Hey dude! Where's my superpowers?

[FNJ]

Siddhis, or supernormal powers, are acknowledged in early Buddhist texts as potential byproducts of deep meditative absorption, with the Buddha describing abilities such as telepathy, levitation, and past-life recall though he also noted these occur “only in the mind of the one who practices,” implying a subjective or internal reality.

Zen teachers often go further, actively dismissing or warning against interest in siddhis, treating them as distractions that inflate the ego and derail the path to awakening. Yet this repeated caution raises a curious question: has anyone actually had experience with siddhis? If they truly didn’t exist, why has so much effort been spent urging people not to pursue them? The intensity of the warnings across traditions ironically lends weight to the idea that these experiences do happen but are simply not to be clung to or mistaken for enlightenment itself.
I tend to agree that if they do exist, they’re probably a distraction but then again, what’s wrong with a little distraction once in a while? Maybe the real problem isn’t distraction itself, but failing to return. And in an age dominated by secularism and scientific materialism, siddhis have been largely dismissed as fantasy or metaphor. But maybe this very dismissal is why we should take another look. So if one did want to learn or develop siddhis and investigate what all the fuss is about, how should one proceed?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[Kotei]

To me the real superpower is to live, breathe, walk, think and talk.
To be what makes the Universe conscious and sentient.
The ones you describe seem so small compared to that.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Jundo]

I would be more interested in siddhis if there were any reliable (very important word) controlled experiment results from reliable (!!) and respected institutions confirming their existence. There is not, so the question is moot, a non-issue.

Also, as Kotei said, the most incredible mystical power is to be alive, on the surface of this planet in space, farting and scratching one's nose, plus chopping wood and fetching water.

Gassho, J
stlaj

PS - I wrote the below some years ago ...

Whether Siddhis (paranormal powers claimed by some Buddhists and other mystics) exist or not is not vital to my Practice. To me, the most amazing "mystical powers" exist in the human ability to drink a cool glass of water on a hot day, to smile, to cry, to breathe. Amazing that we are alive for such, here in this world! A couple of old talks ...

X - Whattsa Who'sa Bodhisattva? - The Virtue of Mystical Powers
https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/the-beginner-s-place/bodhisattva-basics/11862-whattsa-who-sa-bodhisattva-a-sit-a-long-series?p=351087#post351087

XI - Whattsa Who'sa Bodhisattva? - (MORE) The Virtue of Mystical Powers
https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/the-beginner-s-place/bodhisattva-basics/11862-whattsa-who-sa-bodhisattva-a-sit-a-long-series?p=351088#post351088

[Noel]

Hi FNJ,

This topic is very close to my heart, so I dare to share my thoughts, even though I am new here.

I think the first question to ask is: Why do you want to pursue these "powers"? What are you truly looking for? You are searching for something more, something different—something that takes you beyond what already exists.

I believe the focus should be more on practicing presence, on being fully in the now. If you are deeply present, whatever needs to happen will unfold naturally. I don't think you should pursue these "powers"; rather, let them come to you if they are meant to. Be receptive to life. Practice accepting all aspects of life as they are. Go deeper into the present moment—everything is there.

I believe that both the miracles of everyday life—waking up in the morning, drinking a cup of tea, breathing—and the "powers" you refer to can coexist and be appreciated. I don't see them as "bad" in any way; both are part of reality. Some people experience them, while others do not—just as some people speak English while others speak German.

Some people are born with certain abilities, while others develop them through meditation. However, let me tell you this: being able to see auras or having telepathic abilities does not necessarily make life easier—quite the opposite. You may feel misunderstood, isolated, and, at the end of the day, you are still just another person navigating the challenges of everyday life. The positive aspect is that if you can use these abilities to serve and help others, they gain true purpose. I believe that is the only meaningful reason for these so-called "superpowers."

This is just a personal reflection, and of course, it is shared with no intention of contradicting the insights of teachers or the Master.


Thank you for reading.

Gassho,

Noel

Sat-lah

[Bion]

Siddhis, or supernormal powers, are acknowledged in early Buddhist texts as potential byproducts of deep meditative absorption, with the Buddha describing abilities such as telepathy, levitation, and past-life recall though he also noted these occur “only in the mind of the one who practices,” implying a subjective or internal reality.

Zen teachers often go further, actively dismissing or warning against interest in siddhis, treating them as distractions that inflate the ego and derail the path to awakening. Yet this repeated caution raises a curious question: has anyone actually had experience with siddhis? If they truly didn’t exist, why has so much effort been spent urging people not to pursue them? The intensity of the warnings across traditions ironically lends weight to the idea that these experiences do happen but are simply not to be clung to or mistaken for enlightenment itself.
I tend to agree that if they do exist, they’re probably a distraction but then again, what’s wrong with a little distraction once in a while? Maybe the real problem isn’t distraction itself, but failing to return. And in an age dominated by secularism and scientific materialism, siddhis have been largely dismissed as fantasy or metaphor. But maybe this very dismissal is why we should take another look. So if one did want to learn or develop siddhis and investigate what all the fuss is about, how should one proceed?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Here’s my two cents. I don’t know how real these powers are mainly cause I never practiced that kind of meditation with the dedication needed for them to manifest. My understanding from the suttas is that they are a result of real progress in meditation, accompanied of course by the monastic lifestyle. Many Thai forest tradition ajahns and their students swear by them and they insist that for the longest time they were the stuff of myth as buddhism became more intellectual and the old practices from the suttas were abandoned. Now that the tradition of forest dwelling has been restored, they say there’s rumors of wondrous attainments again. Can I disprove anyone’s lived experiences? No… nor do I want to or need to. I gain nothing by disproving the existence of these powers. In fact, if they end up being real, awesome… Do I need proof? Nope… So, if one aims for the attainments described in the suttas, logically the way to go is to practice as instructed in those suttas and see for one's own..

That’s about it for me..

Gassho
sat lah

[FNJ]

To me the real superpower is to live, breathe, walk, think and talk.
To be what makes the Universe conscious and sentient.
The ones you describe seem so small compared to that.

Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

The key is in the name Kotei. Supra normal. The ones you are describing are normal. Like peeing and pooping.

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[FNJ]

PĀLI CANON — Sāmaññaphala Sutta (DN 2)
“With his mind thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to the modes of spiritual power.

He wields the various kinds of spiritual power:
— having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one;
— he appears; he vanishes;
— he goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space;
— he dives in & out of the earth as if it were water;
— he walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land;
— seated cross-legged, he flies through the air like a winged bird;
— with his hand he touches & strokes even the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful;
— he exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahmā worlds.”

(Basically from the section “the four jhanas on”)

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html

Several Mahāyāna sutras describe supernormal powers such as clairaudience and telepathy, particularly as results of deep meditative absorption or stages on the bodhisattva path. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra describes the perfection of the divine ear (clairaudience) as the ability to hear all sounds in the ten directions, including celestial and subtle sounds. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (especially in the Daśabhūmika, or "Ten Grounds" section) states that advanced bodhisattvas attain divine sight and hearing, knowledge of others’ thoughts, and insight into karmic destinies. Similarly, in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra, the layman Vimalakīrti demonstrates telepathic knowledge by perceiving the thoughts of bodhisattvas in distant buddha-fields. These powers are not emphasized as goals but are presented as natural extensions of deep samādhi and compassionate insight.

https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/book/shurangama-sutra-with-commentary/d/doc1459221.html

So if they totally don't exist. Why have they been repeatedly mentioned. Are they just skillful means? Why tell people to not worry about them if they don't exist? You haven't answered my question.

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[FNJ]

Hi FNJ,

This topic is very close to my heart, so I dare to share my thoughts, even though I am new here.

I think the first question to ask is: Why do you want to pursue these "powers"? What are you truly looking for? You are searching for something more, something different—something that takes you beyond what already exists.

I believe the focus should be more on practicing presence, on being fully in the now. If you are deeply present, whatever needs to happen will unfold naturally. I don't think you should pursue these "powers"; rather, let them come to you if they are meant to. Be receptive to life. Practice accepting all aspects of life as they are. Go deeper into the present moment—everything is there.

I believe that both the miracles of everyday life—waking up in the morning, drinking a cup of tea, breathing—and the "powers" you refer to can coexist and be appreciated. I don't see them as "bad" in any way; both are part of reality. Some people experience them, while others do not—just as some people speak English while others speak German.

Some people are born with certain abilities, while others develop them through meditation. However, let me tell you this: being able to see auras or having telepathic abilities does not necessarily make life easier—quite the opposite. You may feel misunderstood, isolated, and, at the end of the day, you are still just another person navigating the challenges of everyday life. The positive aspect is that if you can use these abilities to serve and help others, they gain true purpose. I believe that is the only meaningful reason for these so-called "superpowers."

This is just a personal reflection, and of course, it is shared with no intention of contradicting the insights of teachers or the Master.


Thank you for reading.

Gassho,

Noel

Sat-lah

A very balanced take. Thank you for your contribution!

I agree, the reason one might want these powers is initially suspect. But I'd take a step back and say that when we develop the ability to concentrate, let's say on a feeling or on a part of the body. We may develop the ability to heal ourselves (or even others) or make ourselves happier. I don't think these are magic per se or even Supra normal, but they are the possible outcomes of deliberate meditative concentration (as opposed Shikantaza), that is they can be developed and they are not that common or normal.

Just some thoughts.

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[FNJ]

I would be more interested in siddhis if there were any reliable (very important word) controlled experiment results from reliable (!!) and respected institutions confirming their existence. There is not, so the question is moot, a non-issue.

Also, as Kotei said, the most incredible mystical power is to be alive, on the surface of this planet in space, farting and scratching one's now, plus chopping wood and fetching water.

Gassho, J
stlaj

PS - I wrote the below some years ago ...

Whether Siddhis (paranormal powers claimed by some Buddhists and other mystics) exist or not is not vital to my Practice. To me, the most amazing "mystical powers" exist in the human ability to drink a cool glass of water on a hot day, to smile, to cry, to breathe. Amazing that we are alive for such, here in this world! A couple of old talks ...

X - Whattsa Who'sa Bodhisattva? - The Virtue of Mystical Powers
https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/the-beginner-s-place/bodhisattva-basics/11862-whattsa-who-sa-bodhisattva-a-sit-a-long-series?p=351087#post351087

XI - Whattsa Who'sa Bodhisattva? - (MORE) The Virtue of Mystical Powers
https://forum.treeleaf.org/forum/treeleaf/the-beginner-s-place/bodhisattva-basics/11862-whattsa-who-sa-bodhisattva-a-sit-a-long-series?p=351088#post351088

The Iddhipāda‑vibhanga Sutta (SN 51.20) links these psychic powers to absorption (jhāna), showing they’re born from mental concentration. They are “bases of power,” but they remain conditioned and internal, not external phenomena .

Which is like saying they exist but they're just in your head. So they can't possibly be empirically and scientifically tested.

So basically what you're saying is they do not exist and are a cultural remnant that persists?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

[MiraLevi]

Maybe it's because of how mixed up I have gotten over the years with things like yoga and Reiki that I kind of believe in this stuff. Or maybe I'm coming with this kind of baggage and you guys are all going to relieve me of it?

So basically we're saying there is no magic anymore?

Stlah
Gassho
Mira

[Myo-jin]

Siddhis, or supernormal powers, are acknowledged in early Buddhist texts as potential byproducts of deep meditative absorption, with the Buddha describing abilities such as telepathy, levitation, and past-life recall though he also noted these occur “only in the mind of the one who practices,” implying a subjective or internal reality.

Zen teachers often go further, actively dismissing or warning against interest in siddhis, treating them as distractions that inflate the ego and derail the path to awakening. Yet this repeated caution raises a curious question: has anyone actually had experience with siddhis? If they truly didn’t exist, why has so much effort been spent urging people not to pursue them? The intensity of the warnings across traditions ironically lends weight to the idea that these experiences do happen but are simply not to be clung to or mistaken for enlightenment itself.
I tend to agree that if they do exist, they’re probably a distraction but then again, what’s wrong with a little distraction once in a while? Maybe the real problem isn’t distraction itself, but failing to return. And in an age dominated by secularism and scientific materialism, siddhis have been largely dismissed as fantasy or metaphor. But maybe this very dismissal is why we should take another look. So if one did want to learn or develop siddhis and investigate what all the fuss is about, how should one proceed?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Hi Niall,

I thought I'd offer my thoughts on the matter as I come at the question from a tradition that acknowledges siddhis, but views them ultimately as a distraction, so something of a middle way in that respect.

Firstly, people have always sought to use spiritual or magical practices to get things in the world. That ranges from poisoning your neighbours wife or seducing his cattle, to riches, superpowers and anything else you can imagine. Whether these things are possible isn't the point, people still try to get them. Even today I see people who are essentially (in the western traditions) hedge witches and fortune tellers.

Ultimately these things are materialistic in nature, they are aimed at power: either power to do something, or power over others.

Many years ago I was interested in that stuff. I learned divination, magic, that sort of thing. Over time I started to realise the futility of it, not that things didn't work, but that even if they do, so what? They don't answer the big questions of life and death. Once you've obtained riches and learned to fly (I've done neither!!!), we are still faced with old age, sickness, and death, so it makes no difference.

That's what led me eventually to Buddhism, recognising that the pursuit of powers (to do, or over) was a misuse of my time, and even power to know (divination etc) became less important than answering the big questions, for which reason I agree with the sentiment that cultivating siddhis is a distraction.

That said, in life a certain amount of mobility and power is essential. Power to get a job, pay rent, raise my son to be a decent person, are powers worth cultivating, and which Buddhism can facilitate.

Gassho
Sattlah
Myojin

[Jundo]

Maybe it's because of how mixed up I have gotten over the years with things like yoga and Reiki that I kind of believe in this stuff. Or maybe I'm coming with this kind of baggage and you guys are all going to relieve me of it?

So basically we're saying there is no magic anymore?

Oh no, Mira. It is just that this life is magic, and most of us do not realize so. (I must say, however, that after more than 40 years in Japan, I see no evidence for Reiki claims, and actually Reiki is barely known in Japan. Reiki is mostly placebo effect ... although placebo effect is a real thing, with real power, so it has that much power.)

[QUOTE]

The key is in the name Kotei. Supra normal. The ones you are describing are normal.

No, this is your hang-up between your ears of deciding what is "normal" or "super." What in the world is not magic? The wonder of billions of years of biology and history allowing you to breathe, to awaken here in the middle of space, to live, is the true miracle.

And perhaps you need to see those Sutras another way (my comments in bold) ...

He wields the various kinds of spiritual power:
— having been one, he becomes many; having been many, he becomes one;

To know that we are this reality, that we are all of it, thus every tree and star, worm and atom as us and we just them ... all is realized in a moment of Zazen.

— he appears; he vanishes;

We are here, yet not, for we are all of it, and our little selves, yet not.

— he goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space;
— he dives in & out of the earth as if it were water;
— he walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land;

When the hard borders of self and other soften, or fully drop away, what barriers can hold one, and were is one not?

— seated cross-legged, he flies through the air like a winged bird;

Yes, I do this on Delta, and get frequent flier miles too.

— with his hand he touches & strokes even the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful;
— he exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahmā worlds.”

Truly, through this practice, one realizes that we are boundless, and there is no place we cannot go, or where we are not.

... clairaudience and telepathy... the divine ear (clairaudience) as the ability to hear all sounds in the ten directions, including celestial and subtle sounds .... divine sight and hearing, knowledge of others’ thoughts, and insight into karmic destinies ... telepathic knowledge by perceiving the thoughts of bodhisattvas in distant buddha-fields.

The mind of all sentient beings can be known, their suffering and their yearning for freedom from suffering ... all sounds in all the world can be heard in every breeze, and the light of every star in the sky and all the galaxies shines in every tiny grain of sand ... I know where we come from and to where we go, sitting right here ... and I can read your thoughts and your heart in my heart and all our hearts. You Karmic destiny and mine is to seek to live a good and gentle life, and to make a better world.

So, do not cloud the real miracle with side-show distractions and silliness, quackery and quaint old myths.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Seiko]

Siddhis, or supernormal powers, are acknowledged in early Buddhist texts as potential byproducts of deep meditative absorption, with the Buddha describing abilities such as telepathy, levitation, and past-life recall though he also noted these occur “only in the mind of the one who practices,” implying a subjective or internal reality.

Zen teachers often go further, actively dismissing or warning against interest in siddhis, treating them as distractions that inflate the ego and derail the path to awakening. Yet this repeated caution raises a curious question: has anyone actually had experience with siddhis? If they truly didn’t exist, why has so much effort been spent urging people not to pursue them? The intensity of the warnings across traditions ironically lends weight to the idea that these experiences do happen but are simply not to be clung to or mistaken for enlightenment itself.
I tend to agree that if they do exist, they’re probably a distraction but then again, what’s wrong with a little distraction once in a while? Maybe the real problem isn’t distraction itself, but failing to return. And in an age dominated by secularism and scientific materialism, siddhis have been largely dismissed as fantasy or metaphor. But maybe this very dismissal is why we should take another look. So if one did want to learn or develop siddhis and investigate what all the fuss is about, how should one proceed?

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Hi Niall,
You have a way of framing your questions - like it's some kind of test. Whilst that isn't good or bad, it's unusual. I wonder if there is a reason for this?

I'd like to ask you a question, if you don't mind? Perhaps more than one?

I see so much beauty and wonder and kindness in the world - as it is now - that I don't wish for supernatural powers. In fact I don't wish for any power at all - supernatural or otherwise. Do you not feel like that?

Isn't longing for anything - including supernatural powers - just one more way to torture our selves? Wishing for something we do not have, a bigger car, a swanky house, a fabulous holiday, a few superpowers - it all sounds like dissatisfaction - dis-ease to me? Doesn't it sound this way to you?

You mention telepathy, levitation, and past-life recall. I guess someone would have to believe those things exist, or are even possible, before they could acquire those skills. But even then, it's just more acquisition.

Heaven, nirvana, magical powers - some other reward for good deeds... there is, as far as I can work out, no joy in wishing for something we do not have. Life is *NOW*. I find contentment in enjoying what *IS* now. Take a look around you. Don't you marvel at life, like a child seeing a kitten? I do.

In Friendship.

Gasshō, Seiko, stlah

[Seiko]

The key is in the name Kotei. Supra normal. The ones you are describing are normal. Like peeing and pooping.

Sat LAH
Gassho
Niall

Niall - nothing is normal. I take nothing for granted.

Gasshō, Seiko, stlah

[Kokuu]

Zen teachers often go further, actively dismissing or warning against interest in siddhis, treating them as distractions that inflate the ego and derail the path to awakening

If someone is actively pursuing Zen and working with a teacher, we try and keep their practice on what is most important in the tradition, which is finding freedom in samsara through the direct experience of reality, and living for the benefit of all beings.

Supernormal powers seem to me to conversely stem from a desire to control our experience rather than respond to life just as it is, and keep us trapped in the same patterns of attachment and aversion that lead to suffering.

Everyone is of course free to pursue the path they wish but as Zen teachers our aim is to point people to what will free them from suffering.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday/lah-