The Third-Fruit Arhat and the Fourth-Fruit Arhat

When one is free from greed towards all states, that is the Third Fruition practitioner, who has eradicated the manifestation of greed and hatred afflictions. When one is free from attachment to all states, that is the Fourth Fruition Arhat, who has eliminated the self-attachment in the mental faculty and the craving for the three realms. Before attaining the Third Fruition, no matter how pure the mind may seem, it merely suppresses the afflictions rather than eradicating them. The afflictions remain concealed within, rarely manifesting outwardly. However, when significant events occur, they inevitably surface and manifest as afflictions. Very few practitioners can truly and comprehensively examine their own afflictions. Consequently, they often mistakenly believe they are free from afflictions or consider themselves to have attained the Second Fruition, when in reality, they are still far from attaining the Second Fruition.