Quartz 5

Index

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Content/Wiki/Buddhism/Devas/Index.md

title: Devas

Specifically, those of the sense desire realm.

General

  • Spontaneously born (opapātika yoni)

    The new deva simply appears fully grown, perhaps already equipped with a palace and a retinue, if their merit is sufficient (MN 12 & SN-a 1:46).

    • There sometimes exists a kind of parent-child relationship among devas: the young ones are called devaputta and devadhītā, (“deva son” and “deva daughter”). In this case they are said to appear upon the lap of their parent, usually their father.1

    • However, for them death is as painless as birth. There is no prolonged death-agony. A few days before his passing, the deva observes in himself the “five signs”: his garments become soiled, his garlands fade, his armpits grow sweaty, his body loses its glowing complexion and he becomes restless on his seat (DN-a 14). At the end, he simply disappears from that place.

  • Surpass humans in five qualities (AN 3:18)

    1. Lifespan
    2. Beauty
    3. Happiness
    4. Fame
    5. Power

  • Anthropomorphic

  • Very beautiful

  • Gendered

  • Engage in sexual activity (DN-a 33)

  • Consume solid food

    495 See AN 5: 166 where the devas of the kāmabhūmi are called kabaḷīkārāhārabhakkha devas to distinguish them from the brahmās who are called manomaya (“mind-made”) devas. Also, SN 1:43, “Both humans and devas delight in food”.

    • Subtler than ours–sudhAbhojana (Jat 535)

  • Refined bodies free of gross impurities (Dhp-a 14:1)

    brahmās are called manomaya devas at AN 5: 166

  • We have no clear indication as to the physical size of bhumma (earth-bound) devas, although it seems they were at most of human stature. The devas of the saggas (heavenly worlds) on the other hand are often described as having tigāvuta bodies, which would make them eight kilometres tall.2 Nevertheless, should they choose to do so, up to sixty devas can stand together on the point of an awl and not feel crowded (AN 2: 36).

  • Devas are normally invisible to human beings, because our visual consciousness is not refined enough to perceive them (MN 90). In the same way brahmās, who are beings of the rūpabhūmi (plane of form), are normally invisible to devas (DN 18). In both cases, the higher-level being may be perceived by the lower as a brilliant light.3

  • In one sutta the Buddha recounts how before his full awakening his knowledge of devas grew in stages: first he perceived only a light, then he became aware of forms, then he was able to converse with them and finally acquired various knowledges about them such as to which class of deva they belonged and whether he had ever lived among them (AN 8: 64).

  • The Pali word deva (it is the same in Sanskrit) derives either from the root div, meaning to play or make sport, or from the old Indo-Aryan dejā, meaning “to shine”4 It is related to both the Latin deus, god and to the old Iranian daevo, from which we get the English “devil.”

  • When the Buddha teaches Dhamma to the devas, they mostly become afraid and cry out, “We thought we were everlasting, not subject to change, but it is not so!” (AN 4:33) Their long lives of constant pleasure lull them into heedlessness

  • Devas may recall the Dhamma in four ways: more fortunate devas may recite passages to them, some earthly bhikkhu with psychic power may preach to them, some devas are advanced enough to teach on their own account and some may recover old memories by speaking with other devas who were previously bhikkhus (AN 4: 191).

  • There are many incidents of devas attaining to stream-entry recounted in the canon. It is specifically stated that there are some sotāpanna devas to be found in each of the saggas (AN 6: 34).

Second, the devas are in no way the creators of the world; nor are they its governors in any but the most remote and notional sense. To these two important considerations, we might also add that the devas are in general much better behaved than the gods. In contrast to the well-known escapades of Zeus, when Sakka impregnated a human woman to fulfill her wish for sons, he did so by gently touching her navel with his thumb (Jāt 531)

Rebirth into the deva realms is accomplished principally by acts of generosity, particularly when the giver makes an aspiration toward such rebirth (AN 8:35). However the truly wise spiritual seeker does not desire any kind of rebirth, no matter how pleasant; existence as a deva is seen by the awakened as sensual bondage (SN 1:46 & SN 1:11).

Classes

  • Bhumma (Earthly)
    • Rukkha (Tree)?

    • The lowest class of devas are those who do not dwell in any of the saggas (heaven realms), but are bound to the same terrestrial space as the humans and animals. There are many different levels of happiness and power among the earth-bounds devas. Some are poor things, not nearly as wretched as the petas perhaps, but approaching that state. Others are beings of great might and power. Like the higher devas of the saggas, they are normally invisible to humans, or appear only as a brilliant light [UFOs and orbs?]. They may interact with humans from time to time, usually benevolently, but are more often content to simply enjoy their own existence. They prefer wild places, especially forests, to areas of human habitation, although there are also devas who dwell in towns, nagaradevatā. The wide spread and range of habitations of these devas approach an animistic or pantheistic view of the natural world and is an important component in the traditional Buddhist reverence for nature

  • Valahaka (sky and clouds)
    • Influence the weather
  • Sagga (devas of the six heavens)
    • Catummaharajika
    • Tavatimsa
    • Yama
    • Tusita
    • Nimmanarati
    • Paranimmitavasavatti
  • Rupa
  • Arupa

References

Punnadhammo Mahathero. THE BUDDHIST COSMOS. Arrow River, Arrow River Forest Hermitage, 2023.

See Also

https://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php/31_planes_of_existence

For related details, see heavenly biology, heavenly happiness, and the lifespan of devas. How to go to heaven collects passages about rebirth there.

Garden map

Footnotes

  1. SN-a 2:1. However, devaputtā and devadhitā are sometimes used simply to indicate the gender of the being, without a
    parental reference implied. ↩

  2. This is found in the commentaries only. See for example DN-a 19 and SN-a 1:11. A gāvuta is one fourth of a yojana. ↩

  3. In DN 21, when Sakka comes with his retinue to visit the Buddha, the villagers see only a brilliant light and are terrified. ↩

  4. PED for deva. ↩

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