I agree with Zom's above-quoted comments. I'd like to add a sutta indicating that the attainment of sotapanna doesn't require the knowledge of experiencing nibbana:Zom wrote: To my understaning, 7 points here is the detailed explanation of the "Dhamma Mirror" given by Buddha in DN 16.
Plus, they are interesting in explaining the meaning of that weird phrase "lokuttara ñāṇa". Elsewhere in the suttas there is a mention, that one of the sotapanna's feature is that "knowledge, not shared by ordinary people". It is commented as the "knowledge of experiencing nibbana". However, MN 48 shows clearly that this is not the case. This kind of knowledge is not something mystic, but simply the knowledge of a person who practises Dhamma and found out for himself that he has such and such qualities and such and such thoughts. It is "lokuttara" only in the sense that it helps to reach nibbana in some future time. Not more than that. Later commentaries, of course, with the help of Abhidhamma misted up all this and placed the possibility of attaining that "lokuttara knowledge" on the highest level possible, possibly, that is of arahant. That's how sotapanna became "unreally high" level of attainment ,)"
SN 48.53:
"Furthermore, the monk who is a learner discerns the five faculties: the faculty of conviction... persistence... mindfulness... Samadhi ... wisdom. He sees clear through with wisdom their destiny, excellence, rewards, & consummation, but he does not touch them with his body [he does not yet possess the five faculties; these faculties are yet to be developed and culminated in him]. This too is a manner of reckoning whereby a monk who is a learner, standing at the level of a learner, can discern that 'I am a learner.'
As indicated in this sutta, the monk didn't "touch" the faculty of Samadhi "with his body", so he couldn't have experienced nibbana.
In addition, I'd like to know the pali word(s) for "endowed" and "possessed" in the following concluding paragraph from MN 48; was the same pali word used for both?:
Ven. Thanissaro: "When the noble disciple is endowed with these seven characteristics, he is ready to realize the fruits of the entry into the stream of the Teaching."
Ven. Bodhi:"When a noble disciple is thus possessed of seven factors, he has well sought the character for realisation of the fruit of steam-entry. When a noble disciple is thus possessed of seven factors, he possesses the fruit of stream-entry."
Since the two translations are so different, I'd appreciate the Pali for the papragraph, together with a word to word translation.
Thanks for your help and much metta,
Starter