The Reason Why Those Who Return to This World Attain Fruition and Awaken to the True Mind Faster than Others

Beings of great spiritual faculties (indriya) or extremely great spiritual faculties who lived during the Buddha's time could, upon hearing the principle that the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) are without self, attain the fruit of arhat (the fourth fruit; Pali Arahant) in that very moment—without repeated deliberation and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā)—with the robe donning their bodies, their hair and beard falling away by themselves, and supernatural powers manifesting. Examples include Mahākāśyapa, Śāriputra, Subhūti, and others. This is because they had already attained the fourth fruit in previous lives, countless eons ago—even as long as three incalculable eons—and their identities may have been those of Buddhas returning again. They were born with meditative concentration (samādhi), born with recollection of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti), and born as arhats. Naturally, they could manifest the attainment of the fruit immediately upon hearing a single sentence. Because the manas had already attained the fruit countless eons ago and had never been severed or extinguished, it has always known that the five aggregates are without self; there was no need for the mind consciousness to laboriously steep and teach the manas again. Although the five aggregates in their present lives were new, and the mind consciousness was new, upon encountering the Buddha's teachings and deliberating only briefly, they attained the fruit. Only in this way can the attainment of the fruit be so swift.

If the mind consciousness possesses recollection of past lives, it likewise knows from birth that the five aggregates are without self, and there is no need to eliminate self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) again in order to attain the fruit. But in order to save and influence sentient beings, it may manifest the attainment of the fruit: in this life, upon hearing a single sentence of the Buddha's Dharma, without any deliberation, the mind consciousness can realize that the five aggregates are without self. Meanwhile, the manas has always known this. For anyone who attained a fruit in a previous life, attaining the fruit in this life is very swift, with no need for the mind consciousness to steep and teach the manas again. The more times one attained the fruit in past lives, the faster one attains it in this life, because the manas no longer has ignorance obstructing the Path. A person whose manas has been steeped and turned around is extremely sharp; it suffices as long as the mind consciousness can understand. If one attained the fruit of stream-enterer (Srotaāpanna; Pali Sotāpanna) in a previous life, attaining it again in this life is easy, but attaining the fruit of once-returner (Sakṛdāgāmin; Pali Sakadāgāmin) is not easy, because the manas only corresponds to the contemplative wisdom of the level of the first fruit.

For a person who attained the second fruit in a previous life, attaining the second fruit again in this life is relatively easy, but attaining the third fruit is not easy, because the manas does not yet correspond to the third fruit; the content of the third fruit must be steeped and taught again before the mind consciousness and the manas can attain the third fruit. For a person who attained the third fruit in a previous life, attaining the third fruit again in this life is relatively easy, but attaining the fourth fruit is not easy, because the manas does not correspond to the realm of the fourth fruit; the content of the fourth fruit must be steeped and taught again before the mind consciousness and the manas can attain the fourth fruit. This is the reason why returning ones attain the fruit and see their true mind (seeing one's true mind/awakening to the true mind) faster than others.