lit. 'fruit'. -

• 1. result, effect (often together with hetu, cause );

• 2. benefit (e.g. in Sāmañña-phala Sutta, 'The Results, or Benefits, of Recluseship'; D.2).

As 'path-result', or 'fruition', it denotes those moments of supermundane consciousness which flash forth immediately after the moment of path-consciousness (s. ariya-puggala) and which, till the attainment of the next higher path, may during the practice of insight (vipassanā, q.v.) still recur innumerable times. If thus repeated, they are called the 'attainment of fruition (phalasamāpatti), which is explained in detail in Vis.M. XXIII.