The Ten Fetters

Monks, there are these Ten Fetters.

What ten?

The five lower fetters and the five higher fetters.

And what are the five lower fetters?

(1) Personal existence view,

(2) Doubt,

(3) Wrong behavior and observances,

(4) Sensual desire, and

(5) Ill will.

These are the five lower fetters.

And what are the five higher fetters?

(6) Desire for form,

(7) Desire for formless,

(8) Conceit,

(9) Restlessness, and

(10) Ignorance.

These are the five higher fetters.

These, Monks, are The Ten Fetters.

(Reference: AN 10.13)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares The Ten Fetters.

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.)

These are referred to as the “lower fetters” and “higher fetters” because a Practitioner would need to work through eliminating all the “lower fetters” to move through the attainment of the first, second, and third Stages of Enlightenment as a Stream-Enterer, Once-Returner, and Non-Returner, respectively.

But, to actually attain Enlightenment a Practitioner would need to eliminate all the “lower fetters” and “higher fetters” to be an Arahant or attain Arahantship. This is when the mind is actually considered to be Enlightened.

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