Doubting supernatural side of Buddhism

[daverupa]

Very interesting .pdf article by Analayo:

"Levitation in Early Buddhist Discourse"

A comparative study of reports that the Buddha and his disciples journeyed to celestial realms or traversed considerable distances on earth through the power of levitation gives the impression that at an early stage these would have been envisaged as being done with a mind-made body. Probably as a result of literalism, a tendency that makes itself felt in various ways in the early Buddhist texts and which has led to a range of developments in the Buddhist traditions, at a relatively early stage this would then have led to the idea that such feats involve acts of levitation done with the physical body.

[The Thinker]

Have we not all had the rising and flying dream(many,many times) I do wonder what is its fascination or is it just that.

[Nicolas]

[...]

On the topic of levitation, from the words of a bhikkhu:

After about thirty minutes of meditation I opened my eyes and there this old bhikkhu’s body, already about one foot above the bed, very slowly moving towards the roof while retaining the cross-legged posture intact. After reaching almost closer to the roof then the body descended back to the bed in the same slow pace. I grab my friend’s hand to break his meditation so that he can witness the levitation. The up and down cycle happened couple of times, and we called the old bhikkhu but he didn’t respond, so it seemed he didn’t hear. After about one hour from the last cycle, the bhikkhu opened his eyes ending the meditation and smiled to us in the usual way.

My friend said, he spoke with the bhikkhu several times but never invited to meditate so this is the first time he witnessed a levitation. Since we were not sure whether the bhikkhu purposely levitated to inspire us or it was just a natural outcome of his meditation, we didn’t directly ask him about it. And according to bhikkhu rules, they can’t tell non-bhikkhus about their meditative attainments. We spend about two more hours talking about Dhamma, and I asked about levitation in general, to which he quoted several Suttas and said, “after emerging from the jhana, a yogi can do it, as any other super normal powers.”
[...]
I asked about this levitation from late Ven. Ananda Maitreya (Bhikkhu Bodhi’s teacher). According to him this up and down levitation is natural for those who get subtle but not yet reached the very stable deep jhanas in anapanasati (breath meditation), and it’s not a post-jhana psychic power. Ven. Ananda Maitreya said he saw this with his first student (I think in 30s).

Personally, witnessing this levitation was very inspiring, but more inspiring was the old bhikkhu’s simple life, and wise words. As the Buddha mentioned what matters is the insight, not the supernatural powers.
[...]
Edit: Ven. Ananda Maitreya said that the old bhikkhu was unaware of his levitation.

[The Thinker]

Contact was made , much metta, your gift known (whoever you are)

Please chant English next time( this lad knows not the language that was spoken) anaste something like that?

[The Thinker]

I encountered a strange experience about 12 months ago, I was walking down the street looking into the blue sky, and suddenly found myself above looking in area I could not see, It was not scary and created no fear, I stayed with the thought for only a few minutes(I can only describe it as thought, they would lock me up), and attempted to move my direction of sight and did achieve in those few minutes, I noted the movement of cars and people/ landmark in distances not that far but beyond view, then I broke state. A curious happening that I have not repeated, and in many ways meaningless.

For the sake of the sanity of those looking in, I suppose it was just my imagination, It was not drugs, unless the blood pressure tablets have such side effects?

I just wondered if anyone as experienced anything like this eye vision sort of thingy? Expanded vision I would call it.

[The Thinker]

Please I wish no contact from the crime families( I may need the cash) but the fear of giving you lot a wrong call could cause me some dread!