Yes. This is at the heart of the issue of what is involved in becoming a Sotapanna.
“Does this mean that you do not need to meditate to become a Sothapanna?”
“Meditation” could mean two things.
– One is to contemplate on the “previously unheard Buddha Dhamma that one heard from an Ariya.” This is to dispel one’s wrong views that worldly things can bring happiness. Note that this wrong view is what is left AFTER one has removed the “ten types of wrong views“. One gets to the mundane Samma Ditthi by removing the ten types of wrong views. One gets to Lokottara Samma Ditthi by starting to see the dangers of sense pleasures (seeing anicca, dukkha, anatta). This is the field of vision (දර්ශන භූමිය)
– The other (and more formal meaning) is the effort that needs to be made to get rid of the WRONG PERCEPTIONS about sense pleasures. A Sotapanna, who has irradicated Sakkayaditthi, Vicikicca and Silabbataparamasa in the step above, still craves sense pleasures due to “viparita sanna” or wrong perceptions. To get rid of that, a Sotapanna needs to contemplate the bad consequences (adinava) of sense pleasures. This is what you referred to as the field of meditation (භාවනා භූමිය). That is how a Sotapanna gets to the Sakadagami and Anagami stages. The tendency to prioritize “sense pleasures” goes away only at the Anagami stage, i.e., kama raga anusaya is reduced at the Sotapanna, and Sakadagami stages, but goes away only at the Anagami stage.
Now, let us go through this step-by-step.
One becomes a Sotapanna Anugami when he/she starts comprehending the “previously unheard Buddha Dhamma” that sense pleasures have dangerous consequences. The key point here is that until one comprehends the fruitlessness AND dangers in not KNOWING the following: Even though an average human thinks that sense pleasures cannot bring harm as long as one leads a moral life, that assumption is wrong.
– This grasping involves a change in the paradigm of one’s world view.
– This is why the Buddha said his Buddha Dhamma has never been known to the world in the absence of a Buddha Sasana.
Once one starts comprehending that key point, one is a Sotapanna Anugami, i.e., he/she is one the way (magga) to become a Sotapanna.
– When he/she starts contemplating on this “new vision” of the reality of the wider world of 31 realms with rebirths taking place incessantly (without stop), one will start seeing more and more evidence that it is the correct world view.
– There comes a moment when that conviction becomes irreversible. At that moment, the path to the Sotapanna stage is complete and a magga citta followed by two phala citta flow in one’s mind, and one becomes a Sotapanna.
In other words, a Sotapanna Anugami has conjectural knowledge (අනුමාන ඥානය). He/she has at least a vague idea that this “previously unheard Dhamma” is correct.
A Sotapanna has perceptual knowledge (ප්රත්යක්ෂ ඥානය or paccavekkha ñāṇa). He/she KNOWS how birth in any realm arises via the cultivation of a certain set of sankhara. That means he/she understands how the Paticca Samuppada process starting with “avijja paccaya sankhara” leads to a certain existence (bhava) and thus to births (jati) within that bhava. ALL SUCH BIRTHS end up with “jara, marana, soka,…” or the “whole mass of suffering”.
– Until that moment, Sotapanna Anugami has conjectural knowledge (අනුමාන ඥානය).
– However, the Buddha stated that a Sotapanna Anugami WILL become a Sotapanna without exceptions. He/she WILL NOT separate from the Ariya birth. That is what is meant by the Tipitaka statements that say “a Sotapanna Anugami WILL NOT die without becoming a Sotapanna.” That refers to “death from the Ariya birth.”
If there are questions, please quote from above (regarding what is not clear) when asking questions. That way, I will know exactly what is not clear.
P.S. Of course, there are more details. If you (or anyone else) understand the above but need further clarification regarding a certain point, please feel free to ask too.