The Heavens of No Return
“Ananda, within the Fourth Dhyana, there are five Heavens of No Return. The gods in these heavens have completely cut off the nine categories/stages of habitual bondage in the lower realms. With suffering and bliss vanished completely, they will never regress to any lower level of existence. These gods dwell in total harmony and peace, since they all have achieved the same level of renunciation.
“Ananda, for those who have ended both suffering and bliss, who are no longer subject to contradiction and contention, they dwell in the Heaven of No Affliction. For those who have been solely focusing on renunciation, disengaging themselves from any investigation and involvement to the point where even the basis for suffering and bliss is gone, they dwell in the Heaven of Beyond Heat.
“For those who have attained such perfectly clear vision that all worlds in the ten directions appear to them so utterly free of defilement, they dwell in the Heaven of Pure Vision. For those who have realized their essence of seeing to the extent where they are able to unimpededly manifest or transform anything at will, they dwell in the Heaven of Clear Manifestation. For those who have culminated their contemplation on the myriad layers of the nature of form, who have reached the state of boundlessness, they dwell in the Heaven of Form Penetrated/Exhausted.
“Ananda, the kings of the lower heavens in the Four Dhyanas can only hear with admiration about the Heavens of No Return, with no way to get to know the beings (in the Heavens of No Return) or even see them, just like ordinary people of the world cannot see Arhats who keep up their practice in sacred places deep in the mountains.
“Ananda, all beings in these eighteen heavens remain solitary and free from entanglements. But they are not yet rid of the burden of forms. Thus are all the levels of existence in the Realm of Form.”
阿難此中復有五不還天。於下界中九品習氣俱時滅盡。苦樂雙亡下無卜居。故於捨心眾同分中安立居處。阿難苦樂兩滅鬪心不交。如是一類名無煩天。機括獨行研交無地。如是一類名無熱天。十方世界妙見圓澄。更無塵象一切沈垢。如是一類名善見天。精見現前陶鑄無礙。如是一類名善現天。究竟群幾窮色性性入無邊際。如是一類名色究竟天。
阿難此不還天。彼諸四禪四位天王。獨有欽聞不能知見。如今世間曠野深山聖道場地。皆阿羅漢所住持故。世間麁人所不能見。阿難是十八天獨行無交未盡形累。自此已還名為色界。
Buddha Mind 