仁王經疏 3.42

3.42

Question: What are called the "long-lived devas"? Answer: Relying on the thirty-second fascicle of the Prajñāpāramitopadeśa, the long-lived devas are those of neither-conceptualization-nor-non-conceptualization, with a lifespan of eighty thousand great kalpas. Alternatively, some say: all formless concentrations are generally called "long-lived devas" because they lack form and cannot be converted; they are incapable of attaining the path, and are always the abode of ordinary beings. Alternatively, from the first dhyāna to the fourth dhyāna, excluding the Śuddhāvāsa heavens, all are called "long-lived devas" because their attachment to relish and deviant views prevents them from receiving the path, up to the point that while attached to relish there, a wholesome mind is difficult to arise. Furthermore, a lower passage in that text says: "In the formless realm there is no form, and because the Dharma cannot be preached, [bodhisattvas] are not born therein. Although in the form realm there is a material body to which the Dharma can be preached, yet because they are deeply attached to the relish of dhyāna, they cannot greatly benefit sentient beings; therefore, [bodhisattvas] are not born therein." Some say: Uttarakuru is taken as one count, excluding the border region (to be verified).