俱舍論疏 8.98

8.98

The commentary states: "Therefore, the Brahmakāyika gods... give rise to such a thought," where the author of the treatise presents the correct explanation. The *Nyāyānusāra* says: "When the Brahmakāyika gods first descended and were born, seeing the brilliant majesty of the Great Brahmā, although they cherished reverence and wished to approach him in person, constrained by his majesty they had not yet succeeded in going forward, and so considerable time elapsed. Later, exerting their single-minded sincerity, they approached and looked up to him; having arrived, they all collectively formed this thought: 'We have seen him before,' and so forth at length. That is to say, when they saw the Great Brahmā close at hand, they were able to remember what had been seen before, and furthermore were able to understand that prior to the multitude's descent and birth, Brahmā alone existed along with his mental aspiration. Or, having previously seen Brahmā in the Ābhāsvara heaven, upon seeing him now they were able to remember. That is, formerly in the Ābhāsvara heaven they had seen Brahmā dwelling alone in the lower plane, and also knew of his mental aspiration to dwell together with a multitude; moved by pity, they conjured up creations of the first dhyāna, causing the conjured hosts to accompany and attend upon Brahmā. After a brief moment of creating these emanation-beings, their own merit was exhausted, and at the end of their lives they descended to be born in the first dhyāna. The Great Brahmā's body, mind, and the conjured phenomena are all objects cognized by the supernormal knowledge of the first dhyāna; upon seeing him now, they produced the recollection of past dwellings, and therefore those Brahmakāyika gods formed this thought: 'We have seen him before,' and so forth at length. Other masters say: the eye-consciousness arising in the second dhyāna that can cognize the Brahmā world is subsumed under the dharmas of the first dhyāna plane, and therefore now they can also recollect that consciousness. Some say: those Brahmakāyika gods do not experience the pain of dwelling in a womb or of the severing of the marmans; on this account they possess mindfulness free from forgetfulness, and thus remember what was seen in the previous life, and so forth."