In Buddhism, a sotapanna (Pali, Sanskrit: srotapanna) (or sotapatti), a stream-enterer or stream-winner, is a partially-enlightened person, who has eradicated the first three fetters of the mind, that prevent freedom. Sotapanna literally means "one who enters (āpadyate) the stream (sota)", after a simile that compares attaining enlightenment with crossing a stream and reaching the further shore. Sotapannaship is the first of the four stages of enlightenment. A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... Pali (IAST: ) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Bodhi (बोधि) is the Pāli and Sanskrit word for the awakened or knowing consciousness of a fully liberated yogi, generally translated into English as enlightenment. It is an abstract noun formed from the verbal root budh (to awake, become aware, notice, know or understand), corresponding to the verbs bujjhati (P... In Buddhism, a mental fetter or chain or bond (Pāli: samyojana, saÅ‹yojana, saññojana) shackles a person to samsara, the cycle of endless suffering. ... The four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism are the four degrees of approach to full enlightenment as an Arahant which a person can attain in this life. ...

Buddha said that a stream-enterer will surely attain full enlightenment (Arahantship) within no more than seven successive rebirths, possibly in this current life. The Venerable One will thus give the gift of the realisation of the end of suffering to him/herself within seven lives and is capable of giving the great gifts to many. The stream-winner can also be sure that he or she will not be reborn in any of the unhappy rebirths (that is, as an animal, as a preta, or as a being in hell (Niraya). The stream-enterer has attained an intuitive grasp of Buddhist doctrine (Skt: samyagdṛṣṭi; Pali: sammādiṭṭhi, "right view"), has complete confidence in the Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and follows Buddhist morality (sila). The stream-enterer is said to have "opened the eye of the Dharma" (Pāli: dhammacakkhu), which means that he has seen Dhamma and, as a result of that, can see it (his eye is open now, not closed any more). Image:StandngBuddha. ... Arahant is a person who has attained Nirvana through following the teachings of a Buddha. ... Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded), upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates (skandhas) which make up that person, becomes one of the contributing causes for the arising of a new group of skandhas which may again be conventionally considered... Dukkha (Pāli दुक्ख ; according to grammatical tradition from Sanskrit uneasy, but according to Monier-Williams more likely a Prakritized form of unsteady, disquieted) is a central concept in Buddhism, the word roughly corresponding to a number of terms in English including sorrow, suffering, affliction, pain, anxiety, dissatisfaction, discomfort, anguish, stress... A hungry ghost is a kind of ghost associated with hunger common to many religions. ... The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: Ariyo aá¹­á¹­haá¹…giko maggo; Sanskrit: Ä€rya ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō, Thai: อริยมรรคแปด, Ariya Mugg Paad, Mongolian qutuÉ£tan-u naiman gesigün-ü mör) is, in... Symbol of the triratna, as seen in the Sanchi stupa, 1st century BCE. The Three Jewels, also rendered as Three Treasures, Three Refuges or Triple Gem are the three things that Buddhists give themselves to, and in return look toward for guidance, in the process known as taking refuge. ... For other uses, see Dharma (disambiguation). ... Sangha (संघ saṃgha) is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly or community. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... In Sanskrit, śīla is a term in Indian-derived systems such as Hinduism and Buddhism which is usually rendered into English as behavioral discipline, morality, or ethics (Tibetan tshul khrims). ...

The three specific chains or fetters (Pali: saṃyojana) of which the Sotapanna is free are:

1. Sakkāya-diṭṭhi (Pali) - Belief in self
2. Vicikicchā (Pali) - Skeptical doubt
3. Sīlabbata-parāmāsa (Pali) - Attachment to rites and rituals

Pali (IAST: ) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ...

Sotapatti path

The student walking in the Sotapatti path must destroy three sanyojanas (fetters): In Buddhism, a mental fetter or chain or bond (Pāli: samyojana, saŋyojana, saññojana) shackles a person to samsara, the cycle of endless suffering. ...

• The animistic superstition that inside the body there is a permanent soul or a ghost, who sees, hears, smells, tastes, etc.;
• The superstition that without austerities and bodily mortifications heaven could not be got;
• Doubt of a future life, or a future world and of the Karma doctrine with its corollary the law of causality.

If he succeeds in the path he enjoys the fruit of Sotapatti. He has entered the threshold of Nirvana, and no more can he again enter the samsara. He is a niyato sambodhiparayano. The gates of hell are closed for him for ever. Nirvana is assured for him either in one more birth, or three or seven. The rest of the term of life he may return to the earth, or he may be born in the devalokas and pass onwards from devaloka to devaloka until he realizes Nirvana. Countless billions of years he may enjoy the celestial pleasures of the higher heavens. A Sotapatti never violates the moral law. He is incapable of destroying life, consciously, and he is incapable of dishonest gain, and can never be adulterous, nor can he tell lies, and drink intoxicants. However, a Sotapatti has not the wisdom of a Sakadagami, not to speak of the higher estates. Thousands of laymen and women in the time of the Blessed One realized the Sotapatti state. Till the end of the Buddhasasana good people who follow the path, and made the effort to destroy the three sanyojanas can reach the Sotapatti state. But they must make the effort. Those who make the effort now are born with better upanissaya karma for the realization of Nirvana in the future births. The very effort to walk in the path by observing the five silas, and the rules of brahmachariya on the sabbath days helps to create the upanissaya karma. It is necessary when creating good karma in this life the aspirant should have an aim. Aimlessly he should not proceed. Devaloka is a sanskit word which means, literally, plane of beings of light, referring to a higher plane of existence where Gods and Devas exist. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ...

Venerable Sariputta and the Sotapanna

There was a great man who contributed a lot to increase of the number of Sotapanna in the Sangha and it was Venerable Sariputta, below pointed out by the Buddha for his love for the Sangha. Śāriputra (Pali: Sariputta; Chinese: 舍利弗) was the one of the disciples of the Buddha, an arhat who was renowned for his wisdom. ...

"Monks, follow Sariputta and Moggallana; associate with Sariputta and Moggallana. Wise monks do help (materially and spiritually) those who live the holy life. Monks, Sariputta is like unto a mother, Moggallana is like unto a foster-mother to a child. Sariputta, monks, trains (beings) in the path of stream-attainment. Moggallana in the highest goal (arahantship).Sariputta, monks, is able to proclaim, teach, lay down, establish, open up, analyze, and elucidate the Four Noble Truths." In Samyutta Nikaya 55.5 Sotapatti samyutta - the venerable Sariputta is questioned by the Buddha about the stream and a stream-enterer.

Literature and Sotapanna

The Buddha spoke favourable about the Sotapanna on many occasions, and even though it is the first of Sangha members, he or she is welcomed by all other Sangha-members for he or she practices for the benefit and welfare of many. In the literature the Sangha is often described as the four when taken as pairs the eight when taken as individuals. Thus the first one of the pairs is referred to as the Sotapanna, a stream enterer, however when taken as eight individual, not only is the Sotapanna acts with stream-entry present but also a Sotapanna (plus), A Noble One who acts for the fruit of stream-entry. The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper; that is the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - this Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

The fifty-fifth samyutta of the Samyutta Nikaya is titled the Sotāpatti-saṃyutta, and concerns a bit about Sotapannas and their attainment. In following Sutta-numbers of that chapter 1-4, 6-9, 11-14, 16-20, 22-36, 39-49, 51, 53, 54 are they praised as Sangha members by and to sick, layfollowers, people on deathbed, bhikkhunis , bhikkhus, devas and end up for wellbeing and benefit many. The Samyutta Nikaya, the third Nikaya (division) of the Sutta Pitaka of the Tipitaka, contains 2,889 suttas grouped into five sections (vaggas). ...

Dhammapada 178:

Sole dominion over the earth,

going to heaven,

lordship over all worlds:

the fruit of stream-entry

excels them.

The Dhammapada (Pali, translates as Path of the Dharma. ...

See also

Four stages of enlightenment The four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism are the four degrees of approach to full enlightenment as an Arahant which a person can attain in this life. ...

External Links

• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2004). Stream Entry (Part 2: Stream-entry and After). Retrieved 28 Sep 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/stream2.html.
• Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2006). Stream Entry (Part 1: The Way to Stream-entry). Retrieved 28 Sep 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/stream.html.
• Transformationhelp for warvictims to Sotapanna