Reflections (Accept It If You Can)
In Taiwan, some readers say that my explanation of the “Four Stages of Enlightenment” is different from what AI sources say.
I believe this reader is well-educated.
However, this raises an important question:
If we adopt such explanations, by what mechanism are greed, aversion, and delusion actually reduced?
Furthermore, how is one to transcend attachment to both the sensual (form) and formless (mental) realms?
In fact, significant inconsistencies already emerge at the level of explaining the first stage of enlightenment.
Since you are clearly sincere, I encourage you to reflect on this yourself.
In Buddhist practice, “doubt” refers to resolving uncertainty about causes, conditions, and results.
If it is interpreted merely as trust in the monastic community, then it is unclear how this alone could dismantle the view of a permanent self.
I have never required anyone to accept my views.
So there is no need to involve me in such discussions.
My writings on the Dharma are intended for dedicated practitioners to explore together.
They are not for general readers. Please understand this clearly.
A Further Explanation of “Doubt”
The study of the Dharma demands significant intellectual and mental effort.
If awakening were based merely on trust, then the sages of Confucianism would suffice, and such intensive study would be unnecessary.
However, Buddhism raises the issue of karma.
If one is told, “You carry debts from a previous life,” can this simply be accepted without question?
Such claims require resolution through inquiry and understanding.
For Buddhist practitioners, this process is not optional but essential. Doubt” means understanding clearly how causes and results work—how the past leads to the present.
Only after attaining the first stage of enlightenment—when the “Dharma Eye” is purified—can one clearly see how past causes lead to present results.
Therefore, the most essential task is to resolve one’s own doubt.
Master Banji
AI Data
1. Sotapanna — First Stage of Enlightenment
“Sotapanna” means “stream-enterer.” It refers to a practitioner who has entered the stream of the noble path and will no longer fall back into the cycle of suffering.
Eliminated Fetters: The first three fetters are cut off:
1. Self-view (identity view): No longer seeing the five aggregates as a fixed “self.”
2. Doubt: No more doubt about about the monastic community and the precepts.
3. Attachment to rites and rituals: No longer clinging to religious practices or rules that do not lead to liberation.