Real "magic" explained in Buddhism (video)

Wisdom Quarterly

Other than jhana mastery in this or a previous life, what could explain this mystery?

"Meditative absorptions" (jhanas) are one way to marvels and magical powers (that are dangerous due to hidden pitfalls). Buddhaghosa's Path of Purification describes the method. Once the absorptions are developed, the adept amy then choose to develop the five supernormal powers (abhinnas or siddhis) of Indian lore.

• Divine Eye (dibba cakkhu) - clairvoyance or the ability to see earthly and celestial at a distance and unseen by the physical eyes. Cutupapatanana is knowing and seeing the passing away and reappearing of beings. Anagatainsanana is seeing the [probable] future. Yathakammupagatanana is knowledge and vision of beings cycling in accordance with their karma.
• Divine Ear (dibba sotta) - clairaudience or the power to hear ordinary sounds at a distance as well as subtle (unearthly) sounds from beyond.
• Recollection of Past Lives (pubenivasanusattuna) - reviewing one's own and others' rebirths.
• Mind Reading (paracitta vijanana) - directly knowing one's heart/mind.
  
• Psychic Powers (iddhividha, iddhis, or siddhis) - such as flying through the air, walking on water like earth, plunging into earth like water...

These abilities may be used skillfully but are much more likely to seduce one and lead to utter ruin. Even the Buddha, seeing danger in them, was reluctant to use them. Arhats, who do not necessarily have them, do not make public displays of them. It is possible to attain enlightenment without mastering these powers. Some say it is possible to awaken without the aid of the absorptions (jhanas) through the very difficult "dry insight" method, which it is said makes use of vipassana-jhanas (most likely access or neighborhood concentration).

• PHOTOS: Guards at Emerald Buddha Temple
• Seven energy centers (chakras) meditation
• Lustfully crushing on Hollywood stars, starlets
• Sexual Anarchy or molestation? (sodahead.com)
  

"Master of the Divine Eye" (Anuruddha)

Hellmuth Hecker (Dhammikaweb.com), Wisdom Quarterly

Anuruddha Master of the Divine Eye
The Buddha’s father, King Suddhodana, had a brother who had five children. His name was Prince Amitodana. Among those was Ananda, who later became the Buddha’s faithful attendant who with his super memory preserved the sutras, and Mahanama, heir to the Sakyan throne. A third brother was Anuruddha.

Among those who were pre-eminent in a particular skill was Ven. Anuruddha. He was praised by the Buddha for being "foremost in developing the divine eye." The divine eye (dibba-cakkhu) is the ability to see beyond the range of the physical eye.

In Anuruddha’s case it extended to a thousandfold world system, which might perhaps be [the equivalent of] a galaxy in modern astronomy. This faculty can be obtained by one who has reached the fourth meditative absorption (jhāna) who then takes this [foundation in extreme concentration] as the basis for further development as described in The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga).

The divine eye is of a mundane or worldly character (the world being the world system not merely this planet). It can be obtained by an unliberated, unenlightened worldling (puthujjana) as well as by those on the four stages of emancipation. Anuruddha attained it before he became fully enlightened. Read (Download)

• Arya Sangha -eBooks
• English Discussions -eBooks
• Karma -eBooks
• Sutra -eBooks

Is Avatar's James Cameron a real visionary?

Danielle Graham

Interview with Rebecca Keegan, author of The Futurist, The Life and Times of James Cameron

Rebecca Keegan spent seven years covering breaking news stories like 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and sex abuse within the Catholic Church for TIME Magazine before she built professional credibility with intimate profiles of entertainment A-listers Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Downey, Will Smith, and Penélope Cruz and covered premiere events like the Oscars, Sundance, and Comic-Con. Today, she is a staff film writer for the LA Times and continues to keep abreast of popular trends.

She originally met James Cameron while visiting the "Avatar" set for an assignment. In the introduction of his comprehensive biography she states, “I knew Cameron to be an innovator, but this was clearly his magnum opus as a future-minded filmmaker. As I watched the director work, I became curious about a man who seemed interested only in doing things that were hard, and in doing them perfectly, and I determined to follow his intriguing film’s progress more closely.” More

• Mind Power (coasttocoastam.com)
• Near Death Experiences
  

Faking magic through Quirkology

Why do we see what isn't there? (More importantly, why don't we see the unbelievable that is there?) Beware of spiritual charlatans because these aren't the only paranormal tricks.

Paranormal Research

Coast to Coast (July 11, 2011)
Prof. Richard Wiseman, author and psychologist specializing in the [social] psychology of the paranormal or Quirkology, was recently discussing his 20 years of research into the paranormal. He explained why he takes a somewhat skeptical perspective on phenomena such as ghosts, out-of-body experiences, fortune telling, and mind control.

(Wisdom Quarterly) Wiseman does not deny that these phenomena exist. He just feels more comfortable exhausting simple scientific explanations first. If we believe something can happen, we'll be able to see it. This would explain a lot of (beneficial) meditative experiences.

The inner mind and the outer reality reflect one another. But we imagine them independent and imagine ourselves capable of pure objectivity. What we see is always being affected by what we believe. Beliefs do not determine it, but their effect is easy to underestimate. There's a simple saying that encapsulates this message: "I'll see when I believe it!"

The Color Changing Card Trick
Lacking mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati and sampajanna), what do we miss?

Psychic Phenomena Today (abhinna)

Wisdom Quarterly

What the West has labelled psychokinesis, ESP, or paranormal activity has a long history in Buddhism and India. Hinduism calls these natural powers, dormant in the vast majority of people, siddhis. Buddhism refers to them as abhinna (abhijñā, abhiññā) or "higher knowledges." They are rooted in meditative absorptions ("right concentration" or samma samadhi) either developed in this life or in past lives. The karmic ability manifests as a natural inclination or ability, which leads us to conclude that "either you're born with it or you're not." No one is "born" with it, as such. Everyone develops it. But having developed it in the past, it may manifest spontaneously. Then it will be misconstrued as having no cause, that is, something someone is simply born with for no reason. Whereas there are many stories of such things in Buddhist texts, Katie presents a modern case of paranormal powers:

The Gold Leaf Lady

and Other Parapsychological Investigations

Prof. Stephen E. Braude, Univ. of Maryland

Katie, the Gold Leaf Lady

I was seated across a table from a woman, no more than three feet away. And while we were talking, a small piece of gold-colored foil appeared suddenly on her face. I knew that her hands were nowhere near her face when this happened. In fact, I was certain they were in full view on the table the entire time. I knew also that if her husband, seated next to her, had placed the material on her face, I would have seen it clearly. But nobody’s hands had been anywhere near her face. So I knew that the material hadn’t been placed there; it appeared there, evidently without normal assistance.

This was one of several similar incidents that occurred during my most fascinating paranormal investigation: the case of a woman much of whose body -- not just parts of her face -- would break out in what looked like gold leaf. But first, some background. We need to be clear about just how unusual and potentially important this case is.

Parapsychologists study several interesting phenomena, but they focus primarily on the evidence for extrasensory perception (ESP), psychokinesis (PK), and survival of bodily death. Of course, many consider all of these incredible and unworthy of serious attention. Others agree that they’re extraordinary, but believe they’re both possible and worth studying. And still others consider at least some of the phenomena to be natural and part of everyday life. In fact, many would say ESP is merely a form of intuition and leave the matter there. More

• "Weird or What?" (Discovery Channel)
• Immortal Remains: The Evidence For Life After Death
• RVConference.org (remote viewing)