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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: Big Uncle on March 10, 2011, 02:37:15 AM
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I am just curious because some levels of Arhats are 'no-returners' or 'once-returner'. I wonder where do they go after they leave their earthly body? They are not yet a Buddha so they must abide somewhere... Where is that?
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I think this is the same category of questions as “Where is Nirvana?".
I believe that it is not a ‘place’ that an Arhat, say of the ‘level’ of ‘no-returner’, goes to when he leaves his earthly body, just as Buddha Shakyamuni didn’t leave His earthly body when he became enlightened under the Bodhi tree.
Be it ‘Nirvana’ or ‘Ultimate Nirvana’, these are just states of mind. In further response, I will quote from two sources of ‘reference’.
The first is from Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse in his lovely book “What Makes You Not A Buddhist?”. As the fourth seal of Buddhism, he states: “Nirvana is beyond concepts”. I take this to mean that it is beyond our conceptual mind, our mind of grasping at the dualistic perception of things, to fathom what Nirvana is. We have to go beyond our conceptual, dualistic mind to realize Nirvana.
The second is from the Heart Sutra. “Since that is the case, Shariputra, Bodhisattvas do not ‘attain’ anything. …..By passing beyond mistaken minds they go to ultimate nirvana”. To me, this means that Buddhahood is not an 'attainment'. Our own true nature is the Buddha nature, which is now hidden behind thick layers of obscuration and negativities. Ultimate nirvana is when we have cleared away all these layers, have become non-dualistic and can see ourselves and phenomena as all really are. There is no goal to achieve. It’s just ‘returning’ to our own true nature. (Yet even here, I fear I’m responding with my limited conceptual mind).
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I am just curious because some levels of Arhats are 'no-returners' or 'once-returner'. I wonder where do they go after they leave their earthly body? They are not yet a Buddha so they must abide somewhere... Where is that?
I have always understood this as a "no-returner as a sentient being" and as a "once-returner as a 'non-yet liberated from samsara-being' "
Anyone correct me if necessary.
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So if the state arhats achieved is beyond concepts and physical location. Why do they still need to practice the 10 stages of Bodhisattvahood to become a Buddha? If they don't take rebirth in Samsara, why do Arhats need to practice anymore? It sounds a little complicated and unnecessary...
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Thanks for posting this thread. I do not have much knowledge about Arhats and have always wanted to understand more. I am looking forward to the sharing...
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So if the state arhats achieved is beyond concepts and physical location. Why do they still need to practice the 10 stages of Bodhisattvahood to become a Buddha? If they don't take rebirth in Samsara, why do Arhats need to practice anymore? It sounds a little complicated and unnecessary...
I think this is because arhats have not achieved buddhahood yet, and the 10 stages of bodhisattvas are meant to the achievement of buddhahood.
Arhats have achieved liberation from samsara, but they have not done so with a bodhicitta motivation, the factor necessary to the achievement of buddhahood.
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I found this article. It is from the Buddhist Philosophy by Daniel Cozort and Craig Preston. I know it talks about Nirvana (which was brought up by Vajrastorm), but it does cover the question of where arhats abide.... I think. The relevant part is from where I highlighted onwards...
(http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/N64_8.html)
Nirvana With and Without "Remainder"
Nirvana is neither a place nor a mental state. It is a fact about us. A nirvana is the absence of afflictions in someone whose cultivation of wisdom has resulted in the destruction of ignorance, desire, hatred, etc. That mere absence is the nirvana.
On that, all Buddhist schools agree. However, they disagree over the use of the term "remainder" used in conjunction with nirvana. Other than Prasangika, it is said that after a person attains nirvana, he or she subsequently can be said to have a "nirvana with remainder," the "remainder" being the body and mind. Death cuts the remainder. However, the nirvana without remainder is a single moment, occurring just at the time of death but not after. After death there is no person to whom the nirvana can belong!
Hinayana schools do not recognize any existence after death for an Arhat. The Mahayana schools do, and all except Asanga's say that Arhats manifest in different forms, no longer helplessly reborn according to karma, and continue to cultivate wisdom and merit until they have become Buddhas. Because Asanga and his followers say that there are Arhats who do not go on to Buddhahood, they must explain that those Arhats are born in the pure lands of Buddhas and abide there forever in meditative absorption.
The Prasangika school uses the term "remainder" in a completely different manner. For them, "remainder" has to do with whether or not to an Arhat things still appear to have true existence. To explain this, we have to recall what was said previously about the obstructions to liberation and obstructions to omniscience. What prevents our liberation is our conceptions of inherent existence. Things appear to us as though they exist from their own side, independently, and we assent to this appearance by conceiving of them in this way. Meditation that analyzes the way things exist will destroy this false conception, and we can be liberated from it and from the samsara it causes.
However, because of the way we have been conditioned, which in Buddhism is a process without beginning, things still appear to exist inherently. The liberated person is someone who no longer assents to this appearance, who is always doubtful of the evidence of the senses and resists conceiving of them in the wrong way. He or she is like someone who wears sunglasses, well aware that the green tint pervading all visible objects is just the effect of the lenses. It takes a very long time for the appearance of inherent existence itself to fade. Those "taints" of appearances are the obstructions to omniscience.
From this perspective, then, an Arhat experiences a nirvana with remainder most of the time, since most of the time things appear falsely. But then, when does a nirvana without remainder occur? It occurs only when that person is meditating on emptiness because at that time only emptiness appears to the mind. For nonBuddhas, it is impossible for both emptiness and other things to appear to the mind simultaneously. (Another way of putting this is to say that the two truths cannot appear simultaneously to a non-Buddha's mind.)
So, both Prasangikas and others could identify an Arhat's usual state, the time when he or she is not absorbed in meditation on emptiness, as a nirvana with remainder, but they would mean very different things by it. Prasangikas would mean that things falsely appear to the mind; others would mean that the Arhat is alive. Similarly, both Prasangikas and others would identify the nirvana of an Arhat at the time of death as being a nirvana without remainder but they would mean something different by it. Prasangikas would mean that at that time there is no false appearance to the mind (because, for a short time, only a vacuity appears to the mind), whereas others would mean that the body and mind are abandoned.
Other than the purpose of again pressing home their contention about the empty nature of things, why do Prasanigikas change this terminology? Jamyang Shayba here gives two arguments. First, it makes no sense to say that there is any person who experiences a nirvana without remainder if that means that the aggregates are abandoned. There is no person once the aggregates are destroyed. Second, the language that suggests that Arhats "extinguish" their aggregates really just refers to their emptiness. Like all things, our bodies and minds are "primordially extinguished" into emptiness because they are, and always have been, empty of inherent existence.
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This is interesting as well. It is from a teaching during a Manjushri retreat in 2008 called "20 Mind Training like Rays of the Sun" by Ven. Thubten Chodron. He seems to have the same idea about what happens to arhats after they "die"....
Arhatship: nirvana with remainder and nirvana without remainder
And I've been doing some study recently, one of my Tibetan teachers asked me to learn more about the Theravada tradition. So I've been doing some study and I really enjoy it and it's a wonderful complement, I’m understanding many things that we hear about in the Sanskrit tradition that aren't explained fully I'm seeing in the Pali tradition. And seeing many quotations that we use in the lamrim, and finding them in the Pali Sutras. And it's a very exciting process. But one thing that I've really been seeing is following this track in the Pali sutras, to become a stream enterer, once returner, a non-returner and then an arhat. And then the discussion of what happens when you've become an arhat.
And first of all, sometimes people in the Mahayana tradition look down at the arhats because sometimes in the Mahayana sutras they're not expressed very favorably. But the Buddha himself said in the Pali sutras that his disciples are there to teach the Dharma for the benefit of the world and the welfare of the world, and with compassion. So it's quite clear that they have compassion and they want to benefit others. But in thinking about the goal of arhatship and the discussion of what happens when you become an arhat, because when you become an arhat, okay, your afflictions are eliminated. As it's presented in the Pali canon; you still may have some karma left on your mindstream, but it can't ripen in future rebirths because your craving and your ignorance have been eliminated. So in the lifetime when you become an arhat, it's called nirvana with remainder, the remainder being the tainted aggregates that you took at the beginning of that lifetime. Because when you were born at the beginning of that lifetime you were still under the influence of ignorance and so your five aggregates are tainted or contaminated in that way. And they don't get purified, they're still the same aggregates you have when you're born, so it's called arhatship with remainder of those five tainted aggregates. And then when you die, you become an arhat without the remainder of those five aggregates. But it's not quit sure what happens. It's said that you get nibbana-ized.
The Buddha was quite strict, it's not that you cease totally when you attain arhatship—nirvana without remainder. I mean he was quite clear about when people were asking, “Does an arhat, or does a Tathagata exist after death, not exist, both, and neither?” He very clearly negated the possibility of total non-existence. But they don't have in the Pali tradition, they don't really say what happens to the arhat. It's just they shed these five aggregates and so then there's nothing with which to identify the arhat with; because without the five contaminated aggregates there's nothing, where do you say there's a person? And yet they're not totally non-existent. That’s how it's presented in the Pali canon.
In the Sanskrit canon, or at least in the Tibetan tradition, when you have arhatship without remainder you abide in meditative equipoise on emptiness for a long, long time. So consciousness still exists, the person still exists, it's merely labeled in dependence upon those aggregates, which are not tainted aggregates, but not completely purified aggregates. Although they're free from ignorance, so they're untainted. Yes, they would be untainted. They still have the cognitive obscurations but they would be untainted. So you abide in the nirvana for eons in your meditative equipoise until eventually the Buddha wakes you up and says, “You have to work for the benefit of sentient beings, your job isn't really done.” So that's from a Mahayana viewpoint, what's happened to the arhats.
And in doing all this study I realized that there's something about that kind of arhatship, that it's wonderful to be out of samsara, but I don't feel super inspired by it. Because yes, samsara is awful, and yes, I want to get out; but then to stay in my own meditative equipoise afterwards, then there's still the thing of what's the purpose. I accomplished my own purpose and got out of samsara, but what's the purpose in the long term? And so I think that's where bodhicitta, at least for me personally, gives some kind of vision that goes on into the future that is really how to make your existence quite valuable and meaningful over a long period of time. Because as a Buddha you then have the ability to manifest in may different forms and many different bodies to work for the benefit of sentient beings. So you're always busy.
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So if the state arhats achieved is beyond concepts and physical location. Why do they still need to practice the 10 stages of Bodhisattvahood to become a Buddha? If they don't take rebirth in Samsara, why do Arhats need to practice anymore? It sounds a little complicated and unnecessary...
I think this is because arhats have not achieved buddhahood yet, and the 10 stages of bodhisattvas are meant to the achievement of buddhahood.
Arhats have achieved liberation from samsara, but they have not done so with a bodhicitta motivation, the factor necessary to the achievement of buddhahood.
Would it be correct to say then that Arhats are "stuck" somewhere for a very long time, perhaps in bliss but not achieve full enlightenment. Wouldn't this state be similar in someways to the gods, where they do not experience sufferings (until much much later), thus so much time is wasted as that life is not used to pursue Bodhicitta?
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The difference between the gods and arhats is that gods are still in samsara whereas arhats have attained liberation from samsara. Gods will still have to be reborn and as they have not collected any merit but have instead exhausted all their merits, they will most probably be reborn in the Lower Realms. A negative throwing karma will surface at the time of their end, as they had been chasing one pleasure after another, in continuous pursuit of their self-centered cravings.
Wherever the arhats ‘abide’, be they ‘with’ or ‘without remainder’, their state of ‘bliss’ may last for eons longer then the gods of the formless realm . Yet, as has been said, all this ‘bliss’ seem purposeless. Yes, wouldn’t they themselves realize , one day, that there must be more in ‘being’ than in just being stuck in perpetual ‘bliss’. ‘Bliss’ over too long a period will surely become boring. Then they would seriously question why they are remaining there when there is so much suffering amongst other sentients beings. When they realize this and decide to come back to samsara to help other beings, they will have to start all over again. As is said in the Lamrim, why don’t we walk the Path to Full Enlightenment once; why walk the path twice and start all over again a second time. You will have to return to samsara and start developing bodhicitta and move up the ten bodhisattva levels to full Buddhahood. It is also said in the Lamrim that arhats still have some traces of ‘obstruction’ to complete omniscience and they have yet to abandon the four causes of ignorance.
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Thanks Vajrastorm. Your sharing added on to the little I know of arhats.
Guess the requirement to become enlightened is achieving both compassion and wisdom. The state of an arhat clearly shows both compassionate action and all seeing wisdom is lacking even at such a high state.
This goes to show also how subtle and deeply rooted our ignorance can be to keep us in samsara.
Also reading this posting brings to mind how important meeting a Guru and receiving direct instructions is so crucial. How can one get there without a teacher? Impossible.
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is it possible to just gain enlightenment, instead of being an arhat first?
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Wow, I love the discussion and from what I read in the posts, Arhats are in deep sleep until a Buddha wakes them up and tells them to practice again! What if a Buddha never wakes them up?
What if they are forgotten? So they sleep for all eternity enveloped by the meditation on Emptiness? Sounds good and extremely boring! It almost sound very selfish. Perhaps, thats why they need to practice Bodhisattvahood to become a Buddha (total selflessness).
No wonder in Mahayana, they don't talk much of being an Arhat and suggests we practice the path of Bodhisattvahood. After all, arhats have to thread on the same path once more in order to realise their own Enlightenment. However, Arhats do belong in the field of merit or are still proper objects of refuge.
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is it possible to just gain enlightenment, instead of being an arhat first?
Did a bit more research and studying up on Arhats. Here's what I learnt.
There are two types of obscurations -
1. Obscuration of Liberation
2. Obscuration of Omniscience
To become a Buddha, we need to rid off both obscurations.
Arhats have attained liberation from samsara, thus they have rid themselves of obscuration of liberation..but not obscuration of omniscience.
To gain enlightenment requires one to rid off all the obscurations and the seeds/stains. Honorific titles (for lack of a better word) are given to show the attainments. In this case..."arhats", "tathagathas" etc....
Our goal is not to become an arhat but to be fully enlightened. Thus, Je Tsongkhapa's teachings on both compassion and wisdom is so precious. I think in this lineage, with the guidance of a qualified Guru, it is possible to be enlightened without having to become an arhat. Please correct me if it is an incorrect view.
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Would it be correct to say then that Arhats are "stuck" somewhere for a very long time, perhaps in bliss but not achieve full enlightenment.
Wouldn't this state be similar in someways to the gods, where they do not experience sufferings (until much much later), thus so much time is wasted as that life is not used to pursue Bodhicitta?
If arhats can return to samsara because of extremely subtle karma still at work, then have they really been out of samsara in the first place?
I was told that arhat are on the top level of heavens, formless, in absolute bliss created by extremely good karma.
This later description makes sense to me if they are indeed still subject to their karma, however subtle it is... Then they must still be within the rules of samsara (karma).
Only once one is no more subject to karma is one free from samsara, that is Buddhahood, and only Buddhahood.
Do I get this right?
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is it possible to just gain enlightenment, instead of being an arhat first?
Did a bit more research and studying up on Arhats. Here's what I learnt.
There are two types of obscurations -
1. Obscuration of Liberation
2. Obscuration of Omniscience
To become a Buddha, we need to rid off both obscurations.
Arhats have attained liberation from samsara, thus they have rid themselves of obscuration of liberation..but not obscuration of omniscience.
To gain enlightenment requires one to rid off all the obscurations and the seeds/stains. Honorific titles (for lack of a better word) are given to show the attainments. In this case..."arhats", "tathagathas" etc....
Our goal is not to become an arhat but to be fully enlightened. Thus, Je Tsongkhapa's teachings on both compassion and wisdom is so precious. I think in this lineage, with the guidance of a qualified Guru, it is possible to be enlightened without having to become an arhat. Please correct me if it is an incorrect view.
If one is liberated from Samsara but has not attained total omniscience. What's the point in attaining total omniscience? We are already out of Samsara right? That's what matters most, right? What's the point in attaining total omniscience when we don't have to suffer in Samsara?
Hope rainbow says that we are not out of Samsara when we are not fully enlightened. Arhats are not fully enlightened but in the highest heavens? That means they are still in Samsara, right? That means their experience of joy and bliss will come to an end?
More questions! Sorry guys...
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Eventually, if (if) there is such an option as being out of samsara and enjoy this freedom without generating compassion and altruism over the beings that are still stuck in samsara and suffer greatly, I don't see how this could be a state of "peace of mind", not to mention bliss?
There must be a thought arising at one moment: "what about all others? Can I actually do something for them?"
Eventually, that thought is meant to overcome the numbing comfort of "bliss", because it seems to me as being the only thought that makes sense.
Example: I manage to get on board a small rescue boat after the Titanic has sunk, and I hear the screams and sighs of the other passengers freezing, drowning, dying. Sure I would not have a peace of mind... unless I generate no compassion.
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In Pabongka Rinpoche’s “Liberation in The Palm of Your Hand”, Day 4, The Refuge Visualizations, we are told that for the fourth Object of Refuge- the Sangha- the Arhats (the Shravakas and the Pratyekabuddhas)and Boddhisattvas are the Sutric Sangha and the Dakas, Dakinis and Dharma Protectors are the Tantric Sangha. If the Arhats are the Sangha we take refuge in, they can’t possibly be still in Samsara, can they?
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In Pabongka Rinpoche’s “Liberation in The Palm of Your Hand”, Day 4, The Refuge Visualizations, we are told that for the fourth Object of Refuge- the Sangha- the Arhats (the Shravakas and the Pratyekabuddhas)and Boddhisattvas are the Sutric Sangha and the Dakas, Dakinis and Dharma Protectors are the Tantric Sangha. If the Arhats are the Sangha we take refuge in, they can’t possibly be still in Samsara, can they?
This is what I say on this:
Being a Sangha member does not equate with being enlightened.
Being a Sangha member equates with "living by the Buddha's teachings" and is relevant to vows taken to that effect.
Sangha is like a spiritual nurse.
Buddha (enlightened being) is like a spiritual doctor.
The nurse does not qualify as a doctor, but the doctor can act as a nurse.
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If Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can emanate themselves into samsara to teach Dharma to sentient beings, do Arhats can perform emanation feat as well?
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Thanks for the explanation of the Arhats and enlightenment.
I heard from few of senior practitioners in Theravada school that some of senior monks aim his practice to gain enlighten but when the time he passing he changed to enter to Arhatship instead of continue to Buddhahood, is this possible?
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If one is liberated from Samsara but has not attained total omniscience. What's the point in attaining total omniscience? We are already out of Samsara right? That's what matters most, right? What's the point in attaining total omniscience when we don't have to suffer in Samsara?
Hope rainbow says that we are not out of Samsara when we are not fully enlightened. Arhats are not fully enlightened but in the highest heavens? That means they are still in Samsara, right? That means their experience of joy and bliss will come to an end?
More questions! Sorry guys...
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Dear Big Uncle,
If I may. Hope it helps.
I did a few research and found that arhats are free from rebirth but that doesn't mean that they enlightened as they lacked ability in skillful means to progress as bodhisattvas toward complete enlightenment.
Free of rebirth. What is meant by "free of rebirth"? It means they have ended birth and death. They no longer suffer its misery. However, they have only ended share section birth and death. They have not yet ended change birth and death, so they are only Arhats. If you can cultivate the 250 precepts, then you will accomplish your study of the precepts. If you value purity in all things, then you will accomplish your study of samadhi. If you cultivate the Way of the Four Truths, then you will accomplish your study of wisdom. In this way, you will cultivate precepts, samadhi, and wisdom to perfection; and you will destroy greed, hatred, and stupidity. Once you have destroyed greed, hatred, and stupidity, you become an Arhat. There are four kinds of Arhats: first, second, third, and fourth stage Arhats. One who accomplishes the fourth stage of Arhatship truly ends birth and death.
The four stages are :
1. Stream-entrant when one has profound faith in what one is doing because the results are emerging and the process is very obvious. If we compared the path of meditation to unblocking a drain, it is at this stage that -after poking for ages with the rods- the blockage clears and the water starts to flow swiftly.
2. Once-returner when one has purified so much of one's mind and karma that there will be only one more rebirth in the world.
3. Non-returner when one is living that last life in which one becomes an Arhat.
4. Arhat the final achievement when every trace, gross or subtle, of ego-delusion and its subsequent desires, anger, jealousy, pride and confusion are all irreversibly eliminated from the mind and the mind will rest continuously in deep, far-reaching meditation.
Nirvana is not something in particular: not something that is . Nirvana means "suffering transcended". In other words, it is defined by what it isn't: it isn't suffering. It means that you have got free from suffering forever. It is like saying, "got out of the fire". One is no longer being burnt by the sufferings of life. But this does not tell us where we actually are: in a swimming-pool, up a mountain, in a space-capsule. It only tells us that we are out of the fire. So this word nirvana can cover many possibilities. This will become important when we look at the way of the bodhisattva. We will find that the bodhisattva is trying to achieve a much higher nirvana than that of the Arhat. Both are nirvana in as much as both have gone beyond the suffering of the world because both have ceased creating the karma that causes suffering. But the bodhisattva aims to become a Buddha and a Buddha has far more qualities than an Arhat and has removed more blockages from the mind.
To give an analogy: if we think of worldliness as the planet Earth, the Arhat has gone beyond the Earth's gravitational field and is floating in the space of meditation. The Buddha has also gone beyond the Earth's gravity but has reached the heart of the Sun of Wisdom.
Now let us return to the way of the Arhat. It consists of the Triple Training: Conduct, Meditation and Wisdom. I think you may know these. The basis for the Arhat's path to the Arhat's nirvana is a very pure ethical and moral conduct in all one says, all one does physically and also in one's profession. In one respect, it is similar to the careful attention to karma of the first type of valuable human being. But the motivation is different. Here the pure conduct is aimed at switching off the video of life, not at making it into a better film! This different motivation channels things differently. It is like earning the same amount of money but investing it in another account. The Arhat's good karma is not paying the worldly mortgage - it is going in to the permanent retirement fund.
http://www.samyeling.org/index/the-ways-of-the-arhat-and-of-the-bodhisattva (http://www.samyeling.org/index/the-ways-of-the-arhat-and-of-the-bodhisattva)
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In the Lamrim teachings it is said that the motivation to be an Arhat (medium scope) is inferior to the motivation of boddhicitta (great scope). The analogy given is that if one is training in the Arhat's path and becomes the abbot and then enters the Mahayana path, this abbot will need to work from the bottom ie, do the cleaning, cooking. So of course it is better to enter into the Mahayana path from the beginning.
Also, I have asked the Dharma teacher (lay teacher), where is the Arhat in relation to the Mahayana path. His reply is that it is equal to the first ground boddhisattva on the path of seeing. I think all the replies on this topic support this. The Arhats perceive emptiness directly. There can chose to practice Boddhicitta and proceed to achieve the higher grounds all the way to the ground of "No More Learning" ie Buddhahood. The reason is that only Buddhas has no obscurations to Omniscience and hence can be the of the maximum benefit to all sentient beings.
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There are references, such as in Mahayana texts like the Saddharmapundarika Sutra, where the arahant is said not to have reached final nirvana. Essentially, they're seen as being intoxicated with the bliss of the samadhi of cessation, not the nirvana that's attained by a fully enlightened buddha.
Only the Buddhas are able to awaken these individuals from their temporary cessation in order for them to continue towards complete Buddhahood, which is characterized by omniscience. This is said to be due to Buddhahood being the result of wisdom and merit accumulation, and not just the eradication of afflictions.
As Thubten Chodron explains it:
In the Sanskrit canon, or at least in the Tibetan tradition, when you have arhatship without remainder you abide in meditative equipoise on emptiness for a long, long time. So consciousness still exists, the person still exists, it's merely labeled in dependence upon those aggregates, which are not tainted aggregates, but not completely purified aggregates. Although they're free from ignorance, so they're untainted. Yes, they would be untainted. They still have the cognitive obscurations but they would be untainted.
So you abide in the nirvana for eons in your meditative equipoise until eventually the Buddha wakes you up and says, “You have to work for the benefit of sentient beings, your job isn't really done.” So that's from a Mahayana viewpoint, what's happened to the arhats.
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In the Lamrim teachings it is said that the motivation to be an Arhat (medium scope) is inferior to the motivation of boddhicitta (great scope). The analogy given is that if one is training in the Arhat's path and becomes the abbot and then enters the Mahayana path, this abbot will need to work from the bottom ie, do the cleaning, cooking. So of course it is better to enter into the Mahayana path from the beginning.
Also, I have asked the Dharma teacher (lay teacher), where is the Arhat in relation to the Mahayana path. His reply is that it is equal to the first ground boddhisattva on the path of seeing. I think all the replies on this topic support this. The Arhats perceive emptiness directly. There can chose to practice Boddhicitta and proceed to achieve the higher grounds all the way to the ground of "No More Learning" ie Buddhahood. The reason is that only Buddhas has no obscurations to Omniscience and hence can be the of the maximum benefit to all sentient beings.
If a person already has a medium scope motivation, to move towards great scope motivation, won't it be easier compare to someone who has small scope, although he would need to work from bottom again? He would be progressing way much faster than those who has not much scope to speak off ;D
I heard of we aim for the highest 100%, we may gain 100%, we don't close up the possibilities. But to some the thought of even thinking of 50% or 25%, I am not sure medium scope is how many percent, is also very hard.
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Phra Acharn Maha Boowa Nyanasampanno in his book on the Venerable Phra Acharn Mun (1976:318) defines an arhat as "one who is purified, an enlightened one". He mentions that arhats are divided into four types. Apparently each type of arhat is endowed with particular achievements:
1. Those who have achieved full-final attainment without any by-products. Their minds are absolutely purified, perfected is their task with regard to mind-development, there being for them no more rebirth. In other words, they have met the minimum requirement for such an attainment and are endowed with no additional qualities.
2. Those who have achieved full-final attainment with the three-fold knowledges: recollection of past lives, clairvoyance (into the births and deaths of other beings), and the attainment of insight.
3. Those who have full-final attainment blessed with the sixfold psychical feats. In addition to insight, the minimum requirement, the others are: psychic feats of all kinds (levitation, for example), clairaudience, mind-reading, recollection of past lives, and clairvoyance.
4. Those who have achieved full-final attainment with fluency of discernment which are four in number: fluency in giving explanations or discernment with regards to results, fluency in summarizing or discernment with regards to causes, fluency in the use of words or language, fluency in the manners of application and adaptation.
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What's the difference between an arhat and a Buddha? An arhat is an enlightened being who is liberated from the cycle of death and rebirth. A Buddha is an enlightened being who has realized the ultimate wisdom and has attained perfection. Within the Buddha, there is not even the slightest defilement. But the arhat, although he has ended all vexation and suffering, subtle traces of anger or hatred still remain in him.
There is a story recorded in the Buddhist scriptures that shows the difference between an arhat and a Buddha. Once Buddha and his disciples were on a trip, and one day they came to a vast forest. Suddenly, they saw a little bird, terrified and frantic, being chased by an eagle. Seeing this, a disciple quickly sheltered the little bird under his clothes. Having barely escaped from the jaws of death, the little bird was still trembling all over. The Buddha thereupon took the little bird and held it softly in his bosom. The bird finally calmed down, settled into peace, and was no longer in fear.
This shows that the disciple, who was an arhat, was not able to offer refuge to the bird due to the subtle defilements within him. The Buddha, however, had cleared away all his defilements and hence, was a refuge for all. In the presence of the Buddha, all sentient beings feel completely secure and relieved of fear.
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I know of two options:
- Attains parinirvana.
- Becomes a bodhisattva.
If he attains parinirvana, is that the same as of a buddha, or not? If it is the same, do buddhas remain active saving beings or no? If they do, obviously arhats would do the same. Same if they don't stay. If it is different, what is the difference? Can there be higher and lower freedom from samsara?
If he becomes a bodhisattva, what is the cause? If it is the decision of the arhat, did he make that decision before, or after death? If before, he was already on the bodhisattva path before death and not that of the arhat. If after, then what mental factor could cause such a decision considering he has released all reliance on the aggregates and the aggregates dispersed at the time of death since there was no reason for them to be born. But if there were some attachments left, how could he be called someone free from samsara, an arhat? Or if the joining of the path of the bodhisattva was caused by somebody else, like a buddha, where could that influence take its effect? If it happened before death, again, it wasn't a death of an arhat. If after, what was influenced?
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I have found this passage about Arahats, quoted from the Sutra and I thought that it would be extremely relevant to this thread.
The Lankavatara Sutra: Self-Realisation of Noble Wisdom
Chapter X : Discipleship: Lineage of the Arhats
Then Mahamati asked the Blessed One: Prey tell us how many kinds of disciples there are?
The Blessed One replied: There are as many kinds of disciples as there are individuals, but for convenience they may be divided into two groups: disciples of the lineage of the Arhats, and disciples known as Bodhisattvas. Disciples of the lineage of the Arhats may be considered under two aspects: First, according to the number of times they will return to this life of birth-and-death; and second, according to their spiritual progress. Under the first aspect, they may be subdivided into three groups: The "Stream-entered," the "Once-returning," and the "Never-returning."
The Stream-entered are those disciples, who having freed themselves from the attachments to the lower discriminations and who have cleansed themselves from the twofold hindrances and who clearly understand the meaning of the twofold egolessness, yet who still cling to the notion of individuality and generality and to their own egoness. They will advance along the stages to the sixth only to succumb to the entrancing bliss of the Samadhis. They will be reborn seven times, or five times, or three times, before they will be able to pass the sixth stage. The Once-returning are the Arhats, and the Never-returning are the Bodhisattvas who have reached the seventh stage.
The reasons for these graduations is because of their attachment to the three degrees of false-imagination: namely, faith in moral practices, doubt, and the view of their individual personality. When this three hindrances are overcome, they will be able to attain the higher stages. As to moral practices: the ignorant, simple-minded disciples obey the rules of morality, piety and penance, because they desire thereby to gain worldly advancement and happiness, with the added hope of being reborn in more favorable conditions. The Stream-entered ones do not cling to moral practices for any hope of reward for their minds are fixed on the exalted state of self-realisation; the reason they devote themselves to the details of morality is that they wish to master such truths as are in conformity with the undefiled out-flowings. As regards the hindrance of doubt in the Buddha’s teaching, that will continue so long as any of the notions of discrimination are cherished and will disappear when they disappear. Attachment to the view of individual personality will be gotten rid of as the disciple gains a more thorough understanding of the notions of being and non-being, self-nature and egolessness, thereby getting rid of the attachments to his own selfness that goes with those discriminations. By breaking up and clearing away these three hindrances the Stream-entered one will be able to discard all greed, anger and folly.
As for the Once-returning Arhats; there was once in them the discrimination of form, signs, and appearances, but as they gradually learned by right-knowledge not to view individual objects under the aspect of quality and qualifying, and as they became acquainted with what marks the attainment of the practice of dhyana, they have reached the stage of enlightement where in one more rebirth they will be able to put an end to the clinging to their own self-interests. Free from this burden of error and its attachments, the passions will no more assert themselves and the hindrances will be cleared away forever.
Under the second aspect disciples may be grouped according to the spiritual progress they have attained, into four classes, namely, disciples (sravaka), masters (pratyekabuddha), Arhats, and Bodhisattvas.
The first class of disciples mean well but they find it difficult to understand unfamiliar ideas. Their minds are joyful when studying about and practising the things belonging to appearances that can be discriminated, but they become confused by the notion of an uninterrupted chain of causation, and they become fearful when they consider the aggregates that make up personality and its object world as being maya-like, empty and egoless. They were able to advance to the fifth or sixth stage where they are able to do away with the rising of passions, but not with the notions that give rise to passion and, therefore, they are unable to get rid of the clinging to an ego-soul and its accompanying attachments, habits and habit-energy. In this same class the disciples are the earnest disciples of other faiths, who clinging to the notions of such things as, the soul as an external entity, Supreme Atman, Personal God, seek a that is in harmony with them. There are others, more materialistic in their ideas, who think that all things exist in dependance upon causation and, therefore, that Nirvana must be in like dependence. But none of these, earnest though they be, have gained an insight into the truth of the twofold egolessness and are, therefore, of limited spiritual insights as regards deliverance and non-deliverance; for them there is no emancipation. They have great self-confidence but they can never gain a true knowledge of Nirvana until they have learned to disciple themselves in the patient acceptance of the twofold egolessness.
The second class of masters are those who have gained a high degree of intellectual understanding of the truths concerning the aggregates that make up personality and its external world but who are filled with fear when they face the significance and consequences of these truths, and the demands which their learning makes upon them, that is, not to become attached to the external world and its manifold forms making for comfort and power, and to keep away from the entanglements of its social relations. They are attracted by the possibilities that are attainable by so doing, namely, the possesion of miraculous powers such as dividing the personality and appearning in different places at the same time, or manifesting bodies of transformation. To gain these powers they even resort to the solitary life, but this class of master never gets beyond the seductions of their learning and egoism, and their discourses are always in conformity with that characteristic and limitation. Among them are many earnest disciples who show a degree of spiritual insight that is characterised by sincerity and undismayed willingness to meet all the demands that the stages make upon them. When they see that all that nakes up the objective world is only a manifestation of mind, that it is without self-nature, un-born and egoless, they accept it without fear, and when they see their own ego-soul is also empty, un-born and egoless, they are untroubled and undismayed, with earnest purpose they seek to adjust their lives to the full demands of these truths, but they cannot forget the notions that lie back of these facts, especially the notion of their own conscious ego-self and its relation to Nirvana. They are of the Stream-entered class.
The class known as Arhats are those earnest masters who belong to the returning class. But their spiritual insight they have reached the sixth and seventh stages. They have thoroughly understood the truth of the twofold egolessness and the imagelessness of Reality; with them there is no more discrimination, nor passions, nor pride of egoism; they have gained an exalted insight and seen into the immensity of the Buddha-lands. By attaining an inner perception of the true nature of Universal Mind they are steadily purifying their habit-energy. The Arhats has attained emancipation, enlightement, the Dhyanas, the Samadhis, and his whole attention is given to the attainment of Nirvana, but the idea of Nirvana causes mental perturbations because he has the wrong idea of Nirvana. The notions of Nirvana in his mind is divided: he discriminated Nirvana from self, and self from others. He has attained some of the fruits of self-realisation but he still thinks and discourses on the Dhyanas, subjects for meditation, the Samadhis, the fruits. He pridefully says: "There are fetters, but I am disengaged from them." His is a double fault: he both denounces the vices of the ego, and still cling to its fetters. So long as he continues to discriminate notions of dhyana, dhyana practice, subjects fro dhyana, right-knowledge and truth, there is a bewildered state of mind,- he has not attained perfect emancipation. Emancipation comes with the acceptance of imagelessness.
He is master of the Dhyanas and enters into the Samadhis, but to reach the higher stages one must pass beyond the Dhyanas, the immeasurables, the world of no-form, and the bliss of the Samadhis into the Samapattis leading to the cessation of thought itself. The dhyana-practicer, dhyana, the subject of dhyana, the cessation of thought, once-returning, never-returning, all these are divided and bewildering states of mind. Not until all discrimination is abandoned is there perfect emancipation. Thus the Arhats, master of the dhyanas, participating in the Samadhis, but unsupported by the Buddhas yields to the entrancing bliss of the Samadhis – and passes to his Nirvana.
Disciples and masters and Arhats may ascend the stages up to the sixth. They perceive that the triple world is no more than mind itself; they perceive that there is no becoming attached to the multiciplicites of external objects except through the discriminations and activities of the mind itself; they perceive that there is no ego-soul; and, therefore, they attain a measure of tranquilisation. But their tranqulisation is not perfect every minute of their lives, for with them there is something effect-producing, some grasped and grasping, some lingering trace of dualism and egoism. Though disengaged from the habit-energy of passion and, becoming intoxicated with the wine of the Samadhis, they will have their abode in the realm of the out-flowings. Perfect tranqulisation is possible only with the seventh stage. So long as their minds are in confusion, they cannot attain to a clear conviction as to the cessation of all multiplicity and the actuality of the perfect oneness of all things. In their minds the self-nature of things is still discriminated as good and bad, therefore, their minds are in confusion and they cannot pass beyond the sixth stage. But at the sixth stage all discrimination ceases as they become engrossed in the bliss of the Samadhis wherein they cherish the thought of Nirvana and, as Nirvana is possible at the sixth stage, they pass into their Nirvana, but it is not the Nirvana of the Buddhas.
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An arhat (this is Pali; the Sanskrit is arahant) is, in simplest terms, a follower of the Buddha who has attained her or his own Enlightenment. In Southern Buddhism, this was the Ideal. There is only one Buddha in any given Age, according to the Southerners, and the best that anyone else can hope for is Arhatship. This is attained through intense meditation, which leads to Wisdom. When we come to Mahayana Buddhism, a shift in the Ideal takes place. Those who consider Wisdom and the attainment of Enlightenment for themselves to be the goal, and who pursue this without thought for the Enlightenment of others, are deemed selfish or, at the least, truncated somehow. In one scheme, portrayed in the Lankavatara Sutra, there are Ten Stages on the Way to Bodhisattvahood. There is a danger at Stage Six of becoming "enchanted by the bliss of the Samadhis" and thus "pass to their Nirvana" without completing the Way--thus being Arhats, not Bodhisattvas.
However, both Mahayana and Southern Buddhism recognize that the Path of the Arhat is essential; even Bodhisattvas must go through these first six stages, cultivating Wisdom, before moving on to Stages Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten. So the Arhats have been a common motif in Chinese art from the earliest days.
The Chinese call these eighteen the "Lohan." This is derived from "a-lo-han," a phonetic approximation to the Sanskrit "Arahant." In Japan, the abbreviated "lohan" has become "rakkan."
The group of Arhats is often called "The Assembly at Vulture Peak." In Mahayana tradition, the Buddha often met on Mount Gridhrakrta in central India--the peak of which is shaped like a vulture's head--with an astonishing assembly of natural and supernatural beings: "monks and arhats, Boddhisattvas of foreign lands, incalculable numbers of gods, dragons, yaksas, asuras, and other sentient beings." Here he would deliver his sermons, later to become sutras. So the Arhats were key attendants of the Buddha's teachings, and later came to be seen as guardians.
Following are the famous 18 Arhats:
Pindola, The Arhat with Long Eyebrows (1): (Also called Pindola the Bharadvaja)
This Pindola is leader of the Arhats. Sometimes shown with long eyebrows, he and Ajita are sometimes switched, so he is sometimes shown riding a deer. The name "Pindola the Bharadvaja" is sometimes used because one of the candidates for inclusion as a 17th or 18th Arhat is a second Pindola. The eyebrows indicate longevity, signifying seniority and, thus, leadership. Another legend says that he was born with these eyebrows! It seems he had been a monk in a previous life who tried--but failed--to gain Enlightenment. He hung on to life, striving for attainment, for such a long time that finally all that was left were the two long eyebrows!
Kanakavatsa, The Jolly Arhat (2): (Also called Kanaka the Vatsa)
He was a great debater and orator. When seekers asked what happiness was, he would say it came from the five senses; but when asked about Bliss he said it came, not from the outside, but from the inside. Not being subject to changes on the outside, it could then be sustained indefinitely. He is sometimes seen banging cymbals in his joy.
Kanakabharavaja, The Alms Holding Arhat (3): (Also called Kanaka the Bharadvaja)
He was famous for begging with his bowl-and his eyes-upraised, accepting gifts without shame. He is often portrayed with one foot in the air; this may be the position of "royal ease" (one raised knee), but looks more like he is dancing like Shiva! In any case, he represents one who can receive gifts graciously.
Subinda, The Pagoda Holding Arhat (4): (Also called Nandimitra)
This was the last disciple to meet the Buddha before his death; afterward, he carried a pagoda to remind him of the Buddha's earthly presence. The scholar Watters says that he is sometimes portrayed with an alms bowl and an incense burner next to him; he holds a scroll in his left hand, and is snapping the fingers of his right. Watters says, "This gesture is indicative of the rapidity with which he attained spiritual insight." Given how briefly he knew the Buddha, it may also signify his understanding of the impermanence of things.
Nakula, The Silently Seated Arhat (5): (Also called Vakula)
It is said that Nakula was a former warrior with immense strength; all of the violence of his former life led to deep concentration as a monk. Nevertheless, even in meditation, he exuded strength. He is sometimes portrayed holding a rosary, with a small boy by his side. Other portrayals show him with a mongoose, or a three-toed frog; these are perhaps due to associations with other folk figures.
Bhadra, The Arhat Who Crossed the River (6): (Also called Bodhidruma)
Little is known of Bhadra, but much can be said about the attribute of "crossing the river." From the crossing of the Jordan to the crossing of the Rubicon; from dreams of "the other shore," to the silly joke about the chicken and the road, to today's New Age life-after-life show "Crossing Over": This image is widely used for attainment of "the other side," which symbolizes some exalted spiritual state. The Pope is called the "Supreme Pontiff," meaning bridge-builder; the Jain leaders were called "Tirthankara," meaning ford-maker. Almost every religion uses this imagery, and here it is embodied in the slim little figure of Bhadra.
Kalika, The Dust Cleaning Arhat (7):
He is sometimes a dust-cleaner; in other depictions he is an elephant tamer. Can these be reconciled? Easily: The mind is the elephant, and needs to be tamed; the mind is dusty, and needs to be cleaned. These are both traditional Buddhist metaphors for the process and goal of spiritual practice. Both processes require patience, concentration, and diligence. Kalika represents these.
Vajraputra, The Persuading Arhat (8):
This is another tough character to track down. In some iconography, he is a "persuader" who convinced Ananda that both practice and understanding were necessary to achieve Wisdom; in other traditions, he is a "persuader" who tames lions! Having been a lion-killer before becoming a monk, he was later joined by a lion cub who seemed grateful that he had given up his former profession. So he is often portrayed with a lion by his side.
Jivaka, The Heart Exposing Arhat (9): (Also called Gobaka)
Oh, to have the heart of the Buddha! Jivaka was a crown prince, meant to become king. But he wanted to be a monk, and attain Enlightenment. So he went to his second brother and said, "I relinquish the throne, and I will go off to be a monk." His brother, distrustful, thought it best to eliminate him immediately, lest he come back later with an army and stage a coup. "No need," he said, "I have the Buddha in my heart." And in proof, he opened his garments, revealing the image we see at the Temple.
Panthaka, The Arhat with Stretched Arms (10): (Also called Maha-Panthaka, Great Panthaka, or Pantha the Elder)
His name, like his younger brother Culapanthaka's ("Little Panthaka") means "born on the road," and legend says that the brothers were born while their mother was traveling. Others believe the name signifies that they are "on the path" of Buddhism. This elder Panthaka is often considered to have had magical powers; others ascribe to him a leadership role in the early Sangha, and some even say he was a Prince. He is sometimes seen with raised hands indicating that he has just come out of meditation.
Rahula, The Arhat in Deep Concentration (11):
This is the Buddha's son (and one of the original "Four Great Sravakas"). His father left home to seek Enlightenment the day Rahula was born; his name means "fetters," perhaps suggesting that his father saw him as a bond to the householder's life. As a young boy, Rahula sought out his father and asked for his inheritance; the Buddha taught him the Path to Enlightenment. His gentle appearance here betokens his youth in comparison with the other Arhats.
Nagasena, The Ear Cleaning Arhat (12):
The cleaning (or scratching) of his ear signifies that Nagasena ("Dragon Army") was anxious to hear everything correctly. He has been identified with the great scholar Nagasena, who answered King Menander's questions in the famous early Buddhist dialogue The Questions of King Milinda. If so, his careful listening paid off, as King Menander threw at him some of the toughest possible questions, and he answered them thoroughly.
Angaja, The Arhat with a Sack (13): (Also called Angida)
Because of the sack, he has sometimes been confused with Maitreya Bodhisattva, and portrayed as fat and jolly. I have also heard that Maitreya did not take good things out of his sack, but put evil things in. This may be due to confusion with Angaja, who was a snake-catcher by trade. He would catch snakes in his sack, de-fang them, and release them-exchanging bad for good. This kindness allowed him to achieve Enlightenment.
Vanavasin, The Arhat Under the Banana Tree (14): (Also called Vanavasa)
Legend says he was born under a banana tree, or that he was born during a heavy downpour when the banana trees were making a lot of noise. In a homely imitation of the Buddha, he sat under a banana tree where he gained Enlightenment. He is sometimes shown seated on a banana leaf.
Ajita, The Arhat Riding a Deer (15): (Also called Asita)
As mentioned above, he is sometimes confused with Pindola. This comes from a legend that he (or Pindola?) had once left the service of a king and snuck off to become a monk. After his Enlightenment, he rode back into the place (presumably from the mountains) on a deer, was immediately recognized by the guards, and was ushered into the king's presence, where he taught him the Dharma. The king turned the throne over to his son and followed the Arhat out to become a monk.
Cudapanthaka, The Door Watching Arhat (16): (Also called Culapanthaka, or Pantha the Younger)
This is the younger brother of Panthaka above; his name means "Little Panthaka," or Road-born. There are two famous stories about him. One is that he was slow-witted, and unable to learn even a single verse. But the Buddha, using skillful means, taught him to sweep (in some versions, to wipe) and repeat a simple verse, such as "Sweeping broom," to focus his mind. This simple method led him to Enlightenment. Another story says that he used to knock roughly on people's doors to beg for food. Once, he knocked on an old, rotten door, and it fell to pieces! So the Buddha gave him a ringed staff (like that held by Bhadra next to him) and told him to pound the ground with it, instead of pounding on the door with his fist. Through this (and the sweeping association) he came to be thought of as one who guards the doors of the senses, letting only pure things in.
Maitreya, The Tiger Taming Arhat (17 or 18): This is one of our "guest" Arhats.
His identity as Maitreya is something of a problem. Remember that, originally, the Arhats were to remain "on duty" guarding the Dharma until Maitreya came. Well, if Maitreya is one of them, then how…? Anyway, for Maitreya's story, refer back to the section entitled "In the Hall of the Bodhisattvas." The tiger here represents the passions; one story of the tiger-tamer (attributed to the second Pindola--remember, the name is not as important here as the attribute) says that there had been a tiger harassing a town; when the Tiger-Taming Arhat arrived in the area, he suggested feeding the tiger to prevent its depredations. Naturally, the food given was all vegetarian, and the tiger thus became tame!
Mahakassapa,
The Dragon Subduing Arhat (17 or 18): (Also called Kasyapa) This is our second "guest" Arhat, who could be designated "X, The Dragon Subduing Arhat." That he is subduing a dragon--symbol of our deepest inner motivations--is more important than his name, since that changes. However, that he is sometimes the Great Kasyapa, first of the original "Four Great Sravakas" assigned by the Buddha to stay and guard the Dharma, is very interesting indeed. I do not know how he came to be "restored," but here he is. He is best known for the Buddha's famous "Flower Sermon." It is said that on that occasion, the Buddha simply held up a flower, and said nothing. Only Kasyapa signified-by a wordless look-that he understood the Buddha's point, that the Truth is beyond words. Some trace the Zen/Ch'an lineage back to this moment.
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A "non-returner" is someone who is free from desire. Desire is what keeps us in samsara. So he who is free from desire is liberated from samsara, or cyclic existence. He is not reborn in samsara again. He has become an arhat.
A "once-returner" is one who has attained the second stage of the path to Nirvana and will be reborn only once before attaining final liberation. This means he will become an arhat in his next life.
Do arhats go anywhere after their death? You may well ask, "Where is the Buddha now?" As one great monk I know said, "the best answer to this question is, "the Buddha is in your mind which has realized the ultimate truth."
May you be well and happy.
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Geshe Tashi Tsering defines an arhat as "a practitioner who has achieved the state of no more learning accroding to the individual liberation vehicle". Every Buddhist tradition has its Five Paths. In the Theravada or individual liberation vehicle, the path of no more learning is liberation from samsara or cessation of suffering. Cessation can be residual or nonresidual. It is residual when the mind is cleansed of all delusions but the body is still subject to the sufferings inherent in its nature. The body is still bound by sufferings such as old age, sickness and death.
Once the person dies, the body with its residual delusions and karma ceases. This cessation is pure cessation because there are no more delusions or karma in the person's continuum. This is nonresidual cessation. In the Theravada tradition, when a person achieves nonresidual cessation or liberation, everything ceases - the body and the other aggregates as well as the subtle mental continuation of the person.
But in the Mahayana tradition, it is believed that when a person achieves individual liberation as an arhat, his/her mental continuum does not stop after death. It is the continuation of samsara and delusion that is stopped, not the individual. Wherever that being takes rebirth, he/she may remain for a very long time, even eons, in a meditative state, rather than in an active role benefiting other sentient beings - but the mind nonetheless continues. (Geshe Tashi Tsering, The Four Noble Truths)
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What happens when a person becomes an arhat? There are different schools of thought regarding cessation of suffering. There are four Indian philisophical schools which are found in Tibetan Buddhism. All four accept two different types of cessation: liberation from samsara (of the arhats) and full enlightenment (of the Buddhas). The Vaibhashika and the Sautantrika schools believe that certain beings will never progress past the first cessation (liberation from samsara) and hence will never achieve Buddhahood. The Chittamatra and Madhyamaka schools, on the other hand, accept that all living beings will eventually attain the second cessation, full enlightenment.
According to the Vaibhashika and Sautantrika schools, when the practitioner achieves the state of residual cessation (see my earlier post), he or she makes a decision to either continue on the path or to remain in that place, accepting it as the final goal. If the practitioner makes the latter decision, upon passing away, his/her continuum ceases to exist, completely and forever. This is the stage of no more learning according to the individual liberation vehicle. A case that comes to mind is the Venerable Phra Acharn Mun, the great Thai meditation master who decided to go for arhatship because the journey to become a Buddha is just too long.
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In the sutras, an arhat, after death, is often compared to the image of a fire gone out after the supply or wood has been used up, or the flame of the lamp that is extinguished when the wick and oil run out. This kind of analogy indicates that everything is gone, that nothing exists after that state.
The Vaibhashika and the Sautantrika schools maintain that certain beings by their own choice will not attain full enlightenment. When the practitioner passes away, the form aggregate as well as the mental aggregates cease. There is no continuation of consciousness as if the delusions are totally integrated with the mind.
However, Mahayana Buddhists believe that delusions are separate from the mind. They are temporary. The basic nature of the mind is pure. So when true cessation (from suffering) is achieved, the practitioner's karma and delusions stop. What continue are the truth body (dharmakaya) which is the enlightened aspect of the mental aggregates, and the form body which is the enlightened aspect of the form aggregate. (Geshe Tashi Tsering, The Four Noble Truths)
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I have read this article and have found it extremely interesting and at the same time find the points expressed a little out of my understanding. Having said that the contents of this post will stay in my mind for continuously reflection for insights.
As Buddha's teachings is about virtuous living to attain enlightenment, keeping the points discussed here will definitely assist us as we live through this life.
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As many had done research on what happens when Arahat of the level of “once-returner” and “non-returner” go to after their earthly existence and given their point of view based on Mahayana prospective.
In my point of view the “once-returner” must have attained enough or had enough of merits to be reborn into the higher realm of gods or choose a human existence as his next life.
The “non-returner” will cease to exist after their final earthly body as many had pointed out in this topic according the Theravada tradition.
This brings out an interesting question of where do the “Non-returner” Arahat go to after this?
I would like to relate to an extract of content of a book titled “everything arises, everything fall away” by the great master of Thai Forest Tradition: Ajahn Chah on page 134:
Gunamantani was a disciple of Venerable Shariputra who prepared to go on ascetic wandering. As his teacher, Sariputra wanted to check the extent of his disciple’s knowledge before he set out on his own; he wanted to find out is Gunamantani was genuinely prepared for it. Sariputra questioned him, ”Should there be some person, such as a sage or ordinary householder, who ask you. ‘ Venerable Gunamantari. When enlightened being pass away, where are they reborn?’ How will you answer them?”
The Venerable Gunamantari replied. “ I will say to them, ‘ Form, feeling, perception, thought, and consciousness appear and then cease to be.’”
I read this when I was in my studies, and it didn’t make any sense to me. One person was asking one thing, the other is about replying something else, and the two don’t seem to meet at all. Of course, it really make sense, they really does answer the question in the most genuine way; it’s just that I was so ignorant to understand. When Gunamantari was asked what becomes of the Ariya who pass away, he didn’t say it directly. He only answered that “ Form, feeling, perception , thought and consciousness, having appeared, then cease to be,” Because such person do not die. There are merely aggregates appearing and disappearing. They don’t dwell there. They don’t die or take birth. That’s all there is to the matter.