Eliminating The Five Dangers and Hostiles as A Stream-Enterer

Householder, when a Noble Disciple has eliminated five dangers and hostiles, possesses the four factors of Stream-Entry, and has clearly seen and thoroughly penetrated with wisdom the noble method, he might, if he so aspires, declare of himself: I am one finished with hell, the animal realm, and the realm of afflicted spirits; finished with the plane of misery, the bad destination, the lower world; I am a Stream-Enterer, no longer subject to [rebirth in] the lower world, fixed in destination, heading for Enlightenment.

What are the five dangers and hostiles that have been eliminated?

(1) Householder, one who destroys life, with the destruction of life as condition, creates danger and hostility pertaining to the present life and danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, and he also experiences mental pain and sadness. One who abstains from the destruction of life does not create such danger and hostility pertaining to the present life or such danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, nor does he experience pain and sadness. For one who abstains from the destruction of life, that danger and hostility has thus been eliminated.

(2) One who takes what is not given, with taking what is not given as condition, creates danger and hostility pertaining to the present life and danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, and he also experiences mental pain and sadness. One who abstains from taking what is not given does not create such danger and hostility pertaining to the present life or such danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, nor does he experience mental pain and sadness. For one who abstains from taking what is not given, that danger and hostility has thus been eliminated.

(3) One who engages in sexual misconduct, with sexual misconduct as condition, creates danger and hostility pertaining to the present life and danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, and he also experiences mental pain and sadness. One who abstains from sexual misconduct does not create such danger and hostility pertaining to the present life or such danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, nor does he experience mental pain and sadness. For one who abstains from sexual misconduct, that danger and hostility has thus been eliminated.

(4) One who speaks falsely, with false speech as condition, creates danger and hostility pertaining to the present life and danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, and he also experiences mental pain and sadness. One who abstains from false speech does not create such danger and hostility pertaining to the present life or such danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, nor does he experience mental pain and sadness. For one who abstains from false speech, that danger and hostility has thus been eliminated.

(5) One who indulges in liquor, wine, and substances that cause unawareness of mind, the basis for heedlessness, with indulgence in liquor, wine, and substances that cause unawareness of mind as condition, creates danger and hostility pertaining to the present life and danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, and he also experiences mental pain and sadness. One who abstains from liquor, wine, and substances that cause unawareness of mind, the basis for heedlessness, does not create such danger and hostility pertaining to the present life or such danger and hostility pertaining to future lives, nor does he experience mental pain and sadness. For one who abstains from liquor, wine, and substances that cause unawareness of mind, the basis for heedlessness, that danger and hostility has thus been eliminated.

These are the five dangers and hostiles that have been eliminated.

And what are the four factors of Stream-Entry that he possesses?

(1) Here, Householder, a Noble Disciple possesses unwavering confidence in The Buddha thus: The Perfectly Enlightened One is an Arahant, perfectly Enlightened, accomplished in true wisdom and conduct, fortunate, knower of the worlds, unsurpassed trainer of persons to be tamed, Teacher of heavenly beings and humans, The Enlightened One, The Fortunate One.

(2) He possesses unwavering confidence in The Teachings thus: The Teachings are well expounded by The Perfectly Enlightened One, directly visible, immediate, inviting one to come and see, applicable, to be personally experienced by the wise.

(3) He possesses unwavering confidence in The Community thus: The Community of The Perfectly Enlightened One's disciples is practicing the wholesome way, practicing the straight way, practicing the true way, practicing the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals - this Community of The Perfectly Enlightened One’s disciples is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respectful salutation, the unsurpassed field of merit for the world.

(4) He possesses the virtuous behavior (practicing moral conduct) admired by the Noble Ones, unbroken, untorn, unblemished, unblotched, liberating, praised by the wise, not misunderstood, and leading to concentration.

These are the four factors of Stream-Entry that he possesses.

And what is the noble method that he has clearly seen and thoroughly penetrated with wisdom? Here, Householder, the Noble Disciple reflects thus: When this exists, that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When this does not exist, that does not come to be; with the elimination of this, that is eliminated.

That is, with ignorance as condition, volitional formations (choices/decisions) [come to be]; with volitional formations as condition, consciousness; with consciousness as condition, name-and-form; with name-and-form as condition, the six sense bases; with the six sense bases as condition, contact; with contact as condition, feeling; with feeling as condition, craving; with craving as condition, clinging; with clinging as condition, existence; with existence as condition, birth; with birth as condition, old age and death, sorrow, grief, pain, sadness, and misery come to be. Such is the cause of this whole mass of discontentedness.

But with the remainderless fading away and elimination of ignorance comes elimination of volitional formations (choices/decisions); with the elimination of volitional formations, elimination of consciousness; with the elimination of consciousness, elimination of name-and-form; with the elimination of name-and-form, elimination of the six sense bases; with the elimination of the six sense bases, elimination of contact; with the elimination of contact, elimination of feeling; with the elimination of feeling, elimination of craving; with the elimination of craving, elimination of clinging; with the elimination of clinging, elimination of existence; with the elimination of existence, elimination of birth; with the elimination of birth, old age and death, sorrow, grief, pain, sadness, and misery is eliminated. Such is the elimination of this whole mass of discontentedness.

This is the noble method that he has clearly seen and thoroughly penetrated with wisdom.

Householder, when a Noble Disciple has eliminated these five dangers and hostiles, and he possesses these four factors of Stream-Entry, and he has clearly seen and thoroughly penetrated with wisdom this noble method, he might, if he so aspires, declare of himself: I am one finished with hell, the animal realm, and the realm of afflicted spirits; finished with the plane of misery, the bad destination, the lower world; I am a Stream-Enterer, no longer subject to [rebirth in] the lower world, fixed in destination, heading for Enlightenment.

(Reference: AN 9.27)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares five dangers and hostilities that need to be eliminated to attain the first Stage of Enlightenment as a Stream-Enterer. A Stream-Enterer would need to eliminate the five dangers and hostiles while “possesses these four factors of Stream-Entry, and he has clearly seen and thoroughly penetrated with wisdom this noble method”. These are additional criteria that are needed to attain the first Stage of Enlightenment.

(1) Five Dangers and Hostiles: The Buddha explains that a Stream-Enterer would be practicing The Five Precepts.

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 in Chapter 44 of the book “Foundation in The Teachings” (Volume 3).

(2) Four Factors of Stream-Entry: The Buddha explains “unwavering confidence”, also described in previous Chapters as “confirmed confidence”, in The Buddha, The Teachings, The Community, and virtuous behavior (practicing moral conduct) as four factors of Stream-Entry.

These were explained in previous Chapters of this book.

(3) Penetrated with Wisdom this Noble Method: The Buddha explains a Stream-Enterer will deeply understand with wisdom “this noble method” which is referenced in this Teaching. The Teaching referenced is Dependent Origination described as “this noble method”.

Dependent Origination is the ultimate description of the cause and effect relationship of how ignorance (unknowing of true reality) leads to discontentedness and continued rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth. Dependent Origination is a series of twelve (12) conditions that lead one to another ultimately causing rebirth and continued discontentedness.

The elimination of ignorance (unknowing of true reality) through acquiring wisdom is what leads to the elimination of discontentedness and continuous rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

Dependent Origination is described in detail in later Chapters of this book.