The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma
The Heaven of the Thirty-Three

“Examining this matter with knowledge derived from hearing, he will understand that, apart from the teaching of the buddhas, no other amazing sight or sound is necessary for attaining those joyous and blissful realms for which there is no example. At Sudharma, the assembly hall of the gods, Kauśika rules in accordance with the Dharma.

“By paying attention to the external features, the monk will start out by examining the first level of the gods and from there proceed to distinguish the designs of all the other grounds. He will ask himself how discipline may be cultivated so as to result in birth in the divine assembly hall of Sudharma. Inquiring with knowledge derived from hearing, he will then see how some people may practice sevenfold discipline in a way that is uncorrupted, unbroken, intact, genuine, and special. When it comes time to practice that generosity in which they have trained their minds thoroughly, they will be unstinting and helpful. In this way they will offer gifts to worthy ones, ailing parents, non-returners, once-returners, stream enterers, those arisen from cessation, those who have entered the path, and those trained in love, compassion, joy, and equanimity, or they may offer vitality to those who are afraid of dying and whose lives are threatened. When such people later separate from their bodies, they will go to the joyful higher realms and become the rulers of gods, residing within Sudharma, the divine assembly hall. Thus, they will reside within the assembly hall of Śakra Kauśika, [F.110.b] enjoying themselves while being served by a retinue of nine million nine hundred thousand lovely and endearing goddesses. Each god will be served by such a retinue, and each goddess will be just as caring as a single wife to her only husband. Among the goddesses there will be a lovely, endearing, and sympathetic primary queen. All the goddesses will wait upon this queen and the queen will be respectful toward them all in return.

“The divine assembly hall of Sudharma measures five hundred leagues. Its foundation is made of beryl and its exceptionally attractive columns are of coral. The fences are made of crystal adorned with coral. The walls are of refined gold studded with diamonds. The delightful jewel thrones are studded with gorgeous rubies and sapphires.

“At certain places there are lotus flowers with beryl petals and vajra anthers. These lotuses do not grow from mud but from even ground that is beautifully adorned with gold, and the like. Among some of the lotus ponds swim songbirds with feathers of beryl, beaks of ruby, and dark blue bodies. Such birds fill the lotus ponds.

“Elsewhere the ponds are full of other kinds of jewel birds. With legs of beryl, dark blue feathers, beaks of coral, and eyes the color of coral, other birds occupy the land between the ponds. Still other ponds are home to different birds. Their bodies are made of gold from the Jambu River, they have coral feathers, their eyes are extremely gentle, and their legs are the color of pearls.

“Other ponds are abuzz with beryl-colored, ecstatic bees. Such bees adorn the following ten great pools that add further beauty to the divine assembly hall of Sudharma: Source of Joy, Source of Great Lotuses, Utter Joy, Great and Utter Joy, Playful Frolicking, Fulfillment of Wishes, Ever-Present Chariots, Movement, Enjoyment of Wish-fulfilling Trees, and Powerful Luminous Retreat. Such lakes adorn Sudharma, the assembly hall of the gods.

“There are also other lotus groves in which the flower stems are of silver, the anthers of gold, and the petals [F.111.a] of beryl. The cores of these flowers that do not grow from mud are the color of diamonds. Other lotuses have stalks colored like diamond, and petals that are a mix of ruby, beryl, coral, and gold, thus giving each lotus numerous colors. Some of the lotuses that belong to Śakra, king of the gods, have a hundred petals. Others have two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred, or a thousand petals. Some have many colors and some just one. Some move and some are fixed. Such are the lotuses that grow at Śakra’s residence, the divine assembly hall of Sudharma.

“Heavenly birds enter among the lotuses and fill the meadows. The birds are infatuated throughout the year, they have glistening cheeks,276 and they always dance to the sound of music. When Śakra visits the ponds and frolics there with his retinue of goddesses, the birds are equally joyous, and the songs they sing sound like the five types of instruments. The bird known as crazed by infatuation is a great dancer. When Śakra enjoys himself by the ponds, this bird comes to dance in the same way as the goddesses. Golden birds known as dwelling on the outskirts will then arrive, carrying flower garlands in their beaks. Those birds will then dance and sing by the ponds and on their banks. In this way the monk will regard the ponds of Śakra, king of the gods.

“Next the monk will examine the manifestations of positive karmic action that appear at Sudharma, Śakra’s divine assembly hall. Thus, he will notice how the ponds feature various fish. Some are colored like gold, [F.111.b] some like silver, and some like beryl. The scales of the fish are ruby colored, their eyes are like coral, and their bellies like lotuses. Some of the fish have backs that are adorned with colorful spheres of various jewels, some have scales that are colored like the seven precious substances. Such are the fish that frolic in the ponds.

“As the monk continues to examine the lotus ponds of Śakra, he will wonder what their different designs might be. Thus, with knowledge derived from hearing he will see that at some places there are sand beds made of pearls, whereas elsewhere the sand is of silver, gold, or beryl. Such are the colorful designs that manifest from Śakra’s positive karmic actions.

“As the monk continues to examine those designs, he will apply knowledge derived from hearing and see that some pools have banks that are surrounded by railings of gold, whereas other ponds feature railings of beryl, silver, or gold draped with nets of pearls. The banks of the lotus ponds are full of birds of variegated colors that sing joyous tunes and dart about.

“As the monk who has knowledge of the effects of the ripening of karmic actions continues to examine Sudharma, the divine assembly hall, he will notice how the lotus flowers in the ponds are visited by bees of myriad colors. Thus, silver-colored bees visit golden lotuses. The wings of the bees are like vajra sprouts and delightful to touch. Similarly, golden bees visit silver lotuses. In this way, numerous bees fly among the lotus flowers. The monk recognizes that all these things are the varied effects of virtuous actions.

“As the monk continues to examine the divine assembly hall of Sudharma, he will apply knowledge derived from hearing and so proceed to examine the surrounding forests. Wondering what kinds of forests Śakra, king of the gods, [F.112.a] may possess, he will apply knowledge derived from hearing. Thus, he will examine each of the forests located at Sudharma, the divine assembly hall. There are four such forests, known as Joyous Women, Joyous, Incomparable, and Colorful. The monk will examine each of these forests within which Śakra, ruler of the gods, surrounded by goddesses, enjoys heavenly pleasures of the five senses, reveling in his playful experience of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures.

“Wondering what delightful features the forests may contain, the monk will then apply knowledge derived from hearing and so notice the forest known as Joyous Women. The heavenly trees of this forest are adorned with flowers and fruits and are visited by numerous birds. Known as wish fulfillers and wish granters, the trees yield whatever the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three may wish. When the gods go to the forest to play, the trees will bloom with large and exquisite flowers. Thus, when females enter the forest and approach the trees to pluck the flowers, the trees will extend themselves as soon as the women arrive. When they have plucked their flowers, the trees will immediately grow new flowers that display fresh and different colors, scents, shapes, and features. Anything the goddesses wish for appears from the trees.

“The trees may also transform and produce a fivefold, delightful music of sitars, drums, cymbals, flutes, and vīṇās. [F.112.b] Whatever the goddesses may wish to listen to, that sound will emerge from the trees. As soon as a given wish for music has occurred, a wind produced by wholesome karmic action will stir among the leaves of the trees. As the wind touches the leaves, each leaf will produce the sound of music. Enrapturing music of the five instruments‍—sitars, drums, cymbals, flutes, and vīṇās‍—will thus ring out from the leaves. Because of this, the trees are known as wish fulfillers.

“The trees also display other wish-fulfilling features. For instance, whenever the passionate goddesses develop a wish for a certain ornament, garment, or fruit, the trees will immediately produce whatever was desired, all the while remaining resplendent. Because of this, too, the trees are known as wish fulfillers.

“Some of the trees have the color of beryl and bear golden leaves. Some have golden trunks, silver branches, beryl flower petals, and keraṭaka277 leaves. Some trees bear leaves of the seven precious substances and yield various delicious fruits.

“The trees are also wish-fulfilling in the following way. Whenever a goddess wishes to see Śakra, she will behold a magical emanation of the ruler of the gods, produced by Śakra’s positive karmic actions. This emanation will then revel and frolic with the goddess. In this way, emanations of millions of such rulers of the gods may appear. In front of the trees may stand nine hundred and ninety million goddesses, yet a ruler of the gods will appear to each one of them. Thus, the goddesses may play and frolic with their individual emanation but without being able to see one another. Whenever a goddess brings the features and ornaments of Śakra to mind she will immediately perceive that which she had in mind, and in this way be with him. In this way she will be able to frolic with him within the forest for as long as she wishes. Because of this, too, the trees are known as wish fulfillers. [F.113.a]

“As the monk investigates the forest, he will notice that it contains a mountain known as Mount Playful. This mountain, which is made of the seven precious substances, functions as a dwelling place, since it has a vajra dome made of vajra sprouts and a mesh of golden twigs. It is filled with golden, silver, and sapphire deer, and numerous birds sing there. Upon that delightful mountain sits the mansion called Victorious Supreme Movement with its one thousand beautiful pillars. The pillars are constructed of gold, silver, and sapphire and studded with diamonds and large pearls. Within the mansion rest beryl thrones clad with rainbow-colored covers278 and colorful mats, and soft cushions are arranged upon them. One thousand such beautiful thrones can be found within the mansion. When Śakra has been victorious in the gods’ wars against the asuras, he adorns himself and proceeds to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to celebrate with all the gods. Later, goddesses will come to the mansion to play, sing, dance, perform, and participate in games. Thus, everyone enjoys themselves corresponding with their bad, good, or intermediate karmic actions.

“At times the goddesses will descend from the mansion of Victorious Supreme Movement. They will then stay on Mount Playful, passionately pursuing nothing but desire and enjoying one another in this way. While all women in the higher realms are abundantly desirous, this is particularly the case among the gods. While roaming the mountain they arrive in places where they find food and drink of all sorts of colors, fragrances, and tastes. There will also be intoxicating beverages. Thus, they will find an abundance of exquisite divine forms, smells, and tastes. The beverages are free from the flaws of inebriation, and when the goddesses partake of these uplifting drinks, they will become extremely joyous. When they consume the beverage known as vision giver, [F.113.b] they will be able to see heavenly forests and parks that lie beyond many mountains. The drink called sundry tastes yields an abundance of delicious tastes, and when the goddesses partake of it, their joy, complexions, physiques, and strength will intensify a hundred times.

“When the goddesses look for food, they will find sustenance that corresponds with their own bad, intermediate, or excellent karmic actions. Thus, as the products of their karmic actions, they will find foods of exquisite taste, color, scent, and texture. Moreover, the nature of their drinks is the product of their karmic actions.

“When the goddesses have consumed their drinks and ambrosial foods they will next visit musical performances on Mount Playful. There, to the beat of golden drums, they will hear the delightful tunes of vīṇās that are made of beryl, adorned with gold leaf, and equipped with strings of gold. Likewise, the goddesses will also see numerous hollow bamboos that are intertwined.279 They will have tremendous fun with cymbals, flutes, string instruments, and other musical instruments. Wearing all manner of fine jewelry, they will take up the instruments and play them so as to delight one another, stir various passions, intensify desires, captivate those who live in the forest, and produce tremendous passion of the most exquisite kind.

“When they have played the instruments, the goddesses will next go to a place where beautiful tunes produced by the ringing and tinkling of small bells can be heard. As the breeze carries the tunes, the melodious ringing is enriched a hundred times. The goddesses, equipped with their variegated attire, outfits, and ornaments, are overjoyed upon hearing these tunes and thus begin to dance, frolic, and sing.

“When satisfied by these sounds, they will proceed to descend from that place and instead visit ponds that are adorned with swans and yellow geese. [F.114.a] Swans, ducks, yellow geese, and various other golden and silvery birds embellish these ponds, and the goddesses will enter the water to play there. Free from the flaws of stinginess and envy, the goddesses will tap one another with the golden, silvery, and beryl-like stems of lotus flowers, and so they will for a long time prattle and play in the water, which is endowed with the eight features and all the good qualities of water. They will also play with the birds in the ponds.

“Later, the goddesses will develop abundant passion. Thus, they will enjoy this passion and perpetuate it until it overtakes them, and they become insatiable. Thirsting for the objects of their passions, they will decide to go somewhere else. As they enter the so-called Mirror Forest, they will see their bodies reflected, adorned with their various garments and jewelry, and so they will see gorgeous and diverse reflections of themselves. Within various mirrors they will see their own exquisite qualities, garments, and perfect adornments, and in that way their excitement about their physical appearance increases tenfold. There are three ways that women become crazed by excitement: because of their looks, because of men, and because of pride. Those who become madly excited by seeing their own bodies will no longer think that any other female can at all qualify as a woman.

“From the site where these mirrors are found, the goddesses will next proceed to another part of the forest known as All Seasons. All six seasons are represented there and continue to revolve, like a spinning wheel. Thus, the forest has specific regions of early winter, late winter, spring, summer, monsoon, and fall. The beautiful, colorful birds that adorn the forest likewise follow the seasons. The goddesses will enter this forest for their pleasure. They do so as friends, free from disagreement, envy, or displeasure, [F.114.b] and filled with mutual care, affection, and love. When they see the forest, they will enter whichever season they prefer and then play and enjoy themselves there. Since the forest displays all the different seasons, it inspires the goddesses to play. Thus, they will enjoy themselves and play with the flocks of birds until they feel like doing something else. Finally, the playful and utterly joyous goddesses will go to the residence of Śakra, ruler of the gods. When they see their husband, the goddesses, who are accomplished in various arts, will surround him, dancing and singing. Such are the perfect qualities of one of the forests of Śakra, ruler of the gods. This is what just one of his forests is like.

“Next, the monk will examine the second among the forests of Śakra, king of the gods. The monk will wonder, ‘What are the features of that forest, and what is it called?’ Through knowledge derived from hearing he will understand that the forest is called Joyous. Wondering about the extent of the forest’s fine qualities, the monk will apply knowledge derived from hearing and so understand that by its very nature this forest is a place of joy, for it is full of ecstatically joyous gods and goddesses. They remain very close to one another, and their noble faces increase one another’s beauty.280

“Surrounded by one hundred thousand divine maidens, Śakra, king of the gods, comes to this forest for pleasure. As he goes to this park, Śakra is accompanied by eighty-four thousand beryl chariots that are draped in nets of small bells. Some of the chariots are adorned with the head of a horse made of gold from the Jambu River, the sides of the chariots are clad in silver, and they are adorned with the seven precious substances. Some of the chariots are pulled by swans. Some of them fly through the sky, others move across the earth. [F.115.a] Amid singing and the sound of instruments and music, the leaders of the gods thus travel as Śakra’s retinue.

“Eighty-four thousand strong and agile elephants saunter alongside them, draped in nets of gold. Large and small bells hang from their bodies, on their backs lie colorful carpets and cushions, and from their cheeks trickle drops of clear silver.281 Singing and playing divine music, leaders of the gods ride upon those elephants, all the while gazing at the face of Śakra. Such is his retinue on the way to the forest.

“There are also eighty-four thousand goddesses who accompany Śakra, gazing at his face. They wear various garments and ornaments and have a variety of skin colors and physical shapes. Some dance, some sing, some play the five types of instruments, and some engage in various games as they proceed to the forest.

“There are also dancers who perform and entertain and gaze at Śakra’s face as they advance into the forest. They are dressed in the four costumes, have various shapely physiques, and sport a variety of fashions.

“Amid this retinue travels Śakra together with Śaci. Their chariot has wheels with a hundred spokes and is adorned with beryl, gold, coral, ruby, lapis lazuli, and great sapphires. The chariot is pulled by a hundred thousand swans whose bodies are of a color like gold from the Jambu River, their legs like coral, their eyes like tiger eye, their bodies like ruby, their beaks like coral, and their feathers like pearls. The swans carry Śakra wherever he wishes. Thus, within this supreme chariot rides Śakra together with Śaci. Adorned with various precious stones and more splendid than a hundred suns, he travels to the forest. Śaci’s form, attire, and jewelry are a hundred times more perfect than any of the other goddesses. Occupying half of Śakra’s seat, she thus rides to forest. [F.115.b]

“In this way, all the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three enjoy divine pleasures. Crazed by heavenly sounds, textures, tastes, forms, and smells, they surround Śakra, ruler of the gods, as he tours the forests and parks, riding his golden chariot together with Śaci, just as mentioned before. While he enjoys a hundred thousand pleasures, the ruler of the gods is honored from chariots and elephants by gods and divine dignitaries with the sounds of instruments, song, and music as they all journey to the forest.

“When the charming goddesses who live in the forest hear the singing, the music, and the instruments, they and the gods of the forest will all stop and listen. Then they will rush forth with tremendous joy. As they emerge from the forest, they will carry lotus flowers, play instruments, and sing beautiful songs.

“When Śakra, ruler of the gods, sees this, he will say to the gods, ‘O gods, those goddesses saw me approaching and have now come out to welcome us with instruments and music. Gods, behold their precious garments and numerous forms. They have come to play and enjoy themselves with us.’

“When the gods hear these words from Śakra, ruler of the gods, they will respond, ‘Ruler of the gods, all these goddesses are yours. You are their refuge, support, and protector.’

“To this Śakra, ruler of the gods, will reply, ‘I am not the leader of these goddesses. Nor am I their refuge, support, or protector. They proceed due to the force of karmic action. Karmic action is their master and their support, and on that they rely. They are what they are due to negative, neutral, and positive actions. Under the power of karmic actions, they engaged in negative, [F.116.a] neutral, or positive acts.’

“At that point the ruler of the gods will speak these verses:

“When the gods hear these words of Śakra, they will rejoice, honor him above their heads, and then go to stay in the forest.

“The thousands or hundreds of thousands of goddesses all hold lotus flowers in their hands, wear various garments, take numerous forms, and wear different kinds of ornaments. In this way, they each have their own particular attire, form, and demeanor, and they all have their own unique way of singing and playing music. Thus, these hundreds or thousands of goddesses, who have manifested due to a number of wholesome karmic actions, now appear in extremely skillful ways. Dancing before Śakra, ruler of the gods, they will all return to the forest.

“Where they first enter the forest, the trees are of silver and display silver leaves. The ground is also of silver and embellished with many silvery adornments. All the birds are silvery, and there are many flocks of them, singing in many different ways. The goddesses serve Śakra, ruler of the gods, as they enter this beautiful forest together with him.

“As they enter the forest, the light of the myriad different jewel ornaments [F.116.b] and the light of the silver forest swirl together, and the ensuing splendor forms ornaments of light in the sky. Śakra is delighted, and the goddesses each sing their own beautiful and soothing songs to the tunes of the five types of instruments. Thousands of goddesses offer praise as they hear the sounds of small bells and flutes emerging from the eighty-four thousand bejeweled chariots and the eighty-four thousand elephants. At the same time, nine million nine hundred thousand goddesses form the retinue. In this way, the lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three enjoys pleasures of the body and mind for which no example exists. Why is that so? Because the heavenly environment and delightful foods that are enjoyed by the lord of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three are unlike anything else.

“When Śakra, ruler of the gods, has entered the silver forest, which is filled with divine pleasures of the five senses, the gods and goddesses also remain within the forest for a long time so they can play, enjoy themselves, and take supreme pleasure from the delightful objects.

“At some point Śakra, ruler of the gods, will then proceed to a second part of the forest along with all the goddesses, chariots, and elephants in order to play and rest there. The part of the forest where they now arrive has the color of refined gold. Its trees bear beautiful fruits that are the size of five humans and have a sweet, honey-like taste and a perfect fragrance. When the gods realize that consuming these fruits has an extremely infatuating effect, they will bend down the branches of the trees and let their elephants eat the fruits. As they consume the fruits, the elephants become inebriated and boisterously romp about. The gods will then say, ‘Ah, our elephants are inebriated and boisterously romp about. They enjoyed the full flavor of these fruits and now they are drunk and dance in joy and excitement to the sounds of the instruments.’ [F.117.a]

“Within the golden forest live many flocks of songbirds. The silvery birds are attracted to this forest, and so they also stay there and beautify it.

“Śakra, ruler of the gods, enjoys himself with his divine maiden Śaci, just as the gods enjoy themselves with the other goddesses. Thus, everyone enjoys themselves and rollicks to their hearts’ delight. The gods also enjoy themselves and play around within the circle of their friends‍—singing, dancing, and joking‍—for the gods who have done good will play with one another without any envy or miserliness.

“Within the golden forest is another pond known as Cool Water, which is adorned with lotus flowers of gold and beryl. The banks of this pond are frequented by the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and the courtiers of Śakra at the divine assembly hall of Sudharma. They all come there to play and enjoy themselves with flocks of goddesses to the tunes of the five types of instruments.

“From there the gods posted at the mansion of Sudharma go to a part of the forest where beautiful beryl trees grow exquisite golden fruits. Those divine fruits are full of a delicious juice that tastes like the jackfruit282 of Jambudvīpa. Within this fruit’s hard shell is a fragrant flesh called the sweet one, which has many beautiful colors. The gods pick the fruits, split them open, and drink from them. The fruits taste sweeter than honey, and they produce inebriation without any of the negative side effects of intoxication. These gods actually become intoxicated in three ways because they get drunk on women, fruit juice, and divine pleasures of the five senses. [F.117.b] When the gods are together with the goddesses, their drunkenness is thus threefold. Śakra, ruler of the gods, enjoys the nectar together with his courtiers. They gather and consume that nectar, which is the fruit of their own actions and which has manifested as if through a business transaction.

“In this way, Śakra and his retinue travel from land to land, place to place, enjoying themselves, rollicking, and reveling. The beryl forests are delightful with their birds, bees, small bells, and numerous flavors, and thus they enjoy themselves there for a long time. Then Śakra, ruler of the gods, will enter the divine assembly hall of Sudharma together with the pantheon of gods.

“At Sudharma, the assembly hall of the gods, lies a third forest, known as Incomparable. This forest is of an incomparable nature. and within it Śakra frolics and enjoys himself with his five hundred sons and their retinues, who are his wealth.

“Furthermore, the sons of Śakra, ruler of the gods, are all righteous and follow the Dharma. All possess a genuine view. They are gods who previously adopted the genuine view and who have attained victory in the war against the asuras. They all acknowledge their mother, father, mendicants, and brahmins, and they are all in agreement with one another. At times they think, ‘We should definitely go enjoy ourselves with the goddesses at the forest called Incomparable.’ They will then set out, surrounded by hosts of goddesses, to the forest called Incomparable.

“For each divine son there will be ten million youthful and beautiful goddesses. The sons share a single pursuit, [F.118.a] they are passionate, they pursue passion, and they are in constant agreement. Thus, they will go before Śakra, ruler of the gods, and say, ‘Your Majesty, we wish to go and stay in the Incomparable forest. Your Majesty, please bear in mind that it would be appropriate for you to proceed with us and take up residence in that forest.’

“To this Śakra will reply, ‘I have already had my enjoyments in pleasure gardens. I shall practice the Dharma in accordance with the Dharma and form aspirations. Thus, I shall accomplish our objectives. As I am cautious on behalf of the gods, I have returned here, having had my enjoyments in pleasure gardens. The gods are afflicted by the flaws of carelessness, so you should be careful. Give up the terrible poison of the flaws of carelessness!’

“He will then utter the following verses:

“Having thus instructed his sons in this way, the ruler of the gods will remain at his residence, the divine assembly hall of Sudharma. Utterly delighted and in agreement with one another, the sons of Śakra will then enter the palace of Śakra, which is made of divine gold, resounds with song and music, and is adorned with numerous splendid features. [F.118.b]

“Once there, they will say, ‘We should go and enjoy ourselves in the forest. Let us go to the Incomparable forest.’

“Thus, seventy thousand divine sons will proceed there, some riding golden chariots and others riding divine birds. They will be followed by goddesses, some of whom travel in the sky, while others, surrounded by retinues of gods and goddesses, travel within supreme lotus flowers. Supremely blissful, they play music and sing songs. In this way they all proceed to the Incomparable forest.

“The bodies of the sons of Śakra are adorned with divine garlands and massaged with divine sandal oil. Some shine in a natural light like the sun, while some are resplendent like the moon and others like the planets or the stars. Their beauty accords with their past actions. In this way they journey to the bountiful pleasure garden known as Incomparable. They then enter that forest while caring for one another and enjoying their gorgeous heavenly realm.

“Everything about this forest is incomparable, so the following is just an example of a mere fraction of its qualities. Upon entering this forest, one senses incomparable aromas, such that the even the most exquisite sandalwood cannot compare to even a sixteenth of those fragrances. Such is the character of the attractive and gratifying aromas.

“As they enter the forest, the gods are amazed and wonder, ‘Is this really here for our pleasure?’ Having quenched their thirst, they will then proceed into the forest. The first sight that meets them is that of gorgeous trees, for the trees of the forest have very attractive trunks. Grouped in thickets of about a hundred trees, some of the trees there are made of beryl, whereas others are made of gold, silver, and crystal. Such are the various trees found there as the gods enter the forest. [F.119.a] It all resembles a lovely painting produced in Jambudvīpa.

“The trees have many gorgeous features, colors, forms, and shapes. As if looking at the surface of a clear mirror, the gods see reflections of goddesses upon the trees. Enraptured, they will rush forth to see more. In this manner, they venture into that Incomparable forest in order to fully enjoy the many pleasures of the forest, which is full of goddesses, music, and the sounds of instruments.

“When they enter the forest, divine birds sing in a deeply endearing manner. The gods behold these flocks of birds with their golden feathers and bellies like beryl, silvery backs, and eyes that resemble karketana. As they see and hear these birds that warble in the most enchanting manner, the gods will rebuke their own birds, telling them, ‘Birds, listen! The singing of these birds, with their vibrant tunes, calls, and colors, outshines even the songs of goddesses and makes them sound plain.’ Then, having listened to the songs of the birds, the divine sons proceed farther into the forest to play.

“At this point, they will see a lotus pond called Lotuses Resembling Sunlight teeming with lotus flowers with petals that beam like a thousand suns. Dressed in their multifarious garments and ornaments, the divine sons will approach the pond to examine it further. As they encircle the pond, the gods and their accompanying goddesses will then dance, sing, joke, play, and enjoy themselves upon the banks of the pond. This drives the gods crazy with passion due to their numerous intense experiences of bliss, and thus, right there, they all succumb completely to their divine passions. [F.119.b]

“Next, the gods will venture farther into the forest in that great heavenly realm. As troupes of goddesses dance decked out in their various garments and ornaments, they all proceed toward a place known as Forest of Flowing Rivers. There, the sundry rivers flow with streams of milk, water that tastes like wine, winter wine water, and divine drinking water. Many bees and hundreds of flocks of birds thrive by these rivers that cascade over stones of gold, coral, silver, and numerous other minerals. Attended to by coteries of goddesses, the divine sons come to play, and thus they tarry for a long time, enjoying themselves and carousing with the goddesses.

“From the flowing rivers the gods next proceed to another part of the forest where divine flowers grow. The fragrance of these heavenly flowers that never wither can be detected for up to ten leagues. One of the flowers is called moonlight and has a color like the moon. Another one is called sunlight and is of the color of the sun, yet without any burning light. The fruits of that orchard resemble the planets and stars. The divine sons will enter that part of the forest and discover a rich variety of fruits. Some of these fruits are sweet like honey, some have a tart taste, while others are soft and melt in your mouth. There are also fragrant fruits, fruits that have a wonderful fragrance, fruits possessing all six tastes, fruits that taste just as one pleases, and fruits with a taste one never tires of. The fruits with such features are the product of the gods’ positive karmic actions as they manifest within the Incomparable forest.

“When the gods have enjoyed themselves, played, and frolicked, and also plucked, eaten, munched, drunk, and relished the fruits in that part of the forest, they proceed to another part of the forest known as Dancing Birds. There they will encounter flocks of birds that sing, call out in various ways, perform various dances, and fill the air with mellifluous tunes. [F.120.a] The gods gambol freely there, listening to the melodious sounds.

“Next they proceed to another grove known as Merging. This part of the forest receives its name from the fact that all the fruits, flowers, rivers, trees, and birds that were mentioned previously can be found there. This forest is filled with the five divine sense pleasures, and thus the divine sons can frolic and enjoy themselves there.283 Taking up residence, they will keep rollicking there for an exceedingly long time.

“At this point Śakra, ruler of the gods, will think, ‘My divine sons are lost in carelessness. Have they not yet understood that all these pleasures eventually will come to nothing?’

“Aware of the thoughts of Śakra, king of the gods, the divine sons will then return along the way they came and eventually arrive back at the residence of Śakra, king of the gods. The goddesses will also rush ahead, wishing to enjoy themselves at Sudharma, the divine assembly hall.

When Śakra has inspected the divine sons upon their return, he will utter the following verses:

“In this way Śakra, king of the gods, will explain to his sons how positive actions block the gateways to the lower realms, and in this way he establishes them upon the excellent path.

“Next, everyone will proceed to the forest called Colorful in order to dwell happily there and engage in virtuous actions. As a result of his many positive actions in the past, the forest called Colorful features many different palaces of Śakra, king of the gods. There are five hundred such palaces‍—some made of crystal and others of coral, gold, silver, sapphire, great sapphire, and refined gold. Many hundreds of thousands of beautiful trees grow in that forest, and it is also adorned with lotus flowers in the colors of the rising sun.

Acknowledging this, Śakra will utter the following verses:

“When Śakra, king of the gods, has spoken these words, they will proceed to another multistoried palace, also produced by positive karmic actions. The palace is equipped with colorful seats that are soft, spongy, and studded with beautiful jewels. The palace is also adorned with splendorous garlands. When he has examined the palace, Śakra, king of the gods, will enter for the sake of pleasure and enjoyment. The palace is made of precious materials and adorned with resplendent jewels. It is aglow with numerous lights and is teeming with gorgeous flowers. When he has entered this palace, Śakra will play and revel in the park, attended to by many bevies of goddesses. The park displays an exquisite undulating landscape with a wealth of different kinds of flowers and various golden birds that sing. Here and there stand gorgeous trees of the seven precious substances in which birds tweet and bees hum. The landscape also features several wish-fulfilling trees. Śakra, ruler of the gods, inspects all these features, and then he and the gathering of splendid and magnificent gods, more radiant than the sun and the moon, venture into the park and frolic there.

“Śakra, king of the gods, will then catch sight of a beryl mansion surrounded by golden trees. The mansion is beautified with pairs of golden and silver pillars and adorned with lotus pools of blue beryl. Seeing this, he will think, ‘I should go to stay in that mansion.’

“At this point the gods will think, ‘Now Śakra, king of the gods, will enter that multistoried mansion. We, along with our retinues [F.121.b] and attending goddesses, should now go singing through the forests and parks where we can play and be happy.’

“Śakra, for his part, thinks, ‘If the gods and goddesses grant me the opportunity, I shall enter that mansion.’

“The gods will then exclaim, ‘Please go and enjoy yourself in your parks!’ Having heard those words, Śakra will then go where his attendants are and play within the groves, parks, and gardens, among the lotus pools and ponds.

“Next, the king of gods will proceed to the multistoried mansion and enter that beryl abode, taking his place upon a seat of colorful, divine cushions made of unwoven fabrics. While seated there, inspired by his previous positive and virtuous karmic action, he will begin to examine the surface of a very bright wall. Then, as if here were looking at a painting, upon that wall he will perceive all the Śakras that have previously passed away. He will behold the names that are written upon the wall, all of them being names of deceased rulers: Excellent Wealth, Endowment, Possessor of Excellent Conduct, White, Excellent Intelligence, Universally Blissful, Steadfast One,