Chapter Three : Practice 42

The Founding Master said,
“The right-dharma assembly does not value superpowers because, besides having no real benefit in delivering the world, they actually cause real harm. This is because most of those who aspire to superpowers renounce the world and enter into the mountains; leaving behind the Way of humanity, they cling to voidness and nonbeing, and spend the rest of their lives chanting spells or mantras. If everyone were to emulate this, the whole world of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants would collapse, and human morality, law, and order would become obsolete. Furthermore, not knowing the origin of the Way and its power and moved by confused thoughts and improper desires, they aspire to extraordinary talents. If some sort of miracle appears temporarily through a false spiritual opening, they will misuse it to deceive the world and injure people. Thus, a sage said, “Superpowers are incidental things,” and “superpowers that appear without a foundation in the Way and its power are nothing more than a magic trick.” On the other hand, if a person practices well the right path and keeps his desires simple and his behavior pure, then, in accordance with the radiance of the self-nature, mysterious traces will occasionally appear. But this is something that happens naturally, without seeking it. How can this be surmised from the perspective of sentient beings who retain false thoughts?”

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