[ultimda horaf]

"Bhikkhus, living in this community there are bhikkhus who are Non-Returners through having ended the five lower fetters, who are spontaneously arisen, who will realize perfect coolness in that existence and by nature will never return from that world. Bhikkhus such as these are living in this community of bhikkhus.

"Bhikkhus, living in this community there are bhikkhus who are Once-Returners through having ended the three fetters and lessened lust and hatred, who will come back to this world only once and then will put an end to dukkha. Bhikkhus such as these are living in this community of bhikkhus.

To continue (I am starting to contradict my previous statements)....

For me, as I previously said, something is missing in these translations.

For here-and-now Dhamma followers, reading this over may find some meaning.

I will try.

First, the translation "this world" is common. For me, "this world" means the 'realm' or 'state' the mind is in when being in the audience with and listening to a discourse spoken by the Buddha. When a Buddha speaks, his speech rouses the mind of the listener into a state of right attention.

It follows, the suttas state the Non-Returner will spontaneously arise in a "world", realize final Nibbana there and never return from that world. For me, this realm or world is the original mind or pabhassara citta, that is, the fourth jhana. This is the state of perfectly clear attention.

However, the Non-Returner's mind has entered into this state through practise (rather than through being roused by a Buddha).

There remains only consciousness: pure & bright.

There remains only equanimity: pure & bright, pliant, malleable & luminous. [Fourth jhana]

One discerns that 'If I were to direct equanimity as pure & bright as this towards the dimension of the infinitude of space...infinitude of consciousness... the dimension of nothingness... the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception...that would be fabricated.'

One neither fabricates nor mentally fashions for the sake of becoming or un-becoming. This being the case, one is not sustained by anything in the world (does not cling to anything in the world). Unsustained, one is not agitated. Unagitated, one is totally unbound right within. One discerns that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'

Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta With the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress — I entered & remained in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain.

When the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady & attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of the ending of the mental fermentations. I discerned, as it had come to be, that 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress... These are fermentations... This is the origination of fermentations... This is the cessation of fermentations... This is the way leading to the cessation of fermentations.' My heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, was released from the fermentation of sensuality, released from the fermentation of becoming, released from the fermentation of ignorance. With release, there was the knowledge, 'Released.' I discerned that 'Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'

Bhaya-bherava Sutta The Once-Returner must enter, negotiate and pass through the lower jhanas. Their mind will "come back to this world" (of perfect clear attentiveness) only once and then will put an end to dukkha there. "This world" is the same as that of the Non-Returner. It is the world where the mind puts an end to dukkha and attains Nibbana.

The Once-Returner must return to that world of perfect clear attentiveness because in attaining jhana there arises the obscurations (to perfect insight) of rapture (piti), happiness (sukha) and one-pointnessness (ekagatacitta).

Where as the Non-Returner never "returns from" or "departs from" that world. The Non-Returner has mastery of jhana, most specifically, the fourth, which forms the basis for insight (vipassana) and realisation.

Anyway. That is my spontaneous attempt to reconcile the theory of the fetters with the theory & actuality of the path.

Time to go.

Kind regards