法苑珠林 2.28

2.28

As explained in the *Vibhāṣā-śāstra*, there are thirty-two kinds of devas: ten in the desire realm (kāmadhātu), eighteen in the form realm (rūpadhātu), and four in the formless realm (ārūpyadhātu), making thirty-two devas in total. First, the ten devas of the desire realm are: 1. the devas of hand-bearers (Karapāṇi); 2. the devas of garland-bearers (Mālādhāra); 3. the devas of perpetual intoxication (Sadāmatta); 4. the devas of the sun, moon, and constellations; 5. the devas of the Four Heavenly Kings; 6. the thirty-three devas (subsumed collectively under the name Trāyastriṃśa); 7. the Yāma devas; 8. the Tuṣita devas; 9. the Nirmāṇarati devas; 10. the Paranirmitavaśavartin devas (the first four—from the constellations backward—together with the four highest dwell in space; the hand-bearers, garland-bearers, perpetual-intoxication, Four Heavenly Kings, and Trāyastriṃśa dwell on the mountain; as fully explained in section nine on dwellings below). Second, the eighteen devas of the form realm are: In the first dhyāna there are three devas: 1. Brahmapāriṣadya; 2. Brahmapurohita; 3. Mahābrahmā (this Mahābrahmā has no separate dwelling place, but merely a high, manifest, ornate, and broad terraced dais in the Brahmapurohita heaven where the Great Brahmā King dwells alone to distinguish himself from the lower masses. Among these three devas, Brahmapāriṣadya represents common subjects, Brahmapurohita represents ministers, and Mahābrahmā represents the ruler. Only this first dhyāna has this distinction of ruler, minister, and common subject; from this level upward, none have it). In the second dhyāna there are three devas: 1. Parīttābha; 2. Apramāṇābha; 3. Ābhāsvara. In the third dhyāna there are also three devas: 1. Parīttaśubha; 2. Apramāṇaśubha; 3. Śubhakṛtsna. In the fourth dhyāna there are nine devas alone: 1. Anabhraka; 2. Puṇyaprasava; 3. Bṛhatphala; 4. Asaṃjñisattva (this Asaṃjñisattva heaven also has no separate realm, but shares the same level with Bṛhatphala in a distinct place; because non-Buddhists dwell there, it is distinguished under two different names); 5. Avṛha; 6. Atapa; 7. Sudṛśa; 8. Sudarśana; 9. Akaniṣṭha (also called the Akaniṣṭha heaven; these make eighteen devas in total for the form realm). Third, in the formless realm there are four devas: 1. Ākāśānantyāyatana; 2. Vijñānānantyāyatana; 3. Ākiṃcanyāyatana; 4. Naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana (these are the thirty-two kinds of devas in the three realms). Question: Among these thirty-two devas, how many are inhabited by ordinary beings (pṛthagjana) and how many by noble ones (ārya)? Answer: Two are inhabited solely by ordinary beings; five are inhabited solely by noble ones; the remaining twenty-five devas are cohabited by both ordinary beings and noble ones. Those two inhabited solely by ordinary beings are: first, the Great Brahmā King of the first dhyāna; second, the Asaṃjñisattva heaven within the fourth dhyāna, which is inhabited solely by non-Buddhists. Question: Why are these two inhabited solely by ordinary beings? Answer: Because the Great Brahmā King does not understand karmic causes and claims only, 'I can create all heaven, earth, people, and things.' Relying on this pride, he looks down upon all noble ones; therefore, they do not dwell with him. Furthermore, the Asaṃjñisattva heaven is where non-Buddhists alone, having practiced the thoughtless concentration (asaṃjñi-samāpatti), are reborn to experience the retribution of being without mind for five hundred kalpas. Failing to understand, non-Buddhists deem this to be nirvāṇa; having exhausted this retribution, they inevitably produce wrong views and are reborn in hell. For this reason, no noble ones are reborn there either. Those five inhabited solely by noble ones are the five Pure Abodes (śuddhāvāsa) from above Bṛhatphala upward, namely Avṛha, Atapa, and so on; they are inhabited exclusively by anāgamins and arhats. Even if an ordinary being were to be reborn in that heaven, they would have to be an individual progressing toward anāgamin status who has attained the fourth dhyāna, generated the outflow-free state, and cultivated the karma of perfumed dhyāna—generating one grade up to five grades—before being able to be reborn there. Because ordinary beings lack this karma of perfumed dhyāna, they cannot be reborn there. If it is said that anāgamins are born there, that principle is beyond doubt. Question: Since arhats are free from rebirth, why is it also said that they are reborn in that heaven? Answer: This should be understood as anāgamins from the desire realm being reborn there and attaining arhatship, not that one who is already an arhat is reborn there. The remaining twenty-five devas are cohabited by both ordinary beings and noble ones, which is clear without elaboration. When comprehensively explained according to the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna, there are four classes of devas in total. Thus the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* states that there are four kinds of devas: 1. conventional devas (sammati-deva); 2. devas by birth (upapatti-deva); 3. pure devas (viśuddhi-deva); 4. devas of ultimate truth (paramārtha-deva). 'Conventional devas' refers to worldly kings. 'Devas by birth' refers to those from the Four Heavenly Kings up to the heaven of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception. 'Pure devas' refers to those from srotāpannas up to pratyekabuddhas. 'Devas of ultimate truth' refers to bodhisattva-mahāsattvas of the ten abodes (daśabhūmi). For what reason are bodhisattvas of the ten abodes called devas of ultimate truth? Because they are able to skillfully understand the true principle of all phenomena and see that all phenomena are empty in principle.