The Signs of Dying Devas

"Devas must be respected by Buddhists," said Sayadaw U Vimalabhivamsa, in tonight's Dhamma talk titled Pancapubbhanimmitta Sutta at Bukit Mertajam Buddhist Meditation Centre.
Devas possesses many beautiful things or properties. Human properties are like dewdrops on the grasses. Such is the comparison of the amount of properties that the devas had.

Taken from http://www.dailymail.co.uk

To be born in the deva realms, one has to have good past Kamma. So, as devas, these beings do enjoy their life as devas not only have many beautiful things to see, hear, smell and touch, they also have healthy and long life.
Devas do not need to see doctors all their lives as they are always healthy. They live a very long life depending on the deva realms they are in but they do not aged like human. However, when time is ripe, devas do died.
When the devas are dying, there are signs or nimittas of dying. These signs are

1. the flowers that the devas wear on their garment or body will fade
2. sweat exude from their armpits
3. their clothes are soiled and no longer shines
4. their bodies too no longer shines and becomes dull
5. the devas no longer delights in his own deva-seat

When these signs appeared, the dying deva will not be happy. Usually their deva friends will noticed these signs and will encouraged their dying deva friend to do three things that are

1.  To be reborn at Sukkhati
2. To get labbha
   

Here, Sayadaw said that to be reborn at Sukkhati means to be reborn in the human realm where as a human, one can choose to be able to perform and perfect his Parami.

A beautiful picture of the Buddha taken from http://dharmaprabattan.blogspot.com/

To gain the greatest labbha is to have strong saddha. Saddha here means that to have strong believe in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Kamma and Kamma-Vipaka. Only when one had attained the Ariya states (Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahat) that one can be guarantee to have strong believe in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, Kamma and Kamma-Vipaka.


Learning from this Sutta suggest that we as a human should not forget to practice doing good Kamma. As human, we had the chance and opportunity to perform good kamma. When we are born as a deva, we had so much pleasurable things that we forgot to perform good kamma. Rich people sometimes forgot this too as they are like the devas.


To have Labbha with strong saddha, one had to strive as much as one can to attain the very least the stage of Sotapanna. Only then can we be sure of not falling back into becoming people with michaditthi.


Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!