Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta: What the Buddha was like
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| A Central Asian king, Scythia |
(DN 11) Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One (the Buddha) was staying at Nalanda in Pavarika's mango grove.
Kevatta the householder approached the Blessed One, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there he said:
"Venerable sir, this [city of] Nalanda is powerful, both prosperous and populous, filled with people who have confidence (faith) 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 the Blessed One."
When that was said, the Buddha said this to the householder:
"Kevatta, I don't teach the monastics in this way: 'Come, monastics, display a miracle of psychic power to the lay people [Buddhists] clad in white.'"
A second time and third time, Kevatta the householder repeated his request.
"Kevatta, there are these three miracles which I have declared after having directly known and realized them for myself. What are they? They are:
- the miracle of psychic power,
- the miracle of telepathy, and
- the miracle of instruction.
The Miracle of Psychic Power
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| Supernormal: Science (Dr. Radin) |
- Having been one, he becomes many.
- Having been many, he becomes one.
- He appears, and he vanishes.
- He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains as if moving through space.
- He dives in and out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land.
- Sitting cross-legged, he flies through the air like a winged bird.
- With his hand he touches and strokes even the sun and moon [Surya and Soma], so mighty and powerful.
- He exercises influence with his body even as far as the brahma worlds.
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| The power to carve or melt stone? |
"Then someone who has confidence and conviction in him sees him wielding manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with his body even as far as the brahma worlds. He reports this to someone who has no confidence and no conviction, saying to him, 'Isn't it awesome, isn't it astounding, how great the power, how great the prowess of this wandering ascetic? Just now I saw him wielding manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with his body even as far as the brahma worlds.'
"Then the person without confidence, without conviction, might say to the person with confidence and conviction: 'Sir, there is a charm called the Gandhari Charm by which the ascetic wielded manifold psychic powers... exercising influence with his body even as far as the brahma worlds.'
"What do you think, Kevatta? — Isn't that what the one without confidence, without conviction, would say to the one with confidence and conviction?"
"Yes, venerable sir, that's just what one 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
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| The Buddha's grace and charm |
"Then someone who has confidence and conviction in him sees him reading the minds... of other beings... He reports this to someone who has no confidence or conviction, saying, 'Isn't it awesome, isn't it astounding, how great the power, how great the prowess of this wandering ascetic? Just now I saw him reading the minds... of other beings...'
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| Real Magic (Dr. Dean Radin) |
"What do you think, Kevatta? — Isn't that what the one without confidence and conviction would say to the one with confidence and conviction?"
"Yes, venerable sir, that's just what one 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
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| 'Tis better to teach the Path to pure freedom |
"This, Kevatta, is called the miracle of instruction.
"Furthermore, there is the instance of a Wayfarer (Tathagata, the Buddha) appears in the world, worthy and rightly awakened by his own efforts. He teaches the Dharma admirable in the beginning, admirable in the middle, admirable in the end.
"He proclaims the pure life [of wandering asceticism, monasticism] both in its particulars and in its general essence, flawless, surpassingly pure.
"A householder or householder's offspring, hearing the Dharma, gains conviction in the Wayfarer and reflects, 'Household life is cramped, a dust laden path. The gone forth [from the home to the left home] life is like the open air.
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| Conscious Universe (Dr. Radin) |
"It is difficult living at home to practice the pure life totally flawless, totally pure, shining like a polished shell. What if I were to shave off my hair, put on saffron robes, and go forth from the home life to the left home life?'
"After some time, that person abandons a mass of wealth, large or small, leaves a circle of relatives, large or small, shaves off hair, puts on saffron robes, and goes forth from the home to the left home life.
"When one has thus gone forth, one lives restrained by the rules of the Monastic Code (Vinaya), seeing danger in even the slightest fault.
"Consummate in virtue, one guards the doors of the senses, is possessed of mindfulness and alertness (vigilance and clear comprehension, sati-sampajanna), and is content. More
What is the "Gandhari Charm"?
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| Maitreya Buddha as Central Asian king, Himalayas |
Gandhārī-vijjā is listed in G.P. Malalasekera's Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names: "A charm whereby one could become invisible and multiform [shapeshift], pass through all obstacles, through earth and water [USO, UFO, UAP], and touch the sun and moon (D.i.213) [suggesting advanced extraterrestrial technology].
"Elsewhere (J.iv.498) the charm is mentioned as being only useful for the purpose of making oneself invisible.
"The Theragāthā [Attestations of Enlightened Elders] Commentary (I.51f) distinguishes a Lesser and a Greater. [The Brahmin] Pilinda-vaccha knew the former and thought that the Buddha would teach him the latter. The charm enabled him to travel through the air [vimana, UFO, flying saucer, levitation?] and read the thoughts of others.
[Devas from the "Realm of the Thirty-Three," or Tavatimsa, and the Realm of the Regents of the Four Directions are said to be able to do these things when they surveil earthlings and their progress in sila, samadhi, and insight into the Dhamma (morality, unification of mind, and penetration of the Buddha's Teachings). This would seem to be accomplished by hovering in a vimana every fortnight and reporting the results to Sakka King of the Devas (aka Śakra, Shakra, Indra) in the Hall of Truth (Sudhammā) in Tavatimsa Heaven. "Gandhari" in Wikipedia]
Sakka sends us to keep an eye on your progress.
Buddhaghosa (DA ii.389) explains that the charm was so called either because it was invented by a sage named Gandhāra or because it originated in Gandhāra. More
- What is the Buddhist Path to Enlightenment?
- Ven. Thanissaro (trans), Kevatta Sutta (DN 11) edited by Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; G.P. Malalasekera, Buddhist Dictionary of Pali Proper Names
