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Formless Realm (Ārūpyadhātu)


The Ārūpyadhātu (Sanskrit) or Arūpaloka (Pāli) (Tib: gzugs med pa'i khams) or "Formless realm" would have no place in a purely physical cosmology, as none of the beings inhabiting it has either shape or location;

and correspondingly, the realm has no location either.

This realm belongs to those devas who attained and remained in the Four Formless Absorptions (catuḥ-samāpatti) of the arūpadhyānas in a previous life, and now enjoys the fruits (vipāka) of the good karma of that accomplishment.

Bodhisattvas, however, are never born in the Ārūpyadhātu even when they have attained the arūpadhyānas (the four blissful absorbtions).


There are four types of Ārūpyadhātu devas, corresponding to the four types of arūpadhyānas:

1. "Sphere of neither perception nor non-perception" - Naivasaṃjńānāsaṃjńāyatana or Nevasańńānāsańńāyatana (Tib: 'du shes med 'du shes med min)

In this sphere the formless beings have gone beyond a mere negation of perception and have attained a liminal state where they do not engage in "perception" (saṃjńā, recognition of particulars by their marks) but are not wholly unconscious.

This was the sphere reached by Udraka Rāmaputra (Pāli: Uddaka Rāmaputta), the second of the Buddha's two teachers, who wrongly considered it equivalent to enlightenment.



2. "Sphere of Nothingness" Ākiṃcanyāyatana or Ākińcańńāyatana (Tib: ci yang med) (literally "lacking anything").

In this sphere formless beings dwell contemplating upon the thought that "there is no thing".

This is considered a form of perception, though a very subtle one.

This was the sphere reached by Ārāḍa Kālāma (Pāli: Āḷāra Kālāma), the first of the Buddha's two teachers; he wrongly considered it to be equivalent to enlightenment.



3. "Sphere of Infinite Consciousness".Vijńānānantyāyatana or Vińńāṇānańcāyatana or more commonly the contracted form Vińńāṇańcāyatana (Tib: rnam shes mtha' yas)

In this sphere formless beings dwell meditating on their consciousness (vijńāna) as infinitely pervasive.


4. "Sphere of Infinite Space".Ākāśānantyāyatana or Ākāsānańcāyatana (Tib: nam mkha' mtha' yas)

In this sphere formless beings dwell meditating upon space or extension (ākāśa) as infinitely pervasive.