Once the the four stage system of noble disciples has been recognized then the progressive severing of the fetters comes into perspective anchoring it in reality:
"In the same way, there are these gross impurities in a monk intent on heightened mind: misconduct in body, speech, & mind. These the monk — aware & able by nature — abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence. When he is rid of them, there remain in him the moderate impurities: thoughts of sensuality, ill will, & harmfulness. These he abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence. When he is rid of them there remain in him the fine impurities: thoughts of his caste, thoughts of his home district, thoughts related to not wanting to be despised. These he abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence.
“When he is rid of them, there remain only thoughts of the Dhamma. His concentration is neither calm nor refined, it has not yet attained serenity or unity, and is kept in place by the fabrication of forceful restraint. But there comes a time when his mind grows steady inwardly, settles down, grows unified & concentrated. His concentration is calm & refined, has attained serenity & unity, and is no longer kept in place by the fabrication of forceful restraint.”—AN 3.100 i-x
So this looks like a gradual process which makes sense
Not sure where I see someone mentioned few times that after 7 days of enlightenment if someone doesn’t develop Brahma viharas to 100% the body breaks up
Ignore the details and step on the major stepping stones which are repeated often in the suttas. The main components of the dhamma interact dynamically to result in experience. That is what should be aimed for.
“let him grow in equanimity with mind composed,
check his scruples, how he inclines to doubt.”—Sn 4.16
For example Metta should be put in perspective as a lesser path than insight:
"And the Blessed One said to the monks, “Monks, Sariputta — when there was still more to be done, having established Dhanañjanin the brahman in the inferior Brahma world — has gotten up from his seat and left.”—MN97
I searched for last several years to understand this topic the best and its very well expressed by Buddha here, and explained to perfection by S. N. Goenka.
English Translation, with additional comments as its root from where Eight fold path is shown
Not to do any evil; -- Follow Right sīla
to embrace the good; -- Cultivate Right Effort to embrace in what is wholesome
to purify one’s mind:; -- Follow Right samādhi and paññā and eradicate craving and all defilements from its roots
this is the instruction of the Buddhas.
Enlightenment can only be described by the Buddha. Any other Serious Practitioner can only put you in the Right Direction. And again, Enlightenment can only be understood by a Buddha. It is more than mere Extinguishment though, it has a lot to do with Metta. The Dharma is Metta.
That isn’t right if that were so we put a picture of Buddha on wall, or make a statue and with all Metta pray every day, pls enlighten me, that’s not the way Buddha explained dhamma, you must walk on the path and find for yourself. This isn’t prosperity of Buddha’s though once you reach you are one of them.
Well, the trick is once you’ve walked the Path, accumulated Merit, and diligently worked on your Emancipation, “Enlightenment” eventually takes place and then before that after the stage of no regression is reached and one has a full desire and Realization of need of their own Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings, the Buddha Wisdom and Metta begin to open up. Then the Buddha converts the Bodhisattva in question to Buddhahood, The Buddha’s sole purpose in His mission, to convert the Bodhisattvas, and as soon as that Clear Light and Buddha Nature are opened up in a Bodhisattva, they become a Buddha, by choice for it is their Noble Path. This can be talked about for eons but never reached to a conclusion without the help of a Buddha present!
Can water appear out of nowhere? The same is true of Buddhahood. It takes a great deal of work to create things, by Brahma for example, and even Brahma comes to the Buddha for Enlightenment, and so do great Personalities like Krishna who are already provisionally Enlightened. Buddhahood is the Greatest Intelligence, and real Intelligence is Love.
See SN 12.65 = SA 287. The sutta records how and what the Buddha discovered and realised the dhamma ‘the nature of phenomena’ of conditioned arising (i.e. paticcasamuppada) in meditation as he attained sambodha ‘enlightenment’.
Well said, clear light and Buddha nature can’t be developed without totally getting rid of defilements and by dhamma the laws of nature your once you start clearing defilements the emptyness is filled with love kindness and other paramis leading further to enlightenment.
So far this sutta the more i read one single sutta provides what is enlightenment and how to achieve this four foundations
MN140 - ‘Do not neglect wisdom; preserve truth; foster generosity; and train only for peace.’ That’s what I said, and this is why I said it.
‘Wherever they stand, the streams of conceiving do not flow. And when the streams of conceiving do not flow, they are called a sage at peace.’ That’s what I said, but why did I say it?
These are all forms of conceiving: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’, ‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient nor non-percipient.’ Conceiving is a disease, a boil, a dart. Having gone beyond all conceiving, one is called a sage at peace. The sage at peace is not reborn, does not grow old, and does not die. They are not shaken, and do not yearn. For they have nothing which would cause them to be reborn. Not being reborn, how could they grow old? Not growing old, how could they die? Not dying, how could they be shaken? Not shaking, for what could they yearn?
‘Wherever they stand, the streams of conceiving do not flow. And when the streams of conceiving do not flow, they are called a sage at peace.’ That’s what I said, and this is why I said it. Mendicant, you should remember this brief analysis of the six elements.”
4 foundations not to neglect and how to achive is provided in sutta in summary the are
Wisdom - The one neither make a choice nor form an intention to continue existence or to end existence. Because of this, they don’t grasp at anything in the world. Not grasping, they’re not anxious. Not being anxious, they personally become extinguished.
Ultimate Truth - knowledge of ending of suffering
Ultimate generosity - is giving up of all attachments
Sage at peace - one how is not reborn is sage at peace. They stop all forms of conceiving
