Non-returner: Pali translation: 'tasmā lokā'

Dear forum

I have been examining the Pali of the description of a Non-Returner with my amateur eyes & amateur brain and got stuck on the final phrase, namely, ‘tasmā lokā’.

bhikkhū imasmiṃ bhikkhusaṃghe pañcannaṃ orambhāgiyānaṃ saṃyojanānaṃ parikkhayā opapātikā tattha parinibbāyino anāvattidhammā tasmā lokā

The whole description seems to state:

  1. with the destruction of the five lower fetters, the bhikkhu is spontaneous born (opapātikā)

  2. final nibbana (parinibbāyino) with be attained there (tattha), i.e., in that spontaneous birth

  3. that spontaneously birth has the nature or quality (dhammā) of not-returning or not-declining or not going backwards or not cycling out of (anāvatti) from that (tasmā) world (lokā); i.e., that world (lokā) being the not-yet-Nibbana-yet-pure world (lokā) that has been spontaneously born into (opapātikā)

Or, otherwise, can it be, with a similar meaning:

  1. that spontaneously birth has the nature or quality (dhammā) of not-returning or not-declining or not going backwards or not cycling out of (anāvatti) because of that (tasmā) spontaneously born world (lokā) with five broken fetters

Or otherwise, can it be with an alternate meaning:

  1. the nature or quality (dhammā) of not-returning or not-declining or not going backwards or not cycling out of (anāvatti) the destruction of the five lower fetters on account of (tasmā) the lure/temptations of the defiled/sensual/mundane world (lokā)

I suppose my question is:

  • Does the word ‘tasmā’ result in the word ‘lokā’ referring the ‘Pure Abode World’?

  • Or can the word ‘lokā’ refer to the ordinary world of sensuality, defilement & worldliness? In other words, the Non-Returner never returns back to the mundane ordinary sensual world?

More brief:

  • Does the Non-Returner not return from the Pure Abode Heavenly World?

  • Does the Non-Returner not return to this non-heavenly world?

Thanks :neutral_face:

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Without trawling through the suttas, no they don’t. All nobles ones, when they go into a deva realm attain enlightenment there.

Their lower fetters (uddambhagiya samyojana ) have been severed. Hence they no longer return to the lower realms. However their higher fetters are intact, until arahanthood.

with metta

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