1.3.10. Anāgāmī

“When you make the two one,
and when you make the inner as the outer and the outer as the inner…
then shall you enter the Kingdom.”

The Anāgāmī represents a profound milestone on the spiritual path — the third grade of enlightenment where sensory attachments and ill-will are completely transcended. This chapter explores how this state manifests as natural healing abilities and karmic mastery, while examining its parallels to the alchemical Albedo phase. We’ll investigate how the Anāgāmī’s consciousness transforms from individual seeker to universal healer, and why this stage represents a critical choice point between contentment and further spiritual development.

The Anāgāmī is the name of a being who has realised the third grade of enlightenment. While this is a Buddhist term, one assumes they describe a real phenomenon through the lens of Buddhism. The Anāgāmī is the equivalent stage of Albedo or the whitening of the stone in alchemical tradition. The stone represents the Subjective Reality of the alchemist, which has deviated from normal fate and now has mastered sensory-based karma.

Anāgāmī means non-returner — what does this mean? The mind of the Anāgāmī no longer clings to sensory experience, nor will ill-will arise spontaneously. With the breakthrough into the third level of transcendental experience (known as the third stage of enlightenment or Sakadāgāmī), the mind completely liberates itself from all of the gross (first five) fetters. At a fundamental level, the mind of the Anāgāmī will never cling enough to sensory-based desire (or ill will) to permit rebirth in the sensory realm. They have cut away the gross fetters which bind them to this part of saṃsāra and will never return to the earthly realm.

The Anāgāmī realises that attachment to sensory phenomena and ill-will are tiresome distractions and, having made a resolve to work on refraining from such mental states, tends to become both benevolent and healing. No longer operating out of a sense of selfness and eager to settle the troubled minds of others, they become natural healers. They do this through restoring balance, by acting to dampen karmic forces. They tend to absorb unwholesome karma directed at them through wisdom, compassion and understanding, whilst themselves being natural beacons of wisdom and calmness.

In alchemy, we learn that at the state of whiteness, the stone is capable of turning base metals into silver. We are halfway there, and now the stone displays magical, transformative properties. Silver, in alchemy, is a reference to the moon. The moon creates cycles, evident both astrologically and biologically. It is the lesser light of the firmament.

So, the stone, or Subjective Reality of the alchemist at Albedo, is one that restores harmony and balance. It heals, not through any positive influence, but more through an elimination of what causes imbalance. Through wisdom, insight and earthly detachment, the Anāgāmī is able to naturally heal and restore balance.

For many, this is the ceiling of their earthly journey. There really is no need to seek further unless one is driven by a greater goal. The Anāgāmī will, upon earthly death, be reborn in a fairly exclusive region of the mental heavens, where they will achieve full realisation.

However, if they wish to pursue the path, this is when the real inner work is set to begin. Generally, at this stage, the material life of the Anāgāmī is approximating their spiritual life. Things make sense, and their understanding of karma tends to create relative success and fortune. Some are more than content supporting a family or community with their wisdom and providence.

In alchemy, this is the stage of multiplication — an integration between the personal, often solitary existence of the once hermit with their social environment. Such an individual has found deep peace and will find genuine enjoyment in helping others face the challenges of life.

There might arise at some later time, maybe even shortly before the physical death of the Anāgāmī, a certain restlessness with the status quo, and once again they might look deeper into conditioned reality.

This journey of the Anāgāmī represents a profound transformation in consciousness, where the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds begin to dissolve. Like the alchemical process of turning base metals to silver, the Anāgāmī’s presence transmutes the suffering of others into wisdom and peace. Their path illuminates the possibility of transcending earthly attachments while remaining deeply engaged in the healing of the world, much like the moon’s gentle light that guides travellers through darkness.

This text is excerpted from the book Nigredo: A Course in Modern Alchemy. The complete book includes additional study guides, resources, and appendices. View the full book here.