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94-596: The Jade Emperor and his wife Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) ensured the deities' everlasting existence by feasting them with the peaches of immortality. The immortals residing in the palace of Xi Wangmu were said to celebrate an extravagant banquet called the "Feast of Peaches" ( Chinese : 蟠桃會 ; pinyin : Pántáo Huì ; Cantonese Yale : pùhn tòuh wúih , or Chinese : 蟠桃勝會 ; pinyin : Pántáo Shènghuì ; Cantonese Yale : pùhn tòuh sing wúih ), celebrated on earth in honor (birthday) of Xi Wangmu on

188-399: A great trichiliocosm. He does so by suffusing the trichiliocosm with his radiance, at which point the inhabitants of those world-system will perceive this light, and then proceeds to extend his voice and powers throughout that realm. Buddhist temporal cosmology describes how the universe comes into being and is dissolved. Like other Indian cosmologies, it assumes an infinite span of time and

282-474: A layer of water, which is 8,000,000 yojanas in depth, going down to 8,400,000 yojanas below sea level. Below the layer of water is a "circle of wind", which is 16,000,000 yojanas in depth and also much broader in extent, supporting 1,000 different worlds upon it. Yojanas are equivalent to about 13 km (8 mi). Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय ( Tibetan : དམྱལ་བ་ , Wylie : dmyal ba ; Vietnamese : Địa Ngục hoặc Na-Lạc-Ca ; Burmese : ငရဲ ; Thai : นรก )

376-812: A location and bodies of a sort, though those bodies are composed of a subtle substance which is of itself invisible to the inhabitants of the Kāmadhātu. According to the Janavasabha Sutta, when a brahma (a being from the Brahma-world of the Rūpadhātu) wishes to visit a deva of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven (in the Kāmadhātu), he has to assume a "grosser form" in order to be visible to them. There are 16–22 Rūpadhātu in Buddhist texts,

470-464: A powerful, evil entity had the ambition to conquer the immortals and gods in heaven and proclaim sovereignty over the entire universe. This evil entity also went into retreat and meditation to expand its power, though later than the Jade Emperor did. He passed through 3,000 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. After its final trial, it felt confident that no one could defeat it. It re-entered

564-492: A second chance to eat a fruit of immortality. A 1,000-foot-tall (300 m) tree grows behind a monastery run by a Taoist master and his disciples, though the master is away. Once every 10,000 years, the tree bears 30 of the legendary Man-fruit, which are just like newborn babies, complete with sense organs. The man-fruits grant 360 years of life to one who merely smells them and 47,000 years of life to one who consumes them. Fruits of immortality are not seen again after this point in

658-411: A small chiliocosm. A collection of a million systems is a "thousandfold to the second power middling world-system" ( Dvisahassi Majjhima Lokadhātu ) or a medium dichiliocosm. The largest grouping, which consists of a billion world-systems, is called ( Trisahassi Mahasassi Lokadhātu ), a great trichiliocosm or The Galaxy . The Tathagata , if he so wished, could effect his voice and divine power throughout

752-408: A stream. Niu Lang fell instantly in love with her and stole her magic robe which she had left on the bank of the stream, leaving her unable to escape back to Heaven. When Zhinü emerged from the water, Niu Lang grabbed her and carried her back to his home. When the Jade Emperor heard of this matter, he was furious but unable to intercede, since in the meantime his daughter had fallen in love and married

846-442: A temporal and a spatial cosmology. The temporal cosmology describes the timespan of the creation and dissolvement of alternate universes in different aeons. The spatial cosmology consists of a vertical cosmology, the various planes of beings, into which beings are reborn due to their merits and development; and a horizontal cosmology, the distribution of these world-systems into an infinite sheet of existential dimensions included in

940-485: A year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar , he allows them to meet on a bridge over the river. The story refers to constellations in the night sky. Zhinü is the star Vega in the constellation of Lyra east of the Milky Way, and Niu Lang is the star Altair in the constellation of Aquila west of the Milky Way. Under the first quarter moon (7th day) of the seventh lunar month (around August),

1034-457: Is a temple in A Kung Ngam , Hong Kong , dedicated to the Jade Emperor. In the mid 19th century, people from Huizhou and Chaozhou mined stones in the hill for the development of the central urban area. They set up a shrine to worship Yuk Wong. At the beginning of the 20th century, the shrine was developed into a small temple and was renovated many times. The latest renovation was in 1992. Early Catholic missionaries to China wrote often about

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1128-456: Is called Chilseok . In Vietnam , it is called Thất Tịch and if it rains on that day, it is said to be Zhinü crying tears of happiness for being reunited with her husband. There are several stories as to how the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were chosen. In one, the Jade Emperor, although having ruled Heaven and Earth justly and wisely for many years, had never had the time to actually visit

1222-456: Is cyclical. This does not mean that the same events occur in identical form with each cycle, but merely that, as with the cycles of day and night or summer and winter, certain natural events occur over and over to give some structure to time. The basic unit of time measurement is the mahākalpa or "Great Eon" (Chinese: 大劫 dàjié /Japanese: 大劫 daigō ; Thai: มหากัปป์ or มหากัลป์; Devanagari: महाकल्प / महाकप्प). The length of this time in human years

1316-483: Is divided into four kalpas or "eons" (Chn/Jpn: 劫 kō ; Thai: กัป; अन्तरकल्प), each distinguished from the others by the stage of evolution of the universe during that kalpa. The four kalpas are: Each one of these kalpas is divided into twenty antarakalpas अन्तरकल्प (Pāli: antarakappa अन्तरकप्प ; Chn/Jpn: 中劫, "inside eons"; Thai: อันตรกัป) each of about the same length. For the Saṃvartasthāyikalpa this division

1410-402: Is ever born in these worlds, as a Bodhisattva must ultimately be reborn as a human being. Since these devas rise from lower planes only due to the teaching of a Buddha, they can remain empty for very long periods if no Buddha arises. However, unlike the lower worlds, the Śuddhāvāsa worlds are never destroyed by natural catastrophe. The Śuddhāvāsa devas predict the coming of a Buddha and, taking

1504-463: Is expressed in yojanas , a measurement of very uncertain length, but sometimes taken to be about 4,000 times the height of a man, and so approximately 4.54 miles (7.31 km). The Śuddhāvāsa ( Sanskrit : शुद्धावास ; Pali : सुद्धावास , romanized:  suddhāvāsa ; Tibetan : གནས་གཙང་མ་ , Wylie : gnas gtsang ma ; Vietnamese : Tịnh Cư Thiên ; Chinese : 净居天/凈居天 ; Thai : สุทฺธาวาส ) worlds, or " Pure Abodes ", are distinct from

1598-554: Is located at the foot of Penang Hill at the Air Itam suburb near George Town , Penang 's capital city. Aside from Thni Kong Tnua , the Chew Jetty in the heart of George Town is another focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations; the festivities in this particular location was captured for a 2014 Malaysian film, The Journey . Yuk Wong Kung Tin (Cantonese romanisation) ( 玉皇宮殿 ) also known as Yuk Wong Po Tin ( 玉皇寶殿 )

1692-453: Is merely nominal, as nothing changes from one antarakalpa to the next; but for the other three kalpas it marks an interior cycle within the kalpa. The Vivartakalpa begins with the arising of the primordial wind, which begins the process of building up the structures of the universe that had been destroyed at the end of the last mahākalpa. As the extent of the destruction can vary, the nature of this evolution can vary as well, but it always takes

1786-410: Is never defined exactly, but it is meant to be very long, to be measured in billions of years if not longer. The word kalpa, means 'moment'. A maha kalpa consists of four moments (kalpa), the first of which is creation. The creation moment consists of the creation of the "receptacle", and the descent of beings from higher realms into more coarse forms of existence. During the rest of the creation moment,

1880-742: Is not always clear which world they belong to, although it must always be one of the worlds of the Rūpadhātu. According to the Ayacana Sutta, Brahmā Sahampati, who advises the Buddha to teach Dhamma to the world, resides in the Śuddhāvāsa worlds. The Formless Realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ( Sanskrit ) or Arūpaloka ( Pāli ) ) belongs to those Devas who attained and remained in the Four Formless Absorptions ([catuḥ-samāpatti चतुःसमापत्ति] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) ) of

1974-545: Is not so much a location as it is the beings which compose it; it is sustained by their karma , and if the beings in a world all die or disappear, the world disappears too. Likewise, a world comes into existence when the first being is born into it. The physical separation is not so important as the difference in mental state; humans and animals, though they partially share the same physical environments, still belong to different worlds because their minds perceive and react to those environments differently. In some instances, all of

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2068-503: Is now. People had to deal with a variety of monstrous beings, and they did not have many gods to protect them; in addition, many powerful demons were defying the immortals of heaven. The Jade Emperor was an ordinary immortal who roamed the earth helping as many people as he could. He was saddened because his powers could only ease the suffering of humans. He retreated to a mountain cave to cultivate his Tao. He passed 3,200 trials, each trial lasting about 3 million years. On earth at this time,

2162-421: Is the end-product of an analysis and reconciliation of cosmological comments found in the Buddhist sūtra and vinaya traditions. No single sūtra sets out the entire structure of the universe, but in several sūtras the Buddha describes other worlds and states of being, and other sūtras describe the origin and destruction of the universe. The order of the planes are found in various discourses of Gautama Buddha in

2256-485: Is the four lower dhyānas or rūpadhyānas (रुपध्यान) . However, although the beings of the Rūpadhātu can be divided into four broad grades corresponding to these four dhyānas, each of them is subdivided into further grades, three for each of the four dhyānas and five for the Śuddhāvāsa devas, for a total of seventeen grades (the Theravāda tradition counts one less grade in the highest dhyāna for a total of sixteen). Physically,

2350-407: Is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering, usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory". These are realms of extreme sufferings. As with the other realms, a being is born into one of these worlds as a result of his karma , and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has achieved its full result, after which he will be reborn in one of the higher worlds as

2444-474: Is therefore a protector of Buddhism. They guard and protect Buddhism on earth, and will pass into enlightenment as Arhats when they pass away from the Suddhavasa worlds. Brahma Sahampati , an inhabitant from these worlds, who appealed to the newly enlightened Buddha to teach, was an Anagami under the previous Buddha. Because a Śuddhāvāsa deva will never be reborn outside the Śuddhāvāsa worlds, no Bodhisattva

2538-593: The Trāyastriṃśa devas live on its peak, the Cāturmahārājikakāyika devas live on its slopes, and the Asuras live in the ocean at its base. Sumeru and its surrounding oceans and mountains are the home not just of these deities, but also vast assemblies of beings of popular mythology who only rarely intrude on the human world. They are even more passionate than the higher devas, and do not simply enjoy themselves but also engage in strife and fighting. The foundations of

2632-678: The Former Affairs of the Emperor Wu and Records of Diverse Matters record stories where the Queen Mother of the West visited Emperor Wu of Han and offered peaches to him. In the latter account, when the Emperor says he plans to plant the peach stones, the Queen Mother of the West tells him that the trees will bear fruit once every 3,000 years. The Peaches of Immortality are a major item featured within

2726-557: The Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the primordial god . In Taoist theology , he is the assistant of Yuanshi Tianzun , who is one of the Three Pure Ones , the three primordial emanations of the Tao . However, some Taoists in history were skeptical of his benevolence because his buildings and infrastructure in heaven and earth were sometimes seen as interfering with

2820-612: The Pāli Vibhajyavāda tradition (represented by today's Theravādins) agrees, despite some minor inconsistencies of nomenclature, with the Sarvāstivāda tradition which is preserved by Mahāyāna Buddhists. The spatial cosmology displays the various worlds in which beings can be reborn. Spatial cosmology can also be divided into two branches. The vertical (or [cakravāḍa; Devanagari: चक्रवाड] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) ) cosmology describes

2914-625: The arūpadhyānas in a previous life, and now enjoy the fruits ( vipāka ) of the good karma of that accomplishment. Bodhisattvas , however, are never born in the Ārūpyadhātu even when they have attained the arūpadhyānas. The Formless Realm would have no place in a purely physical cosmology, as none of the beings inhabiting it has either shape or location; and correspondingly, the realm has no location either. The inhabitants of these realms are possessed entirely of mind. Having no physical form or location, they are unable to hear Dhamma teachings. There are four types of Formless Deva planes corresponding to

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3008-603: The rūpa jhānas ; and the desire realm ( Kamadhātu ). The three realms contain together thirty-one planes of existence, each corresponding to a different type of mentality. These three realms ( tridhātu , trailokya ) are the Formless Realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ), which consists of four planes; the Form Realm ( Rūpadhātu ), which consists of sixteen planes; and the Pleasure Realm ( Kāmadhātu ), which consists of fifteen planes. A world

3102-476: The 3rd day of the 3rd moon month. The immortals wait six thousand years before gathering for this magnificent feast; the peach tree put forth leaves once every thousand years and it required another three thousand years for the fruit to ripen. Statues depicting Xi Wangmu's attendants often held three peaches. And the Eight Immortals crossing the seas to attend the banquet is a popular subject in paintings. Both

3196-563: The Brahmin Subha, how to be born in the world of Brahma, in the Subha Sutta, when asked by him. The beings born in the Kāmadhātu कामधातु ( Pali : कामलोक , romanized:  Kāmaloka ; Tibetan : འདོད་པའི་ཁམས་ , Wylie : ' dod pa'i khams ; Vietnamese : Giới Dục ; Chinese : 欲界 ; Japanese : Yoku-kai ; Thai : กามภูมิ ) differ in degree of happiness, but they are all, other than Anagamis , Arhats and Buddhas , under

3290-540: The Cat missed the meeting with the Jade Emperor and was replaced by the Pig . The Jade Emperor was delighted with the animals and so decided to divide the years up amongst them. When the cat learned of what had happened, he was furious with the Rat and that, according to the story, is why cats and Rats are enemies to this day. The Cat can be seen as the domesticated Tiger or leopard the third of

3384-492: The Earth personally. He grew curious as to what the creatures looked like. Thus, he asked all the animals to visit him in heaven. The Cat , being the most handsome of all animals, asked his friend the Rat to wake him on the day they were to go to Heaven so he wouldn't oversleep. The Rat, however, was worried that he would seem ugly compared to the Cat, so he didn't wake the cat. Consequently,

3478-687: The Goddess Weaver, daughter of the Jade Emperor and the Celestial Queen Mother, who weaves the Silver River (known in the West as the Milky Way ), which gives light to heaven and earth. In other versions, she is a seamstress who works for the Jade Emperor. Every day Zhinü descended to earth with the aid of a magical robe to bathe. One day, a lowly cowherd named Niu Lang ( Chinese : 牛郎 ; pinyin : niú láng ) spotted Zhinü as she bathed in

3572-584: The Heavenly Master of the Dawn of Jade of the Golden Door ( 金闕玉晨天尊 ). The characters for both are stamped on the front of the arms of his throne. In two folk automatic writing texts produced in 1925 and 1972, Guan Yu became the 18th Jade Emperor in about 1840 AD; however, some have disagreed that Guan Yu has succeeded, and thus the Jade Emperor and Guan Yu are often worshiped separately. In Tienti teaching,

3666-468: The Jade Emperor. He can also be regarded as a traditional figure among the White Lotus secret society. It was said that Jade Emperor was originally the crown prince of the kingdom of Pure Felicity and Majestic Heavenly Lights and Ornaments. At birth, he emitted a wondrous light that filled the entire kingdom. When he was young, he was kind, intelligent and wise. He devoted his entire childhood to helping

3760-412: The Jade Emperor. (Using the given figures, this period before his becoming the Jade Emperor lasted for a total of about 327 million years.) One of the myths describes how the Jade Emperor became the monarch of all the deities in heaven. It is one of the few myths in which the Jade Emperor really shows his power. In the beginning of time, the earth was a very difficult place to live, much harsher than it

3854-457: The Jade Emperor. They noticed that, "The stories of Jesus and the Jade Sovereign are, in certain aspects, quite similar. In both cases it is claimed that a god incarnated as a human being." On the other hand, they denounced the cult of the Jade Emperor as "superstitious," and compared unfavorably the "legends" about the Jade Emperor with what they claimed was a solid historical record documenting

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3948-418: The Rūpadhātu consists of a series of planes stacked on top of each other, each one in a series of steps half the size of the previous one as one descends. In part, this reflects the fact that the devas are also thought of as physically larger on the higher planes. The highest planes are also broader in extent than the ones lower down, as discussed in the section on Sahasra cosmology . The height of these planes

4042-639: The Sutta Pitaka. In the Saleyyaka Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya the Buddha mentioned the planes above the human plane in ascending order. In several suttas in the Anguttara Nikaya , the Buddha described the causes of rebirth in these planes in the same order. The synthesis of this data into a single comprehensive system must have taken place early in the history of Buddhism, as the system described in

4136-607: The air without mechanical aid, living for a very long time, and not requiring sustenance; they are more like a type of lower deity than present-day humans are. Over time, they acquire a taste for physical nutriment, and as they consume it, their bodies become heavier and more like human bodies; they lose their ability to shine, and begin to acquire differences in their appearance, and their length of life decreases. They differentiate into two sexes and begin to become sexually active. Then greed, theft and violence arise among them, and they establish social distinctions and government and elect

4230-476: The animals in the classical Chinese Zodiac text. Once a great drought had spread across the land. Four dragons from the sea noticed the plight of the people and traveled to beseech The Jade Emperor in the Heavenly Palace to bring the rains to the people. He was very busy ruling the heavens, earth, and sea and distractedly agreed to send the rains on the next day if they would return to the sea, but soon after

4324-415: The arrangement of worlds in a vertical pattern, some being higher and some lower. By contrast, the horizontal (sahasra) cosmology describes the grouping of these vertical worlds into sets of thousands, millions or billions. The vertical cosmology is divided into three realms, or dhātus : the formless realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ), corresponding to the formless jhanas; the form realm ( Rūpadhātu ), corresponding to

4418-563: The beings born in the Ārūpyadhātu and the Rūpadhātu are informally classified as "Gods" or "Deities" ( devāḥ ), along with the Gods of the Kāmadhātu, notwithstanding the fact that the Deities of the Kāmadhātu differ more from those of the Ārūpyadhātu than they do from humans. It is to be understood that deva is an imprecise term referring to any being living in a longer-lived and generally more blissful state than humans. Most of them are not "gods" in

4512-402: The common sense of the term, having little or no concern with the human world and rarely if ever interacting with it; only the lowest deities of the Kāmadhātu correspond to the gods described in many polytheistic and monotheistic religions. The term Brahmā is used both as a name and as a generic term for one of the higher devas. In its broadest sense, it can refer to any of the inhabitants of

4606-474: The cowherd. As time passed, Zhinü grew homesick and began to miss her father. One day, she came across a box containing her magic robe which her husband had hidden. She decided to visit her father back in Heaven, but once she returned, the Jade Emperor summoned a river to flow across the sky (the Milky Way ), which Zhinü was unable to cross to return to her husband. The Emperor took pity on the young lovers, and so once

4700-421: The cycle of samsara. The entire universe is said to be made up of five basic elements of Earth , Water , Fire , Air and Space . Buddhist cosmology is also intwined with the belief of Karma . As a result, some ages are filled with prosperity and peace due to common goodness, whereas other eras are filled with suffering, dishonesty and short lifespans. The Buddhist cosmology is not a literal description of

4794-420: The domination of Māra and are bound by sensual desire, which causes them suffering. Birth into these planes takes place as a result of our Karma. The Sense-Sphere (Desire) Realm is the lowest of the three realms. The driving force within this realm is sensual desire. The following four worlds are bounded planes, each 80,000 yojanas square, which float in the air above the top of Mount Sumeru . Although all of

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4888-415: The dragons departed, he forgot his promise. After ten days, the rains still did not come and the people began to die of starvation. The dragons could not simply stand by and do nothing, and so they decided to use their bodies to capture great masses of water from the sea, taking it upon themselves to bring the rain. The people were grateful and prayed their thanks to the Jade Emperor, who soon discovered what

4982-535: The dragons ensuring that the people of China would never be without water again. The Jade Emperor was originally the assistant of the Divine Master of the Heavenly Origin, Yuanshi Tianzun . Yuanshi Tianzun is said to be the supreme beginning, the limitless and eternal creator of Heaven and Earth, who picked Yu-huang, or the Jade Emperor, as his personal successor. The Jade Emperor will eventually be succeeded by

5076-709: The dragons had done, and became angry that they intervened without his blessing. The Jade Emperor ordered Mountain God to trap the four dragons. However, from each mountain that trapped a dragon there sprang a new river. From Yellow Dragon came the Yellow River , from Long Dragon the Yangtze River , from Black Dragon the Amur River , and from Pearl Dragon the Pearl River . The rivers thereafter flowed from west to east and north to south,

5170-418: The earth All of the structures of the earth, Sumeru and the rest, extend downward to a depth of 80,000 yojanas below sea level – the same as the height of Sumeru above sea level. Below this is a layer of "golden earth", a substance compact and firm enough to support the weight of Sumeru. It is 320,000 yojanas in depth and so extends to 400,000 yojanas below sea level. The layer of golden earth in turn rests upon

5264-462: The end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, the column of fire does not rise high enough to reach them. After the destruction of the world, at the beginning of the vivartakalpa, the worlds are first populated by beings reborn from the Ābhāsvara worlds. The mental state of the devas of the Brahmā worlds ( Vietnamese : Sơ Thiền ; Chinese : 初禅三天 ; Thai : พรหมภูมิ ) corresponds to

5358-517: The existence and life of Jesus. In 2005, roughly 2% of Chinese folk practitioners believed in the Jade Emperor. A crater on Saturn 's moon Rhea , discovered by Voyager 2 spacecraft, is named after him. Counterparts of the Jade Emperor in other Asian cultures Buddhist cosmology Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to Buddhist scriptures and commentaries . It consists of

5452-492: The figures, which gave rise to human sickness and physical abnormalities. (The most common alternative Chinese creation myth states that human beings were once fleas on the body of Pangu .) In another myth, Nüwa fashions men out of the mud from the Yellow River by hand. Those she made became the richer people of the earth. After getting tired of it, she dipped her scarf into the mud and swung it around. The drops that fell from

5546-529: The first dhyāna, and is characterized by observation ( vitarka ) and reflection ( vicāra ) as well as delight ( prīti ) and joy ( sukha ). The Brahmā worlds, together with the other lower worlds of the universe, are destroyed by fire at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below). One way to rebirth in the Brahma world is mastery over the first jhana. Another is through meditations on loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. The Buddha teaches

5640-404: The five sacrifices and wines) to honor the deities below the Jade Emperor. The household then kneels three times and kowtows nine times to pay homage and wish him a long life. In Penang , Malaysia , a focal point of the Jade Emperor's Birthday celebrations is Thni Kong Tnua , which gained worldwide fame as one of the featured locations for The Amazing Race 16 . The temple, built in 1869,

5734-558: The form of beings from a higher world being born into a lower world. The example of a Mahābrahmā being the rebirth of a deceased Ābhāsvara deva is just one instance of this, which continues throughout the Vivartakalpa until all the worlds are filled from the Brahmaloka down to Avīci Hell During the Vivartakalpa the first humans appear; they are not like present-day humans, but are beings shining in their own light, capable of moving through

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5828-498: The form realms (rupa dhatu), a destruction of fire occurs, sparing everything from the realms of the 'radiant' gods and above (abha deva). After 7 of these destructions by 'fire', a destruction by water occurs, and everything from the realms of the 'pleasant' gods and above is spared (subha deva). After 64 of these destructions by fire and water, that is – 56 destructions by fire, and 7 by water – a destruction by wind occurs, this eliminates everything below

5922-444: The four types of arūpadhyānas: The Rūpadhātu ( Sanskrit : रूपधातु ; Pali : रूपलोक , romanized:  rūpaloka ; Tibetan : གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས་ , Wylie : gzugs kyi khams ; Vietnamese : Giới Sắc ; Chinese : 色界 ; Japanese : 色界 , romanized :  shiki-kai ; Burmese : ရူပဗြဟ္မာဘုံ ; Thai : รูปโลก / รูปธาตุ ) or "Form realm" is, as the name implies, the first of the physical realms; its inhabitants all have

6016-445: The fourth dhyāna, and is characterized by equanimity ( upekṣā ). The Bṛhatphala worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by wind at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, they are spared such destruction. The mental state of the devas of the Śubhakṛtsna worlds ( Vietnamese : Tam Thiền ; Chinese : 三禅三天 ; Devanagari: शुभकृत्स्न; Thai : ศุภกฤตฺสนาภูมิ ) corresponds to

6110-409: The gods, immortals, and humans proclaimed the Jade Emperor the supreme sovereign of all. The world started with wuji ( 無極 , nothingness) according to the Chinese creation myth . The Jade Emperor was the head of the pantheon, but not responsible for creation. In another creation myth , the Jade Emperor fashioned the first humans from clay and left them to harden in the sun. Rain deformed some of

6204-464: The guise of Brahmins, reveal to human beings the signs by which a Buddha can be recognized. They also ensure that a Bodhisattva in his last life will see the four signs that will lead to his renunciation. The five Śuddhāvāsa worlds are: The mental state of the devas of the Bṛhatphala worlds ( Vietnamese : Tứ Thiền ; Chinese : 四禅九天/四禪九天 ; Japanese : 四禅九天 ; Thai : เวหปฺปผลา ) corresponds to

6298-835: The hell realms. The process by which sentient beings migrate from one state of existence to another is dependent on causes and conditions. The three causes are giving or charity, moral conduct, meditative development, and their opposites. Rebirth in the Kama-loka (desire realm) depends on a person's moral conduct and practice of giving. Rebirth in the Rupa-loka (form realm) and Arupa-loka (formless realm) also requires meditation development. Liberation from all rebirth requires eons upon eons of perfecting charity, moral conduct, and meditative development, in order to achieve Buddhahood. The Buddhist cosmology as presented in commentaries and works of Abhidharma in both Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions,

6392-473: The human lifespan descending from 80,000 years to 10, and then back up to 80,000 again. The interval between 2 of these "intermediate" moments is the "seven day purge", in which a variety of humans will kill each other (not knowing or recognizing each other), some humans will go into hiding. At the end of this purge, they will emerge from hiding and repopulate the world. After this purge, the lifespan will increase to 80,000, reach its peak and descend, at which point

6486-509: The lighting condition in the sky causes the Milky Way to appear dimmer, hence the story that the two lovers are no longer separated on that one particular day each year. The seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is a holiday in China called Qixi Festival , which is a day for young lovers much like Valentine's Day in the West . In Japan , it is called Tanabata (star day). In Korea , it

6580-552: The lower five fetters, consisting of self-view, sceptical doubt, clinging to rites and ceremonies, sense desires, and ill-will. They will destroy their remaining fetters of craving for fine material existence, craving for immaterial existence, conceit, restlessness and ignorance during their existence in the Pure Abodes. Those who take rebirth here are called "non-returners" because they do not return from that world, but attain final nibbana there without coming back. Every Śuddhāvāsa deva

6674-624: The lower world. In the Western sense of the word "heaven", the term best applies to the four worlds listed below: The world-mountain of Sumeru सुमेरु ( Vietnamese : Tu Di ; Sineru सिनेरु; Thai : เขาพระสุเมรุ, สิเนรุบรรพต ) is an immense, strangely-shaped peak which arises in the center of the world, and around which the Sun and Moon revolve. Its base rests in a vast ocean, and it is surrounded by several rings of lesser mountain ranges and oceans. The three worlds listed below are all located on, or around, Sumeru:

6768-734: The many natural laws or dao . He is often identified with Śakra in Chinese Buddhist cosmology and identified with Yu the Great in Chinese mythology . The Jade Emperor is known by many names, including Yu, Heavenly Grandfather ( 天公 , Tiāngōng ), which originally meant "Heavenly Duke", which is used by commoners; the Jade Lord; the Highest Emperor; Great Emperor of Jade ( 玉皇上帝 Yu Huang Shangdi , or 玉皇大帝 Yu Huang Dadi ). There are many stories in Chinese mythology involving

6862-476: The most commonly given number being 18. The beings of the Form realm are not subject to the extremes of pleasure and pain, or governed by desires for things pleasing to the senses, as the beings of the Kāmadhātu are. The bodies of Form realm beings do not have sexual distinctions. Like the beings of the Ārūpyadhātu, the dwellers in the Rūpadhātu have minds corresponding to the dhyānas (Pāli: jhānas). In their case, it

6956-603: The needy (the poor and suffering, the deserted and single, the hungry and disabled). Furthermore, he showed respect and benevolence to both men and creatures. After his father died, he ascended the throne. He made sure that everyone in his kingdom found peace and contentment. After that, he told his ministers that he wished to cultivate Tao on the Bright and Fragrant Cliff. After 1,750 eons, each eon lasting for 129,600 years (360 years), he attained Golden Immortality. After another one hundred million years of cultivation, he finally became

7050-736: The ninth day of the first lunar month. On this day, Taoist temples hold a Jade Emperor ritual ( 拜天公 , Mandarin : bài Tiāngōng ; Hokkien : pài Thinn-kong , literally "heaven worship") at which priests and laymen prostrate themselves, burn incense and make food offerings. In the morning of this birthday, Chinese, Taiwanese as well as Hokkien and Peranakan Malaysian Chinese and Singaporean Chinese who practice Buddhism , Taoism and other traditional Chinese religions set up an altar table with 3 layers: one top (containing offertories of six vegetables ( 六齋 ), noodles, fruits, cakes, tangyuan , vegetable bowls, and unripe betel , all decorated with paper lanterns) and two lower levels (containing

7144-527: The novel. Members of the Eight Immortals and the Old Man of the South Pole (a longevity deity) are sometimes depicted carrying a Peach of Immortality. Because of the stories and the peach's association with long-life, peach is a common decoration (the fruit or an image thereof) on traditional birthday cakes and pastries in China. Jade Emperor In the myths and folk religion of Chinese culture ,

7238-452: The other worlds of the Rūpadhātu in that they do not house beings who have been born there through ordinary merit or meditative attainments, but only those Anāgāmins ("Non-returners"), the third level on the path of enlightenment, who are already on the path to Arhat -hood and who will attain enlightenment directly from the Śuddhāvāsa worlds without being reborn in a lower plane. These Pure Abodes are accessible only to those who have destroyed

7332-473: The planes, from the plane of neither perception nor non-perception (nevasanna-asanna-ayatana) down to the Avīci – the "without interval" niraya – constitutes the single world-system, Cakkavāla (intimating something circular, a "wheel" or one Planetary system , but the etymology is uncertain ), described above. A collection of one thousand systems are called a "thousandfold minor world-system" ( Culanika Lokadhātu ) or

7426-761: The popular fantasy novel Journey to the West . The peaches are first encountered when, in heaven, Sun Wukong is stationed as the Protector of the Peaches. The peach garden include three types of peaches, all of which grant over 3,000 years of life if only one is consumed. The first type blooms every three thousand years; anyone who eats it will become immortal, and their body will become both light and strong. The second type blooms every six thousand years; anyone who eats it will be able to fly and enjoy eternal youth. The third type blooms every nine thousand years; anyone who eats it will become "eternal as heaven and earth, as long-lived as

7520-473: The purge will happen again. Within the duration 'moment', this purge and repeat cycle seems to happen around 18 times, the first "intermediate" moment consisting only of the descent from 80,000 – the second intermediate moment consisting of a rise and descent, and the last consisting only of an ascent. After the duration 'moment' is the dissolution moment, the hells will gradually be emptied, as well as all coarser forms of existence. The beings will flock to

7614-485: The realms of the 'fruitful' devas (vehapphala devas, literally of "great fruit"). The pure abodes (suddhavasa, meaning something like pure, unmixed, similar to the connotation of "pure bred German shepherd"), are never destroyed. Although without the appearance of a Buddha, these realms may remain empty for a long time. The inhabitants of these realms have exceedingly long life spans. The formless realms are never destroyed because they do not consist of form (rupa). The reason

7708-400: The reigning Jade Emperor has 55 predecessors. However this is from the point of view of Chinese Folk religion , and many orthodox Taoists do not believe these claims to be true. Elements from the supreme god Shangdi and his worship were incorporated into theology about the Jade Emperor and the two were often thought to be the same being. The Jade Emperor's Birthday ( 天公誕 ) is said to be

7802-539: The result of an earlier karma that had not yet ripened. The mentality of a being in the hells corresponds to states of extreme fear and helpless anguish in humans. Physically, Naraka is thought of as a series of layers extending below Jambudvīpa into the earth. There are several schemes for counting these Narakas and enumerating their torments. One of the more common is that of the Eight Cold Narakas and Eight Hot Narakas. Sahasra means "one thousand". All of

7896-401: The scarf became the poorer humans. In another story, popular throughout Asia and with many differing versions, the Jade Emperor has a daughter named Zhinü ( simplified Chinese : 织女 ; traditional Chinese : 織女 ; pinyin : zhī nǚ or Chih'nü, literally: weaver girl). She is most often represented as responsible for weaving colorful clouds in the heaven. In some versions, she is

7990-419: The second dhyāna, and is characterized by delight ( prīti ) as well as joy ( sukha ); the Ābhāsvara devas are said to shout aloud in their joy, crying aho sukham! ("Oh joy!"). These devas have bodies that emit flashing rays of light like lightning. They are said to have similar bodies (to each other) but diverse perceptions. The Ābhāsvara worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by fire at

8084-515: The shape of the universe ; rather, it is the universe as seen through the divyacakṣus ( Pali : dibbacakkhu दिब्बचक्खु ), the "divine eye" by which a Buddha or an arhat can perceive all beings arising (being born) and passing away (dying) within various worlds; and can tell from what state they have been reborn , and into which state they will be reborn. Beings can be reborn as devas (gods and Brahmas), humans, animals, asuras (demons), pretas ("hungry ghosts"), and as inhabitants of

8178-424: The sun and moon." As the Protector, Sun realizes the effects of the sacred peaches and acts quickly as to consume one, before he runs into trouble when Xi Wangmu arrives to hold a peach banquet for many members of Heaven. Sun Wukong makes himself very small to hide within a peach during the banquet, before consuming more, thus gaining immortality and the abilities that come with the peaches. Later on, Sun Wukong has

8272-509: The third dhyāna, and is characterized by a quiet joy ( sukha ). These devas have bodies that radiate a steady light. The Śubhakṛtsna worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by water at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, the flood of water does not rise high enough to reach them. The mental state of the devas of the Ābhāsvara आभास्वर worlds ( Vietnamese : Nhị Thiền ; Chinese : 二禅三天 ; Thai : อาภัสสราภูมิ/อาภาสวราธาตุ corresponds to

8366-461: The world and recruited an army of demons with the purpose of attacking heaven. The immortals, being aware of the threat, gathered themselves and prepared for war. The gods were unable to stop the powerful demon and it defeated them all. The Jade Emperor finished his cultivation during this war. When he was changing the land to make it more liveable for men and repelling a variety of monsters, he saw an evil glow radiating from heaven and knew something

8460-452: The world is destroyed by fire, water and wind, and not earth is because earth is the 'receptacle'. After the dissolution moment, this particular world system remains dissolved for a long time, this is called the 'empty' moment, but the more accurate term would be "the state of being dissolved". The beings that inhabited this realm formerly will migrate to other world systems, and perhaps return if their journeys lead here again. A mahākalpa

8554-402: The world is populated. Human beings who exist at this point have no limit on their lifespan. The second moment is the duration moment, the start of this moment is signified by the first sentient being to enter hell (niraya), the hells and nirayas not existing or being empty prior to this moment. The duration moment consists of twenty "intermediate" moments (antarakappas), which unfold in a drama of

8648-454: The worlds inhabited by devas (that is, all the worlds down to the Cāturmahārājikakāyika world and sometimes including the Asuras) are sometimes called "heavens". These devas enjoy aesthetic pleasures, long life, beauty, and certain powers. Anyone who has led a wholesome life can be born in them. These devas live in four heavens that float in the air, leaving them free from contact with the strife of

8742-407: The Ārūpyadhātu and the Rūpadhātu. In more restricted senses, it can refer to an inhabitant of one of the eleven lower worlds of the Rūpadhātu, or in its narrowest sense, to the three lowest worlds of the Rūpadhātu (Plane of Brahma's retinue). A large number of devas use the name "Brahmā", e.g. Brahmā Sahampati (ब्रह्मा सहम्पत्ति), Brahmā Sanatkumāra (ब्रह्मा सनत्कुमारः), Baka Brahmā (बकब्रह्मा), etc. It

8836-418: Was amiss. He ascended and saw that the evil entity was too powerful to be stopped by the gods. He challenged it, and they fought. Mountains shook and rivers and seas toppled. Due to his deeper and wiser cultivation, his benevolence instead of his might, the Jade Emperor won the battle. After the evil entity was defeated, its army was scattered by the gods and immortals. Because of his noble and benevolent deeds,

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