善事做多了，善功德具足了，就生到天上，享受天上的快乐。天人时时在定中，得到禅悦为食，法喜充满的快乐。但这不究竟，等到天福享尽时，仍然堕落在轮回中，接受应受的果报。

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.

天人的福报，思衣衣至，思食食来；衣服只有三铢重（二十四铢为一两），所谓“天衣无缝”，不需要裁缝，大小正合体，不肥不瘦，恰到好处。一想吃东西，食物即刻现前，其量不多不少，令食者满意。

天人临终时，便有五种衰象：

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，非常庄严，永不凋谢。临终时，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）衣服垢腻：天人所穿的衣服，不但华丽，而且清洁，一尘不染，不用洗濯。临命终时，衣服邋遢，有了尘垢。

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：天人的身体，永不出汗。临命终时，两腋有汗水流出。

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

（四）身体臭秽：天人在往昔时，修行认真，严持戒律，所以有一股戒香生出，常放芬香扑鼻的气味。我们为什么有狐臭味？就因为不守戒律。天人在临命终时，则放出死尸的味道。

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）不乐本座：天人时时在定中，如如不动，了了常明。当他看到自己四衰现象生出之后，知道死之将至，心乱如麻，妄想纷飞，坐立不安，站起坐下，坐下站起，往返几次，就命终了，遂到六道轮回受生。地狱业成熟了，就到地狱道去受生；饿鬼业成熟了，就到饿鬼道去受生；畜生业成熟了，就到畜生道去受生；阿修罗业成熟了，就到阿修罗道去受生；人业成熟了，就到人道去受生。可是每一道中，又有千差万别的种类。以“人”来讲，上自皇帝，下至乞丐，有种种不同的阶级。有的富贵，有的贫贱，有的智慧，有的愚痴，有的长寿，有的夭亡，有的健康，有的多病，这都是业力所感。

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.