The four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism are the four progressive stages culminating in full enlightenment as an Arahant, which an average, instructed person can attain in this life. The four stages are Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahant.
The teaching of the four stages of enlightenment is a central element of the early Buddhist schools, including the Theravada school of Buddhism, which still survives.
An ordinary person or puthujjana (Pali; Sanskrit: pṛthagjanai.e. pritha : without, and jnana : knowledge) is trapped in the endless cycling of saṃsara. One is reborn, lives, and dies in endless rebirths, either as a deva, human, animal, male, female, neuter, ghost, deity, divinity, or hellion, or various other entities on different categories of existence.
There are a total of 31 planes of existence divided into three realms. The lowest realm is the realm of sensuality (kama-loka) with the human world being the lowest fortunate world. Above this realm is the fine material realm (rupa-loka), with numerous deva worlds : The lowest classes of devas the desire realm devas devote their time to enjoying and satisfying sense desires. Higher up are the form and formless devas and brahmas. Having passed beyond sensual desires, the form devas experience the refined bliss of the first four meditative absorptions (jhanas) and possess subtle bodies emanating light. Transcending form, the devas of the formless realm (arupa-loka) reside in subtle conscious states known as unbounded space, unbounded consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.
Although these devas and brahmas live extremely long lives of ease and luxury in worlds that may be described as paradises, they are not immortal. They will too will eventually pass away, often falling to a lower states of existence either because it is difficult for them to find the motivation to practice the Dharma (which creates profitable karma) since they can also submit to distractions, or, since pure deva consciousness is yet within samsara, because some cycle of ignorance, craving for continued existence, or holding a self-view, exhausts their merit or good karma. Such a death means there was not enough spiritual progress. They fall, but they may also take rebirth on the same plane or rise to a higher plane. Unfortunately they may fall as far as the subhuman plane.
There are numerous lower or unfortunate planes below the human world: The least painful is (1) the animal realm (e.g., insects, birds, fish, mammals, etc.). Their lives are characterized by instinct and emotions having to do with survival. Then there is (2) the hungry spirit plane, which is characterized by long periods of hunger and thirst and lack that is difficult to bear. Finally, the lowest plane is (3) the hell planes, where beings are relentlessly tormented depending on the plane (pierced, scalded, tortured, frosted, etc.) by the fears arising from their delusional mind as a result of unprofitable karma. The suffering continues for what seems like an eternity but eventually the karma that sustained that existence is exhausted and the hell beings (narakas) pass away and are reborn elsewhere in samsara according to their karma.
Doing good or bad (bodily, verbally, or mentally) as influenced by an entity's mental attachments ( sans. Raga ) and aversions ( sans. Dvvesh ), an ordinary entity is born in higher or lower states of being (heavens, lower states, or even tormenting hells) according to their actions in preceding births.
As these entities have little control over their minds and behaviors, due to the hardships they experience, their destinies are haphazard and subject to great suffering. Worries, "tension", adversaries, and general adversity are their daily grindstone - all projections of their own mind, instigated by the driving force of past karma, subsisting as samskaras, or tendencies, in the thought-stuff, and manifested as vasanas, or predilections, in immediate consciousness and behavior.
An ordinary entity has never seen and experienced the ultimate truth of Dharma and therefore has no way of finding an end to the predicament. It is only when suffering becomes acute, or seemingly unending, that an entity looks for a "solution" to and, if fortunate, finds the Dharma.
The Noble persons
| Supra-mundane stages, fetters and rebirths (according to the Sutta Piṭaka) | |||
| stage's "fruit"[2] | abandoned fetters | rebirth(s) until suffering's end | |
| stream-enterer | 1. identity view 2. doubt 3. ritual attachment | lower fetters | up to seven more times as a human or in a heaven |
| once-returner[3] | once more as a human | ||
| non-returner | 4. sensual desire 5. ill will | once more in a pure abode | |
| arahant | 6. material-rebirth lust 7. immaterial-rebirth lust 8. conceit 9. restlessness 10. ignorance | higher fetters | none |
| Source: Ñāṇamoli & Bodhi (2001), Middle-Length Discourses, pp. 41-43. | |||
One who begins sincere training on the Buddhist path (known as Sekhas in Pali or "those in training") and experiences the truth to the extent of cutting off three or more of the ten mental fetters (Pali: saṃyojana) becomes an ariya puggala (Pali; Sanskrit: āryapudgala): a "noble person" who will surely become an Arahant within seven existences. The length is governed by the degree of attainment reached. "Among whatever communities or groups there may be, the Sangha of the Tathagata's disciples is considered supreme... Those who have confidence in the Sangha have confidence in what is supreme. And for those with confidence in the supreme, supreme will be the result."
The Sangha of the Tathagata's disciples (Ariya Sangha), i.e. the four [groups of noble disciples] when taken as pairs, the eight when taken as individuals. The four groups of noble disciples (Buddhist Sekhas) when taken as pairs are those who have attained:
(1) the path to stream-entry; (2) the fruition of stream-entry;II
(3) the path to once-returning ; (4) the fruition of once-returning;III
(5) the path to non-returning ; (6) the fruition of non-returning;
(7) the path to arahantship ; (8) the fruition of arahantship.
Taking each attainment singly gives eight individuals.
Stream-enterer
The first stage is that of Sotāpanna (Pali; Sanskrit: Srotāpanna), literally meaning "one who enters (āpadyate) the stream (sotas)," with the stream being the supermundane Noble Eightfold Path regarded as the highest Dharma. The stream-enterer is also said to have "opened the eye of the Dharma" (dhammacakkhu, Sanskrit: dharmacakṣus).
A stream-enterer reaches arahantship within seven rebirths upon opening the eye of the Dharma.
Due to the fact that the stream-enterer has attained an intuitive grasp of Buddhist doctrine (samyagdṛṣṭi or sammādiṭṭhi, "right view") and has complete confidence or Saddha in the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, that individual will not be reborn in any plane lower than the human (animal, preta, or in hell).
Once-returner Sakadagami
The second stage is that of the Sakadāgāmī (Sanskrit: Sakṛdāgāmin), literally meaning "one who once (sakṛt) comes (āgacchati)". The once-returner will at most return to the human world one more time. Both the stream-enterer and the once-returner have abandoned the first three fetters. The stream-enterer and once-returner are distinguished by the fact that the once-returner has weakened lust, hate, and delusion to a greater degree. The once-returner therefore has fewer than seven rebirths. They may take place in higher planes but will include rebirth in the human world at most only once more. Once-returners do not have only one more rebirth, as the name suggests, for that may not even be said with certainty about the non-returner who can take multiple rebirths in the five "Pure Abodes". Non-returner Anāgāmi
The third stage is that of the Anāgāmī (Sanskrit: Anāgāmin), literally meaning "one who does not (an-) come (āgacchati)". The non-returner, having overcome sensuality, does not return to human world, or any unfortunate world lower than that after death. Instead, non-returners are reborn in one of the five special worlds in Rūpadhātu called the Śuddhāvāsa worlds, or "Pure Abodes", and there attain Nirvāṇa; Pāli: Nibbana; some of them are reborn a second time in a higher world of the Pure Abodes.
An Anāgāmī has abandoned the five lower fetters, out of ten total fetters, that bind beings to the cycle of rebirth. An Anāgāmī is well advanced and close to complete Enlightenment. Arahant
The fourth stage is that of Arahant, a fully enlightened being who has abandoned all ten fetters and who, upon (Sanskrit: Parinirvāṇa, Pāli: Parinibbāna) will never be reborn in any plane or world, having wholly escaped saṃsāra ENLIGHTENMENT AND THE VISION OF A NEW WAY
After Abandoning the trial of asceticism, Gautama refreshed with the food, and sat thinking over his past experiences. He realised that all paths had failed. The failure was so complete that it could have led anyone into a state of frustration. He was, of course, sorry. But frustration as such did not touch him. On the night Gautama had five dreams and when awoke he interpreted his dreams to mean that he was sure to attain enlightenment. He had also tried to forecast his future. This he did by throwing the bowl of food, Sujatha's maid brought, into the river Nairanja, Saying: " If I am to have enlightement let the bowl ascend the stream; if not let it go down." The vessel, indeed, began to float against the current and at last sank near the abode of Kala, a Naga king.
Fortified with hope and determination he left Uruvela and towards evening went along the wide road to Gaya. There he saw a Banyan Tree. He thought of sitting under it in meditation, after trying each of the four directions he chose the East which is always chosen by all the great sage for the removal of all defilements. Determined to achieve enlightenment, he said to himself, "Skin, sinew and bone may dry up as they will, my flesh and blood may dry in my body, but without attaining complete enlightenment I will not leave this seat." To feed himself during the period of meditation Gautama had collected enough food to last him for forty days. Having routed the evil thoughts that disturbed his mind Gautama refreshed himself with food and gained strength. He thus prepared himself for mediation with the aim of obtaining enlightenment.
It took Gautama four weeks of mediation to obtain enlightenment. He reached final enlightenment in four state. In the first state he called for the reason and investigation, in the second stage he added concentration, in the third stage he brought to his aid equanimity and mindfulness and in the fourth and final stage he added purity to equanimity and equanimity to mindfulness. Thus with mind concentrated, purified spotless, with defilement gone, supple, dexterous, firm, impassionate, not forgetting what he is after, Gautama concentrate himself on the problem of finding an answer to the question which had troubled him. For these question he got a right answer which is called 'Samma Bodhi' (Right Enlightenment). It is because of this that the Banyan Tree has come to be known as the Bodhi Tree.
Before enlightenment, Gautama was only a Bodhisatta. It is after reaching enlightenment that he became a Buddha. How does a Bodhisatta become a Buddha? A Bodhisatta must be a Bodhisatta for ten lives in succession. What must a Budhisatta do in order to qualify himself to become a Buddha? In his ten live he acquires different qualities like in first life-Mudita(Joy), Second life- Vimala(Purity), Third life-Prabhakari(Brightness), Fourth life-Arcishmati(intelligence of Fire), Fifth life-Sudurjaya(Difficult to Conquer), Sixth life-Abhimukhi(Awakens the most profound compassion in this heart for all beings blinded by Avidya), Seventh life-Durangama(Going far off), Eight life-Acala(Immovalbe), Ninth life-Sadhumati(Vanquished and penetrated all dharmas or systems, all quarters, and does not enter time) and in his tenth life he becomes Dharmamegha attains the infinite divine eye of a Buddha. The Bodhisatta must not only acquire these ten powers as he evolves from stage to stage but he must also practice to perfection the ten Paramitas.
It is only when he is doubly equipped that a Bodhisatta becomes qualified for becoming a Buddha. The theory of Jatakas or the birth stages of a Bodhisatta appears analogous to the Brahmanic theory of Avataras, i.e., the theory of incranations of God. The Jataka theory is based upon the Buddha having the highest degree of purity as the essence of his being. The Avatar theory does not require that the God should be pure in his making. All that the Brahmanic theory of Avatar says is that God saves his followers by taking different forms although the God may be very impure and immoral in his conduct.
The theory that to be Bodhisatta for ten lives as a condition precedent for becoming a Buddha has no parallel anywhere. No other religion calls upon its founder to such a test
Campaign of Conversion
Buddhas Campaign and conversion of Parivrajakas, High and Holy, Women, Fallen and Criminals. What the Buddha Taught His Place in His Dhamma
1. The Buddha claimed no place for Himself in His Own Dhamma.
- Christ claimed to be Prophet of Christianity, thus Christ secured a place of Himself by making the salvation of the Christian depend upon his acceptance of Christ as the Prophet and Son of God. Mohammad, the Prophet of Islam, claimed that he was a Prophet sent by God, a seeker of salvation in Islam must further accept that Mohammad is the Prophet of God and further accept that he is the last prophet. Mohammad thus secured a place for Himself by making the salvation of the Muslim depend upon his acknowledgement of Mohammed as the Prophet of God. No such condition was ever made by the Buddha, he claimed that he was no more than the natural son of Suddhodana and Mahamaya. He carved for himself no place in his religion by laying down any such conditions regarding himself for salvation as Jesus and Mohammad did. Buddha refused to appoint a successor, "The Dhamma must be its own successor", "Principle must live by itself, and not by the authority of man", "If principle needs the authority of man, it is no principle", If every time it becomes necessary to invoke the man of the founder to enforce the authority of Dhamma, then it is no Dhamma" such was the view he took of his own position regarding his Dhamma.
2. The Buddha did not promise to give salvation. He said He was Marga Data (Way Finder) and not Moksha Data (Giver of Salvation).
- Most religions are describe as revelations, but Buddhas' religion is not a revelation. A revealed religion is so called because it is a message of God to His creatures to worship their makers(i.e., God) and to save their souls. The obligation of the prophet is to ensure salvation to the faithful. Salvation of the faithful means the saving of their souls from being sent to hell, provided they obey God's commands and recognise the prophet as his messenger. The buddha never claimed that he was prophet or a messenger of God, he repudiated any such description. A more important point that this is that his religion is a discover, as such it must be sharply distinguished from a religion which is called Revelation. His religion is a discovery in the sense that it is the result of inquiry and investigation into the conditions of human life on earth; and understanding of the working of human instincts with which man is born; the moulding of his instincts and dispositions which man has formed as a result of history and tradition, and which are working to be detriment. All prophet has promised salvation. The Buddha is the one teacher who did not make any such promise. He made a sharp distinction between a moksha data and marga data one who gives salvation and one who shows the way. He was only a marga data. Salvation must be sought by each for himself by his own effort. What is salvation? With Mohammad and Jesus, salvation means saving the soul from being sent to hell by the intercession of the Prophet. With Buddha Salvation means Nibbana and Nibbana means control of passions. What promise of salvation can there be in such a Dhamma?
3. The Buddha did not claim any Divinity for Himself or for His Dhamma. It was discovered by man for man. It was not a Revelation.
- Every founder of religion has either claimed divinity for himself or for his teachings. Moses, although he did not claim for himself any divine origin, did claim divine origin for his teachings. He told his followers that if they wished to reach the land of milk and honey they must accept the teachings, because they were the teachings of Jehovah the God. Jesus claimed divinity for himself, He claimed that he was the Son of the God, Naturally his teachings acquired a divine origin. Krishna said that he was God himself, and the Gita as his own word. The Buddha made no such claim, either for himself or his Sasana. He claimed that he was one of the many human beings and his message to the people was the message of man to man. He never claimed infallibility for his message, the only claim he made was that his message was the only true way to salvation as he understood it. It was based on universal human experience of life in the world. He said that it was open to anyone to question it, test it, and find what truth it contained. No founder has so fully thrown open his religion to such a challenge.
Attainment of Enlightenment
In search of peace, Buddha wandered here and there in northern India along with his group to find out the cause of human sufferings. For six years Buddha practiced extreme self-mortification and thereafter he determined to continue his quest in a new manner that is "Middle Path to attain the Enlightenment" through "Meditation". Therefore, he studied the principles of meditation under "two famous teachers, Alara-Kalama and Uddaka-Ramaputta." Finally, Siddhartha passed through the country of Magadha to the town of Uruvela. It was here Buddha attained enlightenment under the Boddhi Tree on Vaisakha Poornima, the full moon day in April-May month and discovered why mankind suffers and formalized his discovery as the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. After this, Siddhartha came to be known as the Buddha or the Enlightened One. For the rest of his life, Buddha taught dhamma or the path of righteous living.
The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path
After a long time of meditation, he came out with his famous Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path and the secret to true peace and happiness. The Four Noble Truths are as under: 1) Life is suffering; 2) Suffering is caused by desire; 3) There is a way to overcome desire; 4) That way is the 8 Fold Path: 1) Right knowledge; 2) Right aspiration; 3) Right speech; 4) Right behavior; 5) Right livelihood; 6) Right effort; 7) Right mindfulness; 8) Right absorption.
