Aṇguttara Nikāya
X. Dasaka-Nipāta
III. Mahā Vagga
The Book of the Gradual Sayings
X. The Book of the Tens
III: The Great Chapter
Sutta 25
Kasiṇa Suttaṃ
The Devices
Translated from the Pali by F. L. Woodward, M.A.
Copyright The Pali Text Society
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[1][olds][bodh] Thus have I heard:
Once the Exalted One addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks."
"Yes, lord," they replied, and the Exalted One said:
"Monks, there are these ten ranges of the devices.[1]
What ten?
One person perceives the earth-device
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the water-device
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the heat-device
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the air-device
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the blue-green
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the yellow
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the red
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the white
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the space-device
as above, below, across, undivided, immeasurable.
Another person perceives the intellection-device
as above, below, across, as undivided, as immeasurable.
These are the ten ranges of the devices."
anantaṃ viññāṇan ti ārammanaṃ katvā esa viññāṇañ cāyatana-samāpattiṃ bhāvento viññāṇa-kasiṇaṃ bhāveti ti vuccati
Using the thought 'unending is consciousness' as a basis and attaining the sphere of consciousness is the development of the consciousness device, it is said.
Which doesn't help much. 'Feats in 4-dimensional matter' may refer to the phenomena of being outside time, where one is able to focus consciousness at any point past, future, or present their being no past, future or present (other than consciousness itself) in that state.
— p.p.
[1] Kasiṇ'āyatanāni, ranges, spheres or applications of the physical appliances or objects of concentration to induce self-hypnotism, during which the higher senses are called into action. See A. i, 41 = G.S. i, 37; D. iii, 268, 290; Path of Purity, ii, 138 ff.; Manual of a Mystic, passim. It would appear that the different methods were suited to different psychic temperaments. See the next sutta. The last two differ in some passages; cf. V.M. trans. p. 202. The space-device appears to refer to feats in four-dimensional matter. V.M. and our Comy. (as noted at AA. i, 77) do not discuss viññāṇa-kasiṇa, but probably it refers to a mental image (anantaṃ viññāṇan ti ārammanaṃ katvā esa viññāṇañ cāyatana-samāpattiṃ bhāvento viññāṇa-kasiṇaṃ bhāveti ti vuccati). See Expositor i, 248.
