A friend sent me this story to help me understand, and I wanted to share it with you.
Sravasti is the site of the Great Miracles performed by the Buddha Shakyamuni. The story goes that when a grave epidemic swept through Magadha, the wealthy Licchavi family had sought out the most powerful magicians and healers from across the continent to bring these sufferings to an end. They had also heard about the Buddha, who had just recently awakened and sent their messengers to request his presence. The Buddha complied by sending Ananda ahead with instructions to repeat certain mantras. By the time the Buddha rendezvoused with Ananda in Vaisali, the epidemic was over. For the rest of his life, the Buddha and his teachings were always well received by the Licchavis. The six ascetics who had been unsuccessful in ending the epidemic felt that this incident threatened their reputations. So they challenged the Buddha to a public exhibition of logic and magical powers. When the King of Magadha, Bimbisara heard this, he wondered just what the Buddha would do.
“If they manifest magical phenomena, I will do the same,” said the Awakened One. This surprised the King who asked, “Have you not forbidden the performance of miracles?”
“Great King, I did not create this precept for myself; it was intended for my disciples.”
Buddha accepted their challenge and agreed to meet the six ascetics in the shade of a mango tree in Sravasti. King Prasenajit, who had become a great patron of the Sangha, was very excited, and had a great hall built for the event. Apparently insecure about the outcome of the contest, the aescetics had all the mango trees in Sravasti cut down. No matter; when the Buddha arrived, he simply cast a mango seed on the ground and instantly a great tree arose which shaded the hall. The next morning, in the shade of that great tree, he patiently explained the logical flaws in their doctrines. Personally, I would have thought the mango seed trick would be sufficient to settle any doubts about the Buddha’s abilities, but apparently not, as he detailed the contradictions in their tenets before levitating into the air at the height of a palm tree while flames twisted around his lower body and 500 jets of water shot from the upper part. Then, reversing the effects, flames shot downwards while water sprayed skyward before transforming his body into a large bull with a quivering hump. He appeared above the eastern horizon before vanishing and reappearing far to the west. Vanishing in the west, the bull reappeared in the north, etc., After displaying twenty-two variants of these ‘pairs’, the Lion of the Shakyas appeared as if strolling nonchalantly along a jeweled boardwalk in the sky. Then he seated himself upon a lotus and multiplied his form to infinity so that it filled all of space. Thousands of people witnessed this display and became ecstatic.
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