English
The Elder, having tamed the Nāga king, made him harmless, and taking him, said, "The Teacher, Nanda, has come, come, let us go," and went to the presence of the Blessed One. The Nāga king bowed to the Blessed One and said, "Venerable Sir, I go for refuge to you." The Blessed One, saying, "Be happy, Nāga king," then to the bhikkhus surrounded by his retinue, he went to Anāthapiṇḍika’s residence. Anāthapiṇḍika said, “Why, Venerable Sir, have you come so early?” (He was told,) “There was a battle between Moggallāna and Nandopananda.” (He asked,) “Whose victory, Venerable Sir, whose defeat?” (He was told,) “Moggallāna’s victory, Nanda’s defeat.” Anāthapiṇḍika, saying, “May the Blessed One, Venerable Sir, accept my invitation for a meal for seven days in a row; I will honor the Elder for seven days,” made a great offering for seven days to five hundred monks headed by the Buddha. Thus, referring to the great body created in this subduing of Nandopananda, it was said, “When he creates a great body, it is great, like that of the Elder Mahāmoggallāna.” Even when this was said, the monks said that what is not clung to grows because of what is clung to. This is the reasoning here. Having done so, he not only touches the sun and moon. If he wishes, he makes a footstool and places his feet on it, makes a seat and sits, makes a couch and lies down, makes a backrest and leans against it. And just as one does, so does another. Even when many hundreds of thousands of monks do this, it succeeds for each of them in the same way. And the movement and illumination of the sun and moon remain the same. Just as in thousands of bowls filled with water, the moon's disks are seen in all bowls. And the moon's movement and illumination are natural. This miracle is like that. 397. “Even up to the Brahma-world” means having made the Brahma-world a boundary. “He exercises power with his body” means he exercises his own power with his body in that Brahma-world. Its meaning should be understood by following the Pāli. This is the Pāli here— “He exercises power with his body even up to the Brahma-world. If that powerful one, skilled in mind-mastery, wishes to go to the Brahma-world, he resolves that what is far be near, and it is near. He resolves that what is near be far, and it is far. It is. Even much, he resolves as little, thinking 'Let it be little,' and it becomes little. Even little, he resolves as much, thinking 'Let it be much,' and it becomes much. With the divine eye, he sees the form of that Brahma. With the divine ear element, he hears the sound of that Brahma. With the knowledge of penetrating others' minds, he knows the mind of that Brahma. If that powerful one, having attained mastery over the mind, wishes to go to the Brahma-world with a visible body, he transforms the mind by means of the body, he resolves the mind by means of the body, having transformed the mind by means of the body, having resolved the mind by means of the body, having entered upon the perception of ease and the perception of lightness, he goes to the Brahma-world with a visible body. If that powerful one, having attained mastery over the mind, wishes to go to the Brahma-world with an invisible body, he transforms the body by means of the mind, he resolves the body by means of the mind. Having transformed the body by means of the mind, having resolved the body by means of the mind, having entered upon the perception of ease and the perception of lightness, he goes to the Brahma-world with an invisible body. He creates a form in front of that Brahma, mind-made, complete in all its limbs and parts, with unimpaired faculties. If that powerful one walks, the created one also walks there. If that powerful one stands, sits, lies down, the created one also lies down there. If that powerful one emits smoke, blazes, speaks the Dhamma, asks a question, being asked a question, answers, the created one also, being asked a question, answers there. If that powerful one stands, converses, engages in discussion together with that Brahma, the created one also stands, converses, engages in discussion there together with that Brahma. Whatever indeed that powerful one does, that same thing the created one does. In this regard, 'even far, he resolves as near,' means: having arisen from the base jhana, he focuses on the far-off deva-world or Brahma-world, thinking 'Let it be near.' Having focused, having performed the preliminary work, again Having entered (into jhāna) with knowledge, he resolves, "Let it be near!" And it is near. This method applies to other places too. There, who made the distant near? The Blessed One. For the Blessed One, at the end of the Twin Miracle, going to the deva world, made Yugandhara and Sineru near. Placing one foot on Yugandhara from the earth's surface, he placed the second on Sineru's summit. Who else did it? The Elder Mahāmoggallāna. For the Elder, having eaten in Sāvatthī, shortened the thirty-yojana path to Saṅkassa city for the twelve-yojana assembly who had set out, and made them arrive at that very moment. Moreover, in Tambapaṇṇi Island, the Elder Cūḷasamudda also did it. It is said that during a famine, seven hundred bhikkhus came to the Elder early in the morning. The Elder, thinking, "Where will such a large Saṅgha find alms?" and not seeing (food) in all Tambapaṇṇi Island, saw it would be "on the other shore, in Pāṭaliputta." Having made the bhikkhus take their bowls and robes, he said, "Come, friends, we will go for alms!" He shortened the earth and went to Pāṭaliputta. The bhikkhus asked, "Which city is this, venerable sir?" "Pāṭaliputta, friends." "Pāṭaliputta is far, venerable sir!" "Friends, great elders make even the distant near." "Where is the great ocean, venerable sir?" "Did you not, friends, cross a blue expanse in between and come?" "Yes, venerable sir." "But the great ocean is vast!" "Friends, great elders make even the vast small." Just as this one, so too the Elder Tissadatta, having bathed in the evening, and put on his upper robe, when the thought arose, "I will pay homage to the Mahābodhi," made it near. But who made the near distant? The Blessed One. For the Blessed One made the space between himself and Aṅgulimāla, though near, distant. Then who made much little? The Elder Mahākassapa. It is said that in Rājagaha, on a festival day, five hundred maidens... Taking egg-cakes and going for a festival, seeing the Blessed One, they said nothing. But seeing the Elder coming behind, "Our Elder comes!" "We will give cakes!" all taking cakes, approached the Elder. The Elder, taking out his bowl, made all of it fill one bowl. The Blessed One, waiting for the Elder, sat down in front. The Elder brought it and gave it to the Blessed One. But in the story of Illisa the millionaire, the Elder Mahāmoggallāna made little much, and in the story of Kākavaliya, the Blessed One did. It is said that the Elder Mahākassapa, having spent seven days in attainment, while gathering alms for the poor, stood at the door of a poor man named Kākavaliya. His wife, seeing the Elder, poured her husband's cooked, unsalted, sour gruel into his bowl. The Elder, taking it, placed it in the hand of the Blessed One. The Blessed One willed it to be sufficient for the great community of monks. What was brought in one bowl sufficed for all. And Kākavaliya, on the seventh day, attained the position of a millionaire. Not only making little much, sweet unsweet, unsweet sweet, and so on— whatever one wishes, all is accomplished by one with psychic power. Thus, the Elder Mahāanuḷa, having gone for alms with many monks, and having received only dry rice, seeing them sitting and eating on the bank of the Ganges, willed the water of the Ganges to be ghee-cream, and gave a sign to the novices. They, bringing it in plates, gave it to the community of monks. All ate with sweet ghee-cream. By the divine eye: standing right here, increasing the light, one sees the form of that Brahma. And standing right here, one hears all the sound of his speaking. One knows the mind. "One transforms the mind according to the body" means one transforms the mind according to the body born of karma. Taking the mind of the base jhāna, one places it in the body. One makes the body follow a slow pace. For the body's movement is slow. One enters the perception of pleasure and the perception of lightness. With the psychic power mind, born with the base-jhana object, he enters, penetrates, touches, attains the perception of happiness and the perception of lightness. The perception of happiness is the perception associated with equanimity. For equanimity is called calm happiness. And that very perception, being freed from hindrances and from opposing factors like initial application, should also be known as the perception of lightness. For one who has entered that, even his physical body becomes as light as a tuft of cotton. He, with such a light body, appearing like a tuft of cotton tossed by the wind, goes to the Brahma-world. And going thus, if he wishes, he creates a path in the sky by means of the earth kasiṇa and goes on foot. If he wishes, by means of the air kasiṇa, he resolves on air and goes by air like a tuft of cotton. Moreover, the desire to go is the measure here. "When there is indeed a desire to go," having thus made a mental resolve, he is propelled by the force of that resolve, and appears to go like an arrow shot from a bow. "He transforms the body by means of the mind" means he takes the body and places it in the mind. He makes it follow the mind, a swift going. For the going of the mind is swift. "He enters the perception of happiness and the perception of lightness" means he enters the perception of happiness and the perception of lightness, arisen together with the psychic power mind whose object is the physical body. The rest should be understood in the way stated. This, however, is merely the going of the mind. When it is asked,