material jhāna as its near enemy, and it is not as peaceful as the base consisting of boundless consciousness.” So having ended his attachment to that, he should give his attention to the base consisting of boundless consciousness as peaceful, adverting again and again as “consciousness, consciousness” to the consciousness that occurred pervading that space [as its object]. He should give it attention, review it, and strike at it with applied and sustained thought; [332] but he should not give attention [simply] in this way “boundless, boundless.”^[1]

26. As he directs his mind again and again on to that sign in this way, the hindrances are suppressed, mindfulness is established, and his mind becomes concentrated in access. He cultivates that sign again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it. As he does so, consciousness belonging to the base consisting of boundless consciousness arises in absorption with the [past] consciousness that pervaded the space [as its object], just as that belonging to the base consisting of boundless space did with the space [as its object]. But the method of explaining the process of absorption should be understood in the way already described.

[Text and Commentary]

27. And at this point it is said: “By completely surmounting (samatikkamma) the base consisting of boundless space, [aware of] ‘unbounded consciousness,’ he enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless consciousness” (Vibh 245).

28. Herein, completely is as already explained. By … surmounting the base consisting of boundless space: the jhāna is called the “base consisting of boundless space” in the way already stated (§24), and its object is so called too. For the object, too, is “boundless space” (ākāsānañcaṃ) in the way already stated (§24), and then, because it is the object of the first immaterial jhāna, it is its “base” in the sense of habitat, as the “deities’ base” is for deities, thus it is the “base consisting of boundless space.” Likewise: it is “boundless space,” and then, because it is the cause of the jhāna’s being of that species, it is its “base” in the sense of locality of the species, as Kambojā is the “base” of horses, thus it is the “base consisting of boundless space” in this way also. So it should be understood that the words, “By … surmounting the base consisting of boundless space” include both [the jhāna and its object] together, since this base consisting of boundless consciousness is to be entered upon and dwelt in precisely by surmounting, by causing the non-occurrence of, and by not giving attention to, both the jhāna and its object.

29. Unbounded consciousness: What is meant is that he gives his attention thus “unbounded consciousness” to that same consciousness that occurred in pervading [as its object the space] as “unbounded space.” Or “unbounded” refers to the attention. For when he gives attention without reserve to the consciousness that had the space as its object, then the attention he gives to it is “unbounded.”

30. For it is said in the Vibhaṅga: “‘Unbounded consciousness’: he gives attention to that same space pervaded by consciousness, he pervades boundlessly, hence ‘unbounded consciousness’ is said” (Vibh 262). But in that passage (taṃ yeva ākāsaṃ viññāṇena phuṭaṃ) the instrumental case “by consciousness” must be understood in the sense of accusative; for the teachers of the commentary explain its meaning in that way. What is meant by “He pervades boundlessly” is that “he gives attention to that same consciousness which had pervaded that space” (taṃ yeva ākāsaṃ phuṭaṃ viññāṇaṃ).

31. He enters upon and dwells in the base consisting of boundless consciousness: [333] it has no bound (anta, lit. end), thus it is unbounded (ananta). What is unbounded is boundless (ānañca lit. unboundedness), and unbounded consciousness is called “boundless consciousness,” that is “viññāṇañcaṃ” [in the contracted form] instead of “viññāṇānañcaṃ” [which is the full number of syllables]. This is an idiomatic form. That boundless consciousness (viññāṇañca) is the base (āyatana) in the sense of foundation for the jhāna whose nature it is to be associated with it, as the “deities’ base” is for deities, thus it is the “base consisting of boundless consciousness” (viññāṇañcāyatana). The rest is the same as before.

This is the detailed explanation of the base consisting of boundless consciousness as a meditation subject.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

“He should not give attention to it only as ‘Boundless, boundless;’ instead of developing it thus, he should give attention to it as ‘Boundless consciousness, boundless consciousness’ or as ‘Consciousness, consciousness’” (Vism-mhṭ 324).