All Heavens Bite

In every cycle of dependent co-arising, there is existence and birth. Every time this flow takes us in, there is existence and birth. Physical birth out of our mother’s womb is not the problem; we need not make problems with being born physically. The problems do not start until there is spiritual birth. Because of ignorance and through clinging an ego-me is born. In the dhamma way of speaking, we include suffering with birth. The two are inseparable. As soon as ego-me is born, there is some form of distress or suffering. Birth is stressful, painful, and troublesome. Of course, we mean spiritual not physical birth. 

Whether the cycle of dependent co-arising is dependent on eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or the mind-door, each cycle will include becoming and birth. Once there is birth, there is the big fat ego playing this role or that. That ego is heavy and suffers. Whatever the form of existence, and whatever sense experience it is based on, there appears the birth of this “I am,” the ego, playing its act, getting into trouble. This is something that requires special attention because we have been overlooking this for all of our lives. We have not been paying any attention to existence and to this birth of ego-me. This habit continues to churn along with almost everyone ignoring it. The time has now come to start paying attention to it, to understand it, and to find a way to get away from this endless spinning around in circles of dukkha. 

An easy way to understand this is to reflect in terms of heaven or paradise (sagga). There is heaven even here in this world, in this life; and there is heaven in other worlds, wherever those may be. Let us consider the heavens of this world first. Whenever sexuality or sensuality is fulfilled and satisfied, that is paradise, a sexual or sensual heaven, a delicious kind of sensual existence. When we are thoroughly, perfectly happy with material things, that too is heaven, a kind of formish existence. When we are fulfilled and happy due to honor, fame, power, influence, and other immaterial things, that is a formless existence kind of heaven. Each of these heavens can be found here in this life.

If, however, we speak more traditionally and take the conservative, orthodox view based on the commentaries written long after the Buddha, the heavens are other worlds (paraloka). The heavenly worlds filled with sensual pleasures are sensual existence. The higher worlds full of joys based in fine material things, such as form-based samādhi, are heavens of formish existence. The highest levels of paradise come from developing samādhi until one is born as a Brahma god. In this scheme, sensuality is rather lower, form is superior, and formless is the highest. Yet, even the heavens of other worlds are still suffering because they are still existence. 

The heavens of this world are dukkha. The heavens of other worlds that we cannot see but have heard about are suffering. Every heaven is stressful and burdensome. On the other hand, the arahants, the Worthy Ones, are beyond all worlds and have transcended the various heavens. One must be beyond the heavens of sensual existence, formish existence, and formless existence to be an arahant, the highest kind of person. It is necessary to be above heaven in all its meanings in order to be totally free, liberated from dukkha. 

Every heaven is stressful and burdensome.

Let us come back to the heavens of this world; they’re easier to understand, more relevant, and can be seen clearly. Take a look at your friends, especially those who are young. Their heavens here are often in sexuality. They will invest anything, spend all their money, to fulfill their sexual joys. So they dwell mainly in such sensual existence. Even this heaven of theirs bites them. Because of it they undergo all sorts of difficulties, expenses, conflicts, competitions, and jealousy. Sexual heavens, so common in this world, consume many of our friends. 

Once their sexual searches lead to consummation in marriage, a higher or more refined level of heaven is found. With marriage there are children, a home, possessions, and wealth. These are heavens of formish existence. No matter how difficult it is to maintain these heavens, no matter how much people have, they cling to these heavens and suffer, unless there is sufficient dhamma understanding. Most people do not have enough dhamma, so these heavens bite their owners. The heavens of formish existence gnaw and devour; they even drive some people mad. 

Climbing higher, people find the heavens of purely mental matters. Enjoying and delighting in great fame and prestigious awards such as Nobel Prizes are heavens of formless existence. These chew and chomp. Seduced into clinging to these exalted pleasures their hearts are heavy with jealousy and possessiveness, with fighting to preserve their existences. So the formless paradises also bite their owner. Whatever kind of heaven it may be— sexual, formish, or formless—each and every kind of existence turns and bites. Observe the existences of life around us and you will understand existence well. There is not any kind of existence that is free of suffering. 

The existences connected with sex and sensuality have the usual problems, difficulties, jealousies, and conflicts with which you are familiar. The existences connected with simple materiality—with form, money, jewels, and possessions—have the problems and stress of the hard work and struggle to obtain, protect, and increase them. The existences connected with things having no form—matters like power, prestige, honor, reputation, virtue, and vice—all have their problems and difficulties. They all involve a lot of effort, concern, worry, and time. One can see that all three kinds of existence are fraught with trouble, cause problems, and bring distress. 

There is not any kind of existence that is free of suffering.

Please take your study to the level that sees how every level of heaven and every kind of existence contains the devouring reactions known as defilements (kilesas). Each level has its corresponding defilement and all of them wound. There are things that bite, that inflict aches and pain, on every level of heaven and in every kind of existence. One cannot escape pain even in the highest heaven. 

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© 2017 by Ajahn Buddhadasa, Under the Bodhi Tree: Buddha’s Original Vision of Dependent Co-arising. Reprinted by arrangement with Wisdom Publications.