Impermanent, Short-Term, Non‑Eternal Heavenly Beings

Monks, in the evening the lion, the King of Beasts, comes out from his lair, stretches his body, surveys the four quarters all around, and roars his lion’s roar three times. Then he sets out in search of game.

Whatever animals hear the lion roaring for the most part are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror. Those who live in holes enter their holes; those who live in the water enter the water; those who live in the woods enter the woods; and the birds resort to the sky. Even those royal bull elephants, bound by strong thongs in the villages, towns, and capital cities, burst and break their bonds apart; frightened, they urinate and defecate and flee here and there. So powerful among the animals is the lion, the King of Beasts, so majestic and mighty.

So too, Monks, when The Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, Perfectly Enlightened, accomplished in true wisdom and conduct, fortunate, knower of the world, unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, Teacher of heavenly beings and humans, The Enlightened One, The Perfectly Enlightened One, he teaches The Teachings thus:

(1) Such is personal existence,

(2) such the origin of personal existence,

(3) such the elimination of personal existence,

(4) such the way to the elimination of personal existence.

When those heavenly beings who are long‑lived, beautiful, abounding in happiness, residing for a long time in magnificent palaces, hear The Tathāgata’s teaching of The Teachings, for the most part they are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror thus:

It seems that we are actually impermanent, though we thought ourselves permanent; it seems that we are actually short-term, though we thought ourselves everlasting; it seems that we are actually non‑eternal, though we thought ourselves eternal. It seems that we are impermanent, short-term, non‑eternal, included in personal existence. So powerful is The Tathāgata, so majestic and mighty is he in this world together with its heavenly beings.

(Reference: SN 4.33)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how when a Buddha arises in the world and the heavenly beings hear from his Teachings that existence in the heavenly realm is not permanent, “they are filled with fear, a sense of urgency, and terror”.

The Buddha explains that The Teachings of a Buddha are very powerful. The Teachings of a Buddha are clear and concise explaining The Natural Laws of Existence. And while the vast majority of beings have no understanding of a Buddha’s Teachings, once they learn, reflect, and practice them, they can observe they are the truth to acquire wisdom.

Upon one’s initial understanding of a Buddha’s Teachings, one might be shaken up to learn aspects of the world they were unaware of and differ from their current understanding. As one learns and practices more deeply, the mind can establish a high degree of stability and steadiness through independent verification of The Teachings and training the mind to be unshakable.