Worldlings: Who are the many folk?

Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary (palikanon.com) edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

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The uninstructed worldling (puthujjana) is, literally, "one of the many folk," an "ordinary person."

"Worldling" refers to any layperson or monastic who is still bound by all Ten Fetters which bind beings to the Round of Rebirths and has therefore not yet reached any of the Four Stages of Enlightenment (to become a noble one or aryan-puggala).

"Whosoever is neither freed from the three fetters (personality-belief, skeptical doubt, clinging to mere rules and rituals to try to gain enlightenment) nor on the way to dropping these three things, such a person is called a 'worlding'" (Pug. 9).

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According to the Commentary to MN 9, a "worlding" may be one of four types:

• (1) an outsider (non-Buddhist) who, if one at least believes in moral causation (karma), may be said to have right view to that extent, but one does not yet have "knowledge conforming to the truths" (saccā-nulomika-ñāna), as does
• (2) a "worldling within the Buddha's Dispensation" (sāsanika).
• In addition, a worlding drawn to Buddhism may be either:
• (3) a "blind worldling" (andha-putthujjana) who has neither knowledge of nor interest in the fundamental Teachings (Four Noble Truths, Noble Eightfold Path, Five Aggregates, the links of Dependent Origination, etc.) or
• (4) a "noble worldling" (kalyāna-putthujjana) who has some knowledge and earnestly strives to understand and put into practice these Teachings.

See Atthasālini Tr. II, 451 (translated by "average person"); Commentary to MN 1, DN 1. Source