翻譯名義集 2.5

2.5

[Deva] In Chinese, this means "heaven" [or "god"]. The Fahua shu says: "'Heaven' (tian) means naturally endowed, superior by nature, superior in pleasure, and superior in body. Thus a treatise states: 'Pure and radiant, most superior and most revered, it is therefore called heaven.' If it were not by the most superior cause, how could one be born in the most superior place? As for the most superior cause, it refers to the ten good deeds: three of the body, four of speech, and three mental activities. Because these three karmas prevent errors and misdeeds and conform to reason and righteousness, they are called the ten good deeds. By means of these ten good deeds, one is transported out of the five destinies; therefore these ten precepts are called the celestial vehicle (devayāna). If one solely cultivates the superior grade of the ten good deeds, one will be born in the desire realm: first, the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings; second, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. If one cultivates the ten good deeds and sits in the not-yet-arrived concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), one will be born in the third, the Yāma Heaven; the fourth, the Tuṣita Heaven; the fifth, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven; and the sixth, the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven. By the power of dhyāna-concentration, these four heavens all dwell in empty space and do not depend on the earth. As for the not-yet-arrived concentration, it is also called the not-yet-reached, because one has not yet entered the fundamental dhyāna. As the Zhiguan says: 'If one sits upright, gathers the body, harmonizes the breath, and becomes calmly settled, the body being like a cloud's shadow, open, spacious, and pure, yet one still perceives the characteristics of body and mind, this is called the desire-realm concentration. Going beyond this, one suddenly no longer sees the body, head, clothing, bed, or mat of the desire-realm concentration; it is like empty space, vast and tranquil. The body is a concrete obstacle; when the concrete obstacle has not yet passed, [concentration] has not arrived. When the obstacle is removed and the body is empty, the not-yet-arrived [concentration] can arise. Such is called the characteristic of the not-yet-arrived concentration. These are the causes and effects of the six heavens of the desire realm. If one cultivates the fundamental four dhyānas, detaching from desire and coarse distraction, one is born into the form realm.' However, according to the Sarvāstivādins, this form realm has only sixteen stations. The Jushe shu says: 'Excluding the Mahābrahmā Heaven—meaning that within the Brahmā-purohita Heaven there is a high tower named the Mahābrahmā Heaven, which is the dwelling of a single ruler and not a separate station; and excluding the Asaññasatta (Non-conceptual) Heaven—meaning that within the Bṛhatphala Heaven there is an elevated place called the Asaññasatta Heaven, not a separate station.' If according to the Sautrāntika, seventeen heavens are established; thus the verse commentary says: 'Although Mahābrahmā and the Brahmā-purohita do not differ in location, because their bodily form and lifespan are not equal, Mahābrahmā is established separately.' If according to the Sthaviravāda, because the cause and effect of the Asaññasatta and Bṛhatphala are distinct, eighteen heavens are established, divided into the four dhyānas. The three heavens of the first dhyāna: first, Brahmā-pāriṣadya, who are the subjects ruled over; second, Brahmā-purohita, the ministers and aides assisting the Brahmā king; third, Mahābrahmā, who attained the intermediate dhyāna and is the lord of the world. At the beginning of the kalpa he is born first, and at the end of the kalpa he perishes last; his majesty and virtue being superior, he is lauded with the title "Great". The three heavens of the second dhyāna: first, Parīttābha (Minor Light), because among the second dhyāna heavens its light is least; second, Apramāṇābha (Immeasurable Light), because its light increases and has no limit; third, Ābhāsvara (Radiant Sound), because their mouths utter no speech, and light serves as speech. In Sanskrit it is *ābha* Heaven, in Jin translated as 'having light and lifespan,' also called 'Minor Light.' In Sanskrit it is *apramāṇa*, here translated as 'Immeasurable Light.' In Sanskrit it is *ābhāsvara*, here translated as 'Radiant Sound.' The three heavens of the third dhyāna: first, Parīttaśubha (Minor Purity), where the mental feeling of pleasure, being separated from greed for joy, is partly pure; second, Apramāṇaśubha (Immeasurable Purity), where the purity surpasses the former and cannot be measured; third, Śubhakṛtsna, in Sanskrit *śubhakṛtsna*, where the feeling of pleasure is most superior and purity is universal. The nine heavens of the fourth dhyāna: first, Anabhraka (Cloudless); the three dhyānas below all abide dependent on clouds, but reaching this fourth dhyāna, they first dwell in empty space; second, Puṇyaprasava (Merit-born), where one can only be reborn by possessing superior power of merit; third, Bṛhatphala (Extensive Fruit), because among the fruits of ordinary beings, this is the most superior; in Sanskrit it is *bṛhatphala*; and these three heavens are dwellings of ordinary beings. Fourth, the Asaññasatta Heaven, where non-Buddhists dwell, considering it to be nirvāṇa; but it is merely that for a single period mental conceptualization does not function, hence it is called non-conceptual. Fifth, Avṛha (Effortless), because it is free of the mixture of afflictions of views and thoughts. Sixth, Atapa (No Heat), because mental pleasure is gentle and tame, free from the distress of heat. Seventh, Sudṛśa (Good-looking), in Sanskrit *sudṛśa* Heaven, where the hindrances to concentration are gradually minute and vision is extremely clear. Eighth, Sudarśana (Well-manifesting), where physical form is increasingly superior and can skillfully manifest. Ninth, Akaniṣṭha (Ultimate Form), where form is ultimate; it is the final station. The heavens from Avṛha onward are the abodes of anāgamins; these five heavens are called the five anāgamin [heavens]. If one detests the cage of form and cultivates the four formless concentrations, one is born into the four formless heavens, called the formless realm. First, the station of the infinity of space: the Chanmen says: 'At the outset of this concentration, one separates from three kinds of form, and the mind takes empty space as its object. Since it corresponds with the formless, it is called the concentration of empty space.' Second, the station of the infinity of consciousness: the Chanmen says: 'Renouncing space, one takes consciousness as object, using consciousness as the station. It receives its name precisely from the object taken.' Third, the station of nothingness: the Chanmen calls it the station of non-employment. When cultivating this concentration, one employs neither external nor internal objects. External objects are called space, and internal objects are called mind; renouncing these two objects when first cultivating, it is therefore called the station of non-employment. Fourth, the station of neither-perception-nor-non-perception: the Chanmen says: 'One explanation says: "Contemplating the previous station of consciousness is having perception; the station of non-employment is non-perception. Now one eliminates both of the above two perceptions." Another explanation says: "In terms of ordinary beings it is said to be not having perception; in terms of the Buddha-Dharma it is said to be not lacking perception." Discussed together, it is therefore called neither perception nor non-perception.' However, regarding these four formless [heavens], the teachings of the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna differ vastly in explaining their formlessness. First, the Hīnayāna teaching, as the Kośa says: 'In the formless there is no body; it operates dependent on homogeneity (sabhāgatā) and life-faculty (jīvitendriya), causing the mind to continue (there are twenty-four non-concurrent conditioned formations: first, acquisition; second, life-faculty; third, homogeneity of beings. The commentary explains: that which attains accomplishment is called acquisition; the seed of the eighth consciousness that keeps form and mind uninterrupted is called the life-faculty; or the real seed is life, while provisional karma constitutes life; because they are of similar kind, it is called homogeneity of beings).' Also, the 'Chapter on the World' says: 'The formless realm has no spatial location whatsoever, because non-material phenomena have no direction or place. That is, wherever one attains that concentration, upon the end of life one is born right in that place.' Also, the Chengshi lun says: 'Form is unmanifested (avijñapti); it does not reach the formless.' Now I say: If it is said to have no spatial location whatsoever, how could the Avataṃsaka say: 'The bodhisattva's nose faculty smells the fragrance of the palaces of the formless realm'? If according to the Mahāsāṃghika, they say there is merely no coarse form, not that there is no subtle form. Thus the Āgama says that when Śāriputra entered nirvāṇa, the devas of the formless realm shed tears from the sky like fine spring rain. Therefore we know that formlessness does not mean the absence of subtle form. These are two distinct tenets within the Hīnayāna school. As for the Mahāyāna teaching, as the Śūraṅgama says: 'In these four formless heavens, body and mind are completely extinguished, the nature of concentration manifests before them, and there is no form that is the fruit of karma.' Master Gushan explains: 'That there is no form of karmic fruit reveals that there is form resulting from concentration (samādhi-phala-rūpa). The Jushe zuan says: "There is no form of karmic fruit, nor a body of maturation." As the Fuxing says: "It is said that once there was a monk who attained the formless concentration; rising from concentration, he felt around in the air. Someone asked what he was seeking. He replied: 'I am looking for my body.' A bystander told him: 'The body is on the bed.'" Having attained concentration here, he still did not see his body. This proves that the four formless [heavens] have no form of karmic fruit. As for saying that it reveals there is form resulting from concentration, the Xianyang lun says: "It is called form born of mastery in concentration, meaning by the power of superior concentration. One attains mastery over all forms, and precisely through concentration one transforms and gives rise to the five sense objects." The treatise says: "Transforming the body into tens of billions, they stand together on the tip of a hair, filling empty space and the earth realm." The Zhongyin jing says: "The devas of the formless realm prostrated to the Bhagavat." The Śūraṅgama also says that the formless bow their heads. The Renwang jing says: "The devas of the formless realm rain down diverse fragrant flowers, their fragrance like Mount Sumeru, their flowers like chariot wheels." Moreover, the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: "If the heavens such as Neither-Perception have no form, how could there be going, coming, advancing, and halting? Such a meaning is the realm of the Buddhas, not something known by śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas." Because the śrāvaka sūtras spoke of the emptiness they realized, they thereupon asserted that the ultimate stations are entirely formless. The Mahāyāna's true explanation is that outside the realms one even receives form of the dharmatā; how could these four heavens be merely utterly empty! Therefore it rebuked the two vehicles, saying it is not within their knowledge. The Jingming shu says: "If it is the provisional teaching, it clarifies that the formless realm has no form; if it is the definitive teaching, it clarifies that the formless realm has form." Moreover, the Da zhidu lun says: "When the devas are about to end their lives, five signs of death appear: first, the floral crown wilts; second, sweat issues from the armpits; third, flies come and cling to the body; fourth, one sees another deva sitting in one's own birthplace; fifth, one no longer takes pleasure in one's original seat. When the devas see these signs of death, they cherish celestial pleasures and see that they will be born in an evil destination, and their minds are immediately afflicted with sorrow." Furthermore, the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya explains five deteriorations, distinguishing minor and major. The five minor deteriorations are: first, the clothing and ornaments produce an unpleasant sound; second, the radiance of one's own body suddenly becomes dim and weak; third, when bathing, water droplets cling to the body; fourth, one's nature was originally active, but now it is sluggish in a single state; fifth, the eyes were originally steady and calm, but now they blink frequently. When these five signs appear, death is not certain; encountering superior good conditions, they can still be averted. There are further five major signs of deterioration that appear: first, clothing is soiled with dust; second, flower garlands wither; third, sweat issues from both armpits; fourth, foul odor enters the body; fifth, one takes no pleasure in one's original seat. When these five signs appear, death is certain. Furthermore, the Da zhidu lun explains devas generally by distinguishing four kinds: first, nominal devas; second, birth devas; third, pure devas; fourth, purely born devas. First, nominal devas are like kings today who are called Sons of Heaven; second, birth devas are from the Four Heavenly Kings up to the Heaven of Neither-Perception-Nor-Non-Perception; third, pure devas are the various noble ones born among humans; fourth, purely born devas are the various noble ones born among the devas of the three realms. Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] also explains four devas: first, worldly devas, such as kings; second, birth devas, from the Four Heavenly Kings to Neither-Perception; third, pure devas, meaning the four fruits and pratyekabuddhas; fourth, devas of truth, meaning bodhisattvas of the ten abodes, because they see that all phenomena are the truth of emptiness.' Thus, regarding these devas, their names are broad and their meanings abundant, and they ought to be distinguished!"