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And fish, turtles, water-crows, and so on, move about as they please. But if he wishes to make that earth for other people too, he does so. But after the specified time has passed, it becomes water again. 395. "He walks in a cross-legged posture" means he goes in a cross-legged posture. "A winged bird" means a bird endowed with wings. To do this... But then, having entered the earth-kasiṇa and risen from it, if one, while sitting, wishes to go, one should delimit a space the size of a cross-legged seat, perform the preliminary work, and resolve as stated before. If one, while lying down, wishes to go, a space the size of a bed; if one wishes to go on foot, a space the size of a path. Thus, having delimited a suitable space, one should resolve, as stated before, "Let it be earth." With the resolution, it becomes earth. Here is the Pāli text: "Even in the sky, he walks cross-legged, just as a bird, a fowl. He is naturally one who has attained the earth-kasiṇa absorption. He adverts to the sky. Having adverted, he resolves with knowledge – 'Let it be earth.' It becomes earth. He, in the sky, in the air, walks, stands, sits, and lies down. Just as ordinary people, without psychic power, walk on the earth... and lie down, even so, that one, possessing psychic power, master of mind, walks in the sky, in the air... and lies down." (Paṭisambhidāmagga 3.11). And a bhikkhu wishing to go in the sky must also possess the divine eye. Why? In between, there may be mountains, trees, etc., arisen from the season, or Nāgas and Supaṇṇas, being envious, may create obstacles, for the purpose of seeing them. But having seen them, what should be done? Having entered the base-jhāna and risen from it, one should perform the preliminary work and resolve, "Let it be sky." But the Elder said, "Friend, what is the purpose of entering absorption? Is not his mind already concentrated? Therefore, whatever place he resolves, 'Let it be sky,' it becomes sky." Although he said this, one should proceed in the manner stated for passing through walls. Moreover, for the purpose of descending in a suitable place, one must possess this divine eye, for if he descends in an unsuitable place, at a bathing place or a village gate, he becomes known to the general public. Therefore, having seen with the divine eye, avoiding unsuitable places, he descends in a suitable place. 396. Even these moon and sun, so greatly powerful Here, regarding one of such great power who touches and strokes with the hand, the great psychic power is to be understood by moving above the sun and moon, which are forty-two thousand yojanas (away). The great might is to be understood by illuminating the three continents in an instant. Thus, by moving above and illuminating, he is greatly powerful and therefore of great might. "Parāmasati" means grasps or touches in one place. "Parimajjati" means strokes all around, like a mirror surface. But this psychic power of his is accomplished only by means of the jhānas that are the basis for supernormal knowledge. There is no fixed rule here about kasiṇa attainment. And this is said in the Paṭisambhidā: "These sun and moon... (etc.) ...strokes." Here, that psychic person, having attained mastery over the mind, focuses on the sun and moon. Having focused, he resolves with knowledge: 'Let them be within arm's reach.' They are within arm's reach. He, whether sitting or lying down, touches, grasps, and strokes the sun and moon with his hand. Just as ordinary people, without psychic power, touch, grasp, and stroke some material object within arm's reach, even so, that psychic person... (etc.) ...strokes. (Paṭi. Ma. 3.12) If he wishes to go and touch, he goes and touches. But if he wishes to touch while sitting or lying down right here, he resolves: 'Let them be within arm's reach.' By the power of his resolve, they come and stand within arm's reach, like a palm fruit detached from its stalk, and he touches them, or by extending his hand. But when he extends it, what grows? The appropriated, or the unappropriated? Relying on the appropriated, the unappropriated grows. There, the Elder Tipiṭaka Cūḷanāga said: "But friend, is the appropriated not small or large? Surely, when a monk emerges from a keyhole or similar, then the appropriated is small. When he makes a large body, then it is large, like that of the Elder Mahāmoggallāna." The Story of the Taming of the Nāga Nandopananda It is said that at one time, the householder Anāthapiṇḍika, the Buddha's teaching... Having heard that, he invited him, saying, "Tomorrow, Venerable Sir, please accept alms at our house with five hundred monks," and then departed. The Blessed One accepted, and having spent the rest of that day and the night, at dawn, he surveyed the ten-thousand-world system. Then, Nandopananda, the Naga king, came into the range of his knowledge. The Blessed One, thinking, "This Naga king has come into the range of my knowledge, does he have the potential for liberation?" and reflecting, "This one is of wrong view, disbelieving in the Three Jewels," and seeing, "Who could free him from this wrong view?" he saw the Elder Mahāmoggallāna. Then, when the night had become day, having attended to his body, he addressed Venerable Ānanda, "Ānanda, inform the five hundred monks that the Tathāgata is going on a divine journey." That day, Nandopananda's drinking hall was prepared. He was seated, surrounded by a divine jeweled couch, a divine white parasol being held over him, three kinds of dances, and an assembly of Nagas, looking at the food and drink arranged in divine vessels. Then the Blessed One, acting so that the Naga king would see, departed towards the Tāvatiṃsa heaven with five hundred monks, right over the top of his canopy. At that time, such an evil wrong view arose in Nandopananda, the Naga king: "These shaven-headed ascetics enter and exit the heaven of the Tāvatiṃsa gods right over our dwelling! From now on, I will not allow them to go, scattering the dust of their feet on our heads!" Rising up, he went to the base of Mount Sineru, abandoned that form, and encircled Sineru seven times with his coils, then made a hood above, and grasping the Tāvatiṃsa heaven with his inverted hood, he made it disappear. Then, Venerable Raṭṭhapāla said to the Blessed One, "Formerly, Venerable Sir, in this place, there was..." Before, I saw Sineru, I saw Sineru's adornments, I saw Tāvatiṃsa, I saw Vejayanta, I saw the banner atop Vejayanta's palace. What now, venerable sir, is the reason, what is the cause, that now I do not see Sineru... ...nor do I see the banner atop Vejayanta's palace? "This, Raṭṭhapāla, is the nāga king named Nandopananda, who, angered at you, has encircled Sineru seven times with his coils, and covered it above with his hood, making it dark, and stands there." "I will subdue him, venerable sir," he said. The Blessed One did not permit it. Then, venerable Bhaddiya, venerable Rāhula, and in succession all the monks rose up. The Blessed One did not permit it. Finally, the Elder Mahāmoggallāna said, "I, venerable sir, will subdue him." "Subdue him, Moggallāna," the Blessed One permitted. The Elder, abandoning his own form, created a great nāga king's form, and encircled Nandopananda fourteen times with his coils, placed his own hood upon the other's hood, and crushed him together with Sineru. The nāga king emitted smoke. The Elder also emitted smoke, saying, "Not only in your body is there smoke, there is also in mine." The nāga king's smoke did not harm the Elder. But the Elder's smoke harmed the nāga king. Then the nāga king blazed. The Elder also blazed, saying, "Not only in your body is there fire, there is also in mine." The nāga king's heat did not harm the Elder. But the Elder's heat harmed the nāga king. The nāga king, thinking, "This one is crushing me with Sineru, and both smoking and blazing," asked in return, "Hey, who are you?" "I am, Nanda, Moggallāna." "Venerable sir, remain in your monk's form!" The Elder, abandoning that form, entered through his right ear-passage and exited through his left ear-passage, entered through his left ear-passage and exited through his right ear-passage, likewise entered through his right nostril-passage and exited through his left nostril-passage. entered through the left nostril, and exited through the right nostril. Then the Nāga king opened his mouth. The Elder entered through his mouth and walked back and forth inside his belly, from east to west. The Blessed One said, "Moggallāna, be mindful, this Nāga is mighty." The Elder said, "For me, Venerable Sir, the four bases of psychic power have been developed, practiced repeatedly, made a vehicle, made a basis, established, accumulated, and well-mastered. Let Nandopananda stand aside, Venerable Sir, I could tame a hundred, a thousand, or a hundred thousand Nāga kings like Nandopananda." The Nāga king thought, "I didn't even see him enter, now when he exits, I will put him between my fangs and crush him." Thinking thus, he said, "Please exit, Venerable Sir, do not trouble me by walking back and forth inside my belly." The Elder exited and stood outside. The Nāga king, seeing him, released his nostril-breath. The Elder entered the fourth jhāna. The wind could not even stir a single hair-pore of his. The other bhikkhus, it is said, could perform all miracles from the beginning, but upon reaching this point, they would not be able to enter jhāna so quickly. Therefore, the Blessed One did not permit them to tame the Nāga king. The Nāga king thought, "I could not even stir a single hair-pore of this ascetic with my nostril-breath. This ascetic is mighty." The Elder abandoned his own form, created the form of a Supaṇṇa (Garuda), and pursued the Nāga king, displaying the Supaṇṇa's wind. The Nāga king abandoned that form, created the form of a young man, and saying, "Venerable Sir, I go for refuge to you," bowed at the Elder's feet.