Metaphor and Literalism in Buddhism: The ... - misterdanger.net

THE DOCTRINAL DEVELOPMENT OF NIRVANA
Before going further, we need briefly to survey how the above technical
terms have been understood in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Here is a
brief explanation of the four noble persons and their sub-categories. 72
An average person in Buddhism is called puthujjana, or ordinary person.
When he is about to start Buddhist practices he is called gotrabhE, literally
one who has become a member of the spiritual lineage. 73 This gotrabhE is,
according to his dominant spiritual faculties, 74 further divided into two subcategories:
dhammAnusArin, follower of the teaching, if his dominant faculty
is insight (paññindrya), and saddhAnusArin, follower through faith, if his
dominant faculty is faith (saddhindriya). 75
In the next stage, he becomes the first of the four noble persons: a
stream-enterer (sotApanna), which is further divided into three kinds according
to their spiritual developments. At first, he is called sattakkhattuparama,
one who has at most seven more births. When he acquires the pure faculties
(anAsavaindriyA), 76 he becomes kolaWkola, one who passes from one family
of beings to another. When he further develops the faculties of concentration
and of insight, he becomes ekabCjin, one who has one more existence. 77 In
the next stage, he is a once-returner (sakadAgAmin), the second of the four
noble persons.
The third is a non-returner (anAgAmin) and is classified into five subcategories:
antarAparinibbAyin, one who reaches nirvana within the first half
of his life; 78 upahaccaparinibbAyin, one who reaches nirvana after crossing
half his life-time; 79 asaWkhAraparinibbAyin, one who reaches nirvana without
great effort; sasaWkhAraparinibbAyin, one who reaches it with great effort; and
uddhaNsota-akaniMMhagAmin, one who goes upstream and to the highest gods.
The last noble person in this list is of course a saint (arahant) and is, according
to the method of achieving the state, of two kinds: ubhatobhAgavimutta,
released on both sides; and paññAvimutta, released by insight. 80
The typical description of the seven noble persons in the Theravada Buddhist
tradition can be found, though not the old one, 81 in the Visuddhimagga. 82
It starts from a person who has acquired the faculty of faith, of concentration
or of insight.
When a person acquires the faculty of faith, 83 he becomes saddhAnusArin,
follower through faith, at the moment of stream-entry, and then he becomes
saddhAvimutta, one who is released through faith, at the later stages. When
a person acquires the faculty of concentration, he is called kAyasakkhin,
bodily witness, 84 and then he, at the last stage, becomes ubhatobhAgavimutta,
released on both sides. In the above Tissasutta, animittavihArin, one who stays
unaffected, is mentioned instead of the traditional saddhAnusArin, follower
through faith. 85 Although the Pali commentary glosses it as saddhAnusArin, 86
it could be a special term for one who is about to acquire the faculty of
concentration, which seems to be missing in the traditional list of the seven
noble persons. When a person acquires the faculty of insight, he becomes
dhammAnusArin, follower of the teaching, 87 at the moment of stream-entry,
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