English
This has been stated: "The first jhāna accomplishes the abandonment of hindrances, thus it is the power of concentration... (and so on)... the attainment of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception accomplishes the abandonment of the perception of the dimension of nothingness, thus it is the power of concentration. The power of concentration belongs to Venerable Sāriputta, Venerable Sañjīva, Venerable Khāṇukoṇḍañña, the female lay follower Uttarā, and the female lay follower Sāmāvatī." (Paṭi. Ma. 3.16). In this regard, when Venerable Sāriputta was dwelling with the Elder Mahāmoggallāna in the Pigeon's Cave, one moonlit night, as he sat in the open air with his hair newly shaven, a wicked ogre, though restrained by a friendly ogre, struck him on the head. The sound was like the roaring of a cloud. At that moment, the Elder entered into an attainment. And so, he suffered no harm from that blow. This was the power of concentration of that Venerable One. The story is found in the Udāna (Udā. 34). As for the Elder Sañjīva, when he was in the attainment of cessation, cowherds and others, thinking he was dead, gathered grass, wood, and cow dung and set fire to him. Not even a thread of the Elder's robe was singed. This was his power of concentration, arising from the development of tranquility, which occurred through the progressive attainments. The story is found in the Sutta (Ma. Ni. 1.507). The Elder Khāṇukoṇḍañña, however, was naturally abundant in attainments. One night, in a certain forest, he entered into an attainment and sat down. Five hundred thieves, having stolen goods and going along, wishing to rest, thinking, "Now there is no one following us," put down their goods, and thinking, "This is Khāṇuka," they... They placed all their goods on top of the Elder. As they rested and went on, at the time of taking the first goods placed, the Elder arose, as if marking the time. Seeing the Elder's movement, they were frightened and cried out. The Elder said, "Do not fear, lay followers, I am a monk." They came, paid homage, and, with faith in the Elder, went forth (into the monastic life), and attained Arahantship together with the analytical knowledges. Here, the Elder's lack of affliction, though covered by five hundred loads of goods, is a power arising from the expansion of concentration. But Uttarā, the lay follower, was the daughter of Punna the rich man. Sirimā, a courtesan, driven by jealousy, poured a pot of boiling oil on her head. Uttarā, at that very moment, entered into loving-kindness. The oil flowed away like a drop of water from a lotus leaf. This was her power arising from the expansion of concentration. But the story should be elaborated. Sāmāvatī was the chief queen of King Udena. The brahmin Māgaṇḍiya, desiring the chief queen's position for his own daughter, had a venomous snake placed in her lute, and said to the king, "Great King, Sāmāvatī wishes to kill you; she carries a venomous snake in her lute." The king, seeing it, became angry, and intending to kill Sāmāvatī, strung his bow and fitted a poisoned arrow. Sāmāvatī, with her retinue, pervaded the king with loving-kindness. The king, unable to shoot the arrow or to unstring the bow, stood trembling. Then the queen said to him, "Why, Great King, are you weary?" "Yes, I am weary." "Then unstring the bow." The arrow fell right at the king's feet. Then the queen advised him, "Great King, one should not harm one who has done no harm." Thus, the king's inability to shoot the arrow was the power arising from the expansion of concentration of the lay follower Sāmāvatī. 375. But the noble power is dwelling with the perception of non-repulsiveness in repulsive things, and so on. As it is said: "What is noble power? Here, if a monk desires, 'May I dwell perceiving non-repulsiveness in repulsive things,' ...dwells there perceiving non-repulsiveness... ...he dwells there equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending. This, indeed, is called noble power, because it arises only for noble ones who have attained mastery of mind. Indeed, a bhikkhu endowed with this, whose defilements are destroyed, in a repulsive, undesirable object, by pervading with loving-kindness, or by attending to the elements, dwells perceiving non-repulsiveness. In a non-repulsive, desirable object, by pervading with foulness, or by attending to impermanence, dwells perceiving repulsiveness. Likewise, in both repulsive and non-repulsive objects, by pervading with loving-kindness, or by attending to the elements, dwells perceiving non-repulsiveness. And in both non-repulsive and repulsive objects, by pervading with foulness, or by attending to impermanence, dwells perceiving repulsiveness. But, maintaining the six-limbed equanimity, spoken of in the manner "having seen a form with the eye, he is neither pleased," etc., he dwells equanimous, mindful and clearly comprehending, having avoided both repulsiveness and non-repulsiveness. Indeed, in the Paṭisambhidā, this very meaning is explained in the manner "How does one dwell perceiving non-repulsiveness in what is repulsive? In an undesirable object, one pervades with loving-indness, or brings it to mind as elements," etc. This is called noble power, because it arises only for noble ones who have attained mastery of mind. 376. However, the power of going through the air, etc., of birds and so on, is called power born of kamma-result. As it is said: "What is power born of kamma-result? This is the power born of kamma-result of all birds, all devas, some humans, and some beings in states of woe." Here, indeed, for all birds, it is going through the air without jhāna or vipassanā. Likewise, for all devas, and for some humans of the first aeon. Likewise, for some beings in states of woe, such as Piyaṅkaramātā the yakkhiṇī, Uttaramātā, Phussamittā, Dhammagutta, etc., going through the air is kamma-result. is power born of non-ripening kamma. 377. The power of the meritorious, such as the aerial travel of a Wheel-turning Monarch and so forth, is called the power of merit. As it is said: “What is the power of merit? A Wheel-turning Monarch travels through the air with his fourfold army, including even the horse-keepers and cow-herders. The power of merit of Jotika the householder. The power of merit of Jaṭilaka the householder. The power of merit of Ghosita the householder. The power of merit of Meṇḍaka the householder. The power of merit of the five great meritorious ones.” In brief, the power of merit is a special accomplishment that occurs when the accumulation of merit has ripened. And here, for Jotika the householder, a jewel palace rose up, splitting the earth. And sixty-four wish-fulfilling trees—this was his power of merit. For Jaṭilaka, a golden mountain eighty cubits high appeared. For Ghosita, even when attempts were made to kill him in seven places, his good health was his power of merit. For Meṇḍaka, the appearance of seven-jewel rams in an area of one karīsa was his power of merit. The five great meritorious ones are Meṇḍaka the merchant, his wife Candapadumasirī, his son Dhanañcaya the merchant, his daughter-in-law Sumanadevī, and his slave named Puṇṇa. Among them, when the merchant had washed his head and looked up at the sky, thirteen thousand five hundred measures of red rice filled from the sky. For his wife, even when she took just a measure of cooked rice and served it to all the inhabitants of Jambudīpa, the food was not exhausted. For his son, even when he took a thousand-pouch and gave coins to all the inhabitants of Jambudīpa, the coins were not exhausted. For his daughter-in-law, even when she took one measure of paddy and distributed it to all the inhabitants of Jambudīpa, the grain was not exhausted. For his slave, when he plowed with one plow, there were fourteen furrows, seven on this side and seven on that side. This was their power of merit. 378. The power of knowledge, such as the aerial travel of sorcerers and so forth, is called the power of knowledge. As it is said: “What is the power of knowledge? Sorcerers, having recited their spells, they laugh. In the sky, in the atmosphere, they show even a hand… …they show various battle arrays.” (Paṭisambhidāmagga 3.18) 379. By means of that proper application, the success of that particular action is called iddhi, in the sense of success due to proper application in each case. As it is said: “The abandoning of sensual desire by renunciation succeeds, so it is iddhi in the sense of success due to proper application in each case… …the abandoning of all defilements by the path of arahantship succeeds, so it is iddhi in the sense of success due to proper application in each case.” (Paṭisambhidāmagga 3.18) Here, the Pāli text is similar to the previous Pāli text, in that it illustrates proper application, which is practice. In the commentary, however, it is stated that any craft, any medical skill, the learning of the three Vedas, the learning of the three Piṭakas, down to plowing and sowing, and the special qualities produced by doing those actions, are iddhi in the sense of success due to proper application in each case. (10) Thus, among these ten kinds of iddhi, in the phrase “by means of iddhi-powers,” only iddhi by determination is mentioned. In this context, iddhi by transformation and mind-made iddhi are also to be desired. 380. “Iddhividhāya” means for the divisions of iddhi, or for the varieties of iddhi. “He directs his mind, he inclines his mind” means that when that mind, which is the basis of supernormal knowledge, has arisen in the manner described, that bhikkhu directs his preparatory mind for the attainment of iddhi-powers, removing it from the kasiṇa object and sending it towards iddhi-powers. “He inclines his mind” means he makes it prone to iddhi, inclined towards iddhi to be attained. “So” means that bhikkhu who has thus directed his mind. “Anekavihitaṃ” means manifold, of various kinds.