2.7. Division of Human Types by Seven

1. How is a person who is once drowned just drowned?

Here a certain person is possessed of absolutely black immoral qualities. Such a person being once drowned is just drowned.

How is a person drowned after emergence?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy, with insight, as regards good (moral) qualities, but his faith, his modesty, conscientiousness, energy, or insight neither persists nor grows, but decreases. Such a person is drowned after emergence.

How does a person persist after emergence?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy, with insight, as regards good qualities, and his faith, his modesty, conscientiousness, energy, or insight neither decreases nor grows, but persists. Such a person persists after emergence.

How does a person look about and around after emergence?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy or with insight, as regards good qualities. By complete destruction of three fetters he becomes a stream-attainer, no more liable to fall into a woeful state, but sure to win enlightenment (sambodhi) as his final end and aim. Such a person looks about and around after emergence.

How does a person swim on after (patarati) emergence?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy or with insight, as regards good qualities. By complete destruction of three fetters and by the destruction of passion, hatred, and delusion he becomes a once-returner, who coming back but once to this world makes an end of suffering. Such a person swims on after emergence.

How does a person reach a fixed footing after emergence?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy or with insight, as regards good qualities. By complete destruction of five fetters causing rebirth in the lower regions, he becomes a being of apparitional rebirth, attaining the final release in that state, and is not liable to return from that world. Such a person reaches a fixed footing after emergence.

What sort of person is he who as a true brahmin after emergence crosses to the other shore and establishes himself in fruition?

Here a certain person emerges with faith, with modesty, with conscientiousness, with energy or with insight, as regards good qualities. By destruction of sinful tendencies, he lives in possession of emancipation of will, of emancipation of insight, free from those sinful tendencies and having come to know and realise them by his own efforts in this very existence. Such a person is a true brahmin crossing after emergence and going to the other shore and establishing himself in fruition.

2. What sort of person is emancipated in both ways?

Here a certain person goes on himself experiencing the eight stages of emancipation, and having seen them by insight, his sinful tendencies are completely destroyed. Such a person is emancipated in both ways.

What sort of person is emancipated by way of insight?

Here a certain person, without himself experiencing the eight stages of emancipation but having perceived them through insight, has his sinful tendencies completely destroyed. Such a person is emancipated by way of insight.

What sort of person is an “eye-witness”?

Here a person goes on himself experiencing the eight stages of emancipation and having perceived them through insight, some of his sinful tendencies are completely destroyed. Such a person is an “eye-witness”.

What sort of person is “one who has won vision”?

Here a person truly understands that this is suffering, that this is the genesis of suffering, that this is the cessation of suffering, and that this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The doctrines promulgated by the Tathāgata are perceived by him through insight as well as practised, and he having seen them through insight, some of his sinful tendencies are completely destroyed. Such a person is one who has won vision.

What sort of person is emancipated by faith?

Here a person truly understands that this is suffering, that this is the genesis of suffering, that this is the cessation of suffering, and that this is the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The doctrines promulgated by the Tathāgata are perceived by him through insight as well as practised, and he having seen them through insight, some of his sinful tendencies are completely destroyed, though not in the same way as in the case of one who has won vision. Such a person is emancipated by faith.

What sort of person is one conforming to the Norm?

The faculty of insight of a person proceeding to realise the fruition-stage of a stream-attainer develops to a large extent; he cultivates the noble path which carries with it reason and is preceded by faith. Such a person is said to be one conforming to the Norm. Such a person striving after the fruition stage of a stream-attainer is one conforming to the Norm; while the same person established in the fruition is one who has won vision.

What sort of person is one conforming to faith?

The faith-faculty proceeding to realise the fruition stage of a stream-attainer develops to a large extent. He cultivates the noble path which carries with it faith and is preceded by faith. Such a person is said to be one conforming to faith. Such a person striving after the fruition stage of a stream-attainer is one conforming to faith; while the same person established in the fruition is emancipated by faith.

Here ends the specification of grouping by Seven.