Infinite consciousness - clarification request

Q & A
1

SN28.6, as one of many examples, talks about awareness that “consciousness is infinite”. That “infinite” could mean:

  • spatially (something like proto pan psychism)
  • temporally
  • experientially (i.e. infinite experiences that one could potentially be conscious of, even if only for a limited time)
  • all or none of the above

Is there anything in the EBT’s or Buddhist traditions which explains what the “infinite” refers to?

2

The idea of infinite is connected in the Visuddhimagga to the notion of “form” (rūpa) in the four jhanas. Essentially the idea is the normal consciousness is dependent on limited perceptions of things (“a cat”), while in jhana the mind has a unified and expanded perception of light. When that light fades, what’s left is the infinite space which it formerly radiated. When the infinite space disappears, what’s left is the consciousness. So the whole thing is a gradual progression from ordinary consciousness towards “infinite” consciousness.

So wrt your questions:

  • spatially (something like proto pan psychism)
    • — kind of, but purely inner space
  • temporally
    • — not exactly, as perception of time changing has already ended earlier.
  • experientially (i.e. infinite experiences that one could potentially be conscious of, even if only for a limited time)
    • — it’s not about having an infinite number of experiences, but an experience of infinity.
3

Thanks for the clear and concise response. (I had read, but not understood another post you’d made).