'power', 'magical power'. The magical powers constitute one of the 6 kinds of higher spiritual powers (abhiññā, q.v.). One distinguishes many kinds of magical powers:

• the power of determination (adhitthān' iddhi), i.e. the power of becoming oneself manifold;

• the power of transconstruction (vikubbana iddhi), i.e. the power of adopting another form;

• the power of spiritual creation (manomaya iddhi), i.e. the power of letting issue from this body another mentally produced body;

• the power of penetrating knowledge (ñāna-vipphara iddhi), i.e. the power of inherent insight to remain unhurt in danger;

• the power of penetrating concentration (samādhivippharā iddhi) producing the same result.

The magical powers are treated in detail in Vis.M. XII; Pts.M., Vibh. - (App.).

They are not a necessary condition for final deliverance.

'Noble power' (ariyā-iddhi) is the power of controlling one's ideas in such a way that one may consider something not repulsive as repulsive and something repulsive as not repulsive, and remain all the time imperturbable and full of equanimity. This training of mind is frequently mentioned in the Suttas (e.g. M.152, A.V.144), but only once the name of ariyā-iddhi is applied to it (D.28). See further Pts.M., Iddhi-kathā, Vis.M. XII.