The Marvelous True Buddha Dharma and Its Power to Transform

There are many who do not believe in supernatural phenomena, and others, especially certain Buddhists, who downplay their importance. Perhaps they have never seen or only rarely experience such events. This is because they did not get Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings in the correct way and developed simple and erroneous concepts by mistake. Even animals can perform miracles and prove the existence of other dimensions beyond what we experience in ordinary reality. Beings from other dimensions, even demons, may possess supernormal powers.[i]  What appears as miracles to ordinary beings is merely the power of super or enlightened beings. If you read about what happened when Shakyamuni Buddha was on this earth and study the lives of the great disciples and holy people who followed the Buddha through the ages, you will read about many examples of these enlightened ones exhibiting such powers.

However, it is true that acquiring supernormal powers is not the goal of practicing Buddhism, but if one is progressing on the path toward becoming a holy being, they are a natural by-product. It is also true that one must consider such phenomena as illusory and not become attached to them in any way. My Buddha Master has repeatedly told us that they are only useful to employ as a measuring stick to mark one’s progress and to determine one’s own level of realization and that of others. They are a necessary component in becoming an enlightened being. They are one of the main ways of showing that you are a holy being, but not the only thing. To determine if one is a holy being one must demonstrate achievements in the Five Vidyas;[ii]  pass certain tests in both the worldly and holy realms; and have an overall high level of cultivation and bodhichitta. Demonstrating miracles is only one component, albeit an important one, of proving you are a true holy being.

The above paragraphs, like the previous blog articles, is from the INTRODUCTION from my forthcoming book Thus Have I Seen: The Marvelous True Buddha Dharma and Its Power to Transform. It is included to offer context on the subtitle of the book.

[i] The five great supernormal powers or superknowledges (abhijna) are 1) rddhi-saksatkriya: the ability to be anywhere or do anything at will including flying through the air and performing other miracles; 2) divyasrotra: the ability to hear sounds any- where including those that normally cannot be heard, such as the sounds of ants walking or sounds emanating from a far-away place, even in another realm of existence. This is also known as clairaudiance or “the divine ear;” 3) paracittajnana: the ability to know the thoughts or read the minds of other beings; 4) purvanivasanu-smrtijnana: the ability to recollect previous existences or past-lives of oneself and others; and 5) divyacakus: instantaneous view of anything anywhere including the ability to see things that occur outside one’s presence, such as things happening at a far-away place, even in another realm of existence. This is also known as clairvoyance or “the divine eye.” The sixth supernormal power (asavakkhaya) is knowing that your defilements are extinguished and that you have attained liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. It is unique to Buddhism and enhances the powers of the other five. Non-Buddhist or anyone who develops his or her powers of concentration can achieve the first five powers, but without the wisdom that comes from complete enlightenment they are not as great as those available to a Buddha.

[ii] The five vidyas include everything that is good and bright and helps living beings and are grouped into five categories: 1) the healing vidya of medicine, health, and fixing that which is broken (cikitsvidya or cikitsadvidya); 2) the craftsmanship vidya of arts and crafts, mathematics, science and technology (silpakarmasthanavidya or silpasthanavidya); 3) the sound vidya of speech, grammar and composition, linguistics, phonology, literary studies, and music (sabdavidya); 4) the causal vidya of logic and reasoning (hetuvidya); and 5) the inner realization vidya of metaphysics, psychology, or inner special philosophy (adhyatmavidya) which in this context means knowledge of the ultimate truths of the universe as taught by the Buddhas and the ability to apply this knowledge to help living beings, including the use of supernormal powers. The original holy meaning of the five vidyas or sciences or knowledges is much different from what is normally talked about today. More on this later.

CLICK for PREFACE, Part I – Thus Have I Seen: The Marvelous True Buddha Dharma and Its Power to Transform

CLICK for PREFACE, Part II – The Phoenix and the Chicken

CLICK for PREFACE, Part III – Seven Gems Logo

CLICK for INTRODUCTION, Part I – Why I Follow H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

CLICK for INTRODUCTION, Part II – Why This Title for My Book?

CLICK for excerpts from CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE–Your Yidam.

CLICK for more on the Five Vidyas.