The End and Rebirth of Worlds

Fifth Aggregate, the Great Elements: the Condition Nyāsa, Chapter Two, Part Three. With how many conditions do desire-realm-bound great elements relate to desire-realm-bound great elements? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of two kinds — co-existent and same-class cause. Elements arising together, mutually compared, serve as co-existent cause; elements arising earlier and later serve as same-class cause. As to predominant-condition:

— this means not obstructing arising, or merely being without hindrance. With how many conditions do desire-realm-bound great elements relate to desire-realm-bound derived form? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of five kinds — the generative, dependent, establishing, sustaining, and nourishing causes. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. With how many conditions does desire-realm-bound derived form relate to desire-realm-bound derived form? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of two kinds — same-class and ripening cause. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. With how many conditions does desire-realm-bound derived form relate to desire-realm-bound great elements? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of one kind only — ripening-cause. As to predominant-condition: as explained before.

With how many conditions do desire-realm-bound great elements relate to form-realm-bound great elements? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions do form-realm-bound great elements relate to form-realm-bound great elements? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of two kinds — co-existent and same-class cause. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. With how many conditions do form-realm-bound great elements relate to desire-realm-bound great elements? Answer: predominant-condition alone,

— its meaning as explained before.

With how many conditions do desire-realm-bound great elements relate to form-realm-bound derived form? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions does form-realm-bound derived form relate to form-realm-bound derived form? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of three kinds — co-existent, same-class, and ripening cause. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. With how many conditions does form-realm-bound derived form relate to desire-realm-bound great elements? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before.

With how many conditions does desire-realm-bound derived form relate to form-realm-bound great elements? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions do form-realm-bound great elements relate to desire-realm-bound derived form? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions does desire-realm-bound derived form relate to form-realm-bound derived form? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions does form-realm-bound derived form relate to desire-realm-bound derived form? Answer: predominant-condition alone, its meaning as explained before. With how many conditions do form-realm-bound great elements relate to form-realm-bound derived form? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of five kinds — the generative and the other four. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. With how many conditions does form-realm-bound derived form relate to form-realm-bound great elements? Answer: causal-condition, and predominant-condition. As to causal-condition: this is of one kind only — ripening-cause. As to predominant-condition: as explained before. Is every instance of desire-realm-bound form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements? Answer: a tetralemma should be constructed. There is desire-realm-bound form not produced by desire-realm-bound great elements — namely, the desire-realm-bound great elements themselves, since the great elements are never themselves produced. There is form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements that is not itself desire-realm-bound — namely, unbound form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is the accompanying form of every dharma-wisdom class, and the accompanying form of the subsequent-knowledge-of-the-path class presently manifest in a desire-realm body. There is form that is both desire-realm-bound and produced by desire-realm-bound great elements,

— namely, desire-realm-bound form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is desire-realm-bound resistant derived form,

— together with manifest-triggered unmanifest form. There is form neither desire-realm-bound nor produced by desire-realm-bound great elements — namely, form-realm-bound great elements; form-realm-bound form produced by form-realm-bound great elements; and unbound form produced by form-realm-bound great elements.

Is every instance of form-realm-bound form produced by form-realm-bound great elements? Answer: a tetralemma should be constructed. There is form-realm-bound form not produced by form-realm-bound great elements — namely, the form-realm-bound great elements themselves, for the same reason as before. There is form produced by form-realm-bound great elements that is not itself form-realm-bound — namely, unbound form produced by form-realm-bound great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is the accompanying form of the subsequent-knowledge-of-the-path class presently manifest in a form-realm body. There is form that is both form-realm-bound and produced by form-realm-bound great elements — namely, form-realm-bound form produced by form-realm-bound great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is form-realm-bound resistant derived form, together with contaminated mind-following unmanifest form. There is form neither form-realm-bound nor produced by form-realm-bound great elements — namely, desire-realm-bound great elements; desire-realm-bound form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements; and unbound form produced by desire-realm-bound great elements.

Is every instance of past form produced by past great elements? Answer: a tetralemma should be constructed. There is past form not produced by past great elements — namely, the past great elements themselves, for the same reason as before. There is form produced by past great elements that is not itself past — namely, future or present form produced by past great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is future or present manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by past great elements, since it depends on past manifest expression. There is past form produced by past great elements — namely, past form produced by past great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is every past resistant derived form, past mind-following unmanifest form, and past manifest-triggered unmanifest form. There is form neither past nor produced by past great elements — namely, future or present great elements; future or present form produced by present great elements; and future form produced by future great elements.

Is every instance of future form produced by future great elements? Answer: whatever form is produced by future great elements is necessarily future — but what is this, more precisely? It is every future resistant derived form and future mind-following unmanifest form, together with manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by future great elements, since it depends on future manifest expression. There is future form not produced by future great elements — namely, the future great elements themselves; and future form produced by past or present great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is future manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by past or present great elements, since it depends on past or present manifest expression.

Is every instance of present form produced by present great elements? Answer: a tetralemma should be constructed. There is present form not produced by present great elements — namely, the present great elements themselves. There is present form produced by past great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is present manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by past great elements, for the same reason as before. Question: this unmanifest form also has present great elements underlying it — why is this not mentioned? Answer: those serve as the basis for its continuing operation, not the basis for its creation. This unmanifest form has two kinds of basis — first, the basis for its continuing operation, namely the present great elements, by whose power it continues to function; and second, the basis for its creation, namely the past great elements, by whose power it was originally created. This passage speaks only of the basis for creation, not the basis for continuing operation, and hence it is not mentioned, since all five of the generative causes belong to the past. There is form produced by great elements yet not itself present — namely, future form produced by present great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is future manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by present great elements, for the same reason as before. There is present form produced by present great elements — namely, present form produced by present great elements. What is this, more precisely? It is every present resistant derived form and present mind-following unmanifest form, together with present manifest-triggered unmanifest form produced by present great elements, since it depends on present manifest expression. There is form neither present nor produced by present great elements — namely, past or future great elements; past form produced by future or past great elements; and future form produced by future great elements. What is earth? And so on in full. Question: why compose this treatise? Answer: in order to bring certainty to those in doubt — for, since this treatise speaks so extensively of ultimate matters, some might doubt that its author is skilled only in ultimate truth, unfamiliar with conventional matters — and it is in order to bring certainty to this doubt, and to show the distinction between the earth-element and "earth" in the ordinary sense, that this treatise is composed.

What is earth? Answer: it is color and shape — this is the conventional notion by which "earth" is designated, that is, the world, with respect to color and shape, designates the name "earth" on the basis of a shared, conventional notion — as when the world speaks of "blue earth" or "yellow earth," or of "long earth" or "short earth." What is the earth-element? Answer: it is the tactile quality of solidity —

— this is the ultimate substance capable of producing earth.

What is water? Answer: it is color and shape — this is the conventional notion by which "water" is designated, that is, the world, with respect to color and shape, designates the name "water" on the basis of a shared, conventional notion — as when the world speaks of "blue water" or "yellow water," or of "long water" or "short water." What is the water-element? Answer: it is the tactile quality of moisture — this is the ultimate substance capable of producing water.

What is fire? Answer: it is color and shape — this is the conventional notion by which "fire" is designated, that is, the world, with respect to color and shape, designates the name "fire" on the basis of a shared, conventional notion — as when the world speaks of "blue fire" or "yellow fire," or of "long fire" or "short fire." And, as in the brahmin's own scripture on reading fire, its verse says:

"A red flame brings many illnesses; A yellow one, war caused by famine; A parti-colored flame, abundance; a blue one, decline; A white or a black flame governs rise and ruin." What is the fire-element? Answer: it is the tactile quality of heat — this is the ultimate substance capable of producing fire. What is wind? Answer: it is simply the wind-element itself. What is the wind-element? Answer: it is the tactile quality of motion. Question: why is there no conventional sense of "wind" spoken of, as there is for the other three? Answer: because the world forms no such conventional notion with respect to wind at all,

— unlike its treatment of color and shape for the other three. Other masters say: the world does form some conventional notion of wind as well, though only a slight one, and hence it is not separately mentioned — as when the world speaks of "a dusty wind" or "a dust-free wind," or of the Viśvabhū wind, the Vairambha wind, small winds and great winds, and whirlwind-dust-column winds, and the like.

Under how many sense-fields are earth, water, fire, and wind subsumed? And so on in full. Question: why compose this treatise? Answer: in order to bring certainty to those in doubt — for, upon hearing that conventional "earth" and the rest are spoken of, some might suppose these have no real essential nature, are subsumed under no sense-field, and are perceived by no consciousness at all; or might suppose that the conventional and the ultimate are subsumed under the very same sense-field and perceived by the very same consciousness. It is in order to remove this doubt, and to show that conventional earth and the rest, though a merely nominal designation, still possess a real essential nature, subsumed within one of the five sense-fields and perceived by one of the five sense-consciousnesses — and further, to show that the conventional and the ultimate are subsumed under different sense-fields and perceived by different consciousnesses — that this treatise is composed.

Under how many sense-fields are earth, water, fire, and wind subsumed, and by how many consciousnesses are they perceived? Answer: earth, water, and fire are subsumed under one sense-field — the form sense-field, since they are seen by the eye — and perceived by two consciousnesses — eye-consciousness and mental-consciousness, with eye-consciousness taking only the particular own-characteristic, and mental-consciousness taking both the particular and the shared characteristic. Wind is subsumed under one sense-field — the touch sense-field, since it is grasped by the body — and perceived by two consciousnesses — body-consciousness and mental-consciousness, taking the particular and shared characteristic just as explained before. Others say: wind, too, is partly subsumed under the form sense-field and partly perceived by eye-consciousness, though only to a small degree, and hence this is not separately mentioned.

Under how many sense-fields are the earth-, water-, fire-, and wind-elements subsumed, and by how many consciousnesses are they perceived? Answer: they are subsumed under one sense-field — the touch sense-field, since they are grasped by the body — and perceived by two consciousnesses — body-consciousness and mental-consciousness, taking the particular and shared characteristic just as explained before. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "draw" something, and how many are "drawn"? Answer: when a sentient being draws a sentient being, nine sense-fields actively draw, and nine sense-fields are drawn;

— when a sentient being draws an insentient object, nine sense-fields actively draw, and four are drawn; when an insentient object draws another insentient object, four sense-fields actively draw, and four are drawn; when an insentient object draws a sentient being, four sense-fields actively draw,

— and nine sense-fields are drawn. What is said of drawing is likewise said of holding, carrying, and the like. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "weigh" something, and how many are "weighed"? Answer: four sense-fields actively weigh, and four are weighed, since the five faculties themselves are too subtle to be the object of weighing. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "counterbalance" something, and how many are "counterbalanced"? Some say: four actively counterbalance, and four are counterbalanced. Others say: four actively counterbalance, while weight itself is what is counterbalanced. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "burn" something, and how many are "burned"? Some say: four actively burn, and four are burned. Others say: heat alone actively burns, while the four together are what is burned. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "sever" something, and how many are "severed"? Some say: four actively sever, and four are severed. Others say: solidity alone actively severs, while the four together are what is severed. Question: how many sense-fields, combined, are said to actively "wash" something, and how many are "washed"? Some say: four actively wash, and four are washed. Others say: four actively wash, while the form sense-field alone is what is washed — as when it is said, "washed until fair and bright," or "like gold in color."

Others, further, say: four actively wash, while touch alone is what is washed — as when it is said, "holding a cup of bathing-powder, one goes to the edge of a certain pond, and scrubs the body clean of dust and grime." Others say: four actively wash, while all twelve internal sense-fields are what is washed, since, through bathing,

— all twelve internal sense-fields become bright and clear, free of every trace of defilement and turbidity.

Question: of these four great elements, how many are capable of serving as a calamity? Answer: three — excluding earth. Question: why is earth not capable of serving as a calamity? Answer: because it is not its own proper field,

— nor its own proper vessel, and so on in full. Others say: only what is fierce and sharp can serve as a calamity, whereas earth's own nature is sluggish and dull, incapable of serving as one. Others say: whatever is capable of damaging an internal vital point is also capable of serving as an external calamity — namely, severing the marman point, which constitutes damage to an internal matter — and this capacity belongs only to the three, and hence earth is not a calamity. Others say: a calamity is established specifically for the purpose of destroying earth — the three great elements are capable of burning, soaking, and striking earth, and hence are called calamities, while earth is not so. Others say: were earth also capable of serving as a calamity, then everything from the wind-wheel up through the fourth dhyāna would be compacted into a single solid mass — but this would describe the formation of an eon, not its destruction. Others say: were earth capable of serving as a calamity, it ought to be capable of reaching and destroying the fourth dhyāna as well — yet no calamity of any kind ever reaches or destroys that level. Here, one line of reasoning gives rise to a further question: why does no calamity reach that far? Some say: simply because earth is not itself a calamity. Others say: were that ground reached by a calamity, there would then be no uppermost peak of destruction at all — for the upper three dhyānas each serve, in turn, as the destructive peak of one of the three calamities, and, were the fourth dhyāna also destroyed by some calamity, there would be no place left to serve as this uppermost peak, since the formless realms have no spatial location at all. Others say: it is in order to spare the Pure Abodes, since there is no possibility of rebirth above them — were that place reached by a calamity, then no being in the Pure Abodes could ever attain nirvāṇa before the exhaustion of their own lifespan. Question: if so, how could their lifespan ever be verified at all? If it is said that they do indeed sometimes attain nirvāṇa before their lifespan is exhausted, then this itself already explains why no calamity ever arises there — as it is said, wherever even a single ant's egg still remains, that place is never destroyed by calamity. Others say: destruction reaches only wherever a corresponding internal calamity is also present — and the fourth dhyāna alone has no internal calamity at all, and hence no external calamity reaches it — for the first dhyāna has, within it, something like an internal fire, namely reflection and investigation, and hence has an external fire-calamity; the second dhyāna has, within it, something like an internal water, namely joy, and hence has an external water-calamity; and the third dhyāna has, within it, an internal wind, namely the in-and-out breath, and hence has an external wind-calamity.

The fourth dhyāna alone has no internal calamity of any kind, and hence no external calamity of any kind can ever reach it.

Question: when the fire-calamity arises, from where does the fire come? Some say: at the formation of the world, seven suns arise together, and, remaining hidden behind the Holding-Twin Mountains, one alone then rises and circles Sumeru, providing light — and, as the eon draws near its end and the fire-calamity arises, the remaining six suns gradually emerge, and, through their combined power, the world is destroyed. Others say: as the world is about to be destroyed, this single sun itself divides into seven, and, through their combined power, the world is destroyed. Others say: this same single sun, as the eon draws near its end, becomes sevenfold hotter, burning up the world. Others say: seven suns are first buried beneath the earth, and later gradually emerge, functioning just as described. According to this last account: it is the accumulated power of beings' own karma that causes the world to form, and, as the eon draws to its end, once this karmic power is exhausted, a calamitous fire spontaneously arises nearby, wherever conditions are ripe, ultimately consuming everything up through the Brahma-heaven.

Question: when the water-calamity arises, from where does the water come? Some say: at the edge of the third dhyāna, a rain of scalding ash-water falls, soaking and flooding everything up through the Ābhāsvara heaven. Others say: it surges up from the water-wheel below, and, through its power, the world is destroyed. According to this last account: it is the accumulated power of beings' own karma that causes the world to form, and, as the eon draws to its end, once this karmic power is exhausted, a calamitous water spontaneously arises nearby, wherever conditions are ripe, and, through this cause and condition, the world is destroyed.

Question: when the wind-calamity arises, from where does the wind come? Some say: at the edge of the fourth dhyāna, a great Vaḍabāmukha wind suddenly arises across a hundred million world-systems, uprooting and overturning Mount Sumeru itself together with the surrounding golden mountains and rings, causing them to collide and tumble, scattering into open space like flour or dough dispersed by a gust. Other masters say: a fierce wind surges up from the wind-wheel below, blowing the world apart. According to this last account: it is the accumulated power of beings' own karma that causes the world to form, and, as the eon draws to its end, once this karmic power is exhausted, a calamitous wind spontaneously arises nearby, wherever conditions are ripe, ultimately scattering and destroying everything up through the Śubhakṛtsna heaven.

Question: when any of the three calamities arises, do all external objects everywhere actually undergo transformation to accord with that calamity? Some say: every object does indeed transform accordingly —

— that is, when this world's fire-calamity arises, every external object becomes as light and dry as withered grass, cotton wadding, or birch bark, and, the instant fire touches it, is instantly consumed; when the water-calamity arises, every external object becomes as soluble as sugar or the like, and, the instant water touches it, instantly dissolves; and when the wind-calamity arises, every external object becomes as loosely cohered as flour-dough, and, the instant wind touches it, instantly scatters. But, were this so, every dharma would then have to abandon its own characteristic. According to this final account: even when the three calamities arise, solid, moist, and other such objects undergo no actual transformation at all — it is solely through the accumulated power of beings' own karma that these calamities become capable of destroying what would otherwise be difficult to destroy.

Thus the three calamities and what they destroy must necessarily belong to the same class of realm and ground — that is, a desire-realm calamity destroys the desire realm, a first-dhyāna calamity destroys the first dhyāna, and likewise up through the third dhyāna. Question: if so, how is the sūtra to be reconciled, which says that the great earth, Mount Sumeru, and the rest all become ablaze, the wind fanning the flames higher and higher until they burn up even the Brahma-heaven — and that beings in the Ābhāsvara heaven, having only recently been reborn there, not yet well versed in the formation and destruction of eons, seeing this, are terrified, thinking, "Once those flames finish consuming the Brahma-heaven, they will surely come to burn us as well"? Answer: one should understand that sūtra to speak with reference to unbroken continuity — that is, a form-realm fire, arising in unbroken continuity from the desire-realm fire, is what burns the Brahma-heaven, and not the very same desire-realm fire, water, or wind itself reaching upward — this same principle should be understood accordingly throughout.

Question: in what sequence do the three calamities arise? Answer: fire, water, and wind occur in that order in succession — yet not in immediate, alternating succession with one another,

— namely, seven fire-calamities occur consecutively first, and only then does a single water-calamity arise; this pattern then repeats across seven such cycles of seven fire-eons and one water-eon each, and, immediately following the seventh water-calamity, a single wind-calamity then arises. Hence the water- and wind-eons each follow directly upon a fire-eon, while fire-eons occur in cycles counted from three — and it is on this basis that the Ābhāsvara heaven's own sixty-four-kalpa lifespan is properly explained. What is here called a great eon consists of eighty intermediate eons each, twenty each for formation, duration, destruction, and emptiness. Now, as the first fire-eon is about to burn and destroy the world, the people of Jambudvīpa live to eighty thousand years, at peace, prosperous, and exceedingly numerous, their cities, towns, and villages so close together that a chicken could fly from one to the next — and most people practice the ten wholesome courses of conduct. From this point on, no being who dies in hell is reborn there again — this marks the completion of the twenty duration-eons, and the beginning of the twenty destruction-eons. Hell-beings gradually diminish from this point until not a single one remains — this is called the destruction of the hell-being world; next the animal realm is destroyed, then the ghost realm, each following the same pattern as hell; and next the beings of Jambudvīpa are destroyed. Question: if the animal and ghost realms are destroyed before humans, how could humans still obtain milk, butter, and the like, or still perform agricultural and transport labor requiring animals? Some say: through the accumulated power of human karma, insentient objects come to resemble animals in appearance, producing milk and the like and performing such labor. Question: the human body presently depends on eighty thousand households of parasitic organisms to sustain its own continuity — how, then, could it continue to exist once these were lacking? Answer: at that time, the human body naturally continues to persist of its own accord, just as the bodies of bodhisattvas and wheel-turning kings, though lacking such parasites, naturally persist all the same. According to this final account: the great oceans are the animal realm's own original dwelling place, and, once not a single animal remains there, this is called the destruction of the animal-being world — though, where animals dwell intermixed among humans and the like, when the humans are destroyed, those animals are destroyed along with them.

The destruction of the ghost-being world should be understood in this same way. Now, as the human destiny of Jambudvīpa is about to be destroyed, at that time, naturally and of its own accord, a single being, without any teacher, reflects on his own and enters the first dhyāna — and, rising from that absorption, proclaims, "This first dhyāna is exceedingly blissful, exceedingly tranquil!" — and this proclamation spreads by word of mouth throughout the whole of Jambudvīpa, so that all who hear it likewise gather their minds and enter the first dhyāna, and, upon death, are all reborn above in the Brahma-heaven. The beings of Jambudvīpa thereby gradually diminish until not a single one remains — this is called the destruction of Jambudvīpa's own being-world. Next, Videha is destroyed;

— then Godānīya, each following the same pattern as described for Jambudvīpa. Uttarakuru, being like the three evil destinies, has no one who attains dhyāna and is reborn in the Brahma-world — rather, once their lifespan is exhausted, they are necessarily reborn among the gods of the desire realm, and, once every being there is gone, this is called the destruction of Uttarakuru's own being-world. Once the human destiny is destroyed, in the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, naturally and of its own accord, a single being attains the first dhyāna and, rising from that absorption, proclaims as before, and, once every being there is likewise gone, this is called the destruction of that heaven's own being-world. Next the Heaven of the Thirty-Three is destroyed, then Yāma, then Tuṣita, then Nirmāṇarati, then Paranirmita-vaśavartin, each following the same pattern as the first heaven. Once the beings of the desire realm have thus been destroyed in sequence, a single being within the first dhyāna, naturally and of its own accord, becomes capable of entering the second dhyāna, and, rising from that absorption, proclaims, "This second dhyāna is exceedingly blissful, exceedingly tranquil!" — and this proclamation spreads by word of mouth throughout the entire Brahma-world, so that all who hear it likewise gather their minds and enter the second dhyāna, and, upon death, are all reborn in that heaven above. The beings of the first-dhyāna heaven thereby gradually diminish until not a single one remains — this is called the destruction of the Brahma-heaven's own being-world. Thus the desire realm together with every Brahma-heaven

— remains empty and desolate for a vast span of time, with no beings present at all. Over Jambudvīpa and the great earth's other continents and mountains, for a long span of time, no rain falls from the sky, and every tree and plant withers, dries out, and ceases to grow again, until all vanish entirely. After a long span of time, a second sun then appears in the world,

— its blazing heat doubled, and, on account of this, every pit, ravine, spring, and pool dries up completely, until not a trace of moisture remains anywhere. After another long span of time, a third sun then appears in the world, its blazing heat doubled again, and, on account of this, every river and stream dries up entirely, until not a trace of moisture remains anywhere.

After another long span of time, a fourth sun then appears in the world, its blazing heat doubled again, and, on account of this, the lake of Anavatapta itself dries up completely — that same lake from which the four great rivers flow, the Gaṅgā, the Sindhu, the Vakṣu, and the Sītā — until not a trace of moisture remains anywhere. After another long span of time, a fifth sun then appears in the world, its blazing heat doubled again, and, on account of this, the great ocean itself gradually dries up completely, until not a trace of moisture remains anywhere. After another long span of time, a sixth sun then appears in the world, its blazing heat doubled again, and, on account of this, the great earth and Mount Sumeru itself become scorched, smoking and smoldering. After another long span of time, a seventh sun then appears in the world, its blazing heat now at its utmost intensity,

— and, on account of this, the great earth and Mount Sumeru itself, all at once, burst into flame both within and without, blazing everywhere, until even the Brahma-heaven is entirely consumed — from the Brahma-world above down to the wind-wheel below, everything burns completely, leaving not so much as ash behind, just as ghee or oil, when fully consumed by fire, leaves no residue whatsoever, so too it is here. At that time, the desire realm and the first dhyāna alike stand entirely empty, void, and desolate — this marks the completion of the twenty destruction-eons, and the beginning of the twenty emptiness-eons from this point. Question: how many eons destroy beings, and how many destroy the physical world? Some say: ten eons destroy beings, and ten destroy the physical world. Others say: fifteen eons destroy beings, and five destroy the physical world. According to this final account: nineteen eons destroy beings, and only one destroys the physical world, since individual karma is more difficult to exhaust than collective karma. Thus, after the world has remained destroyed for a long span of time, a subtle wind arises within the empty space below — this marks the completion of the twenty emptiness-eons, and the beginning of the twenty formation-eons from this point. This subtle wind gradually broadens and thickens, and, after a vast span of time, coils and compacts itself into a wheel sixteen hundred million yojanas thick, of immeasurable breadth, its substance hard and dense — such that, were a great mythical demigod to strike it with all his might using a vajra-wheel, the vajra itself would shatter while the wind-wheel remained entirely undamaged. Clouds then gather and rain down upon this wind-wheel, each drop as large as a cart-axle, gradually accumulating into a water-wheel.

This water-wheel, before congealing, measures eleven hundred and twenty thousand yojanas deep. Some say its breadth equals that of the wind-wheel; some say it is somewhat narrower, measuring precisely a hundred million times a hundred million in scale, its diameter one billion two hundred and thirty-four thousand yojanas, its circumference three times that, namely three billion six hundred and ten thousand three hundred fifty yojanas — held in place, without flowing outward, by the power of beings' own karma, or, as other masters say, by the compacting force of wind. Next, a distinct wind arises from within the water-wheel, churning and compacting its upper portion into gold — this becomes the golden wheel, three hundred and twenty thousand yojanas thick, while the water-wheel correspondingly shrinks to a depth of only eight hundred thousand yojanas. Some say the golden wheel's breadth equals the water's own measure; others say it is somewhat broader than the water. Clouds then gather and rain down upon this golden wheel, each drop as large as a cart-axle, and, after a vast span of time, the accumulated waters swell to a depth exceeding eighty thousand yojanas — a fierce wind then churns and compacts the various precious materials, causing them to arise, and a further, distinct wind then divides and differentiates them, separating the precious earth into various mountains and continents, and dividing the waters into sweet and salt, inner and outer seas. First, four wondrous jewels combine to form Mount Sumeru, rising up from the sea, resting upon the golden wheel — its four faces, in order, north, east, south, and west, made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal respectively, each face's own radiant color reflected in the sky above it, and hence the sky over Jambudvīpa appears the color of lapis lazuli. This mountain rises eighty thousand yojanas above the water, and extends the same depth below it, dignified and beautiful. Next, seven golden mountains form of precious gold, encircling Sumeru, resting upon the golden wheel, equal to Sumeru in their depth beneath the water, but each rising above the water only half the height of the one within it. Next, the four great continents form of ordinary earth, resting upon the golden wheel, encircling the golden mountains outside them. Finally, a ring of iron mountains forms, encircling the four continents from outside like a containing wall, rising above the water only half the height of the seventh golden mountain, though equal to Sumeru in its depth beneath the water — each mountain's breadth equaling its own height above the water. Between the seven golden mountains are seven inner seas, filled with water of the eight virtues; outside the seven golden mountains is the salty outer sea. These eight great seas are each eighty thousand yojanas deep; the first seven are as broad as the mountains they encircle; the eighth, some say, is three hundred and twenty-two thousand yojanas broad, others say it is broader still by twelve hundred eighty-seven and a half yojanas. Mount Sumeru has four terraces — the first projecting outward sixteen thousand yojanas, each of the upper three projecting half as far as the one below it, each terrace ten thousand yojanas apart from the next. Some say the first terrace is level with the water's own surface, the next two each ten thousand yojanas above that, and the fourth twenty thousand yojanas above that. Each of the four terraces, on all four sides, resembles Sumeru itself, formed of the four jewels, wondrously adorned — the four terraces named, in order, Dṛḍha, Mālādhara, Sadāmatta, and the dwelling-place of the retinue of the Four Great Kings, upon the Holding-Twin Mountains and the other six golden mountains, where the Four Kings' own villages and towns are also found. The gods of sun, moon, and the rest, dwelling upon these seven mountains and four terraces, all belong to the Heaven of the Four Great Kings — the broadest of all the desire-realm heavens. Forty thousand yojanas above the fourth terrace lies the summit of Mount Sumeru, the dwelling-place of the Thirty-Three Gods — the summit's four sides each twenty thousand yojanas, or, by its full circumference, eighty thousand yojanas; other masters say each side is eighty thousand yojanas, equal in measure to the mountain's own base beneath the water. At each of the summit's four corners rises a single peak, each five hundred yojanas in height and breadth, where the yakṣa spirit named Vajrapāṇi dwells, guarding the gods. At the summit's center lies the city named Sudarśana, its sides each two thousand five hundred yojanas, its circumference ten thousand — its golden walls a yojana and a half in height, its ground level and smooth, formed of pure gold, adorned throughout with a hundred and one kinds of precious jewels, its very ground soft to the touch like kācalindī cotton, yielding beneath the foot to just the depth of the knee and rising back up as the foot lifts, a gentle breeze continually blowing away withered flowers and drawing in fresh, wondrous ones to spread anew across the ground.

This is the great capital city of Śakra, lord of the gods — the city has a thousand gates, magnificently adorned, each guarded by five hundred blue-robed yakṣas, valiant and dignified, a full yojana in stature, each armored and armed, defending the gates. Within the city stands the Vaijayanta Palace, adorned throughout with every kind of wondrous jewel, so surpassing every other heavenly dwelling that it is called "Surpassing Excellence" — its sides two hundred and fifty yojanas, its circumference a thousand. At the city's four corners stand four towers, formed of gold, silver, and the other precious materials, adorned in every way, exceedingly lovely to behold. Outside the city, on its four sides, are four adorned gardens, where the gods gather to play — first, the Chariot Garden, where every kind of chariot manifests according to each god's own merit and fortune; second, the Coarse Garden, where armor and weapons manifest as needed whenever the gods wish to go to war; third, the Mixed-Forest Garden, where the gods, entering within, share the same innate, co-arising delight in whatever they enjoy; and fourth, the Grove-of-Joy Garden, where the most exquisite objects of sensory pleasure of every kind gather together, endlessly fascinating to behold. These four gardens are each square in shape, each with a circumference of a thousand yojanas, and each has, at its center, a single wish-fulfilling pond, its sides each fifty yojanas, filled with water of the eight virtues, with wondrous flowers appearing according to one's own wish, jeweled boats, and beautiful birds, each singular and marvelous, adorned in every way. Around the four sides of each garden lie four exquisite grounds, each twenty yojanas from the garden itself, each side of these grounds measuring two hundred yojanas — the gods' own supreme playground, where they compete and delight together. Northeast of the city stands the Pārijāta tree, the place where the Thirty-Three Gods enjoy their sensory pleasures — its roots coiling deep and wide across five yojanas, its trunk rising skyward, its branches spreading outward, its height and breadth together equal to a hundred yojanas, its unfurled leaves and blossoming flowers releasing an exquisite, fragrant scent, which, carried on a following wind, perfumes an area of a full hundred yojanas,

— or, against a headwind, still a full fifty yojanas. At the city's southwest corner stands the great Hall of Sudharmā, where the Thirty-Three Gods regularly gather, on the eighth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days of each half-month, to deliberate carefully upon matters concerning gods and humans, and to subdue the asuras and adjudicate matters of proper and improper conduct — such matters as these are explained in full elsewhere.