Yes. Confirming the Sakadagami stage is tricky.
- In the suttas, the Buddha only says, kama raga is attenuated; there is no “measure.”
- The following can be used as guidance. A Sakadagami will not be reborn in the human realm; they are reborn in a Deva realm. Therefore, a Sakadagami would have “Deva gati” and not “manussa gati.” It has not been clarified in the suttas, but we can probably deduce that Devas do not engage in sexual activities like humans: they don’t give birth to children (their births are opapatika.) But they have male and female Devas. May be they get enough “mental pleasure” by associating with the opposite sex.
- However, the Anagami stage is much more clear-cut. One will not have any desire for sex. An Anagami will be reborn only in Brahma realms, where two sexes do not exist.
The best way to get to either stage is to cultivate “asubha sanna.” Our craving for sensual pleasures is based on the “distorted sanna” that we have. In brief, “subha sanna,” or the idea that external objects/people have mind-pleasing properties, is false. But it may take time to grasp those concepts fully.
- Cultivating “asubha sanna” means contemplating the material discussed in the recent posts on “distorted sanna” and fully understanding those concepts. That is part of the actual “vipassana mediation” (or Satipatthana.): “Sotapanna Stage via Understanding Perception (Saññā).”
- Of course, those concepts also help with getting to the Sotapanna stage.
