(direct link above to B. Sujato’s translation, line 12.1)
below is excerpt from B.Bodhi and B.thanissaro for comparison.
at line 12.1 (Sujato), the meditator is in a-vitakka a-vicara samadhi, exercising the psychic power of reading another person’s mind.
- Now the fact that it says the mind reader “hears”/sutva the person’s V&V (vitakka and vicara) makes it clear vaci-sankhara, speech fabrications, are “thoughts and consideration” of a complexity very close to spoken language.
- The mind reader, presumably in 4th jhana, with “avitakka avicara” samadhi, which B.Sujato translates as “a person who has attained the immersion that’s free of placing the mind and keeping it connected.” How does that make sense? If the mind-reader has to track a dynamic victim (whose mind he’s reading), that speaker can be doing many things, walking, interacting with their environment, spastically jumping around with his monkey mind if he’s like most people, would the mind reader exercising samadhi need to constantly “place his (own) mind and keep it connected” in order to exercise this psychic power in tracking the speaker? But if we understand it as the psychic in avitakka-avicara samadhi is in a samadhi of “not thinking and considering”, then it’s coherent and makes sense. Just as a good normal listener (no psychic power), is said to be a good listener because he’s not thinking his own thoughts, he’s in samadhi carefully paying attention to the speaker. But the samadhi of the ordinary listener, is constantly “placing the mind and keeping it connected” to track body language, facial tics, etc.
AN 3.60 has interesting details
(other beings do the reading, then tell the yogi)
(hear sound of diffusion of thought)
(mind reading of a mind with no V&V)
(far exceeding 500 monks during the Buddha’s time could do this)
AN 3.60 thanissaro trans.
(2a. Miracle of telepathy, by sign or vision)
♦ “katamañca, brāhmaṇa, ādesanāpāṭihāriyaṃ? |
"And what is the miracle of telepathy? |
idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco nimittena ādisati — |
There is the case where a certain person reads [another person' thoughts] by means of a sign (vision), [saying,] |
‘evampi te mano, |
'Such is your thinking, |
itthampi te mano, |
here is where your thinking is, |
itipi te cittan’ti. |
thus is your mind.' |
so bahuṃ cepi ādisati |
And however much he may read, |
tatheva taṃ hoti, |
that's exactly how it is, |
no aññathā. |
and not otherwise. |
(2b. Telepathy by talking to external beings)
♦ “idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco |
"Then there is the case where a certain person reads [another person's thoughts], |
na heva kho nimittena ādisati, |
not by means of a sign or vision, |
api ca kho manussānaṃ vā amanussānaṃ vā devatānaṃ vā saddaṃ sutvā ādisati — |
but by hearing the voice of human beings, non-human beings, or devas, [saying,] |
‘evampi te mano, |
'Such is your thinking, |
itthampi te mano, |
here is where your thinking is, |
itipi te cittan’ti. |
thus is your mind.' |
so bahuṃ cepi ādisati |
And however much he may read, |
tatheva taṃ hoti, |
that's exactly how it is, |
no aññathā. |
and not otherwise. |
(2c. telepathy by directly “hearing” vitakka and vicara)
♦ “idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco |
"Then there is the case where a certain person reads [another person's thoughts], |
na heva kho nimittena ādisati |
not by means of a sign or vision; |
napi manussānaṃ vā amanussānaṃ vā devatānaṃ vā saddaṃ sutvā ādisati, |
not by hearing the voice of human beings, non-human beings, or devas; |
api ca kho vitakkayato vicārayato |
but by hearing the sound of the directed thought & evaluation |
vitakkavipphārasaddaṃ sutvā ādisati — |
of a person thinking directed thoughts and evaluating, [saying,] |
‘evampi te mano, |
'Such is your thinking, |
itthampi te mano, |
here is where your thinking is, |
itipi te cittan’ti. |
thus is your mind.' |
so bahuṃ cepi ādisati |
And however much he may read, |
tatheva taṃ hoti, |
that's exactly how it is, |
no aññathā. |
and not otherwise. |
(2d. Telepathy by 6ab #3, abhiñña #3, mind encompass mind)
♦ “idha pana, brāhmaṇa, ekacco |
"Then there is the case where a certain person reads [another person's thoughts], |
na heva kho nimittena ādisati, |
not by means of a sign or vision; |
napi manussānaṃ vā amanussānaṃ vā devatānaṃ vā saddaṃ sutvā ādisati, |
not by hearing the voice of human beings, non-human beings, or devas; |
napi vitakkayato vicārayato |
not by hearing the sound of the directed thought & evaluation |
vitakkavipphārasaddaṃ sutvā ādisati, |
of a person thinking directed thoughts and evaluating; |
api ca kho avitakkaṃ avicāraṃ samādhiṃ samāpannassa |
but by having attained a concentration devoid of directed thought & evaluation, |
cetasā ceto paricca pajānāti — |
and encompassing the awareness [of the other] with his own awareness, he discerns, |
‘yathā imassa bhoto mano-saṅkhārā paṇihitā |
'Given the way the mental fabrications of this venerable person are inclined, |
imassa cittassa anantarā amuṃ nāma vitakkaṃ vitakkessatī’ti. |
the directed thoughts of his mind will immediately think about this.' |
so bahuṃ cepi ādisati |
And however much he may read, |
tatheva taṃ hoti, |
that's exactly how it is, |
no aññathā. |
and not otherwise. |
idaṃ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, ādesanāpāṭihāriyaṃ. |
"This, brahman, is the miracle of telepathy. |
(3. Miracle of instruction)
♦ “katamañca, brāhmaṇa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṃ? idha, brāhmaṇa, ekacco evamanusāsati — ‘evaṃ vitakketha, mā evaṃ vitakkayittha; evaṃ manasi karotha, mā evaṃ manasākattha; idaṃ pajahatha, idaṃ upasampajja viharathā’ti. idaṃ vuccati, brāhmaṇa, anusāsanīpāṭihāriyaṃ. |
"And what is the miracle of instruction? There is the case where a certain person gives instruction in this way: 'Direct your thought in this way, don't direct it in that. Attend to things in this way, don't attend to them in that. Let go of this, enter and remain in that.' This is called the miracle of instruction. |
imāni kho, brāhmaṇa, tīṇi pāṭihāriyāni. |
"And these are the three miracles. |