Hello and welcome to another edition of Quick Buddhist Lectures for Learning.
Today let us direct our attention to the ten fetters as described in the teachings of the Buddha.
Understanding and overcoming these fetters is a crucial part of our journey towards liberation and awakening.
It's also crucial just in the understanding of ourselves and the way we attach ourselves to things.
Now each of these fetters has whole books written about them,
But I feel like this simple introduction will be a great thing just to understand what they are.
Also Buddhists just love lists,
Don't they?
But the Buddha often spoke of our human condition as being bound,
Like a tethered animal unable to roam freely.
The ties that bind us,
According to the Buddha,
Are the fetters,
Ten fundamental defilements or illusions that keep us entangled in the cycle of birth,
Death,
And rebirth,
Often referred to as samsara.
The ten fetters are typically presented in a specific order,
Reflecting the sequence in which they are abandoned on the path to full awakening.
They are 1.
Self-identity view.
This is a belief in a permanent,
Independent self or soul.
The first step towards liberation is to see through this illusion and realize the truth of anatta,
Or non-self.
2.
Doubt.
This refers to uncertainty about the Buddha,
His teaching,
And his disciples.
Overcoming this fetter involves establishing unwavering confidence in the triple jim of Buddha,
Dharma,
And Sangha.
3.
Clinging to rites and rituals.
This is the belief that merely following rituals,
Precepts,
Or rules can lead to awakening.
Overcoming this fetter requires the realization that while ethical conduct is essential,
It is not sufficient alone.
We must also cultivate wisdom and understanding.
4.
Sensual desire.
This is the craving for sensual pleasures.
Its abandonment marks the transition from the stage of once-returner to a non-returner.
5.
Ill-will.
This encompasses any form of negative feelings towards others,
Including anger,
Resentment,
And aversion.
It is eradicated at the same time as sensual desire.
6.
Material rebirth desire.
This is the desire for existence in the form realms of fine material existence,
Which arises from attachment to the refined concentration states of meditative absorption.
You can tell these last two are going to get a little mystical and a little arcane.
7.
Immaterial rebirth desire.
This is the desire for the existence in the formless realms of immaterial existence,
Which arises from attachment to the formless states of meditative absorption,
Or even deeper concentration states of meditation.
8.
Conceit.
This is not just pride,
But also the subtle sense of I am,
Which persists even after the realization of the non-self.
9.
Restlessness.
This is the subtle agitation of the mind,
A residual fluttering that remains until the final stage of awakening.
And finally,
10.
Ignorance.
This is the fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of reality,
Namely the truths of suffering,
Its cause,
Its cessation,
And the path leading to its cessation.
Understanding these fetters and knowing where we are in the process of unbinding them can give us a clear roadmap for our practice.
The first three fetters are typically abandoned at the stage of stream entry,
Or sotapanna,
The next two at the stage of non-returner,
Or anagami and sakadagami,
And the final five at the stage of the fully awakened one,
Or an arhat.
The path of unbinding from these fetters is the Noble Eightfold Path laid out by the Buddha,
Which is right view,
Right intention,
Right speech,
Right action,
Right livelihood,
Right effort,
Right mindfulness,
And right concentration.
If you want to learn more about that,
I made a whole course on the Noble Eightfold Path.
This has been the 10 fetters,
Which are a very core aspect of the Buddhist teaching.
Don't think you have to memorize all of them because even I forget some of them sometime as we are all in different places of the path.
This has been another edition of Quick Buddhist Lectures for Learning.
I am Silas Day,
And I hope you are learning and enjoying these.
Thank you so much.
