The formless realm. The third of the three realms （sanjie 三界）. The realm of pure mind， in which materiality （one's body） is transcended. This realm is characterized by the function of four different types of awareness （四无色）: （1） the awareness of the limitlessness of emptiness; （2） the awareness of limitless consciousness; （3） the awareness of the limitlessness of nothingness and （4） the awareness of neither thoughtlessness nor non-thoughtlessness.