Understanding Celestial Estates : หน้า 92/112

Each celestial estate is complete in itself like an entire city. Its owner is like its king or queen with complete sovereignty. That is, the owner is free to govern his her own castle as he/she pleases. The master/mistress of the estate is waited on by his/her retinue of attendants. Each attendant has a specific duty. If the estate owner possesses a vast amount of merit, he will have a retinue of attendants numbering in the hundreds of thousands, one million, or ten million. Each estate is like a personal statement that publicizes the owner’s social standing. It is also used for various social activities. Celestial beings have different modes of transportation. They may travel by a celestial vehicle or by a celestial animal. They may travel on their own or with their attendants. When a higher-ranking celestial being’s vehicle is passing by, vehicles of lower ranking celestial beings must yield to it. Celestial vehicles or celestial animals only travel through the spaces in between celestial estates and never directly above them. This is a display of common courtesy.