Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

Home | Library | Dictionary indexBUDDHIST DICTIONARY-Iiddhi:'power', 'magical power'. The magical powers constitute one of the 6 kinds of higher spiritual powers(abhiññá, q.v.). One distinguishes many kinds of magical powers: the power of determination (adhitthán'iddhi), i.e. the power of becoming oneself manifold; the power of transformation (vikubbana iddhi), i.e. thepower of adopting another form; the power of spiritual creation (manomaya iddhi), i.e. the power of lettingissue from this body another mentally produced body; the power of penetrating knowledge (ñána-vippharaiddhi), i.e. the power of inherent insight to remain unhurt in danger; the power of penetrating concentration(samádhivipphará iddhi) producing the same result. The magical powers are treated in detail in Vis.M. XII;Pts.M., Vibh. - (App.). They are not a necessary condition for final deliverance.'Noble power' (ariyá-iddhi) is the power of controlling one's ideas in such a way that one may considersomething not repulsive as repulsive and something repulsive as not repulsive, and remain all the timeimperturbable and full of equanimity. This training of mind is frequently mentioned in the Suttas (e.g. M.152, A.V. 144), but only once the name of ariyá-iddhi is applied to it (D. 28). See further Pts.M.,Iddhi-kathá, Vis.M. XII.iddhi-páda: 'roads to power' (or success) are the 4 following qualities, "for as guides, they indicate the roadto power connected therewith; and because they form, by way of preparation, the roads to the powerconstituting the fruition of the path" (Vis.M. XII), namely: "concentration of intention (chanda-samádhi)accompanied by effort of will (padhána-sankhára-samannágata), concentration of energy (viriya-samádhi)... concentration of consciousness (citta-samádhi) ... and concentration of investigation (vimamsa-samádhi)accompanied by effort of will." As such, they are supermundane (lokuttara, i.e. connected with the path orthe fruition of the path; s. ariyapuggala) But they are mundane (lokiya, q.v.) as predominant factors(adhipati; s. paccaya 3), for it is said: "Because the monk, through making intention a predominant factor,reaches concentration, it is called the concentration of intention (chanda-samádhi), etc." (Vis.M. XII)."These 4 roads of power lead to the attaining and acquiring of magical power, to the power of magicaltransformation, to the generation of magical power, and to mastery and skill therein" (Pts.M. II. 205, PTS).For a detailed explanation, s. Vis.M. XII."Once the monk has thus developed and often practised the 4 roads to power, he enjoys various magicalpowers, ... hears with the divine ear heavenly and human sounds, ... perceives with his mind the mind ofother beings ... remembers many a former existence ... perceives with the divine eye beings passing away andreappearing, ... attains, after the extinction of cankers, deliverance of mind and deliverance through wisdom,free from. cankers.... (S. LI, 2). For a detailed explanation of these 6 higher powers, s. abhiññá."Whosoever, o monks, has missed the 4 roads to power, he has missed the right path leading to the extinctionof suffering; but whosoever, o monks, has reached the 4 roads to power, he has reached the right path leadingto the extinction of suffering" (S. LI, 2).See the chapter on Iddhipáda in The Requisites of Enlightenment by Ledi Sayadaw (WHEEL169/172).ignorance: avijjá (q.v.); further s. paticcasamuppáda (1).ill-humour, heavenly beings who come to grief through: mano-padosika-deva (q.v.).ill-will: vyápáda, is a synonym of dosa (s. múla) and patigha and is one of the 10 fetters (samyojana, q.v.), 5hindrances (nívarana, q.v.) and 10 unwholesome courses of action (s. kammapatha, I).