user7034: Has anyone seen any meditation master demonstrating abhinna or supernatural powers stated in various suttas and in Visuddhi Magga? I know, most will suggest me to keep practicing meditation to see or experience it by myself. But I would like to hear from modern day people about their practical experiences, not from the suttas and texts.
PS: It's not about starting a debate. Basically it's just yes/no answer based on practical experiences. I would love to hear it.

user7138: I have heard that there are. But they don't demonstrate publicly of course. The people close to them know.
But might have heard @Sansayan, such powers is not the desired outcome of the practice, but rather a side effect. But anyone can achieve them if they wish. 

user2265: Yes. John Chang in this video demonstrates fire.
The book "The Magus of Java" explains his spiritual journey and teachings.
I would recommend reading that but there are many correlations between Buddhism and Taoism that should be learned before reading into such anecdotal books. I would recommend Bill Bodri and Master Nan's material to study this non-denominational topic further because the Buddha chose not to emphasize this inferior achievement (of physical transformation). Having an understanding of this topic in this day and age can serve to dis-enchant you from the physical side of things so you can obsess over what truly matters: bodhi.

user10479: Maybe , maybe not
It is possible to achieve those things , but when a person achieves it , his mind has developed to a very high level. So there is no need or desire in his mind. Thus , he do not need to show off his powers . And there are people who can send their minds to different places and see whats going on . Specially in India and Sri Lanka. 
If you want to see how they have achieved it you can go to those countries and learn from a teacher ,you can't learn those things by reading books. Must learn from a person who has practical knowledge ,but in the process you will loose all your desires and needs , and you won't use your abilities even if you have them. So it is impossible for other people to even believe that those people exist.
So , 
Maybe , maybe not...

user-1: With the squeamishness and outright censorship that supranormal powers are treated with today, you'd think that they were Buddhism's dirty little secret...some dark, clandestine history that's best left forgotten.  The fact of the matter is that iddhis occur quite frequently in the sutta pitaka, commentaries and non canonical texts, the Tibetan Tantras, and in the accounts of many famous Buddhist figures such as Moggallana, Milarepa, and even modern teachers like Chogyam Trungpa.  The Buddha does mention that we shouldn't give too much thought to these abilities for much the same reason you wouldn't teach advanced woodworking to someone who hasn't touched a saw.  Lacking the appropriate context and practical understanding, they can be a distraction if introduced too early in one's practice.  This isn't to say, however, that they aren't worthy of discussion.      
One of the purposes of the the supramundane powers is to serve as a kind of corrugated approach to the development of concentration.  They are another vector for approaching samatha practice.  According to the Visuddhimagga, the supramundane powers aid the adept so he will "more easily perfect the development of understanding" (Vism. 12.1).  They also serve as means of inspiration "[i]n order to show the benefits of developing concentration to clansmen whose concentration has reached the fourth jhána, and in order to teach progressively refined Dhamma" (Vism. 12.2).  The kind of mental suppleness and malleability developed through these practices aid the adept in the the development of wisdom in ways that extend well beyond the psychic abilities they might achieve.     
However, while these practices have their place in the teaching, you are unlikely to find anyone practicing them today.  Even if they do exist, they aren't exactly easy to master.  Here is just one prerequisite from the fourteen ways of taming the mind that Buddhaghosa outlines for the cultivation of iddhis:

[H]aving attained the first jhána in the earth kasina, he again
  attains that same jhána in the fire kasina and then in the blue kasina
  and then in the red kasina, this is called skipping kasinas. (ix) When
  he skips both jhánas and kasinas in the following way: having attained
  the first jhána in the earth kasina, he next attains the third in the
  fire kasina, next the base consisting of boundless space after
  removing the blue kasina, next the base consisting of nothingness
  [arrived at] from the red kasina, this is called skipping jhánas and
  kasinas. (Vism. 12.6)

Reading that, there are a few things that strike a modern reader immediately.  First, the emphasis on samatha is obvious.  Samatha has fallen out of vogue, especially in the West, in favor of practices like insight meditation.  Next, while there are some teachers in the Western world and still others in Asia teaching samatha, few teach kasina meditation.  Even less teach the formless attainments.  Finally, of what few teachers we have, few of them have lay or even monastic students who have developed concentration to this degree.  
Even Buddhaghosa recounts how rare a feat the supramundane powers are: 

It is not possible for a meditator to begin to accomplish
  transformation by supernormal powers unless he has previously
  completed his development by controlling his mind in these fourteen
  ways. Now, the kasina preliminary work is difficult for a beginner and
  only one in a hundred or a thousand can do it. The arousing of the
  sign is difficult for one who has done the preliminary work and only
  one in a hundred or a thousand can do it. To extend the sign when it
  has arisen and to reach absorption is difficult and only one in a
  hundred or a thousand can do it. To tame one’s mind in the fourteen
  ways after reaching absorption is difficult and only one in a hundred
  or a thousand can do it. The transformation by supernormal power after
  training one’s mind in the fourteen ways is difficult and only one in
  a hundred or a thousand can do it. Rapid response after attaining
  transformation is difficult and only one in a hundred or a thousand
  can do it.  (Vism 12.8)

I'll let you do the math on that one.  :-)

user7933: Sansayan: the short answer to your question is yes, I have.  A Sri Lankan monk who is now deceased for some years now, Ven Anandamaitreya, definitely had acquired it.  There is nothing unique to this period of time, in its essence.  Every generation in the past had always thought of their time as "modern".  The problem is that those who have achieved any abhinna always seem to be extremely reluctant to talk about it or even to let people know they have acquired it.  The reasons are manifold.  It is only if you know the person extremely well and is trusted implicitly that you may come to know of it.  One exception may be an American now living in Florida, who claims to have achieved a couple of abhinnas.  Of course, he also claims to have acquired the four mundane material jhanas in the course of a few months. So, form your own opinions about him.  But he has a website which you can visit.  It is www.jhana8.com.  "Meditation without religion" is apparently what this site is about.  It has also expanded to provide "courses" in meditation.  The .com extension is also what gives the game away.
So, the above is an attempt to answer your question.  But now, I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to state that acquisition of abhinnas is immaterial to achieving wisdom and enlightenment.  They can be achieved with exceptional achievement in absorption-concentration.  They can, in fact, be a distraction and detract from the real goal: bodhi, as Ahmed says above, which may be one reason Lord Buddha did not emphasize them.  The path of jhana, both material and immaterial jhanas are the path of the samathayanaka.  The vipassanayanaka can also achieve enlightenment and he may not even have acquired a single jhana, let alone abhinna.  Abhinnas are a side show.
Best Wishes
Pradip 

user715: It is not desirable to answer such questions because inevitably some smart cookie will debate every example by offering counter examples of parlor magicians who can do the same. 
As the Kevatta Sutta states, the real magic is in the bringing of peace, happiness and goodness to the hearts and minds of people. 
It is a magic that cannot be argued against.

7034: <p>Has anyone seen any meditation master demonstrating abhinna or supernatural powers stated in various suttas and in Visuddhi Magga? I know, most will suggest me to keep practicing meditation to see or experience it by myself. But I would like to hear from modern day people about their practical experiences, not from the suttas and texts.
PS: It's not about starting a debate. Basically it's just yes/no answer based on practical experiences. I would love to hear it.</p>
 7138: <p>I have heard that there are. But they don't demonstrate publicly of course. The people close to them know.
But might have heard @Sansayan, such powers is not the desired outcome of the practice, but rather a side effect. But anyone can achieve them if they wish. </p>
 2265: <p>Yes. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NAohPcT4U" rel="nofollow">John Chang in this video demonstrates fire.</a>
The book "The Magus of Java" explains his spiritual journey and teachings.</p>

<p>I would recommend reading that but there are many correlations between Buddhism and Taoism that should be learned before reading into such anecdotal books. I would recommend <a href="http://www.meditationexpert.com/articles.html" rel="nofollow">Bill Bodri and Master Nan's material</a> to study this non-denominational topic further because the Buddha chose not to emphasize this inferior achievement (of physical transformation). Having an understanding of this topic in this day and age can serve to dis-enchant you from the physical side of things so you can obsess over what truly matters: bodhi.</p>
 10479: <p><strong>Maybe , maybe not</strong></p>

<p>It is possible to achieve those things , but when a person achieves it , his mind has developed to a very high level. So there is no need or desire in his mind. Thus , he do not need to show off his powers . And there are people who can send their minds to different places and see whats going on . Specially in India and Sri Lanka. 
If you want to see how they have achieved it you can go to those countries and learn from a teacher ,you can't learn those things by reading books. Must learn from a person who has practical knowledge ,but in the process you will loose all your desires and needs , and you won't use your abilities even if you have them. So it is impossible for other people to even believe that those people exist.</p>

<p>So , </p>

<p><strong>Maybe , maybe not...</strong></p>
 -1: <p>With the squeamishness and outright censorship that supranormal powers are treated with today, you'd think that they were Buddhism's dirty little secret...some dark, clandestine history that's best left forgotten.  The fact of the matter is that iddhis occur quite frequently in the sutta pitaka, commentaries and non canonical texts, the Tibetan Tantras, and in the accounts of many famous Buddhist figures such as Moggallana, Milarepa, and even modern teachers like Chogyam Trungpa.  The Buddha does mention that we shouldn't give too much thought to these abilities for much the same reason you wouldn't teach advanced woodworking to someone who hasn't touched a saw.  Lacking the appropriate context and practical understanding, they can be a distraction if introduced too early in one's practice.  This isn't to say, however, that they aren't worthy of discussion.      </p>

<p>One of the purposes of the the supramundane powers is to serve as a kind of corrugated approach to the development of concentration.  They are another vector for approaching samatha practice.  According to the Visuddhimagga, the supramundane powers aid the adept so he will "more easily perfect the development of understanding" (Vism. 12.1).  They also serve as means of inspiration "[i]n order to show the benefits of developing concentration to clansmen whose concentration has reached the fourth jhána, and in order to teach progressively refined Dhamma" (Vism. 12.2).  The kind of mental suppleness and malleability developed through these practices aid the adept in the the development of wisdom in ways that extend well beyond the psychic abilities they might achieve.     </p>

<p>However, while these practices have their place in the teaching, you are unlikely to find anyone practicing them today.  Even if they do exist, they aren't exactly easy to master.  Here is just one prerequisite from the fourteen ways of taming the mind that Buddhaghosa outlines for the cultivation of iddhis:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>[H]aving attained the first jhána in the earth kasina, he again
  attains that same jhána in the fire kasina and then in the blue kasina
  and then in the red kasina, this is called skipping kasinas. (ix) When
  he skips both jhánas and kasinas in the following way: having attained
  the first jhána in the earth kasina, he next attains the third in the
  fire kasina, next the base consisting of boundless space after
  removing the blue kasina, next the base consisting of nothingness
  [arrived at] from the red kasina, this is called skipping jhánas and
  kasinas. (Vism. 12.6)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Reading that, there are a few things that strike a modern reader immediately.  First, the emphasis on samatha is obvious.  Samatha has fallen out of vogue, especially in the West, in favor of practices like insight meditation.  Next, while there are some teachers in the Western world and still others in Asia teaching samatha, few teach kasina meditation.  Even less teach the formless attainments.  Finally, of what few teachers we have, few of them have lay or even monastic students who have developed concentration to this degree.  </p>

<p>Even Buddhaghosa recounts how rare a feat the supramundane powers are: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>It is not possible for a meditator to begin to accomplish
  transformation by supernormal powers unless he has previously
  completed his development by controlling his mind in these fourteen
  ways. Now, the kasina preliminary work is difficult for a beginner and
  only one in a hundred or a thousand can do it. The arousing of the
  sign is difficult for one who has done the preliminary work and only
  one in a hundred or a thousand can do it. To extend the sign when it
  has arisen and to reach absorption is difficult and only one in a
  hundred or a thousand can do it. To tame one’s mind in the fourteen
  ways after reaching absorption is difficult and only one in a hundred
  or a thousand can do it. The transformation by supernormal power after
  training one’s mind in the fourteen ways is difficult and only one in
  a hundred or a thousand can do it. Rapid response after attaining
  transformation is difficult and only one in a hundred or a thousand
  can do it.  (Vism 12.8)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I'll let you do the math on that one.  :-)</p>
 7933: <p>Sansayan: the short answer to your question is yes, I have.  A Sri Lankan monk who is now deceased for some years now, Ven Anandamaitreya, definitely had acquired it.  There is nothing unique to this period of time, in its essence.  Every generation in the past had always thought of their time as "modern".  The problem is that those who have achieved any abhinna always seem to be extremely reluctant to talk about it or even to let people know they have acquired it.  The reasons are manifold.  It is only if you know the person extremely well and is trusted implicitly that you may come to know of it.  One exception may be an American now living in Florida, who claims to have achieved a couple of abhinnas.  Of course, he also claims to have acquired the four mundane material jhanas in the course of a few months. So, form your own opinions about him.  But he has a website which you can visit.  It is www.jhana8.com.  "Meditation without religion" is apparently what this site is about.  It has also expanded to provide "courses" in meditation.  The .com extension is also what gives the game away.</p>

<p>So, the above is an attempt to answer your question.  But now, I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to state that acquisition of abhinnas is immaterial to achieving wisdom and enlightenment.  They can be achieved with exceptional achievement in absorption-concentration.  They can, in fact, be a distraction and detract from the real goal: bodhi, as Ahmed says above, which may be one reason Lord Buddha did not emphasize them.  The path of jhana, both material and immaterial jhanas are the path of the samathayanaka.  The vipassanayanaka can also achieve enlightenment and he may not even have acquired a single jhana, let alone abhinna.  Abhinnas are a side show.</p>

<p>Best Wishes</p>

<p>Pradip </p>
 715: <p>It is not desirable to answer such questions because inevitably some smart cookie will debate every example by offering counter examples of parlor magicians who can do the same. </p>

<p>As the <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html">Kevatta Sutta</a> states, the real magic is in the bringing of peace, happiness and goodness to the hearts and minds of people. </p>

<p>It is a magic that cannot be argued against.</p>
