The Heavenly Beings’ Good Destination

Monks, when a heavenly being is about to pass away from the company of heavenly beings, five signs appear: his garlands wither, his clothes get soiled, sweat comes out of his armpits, a dullness descends on his body, he no longer excites in his own heavenly being‑seat.

The heavenly beings, knowing from this that ‘This heavenly being is about to pass away,’ encourage him with three sayings:

Go from here, honorable Sir, to a good destination. Having gone to a good destination, gain the gain that is good to gain. Having gained the gain that is good to gain, become well‑established.

When this was said, a certain Monk said to The Perfectly Enlightened One, ‘What, Venerable Sir, is the heavenly beings’ fate of going to a good destination? What is their fate of the gain that is good to gain? What is their fate of becoming well-established?’

The human state, Monks, is the heavenly beings’ fate of going to a good destination.

Having become a human being, acquiring conviction in The Teachings and Discipline taught by The Tathāgata: this is the heavenly beings’ fate of the gain that is good to gain.

When that conviction is settled within one — rooted, established, and strong, not to be destroyed by any Brāhmin or Ascetic; heavenly being, Māra, or Brahmā (God); or anyone else in the world: this is the heavenly beings’ fate of becoming well‑established.

When a heavenly being passes away from the company of heavenly beings through his lifespan’s ending, three sounds sound forth — the heavenly beings’ encouragement.

Go from here, honorable Sir, to a good destination, to companionship with human beings.

On becoming a human being, acquire a conviction unsurpassed in the True Teachings.

That conviction of yours in the True Teachings, well‑taught, should be settled, rooted, established, — undestroyed as long as you live.

Having abandoned bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct, and whatever else is flawed; having done with the body what’s skillful, and much that is skillful with speech, having done what’s skillful with a heart without limit, with no material gain, then — having made much of the merit that’s a ground for spontaneously arising [in heaven] through giving — establish other mortals in the True Teachings and the holy life.

With this sympathy, the heavenly beings — when they know a heavenly being is passing away — encourage him: Come back, heavenly being, again and again.

(Reference: ITI 83)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how moving from the heavenly realm into a human existence is a “good destination”.

The human realm is the ideal existence to attain Enlightenment.

While heavenly beings are capable of attaining Enlightenment in their existence as a heavenly being, they oftentimes lack the motivation to progress to Enlightenment.

Moving into the human realm, a being would not just experience pleasant feelings, like in the heavenly realm, but instead, will experience pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant. Being able to experience all three (3) feelings of discontentedness will, oftentimes, provide the motivation for a being to attain Enlightenment.