About the heavenly realms

Chan Master Nan Huai Jin

The 28 levels of heavenly realms are categorized as the Desire Heavens, the Form Heavens, and the Formless Heavens.

In the Desire Heavens, the lowest level is the Four Heavenly Kings Heaven, which is close to the human world, slightly higher than us, but within the solar system.

Above the Four Heavenly Kings Heaven is Trayastrimsa Heaven (also called the Thirty-Three Heavens). The Thirty-Three Heavens are not thirty-three levels but has a similar structure to the United Nations. The ruler of the Thirty-Three Heavens is known in Taoism as the Jade Emperor, while in Buddhism, he is called Indra. This realm is still within the solar system.

Above Trayastrimsa Heaven, there are the Yama Heaven, the Tusita Heaven, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, and the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven. These are the six Desire Heavens. The beings in these heavens are still subject to six types of desires — form, sound, scent, taste, touch, and mental objects—hence, they are called the six Desire Heavens.

The six desires are also explained elsewhere as the desire for forms, desire for shapes and appearances, desire for graceful movements and bearings, desire for sounds of conversation, desire for smoothness to the touch, and desire for thinking. In essence, these encompasses all desires both of body and mind.

The beings in the Desire Heavens have genders and engage in interactions such as smiling, looking at each other, physical union, hugging, and touching. I look at you, you look at me, smiling, falling in love, hugging, touching and union. However, the higher the level of heaven, the more refined the forms of intimacy become. In some heavens, simply holding hands is enough to complete the act, much easier and more pleasurable than in the human world. At an even higher level, physical touch is no longer necessary—just exchanging a smile is sufficient.

Moreover, children in these heavens are not born from a female’s lower body but emerge from the male’s shoulders, crown, or beside his legs.  There are a variety of ways. This may sound like mythology, but it is described in detailed (in the texts).

If you are studying Buddhism but have never explored these aspects, then what are you really studying? If you practice meditation, you do not even know which level you have reached? You do not even know which realm you are getting close to?

The Yama Heaven, also called the Heaven of the Hours, has a different perception of time. Earth’s time is based on the solar system, but Yama Heaven likely exists beyond the solar system, leading to a relative difference in time. In that realm, one day and night is measured by the opening and closing of a lotus flower, which is equivalent to 200 years in our world. From their perspective, human lifespans are as fleeting as mayflies—perhaps even shorter. To them, we are born in the morning and dead even before noon. There is no sunlight or moonlight there; instead, celestial beings emit their own light. In that heaven, simply holding hands is enough to satisfy their desire for intimacy.

Above the Yama Heaven is the Tusita Heaven, where Maitreya Bodhisattva teaches the Dharma in the inner court. However, the outer court is still entangled in the six desires, where it is enough to merely smile at each other.  Here, our class can be compared to being in Maitreya’s inner court here, we are focusing solely on the Dharma.  Outside, people are indulging in drinking, eating meat, and all sorts of indulgences. One day in Tusita Heaven is equivalent to 400 years in our world.

What lies above Tusita Heaven? The next level is the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, also called the Heaven of Joyful Transformations. One day there equals 800 years in our world. In this heaven, a deep gaze between a male and female being completes the act of intimacy. Offspring are spontaneously born near the male’s knees. Any food or entertainment they desire can appears instantly. This heaven has a certain meditative state, but it is not true samadhi and is referred to as the "Desire Realm Concentration."

Who is reborn in the Nirmāṇarati Heaven after death? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra describes such beings as those who find the experience of physical union utterly tasteless like chewing wax. This means that healthy men or women find the act of union devoid of any joy.  This indicates that their desire is almost completely gone. But, to ascend to this heaven, one must also accumulate significant virtuous deeds.

Above the Nirmāṇarati Heaven is the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven, ruled by the king of demons Māra. He is the supreme ruler of the entire Desire Realm. Before attaining enlightenment, Śākyamuni Buddha was tested and disturbed by Māra. In this heaven, beings complete the act of union just by exchanging a short glance. Unlike the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, where beings manifest their own pleasures, here they take enjoyment in what others have created—hence the name Paranirmita-vaśavartin, meaning "The Heaven of Enjoying Others’ Creations."

Māra descends to lower realms, taking on various forms, deceiving those who are lost in their desires, and using their attachments to lead them astray. This is his pastime. However, from another perspective, this is also a test of wisdom and concentration—whether one can avoid being lured away by the six desires. Even Māra’s meditative absorption is still within the Desire Realm.

Concentration within the Desire Realm is unstable, prone to distraction or dullness, and is therefore called "Lightning Concentration." Many people claim to have entered true concentration, but they are only deceiving themselves. At best, it is just a fleeting concentration within the Desire Realm, like a flash of lightning, gone in an instant.  If the mind is able to continuously sustain the concentration, reaching a single-pointed state, that is true samadhi.

Once genuine samadhi is attained, one transcends the limits of the Desire Realms. The first level of true meditative absorption, the First Dhyāna, belongs to the Form Realms. In this state, the meditative state itself comes with joy. The First Dhyāna is described as "one-pointedness of mind, free (from worldly desire and sufferings), with joy and bliss." At this level, there is no more need for physical unions.

From the Form Heavens to the Formless Heavens, there is no longer a division between male and female. The bliss experienced in these meditative states far surpasses any pleasure derived from physical intimacy in the Desire Realms (including human realms). This kind of meditative concentration begins to gain some flavour. Otherwise, one is merely sitting in meditation struggling with leg pain, clenching your teeth and enduring suffering...

For a human to be reborn in the heavenly realms after death, one must cultivate virtues and merit. Strictly speaking, virtuous actions are related to meditative concentration. In Taoist thought, good deeds are believed to generate yang energy, while evil deeds produce yin energy. In Buddhist practice, achieving rebirth in the heavenly realms requires the cultivation of the Four Dhyanas and the Eight Samadhis… When one attains the First Dhyāna, combined with the practice of the Ten Virtues, one can be reborn in a specific heaven, and the same principle applies to the Second Dhyāna and above…

Some people have little attachment to this world, unlike Taoist practitioners who wish to remain in this world for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, however, they have difficulties giving up emotional bonds with their spouses. Many people are like that.

Some individuals are able to cultivate non-distractedness while retaining their lust. This is similar to the Confucian approach—remaining focused and composed in all actions, without letting the mind become scattered. Through clarity and purity of mind, such individuals ascend upon death.  People with such cultivation are usually reborn in the Four Heavenly Kings' realm. However, this is still within the Desire Realms, specifically within the Six Desire Heavens.

The celestial beings in these Six Desire Heavens live far longer than humans and do not experience the same suffering and afflictions that exist in our world. They have great merits. This is why only those who perform good deeds, cultivate virtue, and practice meditation can be reborn there. However, since they have not completely abandoned desire, these heavens are still called the Six Desire Heavens. Although they are not free from desire, they have sublimated and reduced their desires to a more refined state, which allows them to ascend.

To be reborn in the Desire Realm’s heavens, one must attain at least the First Dhyāna. Why? Those who have attained the First and Second Dhyānas have not entirely ceased all desire. However, at this stage, such desires only exist as thought-related delusion. These beings may still appreciate beauty, but without impure thoughts. This is related to emotion （情）which is a thought-related delusion. Ultimately, it falls under the three poisons of attachment, aversion and ignorance…

When a Stream-Enterer (Sotāpanna, first level fruition on the Arhat path) or a Once-Returner (Sakadāgāmi, second level fruition on the Arhat path) passes away, they do not return to the human realm but temporarily ascend to the celestial realms. They go to the Desire Heavens, not the Form Heavens. 

In Chinese tradition, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven (Thirty-Three Heavens) is often mentioned, but it is merely one realm within the Desire Realm. This level of heaven is still within the system of the sun and moon.  The Desire Realm is characterised by life’s continuation through the union of male and female beings. This applies not only to humans but to all living beings. Because there is love and desire here, this realm is called the Desire Realm.  The celestial beings in the Desire Realm hold a higher status than humans—many deities worshipped in folk religions belong to this realm.

When a Stream-Enterer (Sotāpanna) passes away, they cannot yet ascend to the Form Realm. They can only rise to the heavens of the Desire Realm because they have only severed part of their emotional attachments.  Moreover, their desires have merely been suppressed, not fully eradicated from the root, so they remain confined to the Desire Realm.

Some people in this world exhibit characteristics that suggest they once belonged to the heavenly realms. Their emotions and temperament differ from those of ordinary people.  They have no particular worldly desires or interests.  They may only find joy in activities such as gardening or hiking a mountain. They feel little attachment to the human world, everything feels very bland to them.  Yet they appreciate mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds. This indicates that they still belong to the Desire Realm, but have significantly transcended their attachments.

At the stage of a Non-Returner (Anāgāmi, third level fruition of the Arhat path), one can ascend to the Form Realm. The highest level of the Form Realm is called Mahābrahma Heaven, also known in Buddhist scriptures as "The Peak of Heavens” as if the upper limits of heaven had a ceiling.

Buddhist texts state that if a stone were dropped from this ‘Peak of Heaven’, it would take 1.2 trillion years to reach our world. This implies that the Desire Realms are still within our Milky Way System, while the Form Realms are beyond it.

Above the Form Realm lies the Formless Realm—an even more difficult state to attain. Only Great Arhats (final level fruition of the Arhat path) can reach this level.  There are great variations among Great Arhats, including disciples such as Subhūti, Ānanda, and Mahākāśyapa, who are sometimes referred to as Great Arhats. Strictly speaking, even Śākyamuni Buddha was considered a Great Arhat, but his enlightenment was so vast that he transcended this title, earning the name Tathāgata (Thus-Come One). Attaining the level of a Great Arhat is extremely difficult.

Our ancestors did not come from eating an apple, nor did they evolve from microbes. Instead, Buddhist scriptures state that humans descended from celestial beings in the "Light-Sound Heaven"—a realm within the Form Realm.

It is probable that these celestial beings were highly advanced in knowledge and technology. They flew through space in their explorations, glowing with their own light and needing no food to sustain themselves. However, upon arriving on Earth, they tasted the essence of the land—possibly something like salt. After consuming it, their bodies gradually became heavier, and they lost their ability to fly, forcing them to remain on Earth. This marked the beginning of the human race on this planet.

The beings of Light-Sound Heaven originally came from the Formless Realm, but as to where the inhabitants of the Formless Realm originated, the Buddha simply said: "It cannot be spoken". This question delves into the mysteries of primordial existence, a big question.  But we will not speculate so far now.

Rather than becoming lost in cosmic theories, our focus should remain on cultivation as a human now. (To cultivate to higher states,) a human must purify his mind of desire, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt.   We must develop equanimity, loving-kindness, compassion and have universal kindness for all beings.  We should try to remove all delusions related to views and thoughts.