The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Iddhi [Vedic %ddhi from ardh, to prosper; Pali ijjhati]. There is no single word in English for Iddhi, as the
idea is unknown in Europe. The main sense seems to be 2 potency 3. -- 1. Pre -- Buddhistic; the Iddhi of a
layman. The four Iddhis of a king are personal beauty, long life, good health, and popularity (D ii.177; M
iii.176, cp. J iii.454 for a later set). The Iddhi of a rich young noble is 1. The use of a beautiful garden, 2. of
soft and pleasant clothing, 3. of different houses for the different seasons, 4. of good food, A i.145. At M
i.152 the Iddhi of a hunter, is the craft and skill with which he captures game; but at p. 155 other game have
an Iddhi of their own by which they outwit the hunter. The Iddhi, the power of a confederation of clans, is
referred to at D ii.72. It is by the Iddhi they possess that birds are able to fly (Dhp 175). -- 2. Psychic
powers. including most of those claimed for modern mediums (see under Abhiññ!). Ten such are given in a
stock paragraph. They are the power to project mind -- made images of oneself; to become invisible; to
pass through solid things, such as a wall; to penetrate solid ground as if it were water; to walk on water; to
fly through the air; to touch sun and moon; to ascend into the highest heavens (D i.77, 212; ii.87, 213;
iii.112, 281; S ii.121; v.264, 303; A i.170, 255; iii.17, 28, 82, 425; v.199; Ps i.111; ii.207; Vism 378 sq.,
384; DA i.122). For other such powers see S i.144; iv.290; v.263; A iii.340. -- 3. The Buddhist theory of
Iddhi. At D i.213 the Buddha is represented as saying: 2 It is because I see danger in the practice of these
mystic wonders that I loathe and abhor and am ashamed thereof 3. The mystic wonder that he himself
believed in and advocated (p. 214) was the wonder of education. What education was meant in the case of
Iddhi, we learn from M i.34; A iii.425, and from the four bases of Iddhi, the Iddhip!d!. They are the
making determination in respect of concentration on purpose, on will, on thoughts & on investigation (D
ii.213; M i.103; A i.39, 297; ii.256; iii. 82; Ps i.111; ii 154, 164, 205; Vbh 216). It was ar offence against
the regulations of the Sangha for a Bhikkhv to display before the laity these psychic powers beyond the
capacity of ordinary men (Vin ii.112). And falsely to claim the possession of such powers involved
expulsion from the Order (Vin iii.91). The psychic powers of Iddhi were looked upon as inferior (as the
Iddhi of an unconverted man seeking his own profit), compared to the higher Iddhi, the Ariyan Iddhi (D
iii.112; A i.93; Vin ii.183). There is no valid evidence that any one of the ten Iddhis in the above list
actually took place. A few instances are given, but all are in texts more than a century later than the
recorded wonder. And now for nearly two thousand years we have no further instances. Various points on
Iddhi discussed at Dial. i.272, 3; Cpd. 60 ff.; Expositor 121. Also at Kvu 55; Ps ii.150; Vism xii; DhA i.91;
J i.47, 360. -- ânubh!va (iddhånu˚) power or majesty of thaumaturgy Vin 31, 209, 240; iii.67; S i 147;
iv.290; PvA 53. -- âbhisankh!ra (iddhåbhi˚) exercise of any of the psychic powers Vin i.16, 17, 25; D i.106;
S iii.92; iv.289; v.270;
-- 121 --
Sn p. 107; PvA 57, 172 212. -- p!&ih!riya a wonder of psychic power Vin i.25, 28, 180, 209; ii.76, 112,
200; D i.211, 212; iii.3, 4, 9, 12 sq., 27; S iv.290; A i.170, 292; Ps ii.227. -- p!da constituent or basis of
psychic power Vin ii.240; D ii.103, 115 sq., 120; iii.77, 102, 127, 221; M ii.11; iii.296; S i.116, 132; iii.96,
153; iv.360; v.254, 255, 259 sq., 264 sq., 269 sq., 275, 285; A iv.128 sq., 203, 463; v.175; Nd1 14, 45
(˚dh"ra), 340 (˚pucch!); Nd1 s. v.; Ps i.17, 21, 84; ii.56, 85 sq., 120, 166, 174; Ud 62; Dhs 358, 528, 552;
Nett 16, 31, 83; DhsA 237; DhA iii.177; iv.32. -- bala the power of working wonders VvA 4; PvA 171. --
y!na the carriage (fig.) of psychic faculties Miln 276. -- vikubban! the practice of psychic powers Vism
373 sq. -- vidh! kinds of iddhi D i.77, 212; ii.213; iii.112, 281; S ii.121; v.264 sq., 303; A i.170 sq., 255;
iii.17, 28, 82 sq., 425 sq.; v.199; Ps i.111; ii.207; Vism 384; DA i.222. -- visaya range or extent of psychic
power Vin iii.67; Nett 23.
Iddhika
Iddhika1 ( -- ˚) (adj.) the compn. form of addhika in cpd. kapa* -- iddhika tramps & wayfarers (see
kapa*a), e. g. at J i.6; iv.15; PvA 78.
Iddhika