Imperturbable
Aneñjaka Sutta (AN 3:117)
“Monks, these three persons are to be found existing in the world. Which three?
“There is the case where a certain person who—with the complete transcending of perceptions of (physical) form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not attending to perceptions of multiplicity—(perceiving,) ‘Infinite space,’ enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. He enjoys it, takes pleasure in it, & finds satisfaction in it. Staying firmly there, often remaining there, and dying without having abandoned it, he reappears in the company of the devas of the dimension of the infinitude of space. The life span of the devas of the dimension of the infinitude of space is 20,000 eons. A run-of-the-mill person, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, goes to hell, to the animal womb, or to the realm of the hungry ghosts. But a disciple of the Blessed One, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, is unbound in that very level of becoming. This, monks, is the difference, this the distinction, this the distinguishing factor, between an educated disciple of the noble ones and an uneducated run-of-the-mill person, when there is a destination, a reappearing.
“Then, monks, there is the case where a certain person who—with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space—(perceiving,) ‘Infinite consciousness,’ enters & remains in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. He enjoys it, takes pleasure in it, & finds satisfaction in it. Staying firmly there, often remaining there, and dying without having abandoned it, he reappears in the company of the devas of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. The life span of the devas of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness is 40,000 eons. A run-of-the-mill person, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, goes to hell, to the animal womb, or to the realm of the hungry ghosts. But a disciple of the Blessed One, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, is unbound in that very level of becoming. This, monks, is the difference, this the distinction, this the distinguishing factor, between an educated disciple of the noble ones and an uneducated run-of-the-mill person, when there is a destination, a reappearing.
“Then, monks, there is the case where a certain person who—with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness—(perceiving,) ‘There is nothing,’ enters & remains in the dimension of nothingness. He enjoys it, takes pleasure in it, & finds satisfaction in it. Staying firmly there, often remaining there, and dying without having abandoned it, he reappears in the company of the devas of the dimension of nothingness. The life span of the devas of the dimension of the nothingness is 60,000 eons. A run-of-the-mill person, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, goes to hell, to the animal womb, or to the realm of the hungry ghosts. But a disciple of the Blessed One, remaining there all his life, having completed the entire life span of those devas, is unbound in that very level of becoming. This, monks, is the difference, this the distinction, this the distinguishing factor, between an educated disciple of the noble ones and an uneducated run-of-the-mill person, when there is a destination, a reappearing.
“These, monks, are three persons to be found existing in the world.”
