Foremost in Psychic Powers: The Legendary Life of Venerable Maudgalyāyana – From a Seeker to a Compassionate Arhat

On the vast plains of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha, an extraordinary life was taking shape. He was later to be known as Venerable Maudgalyāyana, "Foremost in Psychic Powers," one of the Buddha's most capable disciples.

A Youthful Seeker: A Supreme Affinity with Śāriputra

Maudgalyāyana, originally named Kolita, was born into a wealthy Brahmin family. From a young age, he was exceptionally intelligent and filled with curiosity about the mysteries of life and the universe. In that era, India was home to a wide variety of religions and philosophical schools, and the young Kolita longed to find the true path to liberation.

As fate would have it, Kolita met another young man also in search of the truth—Nārada, who would later become Venerable Śāriputra. The two became friends at first sight, like brothers, and together they visited famous teachers and studied various doctrines, but they never found the answers they sought in their hearts.

At that time, there was a non-Buddhist teacher named Sañjaya Belaṭṭhiputta who had many disciples, and Kolita and Nārada joined his school. However, as time went on, they began to doubt Sañjaya's teachings, as they could not truly solve the fundamental problem of the cycle of life and death.

Taking Refuge in the Buddha: The Guidance of the Light of Wisdom

Just as Kolita and Nārada were feeling lost, they heard of the holy name of the Buddha. The Buddha was an enlightened one, and the Dharma he taught could guide beings to liberation. The two, thirsty for truth, felt a surge of hope, like parched land receiving sweet rain.

One day, in Rājagṛha, Nārada encountered a monk of dignified presence—Assaji (Aśvajit). This monk was one of the Buddha's early disciples. He walked slowly, his gaze inward, his demeanor calm and serene, radiating an aura of tranquility and solemnity.

Nārada was deeply attracted and respectfully asked Assaji about the Buddha's teachings. Assaji briefly explained the Buddha's law of dependent origination in the form of a gatha: "Of all things that arise from a cause, the Tathāgata has told the cause; and of all things that cease, the great ascetic has likewise told the cause."

These few short sentences were like a sudden enlightenment for Nārada. He instantly understood the true meaning of dependent origination and developed immense faith in the Buddha's teachings. He immediately shared this good news with Kolita.

Upon hearing this, Kolita was also filled with joy for the Dharma. The two immediately decided to go and pay homage to the Buddha. They brought their original two hundred and fifty disciples with them to the Venuvana (Bamboo Grove) monastery where the Buddha was residing.

The Buddha compassionately received them and taught them the truth of the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering. After hearing the teaching, Kolita and Nārada felt as if they had drunk sweet nectar, and the doubts in their hearts vanished. They immediately requested the Buddha to allow them to become monks. The Buddha gladly agreed and ordained them. From then on, Kolita and Nārada, under the names Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra respectively, became pillars of the Buddhist Sangha.

Manifesting Psychic Powers: Subduing Māra, Protecting the Dharma, and Benefiting Beings

After becoming a monk, Venerable Maudgalyāyana practiced diligently and quickly attained Arhatship, acquiring the six psychic powers: the power of divine feet, the divine eye, the divine ear, the ability to know the minds of others, the knowledge of past lives, and the extinction of all defilements. Among these, his psychic powers were the most outstanding, earning him the title "Foremost in Psychic Powers."

Venerable Maudgalyāyana did not use his psychic powers for show but as a tool to propagate the Dharma and benefit sentient beings. He often used his powers to subdue non-Buddhists and protect the true Dharma.

On one occasion, a non-Buddhist named Devadatta, filled with jealousy, attempted to harm the Buddha. He incited some wicked men to ambush the Buddha on a path. When Venerable Maudgalyāyana learned of this, he immediately used his power of divine feet to fly to the Buddha's side and take him to a safe place.

Another time, a group of non-Buddhists gathered to plot the destruction of Buddhism. Venerable Maudgalyāyana, using his divine ear, overheard their conspiracy. He then transformed himself into a mighty general, appeared before them, and scared them into scattering in all directions.

Venerable Maudgalyāyana not only used his psychic powers to subdue Māra and protect the Dharma but also to save sentient beings. He often traveled to the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts, and other evil realms to preach the Dharma to the suffering beings there and guide them out of their misery.

Maudgalyāyana Saves His Mother: A Model of Filial Piety and the Origin of the Ullambana Festival

Among the many stories of Venerable Maudgalyāyana's psychic powers, the story of "Maudgalyāyana Saves His Mother" is the most moving and widely known.

Venerable Maudgalyāyana, using his divine eye, saw that his deceased mother, due to evil karma created in her past life, had fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts and was suffering from hunger and thirst. He saw his mother, emaciated, with a throat as thin as a needle, unable to swallow food, and his heart was filled with grief.

Venerable Maudgalyāyana immediately used his power of divine feet to go to the realm of hungry ghosts, wanting to offer his mother food. However, as soon as the food reached his mother's mouth, it turned into flames and could not be eaten. Helpless, Venerable Maudgalyāyana returned to the human realm to seek help from the Buddha.

The Buddha told Venerable Maudgalyāyana that his mother had created heavy karma in her past life, and he could not save her by his power alone. He had to make offerings of a hundred flavors of food, fruits, and flowers to the Sangha of the ten directions on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the day the Sangha concludes their summer retreat, and dedicate the merit to his mother to free her from her suffering.

Venerable Maudgalyāyana followed the Buddha's instructions and held a grand offering ceremony on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Due to the blessing power of the Sangha and the filial piety of Venerable Maudgalyāyana, his mother was finally freed from the realm of hungry ghosts and reborn in a good realm.

The story of "Maudgalyāyana Saves His Mother" not only demonstrates Venerable Maudgalyāyana's psychic powers and filial piety but also became the origin of the Buddhist "Ullambana Festival." Every year on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Buddhists hold Ullambana ceremonies to make offerings to the Triple Gem, deliver deceased souls, and repay the kindness of their parents. This festival has also become an important expression of filial piety in traditional Chinese culture.

A Deep Friendship: The Life-and-Death Bond with Śāriputra

The deep friendship between Venerable Maudgalyāyana and Venerable Śāriputra is a celebrated story in Buddhist history. They were not only fellow practitioners but also life-and-death companions.

They grew up together, sought the truth together, took refuge in the Buddha together, and practiced to attain enlightenment together. They respected and helped each other, without any barriers between them. Under the Buddha's guidance, they both became Arhats endowed with wisdom and psychic powers, jointly assisting the Buddha in propagating the Dharma.

Śāriputra was known for his wisdom, while Maudgalyāyana was known for his psychic powers. The two of them, one representing wisdom and the other action, complemented each other perfectly, becoming the Buddha's most capable assistants.

However, as the Buddha said, everything in the world is impermanent. Just before the Buddha was about to enter parinirvāṇa, Śāriputra, unable to bear seeing the Buddha leave, requested to enter nirvāṇa first. The Buddha compassionately granted his request.

After Śāriputra entered nirvāṇa, Maudgalyāyana was overcome with grief. He knew that his own time in this world was also short.

Demonstrating Impermanence: Psychic Powers Cannot Overcome Karma, but Compassion Remains Forever

Although Venerable Maudgalyāyana possessed great psychic powers, he ultimately could not escape the pull of karma. In his later years, due to the ripening of evil karma from a past life, he was beaten to death with stones by a group of naked ascetics.

The death of Venerable Maudgalyāyana is a tragic event in Buddhist history. But his death also demonstrates a profound truth to the world: psychic powers are not omnipotent; karma is the fundamental force that governs destiny. Even Venerable Maudgalyāyana, foremost in psychic powers, could not escape the law of cause and effect.

However, the spirit of Venerable Maudgalyāyana did not disappear with his physical body. His compassion, his wisdom, and his psychic powers remain forever in people's hearts. His story inspires generations of practitioners to forge ahead, seek the truth, and benefit all beings.

The life of Venerable Maudgalyāyana was a life full of legends. He grew from a Brahmin youth seeking the truth to an Arhat foremost in psychic powers. His story is a model of Buddhist practice. He used his psychic powers to benefit beings, his compassion to touch the world, and his wisdom to guide the lost. His spirit will forever inspire us to continue on the path of practice until we achieve perfect enlightenment.

Venerable Maudgalyāyana is not only the embodiment of psychic powers but also a symbol of compassion and wisdom. His life, like a magnificent epic, has left us with endless inspiration and emotion.