Suddhavasa: Pure Abodes and Destinations of the Noble Ones

[Anagata]

Digging into the Suddhavasa or the "Pure Abodes", located at the pinnacle of the Rupa-loka or the fine-material sphere. (These are 23-27 of the cosmology of 31 realms.) These five are, as I understand, destinations for the anagamins and attainable by elimination of the five lower fetters and, according to some references, proficiency in the 4th jhana:

• 23. Aviha; "not falling"
• 24. Atappa; "untroubled"
• 25. Sudassa; "beautiful"
• 26. Sudassi; "clear-seeing"
• 27. Akanittha; "none-the-junior"

Now, a couple of questions and reflections here. I've seen e.g. the Loka tables at Access To Insight and Ven. Suvanno's 31 Planes book, but neither provide direct source references. (Both list a number of secondary sources, some of which I have reviewed to no avail. The best lead was the Abhidhammattha Sangaha transl. by Narada Mahathera; and that too doesn't go into much detail or provide further references.)

1. Are these realms inhabited by anagamins and arahants alone? (AbdS. noted above suggests so.) A passing note in the Simhanada-Sutta (MN 20.57) has the Buddha saying, "...had I passed through the round as a god in the Pure Abodes, I would never have returned to this world". So in any case, it's a one-way-only realm, it seems, to where beings are "spontaneously born" only to be liberated.

2. While it's said that this abode is inhabited by anagamins and arahants, presumably the "arahants" means those anagamins who became arahants there, since an arahant wouldn't take another birth anywhere.

3. Can someone point to textual references in the Suttas or the Abhidhamma where the topic is reviewed in more detail? A few notes of interest as follows: The Jhana-sutta (of AN 4.123) mentions a noble disciple in the 4th jhana attaining the Vehapphala ("great-fruit") realm; and from there attains arahantship. Second Jhana-sutta (AN 4.124) appears to say that any form-jhana may lead to a pure abode? The Sekhin Sutta (AN 3.86) speaks simply of eliminating the five lower fetters ie. being an anagamin. Again, the Metta Sutta (AN 4.126) grants Suddhavasa access for pervading all directions with Metta (which is said to only reach the 3rd jhana) and/or other Brahmaviharas.

4. And what about the Tusita-realm, said to be the dwelling of e.g. Bodhisatta Metteyya? Curiously it is within the upper bounds of the Kama-loka or the sense-realm. Why would that be the last dwelling of the Buddhas-to-be, what qualities and conditions does it have to be so distinguished?

5. And finally, on something of a side-track. It is said that Brahma Sahampati (who famously inspired the Buddha to spread the sasana) also dwells within the Suddhavasa. Is it that all the realms from the 1st-jhana sphere upwards are called Brahma-worlds; and all beings there are Brahmas of sorts?

Insights most welcome from the good assembly here. May all beings not return. Save for the Bodhisattas!

[santa100]

1. Right, footnote #20 to MN 12 says:

Rebirth into the Pure Abodes (suddhavasa) is possible only for non-returners.

Ven. Bodhi's note to MN 41 also says:

Should be noted that while 'conduct in accordance with the Dhamma' is a necessary condition for rebirth in the higher heavenly worlds and for the destruction of the taints, it's by no means a sufficient condtion. Rebirth into the realms beginning with the gods of Brahma's retinue requires the attainment of jhana, rebirth into the Pure Abodes (the five beginning with the Aviha gods) the attainment of the stage of non returner, rebirth into the immaterial planes the corresponding immaterial attainments, and the destruction of the taints requires the full practice of the Noble Eightfold Path up to the path of arahantship.

3. The Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma's Chapter 5 gives more details on the life span of various heavenly realms. Example from page 198:

Among these, the life-span of the Gods of Brahma's Retinue is one-third of an aeon; of Brahma's Ministers, half an aeon; of MahaBrahmas, one aeon; of the Gods of Minor Lustre, two aeons; of Infinite Lustre, four aeons;... of Beautiful Gods, 4,000 aeons; of Clear-sighted Gods, 8,000 aeons; of the Highest Gods, 16,000 aeons.

4. Per Ven. Nyanatiloka's Buddhist Dictionary:

It is the rule for all Bodhisattas to be born in Tusita in their last life but one; then, when the time comes for the appearance of a Buddha in the world, the devas of the ten thousand world systems assemble and request the Bodhisatta to be born among men. Great rejoicings attend the acceptance of this request (A.ii.130; iv.312; DhA.i.69f; J.i.47f).

5. Also from Ven. Nyanatiloka's Dictionary:

'Brahma-world', in the widest sense, is a name for the fine-material (rūpa-loka) and immaterial world (arūpa-loka);
in a narrower sense, however, only for the first three heavens of the fine-material world. Cf. Brahma-kāyika-deva.

For a very detailed description of each sub-realms, see Brahmaloka