Decoding Two “Miracles” of the Buddha

Abstract

Although the Buddha forbade his disciples to display supernatural acts, the Tipiṭaka in several places shows the teacher himself performing miracles. Some Buddhists may take these literally, while others ignore or dismiss them as fanciful hagiography. This article proposes to “decode” two such miracles – namely, the twin miracle and the miracle to convert Aṅgulimāla – as coded repudiation of rival karma theories, and to examine their relevance to the modern world.