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# Nava Sattavasa

#### The Nine Abodes of Beings

References:

The Pāḷi Line: The Gradual Course: The Ninth Lesson

Nava Sattavasa
Pāḷi | MO | Hare | Horner | Punnaji | Bodhi | Nanamoli | Piyadassa Thera | Rhys Davids | (Mrs)Rhys Davids | Thanissaro | Walshe | Woodward
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Nava Sattavasa | The Nine Habits [habitats] of Beings |  |  |  |  |  | Nine Abodes of Beings |  |  | The Nine Abodes for Beings |  |
1. (Human life and below) | There are beings out there that inhabit differently appearing bodies and are different in mind, such as human beings, certain gods and beings in the Lower Realms (animals, ghosts, demons, and creatures in the hells) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | There are beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, such as human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms. |  |
2. (Brahmā's Realm) | There are beings out there that inhabit differently appearing bodies but are of one mind, such as the beings of Brahma's Realm |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | There are beings with diversity of body and singularity of perception, such as the devas of the Brahma hosts generated by the first [jhana]. |  |
3. (Ābhassara Realm) | There are beings out there that inhabit bodies that appear identical, but whose minds differ, such as the beings of the Abhassara Realm, who Radiate light. |  | the Radiant ones |  | the gods of Streaming Radiance |  |  |  |  | There are beings with singularity of body and diversity of perception, such as the Radiant Devas. (the luminous gods) |  |
4. (Subhakiṇṇa Realm) | There are beings out there that inhabit bodies that appear identical and who are of one mind, such as the beings of the Subhakinna Realm, who are Luminescent. |  | the Lustrous ones |  | the gods of Refulgent Glory |  |  |  |  | There are beings with singularity of body and singularity of perception, such as the Beautifully Lustrous Devas.(the gods of refulgent glory) |  |
5. Assana Realm (Non-percepient beings) | There are beings out there utterly without perception. (These meditated on the idea that it was perception that was the cause of DUKKHA, and aspired to non-percipience. Reborn in the ASANNA (nonpercipient) Realm, they abide there for as long as the power of the Wish that brought them there lasts, and then a thought occurs to them at which time they are reborn with the belief that they spontaneously appeared from nothing.) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | The dimension of non-percipient beings |  |
6. (Ākāsā, Ākāsānañcāyatana) | There are beings out there who, by rising above the perception of materiality, by eliminating the perception of limit (resistance, the sign of materiality), by not paying any attention to perceptions of difference, thinking "Space is Limitless" inhabit the realm of Limitless Space. |  | ether, the plane of infinite ether |  | space, the base of infinite space |  |  | space, the infinity of space |  | There are beings who, with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, thinking, 'Infinite space,' arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of space. | space, the sphere of infinite space |
7. (Viññāṇañcāyatana Realm) | There are beings out there who, by rising above the perception of the Sphere of Limitless Akasa, thinking "Consciousness is Limitless" inhabit the realm of Limitless Consciousness. |  | the plane of infinite consciousness |  | the base of infinite consciousness |  |  | infinity of thought |  | There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, thinking, 'Infinite consciousness,' arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness | the sphere of infinite consciousness |
8. (Ākiñcaññāyatana Realm) | There are beings out there who, by rising above the perception of the Sphere of Limitless consciousness, thinking, "There is no thing there" inhabit the realm of No Thing There. |  | the plane of no-thing |  | the base of nothingness |  |  | nothing at all |  | There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, thinking, 'There is nothing,' arrive at the dimension of nothingness.(the sphere of nothingness) |  |
9. (N'evasaññānāsaññāyatana) | There are beings out there who, by passing completely beyond perceptions of The Realm of No-Thing There, being completely unaware of any sphere where they are aware of being aware that they are there, inhabit The Realm of Neither Perceiving Nor Non Perceiving. |  | the plane of neither-perception-nor-non-perception |  | the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception |  |  | a state between consciousness and unconsciousness |  | the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. (the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception) |  |

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