Losing enlightenment
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Householder Seckin, those interested,
Actually many, most, believing that they have found awakening, but actually didn't, of what ever stage, sooner or later will lose that, often very painful and sometimes having cut themselves off from any attaining. This being the reason, the Buddha did not tell much on the matter that once having reached the stream (first stage of awakening) one is no more able to fall, right away destinated for full awakening, althought it could require another hardships within further 7 existences. So it's most empathized to focus on gaining right view, as the entrance and stick firm, till the "End" with the safe Bet, even there are many out there suggesting different, and stay not by first things first.
A possible more extended answer, as well as given space for discussion on go deeper, can be given found here: [Q&A] Losing enlightenment (possible?)
(Note that this is not given for trade, exchange, stacks or entertaining binding to world, but as exit for higher and beyond)
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According to Buddhist teaching becoming Sotapanna is the only way to assure Nibbana.
"The laywoman Sujata, Ananda, through the destruction of the three fetters has become a stream-enterer, and is safe from falling into the states of misery, assured, and bound for Enlightenment."
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html
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Of course this can happen. It's not because you experience enlightenment that you won't get hungry, or angry, or {your favorite condition goes here} after that. It also doesn't mean you can't experience it again an hour later. Life does not end at satori. In some traditions, it is even considered counterproductive to dwell on/in the experience. A good book on this is "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry" by Jack Kornfield.
Upvote:2
I don't know if this is something that is possible. Steve Taylor has done a 10 year study of enlightened (I use that word extremely liberally in the case of his study) individuals in which he documents some cases where people have lost the state in his book The Leap - The Psychology of Spiritual Awakening. However, in my opinion his 10 year study only really scratches the very surface. I say this because there are many who are fooled into thinking that they are enlightened when in fact they probably entered a jhanic state for sometime then lost it. This is the tomfoolery of awakening. Jhanic experiences can be drastically life changing and one can attach that change to a conclusion concerning their spiritual discovery only to become disappointed by the certainty of impermanence.
Additionally, from the Buddhist perspective, enlightenment occurs at Sotapanna stage when one enters the stream but one is still subjected to conditioned states in the stream. Apparently, there is a place where conditioning no longer has any influence, termed nibbana or enlightenment. Im not sure how one could fall back from the stream having realised knowledge of the four noble truths and suffering.
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