Sotapanna Stage From Kāma Loka

Sotapanna stage is reached by removing sakkāya diṭṭhi, the wrong view that “sensory pleasures” are worthwhile pursuing. That realization can be achieved from the kāma loka, and cultivating a jhāna is not a requirement.

March 1, 2025

Download/Print: “Path to Sotapanna from Kama Loka“

Any Sense Event Takes a Mind Away from Nibbāna

1. Any sense event takes the mind of a puthujjana (whose ten saṁyojana remain intact) away from Nibbāna, as seen in the above chart. Thus, without that understanding, a puthujjana cannot attain Nibbāna (by separating from the world). In other words, a puthujjana is always on a downward path (viparināma). That path must be reversed toward the better outcome of Nibbāna (parināma); see the above chart (see Ref. 1 for an explanation of parināma/viparināma). If one can get that idea to sink into the mind, that goes a long way to remove sakkāya diṭṭhi.

That is because any sense event starts with a “distorted saññā,” and the mind of a puthujjana (any average human) automatically attaches to it and moves to kāma loka/bhava. They do not understand that the “temporary sense of pleasure” will trap them in the rebirth process.
There are two ways to overcome attachment to sensory pleasures: (i) Understanding that even if those “pleasures” are real, attachment to them leads to immoral deeds that will bring adverse consequences in the future (rebirth in the apāyās), (ii) The Buddha showed that those “pleasures” are an illusion, which makes it a “no brainer” not to attach to them. For example, we don’t take magic shows seriously, even though many enjoy watching them.
One could eliminate sakkāya diṭṭhi by taking the approach (i) above. However, it becomes much easier to remove sakkāya diṭṭhi if one can figure out that “sensory pleasures” are an illusion, i.e., by following the deeper approach (ii). See “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā).”
This is a highly condensed post. Please read the suggested links to get the ideas to sink into your mind. It is impossible to write everything relevant in a single post. Furthermore, getting to the “distorted saññā-free” Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi in the above chart requires a mind to get to samādhi first. That, in turn, requires a mind engaging in dhamma vitakka/vicāra (contemplating Tilakkhana and associated concepts explained in the links provided) for an extended time! Making printouts of those posts and spending an hour or so going through them during quiet time is a good idea. Try that once and see whether it helps the mind get to samādhi. This is an advantage in listening to a discourse because one’s mind will be focused for an extended time. Thus, if the “reading mode” is used, one MUST follow the suggested procedure. The two modes of learning were discussed in the previous post, “Pāth to Nibbāna – Learning Dhamma to Become a Sotapanna.”

Removal of Kāma Saññā Happens After Removal of Diṭṭhi Saṁyojana

2. There are two steps in overcoming attachment to sensual pleasures: (i) “See with wisdom” that it is unwise to attach to sense pleasures. When this understanding sinks into the mind, three “diṭṭhi saṁyojana” (sakkāya diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, silabbata parāmāsa) will be broken with the removal of sakkāya diṭṭhi. (ii) Even though the wrong view of sakkāya diṭṭhi is removed, one would still attach to sensory pleasure due to the “false sense of pleasure” arising via the distorted kāma saññā. To overcome that “distorted kāma saññā” (which is built-in to our bodies), a Sotapanna must cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna. That leads to the removal of two more sansāric bonds/saṁyojana (kāma rāga and paṭigha), leading to the Anāgāmi stage of Nibbāna.

The following analogy can give the basic idea. An alcoholic will be able to “see with wisdom” that drinking leads to many adverse consequences (including health risks) by reading medical literature. That understanding can eliminate the “wrong view” that drinking is good for you. However, it takes an additional effort (usually therapy sessions) to overcome attachment to the “pleasure saññā” generated by having a drink. Just “seeing with wisdom” that drinking can have harmful consequences is not enough. That second step is equivalent to removing kāma rāga (and patigha) by overcoming kāma saññā. That requires cultivating Satipaṭṭhāna; see the chart above. In the analogy of an alcoholic, therapy sessions are comparable to cultivating Satipaṭṭhāna.
The mind of an Anāgāmi or an Arahant has broken all five lower saṁyojana (sakkāya diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, silabbata parāmāsa, kāma rāga, and paṭigha) that bind a mind to the kāma bhava. They have fully understood that “kāma saññā” is an illusion and have overcome attachment to it!
Therefore, their minds do not “cross over” to kāma bhava/kāma loka. In other words, their mind does not automatically attach to any “sensory pleasure” that may arise with the “distorted kāma saññā.” See the above chart.

Attachment Occurs Even Without Kāma Assāda

3. Furthermore, a puthujjana‘s mind will be attached to even those sense events that may not generate a “sensory pleasure” or “kāma assāda.” For example, seeing random things on the roadside while traveling in a car may not induce attachments. Still, the mind of a puthujjana attaches with moha (ignorance of the detailed description of a sense event). Thus, a puthujjana‘s mind ALWAYS gets to the “purāna kamma” stage in kāma loka. This subtle point is discussed in Ref. 2.

Let us go through the “steps of attachment” to get an idea of this process, which can be discovered only by a Buddha. Once described, anyone can understand the process.
The key steps are shown in the chart above. Although the chart may look complex, if you read through the text while referencing it, both should be easy to grasp.
We will focus on reaching the Sotapanna stage from kāma loka (human realm); in the next post, we will discuss how to reach it via jhāna.

Rupa Paṭisaṁvedī in Kāma Dhātu

4. Upon receiving a sense input, the mind of ANYONE born in the human realm falls first to the kāma dhātu state. The small blue arrow at the bottom of the chart indicates that. We will consider a “seeing event” as an example.

The mind of anyone born a human automatically gets the “kāma saññā” while in the “kāma dhātu” stage. Thus, an Arahant or Anāgāmi will also get the “distorted kāma saññā” (e.g., the sweetness of honey or the stench of rotten food, for example.)
This is the “rūpappaṭisaṁvedī” (rupa paṭisaṁvedī) step where the mind makes contact with the sense input. Here, paṭisaṁvedī (paṭi saṁvedī) means to experience the sight with the “distorted” saññā. As we discussed, this automatically happens to anyone born with a human body, including Arahants.
This happens in the “blue region” in the chart above. A mind has not advanced to the “kāma loka” yet.
Cakkhu viññāna (a viññāna is always defiled) has not arisen yet. The “blue region” is the “diṭṭhe diṭṭhamattaṁ bhavissati” state experienced by someone whose mind will not go through the next step of “attachment to that seeing” with kāma rāga. See #2 of “Saññā Nidānā hi Papañca Saṅkhā – Immoral Thoughts Based on “Distorted Saññā.””

Ruparāga Paṭisaṁvedī Takes to Kāma Loka

5. Attachment to that kāma saññā happens in the second step ONLY IF kāma rāga arises in the mind automatically. That is the subsequent “rūpa rāga paṭisaṁvedī” step. That happens only if one has the kāma rāga saṁyojana intact.

The difference between rupa paṭisaṁvedī and rūpa rāga paṭisaṁvedī is discussed in Ref. 3.
Thus, a puthujjana‘s mind will automatically transition to the “purāna kamma” stage in kāma loka, as indicated by the big blue arrow in the middle of the chart.
The purāna kamma stage starts at the bahiddha viññāna state, where the mind makes its own version of the external signal. Since it comes with the “distorted kāma saññā,” the mind automatically accepts it, believing it represents the true nature of that sight. Then, ajjhatta viññāna arises, and that is what we call “cakkhu viññāna.”
Those steps occur automatically in the mind of a Sakadāgāmi, Sotapanna, or a puthujjana. However, the “strength of attachment” is highest for a puthujjana with all five saṁyojana intact. That is why a Sotapanna (or a Sakadāgāmi) is incapable of doing “apāyagāmi kamma.” Their attachment to the distorted saññā is reduced in strength with the removal of sakkāya diṭṭhi and the other two diṭṭhi saṁyojana.
Since the mind of an Arahant/Anāgāmi has removed kāma rāga, their minds will not attach to the distorted saññā and, thus, will not transition to the kāma loka (inside the “pink box” in the chart.)

Difference Between Kāma Dhātu and Kāma Bhava

6. The Buddha described this difference in the “Sanidāna Sutta (SN 14.12)“: “Kāmadhātuṁ, bhikkhave, paṭicca uppajjati kāmasaññā, kāmasaññaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāmasaṅkappo, kāmasaṅkappaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāmacchando, kāmacchandaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāmapariḷāho, kāmapariḷāhaṁ paṭicca uppajjati kāmapariyesanā.” OR “Attachment to kāma dhātu leads to kāma saññā, attachment to kāma saññā leads to kāma saṅkappa, attachment to kāma saṅkappa leads to kāmacchanda..and so on to kāma pariyesanā.“

That verse explains why Arahants and Anagmis also have kāma saññā. The first step (“Kāmadhātuṁ, bhikkhave, paṭicca uppajjati kāmasaññā”) does not involve “rāga, dosa, moha,” or “san” (alternatively written as “sañ” or“saṅ” ). Here, “kāma saññā” does not refer to “assāda” (or “placing a value on sensual pleasures.”) This is discussed below.
But Arahants’ minds don’t go through the rest of the steps in that verse: kāma saṅkappa, kāmacchanda, kāmapariḷāha, kāmapariyesanā. Kammic energies are generated in these steps.
However, the mind of anyone below the Arahant/Anāgāmi stages may attach and automatically generate at least kāma saṅkappa.

Once in Kāma Loka, Further Mind Contamination Occurs

7. Depending on the specific sense input, the mind may repeatedly attach to it via many steps. Even though we list the steps (as described by the Buddha), they happen so fast that no one other than a Buddha can discern them. A puthujjana usually becomes aware of the attachment at the end of the process, when one starts engaging in kāya, vaci, and mano kamma (see the chart).

The steps in the attachment are outlined in “Purāna and Nava Kamma – Sequence of Kamma Generation” and “Ārammaṇa (Sensory Input) Initiates Critical Processes.”
Most sense events do not get to the “nava kamma” stage, where one engages in kamma accumulation via kāya, vaci, and mano kamma.
The critical point is that even if the mind does not reach the “nava kamma” stage, it has already been contaminated with “kāma saṅkappa.” Here, saṅkappa are abhisaṅkhāra that are very subtle/weak. If the mind attaches further, saṅkappa becomes abhisaṅkhāra (and even strong kāya, vaci, mano kamma) in the nava kamma stage (as shown in the chart).
Since “kāma rāga” is defined as “saṅkappa rāgo purisassa kāmo” (“Nibbedhika Sutta“), kāma rāga has already risen in the “purāna kamma” stage. Therefore, generating kāma rāga is AUTOMATIC for anyone with the kāma rāga saṁyojana intact; it happens without thinking.
Since an Arahant or Anāgāmi has removed kāma rāga, their minds will stay at the “kāma dhātu” stage.

Sandiṭṭhiko – Seeing That the “Origin of Saṅ” in the Purāna Kamma Stage

8. Many think abstaining from dasa akusala (in the nava kamma stage; see chart) is enough to attain Nibbāna.

However, we can see from the above discussion that separating from Nibbāna has already happened in the purāna kamma stage, well before the mind starts accumulating kāya, vaci, and mano kamma in the nava kamma stage; see the chart.
Thus, one becomes a “sandiṭṭhiko“ only when realizing that “attachment to saṅ (rāga, dosa, moha)” happens in the rūpa rāga paṭisaṁvedī step and NOT at the rupa paṭisaṁvedī step; see #4 through #6 above.
Please make sure to read Ref. 3 to understand this fully.

Until Kāma Rāga Saṁyojana is removed, a Mind Will Enter Kāma Loka

9. Therefore, attachment to any sense input and entering kāma loka (inside the “red box” in the chart) is INEVITABLE for anyone with kāma rāga saṁyojana intact, i.e., anyone at or below the Sakadāgāmi stage.

As soon as a mind is exposed to kāma saññā, automatic attachment to it happens unless that mind has eliminated kāma rāga. The attachment will be stronger if the three “diṭṭhi saṁyojana” remain intact (as for a puthujjana.)
Once entering the kāma loka, a mind will get further defiled via the steps discussed in #4 through #6 above.
Key point: The “automatic attachment” in the “purāna kamma” stage is to pañcupādānakkhandha. Thus, the mind of a puthujjana NEVER experiences pañcakkhandha.
To stop that “automatic attachment,” the mind of a puthujjana must avoid getting the “kāma saññā.” That critical step happens (for the first time ever) at the Sotapanna phala moment.

How to Bypass Kāma Saññā

10. Then the question arises: How did a Sotapanna or a Sakadāgāmi avoid exposure to the kāma saññā (thereby avoiding attachment to pañcupādānakkhandha)? It must bypass the “kāma dhātu” stage! However, that is impossible to do with a sensory input since it will inevitably get the corresponding built-in “kāma saññā.”

Instead, a puthujjana must “go backward” starting from the “nava kamma” stage (where the mind of a puthujjana is) toward the left in the above chart and skip the “kāma dhātu” stage to get into “Satipaṭṭhāna bhumi.”
That can happen while listening to a discourse or reading posts like this one; see the last part of #1 above. It can also occur while contemplating what one learned from a discourse or a text. See #9 (and the links) of “Pāth to Nibbāna – Learning Dhamma to Become a Sotapanna.”

A Mind Must Overcome the “Kāma Saññā” Temporarily to Get to the Sotapanna Stage

11. It is possible for a puthujjana‘s mind to move backward and go beyond the “kāma dhātu” stage to get into a mental space free of “kāma saññā.” This mental space is called “Satipaṭṭhāna bhumi” (see the chart) or where Sammā Sati (part of the Noble Eightfold Path) is established in a defilement-free state (Satipaṭṭhāna means to “establish Sammā Sati.”)

Once a mind is in the kāma loka, it is covered by pañca nīvaraṇa (five layers of defilements covering/shielding Nibbāna). See “Key to Calming the Mind – The Five Hindrances.”
To reach Sammā Sati, the mind must overcome pañca nīvaraṇa and move backward toward the kāma dhātu state, overcome it, and cross over to the Satipaṭṭhāna bhumi.
That happens when a mind grasps the Buddha’s broader worldview to get to Sammā Ditthi and becomes a Sotapanna (upon comprehending the futility of attachment to pañcupādānakkhandha, i.e., to any sensory event). See Ref. 4.
It is critical to understand this point.

Moving a Mind Toward Satipaṭṭhāna Bhumi (Devoid of Kāma Saññā)

12. When fully focused on a Dhamma concept, abhisaṅkhāra formation is temporarily stopped. Thus, the mind stops generating nava kamma and moves to the “purāna kamma” stage; see the chart. This is “parināma” or “moving toward the better outcome”; see Ref. 1.

Suppose the material discussed in the discourse (or the text) is conducive to relaying the unfruitfulness of sensory pleasures and their adverse consequences. In that case, the mind can temporarily overcome the “purāna kamma” AND “kāma dhātu” stages and move into the “Satipaṭṭhāna bhumi” free of “kāma saññā.”
That is when a puthujjana‘s mind becomes free of the “kāma saññā” for the first time ever.
At that moment, the mind will go through the Parikamma (P), Upacāra (U), Anuloma (A), Gotrabu (G), Path (magga) (Pa), and Fruit (phala) (Fr) for the Sotapanna stage. See #16 of “Citta Vīthi – Processing of Sense Inputs.”

Removal of Sakkāya Diṭṭhi

13. In many cases, one approaches the Sotapanna stage gradually, when Buddha’s teachings gradually become clear. In such cases, the mind of a puthujjana would get to the parikamma stage first. With repeated access to it, it will advance to the upacāra stage and start getting to it repeatedly when the transition to the anuloma stage occurs at some point.

Once the mind gets to the gotrabu state, that is the changing of the “gotra” or the “lineage” from a puthujjana to an Ariya or a Noble Person at the Sotapanna Anugāmi stage.
Thus, one would become a Sōtapanna Anugāmi with the Gotrabu citta.
At some point (before the death of the current physical body), the mind will experience the Sotapanna magga and phala moments while contemplating Dhamma, i.e., one will attain the Sotapanna stage.
There are two types of Sotapanna Anugāmi, as explained in the “Khandha Sutta (SN 25.10),” saddhānusārī and dhammānusārī (@2.1). The fact that they will attain the Sotapanna stage before their deaths is stated at marker 2.3.

Attachment to a Sensory Event

14. Attachment to sense events is the cause of future suffering! This point must be fully understood. See “Sensory Inputs Initiate “Creation of the World” or “Loka Samudaya”.”

We may attach to a sense event in three ways: (i) it generates a “sukha/somanassa vedanā,” (ii) it generates a dukkha/domanassa vedanā, (iii) it generates a neutral vedanā.
In the first case, we may engage in immoral deeds to get more of them; in the second, we may try to avoid them.
In the third case, we may not take any action but still go through the “purāna kamma” stage because the relevant saṁyojana are intact (meaning we have not dispelled the ignorance about how we attach via all three ways.)

Why Is the Attachment Automatic?

15. The attachment to sense events is automatic because our bodies AND the external environment arise to provide a “distorted saññā” with any sense input. Those interested in fully understanding how the (distorted) kāma saññā arises via Paṭicca Samuppāda should read the first few posts in this section: “Worldview of the Buddha.”

There is nothing more valuable than reaching the Sotapanna stage. The opportunity to be exposed to the true teachings of a Buddha is a rare occurrence. There are even several concurrent Mahā Kappās (each lasting many billions of years) without the appearance of a single Buddha.
Make the effort to become a Sotapanna; it is better than anything we can find in this world: “Why a Sotāpanna is Better off than any King, Emperor, or a Billionaire.”
Many of us spend years in schools, universities, etc., to get a good education and a job. But many are reluctant to spend time learning Dhamma to become free of rebirths in the worst realms! Please don’t lose this opportunity, which we may not get again for billions of years.

References

1. Parināma and viparināma discussed in “Aniccaṁ Vipariṇāmi Aññathābhāvi – A Critical Verse.”

2. Summary of a very deep and critical sutta: “Mūlapariyāya Sutta – The Root of All Things.”

3. Mind contamination starts in the purāna kamma stage: “Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean? .”

4. Critically important post on Satipaṭṭhāna: “Kāma Saññā – How to Bypass to Cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna.” We will discuss in detail how to cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna in upcoming posts.