Devaloka

devaloka. (T. lha’i ’jig rten; C. tianshijie/tianjie/tianshang 天世界/天界/天上). In Sanskrit and Pāli, the “deva realms,” "divine realms," etc. This term refers to the abodes of the divinities (deva) in Buddhist cosmology. The deva realms are the highest and most favorable of the five or six rebirth destinies (gati) of samsara.

The 84000 glossary states:

Cognate with the English term divine, the devas are most generally a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (arūpadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the deva realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

See also

• svarga