[replicajoy]

I bought 'Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond' by Ajahn Brahm in order to find out more about jhanas...but haven't had time to get beyond chapter 2 yet. However, later in the book he says:

" There are 4 levels of enlightenment : the stream winner (sotapanna), the once- returner (sakadagami), the nonreturner (amagami), and the fully enlightened one (arahant).

The stream winner is one who has seen the Dhamma, attained correct view (ditthipatta), and must win full enlightenment within 7 lifetimes."

and

" The practice leading from stream winning to nonreturning is, of course, the noble eightfold path. At this stage, the eightfold path truly deserves the designation 'noble', since it is now being pursued by a noble one.

The first factor of this path, right view, has now come to perfection. Once this foundation stone of the noble eightfold path has been set in place by the stream winner, only then can the rest of the path be brought to perfection. (AN X, 121). From then on, the main focus of work for the stream winner is on perfecting the second factor of the path, samma sankappa, or right thought. "