http://www.fodian.net/world/0360ce.htm#div-19
19. Comparison between heavens and the Pure Land
The Buddha said to Ä€nanda, "What you say is true. Even though a king is the noblest of all men and has a regal countenance, if he is compared with a wheel-turning monarch, he will appear as base and inferior as a beggar beside a king. Likewise, however excellent and unrivaled the majestic appearance of such a monarch may be, [272a] if he is compared with the lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, he will also appear incomparably inferior, even ten thousands koá¹Ä«s of times more so. Again, if this heavenly lord is compared with the lord of the Sixth Heaven, he will appear a hundred thousand koá¹Ä«s of times inferior. If the lord of the Sixth Heaven is compared with a bodhisattva or a Å›rÄ�vaka dwelling in the land of AmitÄ�yus, his countenance and appearance will be far from matching those of the bodhisattva or Å›rÄ�vaka, being a thousand million koá¹Ä«s of times or even incalculable times inferior."
20. Pleasures in the Pure Land
The Buddha said to Ānanda, "devas and humans in the land of Amit�yus are each provided with robes, food and drink, flowers, perfume, ornaments, silken canopies and banners, and are surrounded by exquisite sounds. Their abodes, palaces, and pavilions are exactly in accordance with the size of their bodies. One, two or even innumerable jewels appear before them, as soon as they wish. In addition, beautiful jeweled fabric covers the ground where all the devas and humans walk. In that Buddha-land there are innumerable jeweled nets, all adorned with skeins of gold thread, pearls, and a hundred thousand kinds of rare and marvelous treasures. All around the nets hang jeweled bells of the utmost beauty, which shine brilliantly."
When a natural breeze of virtue arises and gently blows, it is moderate in temperature, neither cold nor hot, refreshing and soft to the senses, and moves neither too slowly nor too quickly. When the breeze wafts over the nets and the various jeweled trees, countless excellent sounds of the Dharma are heard, and ten thousand kinds of delicate fragrances of virtue are diffused. If one smells those fragrances, one's impurities and passions spontaneously cease to arise. If touched by the breeze itself, one enjoys the same pleasure as a monk who has entered the sam�dhi of Extinction.
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Thanks for sharing.
Well, I have been taught that taking a rebirth in one of the Samsaric heavens is not a desirable rebirth at all. Why? Because the whole existence is characterized by power and pleasure. Having attained that rebirth through the maturation of 'good' karmic causes is a trap. Why is taking rebirth in the heavens a trap?
Firstly, we are not liberated from Samsara yet (that means we are compelled by our karma) and secondly, the power and pleasures we possess are extremely seductive, compelling and distracting us from real spiritual practice. Hence, without new causes, our karma gets burnt up. Most devas when they die, they take horrible lower rebirths because their good karma had been used up.
In a pure realm on the hand is similiar in its conveniences but everything is geared towards Dharma. In fact, the entire pure land itself is the emanation of that particular Buddha. Hence, everything in it including the breeze will impart Dharma into our minds. Having arrived there, the continuation of our practice is easier and can be completed wth almost no distractions. Hence, you get all the beautiful descriptions that was given above.
except for Bodhisattva Maitreya inner court of contentment heaven and pure abodes of the non-returners are good, in the sense they do walk the dharma path.
The Thirty-one Planes of Existence
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html
Peerless devas (akanittha deva)
Clear-sighted devas (sudassi deva)
Beautiful devas (sudassa deva)
Untroubled devas (atappa deva)
Devas not Falling Away (aviha deva)
These are the five Pure Abodes(suddhavasa), which are accessible onlyto non-returners(anagami) and arahants. Beings who become non-returners in other planes are reborn here, where they attain arahantship.
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below is from Pali canon:-
http://www.palikanon.com/english/pali_names/s/suddhaavaasaa.htm
Suddh�v�s�
The "Pure Abodes"; a name given to a group of Brahma-worlds - the five highest RÅ«pa worlds - consisting of
Avih�,
Atapp�,
Sudass�,
Sudassī and
Akanitth� (E.g., D.iii.237).
There an�g�mī are born, and there they attain arahantship; such an�g�mī are divided into twenty four classes (See, e.g., KhA.182f.; of. PSA. 319; Vsm.710).
Bodhisattas are never born there (SNA.i.50; BuA.224).
The Suddh�v�s� are described as buddh�nam khandh�v�ratth�nasadis�. Sometimes, for asankheyyas of kappas, when no Buddhas are born, these worlds remain empty (AA.ii.808; cf. MA.i.30).
The Buddha is mentioned as having visited the Suddh�v�s� (E.g., D.ii.50). When a Buddha is about to be born, the inhabitants of the Suddh�v�s� insert a knowledge of the signs of a Great Being in the Vedas and teach this among men in the guise of brahmins, calling such knowledge buddhamanta. Men learn it and are thus able to recognize a Great Being (MA.ii.761; SNA.ii.448). The inhabitants of the Suddh�v�s� know how many Buddhas will be born in any particular kappa by observing the number of lotuses which spring up on the site of the Bodhi-pallanka when the earth gradually emerges after the destruction of the world (DA.ii.411). It is the Suddh�v�s� Brahm�s who provide the four omens which lead to a Bodhisatta's renunciation in his last lay life. See, e.g., DA.ii.455f.
i ever heard at the Thirty-three Gods (tavatimsa) heavens also have a special place where dharma are taught by bodhisattvas to those with affinity.
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"What is the Pureland really? The Pureland is one's own stainless primordial awareness. If, from moment to moment, you regain and retain your own primordial enlightened nature: that is the Pureland. Everything comes from your own mind. Understand that, remain there: that is the Pureland."
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