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MIRACLES |
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A miracle (pāṭihāriya) is an act or occurrence contravening the known laws of nature and which is believed to have a divine cause. The most commonly reported miracles include sudden non-medical healings, the appearances of deities, messages from deities, etc. While the Buddha accepted the possibility of miracles, he had a rather sceptical attitude towards most of the supposed miracles reported to him. Once somebody asked him to perform a miracle so that 'even more people will have faith in you.' The Buddha replied that there were miracles which thoughtful or sceptical people would have doubts about. There was however, a miracle that all could have confidence in, what he called 'the miracle of instruction' (anusāsāni pāṭihāriya). This miracle consisted, he said, of teaching morality, acceptance, peace of mind and meditation (D.I,214). Some traditions claim that their founder’s ability to perform miracles is proof of their divinity or their connection with the divine. But there are several problems with this position. Firstly, it requires denying the reality of the miracles claimed by other religions. As some of the miracles done by one master are just as well-attested by those done by another, and often very similar to them, such claims are unconvincing. Secondly, the history of religion offers many examples of where some individuals with miraculous powers later turned out to be imperfect or even evil. This being the case, the link between miraculous abilities and divinity is a tenuous one. Certainly, this is the Buddhist position. Buddhism has always pointed out that Devadatta, the Buddha’s ambitious and scheming cousin, developed his miraculous powers to a very high degree. From the Buddhist perspective, being able to perform a miracle is no proof of moral or spiritual perfection. The Buddha and some of his disciples were sometimes attributed with miraculous powers (e.g. D.II,89;III,38). Some people believe the stories about the Buddha’s miracles to be literally true while others see them as having an allegorical meaning or even being a later addition to the scriptures. Either way, attaining enlightenment does not depend on believing in a miracle and none of the central doctrines of Buddhism are of a supernatural or miraculous nature. See Ganges, Pseudocyesis and Psychic Powers. |
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