佛祖歷代通載 21.94

21.94

開分三界偽（第五化云。天地有形之大者。太上老君乃混沌之祖宗。天地之父母。故能分布清濁開闢天地。運玄元始三氣而成天。上為三清三境。即始氣為玉清境。元氣為上清境。玄氣為太清境。又以三清之氣。各生三氣。合成九氣。而為九天。第一鬱單天。第二上神壽無量壽天。第三梵藍須延天。第四寂然兜術天。第五波羅尼蜜不橋樂天。第六洞玄化應聲天。第七靈化梵輔天。第八高虛清明天。第九無想無愛天。此之九天各生三氣。每氣為一天。合二十七天通此九天為三十六天。則三界四民上極三清。是其數也。初下六天為欲界。一太黃天。二太明天。三清明天。四玄胎天。五玄明天。六七曜天。次一十八天為色界。一虛無天。二太極天。三赤明天。四榮華天。五曜朗天。六皇笳天。七靈明天。八端靖天。九光明天。十極瑤天。十一元載天。十二太安天。十三極風天。十四始皇天。十五太皇天。十六無思天。十七阮樂天。十八曇誓天。次四天為無色界。一霄慶天。二元同天。三妙成天。四禁上天。此二十八天。名為三界。此上又四天名為種人天。一常融天。二玉隆天。三梵度天。四賈奕天。此四天超出三界。又云。上三天為三清境。一曰太赤天。二曰虫餘天。三曰清微天。最上曰大羅天。包羅諸天極高無上。玄都玉京鎮於其上。三尊所處焉。又太霄隱書云。大道君治在五十五重無極大羅天中玉京之十。七寶玄臺金林玉机金童玉女之所侍衛。住居在三十三天三界之外）。

The fabrication of dividing the Three Realms (The fifth transformation states: 'Heaven and earth are the greatest of physical entities. The Most High Lord Lao is the ancestor of chaos and the father and mother of heaven and earth; therefore he was able to distribute the pure and the turbid and open up heaven and earth. He mobilized the three qi of Xuan, Yuan, and Shi to form heaven. Above are the Three Clarities and Three Realms: the Shi qi formed the Jade Clarity realm, the Yuan qi formed the Upper Clarity realm, and the Xuan qi formed the Supreme Clarity realm. Furthermore, each of the three qi of the Three Clarities produced three qi, combining into nine qi to form the Nine Heavens. The first is Yudan Heaven; the second is Shangshen Shou-wuliangshou Heaven; the third is Fanlan Xuyan Heaven; the fourth is Jiran Doushu Heaven; the fifth is Poluonimi Buqiaole Heaven; the sixth is Dongxuan Huayingsheng Heaven; the seventh is Linghua Fanfu Heaven; the eighth is Gaoxu Qingming Heaven; the ninth is Wuxiang Wu'ai Heaven. These nine heavens each produced three qi, each qi becoming one heaven, combining into twenty-seven heavens, which together with these nine heavens make thirty-six heavens. Thus the Three Realms, the Four Peoples, and at the summit the Three Clarities, constitute this number. First, the lower six heavens are the Desire Realm: 1. Taihuang Heaven, 2. Taiming Heaven, 3. Qingming Heaven, 4. Xuantai Heaven, 5. Xuanming Heaven, 6. Qiyao Heaven. Next, the eighteen heavens are the Form Realm: 1. Xuwu Heaven, 2. Taiji Heaven, 3. Chiming Heaven, 4. Ronghua Heaven, 5. Yaolang Heaven, 6. Huangjia Heaven, 7. Lingming Heaven, 8. Duanjing Heaven, 9. Guangming Heaven, 10. Jiyao Heaven, 11. Yuanzai Heaven, 12. Tai'an Heaven, 13. Jifeng Heaven, 14. Shihuang Heaven, 15. Taihuang Heaven, 16. Wusi Heaven, 17. Ruanle Heaven, 18. Tanshi Heaven. Next, the four heavens are the Formless Realm: 1. Xiaoqing Heaven, 2. Yuantong Heaven, 3. Miaocheng Heaven, 4. Jinshang Heaven. These twenty-eight heavens are called the Three Realms. Above these, another four heavens are called the Seed-people Heavens: 1. Changrong Heaven, 2. Yulong Heaven, 3. Fandu Heaven, 4. Jiayi Heaven. These four heavens transcend the Three Realms. It also states: The upper three heavens are the Three Clarity Realms: 1. Taichi Heaven, 2. Yu-yu Heaven, 3. Qingwei Heaven. The highest is called the Great Daluo Heaven, which encompasses all heavens, supremely lofty and unexcelled. The Jade Capital of the Dark Metropolis presides atop it, where the Three Honored Ones dwell. Furthermore, the Taixiao yinshu states: 'The Great Lord of the Dao governs within the Jade Capital of the Fifty-Fifthfold Limitless Great Daluo Heaven, attended by the Seven-Treasure Dark Terrace, golden groves, jade armrests, golden boys, and jade maidens, dwelling outside the Thirty-Three Heavens and the Three Realms').