What is your strategy for attaining Sotapattimagga & phala?

[Dhammavamsa]

Hi everyone. Hope everyone is doing fine amidst covid19 pandemic.

As the title above, I believe that Stream entry and attainment is really important to practising Buddhists, by upholding the four advices given by the Buddha, namely:
1) Associate with wise people
2) Listen to the true Dhamma
3) Wise consideration
4) Practice according the Dhamma

And according to the Suttas, Sotapanna is about eliminating the 3 samyojana(Sakkaya Ditthi, Vicikiccha, Silabbata paramasa) and gaining the 4 factors (unwavering confidence to Buddha, ...to Dhamma, ...to Sangha,& uphold untorn, unbroken virtues praised by the wise ones)

For me, the three factors :
To get rid of Sakkaya Ditthi: I am read and ponder Anattalakkhana Sutta. And also the Okkantasamyutta 10 short suttas.

To get rid of Vicikiccha:
1) To Buddha: Jayamangala atthagatha and Buddhanussati meditation. It was sufficient for me.

2) To Dhamma: I'm using Dhammacakkappavatana Sutta. It is sufficient for me.

3) To Sangha: I read Dhammapada and stories of great Arahanta Thera and Theri. That sufficient for me.

To get rid of Silabbata paramasa:
I read the booklet "What Buddhists Believe" by late Dr K Sri Dhammananda Mahanayaka thera. So no more weird rituals, astrology, taro cards, mantras, belief of pure luck, or some rituals & rules to appease gods or guardian Devas.

And the four factors :

Unwavering confidence to Buddha, ...to Dhamma,...to Sangha:
I can gain them using methods above.

Untorn unbroken virtues praised by the wise ones:
Here I got two versions, 5 precepts and 10 wholesome deeds (No killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no backstabbing, no harsh speech, no vain talk, no conceit, no ill will, not to be deluded). I practice 5 precepts daily but vain talk is really hard when working in office with politics.

what would be your strategy?
What is your way to tackle the those things?

[SarathW]

Follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

[DooDoot]

'my' ( ) strategy for attaining stream-entry is below:

1. the suttas appear to refer to the Four Noble Truths as the teaching leading to stream-entry, as shown in SN 56.11, MN 56, etc

2. therefore, per 4NTs, attaining stream-entry requires abandoning craving, which includes abandoning the craving to be a stream-enterer

3. this strategy is supported by MN 118 and SN 48.10, which say the seven factors of enlightenment & jhana are developed by making "letting go/surrender" ("vossagga") the primary foundational quality & meditation object

4. the stream-enterer has eradicated doubt about the Path via eradicating self-identity view. this can only mean the stream-enterer has experienced inner peace is experienced via letting go &/or dissolving of self-identity view born from craving

5. his also means the stream-enterer realizes only letting go (rather than morality/sila) causes fruition of the Path

6. while sila (morality) is a foundation for the Path, no amount or perfection of sila can cause the Path & Stream-Entry to come to fruition; because the Path only comes to fruition via abandonment & letting go

7. the above is the meaning cutting silabbata paramasa. Misconstruing the role of sila can be a huge obstacle, particularly when sila or morality is identified with

8. therefore, to stop silabbata paramasa, the strategy is to understand the 'doer' of any unskilful action is the element (dhatu) of ignorance than than 'oneself' or 'myself'

[mjaviem]

... the 'doer' of any unskilful action is the element (dhatu) of ignorance than than 'oneself' or 'myself' ...

Oh, I guess this is why kamma is not for Arahants, there's no more kamma vipakka for Arahants if I understand correctly.

[DooDoot]

Oh, I guess this is why kamma is not for Arahants, there's no more kamma vipakka for Arahants if I understand correctly.

There can be no more kamma, well, at least a lot less kamma, for non-arahants who realize the 'doer' of past unskilful kamma was the element of ignorance.

[SarathW]

I think you should have the desire (Chanda) to attain the state of Sotapanna.
You associate people (Kalyanamitta) who are Ariya and you also wish to be one of them.
Then you listen to your friends ask them how to be like one of them.
Then you practice Yonisomanasikara
Then you practice Dhamma.

Once you become a Sotapanna, your desire will eliminate to become a Sotapanna.

[Alino]

Many forgive seclusion as basis for wise inner contemplation and développement of sati. Very important.

[cappuccino]

For it is possible that a virtuous monk, attending in an appropriate way to these five clinging-aggregates as inconstant... not-self, would realize the fruit of stream-entry.

Silavant Sutta: Virtuous

[Dhammavamsa]

Thanks for the valuable input. Like SarathW suggested, I will try develop Chanda for Sotapattimagga phala.

[DooDoot]

Like SarathW suggested, I will try develop Chanda for Sotapattimagga phala.

I have not read any sutta (yet) that says to use chanda for sotapattimagga. I have read suttas that say:

“Mendicants, when the four bases of psychic power are developed and cultivated they’re very fruitful and beneficial.
“Cattārome, bhikkhave, iddhipādā bhāvitā bahulīkatā mahapphalā honti mahānisaṁsā”.

How so?
Kathaṁ bhāvitā ca, bhikkhave, cattāro iddhipādā kathaṁ bahulīkatā mahapphalā honti mahānisaṁsā?
2.2
It’s when a mendicant develops the basis of psychic power that has immersion due to enthusiasm, and active effort.
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu chandasamādhippadhānasaṅkhārasamannāgataṁ iddhipādaṁ bhāveti—
2.3
They think: ‘My enthusiasm won’t be too lax or too tense. And it’ll be neither constricted internally nor scattered externally.’
iti me chando na ca atilīno bhavissati, na ca atippaggahito bhavissati, na ca ajjhattaṁ saṅkhitto bhavissati, na ca bahiddhā vikkhitto bhavissati.
2.4
And they meditate perceiving continuity:
Pacchāpuresaññī ca viharati—
2.5
as before, so after; as after, so before;
yathā pure tathā pacchā, yathā pacchā tathā pure;
2.6
as below, so above; as above, so below;
yathā adho tathā uddhaṁ, yathā uddhaṁ tathā adho;
2.7
as by day, so by night; as by night, so by day.
yathā divā tathā rattiṁ yathā rattiṁ tathā divā.
2.8
And so, with an open and unenveloped heart, they develop a mind that’s full of radiance.
Iti vivaṭena cetasā apariyonaddhena sappabhāsaṁ cittaṁ bhāveti.

[SarathW]

Thanks for the valuable input. Like SarathW suggested, I will try develop Chanda for Sotapattimagga phala.

Please read Chanda Sutta to confirm that desire is the one that initiates you to practice Satipathana which leads you to the state of Sotapanna.

https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn ... .than.html

[Dhammavamsa]

Thanks for the valuable input. Like SarathW suggested, I will try develop Chanda for Sotapattimagga phala.

Please read Chanda Sutta to confirm that desire is the one that initiates you to practice Satipathana which leads you to the state of Sotapanna.

https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn ... .than.html

A word from Ajahn Jayasaro which I really agree with :

"Western presentations of Buddhist teachings have often led to the understanding that suffering arises because of desire, and therefore you shouldn’t desire anything. Whereas in fact the Buddha spoke of two kinds of desire: desire that arises from ignorance and delusion which is called taṇhā – craving – and desire that arises from wisdom and intelligence, which is called kusala-chanda, or dhamma-chanda, or most simply chanda. Chanda doesn’t mean this exclusively, but in this particular case I’m using chanda to mean wise and intelligent desire and motivation, and the Buddha stressed that this is absolutely fundamental to any progress on the Eightfold Path."

Source: https://amaravati.org/skilful-desires/

[SarathW]

In Buddhism when we use the word Chanda in isolation it generally refers to desire that arises from wisdom and intelligence.

[mjaviem]

In Buddhism when we use the word Chanda in isolation it generally refers to desire that arises from wisdom and intelligence.

Where it says so? (It could be useful to answer a question I raised in another thread viewtopic.php?p=626285#p626285)

[SarathW]

In Buddhism when we use the word Chanda in isolation it generally refers to desire that arises from wisdom and intelligence.

Where it says so? (It could be useful to answer a question I raised in another thread viewtopic.php?p=626285#p626285)

For instance, when you say Chanda in four bases of spiritual powers it entails wholesome Chanda.

Four bases of spiritual power (cattāro iddhipādā)
Main article: Iddhipada
Intention or will (chanda, S. chanda)
Effort (viriya, S. vīrya)
Consciousness (citta, S. citta)
Skill of Analysis (vīmaṁsa or vīmaŋsā, S. mimāṃsā)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhipakk ... hamm%C4%81