Why Must an Anagami Not Have the Thought of Being an Anagami?

The Diamond Sutra Original Text: "Subhuti, what do you think? Can an Anagamin have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Anagamin'?" Subhuti replied, "No, World-Honored One. Why? Anagamin means 'non-returning,' yet there is truly no such thing as non-returning. Therefore, it is called Anagamin."

Literal Translation: The Buddha said to Subhuti: What do you think about this? Can an Anagamin have the thought "I have attained the fruit of Anagamin"? Subhuti answered: Anagamin cannot have such a thought. Why is this so? Because Anagamin is called "non-returning," yet in reality, there is no such dharma characteristic as "non-returning." That is to say, the attainment of the Anagamin fruit is merely nominal.

A Third Fruit attainee has a mind even emptier than that of a Second Fruit attainee, utterly devoid of thoughts like "I am such-and-such." Therefore, they would not dwell on the notion "I am an Anagamin." If they did, their mind would not be empty, and they would not have attained Anagamin. Anagamins, possessing meditative concentration at the level of the first dhyana or higher, are reborn in the Five Pure Abodes of the form realm upon death to continue their cultivation. There, they attain the Fourth Fruit of Arhatship and directly enter Parinirvana without returning to the human realm. Hence, it is called the "fruit of non-returning" or "fruit of non-coming." In reality, there is no such thing as "not returning to the human realm"—both coming and not coming are illusory phenomena. This illusory state is merely given the name "Anagamin" or "Third Fruit." Thus, one should not consider the Anagamin fruit as truly attainable, nor perceive Third Fruit attainees as truly existent beings. One must not give rise to thoughts of attachment or arrogance, for doing so would mean one is not a true Third Fruit attainee.