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Anagami

In Buddhism, an anagami (Pali for "non-returning")^[1] is a partially-enlightened person who has cut off the first five chains that bind the ordinary mind. Anagami-ship is the third of the four stages of enlightenment.

Anagamis are not reborn into the human world after death, but into the heaven of the Pure Abodes, where only anagamis live. There they attain full enlightenment (arahantship).

The Pali terms for the specific chains or fetters (Pali: saṃyojana) of which an anagami is free are:

1. Sakkāya-diṭṭhi - Belief in self
2. Vicikicchā - Skeptical doubt
3. Sīlabbata-parāmāsa - Attachment to rites and rituals
4. Kāma-rāga - Sensuous craving
5. Byāpāda - Ill-will

The fetters from which an anagami is not yet free are:

1. Rūpa-rāga - Craving for fine-material existence (the first 4 jhanas)
2. Arūpa-rāga - Craving for immaterial existence (the last 4 jhanas)
3. Māna - Conceit
4. Uddhacca - Restlessness
5. Avijjā - Ignorance

Anagamis are at an intermediate stage between sakadagamis and arahants. Arahants enjoy complete freedom from the ten fetters.

See also

• Four stages of enlightenment
• Fetters (Buddhism)

Notes

1. ^ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), pp. 31, 95, entries for "Anāgāmin" (retrieved 26 Sep 2007 at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:735.pali) and "Āgāmin" (at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.0:1:2587.pali).

Sources

• Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.