Why haven't there been any cases where someone was converted from a state of Sotapanna/Nirvana?

[Ben_Sinner]

These are “states” in Buddhism where one reaches unshakable faith, meaning it is literally impossible for them to doubt it, in what they understand to be what reality is really like (and it isn’t compatible with Christianity). Such things as there is no ‘I’, there is no beginning or end, there is no God, etc.

For us Catholics, these are deceitful smoke and mirrors caused by the devil to turn us away from Christ. Does that mean if one were to reach that state of mind, they would be lost forever? Why haven’t there been any cases where someone reached full “enlightenment” and was then later converted to Christian thought? (ex: Such as an extremely devout Buddhist monk who reached nirvana, but later realized nirvana was false and became a Catholic monk and turned to God’s real truth.)

 

[GEddie]

Isn’t nirvana achieved only post death?

 

[dshix]

These are “states” in Buddhism where one reaches unshakable faith, meaning it is literally impossible for them to doubt it, in what they understand to be what reality is really like (and it isn’t compatible with Christianity). Such things as there is no ‘I’, there is no beginning or end, there is no God, etc.

For us Catholics, these are deceitful smoke and mirrors caused by the devil to turn us away from Christ. Does that mean if one were to reach that state of mind, they would be lost forever? Why haven’t there been any cases where someone reached full “enlightenment” and was then later converted to Christian thought? (ex: Such as an extremely devout Buddhist monk who reached nirvana, but later realized nirvana was false and became a Catholic monk and turned to God’s real truth.)

Presuming the person is still physically alive, no, it’s not impossible, strictly speaking, for them to convert. The grace of the Holy Spirit can touch even the most hardened souls.

 

[Ben_Sinner]

Isn’t nirvana achieved only post death?

No. The Buddha achieved it while he was still alive. As for sotapaana (stream entry), that is also achieved during life as well, there are even stories in the Pali Canon where some people reached sotpaana just by listening to Buddha teach them.

 

[Ben_Sinner]

Presuming the person is still physically alive, no, it’s not impossible, strictly speaking, for them to convert. The grace of the Holy Spirit can touch even the most hardened souls.

Ok. I’m just wondering why there have been no conversion stories though. Reaching nirvana almost sounds like the unpardonable sin, because I’ve never heard of anyone who reached it, but later ‘snapped out of it’. The fact that hasn’t happened makes it appear like nirvana is actually a real thing which kind of worries me.

 

[Ben_Sinner]

And also the fact that apparently the person who reaches this no longer lives by faith, but absolutely believes in it because it is now “clear”.

Doubt about the Buddha, his teaching (Dharma), and his community (Sangha) is eradicated because the sotāpanna personally experiences the true nature of reality through insight, and this insight confirms the accuracy of the Buddha’s teaching. Seeing removes doubt, because the sight is a form of vision (dassana), that allows one to know (ñāṇa).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sot%C4%81panna

 

[dshix]

Ok. I’m just wondering why there have been no conversion stories though. Reaching nirvana almost sounds like the unpardonable sin, because I’ve never heard of anyone who reached it, but later ‘snapped out of it’. The fact that hasn’t happened makes it appear like nirvana is actually a real thing which kind of worries me.

The issue here is that the act of entering a state of nirvana is an act of the will made repetitively over a long period of time. The person who is attempting this is focusing his entire mind on that one object. It’s hard for a soul to hear God’s voice when that soul is so completely distracted by the goal of achieving this state of “mental immersion” with nothingness.

Perhaps you have never heard of a conversion occurring because it has never been recorded, or perhaps the concept of attaining nirvana is really an extremely dangerous path for a soul to take, because it takes away much of that soul’s ability to hear God’s voice.