Dear Yong Peng,
op 28-01-2005 11:50 schreef Ong Yong Peng op ypong001@...:

Nina, I have an additional question. What does the Tipitaka say about the
realisation of a sotapanna?

N: Samyutta Nikaya, Mahaavagga, Book XI , Sotaapatti Samyutta. Many suttas
about this subject. For example the first one: Raajah, about four dhammas
the sotaapanna is endowed with: unshakable confidence in the Buddha, the
Dhamma, the Sangha and as the fourth:'He is possessed of the virtues loved
by the ariyans, virtues unbroken... which lead to concentration of the
mind.'
The sotaapanna is described as having the dustless eye of Dhamma, or
dwelling with generosity. He has no stinginess at all.
Although he has not eradicated all defilements, he has eradicated wrong
view, stinginess, jealousy. He has no conditions to transgress the five
precepts and cannot commit kamma that produces an unhappy rebirth. Thus,
sense desire and aversion are not as gross as in the case of the non-ariyan.
He will have at most seven more rebirths.

Y.P.: How and when does a person know he has become a sotapanna?

N: He must develop the right cause leading to this stage of enlightenment.
This is a long learning process. He must develop all stages of insight. He
should have friendship with the wise, listen to the Dhamma and consider it
wisely. Then intellectual understanding of mental phenomena, naama, and
material phenomena, ruupa, can grow, and this is pariyatti. Just as the
Buddha explained to Raahula that he should realize the truth of the five
khandhas, ruupakkhandha and the four naamakkhandhas.
Intellectual understanding, pariyatti, is the foundation of patipatti, the
practice, vipassanaa, which is awareness and direct understanding of naama
and ruupa. Rahula had to be mindful of visible object, seeing, sound,
hearing, of all objects appearing through the six doors, one at a time. Thus
he could realize that they were truly impermanent and non-self.
Patipatti will lead to the realization of the truth, pativedha, and this
occurs at the moment of enlightenment.
The sotaapanna has not eradicated desire, aversion and ignorance but he
truly understands that dhammas arise because of their appropriate conditions
and are non-self. When desire or anger arises he can face them with
understanding, he knows that they are mere impersonal elements. No matter
whether he is praised or blamed, he knows that his life is only conditioned
namas and rupas. He knows that daily life is the test for one's
understanding.
When a person develops the right conditions to become a sotaapanna, he goes
through all the stages of vipassanaa, beginning with precise understanding
of the difference between the characteristic of naama and of ruupa, he
penetrates more and more the true nature of conditioned dhammas, and he
gradually sees the disadvantages of them. When he attains enlightenment he
experiences nibbaana, the unconditioned element (asa"nkhataa dhaatu) for the
first time. He has no doubt about that. At that moment there is lokuttara
paññaa.
However, people may delude themselves and believe that they have reached
stages of insight or even attained enlightenment. Even in between the stages
of insight there are the upakilesa of vipassana: one clings to the calm or
assurance due to vipassana and one does not continue to develop
understanding. It is most important to realize when there is clinging to the
goal. If one realizes that whatever arises is due to conditions it can help
one to continue with the right Path. It does not matter what arises, calm or
clinging, they are only conditioned dhammas. This leads to detachment.
When many akusala cittas arise in a day, there is no need to become
disheartened, they are all conditioned dhammas and can be understood as
such.
Nina.