But sir, I don’t understand how it’s impossible to skip the steps? A person can have a spiritual breakthrough right? The texts do not mention that he reached the sakadagamin and anagami stages. They only say that he became an arahant by listening to a speech.
The progression in magga phala can be compared to someone climbing the stairs by skipping steps, right? How can we explain the case of Arahant Bahiya who went from the puthujunas stage to an arahant??
Now while he was in seclusion, this reflection arose in the mind of Bahiya of the Bark-cloth: “Am I one of those in the world who are arahats or who have entered the path to arahatship?”
Then a devata who was a former blood-relation of Bahiya of the Bark-cloth understood that reflection in his mind. Being compassionate and wishing to benefit him, he approached Bahiya and said: “You, Bahiya, are neither an arahant nor have you entered the path to arahatship. You do not follow that practice whereby you could be an arahant or enter the path to arahatship.”
A third time Bahiya said to the Lord: “It is difficult to know for certain… Teach me Dhamma, Sugata, so that it will be for my good and happiness for a long time.”
“Herein, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: ‘In the seen will be merely what is seen; in the heard will be merely what is heard; in the sensed will be merely what is sensed; in the cognized will be merely what is cognized.’ In this way you should train yourself, Bahiya.
“When, Bahiya, for you in the seen is merely what is seen… in the cognized is merely what is cognized, then, Bahiya, you will not be ‘with that.’ When, Bahiya, you are not ‘with that,’ then, Bahiya, you will not be ‘in that.’ When, Bahiya, you are not ‘in that,’ then, Bahiya, you will be neither here nor beyond nor in between the two. Just this is the end of suffering.”
Now through this brief Dhamma teaching of the Lord the mind of Bahiya of the Bark-cloth was immediately freed from the taints without grasping. Then the Lord, having instructed Bahiya with this brief instruction, went away.
A sotāpanna is on the path to becoming an arahant right? If this brahma says that Bahiya is not even on the path leading there then he was not even sotāpanna right?
(This brahma is an anagami who lives in a pure abode and was a friend of arahant Bahiya during the time of Lord Buddha Kassapa. This version says he is a deva but he is a Brahma anagami.)
Story of Venerable Arahant Sariputta:
But the Venerable Sariputta continued to stay near the Master, at a cave called the Boar’s Shelter (Sukarakhata-lena), depending on Rajagaha for his almsfood. Half a month after his ordination the Blessed One gave a discourse on the comprehension of feelings[6] to the Venerable Sariputta’s nephew, the wandering ascetic Dighanakha. The Venerable Sariputta was standing behind the Master, fanning him. While following with his thoughts the progress of the discourse, as though sharing the food prepared for another, the Venerable Sariputta on that occasion reached the acme of “knowledge pertaining to a disciple’s perfection and attained to Arahatship together with the fourfold analytical knowledge (patisambhida-ñana).”[7] And his nephew, at the end of the sermon, was established in the Fruition of stream-entry.[8]
Unless I missed a crucial point Sir.