SarathW wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:05 pm
sakyan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 3:08 pm
SarathW wrote: ↑Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:14 am
To me, it is like a person who is trying to understand that the world is round and the person who realises with by any means.
Most of us are on the Sotapanna Path but not realise the fruit yet.
The way I see it when you have to experience Sotapanna fruit then you are in the Sakdhagami path.
Faith-follower and Dhamma-follower need to have 5 faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom as per sutta definition to be a path follower.
I doubt most of us possess these 5 faculties. Most of us are ordinary and virtuous lay-followers, Hardly a few people on this platform have these 5 faculties.
Again this is my observation on this platform which can be either right or totally wrong.
The Blessed One said, "Now what, monks, is the Noble Eightfold Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
In my opinion, many in this forum are on the path. Do you think they are here to waste their and others time?
this platform which can be either right or totally wrong.
I think the path is in between. If a person get every thing right s/he should be an Arahant in my opinion.
During the Buddha's time there were monks who were very skilled and learned in dhamma but lack any attainments and were mere ordinary people. These monks lead many to stream-entry and even to arhatship by repeating the discourses of the Buddha and explaining them. They lacked experiential confidence.
In my opinion, a person who knows everything about the dhamma and has experiential confidence and has removed 10 fetters is an Arhat.
A person who knows everything about the dhamma and has experiential confidence and has removed certain fetters is an Ariya.
A person who knows everything about the dhamma and doesn't have experiential confidence is an ordinary one.
Many people ignore the 5 faculties by which the Buddha describes Ariyas and Path-follower Ariyas. The wisdom faculty of arising-passing is very important to be able to conclude that one is a path-follower.
It is the knowledge of arising-passing which enables one to see the inconstancy of all dhammas. Ordinary people can be skilled in memorising and explaining the dhamma from their memory but it takes some sort of practical experience to have conviction and the understanding that all dhammas are inconstant and this is only possible by wisdom faculty of arising-passing.
Again what I have written is my humble opinion.