The Four Stages of Enlightenment

Does enlightenment happen in stages? Is it gradual or sudden? Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Taoists, Sufis, and Jewish mystics all describe enlightenment experiences. Buddhists explain enlightenment in four distinct stages, in very precise and elaborate language. Self-realized people describe a process that varies according to the individual. Both Buddhists and Hindus believe attainment of enlightenment includes one's past lives. 

According to Buddhists, the four stages of enlightenment are:

1. Stream Entry-Just as it sounds, you enter awareness of yourself as a spiritual being by wading in gradually. This is perhaps the most elongated step and involves hundreds or thousands of incarnations. There are four factors that lead to entering the stream of spiritual awareness:

• Association with people of integrity-In other words, your tolerance for addictive and bad behavior lessons, and you distance yourself from it.
• Listening to true dharma-Interest in listening to spiritual teaching and reading sacred teachings. 
• Appropriate Attention-Focusing on spiritual things. Pursuing knowledge and attainment of Self-realization. 

2. Sotapanna-When you have fulfilled these four prerequisites to enlightenment you are called a "Sotapanna" (meaning: "Stream-winner"). Once the Sotapanna "opens the eye of dharma" (dharma being sacred teachings) they drop these three "fetters" (shackles). These three fetters bind a person to rebirth:

1. Disbelief in the Soul/Self
2. Skeptical doubt-Doubting the authenticity of the dharma
3. Clinging to rights and rituals-Praying to Gods for benefits

"…those monks who have abandoned the three fetters, are all stream-winners, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening. "— Alagaddupama Sutta

A Sotapanna will also drop these "Six Defilements":

1. Envy
2. Jealousy
3. Hypocrisy
4. Fraud
5. Denigration
6. Domineering

Buddhists believe that the Sotapanna will not have to incarnate more than 7 additional lives. 

3. The Once Returner-In Buddhism, the Sakadāgāmin, "returning once" or "once-returner," is a partially enlightened person who has cut off the first three fetters. As the name implies, they will only endure one final incarnation. They have also weakened two more desires (fetters):

1. Sensual Desire-Desire for impermanent satisfaction.
2. Ill Will-Wanting harm to come to another.

4. The Non-Returner-The "Anagami" has fully eradicated the first five fetters of: Disbelief in the Soul, Skeptical Doubt, Clinging to rites and rituals, eradication of sexual desire, and ill will. These souls then work on dropping the remaining five fetters:

1. Craving for fine material existence
2. Craving for immaterial existence (Heaven)
3. Conceit-Excessively proud of accomplishments
4. Restlessness
5. Ignorance-Have yet to realize the Noble Eight-Fold Path, which are: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'). 

5. Arahant-The soul who has completely destroyed the fetters and dedicated themself to right gnosis (spiritual knowledge). This person is without any confusion. Karma has ended and new karma is not created, nor will they suffer death and rebirth. They are living these six principles and said to be a fully realized:

1. Renunciation
2. Seclusion
3. Non-afflictiveness (not hurting other beings)
4. The end of cravings/desire
5. The end of attachment
6. Realization of the Four Noble Truths, which are: 

1. The truth of suffering
2. The truth of the origin of suffering 
3. The truth of the cessation of suffering 
4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering.

The Arahant has Six Supernatural Powers and Three Insights. It is said they have these by one of two methods: Either instantaneously or gaining them in stages through gnosis (wisdom). These God-like supernatural powers have been seen in Buddhist and Hindu sages, or jnanis. 

Three Insights:

1. Ability to know past lives.
2. Ability to know future lives.
3. Ability to know the essential nature of sufferings in the present life and eradicate illusions and earthly desires.

Six Supernatural or Transcendental Powers:

1. Power to be anywhere at will
2. Power to see anything anywhere
3. Power to hear any sound anywhere
4. Power to know the thoughts of all other minds
5. The power to know past lives
6. The power to eradicate illusions and earthly desires.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world and teach four paths to enlightenment, which are:

1. Jnana Yoga-A progression of study and training to attain moksha. The path of knowledge.
2. Karma Yoga-A way of doing duties in selfless service. The path of action.
3. Bhakti Yoga-Bhakti centers on the worship of God. The path of devotion.
4. Raja Yoga-Raja Yoga centers on self-discipline. The eight-fold path includes: self-control, discipline, physical exercises, breath exercises, withdrawal of the sense from the external world, concentration, meditation and complete realization. 

This article was very helpful in understanding the Hindu system:

https://www.yogaindailylife.org/system/en/the-four-paths-of-yoga