A Sotāpanna will contemplate aging, pain, and death as something natural

Than Ajahn: Desire has ten factors altogether. A Sotāpanna is able to stop three factors of delusion that cause desire. The first is sakkāya–diṭṭhi, delusion which sees that the five khandhas of body, feeling, memory, thinking, and sensory consciousness as myself, as belonging to me. In truth, they do not. The body is merely a puppet that we acquire through our father and mother.

Feeling, memory, thinking, and sense consciousness are conditions of the mind that arise and cease in line with various conditions and supporting factors. If there are causes that create it, it will arise. If there are causes that condition it to stop, it will stop. It is not us, and does not belong to us.

If we can give up sakkaya-diṭṭhi, we can become a Sotāpanna, for we will be able to remove our desire to not experience old age, pain, and death. We will be able to see that we cannot wish the body to be otherwise. Wishing it not to be old, feel pain, or die is not possible.

A Sotāpanna will thus accept old age, pain, and death and therefore will not be afraid of old age, pain, and death. Not fearing pain and death, a sotāpanna will not create demerit and will not be involved with any ritual to repel bad luck so as to safeguard their life or disperse away pain and illness. When we are about to die or are in pain and sickness, we make merit to repel difficulties. It is too troublesome to make merit at nine or ten temples so as to avert death, sickness, and pain, and making merit like this is futile. If we have to die while working, we will still die. If we have to fall sick and be in pain, we will still have to experience sickness and pain.

Question: An Anāgāmī has to contemplate the body all the time, but does a Sotāpanna need to do the same everyday as well?

Than Ajaan: Yes, they both contemplate the body, but there is a difference. A Sotāpanna will contemplate aging, pain, and death as something natural. They contemplate that it is just a body, not us, or belonging to us, just like the bodies of other people. We need not be too troubled if it becomes old, feels pain, or dies. It is not a matter that concerns us. We are the mind, which senses and knows impartially without attachment.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto