Why "Stream Winner" instead of "Stream Enterer"?

Q & A
21

How about this, I invite you to give some reflections on what I’m about to say. It may spark some controversies, but my intention was only for reflections.

It is this.

"What if I told you that, a stream enterer is the one who is in fact does not enter the stream.

By not entering the stream, I mean by not entering the stream of the six sense doors consciousness.

And have you ever wondered about the number 7, the stream enterers are reborn up to seven lives at most. Why 7? The short answer, it is because there are only six sense doors."

This needs some deep reflections, and I just want to invite you to give yourself some reflections about that, none of my intentions was to provoke arguments. With metta :pray:t3:

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23

A stream winner is one who has victory (or destined, fated to have victory) over the streams of sense door consciousness!

Or they won by being able to enter the stream which carries them all the way to nibbana, whether they like it or not by that time, it’s too late, it’s a one way trip. This is better than a gambler winning the mother of all lotteries.

So many ways justify the winner terminology usage!

24

No. Do you have any basis for this in the early Buddhist texts? Any way, this is off topic.

@Adutiya, depending on how curious you are, you can actually call Ajahn Thanissaro and ask him why he uses the term. He answers the monastery phone an hour each day.

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