Segment 9 / The Form and the Emptiness of the Form
The Buddha asked Subhūti, “What do you think, Subhūti? Can a stream-enterer (Sotapanna) think, ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-entry’?” Subhūti responded, “No, World-Honoured One! Why is that? Because a stream-enterer is described as one who has entered the stream, but in reality, there is nothing to enter. They do not enter forms, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, or mental objects. Therefore, this is the true meaning of a stream-enterer.”
The Buddha then asked, “What do you think, Subhūti? Can a once-returner (Sakadagami) think, ‘I have attained the fruit of once-returning’?” Subhūti replied, “No, World-Honored One! Why is that? Because a once-returner is described as one who will return once, but in truth, there is no actual return. This is the true meaning of a once-returner.”
The Buddha continued, “What do you think, Subhūti? Can a non-returner (Anagami) think, ‘I have attained the fruit of non-returning’?” Subhūti answered, “No, World-Honored One! Why is that? Because a non-returner is described as one who does not return, but in fact, there is no non-returning. This is the true meaning of a non-returner.”
The Buddha then asked, “What do you think, Subhūti? Can an Arhat think, ‘I have attained the path of Arhatship’?” Subhūti responded, “No, World-Honored One! Why is that? Because in reality, there is no such thing as Arhatship. World-Honored One, if an Arhat were to think, ‘I have attained the path of Arhatship,’ they would be clinging to the concepts of self, person, sentient being, and life span. World-Honored One, you have said that I have attained the Samadhi of Non-Contention, am the foremost among humans, and the foremost of Arhats, free from desire. But I do not think to myself that I am an Arhat who has detached from desire. World-Honored One, if I were to think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship’, you would not say that Subhūti is a practitioner who takes delight in dwelling in solitude. For in truth, Subhūti engages in no practice, and yet he is called Subhūti who delights in the practice of dwelling in solitude.
The general meaning of this Segment is that the Buddha asks Subhūti, “Subhūti, what do you think? Can a stream-enterer (the first stage of Arhatship, Sotapanna) give rise to the thought, ‘I have attained the fruit of stream-entry’?”
Subhūti responds, “World-Honored One, that cannot be so. Why? It is because the term stream-enterer implies entering the stream, which signifies leaving the mundane world and entering the sacred flow of the saints. However, the saints have no fixed form, so in truth, there is nothing to enter. It refers to the state of being no longer distracted or tempted by external phenomena of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and mental objects, created by the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. A stream-enterer is one who no longer clings to, craves, or is unable to let go of these.”
The Buddha then asks, “Subhūti, what do you think? Can a once-returner (Sakadagami, the second stage of Arhatship) give rise to the thought, ‘I have attained the fruit of once- returning’?”
Subhūti replies, “No, World-Honored One. The term ‘once-returner’ (Sakadagami) indicates ‘one who comes and goes,’ meaning they still need to dwell once in the heavenly realms and return once to the human realm for rebirth. However, in terms of the true nature, there is no coming or going. The notions of coming and going are merely illusory phenomena, which is why such a person is called a once-returner.”
The Buddha then asks, “Subhūti, what do you think? Can a non-returner (Anagami, the third stage of Arhatship) give rise to the thought, ‘I have attained the fruit of non-returning’?” Subhūti replies, “No, World-Honoured One. The term ‘non-returner’ (Anagami) means ‘one who does not return.’ This does not refer to the cessation of samsara itself, but to the fact that the individual will not return to the human realm for rebirth. However, in terms of the true nature, there is no coming or going at all, which is why such a person is called a non-returner.”
The Buddha says, “Subhūti, what do you think? Can an Arhat give rise to the thought, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship’?”
Subhūti replies, “No, World-Honored One. Why? In truth, there is no fixed form known as an Arhat. World-Honored One, if an Arhat were to think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship,’ this would imply the presence of concepts such as self, person, sentient being, and life span. World-Honored One, the Buddha affirms that I have attained the state of the Samādhi of No-Conflict, which is the realization that one’s true nature is empty, pure, and free from afflictions. This is the foremost among human, and the foremost of Arhats who are detached from desire. However, I do not entertain the thought, ‘I am an Arhat, detached from all desires, abiding in tranquility and purity.’
World-Honored One, if I were to think, ‘I have attained the fruit of Arhatship’, then the World-Honored One would not say that Subhūti is a practitioner who enjoys practicing calmly in mountains, forests, or quiet places, and walks on the path toward liberation from reincarnation. Although Subhūti dwells in mountains and forests, practicing alone and in tranquility, his mind remains undisturbed, unaffected by both external and internal conditions. He abides in the perception of the emptiness of all phenomena, without attachment to the tranquil practice in the mountains or forests, nor attachment to the past or future. Therefore, the World-Honored One says that Subhuti is a person who enjoys practicing alone and in tranquility in mountains and forests, and walks on the path toward liberation from reincarnation.”
Beginning with the seventh Segment, the Tathāgata initiates a series of counter-questions to Subhūti, leading the disciples to examine the doubts and obstacles arising from attachment within their own minds. In the previous two Segments, the Buddha has already urged the disciples to release their attachment to the belief that there exists a fixed, attainable state of unsurpassed, complete equal and complete awareness, and to let go of their attachment to the Buddha’s teaching.
In this Segment, the Buddha continues to counter-question Subhūti, “Is there any attainable Arhatship fruition ranging from the first stage to fourth”? Subhūti responds each time that there is no actual fruition to be attained. Each of these stages—Sotapanna(stream-enterer), Sakadagami(once-returner), Anagami (non-returner), and Arhat—represents simply the situation of letting go of various attachments, and the terms used to describe them are merely provisional names.
It is understood that upon completing this teaching, some disciples who have reached any of the four stages of Arhatship are able to immediately relinquish the notion of a fixed “attained state.” They dwell calmly at once in a state of their immaculate nature of ultimate emptiness, free from attachment, without birth or death, without coming or going, without wavering, and without tranquility or disturbance.
Additionally, this Segment introduces four key terms: Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami, and Arhat. These terms, derived from Sanskrit, represent the stages from the first to the fourth fruition of Arhatship. These are the four stages used to describe the progressive levels of the Buddha’s disciples, based on their meditation, attainment, and realm of realization. The final stage, Arhat, is considered the highest attainment for a human being. An Arhat is capable of remaining in meditative state for extended periods, and dwelling in the formless realms while still existing in human form, and escaping the cycle of reincarnation for a long time. However, all four stages are merely provisional milestones and illusory landmarks on the path of returning to emptiness. They do not constitute final liberation or the realization of true emptiness.