user8157: DN 15 includes the utterance of the "seven stations of consciousness", where the later six equate with the six of the eight jhanas, namely: 

1. There are sentient beings that are diverse in body (kāyā) and diverse in perception (saññino), such as human beings, some gods (devā) and
  some beings in the underworld.
2. There are sentient beings that are diverse in body and unified in perception, such as the gods reborn (ābhinibbattā) in Brahmā’s Group (brahmakāyikā)
  through the first absorption
3. There are sentient beings that are unified in body and diverse in perception, such as the gods of streaming radiance (ābhassarā).
4. There are sentient beings that are unified in body and unified in perception, such as the gods replete with glory (subhakiṇhā). 
5. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond perceptions of form (rūpa). With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not
  focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that ‘space is infinite’,
  they have been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of infinite space.
6. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that ‘consciousness is infinite’, they have
  been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of infinite consciousness.
7. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, they
  have been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of nothingness.

The deva (godly) abodes attained with each rupa jhana are listed in AN 4.123, namely, brahmakāyikā, ābhassarā, subhakiṇhā & vehapphalānaṃ. 
Now, the above utterance in DN 15 omits the 4th jhana or gods of abundant fruit (vehapphalānaṃ). 
My question is what are the "seven stations of consciousness" supposed to mean (for example, why do the permutations of 'diversity' and 'unity' exist in the various jhana & states of being) and why, in particular, does this utterance omit the 4th jhana? 

user17757: Thanks Chris,
Good to know, but we cannot see using that description either. We don't see it as a disorder at all. We are all very orderly and we avoid disrupting the world as much as possible. It isn't 'dissociative' (and if it were, we would see dissociation from identity as a positive!), it is associative.  Once we'uns have established the Magga as our supreme court and have resolved to resolve contentions by reasoned decisions based on that, any one of us can take a case there. When we get along, its a matter of many minds are better than one!
Best wishes,
Mike Olds, olbegga ols, obo, p.p. (professor professor), and the King of New York

user254: Piya Tan's analysis of DN 15 (on pages 160 through 163, i.e. page 16 through 19 of the PDF) explains that,

According to Brahma,jāla S (D 1) and Pāṭika S (D 24), this is not a “station for consciousness” because no
  consciousness is found in the beings there. All cognitive activities are suspended here. As soon consciousness arises
  in a being there, he vanishes from that world

It cites many references including e.g. DN 1 to begin with ...

There are gods named ‘non-percipient beings’.
  Santi, bhikkhave, asaññasattā nāma devā.
When perception arises they pass away from that group of gods.
  Saññuppādā ca pana te devā tamhā kāyā cavanti.


A STUDY OF VIÑÑĀṆA IN ABHIDHAMMA (by Ho Thi Lien) includes a description of what is meant by "unified in body" etc. (see pages 30 through 32 i.e. pages 42 through 44 of the PDF). It appears to be paraphrasing the DN commentary, for example:

‘Viññāṇaṭṭhiti’ means ‘abodes or supports of consciousness’, ‘the stages
  of sentient beings’. In the Dīghanikāya and its commentaries,86 the stations of
  consciousness are classified into seven kinds as follows: 
2) Nānattakāya-ekattasaññī = Beings who have different bodies but the
  same perception are Brahmās of the first jhāna plane who are born first in the
  Brahmā abode. Although their bodies and life spans are different, they have the
  same rebirth linking consciousness, which is the first jhāna. According to the
  Dīghanikāya Mahāvagga commentary, beings in the four apāyas are also
  included in this category because they possess different bodies but the same
  type of rebirth-linking consciousness, which is ahetuka akusalavipāka
  santīraṇa.
3) Ekattakāya-nānattasaññī = Beings who have similar bodies but
  different perceptions are those living in the second Brahmā abode. They have
  similar bodies but different perceptions. While in the first jhāna their minds are
  associated with both vitakka and vicāra, in the second jhāna, the minds are
  associated with vicāraonly but not vitakka; and in the third jhāna, both vitakka
  and vicāraare forsaken (according to the pañcaka method).

The footnote says,

86 D. II, 58, DA. II, 99 -102, DṬī, 114 -116 (CSCD).  


I presume the "eight liberations", which immediately follow in DN 15, also refer to these stages.
Piya Tan's analysis quotes the Paṭisambhidāmagga to say that the first few liberations are associated with meditations using internal and external kasinas (perhaps you'll disagree with that -- so far as I remember, perhaps I'm misquoting you however, you associate the jhanas with making "letting go" as the "object").

user17751: "...what does it mean to be unified in perception?"
It is important to understand the stations of consciousness in order to understand those places where consciousness should be let go.
In this case it is important to think of consciousness as 'identified-with consciousness' or consciousness of named forms or the consciousness of an existing being, understanding the meaning of 'existing being' in accordance with the way it is described in DN 15.
Understanding that consciousness is empty in and of itself and needs an object in order to be consciousness of an existing thing or state, those existing things or states need to be recognized in one's progress towards freedom of consciousness: consciousness of freedom from the consciousness of named forms (or identified-with consciousness) that is downbound to the world.
"When that consciousness is unestablished, not coming to growth, non-generative, it is liberated."
That is from the Bija Sutta, a sutta which very clearly explains this dependent relationship of consciousness with its object:
http://buddhadust.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/03_kv/idx_22_khandhasamyutta.htm#p54 
Why then 'saññā'? (Note in the Bija Sutta the stand for consciousness is not restricted to perception. But 'perception' is a good all-encompassing way to describe any sort of platform for consciousness as the inseparability of the relationship between perception, sensation and consciousness is frequently described in the suttas.) Because consciousness in and of itself is uniform and empty-of-content characteristic, it becomes known in diverse ways only because of its diverse objects, that is, what is being perceived in various states.
As a matter of practical application this just means 'consciousness'. 
"There are beings whose consciousness is diverse and whose bodies are diverse, such as human beings." We can see that. The beings here appear different from one another and hold different views of the world (see the same things in differing ways). I know, recognizing this stand for consciousness, that this is a realm or state which has not yet achieved freedom of consciousness. So I will move on.
Those who have the same perception of their world and appear the same (such as the Subhakinna devas, have as you suggest identically shaped bodies and they all perceive (and are nourished by) the same joy. Visiting that realm also one is able to see that consciousness has not yet shaken off its attachment to an object.
'Ekatta' here should be understood as 'uniformity' per the Mula-pariyaya Sutta. They are uniform in appearance, not that they have a single body though there are cases we know of where multiple minds occupy a single body (such as in the case of schizophrenics.)
So a break-down of those major places and means for identified-with consciousness to establish itself is very useful relative to the attempt to free consciousness from every object it may come across.
http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/bd/an/07_sevens/an07.041.olds.bd.htm 
http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/pts/dn/dn.34.rhyt.pts.htm#p8 

8157: <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn15/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN 15</a> includes the utterance of the "seven stations of consciousness", where the later six equate with the six of the eight jhanas, namely: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>1. There are sentient beings that are diverse in body (kāyā) and diverse in perception (saññino), such as human beings, some gods (devā) and
  some beings in the underworld.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>2. There are sentient beings that are diverse in body and unified in perception, such as the gods reborn (ābhinibbattā) in Brahmā’s Group (<strong>brahmakāyikā</strong>)
  through the first absorption</em></p>
  
  <p><em>3. There are sentient beings that are unified in body and diverse in perception, such as the gods of streaming radiance (<strong>ābhassarā</strong>).</em></p>
  
  <p><em>4. There are sentient beings that are unified in body and unified in perception, such as the gods replete with glory (<strong>subhakiṇhā</strong>).</em> </p>
  
  <p><em>5. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond perceptions of form (rūpa). With the ending of perceptions of impingement, not
  focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that ‘space is infinite’,
  they have been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of <strong>infinite space</strong>.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>6. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite space. Aware that ‘consciousness is infinite’, they have
  been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of <strong>infinite consciousness</strong>.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>7. There are sentient beings that have gone totally beyond the dimension of infinite consciousness. Aware that ‘there is nothing at all’, they
  have been reborn (upagā) in the dimension of <strong>nothingness</strong>.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>The deva (godly) abodes attained with each rupa jhana are listed in <a href="https://suttacentral.net/an4.123/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 4.123</a>, namely, <em>brahmakāyikā</em>, <em>ābhassarā</em>, <em>subhakiṇhā</em> &amp; <em>vehapphalānaṃ</em>. </p>

<p>Now, the above utterance in DN 15 omits the 4th jhana or gods of abundant fruit (<em>vehapphalānaṃ</em>). </p>

<p>My question is what are the "seven stations of consciousness" supposed to mean (for example, why do the permutations of 'diversity' and 'unity' exist in the various jhana &amp; states of being) and why, in particular, does this utterance omit the 4th jhana? </p>
 17757: <p>Thanks Chris,</p>

<p>Good to know, but we cannot see using that description either. We don't see it as a disorder at all. We are all very orderly and we avoid disrupting the world as much as possible. It isn't 'dissociative' (and if it were, we would see dissociation from identity as a positive!), it is associative.  Once we'uns have established the Magga as our supreme court and have resolved to resolve contentions by reasoned decisions based on that, any one of us can take a case there. When we get along, its a matter of many minds are better than one!
Best wishes,
Mike Olds, olbegga ols, obo, p.p. (professor professor), and the King of New York</p>
 254: <p><a href="http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/5.17-Mahanidana-S-d15-piya.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Piya Tan's analysis of DN 15</a> (on pages 160 through 163, i.e. page 16 through 19 of the PDF) explains that,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>According to Brahma,jāla S (D 1) and Pāṭika S (D 24), this is not a “station for consciousness” because no
  consciousness is found in the beings there. All cognitive activities are suspended here. As soon consciousness arises
  in a being there, he vanishes from that world</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It cites many references including e.g. <a href="https://suttacentral.net/dn1/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DN 1</a> to begin with ...</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>There are gods named ‘non-percipient beings’.<br>
  Santi, bhikkhave, asaññasattā nāma devā.</p>
  
  <p>When perception arises they pass away from that group of gods.<br>
  Saññuppādā ca pana te devā tamhā kāyā cavanti.</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><a href="https://abhidhamma-studies.weebly.com/uploads/2/7/7/2/27729113/a_study_of_vinnana_in_abhidhamma1.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A STUDY OF VIÑÑĀṆA IN ABHIDHAMMA</a> (by Ho Thi Lien) includes a description of what is meant by "unified in body" etc. (see pages 30 through 32 i.e. pages 42 through 44 of the PDF). It appears to be paraphrasing the DN commentary, for example:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>‘Viññāṇaṭṭhiti’ means ‘abodes or supports of consciousness’, ‘the stages
  of sentient beings’. In the Dīghanikāya and its commentaries,<sup>86</sup> the stations of
  consciousness are classified into seven kinds as follows: </p>
  
  <p>2) Nānattakāya-ekattasaññī = Beings who have different bodies but the
  same perception are Brahmās of the first jhāna plane who are born first in the
  Brahmā abode. Although their bodies and life spans are different, they have the
  same rebirth linking consciousness, which is the first jhāna. According to the
  Dīghanikāya Mahāvagga commentary, beings in the four apāyas are also
  included in this category because they possess different bodies but the same
  type of rebirth-linking consciousness, which is ahetuka akusalavipāka
  santīraṇa.</p>
  
  <p>3) Ekattakāya-nānattasaññī = Beings who have similar bodies but
  different perceptions are those living in the second Brahmā abode. They have
  similar bodies but different perceptions. While in the first jhāna their minds are
  associated with both vitakka and vicāra, in the second jhāna, the minds are
  associated with vicāraonly but not vitakka; and in the third jhāna, both vitakka
  and vicāraare forsaken (according to the pañcaka method).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The footnote says,</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><sup>86</sup> D. II, 58, DA. II, 99 -102, DṬī, 114 -116 (CSCD).  </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>I presume the "eight liberations", which immediately follow in DN 15, also refer to these stages.</p>

<p>Piya Tan's analysis quotes the Paṭisambhidāmagga to say that the first few liberations are associated with meditations using internal and external kasinas (perhaps you'll disagree with that -- so far as I remember, perhaps I'm misquoting you however, you associate the jhanas with <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/search?q=user%3A8157+%22letting+go%22+object">making "letting go" as the "object"</a>).</p>
 17751: <p>"...what does it mean to be unified in perception?"<br /></p>

<p>It is important to understand the stations of consciousness in order to understand those places where consciousness should be let go.<br /></p>

<p>In this case it is important to think of consciousness as 'identified-with consciousness' or consciousness of named forms or the consciousness of an existing being, understanding the meaning of 'existing being' in accordance with the way it is described in DN 15.<br /></p>

<p>Understanding that consciousness is empty in and of itself and needs an object in order to be consciousness of an existing thing or state, those existing things or states need to be recognized in one's progress towards freedom of consciousness: consciousness of freedom from the consciousness of named forms (or identified-with consciousness) that is downbound to the world.<br /></p>

<p>"When that consciousness is unestablished, not coming to growth, non-generative, it is liberated."<br /></p>

<p>That is from the Bija Sutta, a sutta which very clearly explains this dependent relationship of consciousness with its object:<br /></p>

<p><a href="http://buddhadust.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/03_kv/idx_22_khandhasamyutta.htm#p54" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://buddhadust.net/backmatter/indexes/sutta/sn/03_kv/idx_22_khandhasamyutta.htm#p54</a> <br /></p>

<p>Why then 'saññā'? (Note in the Bija Sutta the stand for consciousness is not restricted to perception. But 'perception' is a good all-encompassing way to describe any sort of platform for consciousness as the inseparability of the relationship between perception, sensation and consciousness is frequently described in the suttas.) Because consciousness in and of itself is uniform and empty-of-content characteristic, it becomes known in diverse ways only because of its diverse objects, that is, what is being perceived in various states.<br /></p>

<p>As a matter of practical application this just means 'consciousness'.<br /> </p>

<p>"There are beings whose consciousness is diverse and whose bodies are diverse, such as human beings." We can see that. The beings here appear different from one another and hold different views of the world (see the same things in differing ways). I know, recognizing this stand for consciousness, that this is a realm or state which has not yet achieved freedom of consciousness. So I will move on.<br /></p>

<p>Those who have the same perception of their world and appear the same (such as the Subhakinna devas, have as you suggest identically shaped bodies and they all perceive (and are nourished by) the same joy. Visiting that realm also one is able to see that consciousness has not yet shaken off its attachment to an object.<br /></p>

<p>'Ekatta' here should be understood as 'uniformity' per the Mula-pariyaya Sutta. They are uniform in appearance, not that they have a single body though there are cases we know of where multiple minds occupy a single body (such as in the case of schizophrenics.)<br /></p>

<p>So a break-down of those major places and means for identified-with consciousness to establish itself is very useful relative to the attempt to free consciousness from every object it may come across.<br /></p>

<p><a href="http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/bd/an/07_sevens/an07.041.olds.bd.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/bd/an/07_sevens/an07.041.olds.bd.htm</a> <br />
<a href="http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/pts/dn/dn.34.rhyt.pts.htm#p8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://buddhadust.net/dhamma-vinaya/pts/dn/dn.34.rhyt.pts.htm#p8</a> <br /></p>
