Why Can a Srotāpanna Not Have the Thought "I Have Attained the Srotāpanna Fruit"?

The Diamond Sutra original text: "Subhūti, what do you think? Can a Srotāpanna have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Srotāpanna'? Subhūti said, 'No, World-Honored One. Why? Srotāpanna means 'one who has entered the stream,' yet there is nothing entered. Not entering form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas is called Srotāpanna.'"

The Buddha asked Subhūti: "What do you think? Can a Srotāpanna (Stream-enterer) have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Srotāpanna'?" Subhūti said: "One cannot have such a thought, World-Honored One. Why? Srotāpanna means having entered the stream of the holy path. One who has entered the stream of the holy path has nothing to enter within these worldly dharmas; not entering the form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas of the worldly realm, only this is truly worthy of the name Srotāpanna."

A Srotāpanna has just severed the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), no longer regarding the dharmas within the five aggregates and eighteen elements as a real self. Having eliminated the view of self and the notion of self, they therefore do not conceive that there is an 'I' who has severed the view of self and become a Srotāpanna. There is no person who has severed the view of self, no Srotāpanna person, and no fruit of Srotāpanna. The fruit of Srotāpanna is a provisional designation, not a truly existent dharma, and cannot be grasped as real. If grasped as real, then there is the view of self and the view of dharmas (dharma-dṛṣṭi), and one is not a Srotāpanna. If a person has the thought 'I am a Srotāpanna', this person clearly has the notion of self, and thus is not a Srotāpanna.

Therefore, those who constantly proclaim "I have realized the fruit!" or "I have realized the enlightened mind!", everywhere publicizing and boasting, can be clearly seen to have a heavy view of self and possess the notion of self; they are undoubtedly ordinary people. A person who frequently clings to thoughts like "I am a sage," "I am a person of such-and-such fruit," "I am a Bodhisattva of the Three Sage Stages," "I am a Bodhisattva of such-and-such bhūmi," "I have cultivated such-and-such," "How I was in past lives," "What I have done for sentient beings," everywhere embellishing and spreading this, very afraid people don't know, very desiring people's reverence, very hoping people will prostrate in worship, very wishing for their own fame to be widespread – these behaviors clearly show this person has a heavy view of self, possesses the notion of self, possesses the characteristics of an ordinary being, and is entirely an ordinary person.

Since the view of self has already been severed, then there is no notion of self, no notion of an 'I' severing the view of self. The mind is empty of self, and also empty of the fruit. In the actual state of principle, there is no such thing as severing the view of self; there is no such person as a Srotāpanna. When the unconditioned mind (asaṃskṛta-citta) appears, one is then a Srotāpanna who has realized the unconditioned dharma. If there is an 'I' or a notion of self, then it is not unconditioned, nor is there an unconditioned fruit. Therefore, to judge whether a person has severed the view of self, one can also assess it from their speech and actions: observe whether this person's words, actual behavior, and actions reflect emptiness of mind, whether they are modest, whether they dislike publicity. If this person likes to put 'I' on their lips and everywhere show off themselves, then the notion of self is present, the view of self has not been severed, and they are not a Srotāpanna.