English
‘Friend, if Rakkhita had not been, we would all have incurred blame, thinking: “They could not protect the Nāga king.” Therefore, a weapon that one takes and wields should be taken and wielded only after cleaning off the dirt.’ Standing by the Elder’s advice, even the thirty thousand bhikkhus became quick in insight. And even with quickness of insight, establishing others is a burden, and only one in hundreds or thousands can do it, like the Elder who, when Māra caused a rain of charcoal during the Giribhaṇḍavāhana offering, created earth in the sky and protected from the rain of charcoal. But for those with strong past practice, such as Buddhas, Paccekabuddhas, and Chief Disciples, even without this aforementioned kind of developmen By gradual attainment of arahantship, this display of psychic power, and other qualities like analytical knowledge, are accomplished. Therefore, just as a goldsmith, wishing to make an ornament, makes the gold soft and workable by blowing fire and so on, and then makes it; and just as a potter, wishing to make a vessel, makes the clay well-kneaded and soft, and then makes it; even so, the beginner, having tamed the mind by these fourteen ways, by way of mastering the will, mastering the mind, mastering effort, mastering investigation, mastering absorption, and mastering adverting and so on, having made the mind soft and workable, should apply himself to psychic power. However, for one with past good causes, who has practiced mastery in the kasinas up to the fourth jhana, it is also possible to do it. How one should apply oneself here, showing that method, the Blessed One said, "With his mind thus concentrated," and so on. 368. Herein, this is the analytical discourse according to the Pāli method. There, "he" means that yogi who has attained the fourth jhana. "Thus" indicates the attainment of the fourth jhana. It is said that by this, having attained the fourth jhana in sequence, starting from the attainment of the first jhana. "Concentrated" means concentrated by this concentration of the fourth jhana. "Mind" means the mind of the form sphere. In "purified" and so on, it is purified by the purity of equanimity and mindfulness. Because it is purified, it is said to be "cleansed" and "radiant." "Without blemish" means having destroyed the defilements like greed, by eliminating the conditions for pleasure and so on. Because it is without blemish, it is free from impurities. For by blemish, that mind is defiled. "Soft" means well-developed, having attained mastery. For a mind that is under control is called soft. And because it is soft, it is workable, capable of action, suitable for action. For a soft mind is workable, like well-tamed gold, and both are so because they are well-developed. As it is said: "Bhikkhus, I do not see any other single thing that, when thus developed, and made much of, is soft and workable, as..." "This, monks, is the mind." Because it stands in purity and so forth, it is steady. Because it is steady, it has attained immovability, It is unmoving, unstained, it is said. Or, because it stands in its own power, Through its pliancy and adaptability, it is steady. Because it is grasped by faith and so forth, it has attained immovability. Indeed, the mind grasped by faith Does not waver through lack of faith. Grasped by energy, it does not waver through laziness. Grasped by mindfulness, it does not waver through heedlessness. Grasped by concentration, it does not waver through restlessness. Grasped by wisdom, it does not waver through ignorance. Attained to light, it does not waver through the darkness of defilements. Grasped by these six qualities, it attains immovability. Thus, the mind endowed with eight factors Is capable of directing itself For the direct realization of things to be directly realized. Another method: Concentrated by the fourth jhāna, it is composed. Pure by being far from hindrances, it is purified. Spotless by transcending initial and sustained thought, it is cleansed. Unblemished by the absence of desires, the causes for attaining jhāna, it is unblemished. Free from defilements by the removal of covetousness and other mental corruptions, it is free from defilements. Both of these should be understood According to the Anaṅgaṇa Sutta and Vatthūpama Sutta. Softened by mastery, it is pliant. Workable by having become a basis for psychic power, it is workable. Steady and attained to immovability By the perfection of development, by having attained excellence. The meaning is: it is steady in such a way that it attains immovability. Thus, the mind endowed with eight factors Is capable of directing itself For the direct realization of things to be directly realized, It is the cause, the proximate cause. The Story of Ten Psychic Powers 369. "He directs his mind, inclines it to the various kinds of psychic power." Here, "iddhī" means success in the sense of "ijjhana" (succeeding), And in the sense of "nipphatti" (accomplishment) and "paṭilābha" (attainment), it is said. For that which is accomplished and attained, Is said to succeed. As it is said: "For one who desires a desire, if that desire succeeds for him." Likewise, "renunciation succeeds, that is iddhi, attainment." It carries away, thus a wonder. The path to Arahatship succeeds, thus power, It repels, thus a wonder. Another way, power by way of succeeding. This is a designation for the perfection of means. For the perfection of means succeeds by producing the desired result. As it is said – "Indeed, Citta the householder is virtuous, of beautiful conduct. If he resolves, 'In the future, may I be a Wheel-turning King,' then this aspiration of the virtuous one will succeed due to its purity." Another way, by this beings succeed, thus power. Succeeding means becoming prosperous, grown, reaching excellence, it is said. It is of ten kinds. As it is said, "How many powers? Ten powers." And again it is said, "What are the ten powers? The power of determination, the power of transformation, the mind-made power, the power of knowledge-effulgence, the power of concentration-effulgence, the noble power, the power born of kamma-result, the power of the meritorious one, the power born of knowledge, the power by way of succeeding due to right application in various places." 370. Therein, "Naturally, one person focuses on many. Having focused on a hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand, he determines with knowledge, 'May I be many.'" The power thus shown by division, being accomplished by way of determination, is called the power of determination. 371. "He, having abandoned his natural form, displays the form of a youth, or the form of a nāga... and so on... he displays even various battle arrays." The power thus arisen, existing by way of alteration through abandoning one's natural form, is called the power of transformation. 372. "Here, a monk creates from this body another body, having form, mind-made." The power thus arisen by this method, existing by way of the accomplishment of another mind-made body within one's own body, is called the mind-made power. 373. However, the distinction accomplished by the power of knowledge, whether before, or after, or at that moment of the arising of knowledge, is the knowledge-effulgence. Power is so called. This has been said: "The power of knowledge-effulgence is that which succeeds in abandoning the perception of permanence through the contemplation of impermanence... (and so on)... the power of knowledge-effulgence is that which succeeds in abandoning all defilements through the path of arahantship." The power of knowledge-effulgence of Venerable Bakkula. The power of knowledge-effulgence of Venerable Saṃkicca. The power of knowledge-effulgence of Venerable Bhūtapāla." (Paṭi. ma. 3.15). There, Venerable Bakkula, while still a young child, being bathed in the river on an auspicious day, fell into the current due to the nurse's carelessness. A fish swallowed him and went to the bank of Bārāṇasī. There, a fisherman caught it and sold it to the merchant's wife. She, developing affection for the fish, thinking "I myself will cook it," and splitting it open, saw a child in the fish's belly like a golden image, and became joyful, thinking "I have found a son!" Thus, the uninjured state of Venerable Bakkula in the fish's belly, being a being of his last existence, was born from the power of the knowledge of the path of arahantship to be attained in that very existence, and is called the power of knowledge-effulgence. But the story should be told in detail. But the mother of Venerable Saṃkicca passed away while he was still in the womb. When her pyre was set up, and she was being pierced with stakes and burned, the child, struck on the eye socket by the tip of a stake, made a sound. Then, thinking "the child is alive," they took her down, split open her belly, and gave the child to his grandmother. He, cared for by her, grew up, went forth, and attained arahantship together with the analytical knowledges. Thus, in the manner stated, the uninjured state of Venerable Saṃkicca on the wooden pyre is called the power of knowledge-effulgence. But the father of the boy Bhūtapāla was a poor man in Rājagaha. He, for the sake of firewood, went to the forest with a cart, made a load of firewood, and arrived near the city gate in the evening. Then his oxen, having abandoned the yoke, entered the city. He, having made his little son sit at the base of the cart, followed the oxen and entered the city. Before he could exit, the gate was closed. Child The power of knowledge, as explained, is the ability to remain healthy for three nights outside the city, even in the midst of the actions of fierce ogres. But the story needs to be elaborated. 374. The power of concentration is a special quality arising from the development of tranquility, either before, after, or at the moment of concentration.