善事做多了，善功德具足了，就生到天上，享受天上的快樂。天人時時在定中，得到禪悅為食，法喜充滿的快樂。但這不究竟，等到天福享盡時，仍然墮落在輪迴中，接受應受的果報。

If we do many good deeds and achieve wholesome merit and virtue, we can be reborn in the heavens to enjoy celestial happiness. Celestial beings are always in samadhi. They “take Dhyana bliss as their food and are filled with the joy of Dharma.” However, their state is not an ultimate one. When they exhaust their celestial blessings, they must re-enter the transmigratory cycle to receive the retribution they deserve.

天人的福報，思衣衣至，思食食來；衣服只有三銖重（二十四銖為一兩），所謂「天衣無縫」，不需要裁縫，大小正合體，不肥不瘦，恰到好處。一想吃東西，食物即刻現前，其量不多不少，令食者滿意。

天人臨終時，便有五種衰象：

The gods are so blessed that clothing or food materializes as soon as they think of them. Their clothing is extremely lightweight; hence the saying, “Celestial clothes are seamless.” They don’t need tailors. Their clothes are always just the right size, not too big, not too small. When celestial beings wish to eat, food instantly appears, in exactly the right amount to satisfy the eater. Five signs of decay appear when celestial beings are about to die:

（一）花冠枯萎：天人所戴的花冠，非常莊嚴，永不凋謝。臨終時，花冠自然枯萎 。

1. Their flower garlands wilt. The elegant flower garlands worn by gods never wither. At the time of death, however, the flowers naturally wilt.

（二）衣服垢膩：天人所穿的衣服，不但華麗，而且清潔，一塵不染，不用洗濯。臨命終時，衣服邋遢，有了塵垢。

2. Their clothes become soiled. The clothes worn by the gods are gorgeous, clean, and dust-free; they don’t need to be washed. But when the gods are about to die, their clothes become soiled and dirty.

（三）腋下汗出：天人的身體，永不出汗。臨命終時，兩腋有汗水流出。

3. Their armpits begin to perspire. Celestial beings’ bodies never sweat. But at the time of their death, their armpits start to perspire.

（四）身體臭穢：天人在往昔時，修行認真，嚴持戒律，所以有一股戒香生出，常放芬香撲鼻的氣味。我們為什麼有狐臭味？就因為不守戒律。天人在臨命終時，則放出死屍的味道。

4. Their bodies begin to stink. Since gods cultivated very diligently and upheld the precepts strictly, their bodies emit the “fragrance of the precepts”; they constantly give off a pleasant fragrance. Why do our bodies stink? Because we do not uphold the precepts. As their death approaches, however, celestial beings’ bodies start to smell like corpses.

（五）不樂本座：天人時時在定中，如如不動，了了常明。當他看到自己四衰現象生出之後，知道死之將至，心亂如麻，妄想紛飛，坐立不安，站起坐下，坐下站起，往返幾次，就命終了，遂到六道輪迴受生。地獄業成熟了，就到地獄道去受生；餓鬼業成熟了，就到餓鬼道去受生；畜生業成熟了，就到畜生道去受生；阿修羅業成熟了，就到阿修羅道去受生；人業成熟了，就到人道去受生。可是每一道中，又有千差萬別的種類。以「人」來講，上自皇帝，下至乞丐，有種種不同的階級。有的富貴，有的貧賤，有的智慧，有的愚癡，有的長壽，有的夭亡，有的健康，有的多病，這都是業力所感。

5. They cannot sit still. Celestial beings are perpetually in samadhi. Their bodies remain still and their minds are clear. But when they see the previous four signs of decay, they know their death is near. Thus their minds become confused and filled with random thoughts. They are fidgety-standing up and sitting down, sitting down and standing up-and after doing that a few times, they die and fall into the six paths to be reborn. If the karma that destines them for the hells ripens, they will be reborn in the hells. If the karma that destines them to be hungry ghosts ripens, they will be reborn in the path of hungry ghosts. If their animal karma ripens, they will get reborn in the path of animals. If their asura karma ripens, they go to the path of the asuras. If their human karma ripens, they will become human beings. And within each path there are thousands upon thousand of variations. In the human path alone, there are different levels ranging from as high as an emperor to as low as a beggar. Some people are wealthy and noble, some are lowly and poor, some are wise, some are stupid, some enjoy long lives, some have short lives, some are healthy, and some are afflicted with illness. Those conditions are determined by the power of karma.