3. The Divine Eye (Clairvoyance, Second Sight, Visions)
As mentioned above, Moggallana, with his Divine Eye, was able to perceive the Buddha over a long-distance. (Samy. 21, 3)
Once the following happened. While Sariputta was sitting in quiet meditation, a wanton demon (Yakkha) hit him on the head. Moggallana saw it and asked his friend whether he had felt much pain. Sariputta smiled and said that he had just felt a slight touch of headache.
Them Moggallana praised his strength of concentrationt Sariputta said that Moggallana had been able to see that demon while he himself could not. (Ud. IV, 4)
Once Moggallana saw with the Divine Eye how Kind Pasenadi had been defeated in battle by the Licchavis, but that afterwards he had gathered his troops again and vanquished the Licchavis.
When Moggallana told this, some monks accused him that he had falsely boasted about his supernormal faculties, which is a disciplinary offense making a monk subject to expulsion from the Order.
The Buddha, however, explained that Moggallana had told only what he saw and what had actually happened. (Parajika IV, 95; case No. 17)
Above all, he often saw the operation of the law of Kamma and its fruits.
Again and again he saw how human beings, due to their evil actions that harmed fellow-beings, were reborn among unhappy ghosts under-going much suffering; while others by their charitable deeds rose upwards to lower heavenly worlds that were close to the human plane.
He often gave instances of this for exemplifying the law of kamma. The reports about this are too numerous for including them here.
In two books of the Pali Canon, dealing with the ghost realm (the Petavatthu) and the heavenly abodes (the Vimanavathu), nine, respectively fifty-one, of such reports are given.
From this it can be readily understood why Moggallana was famous as one who knew the worlds beyond as well as the workings of Kamma. The reports are too numerous for inclusion, but at least one of his recorded in the Samyutta Nikaya should be mentioned here (Samy. 19. 1-21 == Paraj. IV, 9; 15th case).
Once Moggallana lived on Vulture's Peak, near Rajagaha, together with the Bhikkhu Lakkhana, one of the thousand Brahman ascetics who had been converted together with Uruvela-Kassapa.
One morning when they had descended from the peak for going on alms-round in the town, Moggallana smiled when they reached a certain place on the road.
When his companion asked him for the reason, Moggallana said that now it was not the right time to explain it, he would tell it in the presence of the Master.
When they later met the Buddha, Lakkhana repeated his question. Moggallana now said that at that spot he had seen many miserable ghosts flying through the air, chased around and tormented by various kinds of afflictions and sufferings.
The Buddha confirmed this as absolutely true and added that he himself spoke only reluctantly about such appearances because people with superficial minds would not believe it.
Then the Buddha, out of his universal knowledge, explained what propensities and behavior had brought those ghosts seen by Moggallana to their present pitiable position.
