佛祖統紀 31.35

31.35

The author states: Since ancient times, those who discussed the heavens did not understand the meaning of the four dhyānas and four grounds, because the texts are densely listed and they could not differentiate them. According to the *Yinben jing*, the *Abhidharma*, the *Vibhāṣā*, and so forth, based on celestial names, they are vertically stacked in height, separated by twice the distance, and each has a dwelling ground. These established doctrines are not sufficient to rely upon. Now, according to the *Abhidharmakośa*, it states: "The Brahmā heavens have no separate locations; there are only high pavilions among the Brahmā ministers." The *Fayuan* also states: "Great Brahmā is the monarch, the Brahmā ministers are the courtiers, and the Brahmā hosts are the common folk." According to this, then the three heavens are together in the first dhyāna, which is merely a single ground. As for the Sarvāstivāda school, because the body and lifespan of Non-conceptual [Devas] and Great Result [Devas] are not different, they share a single place. The *Śūraṅgama-sūtra* states: "From the Heaven of Merit Love there are two branching paths: those whose merit and virtue are perfectly bright are called the Heaven of Great Result; those whose body and mind are both extinguished are called the Heaven of Non-conceptuality." (The two branches are simply a division into two classes; this agrees with the Sarvāstivādin meaning, being the same place.) Furthermore, the sūtra states: "Herein there are also the five Non-returning Heavens (herein pointing to the fourth dhyāna); the heavenly kings of the four ranks of the four dhyānas only admire and hear of them, but cannot see them, like the arhats in the deep mountains and bodhimaṇḍas of the world, whom coarse worldly people cannot see." Based on this, we know that it is only Great Result that is called king, and herein are fully contained the five anāgāmins and one non-Buddhist co-dwelling in the fourth dhyāna, which is merely a single ground. The *Cidi chanmen* states: "When the Buddha in the *Humane King Sūtra* spoke of the eighteen Brahmās, there should also be the difference between sovereign and subjects." It also states: "In the fourth dhyāna there is the Great Serenity King." The *Yingluo jing* explains that every dhyāna has a Brahmā king. The *Śūraṅgama* also states: "The heavenly kings of the four ranks of the four dhyānas." The *Avataṃsaka* lists assemblies of thirty-nine ranks, wherein in the desire realm every heaven is called king, and in the form realm every dhyāna is called king, while the other heavens are not listed. Now, examining in detail: since the first dhyāna takes Great Brahmā as king, and the three sūtras all say that the four dhyānas have kings (*Humane King*, *Yingluo*, and *Śūraṅgama*), then we know that the three heavens of Light Sound, Universal Purity, and Great Result are all kings, and the rest all bear the meaning of one courtier and one commoner. Now therefore, according to the import of these Mahāyāna sūtras, from the first dhyāna to the fourth dhyāna, we establish four grounds, stating: Great Result is the king, Merit Love is the minister, and Cloudless is the commoner; the five anāgāmins and one non-Buddhist reside parasitically in the Great Result Heaven. The above nine heavens together inhabit the single ground of the fourth dhyāna (the second and third dhyānas are by analogy). If one claims that because every heaven's body and lifespan are different, they must each have divided locations as in the various Hīnayāna sūtras and treatises: yet, between King Brahmā and the Brahmā ministers and Brahmā hosts, both their bodies and lifespans are uneven in length; furthermore, between Great Result and Non-conceptuality, though both are five hundred kalpas, Great Result has premature death, whereas the non-conceptual attainment completes its retribution. Discussing it based on this, although body and lifespan are different, it does not prevent them from sharing the same place, just as among the people of Jambudvīpa there are long-lived and short-lived. Furthermore, the *Avataṃsaka* states that all the heavenly kings are tenth-stage bodhisattvas: these are all provisional manifestations leading to the real, dwelling among the heavens to convert the devas of real retributions, causing them to seek release from celestial karma, hence they can be called kings. If one claims that the kings dwell far away in a single place separated from the other heavens, then what use would those kings be, and on what would the other heavens rely? If one does not make this argument, how would it not greatly contradict the meaning of leading to the real? If one claims that from the second dhyāna upward there are no dharmas of speech (as the *Abhidharma* states), and how could they transform beings: yet, since Light Sound takes light as speech, we know that the deportment, bodily movement, and rest of the devas of the higher grounds are nothing other than spoken teachings. Deducting by this principle, nothing is impossible.