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According to the tenets of Buddhism there are four
main
stages or four main paths in the spiritual progress of
a monk, who has chosen the Buddha as his master and decided to follow
the Eightfold path suggested by him. Having taken refuge in the Buddha, the
Sangha and the Dhamma, a Buddhist initiate has to graduate himself from one path to
another before he attains Nirvana or the final liberation.
This happens when the monk achieves inner inner purification,
by overcoming the ten great evils, which are: delusion
of soul, doubt about the Buddha or his teachings, adherence to rituals,
sensual desires, aversion, desire for material things, desire for spiritual
things, pride, self-righteousness, and ignorance.
The success in each stage or on each each path depends upon the initiates
previous lives and actions. A person may achieve success on all the paths in one life
time or spend several life times even to cross one path. A monk who has
already followed the footsteps of the Buddha in his previous lives and
accumulated good merit has a better chance of completing the final path than the one who has
never been a follower of the Buddha in his or her previous lives.
The Four Paths or four stages are easily recognizable as
they have their own distinct characteristics that distinguish them from one
another. We will now describe these four paths in some detail.
The First Path
The First path begins when a person because of his or
previous good deeds, good thoughts, practice of virtues, discipline, and some
latent familiarity with the dharma, has come to know about
the teachings of the Buddha and decided to pursue the eightfold path
suggested by him.
At this this stage the aspirant succeeds in recognizing
the Four Noble Truths and the eightfold path, through contemplation and quieting
of the mind, having taken refuge in
the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. During this stage many doubts and fears the initiate
had before start weakening or disappearing and the resolve to continue
on the path become stronger. The first path leads to freedom from delusion,
from doubt regarding the life and teachings of the Buddha and from belief in
the efficacy of the rituals and ceremonies.
The Second Path
In the Second stage the
monk is already freed from doubt and delusions of self and from the practice
of rites and rituals, having established strong control on the movements of
raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion) and moha (passion) in his consciousness.
The monk's knowledge and commitment to the four noble truths and the
eightfold path are firm and unquestionable. He or she is now eligible for the
next stage having made necessary effort and attained the required virtues and
perfections. The monk is now left to take only one more birth, if at all
required due to physical limitations, to complete the remaining stages and attain final liberation.
The Third Path
In the Third stage the monk has cut asunder the chain of
births and deaths. He has exhausted all his karma and will never
return to the earth again unless he has consciously decided to help the
humanity as a bodhisattva. The time for his Nirvana has arrived and it can
happen any time. In this stage whatever remnants of attachment and aversion
that remained with him so far would also disappear gradually.
The Fourth Path
The Fourth Path or stage is the state of an Arhat. It is the
highest state to which a human being can aspire. An Arhat is an adept, who
has been completely freed from all attachment, and desire for rebirth, both
in the worlds of form (rupa lokas ) and formless worlds (arupa lokas). No
trace of pride, self-righteousness and ignorance exist in his consciousness.
The only feeling that is left in him is a constant and boundless wave of good
will for all the beings. He remains in this state of mind when asleep or
awake, when sitting or standing, walking or lying down. He has become holy.
Four types of monks
Anasatti Sutta from Majjima Nikaya refers to four types of noble
disciples in the following manner.
"In this community of monks there are monks who
are arahants, whose mental effluents are ended, who have reached
fulfillment, done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true
goal, totally destroyed the fetter of becoming, and who are released
through right gnosis: such are the monks in this community of monks.
"In this community of monks there are monks who,
with the total ending of the first five fetters, are due to be reborn
[in the Pure Abodes], there to be totally unbound, never again to
return from that world: such are the monks in this community of monks.
"In this community of monks there are monks who,
with the total ending of [the first] three fetters, and with the
attenuation of passion, aversion, & delusion, are once-returners,
who — on returning only one more time to this world — will make an
ending to stress: such are the monks in this community of monks.
"In this community of monks there are monks who,
with the total ending of [the first] three fetters, are
stream-winners, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe,
headed for self-awakening: such are the monks in this community of
monks.
"In this community of monks there are monks who
remain devoted to the development of the four frames of reference...
the four right exertions... the four bases of power... the five
faculties... the five strengths... the seven factors for Awakening...
the noble eightfold path: such are the monks in this community of
monks.
"In this community of monks there are monks who
remain devoted to the development of good will... compassion...
appreciation... equanimity...[the perception of the] foulness [of the
body]... the perception of inconstancy: such are the monks in this
community of monks.
Source: Majjima Nikaya 118 (Translated from the Pali by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
Additional Information
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