11.5 Of the Force of the Magic Gift (Iddhi) (KV11.5)

Controverted Point: That one who has the gift of magic potency might live on for a kappa on earth.

Theravādin: But is his life-span, is his destiny, is his acquisition of individuality a thing of magic potency that he should be able to prolong one interval of it? For this is what you are herein affirming. And do you reckon the kappa as past or as future? And why restrict yourself to one kappa? Why not say “might live on for two, three, four kappas”?

Again, do you mean that, given life, he could live on for the remainder of his life, or that he could live on for the remainder of his life if there were no organic life left?

Mahāsaṅghika: He could live on for the remainder of his life, given life.

Theravādin: Then he could certainly not live on for a kappa.

MahāsaṅghikaWell then if there were no organic life left.

Theravādin: What! he could live on though dead, though deceased? … .

Again, what could he effect by the magic gift in the duration of consciousness? Could he by it succeed in preventing any phase of consciousness that had arisen from ceasing, contact, for instance, or feeling, or perception, or volition, and so on?

Or could he by it make any one of the five aggregates (body-mind) permanent?

Or could he by it prevent (a) beings liable to re-birth from being born? Or (b) beings liable to grow old, from old age? Or (c) beings liable to disease, from disease, or (d) liable to die, from death? … .

Mahāsaṅghika: But was it not said by the Exalted One:

“Ānanda, whosoever has cultivated, developed, established, built up, and persistently practised the four Steps to Iddhi, so as to be able to use them as a vehicle and as a basis, he, should he desire it, could remain in the same birth for a kappa, or for that portion of the kappa which had yet to run”?

Does not this support my proposition?

Theravādin: But was it not also said by the Exalted One:

“O bhikkhus! against four things there is none that can be surety, be he recluse or brahmin, be he deva, or Māra, or Brahma, or anyone whatever in the world. Against which four? Against the old age of those subject to decay. Against the infirmities of those liable to infirmities. Against the dying of those whose nature it is to die. Against the coming to pass of the consequences of the evil deeds done in the past—deeds that were corrupt, tending to re-becoming, vain, of evil effect, making for birth, decay, and death”?

Is the Suttanta thus?

Hence it is not right to say that one who has the gift of magic potency might live on for an æon on.

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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