Anāgāmī (Sanskrit: अनागामी; Pāli: Anāgāmī), Non-Returner, is a key term in Buddhist doctrine referring to a spiritual practitioner who has reached the third of the four stages of enlightenment in the Theravāda tradition. The word Anāgāmī means “Non-Returner,” indicating that the person will not return to the human realm or lower realms of existence after death. Instead, they will be reborn in one of the higher realms, known as the Pure Abodes (Suddhāvāsa), where they will attain full enlightenment (arahantship), thus escaping the cycle of samsara (the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth).

The Four Stages of Enlightenment

In Theravāda Buddhism, the path to enlightenment is divided into four stages, each representing a progressively deeper realization of the Buddha’s teachings and a corresponding reduction in attachment and ignorance. The four stages are:

  1. Sotāpanna (Stream-Enterer): One who has entered the stream of the path to enlightenment and will attain nirvāṇa after at most seven more rebirths.
  2. Sakadāgāmī (Once-Returner): One who has significantly reduced sensual desire and ill-will and will be reborn in the human realm at most once more.
  3. अनागामी Anāgāmī (Non-Returner): One who has eradicated the five lower fetters and will no longer be reborn in the lower realms (human or animal), but will instead attain enlightenment in the Pure Abodes.
  4. अर्हत् Arahant: One who has fully eradicated all ten fetters and has attained nirvāṇa, no longer subject to rebirth.

The Five Lower Fetters

The Anāgāmī has overcome the five lower fetters (saṃyojana), which are mental and emotional hindrances that bind beings to samsara:

  1. Sakkāya-diṭṭhi: Belief in a personal self (attā).
  2. Vicikicchā: Doubt in the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha.
  3. Sīlabbata-parāmāsa: Attachment to rites, rituals, and external forms of spiritual practice.
  4. Kāmacchanda: Sensual desire.
  5. Byāpāda: Ill-will or anger.

Having eradicated these fetters, the Anāgāmī is no longer attached to the sensual world and has greatly diminished personal craving and aversion. However, they have not yet eliminated the five higher fetters, which are subtler obstacles on the path to full liberation.

The Pure Abodes and Final Enlightenment

Upon death, an Anāgāmī is reborn in the Pure Abodes (Suddhāvāsa), a group of five heavenly realms that are only accessible to Non-Returners. These realms are free from sensual desire, and beings residing there are advanced spiritual practitioners. In the Pure Abodes, the Anāgāmī will continue their meditation and practice until they attain full enlightenment, becoming an Arahant and thus escaping samsara.

The five Pure Abodes are:

  1. अविह Aviha
  2. अतप्प Atappa
  3. सुदस्स Sudassa
  4. सुदस्सी Sudassi
  5. Akanittha (the highest realm)

Beings in these realms are close to attaining nirvāṇa, and an Anāgāmī will achieve final liberation during their life in one of these realms without returning to lower realms.

Significance in Buddhist Practice

The Anāgāmī stage represents a significant milestone on the path to enlightenment. By overcoming attachment to sensual pleasures and ill-will, an Anāgāmī demonstrates deep spiritual progress, though subtle attachments to existence, ignorance, and pride remain. For practitioners in the Theravāda tradition, the attainment of Anāgāmī is an advanced goal that leads directly to arahantship and ultimate liberation.

In summary, an Anāgāmī is a Non-Returner who has overcome the lower fetters binding them to the sensual realm and is destined to attain full enlightenment in the Pure Abodes, marking a crucial step in the journey toward complete liberation from samsara.

Alternate Entries

Anāgāmīs