§15. The nine abodes of living beings.

　十五、有情众生的九个居处

The realms of the heavenly beings, the human realm, and the realms of destitution (apaya) are classed as the sensual realm, the abode of living beings who indulge in sensuality. Taken together, they count as one. The realms of form, the abodes of living beings who have attained rupa jhana, are four. The realms of formlessness, the abodes of living beings who have attained arupa jhana, are also four. So altogether there are nine abodes for living beings. Those — the arahants — who are wise to the nine abodes leave them and don't have to live in any of them. This appears in the last of the Novice's Questions (samanera-panha), 'dasa nama kim' — What is ten? — which is answered. 'dasahangehi samaññagato arahati vuccati ti' — The arahant, one who is endowed with ten qualities, gains release from the nine abodes of living beings. This can be compared to writing the numerals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. 1 to 9 are numbers that can be counted, named, added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. As for ten — 1 and 0 (zero) — when we erase the 1, because it's a repetition, we are left with 0 (zero). If we use 0 to add, subtract, multiply, or divide with any other number, it won't increase the value of that number; and 0 by itself has no value at all — but you can't say that it doesn't exist, because there it is. The same is true with the heart: It's a nature whose attributes are like 0. When 0 is connected to any other number, it greatly increases the value of that number. For instance, 1 connected with 0 becomes 10. So it is with the heart. When connected with anything, it instantly proliferates into things elaborate and fantastic. But when trained until it is wise and discerning with regard to all knowable phenomena, it returns to its state as 0 (zero) — empty, open, and clear, beyond all counting and naming. It doesn't stay in the nine places that are abodes for living beings. Instead, it stays in a place devoid of supposing and formulation: its inherent nature as 0 (zero), or activityless-ness, as mentioned in § 14.

　　诸天界、人界、恶趣界归属欲界—放逸于感官欲望的有情众生之居处，合并在一起，他们算是一个居处。色界，已经达到色界禅定的有情众生之居处，有四个(中译注：初禅天、二禅天、三禅天、四禅天)。无色界，已经达到无色禅定的有情众生之居处，也有四个(中译注：空无边处、识无边处、无所有处、非想非非想处)，所以有情众生总计共有九个居处，那些─阿罗汉─瞭然于九界者，离开它们，不必住在其中任何一处。这在沙弥所问经的最后有提到，‘何名为十？’答案如是─阿罗汉，一个具有十种德性者，从有情众生的九个居处里得到解脱，这可以比喻为书写数字１２３４５６７８９１０，１到９是可以计算、称名、加、减、乘、除的数目。至于１０─也就是１和０─当我们擦掉１，因为它是个重复，我们就剩下０，如果我们用０去和其它任何数目加、减、乘、除，它不会增加那个数目的价值；而０本身也完全没有价值─但你不能说它不存在，因为它就在那儿，心也是一样，它的本性就像０，当０和其它任何数目相连的时候，它就大大地增加了那个数目的价值，例如，１连接著０变成１０，心也是如此，当它与任何事物相连接时，它立刻把‘精巧’和‘奇妙’加注于事物之中，但是当它被训练到对所有可知的现象都有真知灼见时，它就回到像０的状态─空，开放而清明，超越所有的计数和名称，它不停留在有情众生的九个居处里，它停住在一个没有臆测和形式的地方：它的本性就像０或涅槃，就像第１４节中所提到的。