Abhidhamma View : The Once-Returner

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yawares
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Abhidhamma View : The Once-Returner

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Dear Members,

:candle: Abhidhamma View : The Once-Returner :candle:
[Presented by Dr.Tep Sastri @sariputtadhamma/JTN]


CMA IX, p. 359 - 361:

Having developed the path of once-returning, with the attenuation of lust, hatred, and delusion, one
becomes a once-returner, one who returns to this world only one more time.


The once-returner has eliminated the grosser forms of lust, hate, and delusion. Thus, although
attenuated forms of these defilements can still arise in him, they do not occur often and their
obsessive force is weak.


Ledi Sayadaw points out that the Commentaries offer two conflicting interpretations of the expression
"this world" (ima.m loka.m), to which the once-returner may return one more time. On one
interpretation it is the human world, to which he may return from a heavenly world; on the other it is
the sense-sphere world, to which he may return from a Brahma-world. Ledi Sayadaw maintains that in
spite of commentarial support for the former interpretation, the second seems better supported by the
canonical texts.


According to the commentary to the Puggalapa~n~natti there are five kinds of once-returner:
1) One attains the fruit of once-returning in the human world, takes rebirth in the human world, and
attains final Nibbaana there.

2) One attains the fruit of once-returning in the human world, takes rebirth in a heavenly world, and
attains final Nibbaana there.

3) One attains the fruit of once-returning in a heavenly world, takes rebirth in a heavenly world, and
attains final Nibbaana there.

4) One attains the fruit of once-returning in a heavenly world, takes rebirth in the human world, and
attains final Nibbaana there.

5) One attains the fruit of once-returning in the human world, takes rebirth in a heavenly world, and
passes the full life-span there, and then takes rebirth again in the human world, where one attains
final Nibbaana.


It should be noted that whereas the ekabiijii stream-enterer has only one more rebirth, the fifth type
of once-returner has two. Nevertheless, he is still called "once-returner" because he returns only once
more to the human world.

************* :anjali:
:heart: Love Buddha's dhamma,
yawares/sirikanya
:heart:
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