Tables and Summaries > Conditions for the Four Stages of Nibbāna

Revised August 3, 2016; Revised November 19, 2018; August 21, 2022

1. The following Table shows the conditions to be fulfilled (i.e., factors to be eliminated) to attain each stage of Nibbāna.

▪Each stage of Nibbāna can be characterized in various ways: The removal of ten akusala cittā, fourteen types of asobhana cetasika associated with cittā, ten saṁyojana, seven types of anusaya, four types of āsava, three types of taṇhā, etc.

▪See #4 below for links to posts explaining those terms.

2. For example, to attain the Sotāpanna stage, three of the ten saṁyojana (or the ten fetters) are removed, akusala cittā #1, 2, 5, 6, and 11 are removed (see #4 below for a list of the 12 types of akusala cittā.) Also, the apāyagāmī strength in the other cittā is removed at the Sotāpanna stage. Cittā #9 and 10 weaken at lower stages and are removed at the Anāgāmi stage. The remaining cittā (#3, 4, 7, 8 and 12) weaken with each stage of magga phala and are removed at the Arahant stage. There is a nice chart on p. 112 of Bhikkhu Bodhi’s book “Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma.”

Ariya Stage	Saṁyojana	Akusala Citta	Anusaya	Āsava (Asaya)	Kilesa (Asobhana Cetasika)	Taṇhā	Rāga
Sotāpanna	sakkāya diṭṭhi1, vicikicchā2, sīlabbata parāmāsa3	1, 2, 5, 6, 11 Also removes apāyagāmi strength in the rest	diṭṭhi, vicikicchā	diṭṭhāsava	Removed: diṭṭhi6, vicikicchā14, [thina12, middha13] Reduced: Rest of the cetasika. [lobha5, dosa8, moha1 to rāga5, paṭigha8, avijjā1]	vibhava taṇhā	All three rāga reduced
Sakadāgāmī	kāma rāga4 (reduced) paṭigha4 (reduced)	weakens 9, 10 also weakens kāma rāga in 3, 4, 7, 8	kāma rāga (reduced) paṭigha (reduced)	kāmāsava (reduced)	Especially reduced: kāma rāga5 and paṭigha8	Reduced: kāma taṇhā	All three rāga further reduced
Anāgāmī	kāma rāga4, paṭigha5	9, 10 also removes kāma rāga in 3, 4, 7, 8	kāma rāga, paṭigha	kāmāsava	Removed: kāma rāga5 and paṭigha8 Regarding cetasika: dosa8, issa9, macchariya10, kukkucca11 removed.	Removed: kāma taṇhā	kāma rāga
Arahant	rūpa rāga6, arūpa rāga7, māna8, uddhacca9, avijjā10	3, 4, 7, 8, 12 (see below for a list of akusala citta)	bhava rāga, māna, avijjā	bhavāsava, avijjāsava	Removed: rest of the asobhana cetasika [avijjā1, ahirika2, anatoppa3, uddhacca4, māna7]	bhava taṇhā	rūpa rāga, arūpa rāga

[Saṁyojana: Five Lower Bonds (pañca orambhāgiya saṁyojanā) 1. sakkāya diṭṭhi, 2. vicikicchā, 3. sīlabbata parāmāsa, 4. kāma rāga, 5. paṭigha, Five Upper Bonds (pañca uddhambhāgiya saṁyojanā) 6. rūpa rāga, 7. arūpa rāga, 8. māna, 9. uddhacca, 10. avijjā.]

Asobhana cetasika: 1. moha → avijjā , 2. ahirika, 3. anottappa, 4. uddhacca, 5. lobha → rāga, 6. diṭṭhi, 7. māna, 8. dosa → paṭigha, 9. issa, 10. macchariya, 11. kukkucca, 12. thina, 13. middha, 14. vicikicchā. Notes: → means “reduced to” after Sotāpanna stage.]

3. The ability to commit akusala kamma also is removed in stages as one progresses and is completely removed only at the Arahant stage. It is important to note that a Sotāpanna completely removes only one akusala kamma, that of having wrong views (micchā diṭṭhi): “What is the only Akusala Removed by a Sotāpanna?.” But this leads to removing many kilesa (mental impurities); see the Table.

4. Āsava and anusaya are discussed in the post, “Āsava, Anusaya, and Gati (Gathi).” Kilesa is discussed in “Diṭṭhi (Wrong Views), Sammā Diṭṭhi (Good/Correct Views).” For a discussion on Dasa Saṁyojana, see “Dasa Saṁyojana – Bonds in Rebirth Process.” The fourteen types of asobhana cetasika are discussed in “Cetasika (Mental Factors).”

▪See “Kāma Taṇhā, Bhava Taṇhā, Vibhava Taṇhā” for the three types of taṇhā. Another way is to categorize into three types of rāga, i.e., kāma rāga, rūpa rāga, and arūpa rāga; see “Lobha, Dosa, Moha versus Rāga, Paṭigha, Avijjā.”

5. The 12 types of akusala citta are listed in, “Akusala Citta and Akusala Vipāka Citta.” But I thought it would be more explanatory to list them. The numbers below correspond to the numbers in the Table.

Lobha (Greedy) Citta (Also has the moha root)

1. Citta connected with a wrong view, accompanied by pleasure, and done with habit.

2. Citta connected with a wrong view, accompanied by pleasure, and done reluctantly.

3. Citta NOT connected with a wrong view, accompanied by pleasure, and done with habit.

4. Citta NOT connected with a wrong view, accompanied by pleasure, and done reluctantly.

5. Citta connected with a wrong view, accompanied by a neutral mind, and done with habit.

6. Citta connected with a wrong view, accompanied by a neutral mind, and done reluctantly.

7. Citta NOT connected with a wrong view, accompanied by a neutral mind, and done with habit.

8. Citta NOT connected with a wrong view, accompanied by a neutral mind, and done reluctantly.

Dosa (Hateful) Citta (Also has the moha root)

9. Citta associated with hate, accompanied by displeasure, done with habit.

10. Citta associated with hate, accompanied by displeasure, done reluctantly.

Moha Citta (only with the moha root)

11. Citta accompanied by a neutral mind, associated with vicikicchā (not aware of bad consequences)

12. Citta accompanied by a neutral mind, associated with uddhacca (unfocused).

Notes:

1. Even though recent Abhidhamma literature categorize lobha and dosa citta as asaṅkhārika (unprompted) and sasaṅkhārika (prompted), in original Abhidhamma, they were not categorized as such.

2. For example, the two dosa-mūla cittā are:

i.Domanassa sahagata paṭigha-sampayutta citta.

ii.Domanassa sahagata sasaṅkhārika paṭigha-sampayutta citta.

▪The first citta arises due to sansāric habits and thus is more potent. For example, someone who tends to easily get angry, normally generates such potent citta.

▪On the other hand, another person without such a habit, may not generate such a citta unless “forced hard”; it is done with reluctance, “when pushed to the limit”, or if the perceived “sense pleasures” are enticing. Then he/she is actually “incorporating new “saŋ” or initiating a new habit; thus, the name “sasaṅkhārika.”