FetterIn Buddhism, a mental fetter M 66 S 12:53, chain or bond (Pāli: samyojana, Sanskrit: saṃyojana) shackles a sentient being to saṃsāra, the cycle of lives with dukkha. By cutting through all fetters, one attains nibbāna (Pali; Skt.: nirvāṇa). The Pali canon's Sutta Pitaka identifies ten "fetters of becoming":
Self-illusion Doubt or uncertainty, especially about the Buddha's awakeness and nine supermundane consciousnesses Attachment to wrongful rites and rituals Sense desire Hatred or Ill Will Attachment to Rupa jhāna, lust for material rebirth Attachment to Arupa Jhana, lust for rebirth in a formless realm Conceit or Arrogance Restlessness Not-knowingness or Ignorance The Four Planes of Liberation D 22 M 10
Throughout the Sutta Pitaka, the first five fetters are referred to as "lower fetters" M 64 M 68 (orambhāgiyāni saṃyojanāni) and are eradicated upon becoming a non-returner; and, the last five fetters are referred to as "higher fetters" (uddhambhāgiyāni saṃyojanāni), eradicated by an arahant. The Four Stages of Enlightenment阿羅漢者 |