Sutta Interpretations > Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta > Relinquishing Defilement via Three Rounds and Four Stages

February 4, 2016; revised September 12, 2019

Tiparivattaya – Three Rounds of Bondage to This World

1. Here we will link the concepts like tiparivattaya in the sutta to other basic ideas that we have discussed in other sections throughout the site.

▪I want to emphasize that “relinquish” means “giving up voluntarily, through acquired wisdom.”

▪When one acquires wisdom, one realizes that defilement arise due to cravings for sense pleasures.

▪The real danger is when cravings for sense pleasures lead to bad kamma (such as killing) that makes one eligible for the apāyā.

2. The Buddha gained all 12 types of knowledge at once in attaining the Buddhahood. However, an average human being will go through the tiparivattaya (or the three rounds of bondage) via four stages of Nibbāna. We can compare this to building a new complex structure.

▪A Sotāpanna overcomes the first round by gaining the basic knowledge on the Four Noble Truths. Those are: what suffering is, the causes for suffering, stopping the causes from taking place, and the way to stop causes. It is seeing the plan to construct a building. All the details are in that blueprint.

▪Let us continue with the analogy of constructing a building. The Sakadāgāmī stage is starting to build the building. With the basic structure finished, one is at the Anāgāmī stage. That overcomes the second round.

▪When the building is all finished with the finer details, that is like attaining the Arahant stage. One has overcome the third round. There is nothing more to be done.

Sotāpanna Anugāmi

3. Even though the above analogy gives the basic idea, we need to examine it in more detail. It is the Sotāpanna Anugāmi (one who is striving to become a Sotāpanna) who does the bulk of the work. He/she needs to learn the necessary background on “how to design and build the building.”

▪He/she cannot do that without learning the critical fundamentals from a Noble Person who has gone through at least one of the three rounds (or one of the four stages).

▪Thus to become a Sotāpanna Anugāmi, one must learn the true nature of the world from an Ariya (at least a Sotāpanna). There are several posts on this issue. One can find by doing a keyword search or by looking through the posts under “Sotāpanna stage of Nibbāna.”

4. To become a Sotāpanna Anugāmi, one first needs to get rid of the ten types of micchā diṭṭhi; see, “Micchā Diṭṭhi, Gandhabba, and Sotāpanna Stage.”

▪First, the mind needs to grasp that it has to be devoid of the extreme levels of greed (lobha), hate (dosa). That leads to a gradual reduction of total ignorance (moha) via learning the right message of the Buddha, i.e., one needs to see the dangers in acting with lobha, dosa, moha.

▪One cannot grasp the dangers of the rebirth process if one does not believe that the four lowest realms with unimaginable suffering exist. Those who are striving to become Sotāpanna need to carefully read about what constitutes micchā diṭṭhi, for example, “Key to Sotāpanna Stage – Diṭṭhi and Vicikicca.”

5. A subtle (but stronger) level of micchā diṭṭhi remains until one starts comprehending Tilakkhaṇa (anicca, dukkha, anatta). That means one needs to begin understanding that it is not possible to achieve AND maintain ANYTHING to one’s satisfaction.

▪Just by having learned the true nature of this world (anicca, dukkha, anatta), a Sotāpanna Anugāmi gradually removes a bulk of defilement and attains the Sotāpanna stage. Now he/she can see the Path to the Arahanthood.

▪It is important to note that he/she did not have to remove any attachments BY FORCE. All he/she did was to comprehend Dhamma to the level to see not only the unfruitfulness but the dangers of the rebirth process. See, “Is It Necessary for a Buddhist to Eliminate Sensual Desires?.”

Sotāpanna stage – First Round of Bondage Overcome

6. When one attains the Sotāpanna stage, one significantly reduces lobha (extreme greed), dosa (intense hate), and moha (sheer ignorance). They cut to the levels of rāga (attachment to worldly pleasures), paṭigha (tendency to become irritated when one does not get one wants), and avijjā (not fully knowing the true nature of the world). These terms discussed in “Lobha, Dosa, Moha versus Raga, Paṭigha, Avijjā.”

▪By going through this first round of the tiparivattaya, a Sotāpanna removes the bulk of defilement. See, “Why a Sotāpanna is Better off than any King, Emperor, or a Billionaire.” That illustrates how one is capable of doing immoral acts that makes one to be eligible for the apāyā, just because one has micchā diṭṭhi.

▪It is essential to realize that there are many people with micchā diṭṭhi who go through their lives without doing any such horrible acts. However, the possibility to do such an act remains with one through future lives until one attains the Sotāpanna stage. That is what is meant by anusaya, the hidden defilement. They can be removed only via learning and comprehending Dhamma.

7. What is the reason that a Sotāpanna WILL NOT do any highly immoral act that makes him/her eligible to be born in the apāyā? It is not something he/she does consciously. Such decisions come automatically. That is the result of comprehending anicca (unfruitful) nature of this world.

It sinks into one’s mind that no matter what one can gain by doing such an act, it is going to far more dire consequences in the future. Not only that, but “what is the point of harming another being for anything in this world that one will have to eventually give up anyway?”.

▪It sinks to one’s mind that no matter what one can gain by doing such immoral actions, it will lead to far more dire consequences in the future. Not only that but “what is the point of harming another being for anything in this world?.” One will have to give up that eventually, when one dies!

▪For example, one may kill someone and get a million dollars without getting caught, and may live a luxurious life. But he/she will pay for it by being born in the apāyā for millions of years to come.

▪When one comprehends the anicca nature, one realizes deep down the foolishness (and the dangers) of such acts. Anusaya (craving) for such action will be removed when one attains the Sotāpanna stage. One would have shed such “gati” or character without a trace left. Again, there are many posts on these concepts.

The Second Round of the tiparivattaya

8. The second round of the tiparivattaya is tackled in by a Sotāpanna in two steps. First, to become a Sakadāgāmī and then to become an Anāgāmī. An Anāgāmī has gone through the second round.

▪Remember that a Sotāpanna has reduced lobha, dosa, moha to the levels of rāga, paṭigha, and avijjā; see #4 above. Rāga means the attachments for things in this world, which are three basic types: (i) Kāma rāga means attachment to sense pleasures, i.e., those available in kāma loka. (ii) Rūpa rāga means attachment to jhānic pleasures in rūpa loka, and (iii) Arūpa rāga means attachment to jhānic pleasures in arūpa loka.

▪Kāma rāga is actually of two “strengths”: “klesha kāma” [klesha is in Sinhala (kilesā is in Pāli)] means attachment to sense pleasures, and “vatthu kāma” (“vatthu” means “property”) is stronger because one also wants to own such sense objects.

▪When a Sotāpanna sees the perils of sense pleasures and the tendency to angry (paṭigha), both kāma rāga and paṭigha are first reduced to the levels of a Sakadāgāmī. Here, one actually loses the “vatthu kāma” completely. Thus, a Sakadāgāmī is said to be “healthy forever” because he will never be born with a body that is subject to diseases. That means he will never be born at or below the human realm.

▪As one sees the perils of kāma assāda (sensory pleasures) starting at the Sotāpanna stage, one begins to see the world more clearly; see, “Assāda, Ādīnava, Nissarana – Introduction.”

9. A Sakadāgāmī makes more progress via contemplating the drawbacks or perils (ādīnava) of sense pleasures and overcomes the second round of bondage to become an Anāgāmī. Thus at this stage one eliminates the “klesha kāma” [klesha is in Sinhala (kilesā is in Pāli)] component of the kāma rāga, AND remainder of paṭigha.

▪Thus an Anāgāmī has given up all attachments to the kāma loka (those including the human and deva realms), and hence will not be born anywhere in kāma loka.

The Third Round

10. Now we can see that an Anāgāmī has only the rūpa rāga and arūpa rāga remaining with him/her (which are low levels of greed). Furthermore, there is no trace of hate (dosa) or friction (paṭigha) left. Thus only rebirths in the brahma realms are possible for an Anāgāmī. Of course, there is still some of avijjā left-over too.

▪When an Anāgāmī overcomes those remaining defilement from his/her mind, the mind becomes purified. Then one attains the Arahant stage of Nibbāna by overcoming the third round of the tiparivattaya.

11. We are bound to the perpetual cycle of rebirths via ten fetters called “sanyojana = “san+yojana”; see, “What is “Saŋ”? Meaning of Sansāra (or Saṁsāra)”; yojana means bond. Sanyojana is sometimes called saṁyojana.

▪Those ten sanyojana (or saṁyojana) are also gradually removed as one goes through the three rounds or tiparivattaya in four stages.

▪At the Sotāpanna stage, one removes the two sanyojana of sakkāya diṭṭhi and silabbata paramasa by removing micchā diṭṭhi. One also removes the vicikicchā sanyojana that is associated with moha, and thus reduces moha to avijjā.

12. At the Sakadāgāmī stage, one reduces the two sanyojana of kāma rāga and paṭigha. Those two entirely removed by attaining the Anāgāmī stage.

▪In terms of sanyojana, an Anāgāmī has five left to remove: rūpa rāga, arūpa rāga, māna, uddhacca, and avijjā. With the removal of those, one attains the Arahanthood.

Summary

13. Thus we can see that there are many types of analyses one can do. They all mean the same thing at the end. One needs to first comprehend the three characteristics of this world (anicca, dukkha, anatta) to some extent to reach the Sotāpanna stage. That is the first round of tiparivattaya. Then going through the second and third rounds of bondage via the next three stages of Nibbāna leads to the complete comprehension of anicca, dukkha, anatta. That leads to stopping the sansāric (or samsāric) journey filled with so much suffering.

14. Therefore, the whole journey is a truth-seeking mission about this world of 31 realms. That suffering can be intense in some realms. But one’s comprehension of suffering is minimal at the beginning. The more one understands the true nature; one’s mind AUTOMATICALLY gives up attachments to this world VOLUNTARILY.

▪This is why majjhimā paṭipadā is not just “middle path” as discussed in a previous post in this series: “Majjhimā Paṭipadā – Way to Relinquish Attachments to this World.”

15. Thus, the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta (or Dhamma Cakka Pavattana sutta) gives the blueprint of what Buddha Dhamma is all about. What the Buddha did in the following 45 years was to describe this blueprint in detail in various ways.

▪More details on the material in this post at “Tiparivattaya and Twelve Types of Ñāṇa (Knowledge).”

▪One could scan through all the posts at: Pure Dhamma – Sitemap