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| Six heavens of the World of Desire from the Wheel of Life |
In the World of Desire (Kamadhatu), there are six
classes of gods with their specific realms.
The first realm is the Heaven of the Four Kings
(Caturmaharaja), which are located on four cardinal points of the Mount Sumeru:
1) East: Dhrtarastra, 2) South: Virudhaka, 3) West: Virūpāksa, 4) North: Vaisravana.
Each of these divine rulers has their own following
of Caturmaharajakayika gods.
As Master Genshin explained, “one day and night in the realm of the Four Kings is as long as fifty
years of human life, and life in the realm of the Four Kings lasts five hundred
years”.
The second realm is the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods
(Trayastrimsa) which is placed on the summit of Mount Sumeru.
The most important god of this realm is Sakra (or Indra in some
texts).
As Master Genshin explained, “a hundred years of human life are equal in length to one day and night
in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, and in this heaven life lasts a thousand
years”.
The third realm is the Heaven of Good Time (Yama or
Suyama).
As Master Genshin explained, “two hundred years of human life are equal in length to one day and
night in Heaven of Yama, where life lasts two thousand years”.
The fourth realm is the Heaven of Contentment (Tusita).
Queen Maya, the mother of Shakyamuni Buddha was reborn there
when she died, seven days after giving birth to Him. During His earthly life,
Shakyamuni often made visits to this realm (and other heavenly realms, too) in
order to teach the Dharma to His mother and the gods living there.
As Master Genshin explained, “four hundred years of human life are equal in length to one day and
night in Tusita, and in this heaven life continues for four thousand years”.
The fifth realm is the Heaven of Enjoyment of Pleasures
Provided by Themselves (Nirmanarati).
As Master Genshin explained, “eight hundred years of human life are equal in length to one day and
night in Nirmanarati, where life lasts eight thousand years”.
The sixth realm is the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of
Manifestations by Others (Paranirmitavasavartin).
This realm is inhabited by Maras, which are celestial
demons that usually go to the other worlds to obstruct practitioners from
advancing on the Buddhist path. So, “Mara” in Sankrit language means „evil
one”, „adversary” or „tempter”.
Their karma accumulated in past lives was good enough to
make them reborn in this high heaven, but still, their lust for power and
selfishness not being eradicated, transformed them into living obstacles for
other beings. Thus, they do everything in their power so that nobody gets higher
than their plane of existence.
The Nirvana
Sutra lists four types of demons: 1) greed, anger and delusion; 2) the
five skandas, or obstructions caused by physical and mental functions; 3)
death; and 4) the demon of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations
by Others (Paranirmitavasavartin). So, in the Buddhist texts the word “demon”
is sometimes used with the meaning of internal demons, or personal blind
passions and illusions, but also in the sense of an actually existing being or
beings who disturb others from reaching freedom from birth and death. Nowadays,
there is a common mistake among many so called “modern” Buddhists, who promote
the idea that maras are only internal and not external demons, too. Please do
not share their misunderstandings, and single-heartedly entrust to Amida
Buddha, which is the best way to be protected against the influence of such
evil and powerful beings.
As Master Genshin explained, “sixteen hundred years of human life are equal in length to one day and
night in Paranirmitavasavartin heaven, in which life lasts
sixteen thousand years”.
Master Vasubandhu explained some of the features of the gods
inhabiting these heavenly realms:
“The
Caturmaharajakayikas, Trayastrimsas, Yamas, Tusitas, Nirmanaratis and Paranirmitavasavartins
are the gods of Kamadhatu (world of desire). [...]
A small god or goddess
appears on the knees, or from out of the knees of a god or goddess; this small
god or goddess is their son or daughter: all the gods are apparitional. Among
these gods, their newborn are similar to infants of five to ten years. From
five to ten years according to the category of the gods. Young gods grow up
quickly.”[1]
To be “apparitional” means that newborn gods appear
spontaneously, and not from within a womb, like humans. At their birth they are
similar to infants “from five to ten
years according to the category of the gods”. These “young gods grow up quickly”[2], said
Vasubandhu. Then he explained further:
“In Kamadhatu,
1. There are beings
whose objects of desire are placed (by outside factors) at their disposition;
but they are able to dispose of these objects. These are humans and certain
gods - namely the first four classes of gods.
2. There are beings
whose objects of desire are created by themselves; and they dispose of these
objects which they create. These are the Nirmanaratis.
3. There are beings
whose objects of desire are created by others but who themselves dispose of
these objects created by others. These are the Paranirmitavasavartins.
The first enjoy the
objects of desire which are presented to them; the second enjoy objects of
desire which they create at their will; and the third enjoy objects of desire
that they create or have others create at their will. These are the three
arisings of the objects of desire (kamopapattis).”
According to Nagarjuna’s explanation from Maha-prajna-paramita-sastra:
“If the practitioner
has not been able to cut through lust, he will be reborn among the six classes
of gods of the desire realm [kamadhatu] where the five objects of enjoyment are
excellent, subtle and pure. If he has been able to cut through lust (raga), he
will be reborn among the gods of the two higher realms [rupadhatu and arupyadhatu].”[3]
This means that the one who is reborn among the gods of the
World of Desire cut many other passions from his heart, but still remained with
various forms of lust, while those who destroyed lust but still have other more
subtle delusions, go to the next heavenly realms in the World of Form
(Rupadhatu) or World of Non-form (Arupyadhatu).
The world of form is the effect of great meritorious deeds
and strong meditation practice, while the world of non-form, where beings do
not posses bodies of form, is the effect of high levels of samadhi (meditative
concentration).
The gods of the Rupadhatu (World of Form) and Arupyadhatu (World
of Non-Form) have an extremely long life in comparison with humans and gods of Kamadhatu
(World of Desire), while also lacking the negative emotions from there.
However, they still experience ignorance and delusion because they have not yet
eliminated the belief in the false ego. By not eliminating the belief in the
false ego their suppression of negative emotions is only temporary because such
a belief and attachement/identification is the very root (the origin) of those
emotions. Thus, they still possess the seeds and inclinations to manifest them
again in the future and so the gods in Rupadhatu and Arupyadhatu may again fall
in the lower realms. We must bear in mind that untill the root of negative emotions
has been completely destroyed by the realization of perfect Enlightenment one
cannot attain liberation from samsara.
In the World of Form (Rupadhatu) there are
four spheres of heavenly realms, as follows:
The First Dhyana, which contains:
1. Heaven of the Councilors of Brahmā (Brahmaparisadya)
2. Heaven of the High Priests of Brahma (Brahmapurohita)
3. Heaven of Great Brahma (Mahabrahman)
Some Brahma gods from the first Dhyana Heaven in the
World of Form may experience the illusion of being all-powerful creators
of the universe. About this kind of delusion brought upon them (and upon human
beings who believe in them) by Maras, I discussed at lenght in the chapter
"There is no supreme god or creator in the Buddha Dharma" from my
book, The True Teaching on Amida Buddha
and His Pure Land[4].
Please read it carefully as I gave there many quotes from Shakyamuni Buddha
himself.
The Second Dhyana, which contains:
1. Heaven of Lesser Light (Paritta-abha)
2. Heaven of Infinite Light (Apramana-abha)
3. Heaven of Supreme Light (Abhasvara)
The Third Dhyana, which contains:
1. Heaven of Lesser Purity (Parittasubha)
2. Heaven of Infinite Purity (Apramanasubha)
3. Heaven of Universal Purity (Śubhakrtsna)
The Fourth Dhyana, which contains:
1. Cloudless Heaven (Anabhraka)
2. Merit-producing Heaven (Punyaprasava)
3. Heaven of Greater Fruits (Brhatphala)
4. Heaven Free of Trouble (Abrha)
5. Heaven without Affliction (Atapa)
6. Heaven of Excellent Viewing (Sudrsa)
7. Heaven of Excellent Observation (Sudarsana)
8. Highest Heaven (Akanistha)
In the World of Non-form (Arupyadhatu) there
are four heavenly realms:
Abode of Boundless Space (akasa-anantya-ayatana)
Abode of Boundless Consciousness (vijnana-anantya-ayatana)
Abode of Nothingness (akincanya-ayatana)
Abode of Neither Thought nor Non-thought
(naiva-samjna-na-asamjna-ayatana)
The sufferings of the gods in the World of Desire
(Kamadhatu) are of three types:
1) the suffering of dying and falling to lower realms, 2)
the suffering of anxiety, and 3) the suffering of being cut, gashed, killed,
and banished
1) The suffering of dying and falling to lower realms
No matter what sensual pleasures the gods in Kamadhatu
experience, they will also die when the karma which brought them into their
realms is exhausted. It is said that the suffering of dying in the realm of the
gods is greater than in any other realm. Why is that? To die in the realm of
hells or pretas means to be released from those spheres of extreme pain and a
chance to be reborn in higher places, but who would really like to abandon the
most beautiful realm filled with intoxicating pleasure and hapiness, where one
has a perfect body and everything his heart desires?
Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said:
"Know that even
Brahma himself,
After achieving
happiness free from attachment
In his turn will
endure ceaseless suffering
As fuel for the fires
of the Hell of Ultimate Torment."[5]
"Although the
deities have great pleasure in heaven,
The suffering of dying
there is even greater than that.
The wise who
understand this cease to create
Attachments for the
perishable heavens."[6]
Before dying the gods experience the trauma of the five
signs of death, as Nagarjuna described in the same text:
"Their bodies
turn an unattractive color,
Their cushions become
uncomfortable,
Their flower garlands
wilt, and their clothing smells;
An unaccustomed sweat
breaks out over their bodies.
The five signs that
signal the deities in heaven,
Foretelling their
death and departure therefrom,
Are similar to the
signs
That foretell death
for humans on earth."[7]
Even if the signs that fortell the death of gods may not
seem extraordinary at first reading, please bear in mind that until those signs
appear, their bodies were always fresh and healthy for many thousands of years,
never smelled bad, never produced sweat, etc. So, its one thing to be human and
have the above problems all the time, and another to live happily like a god for
many thousands of years in which only one minute of their life may be a hundred
years of human life, and suddenly experience the five signs of death. And it is
said in some texts that the time before dying, in which the gods experience the
five signs and contemplate their falling into the lower realms, also lasts many
years. During this time all the other gods leave them completely alone, being
disgusted with the sight of their decay, and so the dying deity suffers
enormously.
Master Genshin described the sufferings experienced by the gods
from the World of Desire when they approach death and gave us the example of
those inhabiting the Trayastrimsa[8]
(Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods)[9]:
“Even though the
pleasures of these beings are boundless, when life comes to an end they cannot
escape the pain of the Five Decays. The first is the fading of the crown of
flowers. Second, the heavenly weather clothing becomes soiled. Third, sweat
flows from the body. Fourth, the eyes often grow dizzy. And fifth, the place of
living no longer gives enjoyment. These are called the Five Decays.
When we meet with
these sufferings we are disliked and cast off by the family of heavenly
maidens. It is pitiful to roll around among the bushes and trees weeping and
grieving. At such a time the victim cries out, saying: ‘I was loved constantly
by all the heavenly maidens and why is it that now they love me no longer? They
have flung me away like grass and do not care for me in the least. Now there is
nothing on which I can rely. Who is there to save me? Leaving the
palace castle of Zenken, my life here must come to an end. There
is no hope of seeing Teishaku[10] on his treasure
throne. It is difficult to behold the glory of Shushoden[11] and doubtful
whether I can ever again ride on the treasure elephant of Shakuten[12]. I shall never again
gaze on the flowers of Shushaen. Never again shall I sit at the sake feast of
Zorinen, nor play and linger in Kwankien. Sitting on the smooth stone of the
white jewel under the Goba tree is a pleasure no longer possible. I can think
no longer about bathing in the waters of Shushochi. I shall never again eat the
Four Sweets and I alone am denied hearing the Five Glorious Kinds of Music. How
sad that I alone must meet this fate! Oh, have mercy on me and save my
life! But for a moment longer, I pray grant me this pleasure and let me not
fall down on Mount Meru or into Bassho sea! But though I utter
these prayers for help there is no one to save.”
Bodhisattva Nagarjuna also said about the falling of the
gods:
"They must take
leave of the divine worlds.
If their merit has run
out,
Then, powerless, they
will become
Animals, hungry
ghosts, or denizens of hell."[13]
2) The suffering of anxiety
Depending on the merits they acumuated in previous lives,
the gods in the World of Desire receive various pleasures and desirable
objects. Thus, some have more than others, which causes those with lesser
merits to become anxious and suffer.
3) The suffering of being cut, gashed, killed, and banished
Because of the wars they fight with asuras (demigods) they
are often hurt in many ways. However, whenever they are injured their body
parts regenerate with the exception of the head, as gods in the World of Desire
can be killed only by cutting their heads. Some weaker gods are often banished
from their places by the more powerful ones.
Bodhisattva Vasubandhu also described other kinds of
suffering related with deities:
"Deities who
indulge in sensual pleasures[14]
Are not happy in mind -
They are burned by an
inner fire
Sparked by the
infection of sensual desire.
How can there be
happiness
For those whose minds
are distracted?
Since their minds are
not under control
And undistracted even
for a moment,
They are by nature
disturbed and agitated.
They will never be
calm -
Like a fire that has
wood for fuel
And that rages,
whipped by the wind."[15]
He also said:
"They are like
invalids, not long recovered
From an illness, who
eat improperly and get sick again."[16]
The gods in the World of Form (Rupadhatu) and World of
Non-Form (Arupyadhatu) do not experience the sufferings of the deities in the
World of Desire, but they also die while still having subtle afflictions and
osbscurations. As I said previously, they have not freed themselves from the
belief and attachement to the false ego, so the root of negative emotions is
still there even if they kept them hidden by being immersed in meditative
absorbtion. Thus, not being liberated from samsara, they have no control over
the course of their future karma and when the reservoir of merits that brought
them in those high celestial abodes is exhausted, they fall again in lower
realms.
Bodhisattva Vasubandhu said:
"Those in the
form or formless realms
Are beyond the
suffering of pain and the suffering of change.
By nature they have
the bliss of meditative concentration;
They remain motionless
for an eon.
But even this is most
assuredly not liberation;
After they have
counted on it, they will again fall.
Though it may seem as
though they have transcended
The turbulence of the
miserable realms,
Yet, like birds
soaring in the sky,
They cannot stay
forever, though they try -
Like an arrow shot
with the strength of a child,
They will fall back
down in the end.
Just as butter lamps
that burn for a long time
Are in fact perishing
in every moment,
They are afflicted by
the changes of
The suffering of
conditionality."[17]
[1] Abhidharmakosabhasyam, English translation by Leo M.
Pruden; Berkeley, Calif, Asian Humanities Press, 1991; vol 2, p.
465-466.
[2] The gods of the next
sphere – the World of Form (Rupadhatu) are complete in their development from
birth and are also born fully clothed.
[3] Maha-prajna-paramita-sastra, Lamotte, volume 3, p. 1162.
[4] The True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, by Josho
Adrian Cirlea, Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova, 2015, p. 18
[5] Nagarjuna as quoted in Words of My Perfect Teacher, by Patrul
Rinpoche, revised edition, Padmakara Translation Group, Shambhala, Boston,
1998, p.94
[6] Letter to a Friend, as quoted in The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
to Enlightenment, volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca , New York
[7] Letter to a Friend, as quoted in The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
to Enlightenment, volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca , New York
[8] Trāyastrimśa is Toriten in
Japanese.
[9] He gives that example on
the basis of the Sutra of the
Six Paramitas (Roku-haramitsu-kyo). This sutra was also named Dai Rishu Ropparamitta, Ropparamitsu-kyo, or Liu-po-lo-mi-ching in Chinese. It
was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese in 788 by the monk Prajna.
[10] Teishaku is Sakra
(Indra), the ruler of the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods (Trāyastrimśa).
[11] Shushoden and Shushaen,
Zorinen, Kwankien, Goba tree, Shushochi are places and various elements of
the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods.
[12] Shakuten is the same as
Tesihaku (Sakra/Indra).
[13] Letter to a Friend, as quoted in The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path
to Enlightenment, volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca , New York
[14] Gods in the World of Desire (Kamadhatu).
[15] Sambhara - parikatha (Discussion of the Requisite Collections, as
quoted in The Great Treatise on the
Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion
Publications, Ithaca , New York
[16] The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment,
volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York, p. 294
[17] Sambhara - parikatha (Discussion of the Requisite Collections, as
quoted in The Great Treatise on the
Stages of the Path to Enlightenment, volume I, by Tsong-kha-pa, Snow Lion
Publications, Ithaca , New York
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