Dear Thomas, Dmytro, Ole, Rett and friends,

Thomas: I see that for some reason you have this interest in
meditation of heat. In fact, I already feel some heat in this
discussion. I notice that you have another message for Ole in the
queue. I will look at it next week before releasing it to the group.

Generally, I tend to agree with Ole that in this case the subject of
the sutta is not on meditation at all. Don't get me wrong, it is not
about any "magic in the air" either. In Buddhism, the purpose of
meditation is not about acquiring skills for some magical stunts. The
main objective is to calm the mind, to bring about a state of
tranquility which is conducive for contemplation.

Furthermore, the Buddha's disciples do not perform any "miracle acts"
without first seeking Buddha's permission. Just as in this sutta,
Dabba Mallaputta has been given "go ahead" by the Buddha. Remember
that Buddhism is not a religion which depends on miracles to work. It
is a religion which depends on wisdom. When you understanding cause
and effect, nothing is miraculous or wired anymore.


metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Ole Holten Pind wrote:

> < Having read these texts, it is still hard to understand how the
> individual can actually control the heat or fire element within his
> body, up to the ability of burning the entire body up by himself
> (such as in Udana 8. 9: PTS, pp. 92-3) >

The Udana story is about Dabba Mallaputta. He was known for his
magical control over the fire element. The fact that he is sitting
crosslegged in the air does not imply meditation at all, nor that he
is practicing the tejokasi.na, and it is certainly not the fire
within himself he controls, but the fire element that is baahira. The
term tejodhaatu.m samaapajjitvaa only refers to the fact that he
enters and becomes one with the fire element. The story, as I have
mentioned before, illustrates some paradoxes concerning nibbaana. You
might want to have a look into the amusing legends about Dabba and
his magical powers in Vin III 160: he could, for instance, conjure up
light when needed, and used a blazing finger as a lantern, and so on.