Description of the World (DA30)

King Yama Wishes for Liberation

The Buddha told the monks, “King Yama then had this thought occur to him, ‘The world’s sentient beings are deluded and unaware. Their physical conduct is bad, and their verbal and mental conduct is bad. After their lives end, few of them won’t experience this suffering. If the world’s sentient beings could mend their evil ways and cultivate good physical, verbal, and mental conduct, they would experience happiness when their lives end as gods and spirits.

“If I’m born among humans after my life ends, perhaps I’ll encounter a Tathāgata. I’ll cut off my hair and beard and put on the three Dharma robes in the correct teaching. I’ll leave home and cultivate the path. I’ll cultivate the pure religious life with pure faith. Having accomplished the task, I’ll put an end to birth and death. I’ll realize for myself in the present life that I won’t be subject to another existence.’”

The Bhagavān then spoke in verse:

“Though they see heaven’s messengers,
Still, they are careless.
Such people always feel sorrow
And are born in despicable places.

If they’re wise people
Who see the heavenly messengers,
They stay close to the noble teaching
And don’t act carelessly.

Seeing and knowing it, they feel fearful
Of birth, old age, illness, and death.
Not experiencing those things is liberation,
The end of birth, old age, illness, and death.

They find the place of safety
And attain the unconditioned in the present.
Having forded sorrows and fears,
They are certain to parinirvāṇa.”

Chapter 5: Nāgas and Garuḍas

Introduction

The Buddha told the monks, “There are four kinds of nāga. What are the four? The first is egg-born, the second is womb-born, the third is born of moisture, and the fourth is born spontaneously. These are the four kinds.

“There are four kinds of garuḍas. What are the four? The first is egg-born, the second is womb-born, the third is born of moisture, and the fourth is born spontaneously. These are the four kinds.

The Palaces of Nāgas and Garuḍas

“At the bottom of the great ocean, the Nāga King Sāgara has a palace that’s 80,000 yojanas across. That palace has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Between Sumeru the mountain king and Mount Khadiraka, the nāga kings Nanda and Upananda have their two palaces. Each is 6,000 yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“On the north shore of the great ocean, there’s a great tree called Kūṭaśālmali that’s shared between the nāga kings and garuḍas. The area under the tree is seven yojanas around, and it’s a hundred yojanas tall. It’s leaves and limbs spread out in all four directions to cover fifty yojanas.

“To the east of this great tree, there’s an egg-born nāga king’s palace and an egg-born garuḍa’s palace. Each of their palaces are 6,000 yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“To the south of the tree Kūṭaśālmali, there’s a womb-born nāga king’s palace and a womb-born garuḍa’s palace. Each of their palaces is 6,000 yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“To the west of the tree Kūṭaśālmali, there’s an moisture-born nāga king’s palace and an moisture-born garuḍa’s palace. Each of their palaces is 6,000 yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“To the north of that tree Kūṭaśālmali, there’s a spontaneously born nāga king’s palace and a spontaneously born garuḍa’s palace. Each of their palaces is 6,000 yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

The Way Garuḍas Hunt Nāgas

“If an egg-born garuḍa wants to catch and eat a nāga, it flies down from a eastern limb of the tree Kūṭaśālmali. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 200 yojanas. It grabs and eats an egg-born nāga as it likes, but it can’t catch womb-born, moisture-born, or spontaneously born nāgas.

“If a womb-born garuḍa wants to catch and eat an egg-born nāga, it flies down from an eastern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 200 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats an egg-born nāga as it likes.

“If a womb-born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a womb-born nāga, it flies down from a southern limb of the tree. It hits ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 400 yojanas. It grabs and eats a womb-born nāga as it likes, but it can’t catch moisture-born or spontaneously born nāgas.

“If a moisture-born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat an egg-born nāga, it flies down from an eastern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 200 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats an egg-born nāga as it likes.

“If a moisture-born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a womb-born nāga, it flies down from a southern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 400 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats a womb-born nāga as it likes.

“If a moisture-born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a moisture-born nāga, it flies down from a western limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 800 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats a womb-born nāga as it likes, but it can’t catch a spontaneously born nāga and eat it.

“If a spontaneously born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat an egg-born nāga, it flies down from an eastern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 200 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats an egg-born nāga as it likes.

“If a spontaneously born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a womb-born nāga, it flies down from a southern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 400 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats a womb-born nāga as it likes.

“If a spontaneously born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a moisture-born nāga, it flies down from a western limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 800 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats a womb-born nāga [as it likes].

“If a spontaneously born garuḍa wants to [catch and] eat a spontaneously born nāga, it flies down from a northern limb of the tree. It hits the ocean’s surface with its wings, and the ocean parts for a distance of 1,600 yojanas. The garuḍa then grabs and eats a spontaneously born nāga [as it likes].

“Again, there are great nāgas that garuḍas can’t catch. Which are they? Nāga King Sāgara, Nāga King Nanda, Nāga King Upananda, Nāga King *Airāvaṇa, Nāga King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Nāga King Sudarśana, Nāga King *Āloka, Nāga King Kakuda, Nāga King *Kapila, Nāga King *Apalāla, Nāga King *Kanu (?), Nāga King *Gokanu (?), Nāga King Anavatapta, Nāga King Supratiṣṭhita, Nāga King *Usamkavata (?), and Nāga King Takṣaka. These great nāga kings can’t be caught and eaten by garuḍas. Nor can garuḍas catch and eat the nāgas who live near them.”

Wrong Views about Rebirth in Heaven

The Buddha told the monks, “If sentient beings uphold the nāga precepts, their minds turn to nāgas and perfect the way of nāgas, and then they are born among nāgas. If sentient beings uphold the garuḍa precepts, their minds turn to garuḍas and perfect the way of garuḍas, and then they are born among garuḍas.

“Sometimes, sentient beings uphold the precepts of rabbits and owls, and their minds turn to perfect the ways of rabbits and owls. They then fall [to rebirth] among rabbits and owls. Suppose sentient beings uphold the precepts of dogs, the precepts of cattle, the precepts of deer, the precepts of mutes, the precepts of Māṇibhadra, the precepts of fire, the precepts of the moon, precepts of the sun, precepts of water, precepts of giving offerings to fire, or the law of asceticism and defilement and that they think, ‘I’m upholding this … way of mutes … way of Māṇibhadra … way of fire … way of the sun and moon … way of water … way of giving offerings to fire … way of asceticism and defilement … I uphold these virtues in order to be born in heaven.’ These are wrong views.”

The Buddha said, “I say people with these wrong views are surely headed for two places. Either they’ll be born in hell or they’ll fall to an animal birth.

Various Wrong Views

“Sometimes, ascetics and priests have such theories and views as these: ‘Self and the world are permanent. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are impermanent. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are both permanent and impermanent. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are neither permanent nor impermanent. This is true; anything else is false.’

“‘Self and the world are limited. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are unlimited. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are both limited and unlimited. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘Self and the world are neither limited nor unlimited. This is true; anything else is false.’

“‘The soul is the body. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘The soul and the body are different. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘[The body] neither has a soul nor lacks a soul. This is true; anything else is false.’ ‘There’s no soul and no body. This is true; anything else is false.’

“Some people say, ‘There’ll thus be another death [in a future life]. This is true; anything else is false.’ Others say, ‘There won’t be another death. This is true; anything else is false.’ Sometimes, they say, ‘There’ll thus be another death, and there won’t be another death. This is true; anything else is false.’ Some also say, ‘It’s not the case that there’ll be another death or won’t be another death. This is true; anything else is false.’

Views about Permanence and Impermanence

“Suppose those ascetics and priests create such a theory and such a view as this: ‘[Self and] the world are permanent. This is true; anything else is false.’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. Therefore, they say, ‘Self and the world are permanent.’

“There are those who say, ‘[Self and the world are] impermanent. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. Therefore, they say, ‘Self and the world are impermanent.’

“There are those who say, ‘[Self and the world are] permanent and impermanent. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. Therefore, they say, ‘[Self and] the world are permanent and impermanent.’

“There are those who say, ‘[Self and the world are] neither permanent nor impermanent. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. Therefore, they say, ‘Self and the world are neither permanent nor impermanent.’

Views about Being Limited and Unlimited

“There are those who say, ‘Self and the world are limited. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. They say, ‘The soul is limited, the body is limited, and the world is limited. From its conception in the womb until it reaches the charnel ground, the four elements possessed by the body thus change. After not more than seven births, the body and soul’s actions come to an end, and the self enters the class of purity.’ Therefore, they say, ‘Self [and the world] are limited.’

“There are those who say, ‘Self and the world are unlimited. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. They say, ‘The soul is unlimited, the body is unlimited, and the world is unlimited. From its conception in the womb until it reaches the charnel ground, the four elements possessed by the body thus change. After not more than seven births, the body and soul’s action come to an end, and the self enters the class of purity.’ Therefore, they say, ‘Self and the world are unlimited.’

“There are those who say, ‘[Self and] the world are both limited and unlimited. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. They say, ‘The soul is both limited and unlimited, [the body is both limited and unlimited, and the world is both limited and unlimited]. From its conception in the womb until it reaches the charnel ground, the four elements possessed by the body thus change. After not more than seven births, the body and soul’s action come to an end, and the self enters the class of purity.’ Therefore, they say, ‘Self [and the world] are both limited and unlimited.’

“There are those who say, ‘Self and the world are neither limited nor unlimited. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have a view of self, a view of soul, a view of body, and a view of the world regarding conditioned things. They say, ‘The soul, body, [and the world] are neither limited nor unlimited. From its conception in the womb until it reaches the charnel ground, the four elements possessed by the body thus change. After not more than seven births, the body and soul’s action come to an end, and the self enters the class of purity.’ Therefore, they say, ‘Self [and the world] are neither limited nor unlimited.’

Views about the Soul and Body

“There are those that say, ‘The soul and the body are the same. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have the view that their own body has a soul and the view that other bodies have souls. Therefore, they say, ‘The soul and the body are the same.’

“[There are those] that say, ‘The soul and the body are different. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have the view that their body has a soul and the view that other bodies have no soul. Therefore, they say, ‘The soul and the body are different.’

“There are those that say, ‘The body neither has nor lacks the soul. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have the view that this body has no soul and the view that other bodies do have souls. Therefore, they say, ‘[The body] neither has nor lacks [the soul].’

“There are those that say, ‘There’s no body or soul. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They have the view that this body has no soul and the view that other bodies have no souls. Therefore, they say, ‘There’s no soul and no body.’

Views about Present and Future Lives

“There are those that say, ‘There is thus another death. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ Those people have the view of having a soul in the present and having a body and soul that will wander in the hereafter. Therefore, they say, ‘There is thus another death.’

“[There are those that say,] ‘There isn’t thus another death. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They say, ‘There’s a soul in the present life, but there’ll be no soul in a later life.’ Therefore, they say, ‘There isn’t thus another death.’

“[There are those that say,] ‘There’s thus another death, and there isn’t thus another death. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They say, ‘There’s a soul in the present life that perishes, but there’ll be a soul that wanders in a later life.’ Therefore, they say, ‘There’s thus another death, and there isn’t thus another death.’

“[There are those that say,] ‘There’s neither another death nor no other death. [This is true; anything else is false.]’ They say, ‘The body and soul in the present perish, and the body and soul in the next life perish.’ Therefore, they say, ‘There’s neither another death nor no other death.’”

The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant

The Bhagavān then told the monks, “Long ago, there was a king named Ādarśamukha. He gathered a group of men who were born blind and told them, ‘All of you were born blind. Would any of you be familiar with an elephant?’

“They responded, ‘Great King, we are not familiar nor know of elephants.’

“The king again asked, ‘Would you like to know their shape?’

“They responded, ‘We would like that.’

“The King then ordered his servants to bring an elephant and have that group of blind men touch it with their hands. When one of them felt the elephant’s trunk, the king would say, ‘This is an elephant.’ When one of them felt the elephant’s tusks … felt the elephant’s ears … felt the elephant’s head … felt the elephant’s back … felt the elephant’s belly … felt the elephant’s flanks … felt the elephant’s legs … felt the elephant’s feet … felt the elephant’s tail, the king would say, ‘This is an elephant.’

“King Ādarśamukha then had the elephant taken away. He asked the blind men, ‘What was the elephant like?’

“Those blind men who found the elephant’s trunk said, ‘The elephant was like a crooked pole.’ Those who found the elephant’s tusks said, ‘The elephant was like a pestle.’ Those that found the elephant’s ears said, ‘The elephant was like a fan.’ Those that found the elephant’s head said, ‘The elephant was like a kettle.’ Those that found the elephant’s back said, ‘The elephant was like a mound.’ Those that found the elephant’s belly said, ‘The elephant was like a wall.’ Those that found the elephant’s flank said, ‘The elephant was like a tree.’ Those that found the elephant’s leg said, ‘The elephant was like a pillar.’ Those that found the elephant’s feet said, ‘The elephant was like a mortar.’ Those that found the elephant’s tail said, ‘The elephant was like a rope.’

“Each of them argued with the others, saying that the others were wrong and they were right. But what they said wasn’t the case. They kept repeating themselves until they began fighting. The king watched this with delight and laughed loudly.

“King Ādarśamukha then spoke in verse:

“‘This gathering of blind men
Are arguing and fighting over this.
The elephant has a single body,
But their concepts of it are contradictory.’”

The Buddha told the monks, “Those of other religions and different trainings are like this. They don’t know the truth of suffering, don’t know the truth of its formation … the truth of its cessation … the truth of the path. They each create different views and contradict each other. They say, ‘I’m right,’ and then start arguments.

“If there are ascetics or priests who truly know the noble truth of suffering, noble truth of suffering’s formation, noble truth of suffering’s cessation, and noble truth of suffering’s escape, they’ll contemplate it and unify with each other. They’ll accept the same teaching and the same teacher, becoming one and the same like water and milk. They’ll light the Buddha’s teaching, and its happiness will last a long time.”

The Bhagavān then spoke in verse:

“Suppose a person doesn’t know suffering,
Doesn’t know how suffering arises,
Again, they don’t know place whence
Suffering can be brought to an end.
Nor can they understand
The path that ceases suffering’s formation.
They miss out on liberation of their mind,
And liberation of wisdom is lost, too.
They can’t reach the root of suffering,
That source of birth, old age, illness, and death.

“If someone can truly know suffering,
They’ll know what causes suffering to arise.
They can also know that place whence
Suffering can be brought to an end.
They can also well discern
The noble path that ceases suffering’s formation.
They then obtain liberation of their mind
And the liberation of wisdom, too.
Such a person can reach the end
Of the root of this mass of suffering.
They’ll end birth, old age, illness, and death,
And the source of becoming.

“Therefore, monks, apply yourselves to the methods of contemplating the noble truth of suffering, noble truth of suffering’s formation, noble truth of suffering’s cessation, and noble truth of suffering’s escape.”

Chapter 6: The Asuras

Geography

The Buddha told the monks, “The Asura Rāhu’s city is on the coast north of Mount Sumeru. It’s 80,000 yojanas across and has seven fortress walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. The walls are 3,000 yojanas tall and 2,000 yojanas wide.

“The city gates are 1,000 yojanas tall and 1,000 yojanas wide. The gold walls have silver gates, the silver walls have gold gates … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“That asura king governs a smaller city inside that large city called *Kṣemāvatī, which is 60,000 yojanas across. It has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. The walls are 3,000 yojanas tall and 2,000 yojanas wide.

“The city gates are 1,000 yojanas tall and 1,000 yojanas wide. The gold walls have silver gates, the silver walls have gold gates … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside that city, a separate discussion hall was built called Saptaśirīṣa. The hall has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. The foundation of that hall is made of coral.

“Its pillars are made entirely of the seven treasures, and the pillars inside of that hall are 1,000 yojanas around and 10,000 yojanas tall.

“Beneath these pillars, there’s a throne of the correct Dharma that’s 700 yojanas across, and it’s inlaid with carvings made of the seven treasures.

“The hall has four doors, and it’s encircled with balustrades. There are seven stairs, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“North of that discussion hall, there’s an asura palace that’s 10,000 yojanas across. The palace has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“East of that discussion hall, there’s a forest park called Śāla, which is 10,000 yojanas across. That park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“South of that discussion hall, there’s a forest park called Most Marvelous, which is 10,000 yojanas across and like Śāla Park.

“West of that discussion hall, there’s a forest park called Śālmalī, which is 10,000 yojanas across and also like Śāla Park.

“North of that discussion hall, there’s a forest park called Nandana, which is 10,000 yojanas across and also like Śāla Park.

“Between Śāla Park and Most Marvelous Park grows a Pārijāta tree, which covers are area of seven yojanas and stands a hundred yojanas tall. It’s limbs and leaves spread out in all four directions to cover fifty yojanas. That tree has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Between Śālmalī Park and Nandana Park, there’s Lake Upananda. Its water is clear and unpolluted. It’s ringed by seven stepped embankments made of treasures, and it has seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures.

“In that lake grow four kinds of flowers with petals that are a yojana wide, and their sweet fragrance fills an area of a yojana. Their roots are like cart axles and produce sap that’s white as milk and tastes sweet as honey. Countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“On the shores of that lake are seven stair steps, seven gated walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“That asura king’s ministers have lower palaces that are 10,000 yojanas across … 9,000 … 8,000 … the smallest palace is 1,000 yojanas across. These palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“The lesser asuras have palaces that are 1,000 yojanas across … 900 … 800 … the smallest palaces are a hundred yojanas across. These palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“North of that discussion hall, there’s a stairway made of the seven treasures that leads into the palace. There’s a stairway that leads to Śāla Park. There’s a stairway that leads to Most Marvelous Park. There’s a stairway that leads to Śālmalī Park. There’s a stairway that leads to Nandana Park. There’s a stairway that leads to the Pārijāta tree. There’s a stairway that leads to Lake Upananda. There’s a stairway that leads to the great minister’s palace. There’s also a stairway that leads to the palaces of lesser asuras.

Asura King Rāhu

“When the Asura King [Rāhu] wants to go sightseeing at Śāla Park, he thinks of Asura King Vemacitrin. Asura King Vemacitrin then thinks, ‘Asura King Rāhu is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to Asura King Rāhu while surrounded by a countless assembly of servants. He goes before the Asura King and then stands to one side.

“The Asura King also thinks of Asura King *Prahata. Asura King *Prahata also thinks to himself, ‘King [Rāhu] is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to Asura King Rāhu while surrounded by a countless assembly of servants. He goes before the Asura King and then stands to one side.

“The Asura King also thinks of Asura King Śambara. Asura King Śambara then thinks to himself, ‘King [Rāhu] is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to Asura King Rāhu while surrounded by a countless assembly of servants. He goes before the Asura King and then stands to one side.

“The [Asura] King also thinks of the great minister of asuras. The great minister of asuras then thinks to himself, ‘King [Rāhu] is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to Asura King Rāhu while surrounded by a countless assembly of servants. He goes before the Asura King and then stands to one side.

“The [Asura] King also thinks of the lesser asuras. The lesser asuras then think to themselves, ‘King [Rāhu] is thinking of me now!’ They get themselves ready and ride treasure chariots to Asura King Rāhu with many large assemblies. They go before the Asura King and then stand to one side.

“King Rāhu then gets himself ready by putting on precious ornaments and clothes. He rides a treasure chariot to Śāla Grove while surrounded by countless great assemblies. A spontaneous wind blows the gate open, a spontaneous wind clears the ground, and another spontaneous wind scatters flowers on the ground until they’re knee-deep.

“After entering the park, King Rāhu entertains himself with the others for one day, two days … or seven days. When they’re finished with their recreation, they return to their own palaces. After that, they go sightseeing at Most Marvelous Forest, Śālmalī Forest, and Nandana forest in the same way.

“King Rāhu always has five great asura servants who attend to him left and right. The first is named Grasper. The second is named Great Strength. The third is named Barbaric. The fourth is named Chief. The fifth is named Vanquisher. These five great asuras are always serving him left and right.

“That King Rāhu’s palace hall is both beneath and above an ocean that’s supported by four winds. The first is called the standing wind. The second is called the holding wind. The third is called the immovable wind. The fourth is called the steadfast wind. They support that ocean’s water, which hangs in the sky like a floating cloud. Even the water that’s 10,000 yojanas away from that asura palace never falls down. Such are the fortune, virtue, and majesty of the Asura King.”

Chapter 7: The Four God Kings

Geography

The Buddha addressed the monks, “A thousand yojanas to the east of Sumeru the mountain king is God King Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s city named *Bhadrottamā, which is 6,000 yojanas across. It has seven fortress walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“A thousand yojanas to the south of Mount Sumeru is the God King Virūḍhaka’s city named Sudarśana, which is 6,000 yojanas across. It has seven fortress walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“A thousand yojanas to the west of Mount Sumeru is the God King Virūpākṣa’s city called Cūḷasudarśana, which is 6,000 yojanas across. It has seven fortress walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“A thousand yojanas to the north of Mount Sumeru is the God King Vaiśravaṇa’s three cities. The first is called Terrible, the second is called Heavenly Respect, and the third is called Refuge of Many. Each of them is 6,000 yojanas across. They have seven fortress walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“North of the city Refuge to Many, there is a forest park called Kapīvanta, which is 4,000 yojanas across. That park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Between that park and the city, there’s a lake called Nalinī, which is forty yojanas across. Its water is clear and unpolluted. It has steps made of the seven treasures on its banks, and seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. Blue, yellow, red, and white lotus flowers grow in it, and the colors mix together and shine at a distance of half a yojana. Their fragrance is also sweet-smelling for half a yojana. Those flowers also have roots like wheel hubs, and they produce sap that’s white as milk and tastes sweet as honey … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Except for the palaces of the Sun and Moon, the palace halls of the four god kings are forty yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Those palace halls are forty yojanas, twenty yojanas, or at least five yojanas across. From the city Refuge to Many, there’s a treasure stairway that goes to the city Bhadrottamā. There’s a stairway that leads to the city Sudarśana. There’s a stairway that leads to the city Cūḷasudarśana. There’s a stairway that leads to the city Terrible and the city Heavenly Respect. There’s a stairway that leads to the park Kapīvanta. There’s a stairway that leads to Lake Nalinī. There’s also a stairway that leads to the palace of the great minister of the four god kings.

King Vaiśravaṇa

“If God King Vaiśravaṇa wants to go sightseeing at the park Kapīvanta, he thinks about God King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. God King Dhṛtarāṣṭra then thinks to himself, ‘King Vaiśravaṇa is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to God King Vaiśravaṇa while surrounded by countless gandharva spirits. He goes before the God King and then stands to one side.

“King Vaiśravaṇa thinks about God King Virūḍhaka. God King Virūḍhaka then thinks to himself, ‘King Vaiśravaṇa is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to God King Vaiśravaṇa while surrounded by countless kumbhāṇḍa spirits. He goes before the God King and then stands to one side.

“King Vaiśravaṇa thinks about God King Virūpākṣa. God King Virūpākṣa then thinks to himself, ‘King Vaiśravaṇa is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to God King Vaiśravaṇa while surrounded by countless nāga spirits. He goes before the God King and then stands to one side.

“King Vaiśravaṇa thinks about the great minister of the four god kings. The great minister of the four god kings then thinks to himself, ‘King Vaiśravaṇa is thinking of me now!’ He gets himself ready and rides a treasure chariot to God King Vaiśravaṇa while surrounded by countless gods. He goes before the God King and then stands to one side.

“King Vaiśravaṇa then gets himself ready by putting on precious ornaments and clothes. He rides a treasure chariot to Kapīvanta Park while accompanied by countless hundreds of thousands of gods and spirits. A spontaneous wind blows the gate open, a spontaneous wind clears the ground, and another spontaneous wind scatters flowers on the ground until they’re knee-deep.

“The king entertains himself with the others there for one day, two days … or seven days. After their sightseeing is finished, they go back to their own palaces.

“King Vaiśravaṇa always has five great yakṣa spirits who attend to him left and right. The first is called Pañcāla, the second is called *Daṇḍala, the third is called Haimavata, the fourth is called *Dighra, and the fifth is called Sūciroma. These five yakṣa spirits are always following and serving him. Such are the fortune, virtue, and majesty of King Vaiśravaṇa.”

Chapter 8: The Trāyastriṃśa Gods

Geography

The Buddha told the monks, “The city of the Trāyastriṃśa gods sits at the summit of Sumeru the mountain king, and it’s 80,000 yojanas across. That city has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. The city is a hundred yojanas tall, and it’s sixty yojanas wide at the top. The city gates are sixty yojanas high and thirty yojanas wide. The gates are five hundred yojanas apart from each other, and each gate is guarded by five hundred yakṣa spirits who protect the Trāyastriṃśa gods.

“The gold walls have silver gates, the silver walls have gold gates … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside that great city, there’s a smaller city that’s 60,000 yojanas across. That city has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations are made of the seven treasures. That city is a hundred yojanas tall and sixty yojanas wide. The city’s gates are five hundred yojanas apart from each other, sixty yojanas high, and thirty yojanas wide. Each gate is guarded by five hundred yakṣa spirits who protect the Trāyastriṃśa gods.

“The gold walls have silver gates, and the silver walls have gold gates. The crystal walls have beryl gates, and the beryl walls have crystal gates. The ruby walls have emerald gates, and the emerald walls have ruby gates. The coral walls have gates made of many treasures.

“The [gold] balustrades have gold balusters and silver rails. [The silver balustrades have] silver balusters and gold rails. [The crystal balustrades have] crystal balusters and beryl rails. [The beryl balustrades have] beryl balusters and crystal rails. [The ruby balustrades have] ruby balusters and emerald rails. [The emerald balustrades have] emerald balusters and ruby rails. [The coral balustrades have] coral balusters and rails made of many treasures.

“The balustrades have treasure nettings above them. The gold netting is hung with silver bells, and the silver netting is hung with gold bells. The beryl netting is hung with crystal bells, and the crystal netting is hung with beryl bells. The ruby netting is hung with emerald bells, and the emerald netting is hung with ruby bells. The coral netting is hung with bells made of many treasures.

“The gold trees have gold roots and limbs and silver leaves, flowers, and fruit. The silver trees have silver roots and limbs and gold leaves, flowers, and fruit. The crystal trees have crystal roots and limbs and beryl leaves, flowers[, and fruit]. The beryl trees have beryl roots and limbs and crystal leaves, flowers[, and fruit]. The ruby trees have ruby roots and limbs and emerald leaves, flowers[, and fruit]. The emerald trees have emerald roots and limbs and ruby leaves, flowers[, and fruit]. The coral trees have coral roots and limbs and leaves, flowers[, and fruit] made of many treasures.

“The city’s seven walls have four gates. The gates have balustrades, and the seven walls have towers and terraces all around above them. They’re surrounded by scenic parks with forests and lakes where myriad treasure flowers grow in a mix of assorted colors. The rows of treasure trees are laden with flowers and fruit, and the fragrance they produce blows in all four directions to the delight of people. Ducks, geese, cakra birds, and other rare kinds of birds in countless thousands sing to each other peacefully.

“The palace of the Nāga Airāvaṇa is outside that smaller city, and it’s 6,000 yojanas across. The palace has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside the city of Sudarśana, there’s a Sudharma Hall that’s a hundred yojanas across. It has seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling with decorations made of the seven treasures.

“The foundation under that hall is pure gold and covered with beryl. Inside the hall, the pillars are ten yojanas around and a hundred yojanas tall. The Lord of Gods’ throne is laid beneath the pillars. It’s one yojana across, has a mix of assorted colors, and made of the seven treasures. His throne is also as soft as heavenly cloth. Sixteen thrones are arranged to the left and right of his throne.

“The hall has four gates, and it’s encircled by a balustrade made of the seven treasures. There are stairways that are five hundred yojanas across, and the gates have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees that encircle them with decorations made of seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“North of Sudarśana Hall, the palace hall of the Lord of Gods is 1,000 yojanas across. The palace has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“East of Sudarśana Hall, there’s a forest park named Pāruṣaka that’s 1,000 yojanas across. The park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside Pāruṣaka Park, there are two stone seats decorated with heavenly gold. The first is called Bhadra, and the second is called Subhadra. Each is fifty yojanas across, and the stone is as soft as heavenly cloth.

“South of Sudarśana Hall, there’s a forest park named Citraratha that’s 1,000 yojanas across. The park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside that park, there are two stone seats made of the seven treasures. The first is called Citra, and the second is called Sucitra. Each is fifty yojanas across, and the seats are as soft as heavenly cloth.

“To the west of Sudarśana Hall, there’s a forest park called Miśrakā that’s 1,000 yojanas across. The park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside that park, there are two stone seats. The first is called Sudarśana, and the second is called Anusudarśana (?). They’re decorated with heavenly gold and made of the seven treasures. Each is fifty yojanas across and as soft as heavenly cloth.

“To the north of Sudarśana Hall, there’s a forest park called Nandana that’s 1,000 yojanas across. The park has seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Inside that park, there are two stone seats. The first is called Upananda, and the second is called Nandana. They have decorations made of coral, each is fifty yojanas across, and the seats are as soft as heavenly cloth.

“Between Pāruṣaka Park and Citraratha Park, there’s Nanda Lake that’s a hundred yojanas across. Its water is crystal clear and devoid of any pollution. It’s ringed by seven stepped embankments made of many treasures, and it has seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of the seven treasures. The lake has stairs with handrails on four sides, and it’s encircled by balustrades studded with the seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Four types of flowers grow in that lake: Blue, yellow, red, and white. Other colors like crimson and light blue are mixed with them, too. A single petal of those flowers is a yojana long, and their fragrance is sweet-smelling a yojana away. Their roots are like wheel hubs, and they produce sap that’s as white as milk and tastes as sweet as honey. That lake also has forest parks on all four sides.

“Between Miśrakā Park and Nandana Park, there’s a tree called Pārijāta that’s seven yojanas around and a hundred yojanas tall. It’s limbs and leaves spread out in all four directions to cover fifty yojanas. There’s open ground around the tree that’s five hundred yojanas across. It then has seven palace walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling it with decorations made of seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“The remaining Trāyastriṃśa Heaven palace halls are 1,000 yojanas across. The palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“Those palace halls are sometimes 900, 800 … or at least a hundred yojanas across. The palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“The lesser heavenly palaces are a hundred yojanas, ninety, eighty … or at least twenty yojanas across. Those palaces have seven walls, seven balustrades, seven nettings, and seven rows of trees encircling them with decorations made of seven treasures … and countless birds sing to each other peacefully as before.

“North of Sudarśana Hall, there are two stairways to the palace hall of the Lord of Gods. East of Sudarśana Hall, there are two stairways to Pāruṣaka Park. Again, there are stairways to Citraratha Park, stairways to Miśrakā Park, stairways to Nandana Park, stairways to Nandana Lake, stairways to the Pārijāta Tree, stairways to the palaces of the Trāyastriṃśa gods, stairways to the palaces of other gods, and stairways to the palace of Nāga King Airāvaṇa.

Śakra the Lord of Gods

“When Śakra the Lord of Gods wants to go sightseeing in Pāruṣaka Park, he thinks of the Trāyastriṃśa heavenly ministers. The Trāyastriṃśa heavenly ministers then think to themselves, ‘Lord Śakra is thinking of me now!’ They get themselves ready and ride treasure chariots to Lord Śakra while surrounded by countless assemblies. They go before Lord Śakra and then stand to one side.

“Lord Śakra then thinks of the other gods, and those gods think, ‘Lord Śakra is thinking of me now!’ They get themselves ready and ride treasure chariots to Lord Śakra while surrounded by assemblies of gods. They go before Lord Śakra and then stand to one side.

“Lord Śakra then thinks of Nāga King Airāvaṇa, and he also thinks to himself, ‘Lord Śakra is thinking of me now!’ Nāga King Airāvaṇa then transforms himself into a form with thirty-three heads. Each head has six fangs, and each fang has seven pools of water. Each pool has seven large lotus flowers in it. Each flower has a hundred petals. Each flower petal has seven beautiful women playing drums, singing, and dancing on it. After changing himself into this form, that nāga king goes before Lord Śakra and then stands to one side.

“Śakra the Lord of Gods puts ornaments made of many treasures on his body. He sits atop of Nāga King Airāvaṇa, and sixteen god kings line up on each side of him, seated on nāgas in their proper order.

“Śakra the Lord of Gods then travels to Pāruṣaka Park with countless heavenly retinues surrounding him. A spontaneous wind blows the gate open, a spontaneous wind clears the ground, and another spontaneous wind scatters various flowers on the ground until they’re knee-deep.

“Lord Śakra then turns his attention to the two stone seats called Bhadra and Subhadra. When he sits, each of the Trāyastriṃśa god kings take turns sitting with him in their order.

“Again, there are gods who aren’t able to follow them and see that scenic park, aren’t able to enter the park, nor are they entertained by the five desires there. Why is that? As a result of their past conduct, their virtue isn’t equal to that of the others.

“Again, there are gods who can go and see that forest park, but they aren’t able to enter it or be entertained by the five desires there. Why is that? As a result of their past conduct, their virtue isn’t equal to that of the others.

“Again, there are gods who can see and enter [that forest park], but they can’t be entertained by the five desires there. Why is that? As a result of their past conduct, their virtue isn’t equal to that of the others.

“Again, there are gods who can enter and see [that forest park], and they are entertained by the five desires there. Why is that? As a result of their past conduct, their virtue is equal to that of the others.

“Roaming through the park, they entertain themselves with the five desires for one day, two days … for seven days. After entertaining themselves, each returns to their own palace. Śakra the Lord of Gods goes sightseeing in Citraratha Park, Miśrakā Park, and Nandana Park in the same way.

“Why is that park called ‘Pāruṣaka Park’? When they enter this park, their bodies become rough. Why is that other park named ‘Citraratha Park’? When they enter this park, their bodies are spontaneously painted with a variety of colors, which delights them. Why is that other park named ‘Miśrakā Park’? On the eighth, tenth, and fifteenth day of every month, attractive females other than female asuras are sent to accompany the gods there. They roam that park and mingle, so it’s called Miśrakā Park. Why is that other park named ‘Nandana Park’? When the gods go to this park, they entertain themselves and rejoice. So, it’s called Nandana.

“Why is that hall named ‘Sudharma Hall’? Up in this hall, they ponder the wonderful Dharma and experience pure happiness, so it’s called Sudharma Hall. Why is that tree named the ‘Pārijāta Tree’? This tree has a spirit named Manda that’s always playing music to entertain itself. Therefore, it’s called Pārijāta. Also, that huge tree spreads its limbs in all four directions, and its flowers and leaves are abundant like great treasure clouds, so it’s called Pārijāta.

“Śakra the Lord of Gods has ten great gods who always follow and serve him on his left and right. Who are the ten? The first is named Indraka, the second is named Gopīkā, the third is named Virūḍhaka, the fourth is named Virūpākṣa, the fifth is named Dāraka (?), the sixth is named Bala (?), the seventh is named Jīvaka (?), the eighth is named Rohaṇa (?), the ninth is named Mūtra (?), and the tenth is named Nando (?). Such is the great miraculous power and majesty possessed by Śakra the Lord of Gods.

Things the World and Heaven Have in Common

“The people of Jambudvīpa prize water flowers that are gentle and sweet-smelling, such as utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, puṇḍarīka flowers, and sugandha flowers. The land flowers that they prize are atimuktaka flowers, campaka flowers, pāṭala flowers, sumanā flowers, vārṣika flowers, and maiden flowers. Those in Godānīya, Uttarakuru, and Pūrvavideha, the nāga palaces, and garuḍa palaces [prize] the same the water and land flowers.

“In the asura palaces, [they prize] gentle and sweet-smelling water flowers, such as utpala flowers, padma flowers, kumuda flowers, and puṇḍarīka flowers. The land flowers [that they prize are] beautiful flowers like bimba (?) flowers, great bimba flowers, kākāra (?) flowers, great kākāra flowers, mandāra flowers, and great mandāra flowers. The four god kings, Trāyastriṃśa gods, Yama gods, Tuṣita gods, Nirmāṇarati gods, and Paranirmitavaśavartin gods prize the same water and land flowers.

“The gods have ten qualities. What are the ten? First, they fly to places of limitless distances. Second, they fly back from limitless distances. Third, nothing blocks their departures. Fourth, nothing blocks their arrivals. Fifth, their bodies have no skin, bones, sinews, veins, flesh, or blood. Sixth, their bodies have no impurities like feces or urine. Seventh, their bodies never tire. Eighth, heavenly females don’t give birth. Ninth, heavenly eyes don’t blink. Tenth, they color their bodies as they like. If they prefer blue, they’re blue. If they prefer yellow, they’re yellow. If it’s red, white, or other colors, they appear as they like. These are the ten qualities of gods.

“Humans have seven colors. What are the seven? Some people are golden, some are fire-colored, some are blue, some are yellow, some are red, some are black, and some are white. Gods and asuras have these seven colors as well.

“Monks, the radiance of a firefly is not like that of a candle, and the radiance of a candle is not like that of a torch. The radiance of a torch is not like that of a bonfire. The radiance of a bonfire is not like that of the palace hall of the four god kings, nor their walled city, jewelry, clothing, or bodies.

“The radiance of the palaces of the four god kings and their walled city, jewelry, clothing, and bodies is not like that of the Trāyastriṃśa gods. The radiance of the Trāyastriṃśa gods is not like that of the Yama gods. The radiance of the Yama gods is not like that of the Tuṣita gods. The radiance of the Tuṣita gods is not like that of the Nirmāṇarati gods. The radiance of the Nirmāṇarati gods is not like that of the Paranirmitavaśavartin gods. The radiance of the Paranirmitavaśavartin gods is not like that of the palace halls, clothing, and bodies of the Brahmakāyika gods.

“The radiance of the palace halls, clothing, and bodies of the Brahmakāyika gods is not like that of the Ābhāsvara gods. The radiance of the Ābhāsvara gods is not like that of the Śubhakṛtsnā gods. The radiance of the Śubhakṛtsnā gods is not like that of Bṛhatphala gods. The radiance of the Bṛhatphala gods is not like that of the Asaṃjñika gods. The radiance of the Asaṃjñika gods is not like that of the Avṛha gods. The radiance of the Avṛha gods is not like that of the Atapa gods. The radiance of the Atapa gods is not like that of the Sudarśana gods. The radiance of the Sudarśana gods is not like that of the Mahāsudarśana gods. The radiance of the Mahāsudarśana gods is not like that of Akaniṣṭha gods. The radiance of the Akaniṣṭha gods is not like that of the Earth Sovereign gods. The radiance of the Earth Sovereign gods is not like that of the Buddha.

“From the radiance of a firefly to that of a Buddha, the sum total of those lights is not like that of the radiance of the truth of suffering, truth of its formation, truth of its cessation, and truth of the path. Therefore, monks, if you want to pursue radiance, you should pursue the radiance of the truth of suffering, truth of its formation, truth of its cessation, and truth of the path. You should train in them.

The Bodies and Clothing of People and Gods

“The bodies of people in Jambudvīpa are three and a half cubits long, and their clothing is seven cubits long and three and a half cubits wide. The bodies of people in Godānīya and Pūrvavideha are also three and a half cubits long, and their clothing is seven cubits long and three and a half cubits wide. The bodies of people in Uttarakuru are seven cubits long, and their clothing is fourteen cubits long and seven cubits wide. Their clothing weighs one ounce.

“The bodies of asuras are one yojana long, and their clothing is two yojanas long and one yojana wide. Their clothing weighs a quarter ounce. The bodies of the four god kings are half of a yojana long, and their clothing is a yojana long and half of a yojana wide. Their clothing weighs half of an ounce. The bodies of the Trāyastriṃśa gods are one yojana long, and their clothing is two yojanas long and one yojana wide. Their clothing weighs a quarter ounce. The bodies of the Yama gods are two yojanas long, and their clothing is four yojanas long and two yojanas wide. Their clothing weighs three twenty-fourths of an ounce. The bodies of the Tuṣita gods are four yojanas long, and their clothing is eight yojanas long and four yojanas wide. Their clothing weighs a little more than a twenty-fourth of an ounce. The bodies of the Nirmāṇarati gods are eight yojanas long, and their clothing is sixteen yojanas long and eight yojanas wide. Their clothing weighs a twenty-fourth of an ounce. The bodies of the Paranirmitavaśavartin gods are sixteen yojanas long, and their clothing is thirty-two yojanas long and sixteen yojanas wide. Their clothing weighs a forty-eighth of an ounce. The gods above them each wear clothing that fits their bodies.

The Life Spans of Sentient Beings

“Few people in Jambudvīpa live for more than a hundred years, and many live for less. Few people in Godānīya live for more than 200 years, and many live for less. Few people in Pūrvavideha live for more than 300 years, and many live for less. People in Uttarakuru live for 1,000 years, and none live for more or less than that.

“Few hungry ghosts live for more than 70,000 years, and many live for less. Few nāgas and garuḍas live for more than an eon, and many live for less. Few asuras live for more than 1,000 heavenly years, and many live for less.

“Few of the four god kings live for more than 500 heavenly years, and many live for less. Few of the Trāyastriṃśa gods live for more than 1,000 heavenly years, and many live for less. Few of the Yama gods live for more than 2,000 heavenly years, and many live for less. Few of the Tuṣita gods live for more than 4,000 heavenly years, and many live for less. Few of the Nirmāṇarati gods live for more than 8,000 heavenly years, and many live for less. Few of the Paranirmitavaśavartin gods live for more than 16,000 heavenly years, and many live for less.

“The Brahmakāyika gods live for one eon, sometimes for less. The Ābhāsvara gods live for two eons, sometimes for less. The Śubhakṛtsnā gods live for three eons, sometimes for less. The Bṛhatphala gods live for four eons, sometimes for less. The Asaṃjñika gods live for 500 eons, sometimes for less. The Avṛha gods live for 1,000 eons, sometimes for less. The Atapa gods live for 2,000 eons, sometimes for less. The Sudarśana gods live for 3,000 eons, sometimes for less. The Mahāsudarśana gods live for 4,000 eons, sometimes for less. The Akaniṣṭha gods live for 5,000 eons, sometimes for less.

“The gods in the abode of space live for 10,000 eons, sometimes for less. The gods in the abode of consciousness live for 21,000 eons, sometimes for less. The gods in the abode of nothingness live for 42,000 eons, sometimes for less. The gods in the abode that’s with and without conception live for 84,000 eons, sometimes for less.

“This is the extent of sentient beings, the extent of life spans, and the extent of the world. This is the extent of what’s called the destinations of birth, old age, illness, death, and rebirth of those collections of elements, aggregates, and senses.”