Some of you have expressed doubt about your attainment because your jhāna practice has become inconsistent, or because equanimity does not feel continuous months after stream-entry. This concern arises from a misunderstanding of what stream-entry means.
Stream-entry does not mean that practice becomes effortless, uninterrupted, or permanently serene. It does not mean that insight flows on its own, or that jhāna will arise reliably without continued cultivation. It does not mean that the mind will remain in the equanimity factor of enlightenment at all times.
An analogy from martial arts may help. In Taekwondo, students progress through colored belts. When one finally receives a black belt, some may believe the training is complete. In reality, the student is now a first-degree black belt, with further levels requiring deeper refinement, discipline, and maturity.
Stream-entry is like receiving a first-degree black belt. An important threshold has been crossed, but this does not mean complete mastery.
At stream-entry, right view is established, and the first three fetters are abandoned: identity view, doubt, and clinging to rules and observances as sufficient for purification. The practitioner has entered the stream—the Noble Eightfold Path—and is bound for full awakening.
However, remaining greed, hatred, and delusion have not all been eliminated. Fluctuations in energy and concentration can still occur. Jhāna depends on causes and conditions. When the supporting conditions weaken, concentration may weaken as well. Continued cultivation remains necessary.
At stream-entry, the mind experiences calm, clear, and stable equanimity. However, this equanimity requires continued cultivation and may decline without sustained practice.
Stream-entry does not mean the end of training. From here, the task is to continue cultivating virtue, concentration, and wisdom, gradually abandoning the remaining fetters.
If your practice feels uneven, examine the conditions honestly. Have you maintained your daily practice? Are you continuing to recognize and let go of greed, hatred, and delusion? Discuss difficulties with your teacher rather than judging attainment by how calm a particular sitting feels.
You have entered the stream. Continue cultivating the path toward the complete ending of suffering.
Nancy Acord