Tuṣita heaven兜率天,one of the six heavens of the desire realm六欲天,is known as the place where Maitreya Bodhisattva resides in his present existence. The Guan Mile pusa shangsheng doushuaitian jing観弥勒菩薩上生兜率天経,the only sūtra relied upon by the cult associated with the goal of attaining rebirth in Maitreya’s Tuṣita heaven, has traditionally played a major role in shaping the impression of the Tuṣita heaven. The scripture describes details of the gorgeously adorned Tuṣita heaven, which fascinated devotees with the idea of rebirth in a heaven. Furthermore, it should be noted that the Tuṣita heaven is also called a Pure Land浄土,just as is Amitābha’s Buddhafield, Sukhāvatī.
However, the role of the Tuṣita heaven before the sūtra was translated is different from what is described in the contents of the sūtra. Not only that, but even after the sūtra was translated, different notions of Tuṣita continued to be prevelant in literature and artistic representations. This suggests that there was a tradition apart from the scriptural. Accordingly, this paper examines how people perceived the Tuṣita heaven before the 5th century.
