Extraordinary Capacities in the Buddhist Path of Liberation. A Diachronic Study Based on the Theravāda Sources

This volume presents a diachronic study of the final stages of the Buddhist path of liberation as presented in the Sāmaññaphalasutta (D 2). Focusing on ‘extraordinary capacities’ - the ‘body made of mind’ (manomayakāya), the capability to perform many kinds of psychophysical power (iddhividhā̆), and the higher knowledges (abhiññā) - the work deciphers their significance within the soteriological journey. By collecting evidence from the Pāli canon, the Vedic corpus, and later Pāli exegesis, the research traces the evolution of these meditative powers. This rigorous analysis of Pāli literature reveals how the Theravāda tradition re-envisioned human potential and refined its doctrinal framework over time. It offers a vital contribution to our understanding of the historical and philological development of Buddhist thought.