The Five Supernormal Powers

The Five Supernormal Powers of other Ways, or other religions, are:
1  To see what is invisible to others;
2  To hear what is inaudible to others;
3  To see into the future and to know the past;
4  To know others' thoughts;
5  To appear at will at any place.

But when a monk asked Master Rinzai what the supernormal powers and the Buddhist teachings on supernormal powers were, Rinzai answered:
1  In the realm of seeing not to be deceived by form;
2  In the realm of hearing not to be deceived by sound;
3  In the realm of smelling not to be deceived by odors;
4  In the realm of tasting not to be deceived by taste;
5  In the realm of thinking not to be deceived by notions.
That is the truly independent man.

These two versions clearly illustrate the difference between what followers of other Ways consider to be the supernormal powers and the Buddhist teachings on the powers of a bodhisattva. The former assume a self that attains and possesses these powers, whereas the later posits a not-self (or true nature) that does not need to be attained and is not bound by any notion of attainment.

---Roshi Soko Morinaga, in his commentary on The Ceasing of Notions---