[685] What is the spiritual power (iddhi) of determination (adhiṭṭhāna)?
Here a bhikkhu experiences the many kinds of supernormal power (iddhividha): having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one; he appears and he vanishes; he goes unimpeded through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain, as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; he goes upon water without its parting, as though upon earth; seated cross-legged he travels through space like a winged bird; with his hand he touches and strokes even this moon and sun, so mighty and so powerful; he exercises mastery with the body even as far as the Brahmā world (brahmaloka).
"Here" (idha): in this view (diṭṭhi), in this acceptance (khanti), in this preference (ruci), in this choosing (ādāya), in this Dhamma, in this Discipline (vinaya), in this fundamental teaching (pāvacana), in this holy life (brahmacariya), in this Teacher's dispensation (satthusāsana) — therefore it is said "here."
"A bhikkhu": a bhikkhu who is a virtuous worldling (puthujjana-kalyāṇaka), or a trainee (sekha), or an arahant whose nature is unshakeable (akuppadhamma).
"Experiences the many kinds of supernormal power": he experiences supernormal power of various sorts.
"Having been one, he becomes many": being normally one, he adverts to being many; he adverts to a hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand; having adverted, he determines with knowledge (ñāṇa), "Let me be many," and he becomes many. Just as the venerable Cullapanthaka, having been one, became many, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, having been one, becomes many.
"Having been many, he becomes one": being normally many, he adverts to being one; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let me be one," and he becomes one. Just as the venerable Cullapanthaka, having been many, became one, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, having been many, becomes one.
"Appearance" (āvibhāva): it is unobstructed by anything, unconcealed, open.
"Disappearance" (tirobhāva): it is obstructed by something, concealed, shut off, covered over.
"He goes unimpeded through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain, as though through space": he is normally an obtainer of the attainment of the space-kasiṇa; he adverts to the wall, the rampart, the mountain; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let it be space," and it becomes space. He goes unimpeded through the wall, through the rampart, through the mountain. Just as people normally without spiritual power go unimpeded where nothing obstructs or encloses, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, goes unimpeded through a wall, through a rampart, through a mountain, as though through space.
"He dives in and out of the earth as though it were water": he is normally an obtainer of the attainment of the water-kasiṇa; he adverts to the earth; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let it be water," and it becomes water. He dives in and out of the earth. Just as people normally without spiritual power dive in and out of water, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, dives in and out of the earth as though it were water.
"He goes upon water without its parting, as though upon earth": he is normally an obtainer of the attainment of the earth-kasiṇa; he adverts to the water; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let it be earth," and it becomes earth. He goes upon the unparted water. Just as people normally without spiritual power go upon the unparted earth, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, goes upon the unparted water as though upon earth.
"Seated cross-legged he travels through space like a winged bird": he is normally an obtainer of the attainment of the earth-kasiṇa; he adverts to space; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let it be earth," and it becomes earth. He walks up and down, stands, sits, and lies down in the sky, in space. Just as people normally without spiritual power walk up and down, stand, sit, and lie down upon the earth, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, walks up and down, stands, sits, and lies down in the sky, in space, like a winged bird.
"With his hand he touches and strokes even this moon and sun, so mighty and so powerful": here that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, whether sitting or lying down, adverts to the moon and sun; having adverted, he determines with knowledge, "Let them be within hand's reach," and they come within hand's reach. Whether sitting or lying down, he touches, strokes, and rubs the moon and sun with his hand. Just as people normally without spiritual power touch, stroke, and rub some visible form within hand's reach, so that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, whether sitting or lying down, touches, strokes, and rubs the moon and sun with his hand.
"He exercises mastery with the body even as far as the Brahmā world": if that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, wishes to go to the Brahmā world, he determines what is far to be near: "Let it be near," and it is near; he determines what is near to be far: "Let it be far," and it is far; he determines what is much to be little: "Let it be little," and it is little; he determines what is little to be much: "Let it be much," and it is much. With the divine eye he sees the form of that Brahmā; with the divine ear element he hears the voice of that Brahmā; with the knowledge encompassing the minds of others (cetopariyañāṇa) he understands the mind (citta) of that Brahmā. If that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, wishes to go to the Brahmā world with a visible body, he converts the mind by way of the body, he determines the mind by way of the body; having converted the mind by way of the body, having determined the mind by way of the body, having entered upon the perception of bliss and the perception of lightness, he goes to the Brahmā world with a visible body. If that possessor of spiritual power, who has attained mastery of mind, wishes to go to the Brahmā world with an invisible body, he converts the body by way of the mind, he determines the body by way of the mind; having converted the body by way of the mind, having determined the body by way of the mind, having entered upon the perception of bliss and the perception of lightness, he goes to the Brahmā world with an invisible body. He creates before that Brahmā a form, mind-made, complete in all its major and minor limbs, not deficient in any faculty. If that possessor of spiritual power walks up and down, the created form walks up and down there; if that possessor of spiritual power stands, the created form stands there; if that possessor of spiritual power sits, the created form sits there; if that possessor of spiritual power lies down, the created form lies down there; if that possessor of spiritual power emits smoke, the created form emits smoke there; if that possessor of spiritual power blazes, the created form blazes there; if that possessor of spiritual power speaks the Dhamma, the created form speaks the Dhamma there; if that possessor of spiritual power asks a question, the created form asks a question there; if that possessor of spiritual power, being asked a question, answers it, the created form there, being asked a question, answers it; if that possessor of spiritual power stands together with that Brahmā, converses, and engages in discussion, the created form there stands together with that Brahmā, converses, and engages in discussion. Whatever that possessor of spiritual power does, the created form does just that. This is the spiritual power of determination.
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.