4.10 Of putting off the Fetters (KV4.10)

Controverted Point: That the putting off of all the Fetters is Arahantship.

Theravādin: By your proposition you must admit that all the Fetters are put off by the Path of Arahantship (the Fourth)—which is not correct, you allow. The proximate candidate for the Fruit of that Path is not occupied in again getting rid of the theory of individuality, doubt, or the infection of mere rule and ritual, already rejected in the First Path. Nor in getting rid of the grosser sensuality and enmity conquered already in the Second Path; nor of the residual sensuality put away without remainder in the Third Path. Was not his work pronounced by the Exalted One to be the putting off without remainder of lust for corporeal, and for incorporeal rebirth, conceit, distraction and ignorance?

Andhaka: But if my proposition is wrong, do you not nevertheless admit that for an Arahant all Fetters are put off? Surely then I may say that Arahantship is a putting off all the Fetters?

The Points of Controversy, an English translation of the Pali Abhidhamma Kathāvatthu. Translated by Shwe Zan Aung and C.A.F. Rhys Davids. First published by Pali Text Society, 1915.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Manfred Wierich and Ven. Vimala and proofread by Josephine Tobin. Some changes were introduced:

Abbreviations, i.e., those of cited works and the participants in the controversies, were expanded.

Cross-references were linked.

Some typographic changes were introduced, among others, i.e.: the phonetic symbol “ŋ” was changed to the Pāli diacritical letter “ṃ”, “ô” to “o”, single quotes to double quotes, and “:—” to “:”.

Letter-spacing with fixed spaces was replaced with bold font.

The corrigenda were merged into the text. Some could not be resolved, though.

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