Ānanda, there are seven stations of consciousness and two spheres.

Which are the seven?

There are beings different in body and different in perception, such as human beings, some heavenly beings and some in states of sorrow. That is the first station of consciousness.

There are beings different in body and alike in perception, such as the heavenly beings of Brahmā’s (God’s) company, born there [on account of having attained] the first Jhāna. That is the second station of consciousness.

There are beings alike in body and different in perception, such as the Ābhassara heavenly beings. That is the third station of consciousness.

There are beings alike in body and alike in perception, such as the Subhakiṇṇa heavenly beings. That is the fourth station of consciousness.

There are beings who have completely transcended all perception of matter, by the vanishing of the perception of sense‑reactions and by non‑attention to the perception of variety; thinking: ‘Space is infinite’, they have attained to the Sphere of Infinite Space. That is the fifth station of consciousness.

There are beings who, by transcending the Sphere of Infinite Space, thinking: ‘Consciousness is infinite’, have attained to the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness. That is the sixth station of consciousness.

There are beings who, having transcended the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness, thinking: ‘There is no thing’, have attained to the Sphere of Nothingness. That is the seventh station of consciousness.

[The two spheres are:] The Sphere of Unconscious Beings and, secondly, the Sphere of Neither Perception‑Nor‑Non‑Perception.