I hope this makes it in time before Lal answers Akvan:
“1. Thus when one gets into the Sōtapanna magga stage, for example, one receives the Sōtapanna phala in the very next citta, and thus one becomes a Sōtapanna virtually at the same time.”
“5. Similarly, a Sōtapanna magga anugami spends time contemplating the newly learned concepts of anicca, dukkha, anatta, paticca samuppada, etc.”
As I see it, as there is virtually no time to differentiate between a Sotapanna Magga and a Sotapanna Phala (it happens instantly and on its own accord), unlike the case of a Sotapanna Anugami becoming a Sotapanna, (where there is something to be consciously done by him, which takes time) I fail to see …
” 1. THERE ARE FOUR who have fulfilled the conditions for the four stages of Nibbāna: Sōtapanna, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi, and Arahant. They are said to be in the magga stage for respective stage. AND THERE ARE FOUR who have received the fruits (phala)” ….why the Magga in any of the four stages is treated as distinct from its Phala stage, as to all practical purposes, the time spent by a Sotapanna in the Magga stage is insignificant. That is, how is it that they (the four Magga stages) warrant the 4 (of the 8) ‘types of people’, since they cannot be found (because they have by then already moved ON to the Phala stage).
I hope I have been clear. By the same reasoning, I can see the 8 ‘types’ of Ariyas (the 4 Anugamis and their respective 4 full Stages.)
As to Akvan’s second point, if it were so, that one Stage leads into the next higher one automatically, where is the place for the striving to attain those higher Stages.? There would be only Arahants around!
Lest I be misunderstood,this is different from the inevitable attainment of Nibbana as a matter of course on even setting foot on the Path (the Anugami Satopanna stage), but this involves effort and time, even though that time (within 7 bhava) is set.
Metta to all beings