正法念處經云。若持不殺戒。得生四天王處。若持不殺不盜。得生三十三天。若持不殺盜邪婬。得生夜摩天。若持不殺盜邪婬。妄語。兩舌。惡口。綺語。得生兜率天。奉行佛戒。兼身口七善業。得生化樂。他化自在天。業報差別經云。若眾生具修增上十善。得欲界天報。修有漏十善。與定相應。得色界天報。修四空定。得無色界天報。順正理論云。六欲諸天初生。如次。如五六七八九十歲人。生已。身形速得圓滿。男生在天父右膝。女生在天母左膝。皆悉化生。或有於天母手華。忽然化生。阿含經云。兒來未久。便知饑渴。自然寶器。盛百味飲食。若福多者。飯色自白。中者黃色。下者赤色。若渴則飲。寶器中甘露漿。入腹漸消。如酥投火。無復形影。亦無大小便利。死如燈𦦨滅。無有屍骸。以化生故也。色界天眾。於初生時。身量周圓。具妙衣服。一切天眾。皆作聖言。不由學習。自解典語。起世經云。欲界諸天。皆食段食。色界諸天。從初禪乃至遍淨天。以喜為食。無色界諸天。以意業為食。有云。色界無色天。並以禪悅法喜為食。涅槃經云。雖得四天王。他化自在天身。乃至梵天。非非想處天身。命終還墮三惡道中。天報盡時。五衰相現。身受大苦。如地獄苦。等無差別。成實論問曰。生天離惡積善。何故報盡。即入三途。答曰。凡夫無始已來。惡業無窮。一日貪瞋。尚受千形。況惡既多。暫伏結生。報福既盡。昔業時熟。還墮三途。何所致惑。為有識心達本者。能破三界二十五有。故云。若人識得心。大地無寸土。經云。一人發真歸源。十方世界。盡成消殞。如未能達本歸源。則一心念佛。發願往生淨土。聞佛說法。悟無生忍。則頓超三界。迥絕輪迴矣(梵世。梵者淨也)。
The Sutra on the Right Mindfulness of the Dharma states: If one upholds the precept of not killing, one will be reborn in the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings. If one upholds the precepts of not killing and not stealing, one will be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. If one upholds the precepts of not killing, not stealing, and not engaging in sexual misconduct, one will be reborn in the Yama Heaven. If one upholds the precepts of not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not lying, not engaging in divisive speech, not using harsh words, and not indulging in frivolous speech, one will be reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven. If one practices the Buddha’s precepts and also cultivates the seven wholesome actions of body and speech, one will be reborn in the Heaven of Joy and the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Transformations.
The Sutra on the Differences of Karmic Retribution states: If sentient beings fully cultivate the superior ten wholesome deeds, they will receive the reward of rebirth in the desire realm heavens. If they cultivate the ten wholesome deeds with outflows and in accordance with meditative concentration, they will receive the reward of rebirth in the form realm heavens. If they cultivate the four formless absorptions, they will receive the reward of rebirth in the formless realm heavens.
The *Nyāyānusāra Śāstra* states: When beings are first born in the six desire realm heavens, their appearance corresponds, in order, to that of human children aged five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten years old. Once born, their bodies swiftly attain fullness and maturity. Male children are born at the right knee of their heavenly father, and female children at the left knee of their heavenly mother. All are born by transformation. Some are suddenly transformed into being upon a flower in the hand of their heavenly mother.
The Āgama Sutras state: Soon after birth, the children know hunger and thirst. A precious vessel naturally appears, filled with a hundred flavors of food and drink. Those with abundant merit have food that is white in color; those with middling merit have yellow food; those with lesser merit have red food. When thirsty, they drink the nectar-like liquid from the precious vessel. Once ingested, it gradually dissolves, like butter thrown into a fire, leaving no trace or form. There is also no excretion of waste, large or small. At death, they vanish like a lamp flame extinguished, leaving no corpse, as they were born by transformation.
Beings in the form realm heavens, at the moment of birth, have bodies fully formed and adorned with exquisite garments. All heavenly beings speak a sacred language, not through learning but by spontaneously understanding the canonical speech.
The *Sutra on the Arising of the World* states: The heavens of the desire realm all consume material food. The heavens of the form realm, from the first dhyāna up to the Śubhakṛtsna Heaven, take joy as their sustenance. The heavens of the formless realm take mental activity as their sustenance. Some say that the form realm and formless realm heavens both take meditative joy and Dharma joy as their sustenance.
The Nirvāṇa Sutra states: Even if one attains the body of a being in the Heaven of the Four Kings, the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Others’ Transformations, or even the Brahma Heaven or the Heaven of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception, when that life ends, one may still fall into the three evil destinies. When the heavenly reward is exhausted, the five signs of decay appear, and the body undergoes great suffering, equal to the suffering of the hells, without any difference.
The *Satyasiddhi Śāstra* asks: “Since beings are reborn in the heavens by abandoning evil and accumulating good, why do they fall into the three wretched paths when their reward ends?” It answers: Ordinary beings have committed boundless evil deeds since beginningless time. A single day of greed or anger can lead to a thousand rebirths—how much more so when evil deeds are many? These are temporarily suppressed, allowing rebirth [in the heavens]. When the reward of that merit is exhausted, past karma ripens in due time, and they fall back into the three wretched paths. Why should this cause confusion?
Only those with discerning minds who realize the fundamental source can break through the twenty-five realms of the threefold world. Thus it is said: “If one truly knows the mind, the great earth has not an inch of soil.”
The sutras state: “When one person awakens to truth and returns to the source, the worlds of the ten directions entirely crumble and vanish.”
If one is not yet able to realize the fundamental source and return to it, then one should single-mindedly recite the Buddha’s name, vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, listen to the Buddha’s teachings, awaken to the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and thereby suddenly transcend the threefold world, completely cutting off the cycle of rebirth.
(The Brahma world: “Brahma” means purity.)