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IV. 111]
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fetters of sensual desire and ill will, it attains to the second stage of the supra-mundane plane and is called saka dāgāmin (once-returner). After this it is born only once in this world and attains emancipation (nibbāna). When the consciousness succeeds in totally uprooting these two fetters, it attains to the third stage of the supra-mundane plane, and is called anāgāmin or one who is sure to obtain emancipation (nib bāna) in that very life. When it destroys the remaining five fetters as well, it becomes an arhat and fully realizes the summum bonum (nibbana).
As regards the planes of life, the Buddhists distinguish four such planes viz. (1) the plane of misery (apāya-bhūmi), (2) the better plane of the world of desires (kamasugati-bhūmi), (3) the plane of the form (rūpāvacara-bhumi), and (4) the plane of the formless (arūpāvacarabhūmi). There are again various subclasses in each plane. Thus the plane of misery has four subclasses viz. (I) hell, (2) animal kingdom, (3) the world of ghosts, and (4) the host of demons; the better plane of the world of desires has seven subclasses viz. (I) men, (2) the cātummahārājika gods, (3) the tāvatimsa gods, etc. These eleven subclasses constitute what is called the kāmävacara-bhūmi or the plane of beings whose consciousness is restless under the influence of diverse worldly desires. The third plane of life, rūpāvacara-bhūmi, has sixteen grades which are distributed among the four stages of ecstatic concentration (jhāna) that are possible in the plane. The fourth plane of life, arūpāvacara-bhūmi, has four grades viz. (1) the sphere of the conception of infinite space, (2) the sphere of the conception of infinite consciousness, (3) the sphere of the conception of nothingness, and (4) the sphere of the subtlest consciousness. The consciousness is reborn in the various planes of life in accordance with its resultant state of existence at the time of death. Thus the type of consciousness—which is not rooted in the tendencies (ahetuka), is the resultant of immoral actions (akusalavipäka), is accompanied by indifference (upekkhasahagata), and is an investigating consciousness (santirana)-connects this life, at the time of death, to a life in the plane of misery; the type of consciousness which is not rooted in the tendencies (ahetuka), is the resultant of moral actions (kusalavipāka), is accompanied by indifference (upekkhā-sahagata) and is an investigating consciousness connects this life, at the time of death, to the life of one born blind (or dumb or idiot) or to that of a demon living on earth; the eight types of mahāvipāka consciousness function as only the condition of birth in the better plane of the world of desires; the resultant consciousness of the first stage of ecstatic concentration conditions birth in the plane of the first stage of concentration i.e. brahmaloka); and so on. The same consciousness that determines birth (pațisandhi) in a particular plane of life determines continuation of life (bhavanga) in
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