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March 4, 2019; revised #9 on March 6, 2019; October 5, 2019 (#11)major revision August 29, 2022
Introduction
1. Many suttā describe various characteristics of Aṭṭha Purisa Puggalā or Ariyā (eight Noble Persons: Sotāpanna Anugāmi through Arahant). See “Sotāpanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyā.” We will discuss some key features in this post, especially regarding the maximum time taken to attain Arahanthood.
▪There are likely several ways Noble Persons are defined in the Tipiṭaka. Here we will start by considering a categorization based on the state of development of pañca indriya in a set of suttā in Saṁyutta Nikāya 48.
▪The “WebLink: suttacentral: Suddhika Sutta (SN 48.1)” states what the pañca indriya are: Saddhā indriya, vīriyiya indriya, sati indriya, samādhi indriya, paññā indriya.
2. The “WebLink: suttacentral: Paṭhama Vibhaṅga Sutta (SN 48.9)” explains what those five indriya are. I will just provide a short translation to get the idea.
▪Saddhā indriya is optimized when one truly realizes the truth of the virtues of the Buddha (itipi so bhagava…”: “That Blessed One is an Arahant, perfectly enlightened, accomplished in true knowledge and conduct, perfectly purified, knower of the wider world (of 31 realms), unsurpassed in virtue, teacher of devas, Brahmā, and humans, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.” This is about the Buddha as a person AND even more importantly, the comprehension of the concept of Buddha as “bhava uddha”; see, “Supreme Qualities of Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha.” [Buddha = bhava + uddha: one who figured out how to stop existences (bhava) from arising. uddha is rooting out]
▪Viriya indriya represents one’s effort in cultivating kusala and discarding akusala.
▪Sati indriya represents one’s ability to be mindful of one’s thoughts, speech, and actions.
▪Samādhi indriya indicates one’s ability to focus on Nibbāna and to get to samādhi.
▪Paññā indriya represents one’s comprehension of the Four Noble Truths about saṁsāric suffering.
Categorization Based on Pañca Indriya
3. WebLink: suttacentral: Dutiyasaṅkhitta Sutta (SN 48.13) states, “Imesaṁ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṁ indriyānaṁ samattā paripūrattā arahaṁ hoti, tato mudutarehi anāgāmī hoti, tato mudutarehi sakadāgāmī hoti, tato mudutarehi sotāpanno hoti, tato mudutarehi dhammānusārī hoti, tato mudutarehi saddhānusārī hoti. Iti kho, bhikkhave, indriyavemattatā phalavemattatā hoti, phalavemattatā puggalavemattatā”ti.
▪Translated: “Bhikkhus, one who has fulfilled pañca indriya is an Arahant; one who has developed them to lesser levels are Anāgāmī, Sakadāgāmi, Sotāpanna, Dhammānusāri, and Sadhhānusāri. Bhikkhus, that is how different levels of indriya development determine the level of progress.”
▪As we know, Dhammānusāri and Saddhānusāri are Sotāpanna Anugāmis.
Two Kinds of Sotāpanna Anugāmi
4. There are 10 suttā in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Okkantika Saṁyutta (SN 25)” that focus only on the two kinds of Sotāpanna Anugāmis: Dhammānusāri and Saddhānusāri. These are important because they emphasize the need to comprehend the anicca nature of the five aggregates (pañcakkhandha).
“WebLink: suttacentral: Cakkhu Sutta (SN 25.1)” states: “Cakkhuṁ, bhikkhave, aniccaṁ vipariṇāmi aññathābhāvi; sotaṁ aniccaṁ vipariṇāmi aññathābhāvi; sota..ghānaṁ.. jivhā .. kāyo .. mano anicco vipariṇāmī aññathābhāvī. Yo, bhikkhave, ime dhamme evaṁ saddahati adhimuccati—ayaṁ vuccati saddhānusārī, okkanto sammattaniyāmaṁ, sappurisabhūmiṁ okkanto, vītivatto puthujjanabhūmiṁ; abhabbo taṁ kammaṁ kātuṁ, yaṁ kammaṁ katvā nirayaṁ vā tiracchānayoniṁ vā pettivisayaṁ vā upapajjeyya; abhabbo ca tāva kālaṁ kātuṁ yāva na sotāpattiphalaṁ sacchikaroti.”
▪Translated: “Bhikkhus, the eye is of anicca nature, bound to be destroyed, and is subject to unexpected change during its existence.” The ear… nose… tongue… body… mind… Bhikkhus, one who has conviction and belief that these phenomena are this way is called a faith-follower (Saddhānusāri): one who has entered the Noble Path (sammattaniyāma), has entered the plane of integrity (sappurisabhūmi), has transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill (puthujjanabhūmi). He cannot do any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away (from this Ariya birth) until he has realized Sotāpatti phala.
▪Then the same verse is repeated for the Dhammānusāri with the following replacement for the part marked in red above for the Saddhānusāri: “one who, after pondering with insight, has accepted that these phenomena are this way is called a Dhamma-follower (Dhammānusāri).
Maximum of Seven More Bhava For a Sotāpanna and Seven More Ariya bhava For a Sotāpanna Anugāmi
5. It is important to realize from #4 above that a Sotāpanna Anugāmi will never “die” from the Ariya birth, and that no time limit is given. Only upon getting to the Sotāpanna stage will one have a limited number of births; see below.
▪However, a Sotāpanna Anugāmi will have only 7 more Ariya bhava left (Sotāpanna, Sakadāgāmi Anugāmi, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmī Anugāmi, Anāgāmī, Arahant Anugāmi, and Arahant).
▪Thus, it appears that is what is stated in the Ratana Sutta as, “Na te bhavaṁ aṭṭhamamādiyanti” (7 types of Ariya Bhava left) for eight types of Noble Persons (Ariyā).
6. The other nine suttā in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Okkantika Saṁyutta (SN 25)” go through the same descriptions for Dhammānusāri and Saddhānusāri in terms of the six types each of rūpa, viññāṇa, samphassa, samphassajā vedanā, rūpasaññā, rūpasañcetanā, rūpataṇhā, dhātu, and the five types of khandha (i.e., pañcakkhandha).
Time Limits for other Noble Persons to Attain Arahanthood
7. The time limits for the other Noble Persons are given in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Saupādisesa Sutta (AN 9.12).”
▪There are five kinds of Anāgāmis (see #10 below), and they all have overcome the first five saṁyojana of sakkāya diṭṭhi, vicikicchā, and sīlabbata parāmāsa, kāma rāga, paṭigha.
▪Some of them will be born in a Brahma realm reserved for the Anāgāmis, will remove the remaining saṁyojana of rūpa rāga, arūpa rāga, māna, uddhacca, avijjā, and attain Parinibbāna there.
▪Others would have already removed two more saṁyojana of rūpa rāga and arūpa rāga, and thus will not be born in any realm, and thus will remain in the gandhabba state until the kammic energy runs out. This is called antarāparinibbāna (“Parinibbāna in between realms”). This was discussed at the forum: “WebLink: Pure Dhamma Forum: Antara Parinibbāna.”
8. Then there is the Noble Person with the Sakādāgāmī phala (including those Anāgāmi Anugāmis). “WebLink: suttacentral: Saupādisesa Sutta (AN 9.12)” states that, “So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā rāgadosamohānaṁ tanuttā sakadāgāmī hoti, sakideva imaṁ lokaṁ āgantvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.“
▪Translated: “With the ending of three fetters (saṁyojanā), and the weakening of greed, hate, and delusion, a Sakādāgāmī will come back to this world only once to deva realms.”
Three Types of Sotāpanna
9. Then there are three types of Sotāpanna:
“So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā ekabījī hoti, ekaṁyeva mānusakaṁ bhavaṁ nibbattetvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.”
“So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā kolaṅkolo hoti, dve vā tīṇi vā kulāni sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.”
AND “So tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sattakkhattuparamo hoti, sattakkhattuparamaṁ deve ca manusse ca sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti.”
Translated:
“With the ending of three saṁyojanā, an ekabījī will be reborn just one time in human existence (bhava), then make an end of suffering.”
“With the ending of three saṁyojanā, a kolaṅkolo will be two or three bhava then make an end of suffering.”
“With the ending of three saṁyojanā, a sattakkhattuparamo has most seven bhava among devas and humans and then make an end of suffering.”
▪The fact that they are all Sotāpannas becomes clear in #10 below.
▪It is also important to note that there is no mention in this sutta of the Sotāpanna Anugāmis. This sutta is about those who have “seen” Nibbāna. A Sotāpanna Anugāmi — in the language of Abhidhamma — has only transcended the “anāriya” level and made it to the “gotrabu” stage. In the future, they will attain the Sotāpanna stage when they get to the magga and phala citta. See the end of the post, “Citta Vīthi – Processing of Sense Inputs,” where magga phala citta vīthi is discussed.
Summary in Puggalapaññatti
10. The above descriptions are confirmed by “WebLink: suttacentral: Ekakapuggalapaññatti” in Abhidhamma, where 54 types of persons are listed. We will mention just those categories that are of interest here.
▪Katamo ca puggalo sammāsambuddho? Idhekacco puggalo pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu sāmaṁ saccāni abhisambujjhati; tattha ca sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇāti, balesu ca vasībhāvaṁ—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “sammāsambuddho.”
▪Katamo ca puggalo paccekasambuddho? Idhekacco puggalo pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu sāmaṁ saccāni abhisambujjhati; na ca tattha sabbaññutaṁ pāpuṇāti, na ca balesu vasībhāvaṁ—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “paccekasambuddho.”
The rest belong to two categories: “Aṭṭha ariyapuggalā ariyā. Avasesā puggalā anariyā.”
Here are the 8 Noble Persons or ariyā (aṭṭha ariyapuggalā):
Tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ pahānāya paṭipanno puggalo sotāpattiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanno (Sotāpanna Anugāmi). Yassa puggalassa tīṇi saṁyojanāni pahīnāni—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “sotāpanno.”
Kāmarāgabyāpādānaṁ tanubhāvāya paṭipanno puggalo sakadāgāmiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanno. Yassa puggalassa kāmarāgabyāpādā tanubhūtā—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “sakadāgāmī.”
Kāmarāgabyāpādānaṁ anavasesappahānāya paṭipanno puggalo anāgāmiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanno. Yassa puggalassa kāmarāgabyāpādā anavasesā pahīnā—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “anāgāmī.”
Rūparāgaarūparāgamānauddhaccaavijjāya anavasesappahānāya paṭipanno puggalo arahattaphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipanno. Yassa puggalassa rūparāgo arūparāgo māno uddhaccaṁ avijjā anavasesā pahīnā—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “arahā.”
Sotāpanna Anugāmis fall into 2 categories:
Yassa puggalassa sotāpattiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipannassa paññindriyaṁ adhimattaṁ hoti, paññāvāhiṁ paññāpubbaṅgamaṁ ariyamaggaṁ bhāveti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “dhammānusārī.”
Yassa puggalassa sotāpattiphalasacchikiriyāya paṭipannassa saddhindriyaṁ adhimattaṁ hoti, saddhāvāhiṁ saddhāpubbaṅgamaṁ ariyamaggaṁ bhāveti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “saddhānusārī.”
•Note that there is no time limit given for a dhammānusārī and a saddhānusārī.
Sotāpannas fall into 3 categories:
Idhekacco puggalo tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno hoti avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano. So sattakkhattuṁ deve ca mānuse ca sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti— ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “sattakkhattuparamo.”
Idhekacco puggalo tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno hoti avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano. So dve vā tīṇi vā kulāni sandhāvitvā saṁsaritvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “kolaṁkolo.”
Idhekacco puggalo tiṇṇaṁ saṁyojanānaṁ parikkhayā sotāpanno hoti avinipātadhammo niyato sambodhiparāyano. So ekaṁyeva mānusakaṁ bhavaṁ nibbattetvā dukkhassantaṁ karoti—ayaṁ vuccati puggalo “ekabījī.”
▪Here, a sattakkhattuparamo seems to have seven “births” (jāti) or “bhava” among the humans and devas. It is not clear whether it is seven jāti or bhava.
▪A kolaṁkolo seems to have two or three births (kula means born into a certain caste or clan); but it is possible that it could mean two or three bhava.
▪An ekabījī has one bhava as a human.
Anāgāmis fall into five categories and they have essentially one existence after death as a human, either born in a Brahma realm or the gandhabba state; see #7 above (I will just state the categories):
antarāparinibbāyī, upahaccaparinibbāyī, asaṅkhāraparinibbāyī, sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī, uddhaṁsoto akaniṭṭhagāmī.
Arahants fall into two categories they, of course, are not reborn (I will just state the categories):
ubhatobhāgavimutto, paññāvimutto.
Sotāpanna Anugāmi – At Least a Trace of Understanding of Tilakkhaṇa
11. “WebLink: suttacentral: Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22)” also provides similar information and provides another description of Sotāpanna Anugāmis. At the end of the sutta, it describes the types of Noble Persons as above, and at the very end states, “Evaṁ svākkhāte, bhikkhave, mayā dhamme uttāne vivaṭe pakāsite chinnapilotike yesaṁ mayi saddhāmattaṁ pemamattaṁ sabbe te saggaparāyanā”ti.”
▪Translated: “those who have even a trace of faith and liking for me (saddhāmattaṁ pemamattaṁ; mattaṁ means a “trace”), are all headed for deva realms (saggaparāyanā).”
▪When one has removed the ten types of micchā diṭṭhi, and starts comprehending Tilakkhaṇa, one becomes a Sotāpanna Anugāmi. They are also released from the apāyā. See, “Sotāpanna Anugāmi – No More Births in the Apāyā.”
Arahanthood – Not Annihilation But End of Suffering
12. There is also this important verse towards the end of the “WebLink: suttacentral: Alagaddūpama Sutta (MN 22)”: “Yathā cāhaṁ na, bhikkhave, yathā cāhaṁ na vadāmi, tathā maṁ te bhonto samaṇabrāhmaṇā asatā tucchā musā abhūtena abbhācikkhanti: ‘venayiko samaṇo gotamo, sato sattassa ucchedaṁ vināsaṁ vibhavaṁ paññāpetī’ti. Pubbe cāhaṁ, bhikkhave, etarahi ca dukkhañceva paññāpemi, dukkhassa ca nirodhaṁ.”
▪Translated: “..Bhikkhus, I have been baselessly, vainly, falsely, and wrongly misrepresented by some recluses and brahmins thus: ‘The recluse Gotama leads people astray; he teaches the annihilation, the destruction, the extermination of an existing being.’ ..Bhikkhus, both formerly and now what I teach is suffering and the cessation of suffering.”
▪Many people today have this wrong perception. It could arise until one gets at least to the Sotāpanna Anugāmi stage and starts removing Sakkāya Diṭṭhi. It is the belief that there is an “existing person” that can enjoy things the world has to offer. They do not realize that there is much more suffering in this world. Even though there are short-lived pleasures, there is unimaginable suffering especially in the rebirth process.
▪It is only at the Arahant stage that the perception of a “me” (asmi māna) goes away; see, “Sakkāya Diṭṭhi is Personality (Me) View?.”
13. Different types of persons are listed in the “WebLink:suttacentral: Ekakapuggalapaññatti” of the “WebLink:suttacentral: Puggalapaññatti” in Abhidhamma.