Arahant Santati and Arahant Culapanthaka instantaneously attained iddhi powers upon attaining Arahanthood. They never cultivated jhanas.
- Also, Devadatta, a puthujjana, cultivated anariya jhana and attained iddhi powers but ended up in hell (niraya.)
- Therefore, the subjects of jhana and iddhi powers are incomprehensible to anyone but a Buddha. See “Acinteyya Sutta (AN 4.77)“: “jhāna visayo acinteyyo..”
- Jhana or iddhi powers may or may not be realized while cultivating the path. If one gets them, those are bonuses. That should not be the goal.
Discussing iddhi powers and/or trying to cultivate them is useless.
- It is likely that we all cultivated the highest anariya jhanas, samapattis, and iddhi powers at various times in our deep past. What do we have now to show for them?
- Until we are free from births in the apayas (i.e., attain at least the Sotapanna Anugami stage), all those “achievements” go to waste! See “Why a Sotāpanna is Better off than any King, Emperor, or a Billionaire“
