[Buddha-l] Tusita Heavens Questions

[Katherine Masis]

Dear List,
 
I have a few doctrinal questions regarding the Tusita heavens.  
 
Supposedly, the  Buddhas who still have to be born on Earth one more time in order to burn off their very last residual karma dwell in the Tusita heavens.  So then:
 
(a) Are the Tusita-dwellers Buddhas in the full sense of the word, or Buddhas-to-be?  From a Mahayana perspective they wouldn’t be Bodhisattvas, because supposedly Bodhisattvas have already burned off their karma and return voluntarily and altruistically until all sentient beings are saved—right?
 
(b) Would the Tusita heavens be Maitreya’s residence as well?  This would mean that Maitreya is burning off his/her last karma in preparation for birth as a Buddha.
 
(c) If the Pure Lotus Land is the celestial realm of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, how do the Tusita heavens fit in with this?  
 
(d) The Deva realm in the Wheel of Life houses happy, carefree Devas taking it easy on long vacations.  Once their good karma runs out, plop!  Down they go to another realm.  Where do the Tusita heavens fit in with the six realms in the wheel of life and with Buddhist cosmology in general?
 
Many thanks,
Katherine Masis