Grammatical Analysis
Cetopariyañāṇa: [nt.] knowledge encompassing the minds of others; telepathy. Formed by ceto (mind) + pariya (encompassing, penetrating, reading) + ñāṇa (knowledge).
Orthodox Definition
Cetopariyañāṇa is the third of the six supernormal knowledges (abhiññā). It is the ability to directly perceive, read, and understand the mental states of other sentient beings.
The canonical formula specifies exactly what the telepath tracks: they know a mind with lust as a mind with lust, a mind without lust as a mind without lust, a mind with hate as a mind with hate, a scattered mind as scattered, a concentrated mind as concentrated, and an unliberated mind as unliberated.
To develop this, the Visuddhimagga instructs the master to first develop the Divine Eye (dibbacakkhu) to observe the physical color of the blood in another person’s heart. By tracking how the heart-blood changes color based on emotion (e.g., turning black with anger, or clear like a gem with joy), the meditator trains their mind to bypass the physical medium and directly read the mental formations (saṅkhāra) of the other being.
Textual References
- Sutta: Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10) – The foundational mapping of mental states that is identical to the objects tracked by telepathy.
- Canonical: Sāmaññaphala Sutta (DN 2) – The standard description of reading another’s mind just as one recognizes their own face in a clear mirror.
- Commentary: Visuddhimagga (Chapter XIII) – The biological and psychological mechanics of linking heart-blood coloration to emotional states.