The Eight Skills

1. Vipassana-ñana: clear insight into the elements (dhatu), the aggregates (khandha), and the sense media (ayatana).

2. Manomayiddhi: the ability to project mind-made images.

3. Iddhividhi: supernormal powers.

4. Dibba-sota: clairaudience.

5. Cetopariya-ñana: knowledge of the thoughts and minds of others.

6. Dibba-cakkhu: clairvoyance.

7. Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: knowledge of past lives.

8. Asavakkhaya-ñana: knowledge which does away with mental effluents.

1. Vipassana-ñana: This refers to clear insight into the six elements — the properties of earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness — perceiving their true nature, e.g., seeing them as equal in terms of their three inherent characteristics — inconstancy, stress and lack of self; seeing them merely as conditioned formations; knowing them with regard to all three time periods — past, present and future: what they have been, what they will be, and what they are at the moment. Only when your insight into these matters is absolutely clear does it qualify as vipassana-ñana.

The aggregates refer to the same range of phenomena as the elements, but simply classify them in a different way: body, feelings, mental labels, mental fashionings, and consciousness. These aggregates can be reduced to two — physical and mental phenomena — and these in turn can be redivided into six: the senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, ideation) and their corresponding objects. These are termed sense media (ayatana).

2. Manomayiddhi: This refers to the ability to make images of yourself or of others appear to other people. These images can appear in whatever manner you want them to, without your having to make a move. This skill depends on being able to manipulate the four physical properties, focusing on them with the power of jhana to create whatever image you have in mind.

3. Iddhividhi: Examples of supernormal powers are the ability to make a crowd of people to be only a few people, or a few people to be a crowd; the ability to walk through fire, on water, or through the dark if walking in bright light; the ability to make the body appear small, tall, short, dark, fair, old, young, etc.; the ability to affect the weather, causing rain, wind, fire, earthquakes, etc. All of this can be accomplished through the power of jhana.

4. Dibba-sota: the ability to hear sounds no matter how near or far — the voices of human beings, the voices of heavenly beings, or whatever other sound you may focus on hearing.

5. Cetopariya-ñana: the ability to know the thoughts of others — good or bad, crude or refined, hateful or well-meaning. Whatever another person may be thinking will appear clearly to you.

6. Dibba-cakkhu: the ability to see anything, no matter what, near or far, without having to open your eyes.

7. Pubbenivasanussati-ñana: the ability to remember previous lives.

8. Asavakkhaya-ñana: the knowledge that drives such defilements as passion, aversion, and delusion out of the heart. (These last two skills are explained under the three skills above.)