Reply To: Why can’t wise yogis become sotapannas

#50070
Jittananto
Participant

I’d like to emphasize one of the ten good punna kamma. When Lord Buddha says that one should respect the anariya yogis and give them offerings, there are two aspects to consider. First, they move away from kāma ragā and teach others how to do it, even if only temporarily. 99% of the sufferings of samsara are due to kāma ragā. Second, we do not know what results and paramis these yogis develop. Some of them may be bodhisattas, paccekabodhisattas, or future arahants. When the Dhamma is unknown, some of them become paccekabuddhas. Since they are in a time when the Dhamma is unknown in the world, they can only teach how to move away from kāma ragā and develop jhanas. Of course, there are extremely rare cases where they teach and show magga phala to certain people. If we do not reach at least the sotāpanna stage in this Kappa, there are chances that we might be reborn in an empty Kappa of Lord Buddha. If we disrespect any of these yogis, during these times, and even if we do not know that they are paccekabuddhas we will have devastating Kammic consequences. We are fortunate because we are born in the Sasana of Lord Gautama and we can distinguish between the Dhamma and the worldly practice of the anariya yogis. The problem is that until the sotāpanna stage is reached there is a chance that we will be reborn at a time when we will not be able to make this distinction.

 Paṭhamanirayasaggasutta

 ‘There is meaning in giving, sacrifice, and offerings. There are fruits and results of good and bad deeds. There is an afterlife. There are such things as mother and father and beings that are reborn spontaneously. And some ascetics and brahmins are rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describe the afterlife after realizing it with their insight.’

‘atthi dinnaṁ, atthi yiṭṭhaṁ, atthi hutaṁ, atthi sukaṭadukkaṭānaṁ kammānaṁ phalaṁ vipāko, atthi ayaṁ loko, atthi paro loko, atthi mātā, atthi pitā, atthi sattā opapātikā, atthi loke samaṇabrāhmaṇā sammaggatā sammāpaṭipannā ye imañca lokaṁ parañca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti.

  • Let us not forget that there is always a deeper aspect to the recommendations of Lord Buddha. This is my opinion on this verse.