As devas apparently can attain Arahantship, is there an ordained Sangha in the deva realms?Nyanaponika wrote:Another of the Venerable Sariputta's discourses is the Sama-citta Sutta which was listened to by the "devas of tranquil mind." It is concerned with the first three stages of sanctitude, the stream-winner, the once-returner and the non-returner. Its purpose is to clarify the question of their residuum of rebirths, in the five-sense world or in the fine-material and non-material worlds, which depends upon their mode of practice and on the fetters of existence still remaining. It is a very short discourse, but had a singular impact on the huge assembly of devas who, according to tradition, assembled to hear it. It is said that a very large number of them attained Arahatship, and innumerable were those who reached stream-entry. This discourse of the Venerable Sariputta is, in fact, counted among the few which had unusually far-reaching results among beings of the higher worlds; and although it is a very brief text rather cryptic without the commentarial explanation, it had a high reputation in succeeding centuries. It is the sermon that was preached by the arahant Mahinda on the evening of his arrival in Ceylon, and the Mahavamsa (XIV, 34ff), Ceylon's famous chronicle, relates that on this occasion, also, numerous devas listened and achieved penetration of the Dhamma.
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Do the commentaries give any explanation?
Thank you in advance.
with metta