Q46. What is it to enter the stream of Nibbāna?

~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~

Think back to the word ‘Nibbāna’ in the sense already discussed, that is, as the highest good attainable by humanity.* If, in any one lifetime, one doesn’t come to know the reality known as Nibbāna, or fails even to taste the flavor of Nibbāna, that life has been wasted.

‘Stream of Nibbāna’ refers to a course that has gained sufficient momentum to ensure flowing and tending only towards Nibbāna. It flows towards the quenching of suffering, with no backflow in the direction of suffering and the woeful realms. We call this course ‘the stream.’

One who has reached the stream is a sotāpanna, stream-enterer. Not yet realizing complete Nibbāna, stream- enterers attain diṭṭhadhamma-nibbāna,** or tadaṅga-nibbāna (coincidental Nibbāna), or whatever is appropriate in their cases. Having reached the real stream of Nibbāna, they will never again be deluded by the assāda and ādīnava (baits and hooks) of the world. The world never again will be able to deceive them. This doesn’t mean, for instance, that they give up all connections with the world, or even all consumption of sensuality. It means simply that their minds have begun to view these things as unworthy of grasping and clinging. It is practically certain that they will not grasp and cling, except in occasional slip-ups and moments of forgetfulness.

To be sotāpanna, they must give up three of the fetters (saṃyojana), namely belief in a permanent ego- entity (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), doubt (vicikicchā), and superstition (sīlabbata-parāmāsa). Giving up ego-belief gives up one kind of delusion, giving up doubt gives up another kind of delusion, and giving up superstition gives up a third kind of delusion. They haven’t yet given up sensual passion (kāma- rāga), the fourth fetter, nor have sakadāgāmī, once-returner (a higher level of nobility than sotāpanna), altogether given it up either. This means that though sensual passion isn’t yet fully abandoned, still they don’t fall into the pits of sensuality. Though they have contact with or consume sensuality, they do so mindfully, with clear awareness as noble ones. But don’t forget that they have given up ego-belief, doubt, and superstition. This is the criterion for having entered the stream of Nibbāna and being certain of realizing Nibbāna itself.

This is a matter of giving up foolishness and mis- understanding. One must give up misunderstanding before giving up sensual passion. Kāma-rāga isn’t as dangerous and terrifying of a problem or enemy as delusion. A Pāli text states that the most putrid thing of all is mind clinging to self, to ego. Rather than pointing to sensuality as the most foul-smelling thing, the Buddha pointed to the delusion of a separate and lasting self. We tend to overestimate and overvalue the extent of sotāpanna giving up involvement in sensuality. When this standard is thus misconceived, the whole picture becomes distorted and there’s no way things can be brought into agreement. So it is essential to know what reaching the first stage, the stream of Nibbāna, involves. Not sensual passion but foolishness and stupidity must be given up first.

Ego-belief (sakkāya-diṭṭhi, individuality-view) consists of self-centeredness. Self-centeredness, as it normally occurs every day, comes from failure to perceive suññatā (emptiness) even in a crude way. Mind is busy and not free; consequently there is ego-belief. To be sotāpanna means giving up ego-belief for good. In the normal course of events, belief in an individual ego arises and ceases, arises and ceases. Every day, ego-belief occurs many times, over and over. But there are also times when it isn’t present. We ought to study what it is like to have ego-belief and what it is like to be free of ego-belief. When there is self-centeredness, that is sakkāya-diṭṭhi.

Vicikicchā is doubt or hesitancy about what one wants and what is real. Should we believe the Buddha or not? Should we practice for the complete quenching of suffering on the supramundane level or not? Because of such doubts, we aren’t sufficiently interested in Dhamma. It is hard to be interested in Dhamma even for five minutes a day. Yet, we are interested in such things as fun and laughter, food and drink, study and learning, business and work, for hours and hours a day. If the time spent on fun and laughter were devoted instead to developing an interest in Dhamma, we would understand it quickly. University students have plenty of doubts about where and what to study, and the parents and elders of students have even more doubts. The most important kind of doubt is about whether or not it would be a good thing  to adopt the Buddha’s way of quenching suffering. Such indecision about the path constitutes a great problem and a great danger because it causes delay. Most people consider the prospect lacking in flavor, unpleasant, disagreeable, and devoid of attraction, because they are infatuated with the allurements of the world. Such doubts must be eradicated. Ending the suffering to which we are already subject requires determination to end suffering.

The third fetter is sīlabbata-parāmāsa, chronic superstition. Have a look at yourself and see what sort of superstitious habits are found in you. You have been taught to fear harmless little lizards and similar animals until it has become a habit, which is superstitious, primitive, and childlike. You have been brought up to believe in sacred trees, sacred mountains, sacred temples, sacred spirit houses: all this too is superstition. To sum up, sīlabbata-parāmāsa is superstition regarding our own actions. Things that should be used in a particular way are used in a different way – for instance, letting charitable deeds reinforce selfishness when they should be used to eliminate it – this is superstition. So there are charitable deeds which are superstition, and there is rigorous adherence to moral precepts, by both home- leavers and householders, that is superstition. Any chronically superstitious and false understanding is covered by the term sīlabbata-parāmāsa.

Please bear with me while I give just one more example of the third fetter: the four woeful realms that are depicted on the walls of temples: the hells, the realm of beasts, the realm of hungry ghosts (peta), and the realm of cowardly demons (asura). These are known as the four woeful realms. We are taught to believe that on dying we may descend into a woeful realm. We are never taught that we fall into woeful realms every day. Such woeful realms are more real and more important than those on temple walls. Don’t fall into them! If you don’t fall into these daily woeful realms, you will be sure not to fall into any after death. However, this is never taught, so people never understand the real essence and meaning of the words ‘four woeful realms.’ The Buddha wasn’t a materialist. The body wasn’t his primary reference. The hell where beings are boiled and fried in copper woks are materialist with a physical orientation. The Buddha took mind as his reference standard.

(*) See Q30.

(**) See Q28.

(From “Buddha-Dhamma for Inquiring Minds”)

- - ❖ - -

Buddha-Dhamma for Students (title of original translation) was composed of two talks given by Ajahn Buddhadāsa in January 1966 to students at Thammasat University, Bangkok. It was translated from the Thai by Rod Bucknell, and revised in 2018 by Santikaro Upasaka. To read/download as free ebook (pdf).

- - ❖ - -

For all English retreat talks, visit Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

For more information and free ebooks, visit Suan Mokkh – The Garden of Liberation.

Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives D-143