Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Nalanda in Pavarika's mango grove. Then Kevatta the householder approached the Blessed One, bowed, sat respectfully to one side, and said:
"Venerable sir, this Nalanda is powerful, both prosperous and populous, filled with people who have confidence in the Blessed One. It would be good if the Blessed One were to direct a monastic to display a miracle of psychic power from his superior human state so that Nalanda would to an even greater extent have confidence in the Blessed One."
When this was said the Blessed One said to Kevatta the householder, "Kevatta, I do not teach the monastics in this way: 'Come, monastics, display a miracle of psychic power to the lay people clad in white.'"
A second time...and a third time, Kevatta the householder said this to the Blessed One: "I will not argue with the Blessed One, but I tell you: venerable sir, this Nalanda is powerful, both prosperous and populous, filled with people who have confidence in the Blessed One. It would be good if the Blessed One were to direct a monastic to display a miracle of psychic power from his superior human state so that Nalanda would to an even greater extent have confidence in the Blessed One."
A third time the Blessed One rebuffed Kevatta the householder. "Kevatta, there are these three miracles that I have declared, having directly known and realized them for myself. What three?
- The miracle of psychic power
- the miracle of telepathy
- the miracle of instruction.
"And what is the miracle of psychic power? There is one case where a monastic wields manifold psychic powers.
- Having been one that person becomes many.
- Having been many that person becomes one.
- One reappears.
- One vanishes.
- One goes unimpeded through walls, buildings, and mountains as if through space.
- One dives in and out of the earth as if it were water.
- One walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land.
- Sitting cross-legged one flies through the air like a winged bird.
- With one's hand one touches and strokes even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful.
- One exercises influence with this body even as far as the Brahma worlds.
"Then someone who has confidence and conviction in this person sees this person wielding manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with this body even as far as the Brahma worlds. One reports this to someone who has no confidence and no conviction, telling that person, 'Is it not awesome? Is it not astounding how great the power, how great the skill of this wandering ascetic? Just now I saw this person wielding manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with this body even as far as the Brahma worlds.'
"Then the person without confidence, without conviction would say to the person with confidence and with conviction: 'There is a charm called the 'Gandhari charm' by which the monastic wielded manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with this body even as far as the Brahma worlds.' What do you think, Kevatta -- isn't that what the person without faith, without conviction would say to the person with confidence and with conviction?"
"Yes, venerable sir, that's just what that person would say."
"Seeing this drawback to the miracle of psychic power, Kevatta, I feel horrified, humiliated, and disgusted with the miracle of psychic power.
The Miracle of Telepathy
"And what is the miracle of telepathy? There is another case where a monastic reads the minds, the mental events, the thoughts, the ponderings of other beings, other individuals, [saying,] 'Such is your thinking, here is where your thinking is, thus is your mind.'
"Then someone who has confidence and conviction in that mind reader seeing this reading of minds... of other beings... One reports this to someone who has no confidence and no conviction, saying, 'Is it not awesome? Is it not astounding, how great the power, how great the skill of this wandering ascetic? Just now I saw him reading the minds... of other beings...'
"Then the person without confidence, without conviction would say to the person with confidence and with conviction: 'There is a charm called the 'Manika charm' by which the monastic read the minds...of other beings...' What do you think, Kevatta -- isn't that what the person without confidence, without conviction would say to the person with confidence and with conviction?"
"Yes, venerable sir, that's just what that person would say."
"Seeing this drawback to the miracle of telepathy, Kevatta, I feel horrified, humiliated, and disgusted with the miracle of telepathy.
The Miracle of Instruction
"And what is the miracle of instruction? There is another case where a monastic gives instruction in this way: 'Direct your thought in this way, refrain from directing it in that. Attend to things in this way, refrain from attending to them in that. Let go of this, and enter and remain in that.' This, Kevatta, is called the miracle of instruction.
"Furthermore, there is the case where a tathagata ("welcome one") appears in the world, worthy and rightly self-awakened. He teaches the Dharma beautiful in its beginning, beautiful in its middle, beautiful in its end. He proclaims the spiritual life both in its particulars and its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
"A householder or householder's offspring, hearing the Dharma, gains conviction in the Tathagata and reflects: 'Household life is confining, a dusty path. The life gone forth is like the open air. It is not easy living at home to practice the spiritual life totally perfect, totally pure, like a polished shell. What if I were to shave off my hair and beard, put on the saffron robes, and go forth from the household life into the left home life?'
"So after some time one abandons this mass of wealth, large or small, leaves one's circle of relatives, large or small, shaves off hair and beard, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the household life into the left home life.
"When one has thus gone forth, one lives restrained by the rules of the Monastic Code, seeing danger in even the slightest fault. Consummate in virtue, one guards the doors of the senses, is possessed of mindfulness and alertness, and is content. More
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