The Realms (SA451)

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in Śrāvastī, in the Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park.

At that time, the Bhagavān said to the bhikṣus, “I will now speak of the various realms. Listen carefully and consider well, because I will tell you about them. What are the various realms? Namely, [1] the eye realm, [2] form realm, and [3] eye-consciousness realm; the [4] ear realm, [5] sound realm, and [6] ear-consciousness realm; the [7] nose realm, [8] scent realm, and [9] nose-consciousness realm; the [10] tongue realm, [11] flavor realm, and [12] tongue-consciousness realm; the [13] body realm, [14] contact realm, and [15] body-consciousness realm; the [16] thought realm, [17] dharma realm, and [18] thought-consciousness realm. These are called the various realms.”

After the Buddha had spoken this sūtra, the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha had said, and joyfully practiced in accordance.

Translated from Sanskrit to Chinese by Guṇabhadra.

Translated from Chinese to English by J. Pierquet.

Published in 2016 by Lapis Lazuli Texts, where this and other translations are available in a variety of formats.

Lapis Lazuli Texts was started as an original effort aiming to translate a selection of important texts from the Chinese Buddhist canon into English. These translations are being made for the express purpose of universal free distribution, and may be integrated into any collection of texts with little difficulty. Additionally, these translations are made available in a wide variety of cross-platform formats.

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