Why Can’t a Sakadagami Have the Thought "I Have Attained the Sakadagami Fruit"?

Original text of the Diamond Sutra: “Subhuti, what do you think? Can a Sakadagami have the thought, ‘I have attained the fruit of Sakadagami’?” Subhuti replied, “No, World-Honored One. Why? Sakadagami means ‘one who returns once more,’ but in reality there is no such thing as returning. It is merely called Sakadagami.”

Literal translation: The Buddha asked Subhuti, “What do you think about this? Can a Sakadagami have such a thought—‘I have attained the fruit of Sakadagami’?” Subhuti answered, “A Sakadagami cannot have such a thought, World-Honored One. Why is this so? Sakadagami means ‘one who returns once more between heaven and earth,’ but in reality, there is no such thing as returning. It is merely given the name Sakadagami.”

This passage conveys the same meaning as the preceding explanation regarding the first fruit. One who has genuinely attained the second fruit has an even emptier mind regarding the self of the five aggregates. There is no notion of “I have attained the second fruit,” much less any attachment to the idea of “I have attained the second fruit”—constantly dwelling on it, boasting everywhere, fearing that others do not know, and if others do not believe, becoming angry and ignoring others. Such deep attachment is clearly the emotional clinging of an ordinary being and has nothing to do with the first or second fruit.

One who has attained the second fruit, after passing away in this life, will be reborn in the desire realm heaven to continue their practice. After passing away in the desire realm heaven, they will return once more to the human realm to continue their practice. Upon attaining the fourth fruit of Arhatship, they will enter nirvana upon death and no longer be reborn within the three realms, thus being liberated from the suffering of birth and death in the three realms. This is the “one return between heaven and earth” of the Sakadagami, the second fruit. In essence, is there any actual coming and going? There is no coming and going. The affairs of coming and going are illusory and unreal. The five aggregates in heaven and those in the human realm are both illusory and unreal—merely false appearances, not true reality. Therefore, the Sakadagami is not truly a Sakadagami; the appearance of Sakadagami is also non-phenomenal. It is merely provisionally named Sakadagami. We need not cling to a false nominal appearance, pointlessly exhausting our minds. We should extinguish the notion of self and the notion of Sakadagami. Regardless of what achievements we attain, we should remain unmoved and free from attachment. Otherwise, we will remain trapped in the cycle of birth and death, unable to attain liberation.