1At Sāvatthī. "Bhikkhus, before my enlightenment, while I was still a bodhisatta, not yet fully enlightened, the thought occurred to me: ‘What is the path and practice for the development of the bases for spiritual power?’ It occurred to me:

‘Here, a bhikkhu develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving, thinking: "Thus my desire will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally."

And he dwells perceiving after and before: "As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day."

Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.[n.256] A detailed analysis of the terms is found below at SN51:20.

"‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy and volitional formations of striving, thinking: "Thus my energy will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally."

And he dwells perceiving after and before: "As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day."

Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.

"‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to mind and volitional formations of striving, thinking: "Thus my mind will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally."

And he dwells perceiving after and before: "As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day."

Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.

"‘He develops the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to investigation and volitional formations of striving, thinking: "Thus my investigation will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally."

And he dwells perceiving after and before: "As before, so after; as after, so before; as below, so above; as above, so below; as by day, so at night; as at night, so by day."

Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he develops the mind imbued with luminosity.sn.v.282

2"‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu wields the various kinds of spiritual power, such that: having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, he travels in space like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; he exercises mastery with the body as far as the brahma world.

"‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, with the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, hears both kinds of sounds, the divine and human, those that are far as well as near.

The following three direct knowledges are fully elaborated at SN51:11 sections 7-9.

"‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu understands the minds of other beings and persons, having encompassed them with his own mind. …

"‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu recollects his manifold past abodes, that is, one birth, two births, three births, …

"‘When the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, with the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, sees beings passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare on in accordance with their kamma …

"‘When, bhikkhus, the four bases for spiritual power have been developed and cultivated in this way, a bhikkhu, by the destruction of the taints, in this very life enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge.’"

1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. "Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi: ‘ko nu kho maggo, kā paṭipadā iddhipādabhāvanāyā’ti? Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi:

‘idha bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhi pādaṁ bhāveti – iti me chando na ca atilīno bhavissati, na ca atippaggahito bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhitto bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhitto bhavissati.

Pacchāpuresaññī ca vihārati – yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure; yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho; yathā divā tathā rattiṁ, yathā rattiṁ tathā divā.

Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

Vīriyasamādhi … pe …

cittasamādhi …

vīmaṁsāsamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhi pādaṁ bhāveti – iti me vīmaṁsā na ca atilīnā bhavissati, na ca atippaggahitā bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhittā bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhittā bhavissati.

Pacchāpuresaññī ca vihārati – yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure; yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho; yathā divā tathā rattiṁ yathā rattiṁ tathā divā’−

iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

2Evaṁ bhāvitesu kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu catūsu iddhipādesu evaṁ bahulīkatesu anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti – ekopi hutvā bahudhā hoti, bahudhāpi hutvā eko hoti … pe … yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vatteti.

Evaṁ bhāvitesu kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu catūsu iddhipādesu evaṁ bahulīkatesu, āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāratī"ti.

Paṭhamaṁ.

(Chapi abhiññāyo vitthāretabbā.)