The Power of Meditative Concentration and Supernatural Powers of Teleportation

When practicing the supernormal power of unimpeded bodily movement (ṛddhi), sit cross-legged on your seat and have the mind consciousness contemplate the body rising one inch off the seat. When your meditative concentration is sufficient, the body will actually rise one inch off the seat; this is called "lifting the body with the mind." But is it the mind consciousness that, being in charge, lifts the body? No, it is not the mind consciousness—no matter how the mind consciousness imagines it, it is useless. Only when the manas also wants to do this can it possibly take charge and lift the body. So while the mind consciousness is contemplating, the manas is simultaneously also striving, wanting to lift the body up.

When there is no meditative concentration, even though the manas is willing to take charge and make the body fly, why can it not fly? Because without dhyāna, or with insufficient meditative concentration, the mental power of the manas is insufficient—its strength is not great—and the tathāgatagarbha cannot come to its aid. The difference in the manas's performance, and the difference in its power, between having concentration and not having concentration is so great precisely because, when there is no concentration, the manas's strength is not full. Whereas in profound dhyāna, the seeds of the manas are concentratedly transmitted, so its power of decision and power of deliberation become great, and whatever it thinks of can be accomplished.