Lecture on the Diamond Sutra: Why Shouldn't Anagamin Entertain the Thought of Being a Third Fruition Practitioner?

Chapter Nine: The Mark of Oneness is No Mark
Original text: Subhuti, what do you think? Can an Anagamin have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Anagamin'? Subhuti said, No, World-Honored One. Why? Anagamin means 'non-returner,' yet in reality there is no non-returning. Therefore, it is called Anagamin.

Explanation: Subhuti, what is your view on this matter? Can an Anagamin have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Anagamin'? Subhuti replied: An Anagamin cannot have such a thought. Why is this so? Because Anagamin means 'non-returner,' yet in reality, there is no dharma mark of non-returning—that is, there is no actual attainment of the Anagamin fruit. 'Anagamin' is merely a provisional name.

Those who attain the third fruit have minds even emptier than those of the second fruit, utterly devoid of thoughts like 'I am such-and-such.' Therefore, they do not constantly dwell on the notion 'I am an Anagamin.' If they did, their minds would not be empty, and they would not have attained Anagamin. An Anagamin, possessing meditative concentration at the level of the first dhyana or higher, upon death is reborn in the Five Pure Abodes (Suddhavasa) of the form realm to continue their practice. There, they attain the fourth fruit of Arhatship, directly entering parinirvana without returning to the human realm. Hence, it is called the fruit of non-returning, or the fruit of non-coming. In truth, there is no actual event of 'not returning' to the human realm—both coming and not coming are illusory phenomena. This illusory state is then given the name 'Anagamin,' called the third fruit. Thus, one should not believe there truly exists an Anagamin fruit to be attained, nor regard a third-fruit practitioner as a real entity. One must not give rise to grasping or arrogance, for to do so would mean one is not a true third-fruit practitioner.

Why can an Arhat not have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Arhatship'?

Original text: Subhuti, what do you think? Can an Arhat have the thought, 'I have attained the path of Arhatship'? [Subhuti said,] No, World-Honored One. Why? Truly, there is no dharma called 'Arhat.' World-Honored One, if an Arhat were to think, 'I have attained the path of Arhatship,' then they would be clinging to the notion of self, person, sentient being, or lifespan.

Explanation: Subhuti, what is your view on this matter? Can an Arhat have the thought, 'I have attained the fruit of Arhatship'? Subhuti replied: An Arhat cannot have such a thought, World-Honored One. Why is this so? Because truly, there is no dharma that can be named 'Arhat.' World-Honored One, if an Arhat were to think, 'I have attained the path of Arhatship,' then they would be clinging to the notion of self, person, sentient being, or lifespan. Such a person would not be an Arhat.

Anyone who harbors the thought 'I am such-and-such,' believing there truly exists an 'I' that has achieved something, is clinging to the notion of self—whereupon the other three notions (person, sentient being, lifespan) also manifest accordingly. The same applies to an Arhat: if they believe they have attained the fruit of Arhatship, the notion of self arises in their mind, and the notions of person, sentient being, and lifespan likewise become distinctly present. Such a person is not an Arhat. In truth, there is no dharma in the world called 'Arhat.' The Arhat’s physical body and consciousness—composed of the five aggregates—are subject to birth, death, change, and illusion; they are not truly existent dharmas and cannot be called 'Arhat.' The fruit of Arhatship is merely a state or a realm; there is no substantial fruit to be obtained or perceived. The act of attaining Arhatship itself is an illusory, impermanent phenomenon subject to birth and change—it is not an eternally existent dharma. If it were an eternally existent dharma, it would always be present, and one would perpetually be an Arhat without needing to cultivate the path.

Therefore, an Arhat does not have the thought 'I have attained the fruit of Arhatship.' After attaining Arhatship, their mind is empty and tranquil, utterly devoid of even a trace of the four notions. Walking in the world like an empty shell, they are free from all disputes and conflicts. Ordinary beings, in contrast, are driven by self-view, their minds teeming with the four notions, constantly entangled in afflictions and strife. The heavier one’s self-view, the stronger the notion of self, the more disturbed the mind, the greater the afflictions, and the more numerous the disputes. Conversely, the lighter the self-view, the more serene and conflict-free the mind becomes.