英語訳
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Six
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Daijō Hōsō Kenshin-shō, Volume One
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Six
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are in the same place. The three heavens of Brahmakāyika, Brahmapurohita, and Mahābrahmā are in the same place. The Asaññasatta Heaven is in the same place as the Vehapphala Heaven. The Akaniṣṭha Heaven is in the same place as Maheśvara. Question: Are the three heavens of the second dhyāna and the three heavens of the third dhyāna in the same place, or are they above and below each other? Answer: If we follow the pattern of the first dhyāna, they are also in the same place. Question: If they are in the same place, why make them three? Answer: The meditative attainments obtained are different. Their supernatural powers are also different. Their merits are also different. Their bodily sizes and lifespans are each different. Being at the same ground level is called being in the same place. For example, kings and ministers in this realm are in the same place but with different authority. Because they are not in high-low relationships, they are called being in the same place. Question: How are Anabhraka and Puṇyaprasava in the fourth dhyāna in the same place? Answer: That is not so. Anabhraka is below and Puṇyaprasava is above. Only Asaññasatta Heaven and Vehapphala are the same. The others are at different high-low levels. Question: What are the lifespans, bodily sizes, experiences, etc. of the six heavens? Answer: The bodily size of the Four Kings is one-quarter of a krośa. Generally, 500 bows make one krośa. One-quarter is 125 steps. Six feet make one bow. That is, 500 bows make one krośa. Six feet make one step, known according to national law. The bodies of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven are increased by one foot compared to the Four Kings' bodies. Increasing by one foot means adding thirty-six steps to make one additional step. Regarding this heavenly body, Indra alone has a body that is exactly one level krośa. The other heavenly bodies are 156 steps. However, though they are the same heaven, Indra's body is 250 steps, while other heavenly bodies are 156 steps. Six feet make one step. Know by this measure. Because kings and ministers are different, their bodily sizes are not the same. Know accordingly. The Yāma
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Heaven's bodies are the same as Indra's body—250 steps. Tuṣita Heaven bodies are 280 steps. Nirmāṇarati Heaven bodies measure 312 steps. Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven bodies measure 343 steps. Among these six heavens, for the Four Heavenly Kings' lifespan, fifty human years constitute one of their day-nights. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Using that year as measure, their lifespan is 500 years. For the Thirty-three Heavens' lifespan, one hundred human years constitute one day-night of that heaven. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Their lifespan is 1,000 years. For Yāma Heaven's lifespan, 200 human years constitute one of their day-nights. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Their lifespan is 2,000 years. For Tuṣita Heaven's lifespan, 400 human years constitute one of their day-nights. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Their lifespan is 4,000 years. For Nirmāṇarati Heaven's lifespan, 800 human years constitute one of their day-nights. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Their lifespan is 8,000 years. For Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven's lifespan, 16,000 human years constitute one of their day-nights. With this day-night, thirty days make one month, and twelve months make one year. Their lifespan is 16,000 years.
Question: What are the birth characteristics of these six heavens? Answer: In the heavenly realms of the six desire heavens, without maternal wombs, in the Four Heavenly Kings Heaven, on their parents' shoulders or in their embrace, like five-year-old small
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Seven
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Daijō Hōsō Kenshin-shō, Volume One
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Seven
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children, they are suddenly born through transformation. The Thirty-three Heaven are like six-year-old small children. Yāma Heaven are like seven-year-old small children. Tuṣita Heaven are like eight-year-old people. Nirmāṇarati Heaven are like nine-year-old small children. Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven are like ten-year-old youths. Among these six heavens, their experiences consist of three types of experience: first, experience of suffering and pleasure; second, experience of food and drink; third, experience of sexual desire. Regarding the experience of suffering and pleasure, beings in the heavenly realm mostly experience the suffering of decline, distress, and falling. When various heavenly princes are about to die, five signs of decline appear first: first, their clothes which had no defilement become defiled; second, their garlands which formerly did not wither now wither and fade; third, sweat flows from both armpits; fourth, their bodies become foul-smelling; fifth, the gods and heavenly princes do not enjoy their original seats. At that time, that heavenly prince lies down in the forest, and his colored maidens play games with other heavenly princes. Having already seen this, due to these causes and conditions, great sorrow and suffering arise. Also, when blessed gods come to be reborn there, great fear arises. Also, when fighting with non-humans, they are destroyed by that. Sentient beings in the heavenly realm mostly experience vast wealth and pleasure. Their forms and colors are especially wonderful, with many delights. In their own palaces they obtain long residence. Their bodies, inside and out, are all completely pure and clean, without foul smells. Also, those various gods have four types of palaces—namely gold, silver, crystal, and lapis lazuli with various ornaments, limitless and boundless. Regarding food and drink experience, there are food trees there. From within those trees emerge four food flavors called sudhā—namely blue, yellow, red, and white. There are also drink trees from which sweet-flavored water flows out. There are also vehicle trees, clothing trees, and ornament trees. What the food trees produce is all solid food. There are also three other foods—namely contact, volition, and consciousness. Those various heavenly multitudes mostly receive many wonderful desire pleasures
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and so forth. They constantly have no illness and also no decline or aging. There is no suffering of lack in food and drink or other innate sufferings. When they finish eating, all the solid food flows into all their bodily parts and limbs, immediately digests, and there are no fecal impurities. Regarding sexual desire experience, although the gods of the desire realm engage in sexual desire, there is no impurity. However, at the sense gates, wind-breath emerges and afflictions immediately cease. The two earth-dwelling heavens—namely the Four Kings Heaven and Trāyastriṃśa Heaven—have pairs meeting in intercourse before their passionate distress ceases. In Yāma Heaven, they merely stand and embrace each other, and their passionate distress immediately ceases. In Tuṣita Heaven, they merely hold hands, and their passionate distress immediately ceases. In Nirmāṇarati Heaven, they look at each other and smile, and their passionate distress immediately ceases. In Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, they look at each other, and their passionate distress immediately ceases.
Question: The names of the six desire heavens are not yet clear. Please further explain their names and transmit this to future students. Answer: Indeed, that is appropriate. Now I will briefly indicate this. The Four Great Heavenly Kings dwell at the four directional faces of the peak of the first golden mountain among the seven golden mountains surrounding Mount Sumeru. Governing the four great continents, they are called the Four Heavenly Kings. Their followers are extremely numerous, collectively called the Heaven of the Four Great King Assemblies. On the four directional faces of Sumeru's peak are thirty-two heavenly princes—namely, the followers of Heavenly Emperor Indra. Heavenly King Indra is in the center. Therefore that heaven is called the Thirty-three Heaven (in Sanskrit called Trāyastriṃśa). Because they receive heavenly pleasures day and night without rest, they are called the Time-Division Heaven (in Sanskrit called Yāma). Receiving those desire pleasures, they often generate disgust and renunciation, giving birth to contentment. They are called the Contented Heaven (in Sanskrit called Tuṣita). Because they magically create pleasure objects and immediately enjoy them themselves, they are called the Transformation-Enjoying Heaven. Because what they magically create they immediately enjoy themselves, they are called