分別功德論 3.7

3.7

念天者，有三種天也：有舉天、有生天、有清淨天。云何舉天？謂轉輪聖王，為眾人所舉。所以名為天者，以聖王有十善教世，使人皆生天。在人之上，故稱為天。或有說曰：聖王勝佛。何以言之？聖王治世人，無墮三惡道者；佛出世時，三惡不斷。以是為勝也。或復說曰：佛勝聖王。所以言勝，聖王以十善教世，不過人天；佛出教世，得至涅槃。以是為勝也。云何生天？從四天王至二十八天，諸受福者盡是生天。所以言生天，流轉不息不離生死，故曰生天也。云何清淨天？謂佛、緣、覺聲聞三人，皆盡結使出於三界，清淨無欲，故曰清淨天也。八淨居天者，過於生、舉，不及清淨，處其中間。念天者，之所慕也。因念生、舉亦有至涅槃理。何者？舍衛城中有清信士夫婦二人，無有子姪。二人精進心存三寶。時婦早亡，即生三十三天為天女，端政無雙天中少比。女自念言：「誰任我夫？」以天眼觀世間，見本夫以出家學道，年高闇短專信而已，常以掃除塔廟為行。見其精勤理應生天，必還為我夫。時處靜室夜坐思惟，霍然見明，怪其有異，舉頭仰視見有天女，問其所由，從何而來？天女答曰：「我從三十三天上來。本是君婦，今為天女。天上無任我夫者，觀君精進，應還為我夫，是以故來白意。」語訖忽然不見，還歸天上。時老比丘自是以後倍加精進，兼更補繕故廟。晨夕不懈，積功遂多福德轉勝，乃應生第四兜率天。天女復以天眼觀之，見其乃應生第四天，復來語言：「積精進已過我界，我不復得君為夫。」語訖還去。比丘倍更精進勝於前時，晝則經行、夜則禪思，心意轉明思惟四諦，如是不久遂得羅漢。所謂因念天得至涅槃者。

Mindfulness of devas refers to three kinds of devas: elevated devas, born devas, and pure devas (viśuddhideva). What are elevated devas? They refer to the wheel-turning sage kings, who are elevated by the multitude. The reason they are called devas is that because the sage kings have the ten wholesome actions to teach the world, causing people all to be born in heaven, being above ordinary humans they are therefore called devas. Some say: 'A sage king surpasses the Buddha. Why is this said? When a sage king governs the people of the world, none fall into the three wretched destinies; but when a Buddha appears in the world, the three wretched destinies are not severed. In this regard he is superior.' Or again, others say: 'The Buddha surpasses a sage king. The reason he is said to be superior is that a sage king teaches the world with the ten wholesome actions, not exceeding humans and devas; but when the Buddha appears to teach the world, one can attain nirvāṇa. In this regard he is superior.' What are born devas? From the Four Heavenly Kings up to the twenty-eight heavens, all who receive blessings are born devas. The reason they are called born devas is that revolving ceaselessly, they do not leave birth and death; hence they are called born devas. What are pure devas? They refer to the three persons: Buddhas, solitary awakened ones, and śrāvakas, who have all exhausted fetters and tendencies, transcended the three realms, and are pure and free of desire; hence they are called pure devas. The eight Śuddhāvāsa heavens surpass born and elevated [devas], but do not reach pure [devas], occupying the middle between them. They are what is admired in mindfulness of devas. There is also a principle by which one can attain nirvāṇa by relying on mindfulness of born and elevated [devas]. How so? In the city of Śrāvastī there was a lay believer and his wife who had no children or nephews. The two of them were vigorous, their minds mindful of the Three Jewels. Then the wife died early, and was immediately born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a goddess, beautiful beyond compare, with few equals in heaven. The woman thought to herself, 'Who is fit to be my husband?' Viewing the world with the divine eye, she saw that her former husband had left the household life to learn the path; advanced in age and of dull intellect, he was solely faithful, constantly taking the sweeping of stūpas and temples as his practice. Seeing his diligence, he should by rights be born in heaven and must become my husband again. At that time, sitting at night in a quiet room in contemplation, [the monk] suddenly saw a light; finding it extraordinary, he raised his head, looked up, and saw a goddess. He asked where she came from and why. The goddess answered, saying: 'I come from up in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Formerly I was your wife, and now I am a goddess. In heaven there is none fit to be my husband; observing your vigour, you should become my husband again, and therefore I have come to make my intention known.' Having spoken, she suddenly disappeared and returned to heaven. From then on, the old monk redoubled his vigour, and furthermore repaired and renovated old temples. Day and night without laxity, accumulating merits, his blessed virtue became ever more superior, so that he was due to be born in the fourth, the Tuṣita Heaven. The goddess again observed him with the divine eye and saw that he was due to be born in the fourth heaven. She came again and said to him: 'The vigour you have accumulated has already surpassed my realm; I can no longer have you as a husband.' Having spoken, she went back. The monk redoubled his vigour even more than before: by day he walked in meditation, and by night he sat in dhyāna; his mind became ever clearer as he contemplated the Four Noble Truths, and before long he attained arhatship. This is what is meant by attaining nirvāṇa through mindfulness of devas.