gzugs khams kyi gnas ris bcu bdun

Seventeen abodes of the Realms of Form. The four Dhyana Realms of three each plus the five Pure Abodes. For details, see Mipham Rinpoche's Gateway to Knowledge [RY]

Seventeen abodes of the Form Realm DKC

Discussion

The seventeen abodes of the Form Realm are three levels for each of the first three dhyanas, and eight levels for the fourth--three impure and five pure. The three levels of the first dhyana are Brahma’s Abode, Brahma’s Ministers, and Great Brahma. The three levels of the second dhyana are Lesser Light, Immeasurable Light, and Radiant Light. The three levels of the third dhyana are Lesser Virtue, Immeasurable Virtue, and Full Virtue. The three impure levels of the fourth dhyana are Cloudless, Merit Born, and Great Result. The five pure abodes are Not Great, Without Pain, Excellent Appearance, Great Vision, and Below None. DKC