Dear friend Gad, thanks for the essay. However, I disagree with what you highlighted in red.
Here is my understanding:
When Sahampati Brahma made the request of teaching the Dhamma to Lord Buddha, then the Omniscient One surveyed the world with his “Buddha cakkhus” (supernatural eyes of a Samma Sambuddha). After surveying, Lord Buddha saw different types of beings in the sugati (humans, devas, brahmas).
They can be compared to four kinds of lotuses:
(1) The lotuses which are above the water and will bloom forth that very day.
(2) The lotuses which are at the surface of the water and will bloom forth after few days.
(3) The lotuses which are submerged in water and will bloom forth after many days or months.
(4) The lotuses which will not bloom, as they are diseased and will become food for fishes and tortoises.
(1) refers to “Ugghatitannu puggalas” who have higher levels of spiritual faculties (indriyas) – Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna, and CAN realise the Dhamma even if taught in a brief verse by a Noble Person.
(2) refers to “Vipancitannu puggalas” who have intermediate levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna faculties and CAN realise the Dhamma if taught and explained in detail by a Noble Person.
(3) refers to “Neyya puggalas” who have lower levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna faculties and CAN realise the Dhamma if they are explained in detail by a Noble Person (after developing and training their minds for weeks, months or years).
(4) refers to “Padaparama puggalas” who have very low levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna faculties and CAN NOT realise the Dhamma no matter how much they are taught and explained.
Category (1), (2), (3) are the beings with “tihetuka patisandhi” (born with the three roots of alobha, adosa, amoha).
Category (4) are the beings with “dvihetuka patisandhi” and “ahetuka patisandhi”. Hence they CAN NOT attain magga phala in this bhava (but they CAN accumulate merits for getting the “hetu”/causes for attaining magga phala in future lives).
Now coming to the Bodhisattvas, Paccekabodhisattvas, and the future great disciples of Lord Buddha. They have different levels of five spiritual faculties (Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna) depending on their journey/stages. If they are in the initial or intermediate stages, they have low or intermediate levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna respectively. If they are in advanced or mature stages, they have high levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna.
Bodhisattvas are special beings, they CAN NOT be put in the category of “padaparama puggalas” (4).
It is mentioned in Buddhavamsa (Khuddaka Nikaya) that at the time of Lord Buddha Dipankara, our Bodhisattva was born as an ascetic (yogi) named Sumedha. He had mastered all the rupa jhanas and arupa samapattis and had also developed abhinna powers.
He already had high levels of Saddha, Viriya, Sati, Samadhi, Panna… so much so that he could become an Arahant just by listening to a few verses of Dhamma (if he wished to apply his mind in that direction). But his aspiration was to become a future Samma Sambuddha. So even though he had the “hetu” to attain magga phala, but he could not attain magga phala even if he listened to Dhamma. This is because his aspirations (kammic energy of Bodhisattva) is preventing/blocking him from attaining magga phala.
I hope you understand the difference.
Here is an artistic image of ascetic Sumedha paying homage to the Lord Buddha Dipankara and the Maha Sangha.
