Arhat Dictionary

Arhat: Literally "the worthy," Theravada Buddhist term referring to the ideal Buddhist who devotes himself full time to his individual achievement of nirvana.

 (See also: Arhat , Eastern Philosophy, Body Mind and Soul)

Four Fruits of the Arhat

See under Arhat entry.

 (See also: Four Fruits of the Arhat , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Arhat

Arhatship is the highest rank attained by Sravakas.

An Arhat is a Buddhist saint who has attained liberation from the cycle of Birth and Death, generally through living a monastic life in accordance with the Buddhas' teachings. This is the goal of Theravadin practice, as contrasted with Bodhisattvahood in Mahayana practice.

The stage is preceded by three others:

1. Stream Winner,
2. Once-Returner,
3. Non-Returner.

See also "Sravakas."

 (See also: Arhat , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Dictionary

A basic dictionary of Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

arhat

(Sanskrit) An adept in Theravada Buddhism

(See also: Arhat , Body Mind and Soul)

Arhat (Sanskrit) (from the verbal root arh to be worthy, merit, be able)

Worthy, deserving; also enemy slayer (from ari enemy + the verbal root han to slay, smite)

, an arhat being a slayer of the foe of craving, the entire range of passions and desires, mental, emotional, and physical. Buddhists in the Orient generally define arhat in this manner, while modern scholars derive the word from the verbal root arh. Both definitions are equally appropriate (Buddhist Catachysm 93).

As a noun, originally one who had fully attained his spiritual ideals. In Buddhism arhat (Pali arahant) is the title generally given to those of Gautama Buddha's disciples who had progressed the farthest during his lifetime and immediately thereafter; more specifically to those who had attained nirvana, emancipation from earthly fetters and the attainment of full enlightenment. Arhat is broadly equivalent to the Egyptian heirophant, the Chaldean magus, and Hindu rishi, as well as being generally applicable to ascetics. On occasion it is used for the loftiest beings in a hierarchy: "The Arhats of the 'fire-mist' of the 7th run are but one remove from the Root-base of their Hierarchy -- the highest on Earth, and our Terrestrial chain" (SD 1:207).

Arhat is the highest of the four degrees of arhatship or the fourfold path to nirvana, of which the first three are srotapatti (he who has entered the stream), sakridagamin (he who returns to birth once more), and anagamin (the never returner who will have no further births on earth).

Arhat is both the way and the waygoer; and while the term is close philosophically to anagamin, the distinction between the two lies in their mystical connotations rather than in their etymological definitions. Arhat has a wider significance inasmuch as it applies to those noblest of the Buddha's disciples who were "worthy" of receiving, because comprehending, the Tathagata's heart doctrine, the more esoteric and mystical portions of his message.

As early as one hundred years after the Buddha died and had entered his parinirvana, differences in the doctrines and discipline of the Order become manifest. In the course of the centuries two basic trends developed into what has become popular to call the Hinayana (the lesser vehicle or path) or Theravada (doctrine of the elders), and Mahayana (the greater vehicle or path). The Theravada emphasized the fourfold path leading to nirvana, total liberation of the arhat from material concerns. The Mahayana held the bodhisattvayana as the ideal, the way of compassion for all sentient beings, culminating in renunciation of nirvana in order to return and inspire others "to awake and follow the dhamma." It is this fundamental difference in goal that characterizes the Old Wisdom School (arhatship) from the New Wisdom School (bodhsattvahood).

See also BUDDHAS OF COMPASSION, PRATYEKA BUDDHAS

(See also: Arhat , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Anagamin (Sanskrit) (from a not + agamin from a-gam to come, proceed toward)

One who does not come; in Southern or Theravada Buddhism, a "never returner," one who will be reborn on earth no more -- "unless he so desires in order to help mankind" (VS 88). The third stage of the fourfold path that leads to nirvana, the path of arhatship.

See also ARHAT

(See also: Anagamin , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Five Sins:

á      Killing one's father

á      or mother,

á      or an arhat;

á      shedding the blood of Buddha; and

á      destroying the harmony of the sangha.

 (See also: Five Sins , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Tirthankara (Sanskrit) [from tirtha a place of pilgrimage + kara maker, or doer from the verbal root kri to make, do]

Also tirthakara. Jain saints and chiefs, of which there are 24; equivalent to Jaina, or Jaina arhat.

(See also: Tirthankara , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Arahatta (Pali) (from the verbal root arh to be worthy; or from ari enemy, foe + the verbal root han to slay)

State of arhatship; in Buddhism the state or condition of an arahant, free from the asavas (intoxication of mind or sense); by extension of thought, final and complete emancipation, the state of nibbana (Sanskrit nirvana).

See also ARHAT

(See also: Arahatta , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Arhan. See ARHAT

(See also: Arhan , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Four stages of Hinayana enlightenment

(Jpn.: shi-ka)

Also, four stages of enlightenment or four fruits. Four levels of enlightenment that voice-hearers aim to attain, according to the Hinayana teachings.

In ascending order, they are

• the stage of the stream-winner (Skt srotaapanna ),
• the stage of the once-returner (sakridagamin),
• the stage of the non-returner (anagamin), and
• the stage of arhat.

The stage of the stream-winner indicates one who has entered the stream of the sages, in other words, the river leading to nirvana. At this stage, one has eradicated the illusions of thought in the threefold world.

At the stage of the once-returner, one has eradicated six of the nine illusions of desire in the world of desire. Due to the remaining illusions, one will be born next in the realm of heavenly beings and then once again in the human world before entering nirvana; hence the name once-returner.

Someone at the stage of the non-returner has eliminated the other three illusions of desire and will not be reborn in the world of desire.

At the stage of arhat, one has eliminated all the illusions of thought and desire in the threefold world and has freed oneself from transmigration in the threefold world or the six paths.

(See also: Four stages of Hinayana enlightenment , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Rishabha rsabha (Sanskrit) Power, strength, excellence; the second zodiacal sign, Taurus the Bull; in the Vedas and Upanishads, often used to mean pranava or Aum.

Abbreviated as rii, it is the second of the seven notes of the Hindu musical scale. According to the Bhagavata-Purana, the first teacher of the Jain doctrines in India; the first Jain Tirthakara (tirthankara) or arhat.

(See also: Rishabha, rsabha , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Maitra or Maitreya (Sanskrit) [from mitra friend, a name of the spiritual sun]

As an adjective, friendly, benevolent, kind; the masculine noun refers to various individuals: a bodhisattva and future buddha; the god Mitra; with reference to human beings, a friend of all creatures -- one who has arrived at the highest state of human perfection. It signified one of the perfect states of Buddhism, sometimes enumerated as one of the ten paramitas.

Maitreya is also a well-known Buddhist arhat.

(See also: Maitra, Maitreya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Four ranks of sages

(Jpn.: shie)

Buddhist teachers to be relied upon after Shakyamuni Buddha's death. They are explained in the Nirvana and other sutras, which classify them into four ranks according to their level of understanding.

The first rank refers to the voice-hearers who have yet to attain any of the four stages of Hinayana enlightenment.

The second rank refers to those who have attained the first stage, that of the stream-winner (Skt srota-apanna ), or one who has entered the metaphorical river leading to nirvana; and to those the second stage, that of the once-returner (sakridagamin), or one who must undergo only one more rebirth in the human world before entering nirvana.

The third rank refers to those who have attained the third stage, that of non-returner (anagamin), or one who will never be reborn in this world.

The fourth rank refers to those who have eliminated the illusions of thought and desire and attained the fourth and highest stage, that of arhat.

T'ien-t'ai (538-597) and Chang-an (561-632) correlated the four ranks to the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra and The Annotations on the Nirvana Sutra, respectively.

From this viewpoint,

• persons of the first rank correspond to those who have not yet attained the first stage of security.
• Persons of the second rank correspond to those in the ten stages of security.
• Persons of the third rank correspond to those in the ten stages of practice and the ten stages of devotion.
• Persons of the fourth rank correspond to those in the ten stages of development and the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, in which one has almost reached the enlightenment of the Buddha.

Though the four ranks represent the four levels of understanding, "the four ranks of sages" is also a general term for reliable Buddhist teachers, irrespective of how they fit into the above classification. If they are bodhisattvas, they are also referred to as the four ranks of bodhisattvas.

(See also: Four ranks of sages , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Nagarjuna (Sanskrit) A Buddhist arhat or sage born in Western India about 223 BC, generally recognized in Northern Buddhism as a bodhisattva-nirmanakaya. After his conversion to Buddhism, he went to China, and according to legend converted the whole country to Buddhism.

He was famous for his dialectical subtlety in metaphysical argument, and was the first teacher of the Amitabha doctrine. He was one of the most prominent representatives and a founder of the esoteric Mahayana system. The source of his deeper teachings is undoubtedly the secret school of adepts; and his esoteric doctrine is one with esoteric theosophy. He was called the Dragon-Tree on account of his esoteric wisdom; and was referred to as one of the four suns which illumine the world.

(See also: Nagarjuna , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Arya-Dasa (Sanskrit) Lit., "Holy Teacher". A great sage and Arhat of the Mahasamghika school.

(See also: Arya-Dasa , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

Sariputra

Major disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, foremost in wisdom among His Arhat disciples.

 (See also: Sariputra , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ban T'o

Suddhidanthaka in Sanskrit. Ban T¹o was a disciple of Buddha, and he was very forgetful; for when the Buddha taught him the second sentence of a gatha of a sutra he would forget the first one, and when he was taught the third one he would forget the second one. Ultimately, however, with persistence he became an Arhat.

 (See also: Ban T'o , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Sravakas

Lit., 'voice-hearers': those who follow (Theravada) and eventually become arhats as a result of listening to the buddhas and following their teachings" (A. Buzo and T. Prince.)

See also "Arhat."

 (See also: Sravakas , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)