Thank you Lal.
That is all quite clear. However, two questions came to mind.
When Ven. Ananda ‘flew through the air’ by abhinna powers to show the Arahants assembled for that first Council at Rajagraha that he had attained the Arahanthood,
– Can not even ordinary yogis and non-Buddhists develop those powers? It is no ‘proof’ of Arahanthood. I can only suppose he did that to get there on time (a seat awaited him, I read elsewhere). Still, the following question remains:
– If He travelled with the manomayakaya as described in the post, how was his physical body transposed to the Assembly? It is not the same case as when travelling to a deva or brahma realm, where one leaves the body behind. I take it that in the case of Ven. Ananda, He indeed flew through the air ‘body and all’. Is that correct?
(P.S. Please excuse my posting in ‘your’ General Information and Updates section. I knew I should not have, but there was no option – and if I delayed, the questions ‘as they hit me’ would have gone. Now…..that I am thinking of it….I could have just typed somewhere as a draft and waited.
Daft!! )