Reply To: Attha Purisa Puggalā- Eight Noble Persons

#24699
Lal
Keymaster

Lang asked, “Is it correct to say that a Sotapanna Anugami is one who has attained sotapatti magga, and that a Sotapanna is one who has attained sotapatti phala?”

There is some confusion because of the terms used.

1. One becomes a Sotapanna Anugami (one on the way to become a Sotapanna) when one has removed the 10 types of miccha ditthi, learns about the correct Tilakkhana, and has STARTED comprehending those Tilakkhana.

2. When that person makes progress in the comprehension of the “unfruitful nature of this world”, at some point he/she would complete that phase and actually become a Sotapanna.
– At that MOMENT, two CONSECUTIVE citta flow through his/her mind, the Sotapanna MAGGA CITTA, and the Sotapannna PHALA CITTA. At that INSTANT, he/she becomes a Sotapanna.

The confusion comes when the difference between those two things is not understood.

This can be further clarified by the following. That Sotapanna does not necessarily become a Sakadagami Anugami UNTIL he/she keeps working towards the Sakadagami stage.
– Here, one does not even need to know that one has become a Sotapanna. As long as one is making an effort (viriya) on making progress, that person WILL BE a Sakadagami Anugami.
– Then one actually BECOMES a Sakadagami when one goes through the Sakadagami magga citta followed by the Sakadagami phala citta (that is a higher level of comprehending Tilakkhana).
– That is how there are EIGHT Noble Persons. Each Nibbanic stage (Sotapnna to Arahant) is associated with two “Noble Person states”.

P.S. Just yesterday I revised the following relevant post: “Sōtapanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyās