The Path

“Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:‘What’s the path and practice for developing the bases of psychic power?’Then it occurred to me:‘It’s when a mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to enthusiasm, and active effort.They think: “My enthusiasm won’t be too lax or too tense. And it’ll be neither constricted internally nor scattered externally.”And they meditate perceiving before and behind:as before, so behind; as behind, so before;as below, so above; as above, so below;as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, they develop a mind that’s full of radiance.

“Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi: ‘ko nu kho maggo, kā paṭipadā iddhipādabhāvanāyā’ti? Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi: ‘idha bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—iti me chando na ca atilīno bhavissati, na ca atippaggahito bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhitto bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhitto bhavissati. Pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati—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.

“Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:“Pubbeva me, bhikkhave, sambodhā anabhisambuddhassa bodhisattasseva sato etadahosi: ‘What’s the path and practice for developing the bases of psychic power?’‘ko nu kho maggo, kā paṭipadā iddhipādabhāvanāyā’ti? Then it occurred to me:Tassa mayhaṁ, bhikkhave, etadahosi: ‘It’s when a mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to enthusiasm, and active effort.‘idha bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—They think: “My enthusiasm won’t be too lax or too tense. And it’ll be neither constricted internally nor scattered externally.”iti me chando na ca atilīno bhavissati, na ca atippaggahito bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhitto bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhitto bhavissati. And they meditate perceiving before and behind:Pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati—as before, so behind; as behind, so before;yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure; as below, so above; as above, so below;yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho; as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.yathā divā tathā rattiṁ, yathā rattiṁ tathā divā. And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, they develop a mind that’s full of radiance.Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

They develop the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to energy …mental development …inquiry, and active effort.They think: “My inquiry won’t be too lax or too tense. And it’ll be neither constricted internally nor scattered externally.”And they meditate perceiving before and behind:as before, so behind; as behind, so before;as below, so above; as above, so below;as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, they develop a mind that’s full of radiance.’

Vīriyasamādhi …pe… cittasamādhi … vīmaṁsāsamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—iti me vīmaṁsā na ca atilīnā bhavissati, na ca atippaggahitā bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhittā bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhittā bhavissati. Pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati—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.

They develop the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to energy …Vīriyasamādhi …pe… mental development …cittasamādhi … inquiry, and active effort.vīmaṁsāsamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—They think: “My inquiry won’t be too lax or too tense. And it’ll be neither constricted internally nor scattered externally.”iti me vīmaṁsā na ca atilīnā bhavissati, na ca atippaggahitā bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhittā bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhittā bhavissati. And they meditate perceiving before and behind:Pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati—as before, so behind; as behind, so before;yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure; as below, so above; as above, so below;yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho; as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.yathā divā tathā rattiṁ yathā rattiṁ tathā divā’—And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, they develop a mind that’s full of radiance.’iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.