Moggallṅna Moggallṅna Sutta (SN 51:14)

- suttas - - evening talks - short morning talks - lectures - guided meditations - talk collections - other themes - chants - - - - à¹à¸à¸¢ - Franā§ais - Espaā±ol - - Portuguāªs - РÑÑÑкий - - - УкÑаÑнÑÑка Submit Search - Home - Suttas - SN - SN 51:14 Moggallṅna ## Browse Suttas Go to Saṃyutta Nikṅya index SN index ## Moggallṅna Moggallṅna Sutta  (SN 51:14) I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Sṅvatthī in the Eastern Monastery, the palace of Migṅraâs mother. And on that occasion a large number of monks were dwelling on the lower floor of the palace: high-strung, rowdy, flighty, talkative, of loose words & muddled mindfulness, unalert, unconcentrated, their minds scattered, their faculties left wide open. Then the Blessed One addressed Ven. Mahṅ Moggallṅna, "Moggallṅna, your fellows in the holy life dwelling on the lower floor of the palace of Migṅraâs mother are high-strung, rowdy, flighty, talkative, of loose words & muddled mindfulness, unalert, unconcentrated, their minds scattered, their faculties left wide open. Go, Moggallṅna, and terrify those monks." Responding, "As you say, lord," to the Blessed One, Ven. Moggallṅna willed a feat of psychic power such that with his toe he made the palace of Migṅraâs mother shake, quiver, & quake. Then those monks, standing to one side terrified, their hair on end, (exclaimed,) "How amazing! How astounding!—how, although there is no wind, the palace of Migṅraâs mother—deeply-rooted, well-implanted, immovable, unshakable—still shook, quivered, and quaked!" Then the Blessed One went to those monks and, on arrival, said to them, "Why monks, are you standing to one side terrified, your hair on end?" "Itâs amazing, lord! Itâs astounding!—how, although there is no wind, the palace of Migṅraâs mother—deeply-rooted, well-implanted, immovable, unshakable—still shook, quivered, and quaked!" "Monks, wanting to terrify you, the monk Moggallṅna with his toe made the palace of Migṅraâs mother shake, quiver, & quake. What do you think, monks? Having developed & pursued which qualities is the monk Moggallṅna of such power, such might?" "For us, lord, the teachings have the Blessed One as their root, their guide, & their arbitrator. It would be good if the Blessed One himself would explicate the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from the Blessed One, the monks will remember it." "In that case, monks, listen: Itâs through having developed & pursued the four bases of power that the monk Moggallṅna is of such power, such might. Which four? "There is the case where the monk Moggallṅna develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on desire & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, ),

# Right single quote

('â', This desire of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly constricted nor outwardly scattered.â 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 an awareness thus open & unhampered, he develops a brightened mind. "He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on persistence⦠"He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on intent⦠"He develops the base of power endowed with concentration founded on discrimination & the fabrications of exertion, thinking, ),

# Right single quote

('â', This discrimination of mine will be neither overly sluggish nor overly active, neither inwardly constricted nor outwardly scattered.â 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 an awareness thus open & unhampered, he develops a brightened mind. "Itâs through having developed & pursued these four bases of power that the monk Moggallṅna is of such power, such might. "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna experiences manifold supranormal powers. 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. Sitting 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 Brahmṅ worlds. "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna hears—by means of the divine ear-element, purified & surpassing the human—both kinds of sounds: divine & human, whether near or far. "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna knows the awareness of other beings, other individuals, having encompassed it with his own awareness. He discerns a mind with passion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind with passion,â and a mind without passion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind without passion.â He discerns a mind with aversion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind with aversion,â and a mind without aversion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind without aversion.â He discerns a mind with delusion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind with delusion,â and a mind without delusion as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a mind without delusion.â He discerns a restricted mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a restricted mind,â and a scattered mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a scattered mind.â He discerns an enlarged mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', an enlarged mind,â and an unenlarged mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', an unenlarged mind.â He discerns a surpassed mind [one that is not at the most excellent level] as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a surpassed mind,â and an unsurpassed mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', an unsurpassed mind.â He discerns a concentrated mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a concentrated mind,â and an unconcentrated mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', an unconcentrated mind.â He discerns a released mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', a released mind,â and an unreleased mind as ),

# Right single quote

('â', an unreleased mind.â "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna recollects his manifold past lives [lit: previous homes], i.e., one birth, two births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion, (recollecting,) ),

# Right single quote

('â', There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.â Thus he remembers his manifold past lives in their modes & details. "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna sees—by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human—beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: ),

# Right single quote

('â', These beings—who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, & mind, who reviled the noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views—with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. But these beings—who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views—with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world.â Thus—by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human—he sees beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma. "Having developed & pursued these four bases of power, the monk Moggallṅna—through the ending of the effluents—enters & remains in the effluent-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having directly known & realized them for himself right in the here & now." See also: DN 2; SN 21:3; AN 5:28 - --> - - - -