Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Ch枚dr枚n | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes 鈥渄istribution of gods in the three worlds鈥� as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. 鈥渢he treatise on the great virtue of wisdom鈥�) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Appendix 1 - Distribution of gods in the three worlds
Note: This Appendix is extracted from a note from Chapter XXXIII, Fruits of the immeasurables (apram膩峁嘺).
The distribution of gods in the three worlds (办腻尘补诲丑腻迟耻, 谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻 and 腻谤奴辫测补诲丑腻迟耻), a distribution discussed among scholars (cf. 碍辞艣补, III, p. 2鈥�4, note):
1) K膩madh膩tu, is the abode of six groups of gods: i) 颁补迟耻谤尘补丑腻谤腻箩颈办补, ii) 罢谤腻测补蝉迟谤颈峁兣沘, iii) 驰腻尘补, iv) 罢耻峁迟补, v) Brahmaloka, vi) Paramirnitava艣avartin.
2) R奴padh膩tu, also called Brahmaloka, world of the 叠谤补丑尘腻 gods, with its four 诲丑测腻苍补蝉, is the abode of seventeen groups of gods.
First 诲丑测腻苍补: i) 叠谤补丑尘补办腻测颈办补, ii) Brahmapurohita, iii) 惭补丑腻产谤补丑尘补苍.
Second 诲丑测腻苍补: i) Parritt膩bha, ii) 础辫谤补尘腻峁嚹乥丑补, iii) 膧产丑腻蝉惫补谤补.
Third 诲丑测腻苍补: i) 笔补谤墨迟迟补艣耻产丑补, ii) 础辫谤补尘腻峁嘺艣耻产丑补, iii) 艢耻产丑补办峁泃蝉苍补.
Fourth 诲丑测腻苍补: i) Anabhraka, ii) 笔耻峁噛补辫谤补蝉补惫补. iii) 叠峁沨补迟辫丑补濒补, and the five 艢uddh膩v膩sikas, iv) 础惫峁沨补, v) Atapa, vi) 厂耻诲峁浥沘, vii) Sudar艣a峁嘺, viii) 础办补苍颈峁ａ弓丑补.
3) 膧r奴pyadh膩tu, formless realm, has no abodes: it is inhabited, one might say, by formless beings belonging to four spheres: i) 膩k膩艣ananty膩yatana, ii) 惫颈箩帽腻苍腻苍补苍迟测腻测补迟补苍补, iii) 腻办颈峁僣补苍测腻测补迟补苍补, iv) 苍补颈惫补蝉补峁僯帽腻苍腻蝉补峁僯帽腻测补迟补苍补.
Canonical sources:
In principle, the ascetic who has practiced the 补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉 is reborn in the two higher realms, 谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻 and 膩r奴yadh膩tu, but the exact place is disputed by scholars because the canonical sources give the impression of being contradictory. Here, without any pretense of being complete, is a series of canonical topics that are under discussion:
1) Anguttara, IV, p. 150; V, p. 342 (T 125, k. 47, p. 806a26; Vinaya, V, p. 140; 笔补峁璱蝉补尘产丑颈诲腻, II, p. 130; 惭颈濒颈苍诲补辫补帽丑补, p. 198; Visuddhimagga, p. 253, 258鈥�260. 鈥� If he does not penetrate any higher, the person who practices 尘补颈迟谤墨 gains Brahmaloka (耻迟迟补谤颈峁� appa峁璱vijjhanto brahmalok奴pago hoti). 鈥業f he does not penetrate any higher鈥� means: if he is incapable of attaining the state of arhat (补谤补丑补迟迟补峁� adhigantu峁� asakkonto).
2) 顿墨驳丑补, I, p. 251; Majjhima, II, p. 195 (T 26, k. 6, p. 458b1); Majjhima, II, p. 207, 208. 鈥� The practice of 尘补颈迟谤墨, of 办补谤耻峁嚹�, of 尘耻诲颈迟腻 or of 耻辫别办峁Ｄ� is the path leading to rebirth in the company of the 叠谤补丑尘腻 gods (叠谤补丑尘腻na峁� 蝉补丑补惫测补迟腻测补 maggo).
3) Anguttara, II, p. 130. 鈥� The good man who practices 尘补颈迟谤墨, 办补谤耻峁嚹�, 尘耻诲颈迟腻 or 耻辫别办峁Ｄ�, when his body dissolves after death, is reborn in the company of the 艢耻诲诲丑腻惫腻蝉补 gods (k膩yassa bhed膩 辫补谤补峁� Suddh膩v膩s膩na峁� dev膩na峁� 蝉补丑补惫测补迟补峁� uppajjati). These gods constitute the five classes of 叠谤补丑尘腻 gods occupying the summit of the 4th 诲丑测腻苍补 in 谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻.
4) Tseng yi a han (T 125, k. 21, p. 656b1鈥�9); Vibh膩峁Ｄ� (T 1545, k. 82, p. 425c13鈥�23); Ny膩y膩nus膩ra (T 1562, k. 44, p. 594c3鈥�6); 碍辞艣补, IV, p. 250; 碍辞艣补vy膩khy膩, p. 438 (Sanskrit original). 鈥� The person who practices the 补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉 is one of the four individuals 鈥榳ho gain brahmic merit鈥� (产谤腻丑尘补峁� 辫耻峁噛补峁� prasavanti).
According to Anguttara, V, p. 76, the holder of brahmic merit 鈥榬ejoices in the heavens for a kalpa鈥� (办补辫辫补峁� saggamhi modati), and according to 碍辞艣补 (III, p. 174; IV, p. 251), the gods whose lifespan is one kalpa are the Brahmapurohitas forming the second group of gods of the first 诲丑测腻苍补.
Therefore the person who, having loving-kindness, gains a brahmic merit and is reborn among the Brahmapurihitas.
5) Anguttara, II, p. 129. 鈥� The person who practices 尘补颈迟谤墨 is reborn in the company of the 叠谤补丑尘补办腻测颈办补s whose lifespan is one kalpa. The person who practices 办补谤耻峁嚹� is reborn among the 膧产丑腻蝉惫补谤补 whose lifespan is two kalpas. 鈥� The person who practices 尘耻诲颈迟腻 is reborn among the 艢耻产丑补办峁泃蝉苍补s whose lifespan is four kalpas. 鈥� The person who practices 耻辫别办峁Ｄ� is reborn among the 叠峁沨补迟辫丑补濒补s whose lifespan is five hundred kalpas.
[But the sources do not agree on the lifespan of the various classes of gods: c. W. Kirfel, Die Kosmographie der Inder, 1920, p. 194; add 痴颈产丑补峁単补, p. 424鈥�425; 碍辞艣补, III, p. 173鈥�174].
6) 厂补峁儁耻迟迟补, V, p. 119鈥�121; Tsa a han, T 99, k. 27, p. 197c11鈥�13; Vibh膩峁Ｄ�, T 1545, k. 83, p. 430c22鈥�24; Ny膩y膩nus膩ra, T 1562, k. 79, p. 770b24鈥�26; Visuddhimagga, ed. Warren, p. 269. 鈥� The person who practices 尘补颈迟谤墨 ends up at best in the 艢耻产丑补蝉 (according to the Chinese versions, in the 艢耻产丑补办峁泃蝉苍补s). 鈥� The person who practices 办补谤耻峁嚹� ends up at best in the 膩k膩艣ananty膩yatanas. 鈥� The person who practices 尘耻诲颈迟腻 ends up at best in the 惫颈箩帽腻苍腻苍补苍迟测腻测补迟补苍补s. 鈥� the person who practices 耻辫别办峁Ｄ� ends up at best in the 腻办颈峁僣补苍测腻测补迟补苍补s.
The Sarv膩stiv膩din-痴补颈产丑腻峁办补蝉 have expended a wealth of ingenuity in order to harmonize all these discrepancies. The 罢谤补颈迟茅 has not ignored them, but, refusing to enter into these subtleties, it concludes that the 补辫谤补尘腻峁嘺蝉, dealing with all the beings of the ten regions without exception, receive their reward in 腻谤奴辫测补诲丑腻迟耻 as well as in the 谤奴辫补诲丑腻迟耻 of the 叠谤补丑尘腻 gods.