Did the Buddha have any siddhis?

[Shaunc]

Another story that I can remember is of an ascetic boasting to the Buddha that his meditation was so advanced that he could now walk across the river. The Buddha asked him why he would bother doing that when he could just catch the ferry for a penny.

[Shaunc]

Originally Posted by sky123

Have you read the Patacara story, another heart wrencher...

I hadn't read it but I have now, and yes , in my opinion stories like these are the real miracles of the Buddha and buddhism.
Some of the other si called miracles of other religious teachers may be nothing more than magic tricks or stories made up by other followers to encourage others to follow them too.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Shaunc

I hadn't read it but I have now, and yes , in my opinion stories like these are the real miracles of the Buddha and buddhism.
Some of the other si called miracles of other religious teachers may be nothing more than magic tricks or stories made up by other followers to encourage others to follow them too.

The Buddha taught according to the mental and spiritual capacity of individuals and because most of his followers were simple living people ( farmers ) etc: he used there prior beliefs in devas and miracles to explain his teachings.

Buddha was born a Hindu which is steeped in supernatural beliefs and he has used this to his advantage to help others understand his teachings more easily.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by sky123

The Buddha taught according to the mental and spiritual capacity of individuals and because most of his followers were simple living people ( farmers ) etc: he used there prior beliefs in devas and miracles to explain his teachings.

The Buddha steered out of such talk, and never endorsed belief in God or gods and other psychological crutches, and placed emphasis on self-reliance alone with good study and work habits.

Also , most of his followers were actually princes , aristocrats and from reputed families who were well-educated and intelligent and was in a position to understand his teachings better , which differed radically from Hinduism.

[sky]

Originally Posted by ajay00

The Buddha steered out of such talk, and never endorsed belief in God or gods and other psychological crutches, and placed emphasis on self-reliance alone with good study and work habits.

Also , most of his followers were actually princes , aristocrats and from reputed families who were well-educated and intelligent and was in a position to understand his teachings better , which differed radically from Hinduism.

Many of the Sutras mention devas/miracles etc: which were used as a method to teach his followers who's spiritual or mental capacity were obviously different.

Buddhas 5 main Disciples were illiterate as were most of his followers, though not all.

If you google " similarities of Buddha and Christ's miracles " you will find Sutras full of supernatural beings etc:

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by sky123

Many of the Sutras mention devas/miracles etc: which were used as a method to teach his followers who's spiritual or mental capacity were obviously different.

These are probably additions later on as I had written earlier.

The Buddha prescribed self-reliance, but centuries later his followers started putting his statues for worship, because the teachings were too complicated for the common people to follow due to limited intellectual comprehension and they needed a focal point. Rituals followed later on.

Originally Posted by sky123

Buddhas 5 main Disciples were illiterate as were most of his followers, though not all.

I have never heard any mention of ' 5 main disciples' . His main disciple in a sense was Ananda, who was his cousin and a prince himself.

Originally Posted by sky123

If you google " similarities of Buddha and Christ's miracles " you will find Sutras full of supernatural beings etc:

Yes, but the Buddha discouraged himself any miracle mongering of sorts or reference to supernatural beings, as he considered it a distraction from the spiritual path.

[Serrao]

Originally Posted by ajay00

See, a lot of stories were made to hype up Buddha by his followers in later centuries to give him a superhuman aura, and this probably is one of them.

I see Siddhartha as an honest man with good critical thinking skills, application and a firm determination to find the truth , and this helped him to get over the superstitious beliefs present in Hinduism at that point of time and evolve it to the level of Buddhism. Swami Vivekananda had described Buddhism as 'the logical fulfilment of Hinduism. '

Intelligent and diligent effort is emphasized in Buddhism without any focus on miracles and stuff . Too much focus on miracles and so on can weaken the mind and character, increase fear and reduce self-belief and self-esteem.

This reminds me of a statement of a master to his disciple:
First learn to behave properly.
Later you can play with siddhis.

[sky]

Originally Posted by ajay00

These are probably additions later on as I had written earlier.

The Buddha prescribed self-reliance, but centuries later his followers started putting his statues for worship, because the teachings were too complicated for the common people to follow due to limited intellectual comprehension and they needed a focal point. Rituals followed later on.



I have never heard any mention of ' 5 main disciples' . His main disciple in a sense was Ananda, who was his cousin and a prince himself.




Yes, but the Buddha discouraged himself any miracle mongering of sorts or reference to supernatural beings, as he considered it a distraction from the spiritual path.

Buddha himself would not have believed in supernatural powers after he became enlightened but before he became enlightened he would have as his religion was Hindu.

His first five Disciples were said to be illiterate but who knows, they were called Pancavaggiya, Ananda became a Disciple later and became Buddhas personal assistant after 20 years.

Many schools of Buddhism still believe in Devas/Siddhis and Buddhas supernatural powers but I would imagine Buddha would laugh at them.The Sutras were written hundreds of years after Buddhas life as we know but I cannot see the reason why they would add supernational beings like Devas and Siddhis unless they were used by Buddha in his teachings.


HHDL uses oracles and divination frequently so supernatural beliefs are still part of Buddhism today.

[ajay00]

Originally Posted by sky123

Buddha himself would not have believed in supernatural powers after he became enlightened but before he became enlightened he would have as his religion was Hindu.

So-called supernatural powers or siddhis exist. And reference has been made to them in Hinduism and Buddhism. They are merely seen as signs of progress in the spiritual path.

Originally Posted by sky123

His first five Disciples were said to be illiterate but who knows, they were called Pancavaggiya, Ananda became a Disciple later and became Buddhas personal assistant after 20 years.

From what I know , it is actually a couple of Siddhartha's former comrades with whom he had performed austerities, who became his first disciples after they witnessed his enlightened state. They were certainly not illiterate and were spiritual aspirants themselves.

Originally Posted by sky123

Many schools of Buddhism still believe in Devas/Siddhis and Buddhas supernatural powers but I would imagine Buddha would laugh at them.The Sutras were written hundreds of years after Buddhas life as we know but I cannot see the reason why they would add supernational beings like Devas and Siddhis unless they were used by Buddha in his teachings.

I personally have never read of a sutra where he makes reference to gods or siddhis in a positive sense. If there are any, they may be later additions by followers and does not go with the character of Buddha.

Originally Posted by sky123

HHDL uses oracles and divination frequently so supernatural beliefs are still part of Buddhism today.

Tibetan Buddhism was founded by Padmasambhava, who had a bit of the occult in him and his teachings, imo.

[sky]

"I personally have never read of a sutra where he makes reference to gods or siddhis in a positive sense. If there are any, they may be later additions by followers and does not go with the character of Buddha."


That is because you don't understand them. I believe they do go with his character because he tried to teach all people who had been raised in other religions who did believe in supernatural beings, so he used this to his advantage.

As his followers became awakened/enlightened they themselves would then see the errors of their previous beliefs. The Lotus Sutra is full of supernatural beings etc: and it is beautiful but sometimes difficult for lay Buddhist to understand.

Buddha never wanted his followers to do what he said, his teachings were all about finding your own way
Some Buddhist's do believe in devas, siddhi, miracles and supernatural entities but thats their choice.