1Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Sāvatthī in the Eastern Park in the Mansion of Migara's Mother. Now on that occasion a number of bhikkhus who dwelt on the ground floor of the mansion were restless, puffed up, personally vain, rough-tongued, rambling in their talk, muddle-minded, without clear comprehension, unconcentrated, scatter-brained, loose in their faculties. [n.262] As at SN2.5, 9:13.

2Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna thus: "Moggallana, your brothers in the holy life, sn.v.270 dwelling on the ground floor of the Mansion of Migara's Mother, are restless … loose in their faculties. Go, Moggallana, stir up a sense of urgency in those bhikkhus."

3"Yes, venerable sir," the Venerable Mahāmoggallāna replied. Then he performed a feat of spiritual power such that he made the Mansion of Migara's Mother shake, quake, and tremble with his toe. [n.263] Spk: He entered into meditation on the water-kasiṇa, emerged, and determined that the ground on which the mansion stood should become water. Then he rose up into the air and struck it with his toe. Then those bhikkhus, shocked and terrified, stood to one side and said: "It is wonderful indeed, sir! It is amazing indeed, sir! There is no wind, and this Mansion of Migara's Mother has a deep base and is securely planted, immobile, unshaking; yet it shook, quaked, and trembled."

4Then the Blessed One approached those bhikkhus and said to them: "Why, bhikkhus, are you standing to one side, shocked and terrified?"

"It is wonderful, venerable sir! It is amazing, venerable sir! There is no wind, and this Mansion of Migara's Mother has a deep base and is securely planted, immobile, unshaking; yet it shook, it quaked, it trembled."

"Bhikkhus, the bhikkhu Moggallana, desiring to stir up a sense of urgency in you, made the Mansion of Migara's Mother shake, quake, and tremble with his toe. What do you think, bhikkhus, by having developed and cultivated what things has the bhikkhu Moggallana become so powerful and mighty?"

"Venerable sir, our teachings are rooted in the Blessed One, guided by the Blessed One, take recourse in the Blessed One. It would be good if the Blessed One would clear up the meaning of this statement. Having heard it from him, the bhikkhus will remember it." sn.v.271

5"Then listen, bhikkhus … . It is because he has developed and cultivated the four bases for spiritual power that the bhikkhu Moggallana has become so powerful and mighty. What four? Here, bhikkhus, the bhikkhu Moggallana has developed the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to desire and volitional formations of striving. He has developed the basis for spiritual power that possesses concentration due to energy … concentration due to mind … concentration due to investigation and volitional formations of striving, thinking: ‘Thus my investigation will be neither too slack nor too tense; and it will be neither constricted internally nor distracted externally. ’ … Thus, with a mind that is open and unenveloped, he has developed the mind imbued with luminosity.

"It is, bhikkhus, because he has developed and cultivated these four bases for spiritual power that the bhikkhu Moggallana has become so powerful and mighty.

"It is, bhikkhus, because the bhikkhu Moggallana has developed and cultivated these four bases for spiritual power that he wields the various kinds of spiritual power … he exercises mastery with the body as far as the brahma world … . [n.264] Be puts a pe here, implying that the other four mundane abhiññās should be filled in. This seems confirmed too by Spk's comment on SN51.31; see n. 279 below.

"It is, bhikkhus, because the bhikkhu Moggallana has developed and cultivated these four bases for spiritual power that by the destruction of the taints, in this very life he enters and dwells in the taintless liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, realizing it for himself with direct knowledge."

1Evaṁ me sutaṁ—​ ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ vihārati pubbārāme migāramātupāsāde. Tena kho pana samayena sambahulā bhikkhū heṭṭhāmigāramātupāsāde vihāranti uddhatā unnaḷā capalā mukharā vikiṇṇavācā muṭṭhassatino asampajānā asamāhitā bhantacittā pākatindriyā.

2Atha kho bhagavā āyasmantaṁ mahāmoggallānaṁ āmantesi: "ete kho, moggallāna, sabrahmacārino heṭṭhāmigāramātupāsāde vihāranti uddhatā unnaḷā capalā mukharā vikiṇṇavācā muṭṭhassatino asampajānā asamāhitā bhantacittā pākatindriyā. Gaccha, moggallāna, te bhikkhū saṁvejehī"ti.

3"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā mahāmoggallāno bhagavato paṭissutvā tathārūpaṁ iddhābhisaṅkhāraṁ abhisaṅkhāresi yathā pādaṅguṭṭhakena migāramātupāsādaṁ saṅkampesi sampakampesi sampacālesi. Atha kho te bhikkhū saṁviggā lomahaṭṭhajātā ekamantaṁ aṭṭhaṁsu: "acchariyaṁ vata bho, abbhutaṁ vata bho. Nivātañca vata ayañca migāramātupāsādo gambhīranemo sunikhāto acalo asampakampī, atha ca pana saṅkampito sampakampito sampacālito"ti.

4Atha kho bhagavā yena te bhikkhū tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā te bhikkhū bhagavā etadavoca: "Kiṁ nu tumhe, bhikkhave, saṁviggā lomahaṭṭhajātā ekamantaṁ ṭhitā"ti?

"Acchariyaṁ, bhante, abbhutaṁ bhante. Nivātañca vata ayañca migāramātupāsādo gambhīranemo sunikhāto acalo asampakampī, atha ca pana saṅkampito sampakampito sampacālito"ti.

"Tumheva kho, bhikkhave, saṁvejetukāmena moggallānena bhikkhunā pādaṅguṭṭhakena migāramātupāsādo, saṅkampito sampakampito sampacālito. Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave, katamesaṁ dhammānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā moggallāno bhikkhu evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo"ti?

"Bhagavaṁmūlakā no, bhante, dhammā, bhagavaṁnettikā bhagavaṁpaṭisaraṇā. Sādhu vata, bhante, bhagavantaṁyeva paṭibhātu etassa bhāsitassa attho. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī"ti.

5"Tena hi, bhikkhave, suṇātha. Catunnaṁ kho, bhikkhave, iddhipādānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā moggallāno bhikkhu evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo. Katamesaṁ catunnaṁ? Idha, bhikkhave, moggallāno bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhi pādaṁ bhāveti, vīriyasamādhi … pe … cittasamādhi … vīmaṁsāsamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhi pādaṁ bhāveti – iti me vīmaṁsā na ca atilīnā bhavissati, na ca atippaggahitā bhavissati; na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhittā bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhittā bhavissati. Pacchāpuresaññī ca vihārati – yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure; yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho; yathā divā tathā rattiṁ, yathā rattiṁ tathā divā. Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā moggallāno bhikkhu evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo.

Imesañca pana, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā moggallāno bhikkhu anekavihitaṁ iddhividhaṁ paccanubhoti … pe … yāva brahmalokāpi kāyena vasaṁ vatteti … pe …

imesañca pana, bhikkhave, catunnaṁ iddhipādānaṁ bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā moggallāno bhikkhu āsavānaṁ khayā anāsavaṁ cetovimuttiṁ paññāvimuttiṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja vihāratī"ti.

Catutthaṁ.