Samyojana

See Also Fetter

'fetters'.

There are 10 fetters tying beings to the wheel of existence, namely:

• (1) personality-belief (sakkāya-ditthi)
• (2) sceptical doubt (vicikicchā)
• (3) clinging to mere rules and ritual (sīlabbata-parāmāsa; s. upādāna)
• (4) sensuous craving (kāma-rāga)
• (5) ill-will (vyāpāda)
• (6) craving for fine-material existence (rūpa-rāga)
• (7) craving for immaterial existence (arūpa-rāga)
• (8) conceit (māna)
• (9) restlessness (uddhacca)
• (10) ignorance (avijjā)

The first five of these are called 'lower fetters' (orambhāgiya-samyojana), as they tie to the sensuous world. The latter 5 are called 'higher fetters' (uddhambhāgiya-samyojana), as they tie to the higher worlds, i.e. the fine-material and immaterial world (A.IX.67-68; A.X.13; D.33, etc.).

• He who is free from 1-3 is a Sotāpanna, or Stream-winner, i.e. one who has entered the stream to Nibbāna, as it were.
• He who, besides these 3 fetters, has overcome 4 and 5 in their grosser form, is called a Sakadāgāmi, a 'Once-returner' (to this sensuous world).
• He who is fully freed from 1-5 is an Anāgāmī, or 'Non-returner' (to the sensuous world).
• He who is freed from all the 10 fetters is called an Arahat, i.e. a perfectly Holy One.

For more details, s. ariya-puggala.

The 10 fetters as enumerated in the Abhidhamma, e.g. Vibh. XVII, are:

1. sensuous craving,
2. ill-will,
3. conceit,
4. wrong views,
5. sceptical doubt,
6. clinging to mere rules and ritual,
7. craving for existence,
8. envy,
9. stinginess,
10. ignorance.

Source

palikanon.com