There is a particularly interesting story. Many people argue that only a Lord Buddha can see someone’s spiritual progress. This statement is not entirely true. Yes, there are spiritual blockages that only a Lord Buddha could discover.
- However, sometimes ariyas who have developed Iddhis can see someone else’s progress. Venerable Maha Mogallana was an expert in this field. In the story below, there is an anagami woman who can see who is an ariya or not. The most surprising thing in all this was that she was a laywoman! She could also see the potential for achieving magga phala in others. All thanks to Iddhis and analytical knowledge. I think we can say that these are Ariya Iddhis. An anariya yogi cannot know whether a person is free from the 10 samyojanas or in the process of being free or not, since he is under their influence. This could be a good reason to develop Iddhis and Jhanas because they help others to liberate themselves. Thanks to this knowledge she made it possible in one way or another to encourage the bhikkhus to be arahants.
- This story illustrates that sometimes laypeople can attain greater purity than Bhikkhus, and they should not hesitate to cultivate realizations such as Iddhis and Jhanas, as long as it helps them attain magga phala. While it may be easier for Bhikkhus to achieve higher magga phalas (Anagami, Arahant), it is not impossible for a lay person.
Here is the story A TAMED MIND BRINGS HAPPINESS
Dhammapada Verse 35
Annatarabhikkhu Vatthu
“Dunniggahassa lahuno
yatthakamanipatino1
cittassa damatho sadhu
cittam dantam sukhavaham”
The mind is difficult to control; swiftly and lightly, it moves and lands wherever it pleases. It is good to tame the mind, for a well-tamed mind brings happiness.
Mātikamātā also developed an interest in meditation and requested the monks to teach her how to meditate. The monks taught her to meditate on the thirty-two loathsome parts of the body, which can help one gain insight into the nature of decay and dissolution of the body. Mātikamātā began meditating diligently and was able to attain the first three paths and fruitions of the Buddhist spiritual path of liberation. The first three paths and fruitions are Stream Enterer (Sotāpañña), Once returner (Sakadāgāmi), and Non-Returner (Anāgāmi). She also developed Analytical Insight (patisambhidā) along with mundane supernormal powers even before the sixty monks did.
With her supernormal powers, Mātikamātā came to know that none of the sixty monks had attained any paths and fruitions of the spiritual path as yet. She also saw that all of the sixty monks had the potential to gain enlightenment as Arahants but that they needed proper food to be able to meditate properly. So she arranged to prepare good and choice food and offered it to the monks regularly. Having received proper and choice food and applying the right effort and diligence, the sixty monks were able to develop the right concentration of the mind, and eventually, all of them realized the Truth and gained enlightenment as Arahants.