Both Buddhist monastics and laity strove for heavenly rebirth from early times. The “dharmalogical heavens” and the related beliefs and practices provided precedents and competition for pure lands. Devatā are the blessed dead who ascend, never to fall, to pure realms of bliss, radiance, and super-longevity ideal for receiving Dharma. Devatā actively participate in the Buddha’s mission, descending and engaging in myriad merit-making activities supporting the sangha. Buddhists pursue heaven through merit-making, the power of relics, mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of deities, compassion-pervasion practices, deathbed rituals, and as standardized outcomes of meditative attainment.