天隨念（Devatānussati）

來源：PTS Rhys Davids & Rhys Davids 1920–21，《清淨道論》pp. 225–226

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§162 —— 隨念之形式與對經中相應段落之釋疑

〔V i 225〕

欲修習天隨念（devatānussati）¹ 之行者，必須已具足由聖道所得之諸德性（ariyamagga-vasena samudāgata saddhādi-guṇa）。²

繼而獨處退隱，憶念之相如下：

*santi devā Cātumahārājikā, santi devā Tāvatiṃsā, Yāmā, Tusitā, Nimmānaratino, Paranimmita-vasavattino, santi devā Brahmakāyikā, santi devā tat' uttariṃ; yathārūpāya saddhāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha uppannā. Mayham pi tathārūpā saddhā saṃvijjati. Yathārūpena sīlena . . . yathārūpena sutena . . . yathārūpena cāgena . . . yathārūpāya paññāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha uppannā. Mayham pi tathārūpā paññā saṃvijjatī ti.*³

「有四天王天（Cātumahārājikā）；有三十三天（Tāvatiṃsā）、夜摩天（Yāmā）、兜率天（Tusitā）、化樂天（Nimmānaratī）、他化自在天（Paranimmita-vasavattī）；有梵身天（Brahmakāyikā）；有更上界諸天（tat' uttariṃ）。彼諸天具足如是之信（saddhā），由此處死沒，於彼處受生。我亦具足如是之信。——具足如是之戒（sīla）⋯⋯如是之聞（suta）⋯⋯如是之捨（cāga；即慷慨施捨）⋯⋯如是之慧（paññā）；彼諸天由此處死沒，於彼處受生。我亦具足如是之慧。」

如是以諸天為證人之位而立之（sakkhiṭṭhāne ṭhapetvā），憶念自己之信等諸德性（saddhādi-guṇa）。

至於經中所說：

yasmiṃ, Mahānāma, samaye ariyasāvako attano ca tāsañ ca devatānaṃ saddhañ ca sīlañ ca sutañ ca cāgañ ca paññañ ca anussarati, nev' assa tasmiṃ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṃ cittaṃ hoti.

「摩訶那摩（Mahānāma）！當聖弟子憶念自身與彼諸天之信、戒、聞、捨、慧時，於彼時其心不為貪所纏。」⁴

雖如是說，然應知此乃為說明〔所立為證人之位之諸天與自身之信等諸德性〕同等之德性（samānaguṇa-dīpanattham）之故而說。蓋於《義疏》（Aṭṭhakathā）中明言：以諸天為證人之位而立之，並憶念自己之諸德性。

§163 —— 禪支生起與隨念之利益

是故，於前分（pubbabhāga）憶念諸天之諸德性後，於後分（aparabhāga）憶念自己現前存在之信等諸德性時，於彼時其心不為貪所纏（pariyuṭṭhita），不為瞋〔所纏〕……〔乃至〕……不為癡所纏；於彼時，其心唯緣於諸天（devatā ārabbha）而正直生起。

如前所述（purimanayen' eva），諸蓋（nīvaraṇa）既被鎮伏（vikkhambhita），於一剎那中諸禪支（jhānaṅga）即生起。然以信等諸德之深遠（saddhādi-guṇānaṃ gambhīratā），或以對種種德之隨念之勝解（nānappakāra-guṇānussaraṇa-adhimuttatā）故，此禪定（jhāna）不得安止（appanā），唯得近行（upacāra-patta）⁵ 而已。又因此〔禪定〕由憶念諸天德性同分之信等諸德（devatānaṃ guṇasadisa-saddhādi-guṇānussaraṇa-vasena）而生起，故唯名為「天隨念」（Devatānussati）。

〔V i 226〕

復次，凡修習此天隨念之比丘——

為諸天所愛敬（devatānaṃ piyo manāpo）；更上一層地得信等之圓滿（bhiyyoso mattāya saddhādi-vepulla）；多喜、多悅而住（pīti-pāmojja-bahulo viharati）；雖未通達上品〔以上〕，亦必趣於善趣（sugati-parāyana）。

是故賢智者，當常勤行不放逸， 於此大威神之天隨念中。

此即《天隨念》之詳論門。

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¹ 章名「天隨念」（devatānussati）所用之「天」字義例說明：devatā 兼指天界諸有情（諸天界之住者）及其所體現之諸德性（信、戒、聞、捨、慧）。本章之詮釋特色——「以諸天為證人之位而立之」（sakkhiṭṭhāne ṭhapetvā）並反觀憶念自己之諸德性——正利用此雙重義：諸天為憶念之契機，所憶念之內容則為行者與諸天之德性同等。與世俗「思念〔已逝〕親人」之義不同——此處之 devatā 特指天界（自欲界至梵界乃至更上界）之有情。

² Ariyamagga-vasena samudāgata（「由聖道所得」）是專門術語，意指此諸德性唯於入流（sotāpanna）以上聖道生起時方得現前。

³ 上述憶念形式為《增支部》AN 6.10 《摩訶那摩經》（Mahānāma-sutta）幾近逐字之引用（PTS A. iii, 287 f; v, 329 f；見 pali.md p.225 腳註 ²）。

⁴ 關於 samānaguṇa-dīpanattham 與 pubbabhāga / aparabhāga 結構：覺音論師區分經中之合說形式（聖弟子於一單一行為中憶念自身與彼諸天之諸德）與論疏中之前後二分次第結構（前分為諸天之德；後分為自身之德）。其調和：經中合說之語，實為指出行者與諸天德性間之同等性（samānaguṇa-dīpanattham）而說。

⁵ Upacāra-patta（「已得近行」）為 VII.6 PTS 原本之異本讀（recension reading）——值得注意，此與 VII.4 / VII.5 PTS 原本之 upacāra-mattaṃ（「唯近行」）方向相反。PTS 版本本身於六隨念章中對此覺音論師同一公式之異本不一致；兩種讀法義趣相同（均表示此禪定不達安止而止於近行水準）。詳見譯者校記。

Devatānussati — Recollection of Deities

Source: PTS Rhys Davids & Rhys Davids 1920–21, Visuddhimagga pp. 225–226

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§162 — The Recollection-Formula and the Sutta-Clarification

[V i 225]

The practitioner who wishes to cultivate the Recollection of Deities (devatānussati)¹ must already be endowed with such qualities as faith and the rest (saddhādi-guṇa) that have been arrived at by way of the noble path (ariyamagga-vasena samudāgata).²

Then, having gone into seclusion and withdrawn, the introspective recollection runs thus:

*santi devā Cātumahārājikā, santi devā Tāvatiṃsā, Yāmā, Tusitā, Nimmānaratino, Paranimmita-vasavattino, santi devā Brahmakāyikā, santi devā tat' uttariṃ; yathārūpāya saddhāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha uppannā. Mayham pi tathārūpā saddhā saṃvijjati. Yathārūpena sīlena . . . yathārūpena sutena . . . yathārūpena cāgena . . . yathārūpāya paññāya samannāgatā tā devatā ito cutā tattha uppannā. Mayham pi tathārūpā paññā saṃvijjatī ti.*³

"There are deities of the realm of the Four Great Kings (Cātumahārājikā); there are deities of the Thirty-Three (Tāvatiṃsā), the Yāmā, the Tusitā, the Nimmānaratī, the Paranimmita-vasavattī; there are deities of the Brahmā-realm (Brahmakāyikā); and there are deities higher than that. Those deities — endowed with such faith (saddhā) as they had — having passed away from here, were reborn there. In me too there exists faith of such a kind. — Endowed with such virtue (sīla) . . . with such learning (suta) . . . with such generosity (cāga) . . . with such wisdom (paññā) — those deities, having passed away from here, were reborn there. In me too there exists wisdom of such a kind."

In this manner, having placed the deities in the position of witnesses (sakkhiṭṭhāne ṭhapetvā), the practitioner's own qualities of faith and the rest (saddhādi-guṇa) are to be recollected.

As for the Sutta: it is said —

yasmiṃ, Mahānāma, samaye ariyasāvako attano ca tāsañ ca devatānaṃ saddhañ ca sīlañ ca sutañ ca cāgañ ca paññañ ca anussarati, nev' assa tasmiṃ samaye rāgapariyuṭṭhitaṃ cittaṃ hoti.

"When, Mahānāma, the noble disciple recollects, regarding both his own and those deities', the faith and the virtue and the learning and the generosity and the wisdom, at that time his mind is not obsessed by greed."⁴

Although it is so stated, that should be understood as said for the purpose of pointing out the parity of attributes (samānaguṇa-dīpanattham) between the deities-to-be-placed-in-the-position-of-witnesses and the practitioner's own qualities of faith and the rest. For in the Aṭṭhakathā it is firmly stated that, having placed the deities in the position of witnesses, the practitioner recollects his own qualities.

§163 — The Arising of the Jhāna-factors and the Benefits of Recollection

Therefore, having recollected the qualities of the deities in the former part (pubbabhāga) and his own existing qualities of faith and the rest in the latter part (aparabhāga), the practitioner's mind is not obsessed (pariyuṭṭhita) by greed at that time, not [obsessed by] aversion . . . [and so on] . . . not obsessed by delusion; at that time, rather, his mind stands straight with reference to the deities (devatā ārabbha).

Then, in the manner set out above (purimanayen' eva), with the hindrances suppressed (vikkhambhita), in one and the same moment the factors of absorption (jhānaṅga) arise. However, because of the profundity of the qualities beginning with faith — or because the practitioner is intent on recollecting qualities of manifold kinds (nānappakāra-guṇānussaraṇa-adhimuttatā) — this absorption (jhāna) does not reach full absorption (appanā); having reached only access (upacāra-patta),⁵ it remains a jhāna of the access kind. And because it has arisen by way of recollecting qualities-similar-to-the-deities' (devatānaṃ guṇasadisa-saddhādi-guṇānussaraṇa-vasena), this very meditation is reckoned simply as devatānussati — the Recollection of Deities.

[V i 226]

Moreover, a bhikkhu who devotes himself to this devatānussati becomes dear and beloved to the deities (devatānaṃ piyo manāpo); he attains in greater measure the fullness of faith and the rest (bhiyyoso mattāya saddhādi-vepulla); he abides abounding in joy and gladness (pīti-pāmojja-bahulo viharati); and even if he does not penetrate any higher [than access concentration], he is destined for a good rebirth (sugati-parāyana).

Therefore the wise one should always practice diligence, in this devatānussati of such great majestic power.

This is the detailed exposition of Devatānussati.

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¹ On the chapter-name devatānussati "Recollection of Deities": devatā spans both deva-beings (the inhabitants of the celestial realms) and the qualities-they-embody (faith, virtue, learning, generosity, wisdom). The chapter's hermeneutical move — placing the deities "in the position of witnesses" and then reflexively recollecting one's own qualities — exploits this dual sense: the deities serve as the catalyst for recollection, but the content recollected is the parity of attributes between practitioner and deity. Distinct from secular "recollection of [departed] loved ones" — devatā in this context are specifically beings of the celestial realms (sense-sphere through Brahmā-realm and higher).

² Ariyamagga-vasena samudāgata "arrived at by way of the noble path" is a technical phrase meaning the qualities arise only at stream-entry (sotāpanna) or higher.

³ The recollection-formula above is a near-verbatim quotation of AN 6.10 Mahānāma-sutta (PTS A. iii, 287 f; v, 329 f; see footnote ² in pali.md p.225 apparatus).

⁴ On samānaguṇa-dīpanattham and the pubbabhāga / aparabhāga structure: Buddhaghosa distinguishes the suttanta's combined-recollection formulation from the niddesa's two-part sequential structuring (former-part = deva-attributes; latter-part = self-attributes). The reconciliation: the suttanta's combined wording points out the parity (samānaguṇa-dīpanattham) between practitioner and deity attributes.

⁵ Upacāra-patta "having reached access" is the recension reading in PTS body for VII.6 — note this is opposite direction from VII.4 / VII.5 PTS body which had upacāra-mattaṃ "merely access". PTS edition itself shows recension inconsistency across the six anussati chapters on this same Buddhaghosa-formula; both readings are doctrinally identical (both indicate the meditation falls short of appanā and stops at upacāra-level). see the translator's collation notes.