Nine Abodes of Beings

Monks, there are these nine abodes of beings.

What nine?

There are, Monks, beings that are different in body and different in perception, such as humans, some heavenly beings, and some in the lower world. This is the first abode of beings.

There are beings that are different in body but identical in perception, such as the heavenly beings of Brahmā’s (God’s) company that are reborn through the first [Jhāna]. This is the second abode of beings.

There are beings that are identical in body but different in perception, such as the heavenly beings of streaming radiance. This is the third abode of beings.

There are beings that are identical in body and identical in perception, such as the heavenly beings of refulgent glory. This is the fourth abode of beings.

There are beings that are non‑percipient, without experience, such as the heavenly beings that are non‑percipient. This is the fifth abode of beings.

There are beings that, with the complete surmounting of perceptions of forms, with the passing away of perceptions of sensory impingement, with non‑attention to perceptions of diversity, [perceiving] ‘space is infinite,’ belong to the base of the infinity of space. This is the sixth abode of beings.

There are beings that, by completely surmounting the base of the infinity of space, [perceiving] ‘consciousness is infinite,’ belong to the base of the infinity of consciousness. This is the seventh abode of beings.

There are beings that, by completely surmounting the base of the infinity of consciousness, [perceiving] ‘there is nothing,’ belong to the base of nothingness. This is the eighth abode of beings.

There are beings that, by completely surmounting the base of nothingness, belong to the base of neither perception‑nor‑non‑perception. This is the ninth abode of beings.

These are the nine abodes of beings.

(Reference: AN 9.24)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the nine abodes.

During the lifetime of The Buddha, there were many different opinions and perspectives on the realms of existence and the various beings residing in those realms. In modern times, we might view these opinions and perspectives as quite complex.

It helps a Practitioner to understand these Teachings about The Realms of Existence in a more simplistic way rather than diving into all the various aspects of what was being taught during the lifetime of The Buddha.

In reality, to attain Enlightenment by eliminating discontentedness from the mind does not require a Practitioner to understand all the various aspects of each individual realm and all the various beings in those realms as was taught during the lifetime of The Buddha.

Instead, a Practitioner needs to primarily focus on the core and central Teachings that illuminate The Path to Enlightenment so that one can train the mind. It could be considered wise to set aside any detailed learning of The Realms of Existence until a Practitioner has more fully developed their life practice and has attained the second or third Stage of Enlightenment. A Practitioner’s progression to Enlightenment and the attainment of the preliminary Stages of Enlightenment, will not be hindered in any way by postponing any series study of The Realms of Existence until that time.

What has happened in the past related to The Cycle of Rebirth is in the past, it truly does not matter for you to attain Enlightenment in this very life. What may or may not happen in the future related to The Cycle of Rebirth is in the future, it truly does not matter for you to attain Enlightenment in this very life.

Instead, a wise Practitioner can focus on the core and central Teachings that train the mind to eliminate discontentedness as these are The Teachings that will ensure the mind experiences Enlightenment and no longer has any future rebirths.

The information about The Cycle of Rebirth, while interesting, does not directly lead to the elimination of discontentedness (i.e. Enlightenment).

During the lifetime of The Buddha, there were no well established educational systems where individuals could pursue various aspects of learning and personal growth. The vast majority of learning was done orally within a family structure by handing knowledge down from one generation to the next.

As individuals chose to leave the household life by leaving their family to pursue The Path to Enlightenment with The Buddha, they were placing their confidence in him to provide education that would guide them to Enlightenment which included Teachings to better understand the world around them.

The Realms of Existence are Teachings that are helpful to understand and can be used as motivation and encouragement for a Practitioner to apply determination, dedication, and diligence to learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings to attain Enlightenment. But, these Teachings should not be seen as a way to guilt, shame, or fear anyone into learning and practicing these Teachings.

Instead, they can be viewed as a helpful way to understand the world around us and what is happening as a result of our decisions.

If a Practitioner understands that there are five (5) realms of existence and those realms are hell, animal, afflicted spirits, human, and heaven, and existence in these realms is not permanent, this is a helpful start.

Each of these realms and the beings in those realms have various characteristics based on their own choices. It is our own choices and the results of those choices (i.e. Kamma) that determine rebirth into one of these realms and the condition of each being in those realms.

The level of detail taught by The Buddha explaining these various realms and the beings in those realms is not a required understanding one would need to gain to experience Enlightenment.

Our understanding of such things as God(s) has evolved since the lifetime of The Buddha. During the lifetime of The Buddha there was belief in many different Gods but today, most people who have an understanding of this topic consider there to be only one God who The Buddha referred to as Brahmā.

In this book, you will find countless details shared during the lifetime of The Buddha related to the various realms and beings within those realms. This is not content that a Practitioner will need to closely learn to experience liberation of mind. Even The Buddha himself when discussing his Teachings always pointed Students to The Four Noble Truths and The Eight Fold Path as the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness to experience Enlightenment.

While this book represents “The Words of The Buddha” and what he shared during his lifetime, unlike all of his other Teachings, there are limited methods available to use to prove or disprove whether what The Buddha taught related to countless details in this book are truth or not.

While I can confirm there are five (5) realms of existence and there are beings in each of these realms, I am unable to confirm the countless details shared by The Buddha related to many aspects he shared. While I can confirm that all beings that exist today have had countless previous lives and that beings who do not attain Enlightenment will be reborn in The Cycle of Rebirth, a Practitioner who aspires to attain Enlightenment in this very life does not need to confirm this understanding to be able to experience Enlightenment.

I suggest that Students learn the content in this book and consider it information that is useful to understand what was being taught during the lifetime of The Buddha while still dedicating the vast majority of your time, effort, energy, and resources to learning, reflecting, and practicing the core and central Teachings of The Path to Enlightenment.

Detailed descriptions will be provided of The Teachings in this book that need to be expanded upon to help Practitioners deepen their understanding to progress on The Path to Enlightenment. Minimal descriptions will be provided of The Teachings in this book that do not need to be expanded upon and are not required to help Practitioners deepen their understanding to progress on The Path to Enlightenment.

This book does have Teachings that connect those core and central Teachings to The Cycle of Rebirth which can be motivators to learn, reflect, and practice The Buddha’s Teachings and you will know that once Enlightenment is attained, there will no longer be any rebirth in any of these five realms of existence.

But, the level of detail you choose to understand what was being taught on these topics during the lifetime of The Buddha is up to each individual Practitioner.

The vast majority of the work and effort to attain Enlightenment should be applied to the core and central Teachings and then once the mind has moved into the second and third Stages of Enlightenment, this would be the ideal time to more deeply learn The Realms of Existence, if there is an interest to do so.

With that said, there are Teachings in this book that will be helpful to a Practitioner’s progress on The Path to Enlightenment but one should consider that as they encounter various Teachings of intricate detail about each individual realm and the beings in those realms, these Teachings can be viewed as interesting content or even set aside with the understanding that is what was being shared during the lifetime of The Buddha but are not required to attain Enlightenment.

The core and central Teachings a Practitioner should focus on are:

A.) The Three Universal Truths

B.) The Four Noble Truths

C.) The Eight Fold Path

D.) The Five Precepts

E.) The Brahma-viharas

F.) The Ten Fetters

G.) The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

H.) Extensive Meditation Training

There are plenty of other Teachings and you can explore them all. However, these are some of the core Teachings to create a solid foundation for you to work towards Enlightenment in your life practice. A wise Practitioner might choose to focus on developing an understanding and practice of only The Three Universal Truths, The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, The Five Precepts, and developing a meditation practice to get started. Then, as results are being experienced, expand into deepening your practice through all the other Teachings. You will need to seek support and guidance to accomplish the goal of developing your life practice.

Having Teachers or guides to assist you on the path to Enlightenment is very important and beneficial. You will not be able to pursue this path alone. As you seek Teachers, be sure that you find Teachers free of craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality) with no ego. Enlightenment is the opposite of these things. If you need help on this path, it’s important to find someone that does not embody these aspects of mind. You should be interested to have Teachers and guides who have loving-kindness and compassion towards all beings and are open to helping all people without expectation of payment for their support.

You can pursue Enlightenment no matter what has transpired in the past. No matter what your previous intentions, speech, actions or anything that has transpired in the past, Enlightenment can still be pursued and attained. What really matters on your path to Enlightenment is that you learn, reflect, practice, and observe the results in the present moment. Dedication and commitment to learning and growing will ensure you are moving the mind towards Enlightenment.

This path requires inner growth and development as there is nothing external that is needed in pursuit of this path.

Gotama Buddha’s Teachings are not to control an individual nor dictate what they should or should not do. But instead, they provide guidance that when practiced will lead to Enlightenment, the liberation of the mind, a peaceful and content mind and, thus, a peaceful and content life. Everything in this practice is obtained through personal choice.