Wikipedia currently describes the 4 stages of enlightenment thusly:
A Stream-enterer (Sotāpanna) is free from:
- Identity view (Pali: sakkāya-diṭṭhi), the belief that there is an unchanging self or soul in the five impermanent skandhas
- Attachment to rites and rituals
- Doubt about the teachings
A Once-returner (Sakadāgāmin) has greatly attenuated:
- Sensual desire
- Ill will A Non-returner
(Anāgāmi) is free from:
- Sensual desire
- Ill will
An Arahant is free from all of the five lower fetters and the five higher fetters, which are:
- Attachment to the four meditative absorptions, which have form (rupa jhana)
- Attachment to the four formless absorptions (ārupa jhana)
- Conceit
- Restlessness
- Ignorance
I find this to be very confusing because, from personal experience, I believe that it is possible to
- liberate oneself from "conceit" and
- liberate oneself from "ignorance" and yet
- for the compulsions to "ill will" to still arise very strongly.
It seems that I am missing something big and perhaps obvious to others who have a superior understanding of the 4 stages?
To aid in clarity of communication, I will precisely define the terms I am using:
By the extinguishment of "conceit", I mean
training the mind to detect the arising of conceit and
to reflexively respond forcefully to never allow it to arise again and give rise to suffering.
And for that decision to be backed by a solid understanding of exactly why this is skillful to the point where there is zero internal conflict on the matter.
By the extinguishment of "ignorance", I mean
training the mind to recognize the arising of the compulsion to avoidance and
to reflexively respond forcefully to turn towards the discomfort in search of understanding instead.
And for that decision to be backed by a solid understanding of exactly why this is skillful to the point where there is zero internal conflict on the matter.
By the "compulsion to ill will to arise very strongly", I mean
recognizing the arising of "ill will",
recognizing that it originates in clinging to a desire for a particular sensory experience,
but allowing it to arise and be transformed into a form of skillful aversion that is more appropriate for the circumstance.