අති පූජණීය පිරිත් පොත් වහන්සේ

In the light of the Kevatta Suthraya – Digha Nikaya – Suthra Pitaka

In many Buddhist chronicles and later traditions, devotion to the Buddha is often expressed through accounts of supernatural events, celestial displays, and extraordinary miracles. Yet, when we turn to the Buddha’s own words, preserved in the Sutta Piṭaka, we find a very different emphasis. Again and again, the Buddha directed His disciples away from marvels and towards conduct, understanding, and liberation.

Today, we witness a profoundly different kind of homage to the Buddha: monks walking peacefully across land, step by step, for the sake of peace.

These monks do not rise into the sky, nor do they display miraculous powers. Instead, they walk mindfully, endure hardship patiently, and move silently through a world filled with restlessness, anger, and division. In doing so, they remind us that the Dhamma does not need to be proclaimed through wonders. It becomes visible through restraint, compassion, and perseverance.

This understanding is made explicit in the Kevatta Sutta of the Dīgha Nikāya (DN). When the householder Kevatta asks the Buddha to instruct the monks to perform miracles in order to inspire faith among the people, the Buddha firmly refuses. He explains that reliance on supernatural displays is misguided and dangerous.

The Buddha then speaks of three kinds of miracles:

The miracle of psychic power (iddhi-pāṭihāriya), such as walking through the air or performing supernormal feats.

The miracle of mind-reading (ādesanā-pāṭihāriya), claiming knowledge of others’ thoughts.

The miracle of instruction (anusāsanī-pāṭihāriya), which teaches beings how to abandon unwholesome actions, cultivate wholesome conduct, purify the mind, and realise liberation.

The Buddha clearly states that the first two kinds of miracles are unreliable. They can be doubted, imitated, misunderstood, or even used for deception. Most importantly, they do not lead beings out of greed, hatred, and delusion. Therefore, they do not serve the true purpose of the Dhamma.

Only the miracle of instruction is praised by the Buddha.

When monks walk peacefully for the welfare of others, without spectacle or display, they embody precisely this miracle. Their conduct reflects sīla (ethical discipline), khanti (patient endurance), and appamāda (heedfulness)—qualities repeatedly praised by the Buddha. This is Dhamma made visible, not through imagination or exaggeration, but through lived practice.

Such actions invite us to reflect deeply:
If the Buddha discouraged reliance on divine protection and miraculous intervention, should we not recognise quiet, principled action as the highest form of reverence?

This tribute is therefore not an act of worship, but an expression of gratitude – to those who remind us that the Buddha’s path is still walkable in this world, here and now.

May their steps encourage reflection, restraint, and peace.