Visuddhimagga - THE SUPERNORMAL POWERS - as transformation & the mind-made body

THE PATH
OF PURIFICATION
(VISUDDHIMAGGA)
BY
BHADANTACARIYA BUDDHAGHOSA
Translated from the Pali
by
BHIKKHU NANAMOLI
FIFTH EDITION
BUDDHIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY
Kandy Sri Lanka


137. The difference between (ii) success as transformation and (iii) suc-
cess as the mind-made [body], is as follows (see §22, 24, 25, 45).
(ii) One, firstly, who performs a transformation [406] should resolve
upon whatever he chooses from among the things beginning with the ap-
pearance of a boy, described as follows: 'He abandons his normal ap-
pearance and shows the appearance of a boy or the appearance of a naga
(serpent), or the appearance of a supanna (winged demon), or the ap-
pearance of an asura (demon), or the appearance of the Ruler [of Gods]
(Indra), or the appearance of some [other sensual-sphere] deity, or the
appearance of a Brahma, or the appearance of the sea, or the appearance


of a rock, or the appearance of a lion, or the appearance of a tiger, or the
appearance of a leopard, or he shows an elephant, or he shows a horse,
or he shows a chariot, or he shows a foot soldier, or he shows a manifold
military array* (Ps.ii,210).
138. And when he resolves he should emerge from the fourth jhana that
is the basis for direct-knowledge and has one of the things beginning
with the earth kasina as its object, and he should advert to his own
appearance as a boy. After adverting and finishing the preliminary work,
he should attain again and emerge, and he should resolve thus: 'Let me
be a boy of such and such a type'. Simultaneously with the resolve
consciousness he becomes the boy, just as Devadatta did (Vin.i,185;
DhA.i,139). This is the method in all instances. But he shows an ele-
phant, etc., is said here with respect to showing an elephant, etc., exter-
nally. Herein, instead of resolving, 'Let me be an elephant', he resolves,
'Let there be an elephant'. The same method applies in the case of the
horse and the rest.
This is success as transformation.
139. (iii) One who wants to make the mind-made [body] should emerge
from the basic jhana and first advert to the body in the way already
described, and then he should resolve, 'Let it be hollow'. It becomes
hollow. Then he adverts to another body inside it, and having done the
preliminary work in the way already described, he resolves, 'Let there be
another body inside it'. Then he draws it out like a reed from its sheath,
like a sword from its scabbard, like a snake from its slough. Hence it is
said: 'Here a bhikkhu creates from this body another body possessing
visible form, mind-made, with all its limbs, lacking no faculty. Just as
though a man pulled out a reed from its sheath and thought thus: "This is
the sheath; this is the reed; the sheath is one, the reed is another, it was
from the sheath that the reed was pulled out"' (Ps.ii,210), and so on.
And here, just as the reed, etc., are similar to the sheath, etc., so too the
mind-made visible form is similar to the possessor of supernormal power,
and this simile is given in order to show that.
This is success as the mind-made [body].
The twelfth chapter called 'The Description of
the Supernormal Powers' in the Path of Purifica-
tion composed for the purpose of gladdening good
people.