Tushita


Tushita or Tusita is the fourth of the six deva or heavenly realms of Kamadhatu in Buddhist tradition. It is located between the "Yāmā deva" realm and the "Nirmanarati deva" realm in Buddhist cosmology. Like the other heavens, Tusita is said to be reachable through sādhanā, or advanced meditative attainments. It is the heaven where the Bodhisattva Svetaketu resided before being reborn on Earth as Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha; it is the place where bodhisattvas, or future Buddhas reside before their rebirth as a Buddha.

Descriptions

Like all heavenly realms in Buddhism, the Tusita Heaven is the residence of divine beings or devas. According to the Visakhuposatha Sutta of the Pāli Canon, time there runs very differently than on Earth:
Approximately, a deva month would be 12,000 years, a deva year would be 144,000 years, and a deva lifespan would be 576,000,000 years.
According to the Dana Sutta, those who do meritorious deeds with the intention of helping others would tend to be reborn in Tusita Heaven upon death.

Mahayana view

The Infinite Life Sutra, a Mahayana text, states:
Because Tusita Heaven is where all Bodhisattvas destined to reach full enlightenment in their next life dwell, heaven is therefore closely associated with Maitreya, the next Buddha. Many Buddhists vow to be reborn there so that they can hear the teachings of Maitreya and ultimately be reborn with him when he becomes a Buddha. Other bodhisattvas also dwell in this heavenly realm from time to time.