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ardent, and resolute. He who is endowed with virtue and observances, resolute and concentrated; whose mind is under control, one-pointed and well-concentrated. He who knows his past lives, and sees heaven and hell; then has attained the destruction of birth, a sage perfected in supernormal knowledge. By these three knowledges, he is a brahmin of three knowledges; him I call one of three knowledges, not one who merely prattles. “Thus, brahmin, in the Noble Discipline, one is a possessor of the three knowledges.” “Otherwise, venerable Gotama, is the brahmin’s possessor of the three knowledges, and otherwise is the possessor of the three knowledges in the Noble Discipline. And this possessor of the three knowledges in the Noble Discipline, venerable Gotama, the brahmin’s possessor of the three knowledges is not worth a sixteenth part of him.” “Excellent, venerable Gotama! …let the Venerable Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has taken refuge for life from this day forth.” The Ninth. 10. The Saṅgārava Sutta 61. Then the brahmin Saṅgārava approached the Blessed One; having approached, he exchanged greetings with the Blessed One. Having concluded the courteous and memorable talk, he sat down to one side. Seated to one side, the brahmin Saṅgārava said to the Blessed One: “We are brahmins, good Gotama, and we offer sacrifices and have them offered. There, good Gotama, both the one who offers the sacrifice and the one who has it offered, all of them are engaged in a path of merit for many bodies, that is, concerning sacrifice. But this one, good Gotama, who has gone forth from a household life to homelessness from whatever family, tames himself alone, calms himself alone, attains final Nibbāna for himself alone, thus he is engaged in a path of merit for one body, that is, concerning going forth.” “In that case, brahmin, I will question you on this matter. You should answer it as you deem fit. What do you think, brahmin, here a Tathāgata arises in the world, an Arahant, a Fully Self-Awakened One, endowed with knowledge and conduct, a Fortunate One, a Knower of the world, an unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, a Teacher of gods and humans, an Awakened One, a Blessed One. He says this: ‘Come, this is the path, this is the practice, by practicing which I, having directly known and realized for myself the unsurpassed foundation of the holy life, proclaim it; come, you too practice in that way, so that by practicing you too will directly know and realize for yourselves the unsurpassed foundation of the holy life and abide in it.’ Thus, this Teacher himself teaches the Dhamma, and others practice for that purpose, and there are many hundreds, many thousands, many hundreds of thousands of them. “What do you think, brahmin, in this case, is this a path of merit for one body, or for many bodies…?” is a path of merit, or one involving many bodies, that is, the basis of going forth (renunciation)?" "Indeed, venerable Gotama, that being so, the path of merit involving many bodies is that which is the basis of going forth." When this was said, the venerable Ānanda spoke to the brahmin Saṅgārava thus: "Of these two paths, brahmin, which path do you approve of as having less affliction, less trouble, greater fruit, and greater benefit?" When this was said, the brahmin Saṅgārava spoke to the venerable Ānanda thus: "Just as venerable Gotama, and venerable Ānanda. These are worthy of my veneration, these are worthy of my praise." A second time, the venerable Ānanda spoke to the brahmin Saṅgārava thus: "Indeed, brahmin, I do not ask you thus: 'Who are worthy of your veneration, who are worthy of your praise?' Indeed, brahmin, I ask you thus: 'Of these two paths, brahmin, which path do you approve of as having less affliction, less trouble, greater fruit, and greater benefit?'" A second time, the brahmin Saṅgārava spoke to the venerable Ānanda thus: "Just as venerable Gotama, and venerable Ānanda. These are worthy of my veneration, these are worthy of my praise." A third time, the venerable Ānanda spoke to the brahmin Saṅgārava thus: "Indeed, brahmin, I do not ask you thus: 'Who are worthy of your veneration, who are worthy of your praise?' Indeed, brahmin, I ask you thus: 'Of these two paths, brahmin, which path do you approve of as having less affliction, less trouble, greater fruit, and greater benefit?'" A third time, the brahmin Saṅgārava spoke to the venerable Ānanda thus: "Just as venerable Gotama, and venerable Ānanda. These are worthy of my veneration, these are worthy of my praise." Then it occurred to the Blessed One: "Even a third time, the brahmin Saṅgārava, being asked a question in accordance with the Dhamma by Ānanda, evades it." He does not release. "What if I were to set him free?" Then the Blessed One said to the brahmin Saṅgārava: "What was the conversation today, brahmin, among the royal officials assembled and gathered in the royal inner palace?" "This was the conversation today, good Gotama, among the royal officials assembled and gathered in the royal inner palace: 'Formerly, it seems, there were fewer bhikkhus, and more of them displayed superhuman powers of psychic ability. But now there are more bhikkhus, and fewer of them display superhuman powers of psychic ability.' This was the conversation today, good Gotama, among the royal officials assembled and gathered in the royal inner palace." "These, brahmin, are three kinds of marvels. Which three? The marvel of psychic power, the marvel of telepathy, and the marvel of instruction. And what, brahmin, is the marvel of psychic power? Here, brahmin, someone experiences various kinds of psychic power: Being one, he becomes many; being many, he becomes one. He appears and vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, through ramparts, through mountains, as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if in water. He walks on water without sinking as if on earth. He travels through the air, sitting cross-legged, like a winged bird. He touches and strokes with his hand these moon and sun, so mighty, so powerful. He exercises bodily mastery even as far as the Brahma-world. This, brahmin, is called the marvel of psychic power." "And what, brahmin, is the marvel of telepathy? Here, brahmin, someone declares by means of a sign: 'Such is your mind, such is your thought, such is your consciousness.' Even if he declares much, it is just so." it is so, not otherwise. “Here, brahmin, some person does not indeed declare by a sign, but having heard the sound of humans, or non-humans, or deities, he declares: ‘Such is your mind, such is your mind, such is your thought.’ Even if he declares much, it is so, not otherwise. “Here, brahmin, some person does not indeed declare by a sign, nor having heard the sound of humans, or non-humans, or deities, but having heard the sound of the thought-vibrations of one who is thinking and pondering, he declares: ‘Such is your mind, such is your mind, such is your thought.’ Even if he declares much, it is so, not otherwise. “Here, brahmin, some person does not indeed declare by a sign, nor having heard the sound of humans, or non-humans, or deities, nor having heard the sound of the thought-vibrations of one who is thinking and pondering, but having encompassed with his mind the mind of one who has attained a concentration free from thought and pondering, he knows: ‘As this venerable one’s mental formations are directed, immediately after this thought, he will think such and such a thought.’ Even if he declares much, it is so, not otherwise. This, brahmin, is called the miracle of declaration. “And what, brahmin, is the miracle of instruction? Here, brahmin, some person instructs thus: ‘Think thus, do not think thus; pay attention thus, do not pay attention thus; abandon this, abide having entered upon this.’ This, brahmin, is called the miracle of instruction. These, brahmin, are the three miracles. Of these three miracles, brahmin, which miracle is pleasing to you, more excellent and more sublime?” “There, good Gotama, that miracle where some person experiences various kinds of supernormal power… …even to the Brahma-world with his body by which one lives, this, good Gotama, is a wonder. Whoever does it, he experiences it. Whoever does it, to him it belongs. This, good Gotama, seems to me like a magical, worldly form. And this, good Gotama, is a wonder: here, some person predicts by signs: 'Thus is your mind, thus is your mind, thus is your thought.' And though he predicts much, it is just so, not otherwise. But here, good Gotama, some person does not predict by signs, but having heard the sound of humans, or non-humans, or deities, he predicts... ...nor having heard the sound of humans, or non-humans, or deities, he predicts, but having heard the sound of the thought-vibrations of one who is thinking and pondering, he predicts... ...nor having heard the sound of the thought-vibrations of one who is thinking and pondering, he predicts, but having encompassed with his mind the mind of one who has attained a concentration without thought and without pondering, he discerns: 'As the mental formations of this venerable one are directed, immediately after this thought, he will think such and such a thought.' And though he predicts much, it is just so, not otherwise. This too, good Gotama, is a wonder. Whoever does it, he experiences it. Whoever does it, to him it belongs. This too, good Gotama, seems to me like a magical, worldly form. But this, good Gotama, is a wonder: here, some person thus instructs: 'Think thus, do not think thus; pay attention thus, do not pay attention thus; abandon this, abide having entered upon this.' This alone, good Gotama, is the wonder that is more excellent and more sublime than these three wonders. Wonderful, good Gotama, amazing! Oh, good Gotama! How well-spoken this is by the good Gotama! And we hold the good Gotama to be endowed with these three marvels.