Abhiññā, Mystical Experience & What Is Not Liberation
ฌาน = ผู้วิเศษ?
Summary
The talk is a direct reply to a viewer who asked: do you practise because you want powers, or because you want to end suffering?
The speaker answers honestly that at the beginning he wanted the powers — an answer few are willing to give.
From there: the Canon does describe six abhiññā, and the first five are all powers, from psychic ability to the divine ear.
Key points
An honest answer is worth more than a correct one
Admitting the original motive is what makes the rest of the conversation trustworthy.
The abhiññā are genuinely in the texts
The first five are powers, which is why the question is not a frivolous one.
The sixth is unlike the rest
The destruction of the taints is the only one of the six that concerns the end of suffering.
Motivation can change along the way
What starts you need not be what carries you on, which is a reassurance for beginners.