Ṛddhi

"Miracle at Śrāvastī." From a Prajñāpāramitā palm leaf manuscript. Nalanda, Bihar, India

Ṛddhi (Sanskrit; Pali iddhi) is a term that refers to "psychic powers",^[1] one of the five^[1] or six^[2] supernormal powers (abhijñā) of the mundane plane attained by performing the four dhyānas^[3] in Buddhism. The normal Sanskrit meaning of ṛddhi is "increase, growth, prosperity, success, good fortune, wealth, abundance".

List of Ṛddhi powers

Statue of Buddha performing the Miracle at Śrāvastī, with flames above his shoulders. Gandhara, 100-200 CE

According to Bowker, there are eight ṛddhi powers:^[4]

1. replicate and project bodily-images of oneself,
2. make oneself invisible,
3. pass through solid objects,
4. sink into solid ground,
5. walk on water,
6. fly,
7. touch the sun and moon with one's hand,
8. ascend to the world of the god Brahmā in the highest heavens

Saletore and Pio mention ten ṛddhi powers:^[3][1]

1. addhitana iddhi, willpower
2. vikubbana iddhi, the power of transformation
3. manomaya iddhi, the power of the mind
4. eliminiation of unwholesome states by developing insight knowledge
5. samadhi-vippara iddhi, concentration to overcome the hindrances in the jhanic state
6. arya-iddhi, the ability of the noble ones
7. the power of traversing the skies like birds
8. special gifts
9. the power of magicians
10. the power of overcoming unwholesome states

Guiley mentions eight iddhi powers:^[5]

1. mastery over the body and nature
2. invincibility
3. invisibility
4. fleetness in running
5. ability to see the gods
6. control over spirits and demons
7. the ability to fly
8. preservation of youth
9. the ability to make certain pills

In the book Great Disciples of the Buddha by Nyanaponika Thera and Hellmuth Hecker, there are several additional powers described:

1. The Divine Eye (Clairvoyance)- this power allows one to see beings in other realms as well as see the future
2. The Divine Ear (Clairaudience)
3. Travel by Mind-Made Body(Astral Travel)
4. Travel with the Physical Body (to other realms)
5. Telekinesis (Supernormal Locomotion)
6. Flying
7. The power of Transformation
8. The ability to replicate one's body
9. Penetration of others' minds (Thought Reading)
10. Passing through solid objects
11. Diving in and out of the earth as if through water
12. Walking on water
13. Touching the sun and the moon with one's fingers
14. Becoming invisible
15. Recollection of past lives (some would call this a power, some would call it true knowledge)

See also

• Iddhipada
• Levitation (paranormal)
• Miracles of Buddha
• Siddhi
• Vibhuti

References

1. Pio 1988, p. 60.
2. Schober 2002, p. 138.
3. Saletore 1981, p. 17.
4. John Bowker (1997), Iddhi. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
5. Guiley 2006, p. 197.

Sources

• Guiley, Rosemary (2006), The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy, Infobase Publishing
• Pio, Edwina (1988), Buddhist Psychology: A Modern Perspective, Abhinav Publications
• Saletore, R.N., Indian Witchcraft, Abhinav Publications
• Schober, Juliane (2002), Sacred Biography in the Buddhist Traditions of South and South-East Asia, Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

External links

• Encyclopedia.com, Iddhi