arūpyadhātu

Tibetan: གཟུགས་མེད་གྱི་ཁམས་
Tibetan (Wylie): gzugs med gyi khams
Tibetan (phonetics): zug me gyi kham
English term: Formless realm
English definition: The highest of the three realms. The gods of the formless (or “immaterial”) realm do not require a subtle material foundation, and so their existence is entirely mental, retaining only the subtlest form of the four non-material aggregates. As such, they are classified on the basis of the four extreme spheres of perception (སྐྱེ་མཆེད་མུ་བཞི་) in which they abide: limitless space, limitless consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception. Rebirth in these heavens is based on mastery of the corresponding four formless meditative absorptions in previous lives. In Buddhist literature they are referred to polemically to describe the attainment of non-Buddhist meditators who mistakenly believe these states, where the lifespan lasts for thousans of eons, to provide a permanent release from rebirth.
Spanish: Plano de la No Forma