vinnàna-sota (in DN 28)

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

I have been advised that the term 'vinnàna-sota' is found in just one Pali discourse, being DN 28, where the Venerable Sariputta was praising the virtues of the Lord Buddha.

The term 'vinnàna-sota' is found in the Dassanasamāpattidesanā, apparently in reference to one of the Lord Buddha's supernormal psychic powers

the Pali is as follows:

Purisassa ca viññāṇasotaṃ pajānāti, ubhayato abbocchinnaṃ idha loke patiṭṭhitañca paraloke patiṭṭhitañca.

Purisassa ca viññāṇasotaṃ pajānāti, ubhayato abbocchinnaṃ idha loke appatiṭṭhitañca paraloke appatiṭṭhitañca.

Is it possible that the abbocchinnaṃ viññāṇasotaṃ (uninterupted stream of consciousness) refers to the Lord Buddha's consciousness (divine eye), or does the order of the Pali words elimate this possibility?

Metta,
Retro.

[Sylvester]

Hmm, the standard vipassana "proxy" pajānāti is used to describe that "someone" is "seeing" viññāṇasotaṃ being established (patiṭṭhita) in this world or that world, rather than viññāṇasotaṃ being the agent (instead of the patient) of the pajānāti verb. At least that is how I read this.

Besides, I don't think that the pajānāti is necessarily being performed by the Buddha in this passage, since the head of that passage on the 4 dassanasamāpatti (attainment of vision) simply refers to -

Idha, bhante, ekacco samaṇo vā brāhmaṇo vā ātappamanvāya padhānamanvāya anuyogamanvāya appamādamanvāya sammāmanasikāramanvāya tathārūpaṃ cetosamādhiṃ phusati...

Here, some ascetic or brahmin, by means of ardour, endeavour, application, vigilance and due attention, reaches such a level of concentration that .... (followed by the 4 dassanasamāpatti )