never fall into lower realms again?

Exploring the Dhamma, as understood from the perspective of the ancient Pali commentaries.
Digity
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Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:13 am

Re: never fall into lower realms again?

Post by Digity »

Does a stream winner have just seven lives remaining? I've also heard the word for seven in Pali also means "many" lives, so it could mean 10, 100, 1000 or very many, but they'll eventually put an end to suffering. I would like some clarification on this.
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equilibrium
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Re: never fall into lower realms again?

Post by equilibrium »

Digity wrote:Does a stream winner have just seven lives remaining? I've also heard the word for seven in Pali also means "many" lives, so it could mean 10, 100, 1000 or very many, but they'll eventually put an end to suffering. I would like some clarification on this.
Nibbaana is the summum bonum of Buddhist practice, to be achieved only by following the Noble Eightfold Path. For most of us the journey along the Path will be long and arduous, but there are sign-posts on the way that will indicate we are going in the right direction. We will recognize these sign-posts when the fetters that bind us are broken in succession. When the first three fetters — personality view, doubt, and clinging to mere rules and rituals — are broken one becomes a "stream enterer" (sotaapanna), one who has entered the stream to nibbaana. The fetters, once broken, will never bind such a person again. This is the truth he knows without uncertainty. The stream-enterer will not be reborn in the four lower planes of existence. He will take rebirth seven times at the most, either in the human or heavenly planes.

source: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... l#nibbaana
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BlackBird
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Re: never fall into lower realms again?

Post by BlackBird »

It's unequivocally 7.
"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this:
'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

Path Press - Ñāṇavīra Thera Dhamma Page - Ajahn Nyanamoli's Dhamma talks
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convivium
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Re: never fall into lower realms again?

Post by convivium »

It's unequivocally 7.
and 54 types of sense sphere consciousnesses, and 8 or 40 supermundane cittas.
Just keep breathing in and out like this. Don't be interested in anything else. It doesn't matter even if someone is standing on their head with their ass in the air. Don't pay it any attention. Just stay with the in-breath and the out-breath. Concentrate your awareness on the breath. Just keep doing it. http://www.ajahnchah.org/book/Just_Do_It_1_2.php
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