The term "iddhi" is derived from the verb "ijjhati", which means "to prosper" or "to succeed." In Buddhist traditions, "iddhi" often refers to supranormal or "spiritual" powers, which are various forms of knowledge and skill that you might acquire when you practice Right Concentration of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. The term "pada" means "basis," which refers to the four mental qualities I mentioned earlier.
According to this teaching, developing Right Concentration based on these four mental qualities will help you accomplish your spiritual pursuits. However, even if you are not a Buddhist or you do not practice any form of meditation, the four bases can still serve you well in whatever goal you may have as long as your intention with that goal is a wholesome one.
SPIRITUAL POWERS
"When a monk has thus developed & pursued the four bases of power, he experiences manifold supranormal powers... He hears - by means of the divine ear-element, purified & surpassing the human - both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether near or far... He knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness... He recollects his manifold past lives... He sees - by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human - beings passing away and re-appearing... Through the ending of the mental effluents, he remains in the effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release, knowing & realizing it for himself in the here & now. This is how these four bases of power, when developed & pursued, are of great fruit ">1. INSIGHT KNOWLEDGE (vipassana-~nana) - the ability to gain clear insight into the nature of phenomena.2. MIND OVER MATTER (iddhividhi) - the power of manipulating physical objects at will. 3. ASTRAL TRAVELLING (manomayiddhi) - the power of creating mind-made images. 4. CLAIRVOYANCE (dibbacakkhu) - the ability to see subtle, hidden, or remote things. 5. CLAIRAUDIENCE (dibbasota) - the ability to know sounds/languages through the divine ear.6. TELEPATHY (cetopariya-~nana) - knowledge of the thoughts and mental states of other beings. 7. KNOWLEDGE OF PAST LIVES (pubbenivasanussati-~nana) - recollection of previous births by means of mental images or intuitive knowledge.8. KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENDING OF MENTAL FERMENTATIONS (asavakkhaya-~nana) - knowing the causes for mental defilements and the means for putting an end to them.
According to Buddhists, the last type of power ("asavakkhaya-~nana") is the most essential on the path to enlightenment. The reason is that it is the only one you need to completely eliminate the last five fetters to enlightenment ("craving for fine material existence", "craving for immaterial existence", "conceit", "restlessness", and "ignorance"). Once you remove these fetters (a.k.a. hindrances, defilements, or fermentations), you reach the fourth and final stage of enlightenment called Arahantship (see Four Stages Of Enlightenment).
Other forms of spiritual power are mainly indicators to let you know how much you have improved with your meditation practice. Therefore, you must not become attached to these powers and even exhibit their use in public. Doing so may turn these powers into hindrances instead of helping you progress in your practice. Those who are successful in acquiring any of these powers should ask their teachers for guidance in using it. Use them in the wrong way and the law of karma will tell you how much you'll have to pay for it.
THE FOUR BASES OF SPIRITUAL POWER
To fully understand how the four bases are used in the context of Right Concentration of the Noble Eightfold Path and to be able to make sense of the things you're going to read below, make sure that you are familiar with two other concepts: Jhanas and Samatha Meditation. The jhanas are the higher states of consciousness you need to reach in order to attain these powers while samatha meditation is the vehicle you're going to use to reach the jhanas.
* The quotes you see below were taken from the English translation of the Iddhipada-vibhanga Sutta by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. It outlines the Buddha's instruction in applying the four bases.
* The images are courtesy of phramick.wordpress.com (check out this site, it's really cool).
1. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF DESIRE (CHANDA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on desire (chanda-samadhi) & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, 'This desire of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly restricted nor outwardly scattered.' He keeps perceiving what is in front & behind so that what is in front is the same as what is behind, what is behind is the same as what is in front. What is below is the same as what is above, what is above is the same as what is below. [He dwells] by night as by day, and by day as by night. By means of awareness thus open ">2. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF PERSISTENCE/ENERGY (VIRIYA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on persistence (viriya-samadhi) ">3. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF INTENT (CITTA-SAMaDHI)
"There is the case where a monk develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on intent (citta-samadhi) ">4. CONCENTRATION BY MEANS OF DISCRIMINATION (VIMASa-SAMaDHI)
"He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on discrimination (vimasa-samadhi) & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, 'This discrimination of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly restricted nor outwardly scattered.' He keeps perceiving what is..."
The fourth base of spiritual power is concentration by means of the mental quality of discrimination. The term "vimasa" means "investigation, inquiry," or "pondering." In the context of the four bases, discrimination refers to the investigation of the nature of physical and mental phenomena during heightened states of awareness wherein other mental qualities such as reflection, bliss, and sense of pure being are also present.
True knowledge and ordinary knowledge (based on sense perception or reasoning) are present within us in a mixed state. However, we can only access/obtain true knowledge by reaching the higher states of consciousness, which we refer to here as the jhanas. The fourth jhana (utter peacefulness) is said to be the stage where you begin to attain spiritual powers.
As you ascend through the various levels of jhana, you distinguish ordinary knowledge from true knowledge simply because the more you focus on the object you are investigating, the more you lose subjectivity and the more you see the true nature of that object. To give an analogy, just think of the process of peeling back the skin of an onion. Investigating the various conditions or causal factors that led to the existence of the object you are investigating and learning that they are impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self is just like removing the outer layers of the onion. The Buddha said, "By means of awareness thus open & unhampered, he develops a brightened mind"." Once you get to the core and become fully absorbed in the object (fourth jhana), the real knowledge of the object alone shines through your mind. Figuratively speaking, you become the onion. Peace out!
Read all the articles in the Buddha Mind series.
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