The Three Types of Srotāpanna

The original text of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: The Buddha told Mahāmati, "There are three kinds of Srotāpannas, distinguished by their fruits. What are the three? They are the inferior, the middling, and the superior. The inferior one will attain parinirvāṇa after a maximum of seven births. The middling one will attain parinirvāṇa after three to five births. The superior one will attain parinirvāṇa in that very life. These three kinds have three fetters: inferior, middling, and superior. What are the three fetters? They are identity view (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), doubt (vicikitsā), and adherence to rules and rituals (śīla-vrata-parāmarśa). These are the distinctions of the three fetters. Progressing upward step by step, one attains the state of an Arhat."

Explanation: The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Mahāmati that there are three kinds of Srotāpannas, distinguished by their fruition level. What are the three? They are the superior, middling, and inferior. The Srotāpanna of the inferior grade will attain parinirvāṇa after a maximum of seven rebirths among humans and devas. The Srotāpanna of the middling grade will attain parinirvāṇa after three to five more rebirths. The Srotāpanna of the superior grade can attain parinirvāṇa in that very life. These three kinds of Srotāpannas eliminate three fetters, classified as superior, middling, and inferior. These are the three fetters: identity view, doubt, and adherence to rules and rituals. Progressing step by step upward through these three fetters, eliminating them increasingly thoroughly, one attains the fruition of an Arhat.

Those who eliminate the view of self and attain the Srotāpanna fruition must eliminate the three fetters. Due to differences in the degree to which the fetters are eliminated, the grade of the Srotāpanna differs, and the time until parinirvāṇa varies. Are these three fetters eliminated by the mind-consciousness (mano-vijñāna) or by the mind-root (manas)? Are the fetters of consciousness eliminated or the fetters of the mind-root? Judging from the case of the superior Srotāpanna who can become an Arhat and attain parinirvāṇa in that very life, it must be that the fetters of the mind-root are eliminated. Of course, the fetters of consciousness are also eliminated. The fetters of both consciousnesses must be completely eradicated for the view of self to be fully eliminated, for afflictions like self-attachment to be fully eliminated, and for one to attain parinirvāṇa and liberation.

The degree of afflictive fetters in each person's mind-consciousness and mind-root differs, leading to variations in the severity of the view of self. Additionally, the depth of each person's contemplation (vipaśyanā) of the five aggregates (skandhas) also varies. Consequently, when eliminating the view of self, the degree to which the three fetters are eliminated differs, the wisdom of liberation attained differs, the grade differs, and the length of time until liberation from the three realms differs. Liberation, of course, means liberating the mind-root. Birth and death are caused by a single thought of ignorance (avidyā) in the mind-root. To eliminate the fetters, one must not only eliminate those of consciousness but, more crucially, eliminate the fetters of the mind-root. When the fetters of the mind-root are completely eradicated, the view of self is fully eliminated, self-attachment is fully eliminated, and one no longer perpetuates the cycle of birth and death.