Micchā diṭṭhi is the only akusala (out of ten) removed at the Sotāpanna stage. However, it reduces the strength of all other nine akusala, so that rebirth in the apāyās (including the animal realm) is permanently blocked.
Revised May 10, 2017; last revised May 30, 2026
Micchā Diṭṭhi – Only Akusala Completely Removed by a Sotāpanna
1. Upon attaining the Sotāpanna stage, micchā diṭṭhi (the ten types of micchā diṭṭhi together with wrong views of nicca, sukha, and atta) is COMPLETELY removed. That is one akusala out of dasa akusala. But that accounts for more than 99% of akusala (defilements) from one’s mind since the “apāyagāmi strength” of the other nine akusala kamma are also removed.
- That illustrates the importance of removing micchā diṭṭhi and why I have so many posts on that. Also, see the first discourse in “Three Marks of Existence – English Discourses.”
- Some people think a Sotāpanna is incapable of breaking the five precepts based on an incorrect translation of the Gihi Sutta (AN 5.179). The relevant verse is: “..ariyasāvako pāṇātipātā paṭiviratō hoti, adinnādānā paṭiviratō hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭiviratō hoti, musāvādā paṭiviratō hoti, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭiviratō hōti“.
- However, “pativiratō hōti” does not mean “abstains from,” as translated at many online sites; it means “does not do with liking.” Thus, a Sotāpanna may — under some conditions — break the five precepts. It is only an Arahant that will not break the five precepts or engage in dasa akusala.
- The five precepts have deeper meanings, too: “The Five Precepts – What the Buddha Meant by Them.”
A Sotāpanna Is Incapable of Six Deeds
2. With the removal of micchā diṭṭhi, a Sotāpanna will be incapable of doing the following six deeds (per “Bahudhātuka Sutta (MN 115)“:
- Killing one’s mother.
- Killing one’s father.
- Killing an Arahant.
- Injuring a Buddha.
- Causing sangha bheda (spreading wrong Dhamma is included here).
- Taking refuge in anyone other than a Buddha (i.e., believing in other ways of “salvation”).
- Furthermore, a Sotāpanna will avoid an unimaginable amount of future suffering.
Future Suffering Removed by a Sotāpanna
3. Nakhasikha Sutta (SN 13.1) describes the vast amount of suffering removed by a Sotāpanna.
- One time, the Buddha picked up a little bit of dust with the tip of his fingernail and asked the bhikkhus, “What do you think, bhikkhus? Which is greater: the little bit of dust I have picked up with the tip of my fingernail, or the soil in this great Earth?”
- Of course, the bhikkhus answered that the amount of soil on this Earth is vastly more massive than the bit of dust on a fingernail.
- Then the Buddha told the bhikkhus that the amount of suffering that a Sotāpanna has removed could be compared to the soil on the whole Earth. The amount that he/she has left to stop can be compared to the bit of dust on his fingernail.
- Therefore, the amount of suffering a Sotāpanna has left in future rebirths is insignificant compared to that of an average human.
4. More analogies are given in a series of suttas starting with “Paṭhamasinerupabbatarāja Sutta (SN 56.49).” “The amount of suffering a Sotāpanna has to endure can be compared to seven grains of sand on top of Mount Sineru. The amount of suffering a normal human has left to endure can be compared to sand in the whole mountain”.
- That is logical since the suffering encountered in the niraya never ceases. One birth in the niraya (hell) would lead to much more suffering than thousands of births in the human or higher realms.
- A Sotāpanna will NEVER be reborn in the four lowest realms due to the complete removal of ONE dasa akusala, that of micchā diṭṭhi. Furthermore, he/she will have only seven future bhava left and those in the human realm or the realms above it.
Removal of Micchā Diṭṭhi Is Enough to Become a Sotāpanna
5. That may be why most people tend to think that attaining the Sotāpanna stage requires attaining jhānā, all sorts of abhiññā powers, etc. None of that is required to achieve the Sotāpanna stage.
- One may think that a Sotāpanna would have removed at least half of the ten evils (dasa akusala). It turns out that a Sōtapannaa completely removes only one of the dasa akusala, that of niyata micchā diṭṭhi. Of course, in achieving that, a Sotāpanna would have reduced the “apāyagāmi strength” of most of the other dasa akusala. That is the key to understanding. In particular, abhijja or lōbha reduced to rāga level and vyāpāda or dōsa reduced to paṭigha level; see, “Lobha, Dosa, Moha versus Raga, Patigha, Avijja.”
- For a discussion on dasa akusala, see “Ten Immoral Actions (Dasa Akusala).” As discussed in that post, Niyata Micchā Diṭṭhi (established wrong views) is an akusala done with the mind.
- A Sotāpanna is said to have achieved “dassanēna pahātabba” or removal of defilements via correct vision. He/she has removed an unimaginably vast amount of evils (“keles” or “kilēsa” or “klēsha“) with the removal of micchā diṭṭhi, or attaining the first stage of Sammā Diṭṭhi: the true nature of this world of 31 realms.
- How a Sotāpanna reduces dasa akusala via getting rid of micchā diṭṭhi “to overcome apāyagāmi citta” is discussed in “Akusala Citta – How a Sotāpanna Avoids Apayagami Citta.” Here is how it is described: five out of the 12 akusala citta do not arise after the Sotāpanna stage; those are the five that lead to birth in the apāyās.
6. That is a critical point to understand. The removal of micchā diṭṭhi leads to the cessation of highly immoral actions. Most people worry excessively about the defilements done with the body and speech. They are afraid of even accidentally killing an insect or telling a “white lie.” Of course, those must be avoided, too, because moral behavior (speech and actions) are a prerequisite for cleansing the mind.
- But having niyata micchā diṭṭhi is million-fold more weighty. These and other types of Niyata Miccā Diṭṭhi (established wrong views) are discussed in “Ten Immoral Actions (Dasa Akusala)” and “Maha Chattarisaka Sutta (Discourse on the Great Forty).”
- It would be beneficial to understand the weights of different types of kamma; see “How to Evaluate Weights of Different Kammas.“
- If one has a leaking vessel, there is no point in trying to plug the smaller holes first. One should seal the largest hole first, which in this case is getting rid of micchā diṭṭhi or false views (about this world).
- That may still not convince some. If so, see whether this conclusion contradicts anything in the Tipiṭaka. One should carefully examine all the “requirements” that must be fulfilled to attain the Sotāpanna stage. It should become clear that this is all one needs to do.
- And that comes only via learning Dhamma, the correct version, the version discovered by the Buddha and passed down through generations of Noble Persons or Ariyā. We discussed in detail in the post, “Four Conditions for Attaining Sotāpanna Magga/Phala.”
- Of course, one needs to have removed micchā diṭṭhi even to become a Sotāpanna Anugāmi: “Micca Diṭṭhi, Gandhabba, and Sotāpanna Stage.”
The Critical Role of Saññā
7. Saññā is one of the 52 cētasika and one component of pancupādānakkhandha. It is one of the seven universal cētasika that arise with every citta. Saññā works very closely with another universal cētasika called manasikāra. Manasikara is the cētasika that brings old memories and future hopes into a citta. When cētana “puts together the citta,” the citta recognizes the subject (saññā) and automatically produces vēdanā (feelings) about it. Thus, we can see the significant roles of those four cētasika right away.
- But saññā is not limited to “recognizing objects.” Saññā is the “inner understanding” of any concept.
- For example, when we hear “fire,” the mental image of a fire pops into the mind. Even a picture of a fire may flash in our minds. But a baby (or someone who does not understand English) does not have a “saññā” for that word; it means nothing to them. But the baby (or that person) can understand what “fire” means if we teach it to them.
- Growing up, we acquire innumerable “saññā” mostly through familiarity. We first recognize who “mother” and “father” are and know different colors and objects, etc.
8. Even though we acquire “saññā” for most objects and people, some strong saññā may be “passed down” from previous lives. That can take many forms.
- When visiting a place one has never been before in this life, some people may already “know” it in great detail. Children who remember past lives have reportedly led investigators to various locations in faraway cities where they had lived in previous lives. Many have said they can walk a city that they are visiting for the first time with complete confidence.
- Then there is the “ability” to play the piano, recite suttās, or just comprehend complex mathematics as a child, etc. Some of these cases are discussed in “Evidence for Rebirth.”
9. We “acquire” most saññā through our families first, then through friends, schools, workplaces, etc.
- Thus, most of our “world views” or diṭṭhis are acquired through our families. Our first impressions of moral issues, politics, and religions come from our families.
- Those saññās are hard to change, depending on how forcefully and frequently they have been used.
- However, the human mind is unique. When given sufficient evidence, one’s saññā about something or a concept can PERMANENTLY change. For example, when one learns how to do algebra (addition and subtraction, etc.) correctly, one will never forget that. And even if an authority figure (a teacher) insists that one plus two is four, even a child will not accept that. He/she can count fingers and show the teacher that the correct answer IS three.
10. As we grow up, we acquire saññā for more specialized tasks. One could “learn” to become a carpenter, a doctor, an engineer, and so on.
- This “learning” is acquiring “saññā” for a particular task. It is not just memorizing how to do things. When a physician finishes their training, they can “troubleshoot” a brand-new patient and figure out what is wrong. When an engineer builds a new structure, it could be something that has not been made before. One acquires “skills.”
- Once one learns a “skill,” one will never forget that; at least it is easy to “get back to it.” One who had learned to ride a bicycle as a child may never touch a bike for 30-40 years. But even at an old age, he can ride a bike with minimal effort.
The Negative Aspect of Saññā
11. The Buddha taught that anyone born into this world would have “built-in false saññā.” For us in ‘kāma loka,’ it is the ‘kāma saññā.’ Both our physical and mental bodies have “kāma saññā” built into them. See “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā).”
- Modern science has recently confirmed that. See “The Illusion of Perception (Saññā) – It Is Scientific Consensus.”
- However, there is no attachment yet in that instant of getting the “distorted saññā.” Arahants, who have understood the origin of that “distorted saññā,” are not fooled by it; their minds do not attach to it.
- On the other hand, the main reason a puthujjana engages in immoral activities is that “distorted kāma saññā.” If one or more of the ten saṁyojana remain intact, a mind could attach to that “kāma saññā” without conscious thinking.
- When all ten saṁyojana are removed at the Arahant stage, that cleansed mind will never again attach to a pleasant or unpleasant vedanā brought in by the ‘distorted saññā.’
- For details, see “Saññā – What It Really Means.”
Micchā Diṭṭhi Is Responsible for Apāyagāmi Deeds
12. Humans often hold the mistaken view that one can find happiness in this life by working hard to get more ‘sensual pleasures.’ That wrong view arises because of the built-in kāma saññā.
- It is difficult to remove micchā diṭṭhi until one can see how ‘false/distorted perceptions (saññā)’ built into us automatically trigger defiled thoughts with avijjā.
- One can remove the wrong diṭṭhi by recognizing the role of kāma saññā in the automatic triggering of avijjā in response to all sensory inputs. That helps one to become a Sotāpanna. See, “Unique Worldview of a Sotāpanna.”
- That understanding is permanent, and then from that moment, even through future lives, a Sotāpanna‘s mind automatically blocks “apāyagāmi citta.”
- The anicca saññā itself is subsequently removed at the Anāgāmi stage through the cultivation of Satipaṭṭhāna.
