See “miraculous power.”

A miraculous or wondrous power attributed to buddhas or other spiritually advanced beings. Generally these are miraculous displays for the purpose of benefiting beings or impressing them in such a way as to inspire faith and devotion.

A miraculous or wondrous power attributed to buddhas or, occasionally, other spiritually advanced beings. Generally these are miraculous displays for the purpose of benefiting beings or impressing them in such a way as to inspire faith and devotion. In this way, prātihārya is distinguished from ṛddhi (translated here as “magical power”), which is a more general term for magical or psychic powers typically obtained through meditative concentration (dhyāna). (Ṛddhi is also a subtype of prātihārya.) Although in many cases the Buddha dissuades monks from using miraculous powers to impress disciples or lay followers, he nonetheless exhibits them himself in many narratives. The two most well known of such events from the Buddha’s life were said to occur at Śrāvastī: the “twin miracle” (yama­kaprātihārya) where he simultaneously emanated fire and water from his body, and the “great miracle” (mahāprātihārya) in which the Buddha, while seated on a lotus, emanated multiple forms of himself in the sky‍—quite similar to his emanation of multiple Buddhas found in The Prophecy for Bhadra the Illusionist (UT22084-043-002-202). A buddha’s miraculous powers for the purpose of benefitting beings are classified in three categories: (1) the miraculous power of magical display, (2) the miraculous power of foretelling, and (3) the miraculous power of instruction. These three are respectively associated with and considered to be aspects of the buddha’s body, speech, and mind. This term is translated elsewhere as “miraculous display.”