The Ten Fetters of Buddhism
The ten fetters (samyojana) are mental bindings that, when seen through, lead to liberation. Not as philosophy — as direct experience.
What Are the Ten Fetters in Buddhism?
In Theravada Buddhism, the ten fetters (Pali: samyojana) are mental chains that bind beings to the cycle of suffering (samsara). They're not sins to avoid or virtues to cultivate — they're illusions to see through.
The Buddhist fetters aren't overcome through belief, effort, or practice alone. They dissolve through direct seeing — looking at your actual experience and discovering what's really there. This is the path to awakening taught by the Buddha.
The Four Stages of Awakening
The fetters are traditionally grouped by the stages of awakening:
Stream Entry (Sotāpanna)
Breaking the first three fetters. The "stream" of liberation has been entered — there's no going back.
- I. Self-View — The core illusion
- II. Doubt — Falls automatically
- III. Rites & Rituals — Falls automatically
Non-Returner (Anāgāmī)
Fully breaking fetters IV and V.
Arahant
Breaking the five subtle fetters.
Individual Fetter Guides
The belief in a separate experiencer, doer, or thinker.
Uncertainty about the path and the possibility of liberation.
Attachment to practices as ends in themselves.
The pull toward pleasant experiences.
The push away from unpleasant experiences.
Attachment to refined states and subtle experiences.
Attachment to formless states and pure awareness.
The subtle sense of "I am" — the primal feeling of being.
Subtle agitation and the inability to rest completely.
The final veil — the root of all fetters.
Ready to Look?
The Fetters app guides you through each fetter with AI-powered inquiry based on Liberation Unleashed methodology.
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