法苑珠林 68.21

68.21

第五就天起罪行者。此欲界六天有殺盜等。於中雖有十不善業。而無身口七種惡律儀。故雜心論云。欲界六天有十業道離不律儀。雖不害天而害餘趣。如害修羅亦有截手足斷而復還生。若斬首則死。展轉相奪。乃至十業道一切皆有。亦有薄福諸天。乏少資緣更相攬竊。故有盜業。或有諸天自薄所愛婬他美天。故有邪婬。自餘七業文顯可知。若論色無色天。依如毘曇則無不善。據理而言亦有輕微三業不善。謂彼意地有邪慢等。身口業過如初禪中。婆伽梵王語諸梵眾。汝得住此。我能令汝盡老死邊。汝等不須詣瞿曇所。黑齒比丘往彼問言。初禪三昧。依何三昧生。從何三昧滅。梵王答言。我是諸梵中尊者。黑齒比丘言。我不問梵王尊卑。但問初禪三昧。依何三昧生。從何三昧滅。彼不能答。即捉尊者牽出眾外。語尊者言。我不能知初禪三昧。從何三昧生從何三昧滅。汝何忍在梵中損辱我也。此是諂詐不善煩惱。言佛不能令汝解脫。即是謗佛綺語惡口。上界唯有此諂詐。發動身口微不善業。然不於他人起麁違損以生上者。曾修得定盡離欲界麁貪瞋等。故得彼報還能修定。雖有煩惱唯是癡心。以迷道故起愛慢等。樂修善法望得勝他。此等煩惱為定所壞。故不損物不相違害。若依毘曇。上界煩惱非是不善。說為無記。此細貪等能行淨心。雖是無記體是染污。不同報生色苦心樂及威儀等白淨無記。故論說為穢污無記。是污穢故潤業受生。若此煩惱不潤業者。業種則焦永不牽報。上界眾生不應更生。由能潤業故得更生。問上界煩惱既能潤業潤生得報。何故非記。答上界煩惱雖復潤業。唯得總報受生而已。不由此惑正感樂果。亦不招苦故是無記。不同下界不善煩惱感得總報及別報苦。

Fifth, explaining the arising of sinful actions among the devas: In these six heavens of the desire realm there are killing, stealing, and so forth. Although the ten unwholesome karmas exist among them, they lack the seven kinds of unwholesome vows of body and speech. Thus the Saṃyuktābhidharma-hṛdaya-śāstra states: 'The six heavens of the desire realm have the ten karmic paths, apart from unwholesome vows. Although they do not harm other devas, they harm the other destinies: just as they harm the asuras, in which hands and feet are severed and grow back again, but if the head is cut off, they die. They seize from one another, and so forth, up to possessing all ten karmic paths.' There are also devas of meager merit who, lacking material resources, pilfer from one another; hence there is the karma of stealing. Or there are devas who disparage their own loved ones and sexually indulge with the beautiful devas of others; hence there is sexual misconduct. The remaining seven karmas are clear from the text and can be understood. As for the devas of the form and formless realms, according to the Abhidharma, there is no unwholesomeness. Yet in terms of the underlying principle, there are also slight unwholesomenesses of the three types of karma—namely, in their mental ground there are wrong pride and so forth, and faults of bodily and vocal karma such as in the first dhyāna, where the Bhagavān [Brahmā] king said to the assemblies of Brahmā, 'You may dwell here; I can cause you to exhaust the limits of old age and death; you need not go to Gautama.' The black-toothed bhikṣu went there and asked him, 'From what samādhi does the first dhyāna samādhi arise? From what samādhi does it cease?' The Brahmā king answered, 'I am the most venerable among all the Brahmā devas.' The black-toothed bhikṣu said, 'I did not ask about the Brahmā king's status of honor or lowliness; I only asked from what samādhi the first dhyāna samādhi arises, and from what samādhi it ceases.' He was unable to answer; he immediately grasped the Venerable One, pulled him outside the assembly, and said to him, 'I do not know from what samādhi the first dhyāna samādhi arises, or from what samādhi it ceases. How could you bear to humiliate me before the Brahmā assembly?' This was the unwholesome affliction of deceitfulness. Saying that the Buddha could not cause them to attain liberation was slander of the Buddha, frivolous speech, and harsh speech. In the higher realms there is only this deceitfulness, which initiates slight unwholesome karmas of body and speech. Yet they do not commit coarse harm or damage against others, because those born into the higher realms previously cultivated and attained meditative concentration, completely abandoning the coarse covetousness, ill will, and so forth of the desire realm; thus, receiving that retribution, they are still able to cultivate meditative concentration. Although they have afflictions, these are only minds of delusion: due to confusion about the path, they give rise to attachment, pride, and so forth, delighting in cultivating wholesome dharmas in the hope of surpassing others. These afflictions are suppressed by meditative concentration; therefore they do not harm things or oppose and damage one another. According to the Abhidharma, the afflictions of the higher realms are not unwholesome; they are said to be indeterminate. These subtle forms of covetousness and so forth can operate alongside a pure mind; although indeterminate, their essence is defiled. They are unlike the white, pure indeterminates such as resultant bodily pain or mental pleasure and deportment; therefore the treatises call them defiled indeterminates. Because they are defiled, they moisten karma to receive rebirth. If these afflictions did not moisten karma, the seeds of karma would be scorched and would never induce retribution, and sentient beings of the higher realms would not be reborn again. Because they can moisten karma, they obtain rebirth again. Question: Since the afflictions of the higher realms can moisten karma and moisten rebirth to obtain retribution, why are they not morally defined [as unwholesome]? Answer: Although the afflictions of the higher realms moisten karma, they only obtain the general retribution of receiving rebirth and nothing more. One does not directly experience pleasant fruit through this delusion, nor does one incur suffering; therefore they are indeterminate. They are unlike the unwholesome afflictions of the lower realm, which produce both general retribution and particular retribution of suffering.