Will a Sotāpanna know that s/he has already become one?

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

2 August 2023

Question: Will a Sotāpanna know that s/he has already become one?

Than Ajahn:  S/he might not know the name of a Sotāpanna but he knows the quality of the Sotāpanna. He knows that his sadness or his suffering are created by his desire, his attachment to his body. He knows that he’s no longer attached to the body. He sees the body as not himself. He has no attachment to the body and has no desire for the body to exist forever. So, he is not hurt by the ageing, sickness and death of the body. That’s the quality of a Sotāpanna.

He can let go of the body because he sees the body not as himself. He sees the body as being impermanent. He sees that his suffering or his mental pain is caused by his desire for the body to last forever, for the body not to get old, get sick and die. In order for him not to be affected by the ageing, and the sickness of the body, he has to have the wisdom or the insight to see that the body is not himself. He is the mind who is like a driver, while the body is like an automobile. When the time for the automobile to become obsolete, then he just let it be. When it’s time for the body to die, he let the body dies. He is not hurt by the death of the body.

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Question: Will his next life continue to intersect with Buddhism?

Than Ajahn:  It is not necessary that he comes into contact with Buddhism because he already has Buddhism in his mind. ‘The Four Noble Truths’ has been established in his mind. He will move forward with or without Buddhism because he can get rid of all his sufferings. He knows the cause of his suffering is his own desire. So, every time he has any sufferings, any bad feelings, he just gets rid of his desire that causes this bad feelings. Eventually, he will get rid of all the desires that cause him the mental suffering. Then, he will reach nirvana.

“Dhamma in English, Mar 28, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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