How a Stream-Enterer is Called

Monks, when a Noble Disciple thus understands as they really are the cause and the passing away of the world, he is then called…

A Noble Disciple who is accomplished in view, (who is) accomplished in vision, who has arrived at these true Teachings, who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom, one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment).

(Reference: SN 12.49)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares a Teaching that distinguishes a “Noble Disciple” (i.e. a Student who has deeply learned, reflected, and practiced). Remember, The Buddha referred to Students who deeply learned, reflected, and practiced these Teachings as “Noble” to distinguish them as having wisdom, moral conduct, and mental discipline no matter which family they were born into, their status in society, or amount of wealth. To The Buddha, anyone who was “accomplished in view” was a “Noble Disciple” because they had made significant progress on The Path to Enlightenment, breaking through much of the craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), experiencing a diminished amount of discontentedness.

A Noble Disciple is “accomplished in view”.

A Noble Disciple who is “accomplished in vision” is one who can see clearly. They are able to see true reality rather than having a distorted view through misperceptions or judgment of others. They are one “who has arrived at these true Teachings, who sees these true Teachings, who possesses a trainee’s wisdom, (who possesses) a trainee’s true wisdom, who has entered the stream of The Teachings, a Noble One with penetrative wisdom”.

A Noble Disciple sees clearly and is “one who stands squarely before the door to the Deathless (Enlightenment)” being close to Enlightenment. The deathless is a Practitioner who has attained Enlightenment and no longer fears death or will experience death but instead, they understand it is the physical body that dies where the mind separates from the physical body described as “the breakup of the body” in other Teachings. A Practitioner who attains Enlightenment will no longer be reborn, thus, they will no longer experience death described as the “deathless”. They are unable to experience death again as there will no longer be rebirth.

A Noble Disciple “stands squarely before the door to the Deathless” because they are close to attaining Enlightenment in this life or some subsequent life.