C. Saket said: “So I have settled on the conclusion that this rebirth process has not ended for me (even after infinite amount of time) because I have not truly followed the Noble 8-fold path yet.”
Yes. I am glad you came to that conclusion. The Buddha always emphasized that there are many “puzzles” in this world, but it is not worth while to spend too much time on them, unless we can learn something relevant to pursuing the Path.
I realized recently that this particular issue is a good opportunity to point out the deeper analysis of why both “there is a self” and “there is no self” are wrong.
By the way, the above statement should really read as: Both views “there is a self” and “there is no UNCHANGING self” are wrong.
The reason is that a being exists only momentarily in a given precise state. Each moment of existence arises due to cause and effect or paticca samuppada (PS), here the pavutti PS. Drastic changes normally occur with uppatti PS, but in some cases like in attaining magga phala, drastic changes can also occur via pavutti PS.
A good analogy of a “momentarily changing self” is a “circle of fire” illusion created by rapidly moving a ball of fire in circular motion. We know that really there is no “circle of fire” there; in reality the fire is located at one place at a given time. If we slow down the rotation, we can actually see that to be true. (And even the fire at the burning point arises at each moment!) But we cannot say that a circle fire does not exist as long as the rapid movement is there (especially to a child watching it).
We are like those children, who may not really “see” the true nature of “a circle of fire”. In reality a living being is sort of like that circle of fire. We think that we talk, see, smell, etc in parallel (at the same time), but that is not case.
If the mind can be slowed down, one would be able to “see” that those are the results of billions of separate actions taking place one at a time (each one taking a citta vithi that lasts only a billionth of a second; no two events can take place at the same time; when the mind deals with seeing, it cannot hear, etc). But that can be “seen” only by a Buddha. The Buddha said that mind is the fastest entity in the whole world!
So, this is a good opportunity to comprehend that aspect, especially for those who are interested in detailed explanations. But it is not necessary for others.
As you pointed out “In fact Ven. Bahiya Daruciriya became Arahant just by listening to a single discourse by Lord Buddha! Other monks were shocked as to how a person can become an Arahant in such a short time just by listening to a single discourse.
Please see – https://suttacentral.net/ud1.10/pli/ms
Actually Ven. Bahiya Daruciriya had high level of “panna” from his previous life. That is why he was able to become an Arahant in such a short time ( within minutes ! ).”
Yes. Ven. Bahiya became an Arahant when the Buddha explained (in a single verse!), this dynamic process which we normally attribute to a “person”. But it is really not a “person” engaged in seeing, hearing, etc. It is really the cumulative effect of rapid actions taking place via paticca samuppada or cause and effect at each thought moment!
Again, this process can be fully comprehended only by an Arahant. But getting the basic idea can help remove sakkaya ditthi. I recommend carefully reviewing the post: “Citta and Cetasika – How Vinnana (Consciousness) Arises“. Even if one does not fully comprehend it, it is good to get the basic idea.
Also, this again points to the fact that our mental body (gandhabba) is much more important that our physical body, as I mentioned earlier.