In
Buddhism, an anāgāmin (
Sanskrit;
Pāli: anāgāmī, lit. "non-returning")[1] is a partially
enlightened person who has cut off the first five
fetters that bind the ordinary mind. Anāgāmins are the third of the
four aspirants.
The anāgāmin is not reborn into the human world after death, but into the heaven of the
Pure Abodes, where only anāgāmins reside. There they attain full enlightenment (
arahantship).
Requisites for becoming an anāgāmin
An anāgāmin is free from the lowest five chains or fetters (Sanskrit: pañcāvarabhāgīya-saṃyojana; Pali: pañcorambhāgiyāni-saṃyojanāni; 五下分結) which are as follows:
Belief in
ātman or self (Sanskrit: satkāya-dṛṣṭi or svakāya-dṛṣṭi; Pāli: sakkāya-diṭṭhi; 有身見)
Attachment to rites and rituals (Sanskrit: śīlavrata-parāmarśa-dṛṣṭi; Pāli: sīlabbata-parāmāsa-diṭṭhi; 戒禁取見)
The remaining five higher fetters (Sanskrit: pañca-ūrdhvabhāgiya-saṃyojana; Pali: pañcuddhambhāgiyāni-saṃyojanāni; 五上分結) from which an anāgāmin is not yet free are:
Craving for fine-material existence (the first 4
jhanas) (rūparāga; 色貪)
Craving for immaterial existence (the last 4 jhanas) (arūparāga; 無色貪)
Kāmarāga and vyāpāda, which they are free from, can also be interpreted as craving for becoming and non-becoming, respectively.
Anāgāmins are at an intermediate stage between the sakṛdāgāmin and the arhat. An arhat enjoys complete freedom from the ten
fetters, while an anāgāmin's mind remains very pure.
He will attain arhatship immediately after rebirth or within the first half of his life in the Pure Abodes. Such a being is called "one who reaches Nibbāna within the first half of the life" (Sanskrit: antarāparinirvāyin; Pali: antarā-parinibbāyī).
He will attain arhatship within the latter half of his life in the Pure Abodes or at the moment of death. Such a being is called "one who reaches Nibbāna after crossing half the life-time" (Sanskrit: upapadyaparinirvāyin; Pali: upahacca-parinibbāyī).
He exerts himself to the point of attaining arhatship. Such a being is called "one who reaches Nibbāna with exertion" (Sanskrit: sābhisaṃskāraparinirvāyin; Pali: sasankhāra-parinibbāyī).
He does not exert himself, yet attains arhatship. Such a being is called "one who reaches Nibbāna without exertion" (Sanskrit: anabhisaṃskāraparinirvāyin; Pali: asankhāra-parinibbāyī).
He traverses the five heavens of the Pure Abodes in order from lowest to highest before attaining arhatship. Such a being is called "one who passes up-stream to the highest gods" (Sanskrit: ūrdhvasrotas; Pali: uddhamsota-akanittha-gāmī)."
Anāgāmins in literature
Several figures who appear in the literature achieve the state of an anāgāmin. Some of these people include:
^Karashima, Seishi; Vorobyova-Desyatovskaya, Margarita I., eds. (2015).
"The Avadāna Anthology from Merv, Turkmenistan"(PDF). Buddhist Manuscripts from Central Asia: The St. Petersburg Sanskrit Fragments (STPSF). 1. Tokyo: The Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences; The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology; Soka University. Retrieved 2019-10-25.