The Buddhist Way To Liberation

Jayaram V writes about the four stages that Buddhist monks go through in order to attain ‘nirvana’.

- Jayaram V

In Buddhism we can identify four main stages in the spiritual progress of a monk, who takes refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha and resolves to overcome his or her suffering through an eightfold practice, namely, right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Perfecting his practice on the Eightfold Path and opening his mind to the higher wisdom, the monk gradually progresses from one stage to another until he reaches ‘nirvana’, the ultimate goal. The foundation of this effort is self-purification through righteous living.

The monk has to cultivate morality by overcoming the 10 great evils, namely, delusion of soul, doubt about the Buddha or his teachings, adherence to rituals, sensual desires, attraction and aversion, desire for material things, desire for spiritual things, pride, self-righteousness and ignorance. Success in each stage depends upon the effort in this life as well as in previous lives. A monk may successfully complete all four stages in one lifetime or over several lifetimes, according to his or her deeds and state of progress. Those who made progress in their previous lives start from where they left in this life. If they persist, they have better chances of attaining perfection in this very life.

The Four Stages

The four stages are easily recognisable due to their distinct characteristics, which are described below:

First Stage