One Who Has Attained Nibbāna in This Very Life

Monk, if one teaches The Teachings for the purpose of fading away of strong feelings towards aging-and-death, for its fading away and elimination, one is fit to be called a Monk who is a speaker on The Teachings.

If one is practicing for the purpose of fading away of strong feelings towards aging-and-death, for its fading away and elimination, one is fit to be called a Monk who is practicing in accordance with The Teachings.

If, through fading away of strong feelings towards aging-and-death, through its fading away and elimination, one is liberated by non-clinging, one is fit to be called a Monk who has attained Nibbāna (Enlightenment) in this very life.

(In the case of birth, existence, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, The Six Sense Bases, name-and-form, consciousness, volitional formations (choices/ decisions), and ignorance (unknowing of true reality), the discourses are identical except for the reference to each of the conditions of Dependent Origination.)

(Reference: SN 12.16)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares that one practicing with the purpose of “fading away of strong feelings” towards each of the conditions of Dependent Origination which explains the sequence of events that lead to birth, aging-and-death, sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair - essentially discontentedness - will be liberated by non-clinging.

Through training in these Teachings one unravels the chain of events that leads to birth, sickness, aging, and death. Not only has one eliminated discontentedness from the mind but they have also escaped The Cycle of Rebirth.

If one practices these Teachings and attains Enlightenment, “one is liberated by non-clinging” - essentially the elimination of craving/desire/attachment leads to the elimination of discontentedness. All mental longing with a strong eagerness is eliminated from the mind through training the mind. The unraveling of Dependent Origination has been successful and there is no longer any discontentedness or rebirth.

One who is “liberated by non-clinging” is one “who has attained Nibbāna” or Enlightenment.

Detailed explanation of Dependent Origination is available in this same book series found in Chapter 14 of the book “The First Stage of Enlightenment (Stream-Enterer)” (Volume 5).