The Eight Precepts The Uposatha Precepts

(1) I too shall abandon and abstain from the destruction of life; with the rod and weapon laid aside, diligently and kindly, I too shall reside compassionate toward all living beings.

(2) I too shall abandon and abstain from taking what is not given; I shall accept only what is given, awaiting what is given, and be honest in mind, free of theft.

(3) I too shall abandon sexual activity and observe celibacy, living apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the common person’s practice.

(4) I too shall abandon and abstain from false speech; I shall be a speaker of truth, an adherent of truth, trustworthy and reliable, not a deceiver of the world.

(5) I too shall abandon and abstain from liquor, wine, and intoxicants (substances that cause heedlessness), the basis for heedlessness.

(6) I too shall eat once a day, abstaining from eating at night and from food outside the proper time.

(7) I too shall abstain from dancing, singing, instrumental music, and unsuitable shows, and from adorning and beautifying myself by wearing garlands and applying scents and fragrance.

(8) I too shall abandon and abstain from the use of high and luxurious beds; I shall lie down on a low resting place, either a small bed or a straw mat.

(Reference: AN 3.70)

It would be wise to ensure there is a deep understanding of The Five Precepts prior to learning the content in this Chapter.

Detailed explanation of The Five Precepts is available in this same book series found in Chapter 7 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1) and Chapter 44 of this book.

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares The Eight Precepts providing refined basic guidance to significantly reduce unwholesome outcomes or results in our life (i.e. unwholesome Kamma) with additional guidance to help one attain Enlightenment through deeper training to eliminate certain fetters/taints/pollution of the mind.

Precepts 1, 2, 4, and 5 all remain the same as in The Five Precepts with the third precept being enhanced and the 6th, 7th, and 8th Precepts being added for further guidance.

Whether a Practitioner chooses to practice The Five Precepts or The Eight Precepts is a personal choice. A Practitioner who chooses to practice The Eight Precepts will find more benefit in choosing to learn and practice this additional guidance. To experience the benefit of practicing The Eight Precepts, a Practitioner would need to implement these into their life practice on a consistent and ongoing basis. Practicing these precepts for a “day or two” “here or there” will not produce the results of long term consistent practice of this training guidance.

A Practitioner might choose to start with learning and practicing The Five Precepts and then later, as their practice develops, choose to more deeply learn and practice The Eight Precepts for deeper training of the mind.

1.) The Third Precept is guiding a Practitioner to “abandon sexual activity and observe celibacy, living apart, abstaining from sexual intercourse, the common person’s practice”.

This Precept will help a Practitioner to eliminate the fetter/taint of “sensual desire” from the mind. All of The Ten Fetters need to be eliminated from the mind for a Practitioner to attain Enlightenment. One of the fetters/taints/pollutions of the mind is “sensual desire”. One of the strongest sensual desires that many human beings experience is the sensual desire of sexual contact.

Through a Practitioner choosing to eliminate sexual contact by practicing this precept, they can actively work to train the mind to eliminate sensual desire bringing them closer to Enlightenment.

A Practitioner would need to first gradually eliminate the action of sexual contact then gradually eliminate the mind’s craving/desire/attachment to sexual contact to fully liberate the mind from this fetter/taint/pollution.

There is nothing wrong or immoral with having sexual intercourse but, a mind that has the fetter of sensual desire will still experience discontentedness. When or if a Practitioner chooses to eliminate sexual contact from their life practice, is a personal choice for each Practitioner. A Practitioner could attain the first and second Stage of Enlightenment while maintaining a healthy sexual life enjoying the benefits of training the mind to this point.

Then, when and if they choose, a Practitioner can work on eliminating the remaining fetters/taints bringing the mind into the third and fourth Stage of Enlightenment which would include eliminating sexual contact to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of sensual desire.

2.) The Sixth Precept is also to train the mind to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of mind referred to as “sensual desire”. Another strong sensual desire for each human being is that of ingesting food to please the tongue.

The Sixth Precept is to “eat once a day, abstaining from eating at night and from food outside the proper time”. Outside the proper time would be after midday or 12:00 PM.

This Precept helps guide one to eliminate craving/desire/attachment to food training the body and mind to practice moderation in eating. If the body and mind are allowed to crave and desire food, there will be excessive eating and discontentedness associated with food intake. The mind will oftentimes crave and desire certain foods and become discontent when it does not have those foods.

This Precept helps one to reduce food cravings so that they can use food to sustain life rather than experience emotional eating, attempting to create pleasant feelings in the mind through the sensual desire of The Six Sense Bases.

Ordained Practitioners have this precept built into their training guidelines practiced in the Temple environment. Ordained Practitioners are choosing to practice a discipline that is beyond that of Household Practitioners and is more conducive to producing Enlightenment but it is not guaranteed. There are aspects of the training guidance practiced by Ordained Practitioners that Household Practitioners can understand and adapt for household life helping them to attain Enlightenment. This is one of the training guidelines primarily practiced by Ordained Practitioners but can be applied to household life if one chooses.

Household Practitioners will need to have more vigilance and independent discipline to learn and practice a precept such as this, along with many other Teachings. One way a Household Practitioner could eliminate sensual desire for food, in addition to this precept and other training guidance, would be to allow others to choose your food for you. Through removing your choice of food, you can then eat whatever food is selected training the mind to be content with whatever is selected.

If you are a frequent visitor to restaurants, ask a food server or employees at the restaurant “what do they suggest to eat”. Whatever they reply, you can accept that as the meal you will eat. This way, you are removed from the decision to please the senses and are able to train the mind to consider food as serving only one purpose, to sustain the physical body. Food is to sustain life, not to please the tongue or mind.

That is not to say that we are unable to have enjoyable food. But, if the mind is craving/desiring/attached to specific foods, then it will experience discontentedness when those foods are not available. To train the mind to eliminate the sensual desire for food, you will need to take an active role in training the mind to view the purpose of food as only to sustain this life. To do that, you may need to have others select your food for you, eat only once a day, and eat prior to midday or 12:00 PM.

There are other options for how to accomplish this goal and a Teacher should be consulted to inquire on the various options you might employ.

3.) The Seventh Precept is also to train the mind to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of mind referred to as “sensual desire” and to help a Practitioner eliminate “the self” to realize The Universal Truth of Non-self.

There is no harm in observing “dancing, singing, or instrumental music” (i.e. entertainment) but, if a Practitioner is looking to eliminate all craving/desire/attachment which is causing discontentedness in the mind, one may need to eliminate these from their life for a period of time to observe if there is any arising discontentedness such as boredom or loneliness. If the mind has a longing with a strong eagerness for entertainment (i.e. craving/desire/attachment) always looking to seek pleasant feelings, then it is welcoming in painful feelings and feelings that are neither painful-nor-pleasant.

Through gradually eliminating entertainment for a period of time (6-12 months), a Practitioner can essentially strip down their life practice observing any arising discontentedness and then cutting it off to let it go. In doing so, a Practitioner can become aware of any cravings/desires/attachments in the mind and eliminate them. Through eliminating entertainment, a Practitioner can then more readily observe the mind and skillfully eliminate craving/desire/attachment so that there will no longer be discontentedness associated with yearning for entertainment. Then, once this is accomplished and the Practitioner is observing the mind is peaceful and content, even without entertainment for an extended period of time, they might choose to gradually and selectively reintroduce entertainment but, with the knowledge that the mind has no craving for entertainment and is not covering up discontentedness such as boredom or loneliness.

Unsuitable shows would be entertainment that causes harm to the individuals who participate in the event or causes harm to your own mind. You might consider that events like boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), dancing with nudity (i.e. Gogo Bars), animal circus shows, etc. are all going to cause harm to the beings participating in the show and can also arise aggression or sensual desire in the mind of one in the audience.

Whether you choose to view a show such as this or any other entertainment is your own personal choice. Through choosing to view an “unsuitable show”, a Practitioner could be negatively affecting the condition of their mind making their path to Enlightenment more challenging. This Teaching from The Buddha helps a Practitioner understand that through choosing to eliminate dancing, singing, instrumental music, and unsuitable shows, they will be able to more actively train the mind towards the attainment of Enlightenment.

The Universal Truth of Non-self is a critical Teaching to understand in order to attain the First Stage of Enlightenment eliminating the fetter/taint/pollution of “personal existence view”. The Universal Truth of Non-self is shared in this same book series in the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” in Chapter 4 and Chapter 16. A Practitioner will need to work closely with a Teacher to deeply understand The Universal Truth of Non-self and to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of “personal existence view”.

The guidance shared by The Buddha to eliminate “adorning and beautifying myself by wearing garlands and applying scents and fragrance” is to help the mind disassociate with the body being “the self” or “who you are”. Just eliminating this from your life practice without the associated understanding and additional practices to realize non-self, would not necessarily produce the needed results in your life practice and to the mind. Instead, understanding that this aspect of The Eight Precepts is guidance towards realizing non-self, a wise Practitioner can use this precept and their understanding of The Universal Truth of Non-self to more deeply train the mind to realize non-self while working directly with a Teacher who is familiar with how to train the mind to realize non-self.

Tattoos and Body Piercings

It is important to understand that with The Teachings of The Buddha on The Path to Enlightenment, there are no rules or requirements of what to do or not do. Instead, The Buddha is providing you guidance on how to train the mind through gaining wisdom to be able to experience “a better way of life” where the mind no longer struggles and has difficulties due to pollutions of mind that cause struggles and difficulties in one’s life.

He is providing guidance for you to gain wisdom, thus, make wiser decisions that lead to more wholesome outcomes in your life.

The primary thing you are gaining wisdom about are The Natural Laws of Existence to include, The Natural Law of Kamma. In addition, he explains the causes of problems in the mind and the solutions of how to eliminate those and it is always your choice of what to do or not do.

There are no rules or requirements of what you should or should not do but instead, you are learning wisdom that then guides your decision making in life leading to improved outcomes due to making wiser decisions that lead to wholesome outcomes.

There are certain pollutions in the mind that keep it hindered and stuck in the unEnlightened state continuing to make unwise decisions that lead to unwholesome results. It is not until a Practitioner understands the problems that they can then apply the solutions and resolve the struggles and difficulties of living life with a mind that is polluted.

As part of this, one needs to eliminate cravings/desires/attachments.

There are two ways to eliminate cravings/desires/attachments.

1.) Through training the mind to “cut it off and let it go” no longer chasing after the objects of its affection which is only going to produce discontentedness in the mind.

2.) By fulfilling the craving/desire/attachment.

There is no requirement for an individual to sustain life to get a tattoo/body piercing but oftentimes, when the mind views the body as being “who you are” based on the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described in The Ten Fetters as “personal existence view”, the mind can have a craving/desire/attachment to adorning and decorating the body with various things including tattoos or body piercings.

So you are always free to make whatever decisions you feel are best for your life. And as you learn more and more of the problems in the unEnlightened mind and the solutions to those problems, then your decisions will be more informed based on the wisdom you have cultivated.

Tattoos and body piercings are oftentimes the mind’s way of decorating the body thinking that this is going to provide some type of lasting satisfaction in the mind, but this is part of the mind’s craving due to ignorance (unknowing of true reality) described in The Three Poisons, The Three Unwholesome Roots, or The Three Fires. There can be a craving/desire for a tattoo/body piercing and this only reinforces the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as “personal existence view” which will lead to discontent feelings in the mind.

Whether you choose to get a tattoo/body piercing or not get one, is a personal choice.

If you are thinking about getting a tattoo/body piercing, you might think about “why”, “how does this help you in life?”, and “what is the benefit of the tattoo/body piercing?”. Is this the mind craving/desiring something and is it going to be satisfied with just one tattoo/body piercing or is the craving/desire only going to persist and the mind is going to “want” the next one and the next one and the next one?

Or, are you getting one tattoo/body piercing and this is to fulfill a certain craving/desire and after that, it is going to be completely finished and done?

Or, would it be wiser to completely eliminate this from the mind and not get a tattoo/body piercing directing those resources towards something else in life that would contribute to sustaining life and training the mind?

If your goal is to train the mind to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of mind described as “personal existence view”, one would not get a tattoo/body piercing. But, if your goal is to eliminate a craving/desire/attachment and getting an actual tattoo/body piercing is what will help you accomplish that goal because one is having difficulties to “cut it off and let it go”, then perhaps you might decide to get the tattoo/body piercing.

Again, the choice is yours and you will need to think through the reasoning, the resources you have available to you, and the goals you have in life towards continued progress in life and on The Path to Enlightenment.

What is most important to you and what are you looking to accomplish in this life?

4.) The Eighth Precept shares guidance from Gotama Buddha for a Practitioner to “abandon and abstain from the use of high and luxurious beds; I shall lie down on a low resting place, either a small bed or a straw mat”.

This Precept, or training guidance, is to help a Practitioner to eliminate the fetter/taint/pollution of “conceit”.

Conceit (Arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or comparing as superior or inferior to others.)

Conceit is one of the higher fetters and needs to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. There are multiple aspects of one’s practice that need to be improved to eliminate conceit from the mind and there are many ways to accomplish that goal. One aspect of the training approach shared by The Buddha is to not sleep on high or luxurious beds but instead, to sleep close to the floor. Lowering one’s location to sleep helps the mind become more humble and “down to earth”. By ensuring one is not sleeping in highly luxurious bedding, the mind can move to the middle becoming accustomed to sleeping in standard accommodations that are comfortable for sleep but does not provide the mind the opportunity to feel magnificent, lavish, or extravagant.

Extremely plush or lavish bedding can create a feeling of superiority in the mind producing high degrees of conceit rather than working to eliminate conceit. Each Practitioner will need to find the middle choosing to sleep in a low position that does not create a feeling of superiority in the mind.

If you have been born and raised in a culture where sleeping on the floor is not the norm, this training guidance may sound a bit odd. However, if you practice this Teaching or any of the other Teachings from The Buddha, you can see the truth for yourself that it does work to gradually eliminate conceit.

Getting down onto the floor and raising up from the floor multiple times a day as you enter and exit your sleeping area will gradually train the mind to become more humble and promote the elimination of conceit which is part of the ego.

The ego needs to be dissolved 100% to attain Enlightenment. If there is still ego in the mind, the mind will not be able to experience liberation or Enlightenment.

You might decide to place a mattress or other sleeping aids directly on the floor. There are also some bed manufacturers who have designed beds that sit low to the floor. There are many options to consider and this is one aspect of learning and practicing The Teachings that can be revolutionary and life changing. As a Practitioner gradually works to eliminate the ego and eventually does eliminate the ego, the mind can then reside more peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy because it is no longer projecting arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or comparing as superior or inferior to others. The ego can be completely dissolved and the Practitioner will experience more liberation or freedom from strong feelings once they have accomplished this goal.

Never Assume The Ego Has Been Eliminated

We must always and forever develop our practice to “eliminate ego” and never “assume” it has been extinguished. The ego will always attempt to get you to think it has been eliminated as it is like a bad tenant that never pays rent and does not want to leave.

The moment the mind convinces you that the ego has been eliminated is a moment that you know that ego still exists. Instead, never assume the ego has been eliminated and constantly work towards being humble and down to earth in any and all situations.

A Practitioner who learns and practices these Teachings from Gotama Buddha will develop profound wisdom. It is especially important for one who has deep wisdom to always practice being humble. A truly wise individual is wise enough to know to always practice being humble and has no need to project arrogance, pride, judge others, or otherwise allow conceit into the mind or into their daily interactions.

There is no benefit in projecting self image, self identity, arrogance, pride, judging others, measuring and comparing one’s self as being superior or inferior to others. You will find that your personal and professional relationships will blossom when personal existence view and conceit is eliminated.

Through eliminating the fetter of personal existence view and conceit, the mind can reside peaceful and calm no matter what is or is not happening around them.

The ego props us up and protects “who we think we are” and “our self image”. It is very difficult for one to see their own ego.

There is no need to mentally protect yourself from anyone when there is “no self”. A peaceful, calm, serene and content mind with joy that does no harm, only needs to walk with “wisdom and a smile”.

A wise person only needs to walk with wisdom and a smile. They have no desire to project a self image, self identity, arrogance, pride, judge others, or measure and compare themselves as superior or inferior. A wise person knows there is no benefit in doing so therefore they only need to walk with wisdom and a smile.

The ego is held deeply inside the mind and blocks us from realizing our full potential because we “think” we already know who we are and what we should be doing in the future. It blocks us from healthy relationships and connecting to other beings with a pure mind and pure intentions.

The ego can block us from learning and growing with other beings because we think we already “know it all”.

Dissolving the ego is easier said than done. Because we have spent a lifetime acquiring the ego and many countless hours thinking about what we want to do in the future, it is very hard to let go of the ego. There is self image and self identity along with many other attributes attached to the ego and if we hold on to this aspect of the mind, we will create discontentedness for ourself, never being able to fully experience the Enlightened mind.

To reach Enlightenment, the ego must be dissolved, dismantled, and eradicated. The ego serves no wholesome purpose.

Detailed explanation of Dissolving The Ego is available in this same book series found in Chapter 16 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

What are The Four Stages of Enlightenment?

There are four (4) stages in the attainment of Enlightenment, however, these are for personal development purposes only. You should not compare or profess to another person which Stage of Enlightenment you feel you have attained. Self declared attainment has no beneficial purpose and oftentimes comes from arrogance and pride, the ego, while being fraught and filled with errors.

One goal of these Teachings is to eliminate arrogance and pride, the ego, therefore, if a Practitioner is declaring their self determined Stage of Enlightenment, there is still arrogance and pride. A Practitioner sharing with others what they feel they have attained is an indication that, the mind is not yet Enlightened.

An Enlightened being would have no need or desire to profess what they feel the mind has attained. An Enlightened mind is so peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy that an Enlightened being will just be enjoying life rather than attempting to convince others or boasting about what they feel they have attained.

Self determination of attainment of any Stage of Enlightenment is fraught and filled with errors.

While one should consistently apply effort towards learning, reflecting, and practicing The Teachings to include understanding The Four Stages of Enlightenment, these are used for personal development to guide a Practitioner’s journey assisting you on the path to higher and higher degrees of attainment not as a way to brag, show off or profess to others what you feel you have attained. Convincing the mind that it has attained any of these Stages of Enlightenment or that the mind is actually Enlightened is dangerous for the mind.

The ego is constantly going to be interested to convince the mind it is more Enlightened than it really is. The ego is equivalent to a “bad tenant” who never pays rent and doesn’t want to leave the residence. The bad tenant, the ego, needs to be evicted but every time things move in that direction it tries to convince the mind it is more Enlightened than it really is because the ego does not want to leave. The bad tenant keeps wanting to stay but yet provides no benefit whatsoever and continually attempts to convince the mind it is Enlightened so that the bad tenant, the ego, can stick around.

You need to evict the ego and as long as the mind is convinced that it is experiencing higher and higher degrees of attainment, then there is the risk or danger that arrogance and pride will arise, thus, halting any forward progress. With arrogance and pride (i.e. the ego), the mind will want to measure and compare what it feels it has attained to others creating unwholesome decisions that produce separation rather than harmony amongst friendly Practitioners and “all beings”. The mind could become judgmental looking down on others rather than practicing loving-kindness and compassion with an interest in seeing all beings attain Enlightenment.

You should never believe you have attained Enlightenment and continuously pursue this path your entire life. Should you ever feel you have attained Enlightenment and are “done”, the mind can become “sluggish or complacent” and halt your progress on this path.

Arrogance and pride can arise in the mind if one becomes absorbed, engrossed or fascinated with progressing through The Four Stages of Enlightenment. As soon as any arrogance, pride, or ego arises, the mind is not experiencing Enlightenment.

If any of this is occurring in the mind, the mind is not Enlightened and is essentially sabotaging a Practitioner’s ability to experience more progress. Through never convincing the mind that it is truly Enlightened, even when all discontentedness has been eliminated, then, the mind can continue to reside protected from any potential arising of arrogance and pride (i.e. the ego), and continue to experience increased benefits as the mind becomes more and more Enlightened.

While we use the term Enlightenment, this mental state is not a destination that once one arrives, everything is complete. Instead, as the mind arrives to Enlightenment having eliminated all discontentedness, a Practitioner can experience increased benefits of the Enlightened mind as the brilliance and brightness of the Enlightened mind shine through more and more. If one convinces themselves they are Enlightened and are actually “done”, then they would not experience the continued and increasing benefits of the mind entering into an even higher degree of Enlightenment.

There will be glimpses of Enlightenment as you develop your practice. Whether it be in meditation, during the daily activities, or for multiple minutes, hours, weeks, months, etc. as one progresses. These glimpses are similar to a flickering lightbulb that is struggling to shine bright on a consistent and ongoing basis. These glimpses of Enlightenment help a Practitioner to observe the possibilities of what one is headed towards and that they are headed in the right direction. But the mind needs to remain unaffected by these momentary or elongated and impermanent experiences. The mind needs to remain unaffected by the improved condition of the mind to be able to experience more and more awakening of the mind.

The mind could experience multiple minutes, hours, weeks, months, etc. with the returning of discontentedness at any moment. A wise Practitioner needs to remain determined, dedicated, and diligent to apply effort watching over the mind with mindfulness or awareness of mind. If one proceeds without guarding the mind with mindfulness, then cravings/desires/attachments can emerge from the corners of the mind producing discontentedness.

Just like the mind will experience flickering and glimpses of Enlightenment as the mind is developed, the mind will also experience a flickering diminishing of cravings/desires/attachments and discontentedness.

As discontentedness is gradually being extinguished, the qualities of the Enlightened mind are continuing to increase. All the while, the Practitioner is having experiences in the mind they never knew existed and the mind can become quite blissful and elated. It is important to reside unaffected by these experiences continuing to bring the mind back to the middle. If the mind takes great pleasure in what it is experiencing, this is dangerous and risky as the mind then continues to crave these pleasant feelings stalling progress.

This is yet another reason guidance with a Teacher is so important. As the mind moves and shifts through the preliminary phases of the Jhānas and into The Four Stages of Enlightenment, a Practitioner is going to need support from someone who has experienced what they are experiencing. This will allow a Practitioner to gain the insight and Teachings needed to continue forward development through seeking guidance of how to continue the mind’s cultivation.

The Ten Fetters are the ten (10) individual aspects of the mind that need to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. The word “fetter” is defined as: “a chain or shackle used to restrain a prisoner, typically placed around the ankles”. The Ten Fetters are essentially keeping a being trapped in The Cycle of Rebirth bound to the endless cycle of continuous rebirth experiencing discontentedness over countless lives.

It is not until one eliminates The Ten Fetters that a being's mind is liberated from discontentedness and The Cycle of Rebirth. A fetter can also be referred to as a taint or pollution of the mind. A taint is an impure quality of the mind and is why these need to be eliminated to attain Enlightenment. The Ten Fetters pollute the mind not allowing us to experience the brightness and radiance of the Enlightened mind.

These are “The Ten Fetters”. These are the chains that bind us into The Cycle of Rebirth and to multiple lifetimes of experiencing continuous discontentedness. You must eliminate these and practice The Seven Factors of Enlightenment to attain Enlightenment - along with many other Teachings as part of The Eight Fold Path.

The Ten Fetters

Lower Fetters

1.) Personal existence view (Eliminating the concept of a permanent self from the mind. Realization of The Universal Truth of Non-self.)

2.) Doubt (Elimination of doubts about The Teachings and the ability of them to attain Enlightenment. Confidence in The Buddha, The Teachings, The Community, your Teacher, and your own ability to attain Enlightenment.)

3.) Wrong behavior and observances (Elimination of the mind’s belief that rites, rituals, ceremonies, and worship will help a Practitioner to attain Enlightenment. Well developed practice of The Eight Fold Path.)

4.) Sensual desire (Elimination of the desire for pleasures from The Six Sense Bases: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and the mind.)

5.) Ill will (Elimination of hostility, hatred, anger, aggression, resentment, frustration, irritation, annoyance, etc.)

Higher Fetters

6.) Desire for form (Elimination of desire for existence in the form realms; Animal or Human. Elimination of the fear of death.)

7.) Desire for the formless (Elimination of desire for existence in the formless realms; Hell, Afflicted Spirits, or Heaven.)

8.) Conceit (Elimination of arrogance, pride, judging, measuring or comparing as superior or inferior to others. Ego is completely dissolved.)

9.) Restlessness (Elimination of confused, distracted, worried, anxious, restless state of mind the opposite of “singleness of mind”.)

10.) Ignorance (Elimination of delusion or unknowing of true reality through acquiring wisdom. Learn, reflect, and practice of The Teachings of The Buddha, such as, The Three Universal Truths, The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, The Five Precepts, The Three Wholesome/Unwholesome Roots, The Natural Law of Kamma, The Cycle of Rebirth, etc. all detailed later in this book and book series.)

The Four Stages of Enlightenment

A Stream-Enterer (returning to human realm no more than 7 times) is:

Free From:

1. Personal existence view

2. Doubt

3. Wrong behavior and observances

A Once-Returner (returns to human realm only one time) is:

Free From:

1. Personal existence view

2. Doubt

3. Wrong behavior and observances

Greatly Thinned:

4. Sensual desire

5. Ill will

A Non-Returner (does not return to human realm) is:

Free From:

1. Personal existence view

2. Doubt

3. Wrong behavior and observances

4. Sensual desire

5. Ill will

An Arahant is free from all of the five lower fetters and the five higher fetters, which are:

1. Personal existence view

2. Doubt

3. Wrong behavior and observances

4. Sensual desire

5. Ill will

6. Desire for form

7. Desire for the formless

8. Conceit

9. Restlessness

10. Ignorance

A Practitioner attaining the results and Stage of Enlightenment as an Arahant is Enlightened. In the first three (3) Stages of Enlightenment, the mind is not yet Enlightened and is still experiencing discontentedness. There will be a gradual diminishing of discontentedness as the mind ascends through each Stage of Enlightenment but it is not until the mind reaches the Stage of Enlightenment as an Arahant, where the mind is actually Enlightened, that all discontentedness is eliminated and there is no more rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.