Contemporary Buddhism, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2003

Perfect or Perfecting?
Reflections on the Arahant in
the Nika¯yas

Pascale Engelmajer

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to offer a few reflections on the status of the Arahant.
The word Arahant, the Pa¯li-English Dictionary (PED) tells us, ‘comes from
Vedic Sanskrit’, and was used in pre-Buddhist texts as an ‘honorific title’. It is
the present participle of the verb ‘arhati’ and means ‘deserving’, ‘worthy’. In
the Nika¯yas, it has become a technical term that, in the words of the PED, refers
to ‘one who has attained the Summum Bonum of religious aspiration
(Nibba¯na)’. This seems to punctuate the career of the Arahant in a rather final
manner, and one cannot help but wonder: what does the Arahant do once he has
attained the Summum Bonum of religious aspiration? How do the Pa¯li texts
describe the Arahant as a concept, and as particular individuals? Do these
descriptions match the idea of the Arahant as the final point in spiritual
development after which there is no further progress, or do they show another
possibility; namely, as I wish to argue here, that the Arahant continues
developing after attaining Arahantship?

As I just hinted, there are at least two ways of examining the concept of

Arahant in the Nika¯yas. One is to analyse the relevant descriptions and
formulae, and the other is to examine individuals considered to be Arahants. In
this paper, I propose to do both, albeit succinctly and focusing mainly on the
four primary Nika¯yas. Indeed, I intend to limit myself, in the first case, to
analysing the four most frequent formulae characterizing the Arahant and, in the
second case, to examining in some detail one individual Arahant, and, more
briefly, the three Arahants described in the Cu¯l

agosinga Sutta.

I will use the following three formulae, which are given by the PED

1

as the

most common descriptions of the Arahant, as a starting point:

• First formula:

2

Dwelling alone, withdrawn, diligent, ardent, and resolute, by realizing
it for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life he entered and
dwelt in that unsurpassed goal of the holy life […]

3

• Second formula:

4

Destroyed is birth, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has
been done, there is no more coming to any state of being.

5

ISSN 1463-9947 print; 1476-7953 online/03/010033-22

 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd

DOI: 10.1080/1463994032000140176

34

P. Engelmajer

• Third formula:

6

A bhikkhu who is an Arahant with [a¯savas] destroyed, has lived the
holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached his
own goal, destroyed the fetters of being, and is completely liberated
through final knowledge.

7

The setting is often similar, and the event itself is described in a stylized manner
with each formula referring to a different stage; such that the first formula refers
to training, the second to the fruit of that training, while the third describes the
state that is achieved, and serves as a definition of, and usually precedes a
statement about, the Arahant; for example, it precedes the enumeration of the
nine things that are impossible for an Arahant to do.

8

The Arahant’s attainment, as it is described in the formulae, can be analysed

in terms of what he has destroyed or abandoned, and what he has achieved. If
we look at the formulae, we can see that the Arahant has destroyed or
abandoned four things: birth (ja¯ti), the a¯savas,

9

the fetters (sam

yojana¯) and the

burden (bha¯ra), and that he has lived the holy life (brahmacariya) and achieved
knowledge (abhin˜n˜a¯, an˜n˜a¯).

When these items are examined in detail, it appears that they all include each

other. They describe the same phenomena from different perspectives. One
perspective is that of the problem: birth, the a¯savas, the fetters, the burden (i.e.,
dukkha). The other perspective is that of the solution (i.e., the path to the
cessation of dukkha): knowledge of the path and the path itself. Eliminating the
problem is finding the solution, and finding the solution is eliminating the
problem. In other terms, the Arahant has realized the Four Noble Truths taught
by the Buddha. To illustrate this, I will look in more detail at the a¯savas and
the fetters as examples of what is destroyed and at certain aspects of the Path
achieved by the Arahant.

The a¯savas

The Arahant is referred to as one who has destroyed the a¯savas (khı¯n

a¯sava).

The term khı¯n

a¯sava is a very frequent epithet of the Arahant (araham

khı¯n

a¯savo, khı¯na¯sava¯ arahanto),

10

and is even used to refer elliptically to the

Arahant (khı¯n

a¯savo bhikkhu).

11

The suttas mention three a¯savas:

12

sense-desire

(ka¯ma¯sava), becoming (bhava¯sava) and ignorance (avijja¯sava), but a fourth
a¯sava, views (dit

thi), is mentioned in the later tradition.

13

The a¯savas are

defined in the Maha¯saccaka Sutta, as that which ‘defile, bring renewal of being,
give trouble, ripen in suffering and lead to future birth, ageing and death’.

14

They can be understood as a slightly more detailed expression of the
defilements (kilesas), greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha) that
colour and govern our relationship to the world. It is significant that the Arahant
does not destroy the defilements themselves but the a¯savas and, in particular,
that the defilement of greed is expressed in terms of the two a¯savas of
sense-desire and becoming. This stresses the increasing subtlety of greed: while

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

35

sensual desires (ka¯macchanda/ka¯ma¯sava), and aversion (bya¯pa¯da/dosa) are
abandoned by the never-returner (ana¯ga¯min), only the Arahant abandons the
subtler form of greed comprised by the a¯sava of becoming (bhava¯sava). This
emphasis might be seen as a response to the dominant religious milieu, whose
goal was to restrain the senses in order to gain eternal life (i.e., existence/
becoming) through union with a higher reality, but it also reflects the insight
that the strongest form of craving is arguably for existence itself.

The texts describes several more or less detailed ways of destroying the

a¯savas: the Noble Eightfold Path,

15

the cultivation of the five faculties (in-

driyas),

16

seeing and knowing the Four Noble Truths,

17

and even modifying

one’s response and attitude to one’s situation and circumstances.

18

The fetters of becoming

I wish to continue the analysis of what the Arahant has destroyed by examining
the ‘fetters of becoming’ (bhavasam

yojana¯), which are said to be utterly

destroyed (parikkhı¯n

a). Although the term ‘fetters of becoming’ does not seem

to be a frequent one in the Nika¯yas, the term ‘fetter’ occurs very frequently, as
do the terms ‘bond of becoming’ (bhavayoga) and ‘a¯sava of becoming’
(bhava¯sava) mentioned earlier. A common explanation of the bond and the
fetter is desire (chanda) and lust (ra¯ga).

19

Furthermore, the things that fetter are

the five khandhas, the psycho-physical aggregates that comprise a person,

20

the

six sense-bases (eye, nose, etc.), and the sense-objects.

21

In essence, the texts

are saying that all of human experience can potentially be things that fetter. It
is made clear, however, that it is not these things that are the fetters, but the
desire and lust they generate in people. Sa¯riputta, in the Sal

a¯yatanasmyutta,

explains to Maha¯kot

thita that the sense-bases are not the fetter of the sense-

object, nor are the sense-objects the fetter of the sense-bases, but the desire and
lust for them are the fetter.

22

It also seems appropriate to extend these

connotations of fetter to the ten fetters (sam

yojana¯), which appear to represent

manifestations not only of desire and lust, but also of the a¯savas themselves, as
the Sabba¯sava Sutta makes clear.

23

The ten fetters are also said to be abandoned

through the Noble Eightfold Path,

24

and their progressive abandonment corre-

sponds to progression along the path to Arahantship through the four stages of
stream-entry (sota¯patti), once-returner (sakada¯ga¯mı¯), never-returner (ana¯ga¯mı¯)
and Arahant.

In these notions of a¯savas, fetters, and bonds, the emphasis is clearly on the

relationship one has with the world: it is this relationship that is the source of
dukkha, not the world itself. With the description of the various things the
Arahant has destroyed, the texts stress that it is this relationship of desire and
lust for the world, for the objects of the senses, including mental objects, and
for continued existence, that the Arahant has given up. As already discussed,
this emphasis on the relationship to the world and existence is manifest in the
concept of the a¯savas as what needs to be destroyed in order for the Arahant
to be freed from the defilements.

36

P. Engelmajer

The Arahant’s attainments

I will now turn to the attainments of the Arahant, which are clearly referred to
in the formulae with expressions such as ‘what had to be done has been done’
(katam

karanı¯yam), ‘the holy life is lived’ (vusitam brahmacariyam), he is ‘one

whose highest goal has been reached’ (anupatta-sadattho). The second formula
gives a few details on how the goal is reached: the Arahant ‘… by realizing it
for himself with direct knowledge, in this very life entered and dwelt in that
unsurpassed goal of the holy life’,

25

and the third formula notes that he is

‘completely liberated through final knowledge’ (sammad-an˜n˜a¯ vimutto).

The formulae stress the knowledge of the Arahant by referring to two sorts

of knowledge: the verb abhija¯na¯ti occurs in the aorist and precedes the second
formula. The usual sequence includes the first formula, followed by ‘he directly
knew’ (abbhan˜n˜a¯si), and then the second formula, indicating that after he
dwelled alone, withdrawn, and so on, he ‘knew’ that release had been achieved.
In the second formula, the noun abhin˜n˜a¯, which is a cognate of abhija¯na¯ti, occurs
as that through which the goal of the holy life (brahmacariya-pariyosa¯na) has
been realized (sacchikatva¯). In the third formula, the Arahant is liberated
(vimutta) through direct knowledge (sammad-an˜n˜a¯). Bhikkhu Bodhi translates
abhin˜n˜a¯ and abhija¯na¯ti by, respectively, ‘direct knowledge’ and ‘directly
knows’.

26

In both formulae what is ‘directly known’ is what has been achieved:

in the first case, the content of the knowledge is the second formula itself, namely
that ‘birth is destroyed, the holy life has been lived, what had to be done has
been done, and there is no more coming to this state of being’. In the second
case, it is the goal of the holy life that is realized through direct knowledge.

The Mu¯lapariya¯ya Sutta,

27

in the Majjhima Nika¯ya, explains how ‘direct

knowledge’ functions: an ‘untaught ordinary person’ (assutava¯ puthujjana) is
said to perceive (san˜ja¯na¯ti) the four great elements (maha¯bhu¯ta), beings, gods,
formless attainments, the six senses, unity, diversity, all, and nibba¯na as such.
Perceiving them as such, he conceives (man˜n˜ati) of himself as each of them, in
each of them, apart from each of them, each of them to be ‘his’, and he delights
(abhinandati) in each of them. In contrast, the ‘bhikkhu in higher training’
(sekha) directly knows (abhija¯na¯ti) these, and ‘should not conceive’ (ma¯man˜n˜i)
of himself in these ways. Finally, the Arahant directly knows these, and ‘does
not conceive’ (na man˜n˜ati) of himself in these ways, because he has fully
understood (parin˜n˜a¯ta) them. This is introducing the notion of ‘full understand-
ing’ (parin˜n˜a¯) that is often found alongside that of ‘direct knowledge’, in
particular when enumerating the ‘things to be fully understood by direct
knowledge’ (ye dhamma¯ abhin˜n˜a¯ parin˜n˜eyya¯). These represent an attempt to
describe more or less exhaustively the elements that comprise reality for any
given person. In addition to the earlier list, the things that are to be fully
understood by direct knowledge are the five khandhas,

28

the sense-bases, the

sense-faculties, and the sense-objects, as well as contact (phassa), feeling
(vedana¯), perception (san˜n˜a¯), volition (cetana¯), and craving (tan

ha¯).

29

Another,

more succinct, explanation of ‘direct knowledge’ is given at S IV 50, which
declares that:

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

37

When a bhikkhu has heard ‘nothing is worth adhering to’, he directly
knows everything. Having directly known everything, he fully under-
stands everything. Having fully understood everything, he sees all signs
differently.

30

This follows a passage in which the Buddha explains that the whole perceptual
process and the ensuing emotional reaction are impermanent (anicca), unsatis-
factory (dukkha) and not-self (anatta¯), and that desire for them should be
abandoned.

31

This analysis seems therefore to be applied to everything that is

to be directly known; namely, the entirety of human experience. Directly
knowing is therefore seeing the impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self nature
of every aspect of human experience; namely, dukkha and its origin. From this
direct knowledge, full understanding ensues: in essence, the Buddha is saying
that since nothing in human experience is worth adhering to, everything should
be abandoned.

This further supports the idea that the content of the Arahant’s knowledge is

the four truths. As we have just seen, the Arahant directly knows and fully
understands that every aspect of human experience is dukkha. The origin of
dukkha is craving (tan

ha¯), its cessation is attained by abandoning craving, and

the way leading to its cessation is the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya at

thangika

magga), to which I will now turn.

The Noble Eightfold Path

Although the reference to the Noble Eightfold Path is mostly implicit in the
formulae, the reference to the holy life (brahmacariya) is an obvious parallel.
In the Maggasam

yutta, the holy life is defined by A¯nanda as the Noble

Eightfold Path: ‘this Noble Eightfold Path, friend, is the holy life’.

32

Further-

more, it identifies one who lives the holy life as one who possesses the
Eightfold Noble Path.

33

Another reference to the necessity of fulfilling the path

is implicit in the characterization of the Arahant as one who has destroyed the
a¯savas: at S IV 256, Sa¯riputta explains that the way ‘for the abandonment of
these three [a¯savas] is the Noble Eightfold Path’.

34

However, it should not be

assumed that the path is simply to be completed in the same way that, say, an
academic degree is obtained. The eight limbs of the path are, to a large extent,
qualities that one is endowed with (samanna¯gata) as long as they are practised.
It is simply not possible to be endowed with the path without actually ‘behaving
it’. Thus, the Arahant, as the one who lives the holy life (brahmaca¯rin), is one
who has attained such a stage of development that each and every one of his
actions is a fulfilment of the path. The very nature of the Path means that to
possess it is to practise it. In this notion of completion, we must then see the
actualization, rather than the end of the Path. This is vividly illustrated by the
Va¯set

tha Sutta in the Sutta-nipa¯ta,

35

in which the Buddha stresses that one is a

brahmin not on account of one’s birth, but on account of one’s conduct.

As Steven Collins notes in his introduction to Selfless Persons, in Buddhist

thought the term brahmin is often used to refer to one who truly follows the

38

P. Engelmajer

Buddhist path.

36

An account of this ‘true’ brahmin is given in terms of what he

does, and this is clearly related to each limb of the Noble Eightfold Path.

37

Here,

I will only give one example, but similar parallels to the Eightfold Path can be
established for the whole of the Va¯set

tha Sutta: verse 632, in which the brahmin

‘utter[s] speech which is not harsh, informative, true, and by which he would
offend no-one’

38

clearly corresponds to the definition of right speech (samma¯

va¯ca¯) given in the Maha¯satipat

tha¯na Sutta as: ‘refraining from lying, refraining

from slander, refraining from harsh speech, refraining from frivolous speech’.

39

This emphasis on the conduct of the Arahant is echoed in the An˙guttara

Nika¯ya, where the noble disciple (ariya sa¯vaka) vows to emulate the conduct of
the Arahant, which is described with a list of actions from which he abstains.

40

This list can be subsumed under ethical conduct (sı¯la), which corresponds to the
three limbs of the Path of right action, right speech and right livelihood.

41

Interestingly, this same list is given in the first thirteen suttas of the Dı¯gha
Nika¯ya as the first segment of a description of the Path in three dhamma-
kkhandhas (sı¯la, sama¯dhi, and pan˜n˜a¯).

42

In the first sutta, the Brahmaja¯la Sutta,

the Buddha himself claims to abstain from these actions, while in the following
suttas, the stock description involves a ‘layman [who] goes forth’,

43

and in the

An˙guttara, it is the Arahant who refrains from such actions.

44

Other descriptions of the Arahant

I will now turn to the examination of two examples of what, for the sake of
simplicity, I will call ‘real’ Arahants. I have chosen Sa¯riputta for my first
example, because there is a lot of material about him in the Nika¯yas, and, since
he is one of the chief disciples of the Buddha, it seems fair to assume that he
exemplifies what an Arahant is and does. My second example focuses on the
Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta, which describes in just one sutta the daily life of three

Arahants, and thus provides us with a vivid example of what Arahants actually
do.

Sa¯riputta

Sa¯riputta is well known for his wisdom, and is extolled by many, including the
Buddha, A

¯ nanda, and Mogga¯llana, the other chief-disciple, throughout the

Nika¯yas. His activities seem to be centered around three main areas: meditation,
cultivation and sharing of knowledge, and assistance to others. Sa¯riputta is often
described in the morning, getting dressed, taking bowl and robe, and going on
the alms-round. For example, in the Nida¯nasam

yutta: ‘Then, in the morning, the

Venerable Sa¯riputta dressed and, taking bowl and robe, entered Ra¯jagaha for
alms’.

45

This is a common opening section of a sutta, and serves also to describe

the activities of the Buddha and the other bhikkhus, thus reflecting the life-style
of the monastic community as a whole. It can even be seen as encompassing the
totality of the bhikkhu’s pursuit, as is evidenced by the Pin

dapa¯tapa¯risuddhi

Sutta, in which the Buddha tells Sa¯riputta how a bhikkhu can use the alms-
round as an occasion for reviewing his mind for the presence of ‘desire, lust,

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

39

hate, delusion or aversion’,

46

and indeed for abandoning the five ‘cords of

sensual pleasure’ (ka¯magun

a), and the five hindrances (nı¯varana); for under-

standing the five ‘aggregates affected by clinging’ (upa¯da¯nakkhandha); for
developing the four ‘foundations of mindfulness’ (satipat

tha¯na), the four ‘kinds

of striving’ (sammappadha¯na), the four ‘bases for spiritual power’ (iddhipa¯da),
the five faculties (indriya), the five powers (bala), the seven ‘enlightenment
factors’ (bojjhan˙ga), the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya at

than˙gika magga), and

‘serenity and insight’ (samatha ca vipassana¯ ca); and, finally, for realizing ‘true
knowledge and liberation’ (vijja¯ ca vimutti ca).

47

While there is clearly a

didactic element to this description, it must be kept in mind that the Buddha’s
discourse is addressed to Sa¯riputta rather than to a simple bhikkhu, which might
imply that Sa¯riputta should follow this practice.

Meditation

After going on the alms-round, Sa¯riputta usually sits ‘down at the foot of a tree
for

the

day’s

abiding’

(rukkhamu¯le

diva¯viha¯ram

nisı¯di).

48

In

the

Sa¯riputtasam

yutta,

49

the qualities of Sa¯riputta as a meditator who has achieved

the highest meditational attainments of the Buddhist path are spelled out. Each
sutta describes the attainment of a specific meditative state: the four jha¯nas, the
base of the infinity of space (a¯ka¯sa¯nan˜ca¯yatanam

), the base of the infinity of

consciousness

(vin˜n˜a¯n

an˜ca¯yatanam),

the

base

of

nothingness

(a¯kin˜can˜n˜a¯yatanam

), the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception

(nevasan˜n˜a¯na¯san˜n˜a¯yatanam

), and the cessation of perception and feeling

(san˜n˜a¯vedayitanirodham

). This is punctuated by the statement that:

it did not occur to me [Sa¯riputta] that ‘I am attaining the first jha¯na’ (and
so on for each attainment), ‘I have attained the first jha¯na’, or ‘I have
emerged from the first jha¯na’.

50

A

¯ nanda concludes that:

It must be because I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency
to conceit have been thoroughly uprooted in the Venerable Sa¯riputta for
a long time that such thoughts did not occur to him.

51

This indicates that Sa¯riputta is, and has been, an Arahant for a long time, as the
I-making, mine-making, and the underlying tendency to conceit are abandoned
on attainment of Arahantship. One has abandoned them when one has seen the
five khandhas (form, feeling, perception, volitional formations, and conscious-
ness) as ‘this is not mine, this I am not, this is not my self’.

52

It must be noted

here that despite his having reached Arahantship such a long time ago, Sa¯riputta
continues practising the jha¯nas. It cannot be helped but to question whether
A

¯ nanda’s comment might not imply that when an Arahant has just reached

Arahantship, such thoughts might still arise in him, even though he might not
actually entertain them.

53

Peter Harvey, equating Arahantship and nibba¯na, has

argued that it is not an ‘ever-present state’ for the Arahant, and that he has to
come out of it to lead his daily life.

54

This would support the suggestion that,

40

P. Engelmajer

at first, the Arahant has little experience of this state, whereas after much
practice he gets closer and closer to it, even in daily life. This would also
explain why, in the La¯bhasakka¯rasam

yutta, the Buddha warns Arahants that

‘gain, honour and praise […] are an obstacle even for a bhikkhu who is an
arahant, one with taints destroyed’,

55

and although they are not an obstacle to

his ‘unshakable liberation of mind’ (akuppa¯ ceto vimukti), they are to his
attaining jha¯nas.

56

This certainly indicates that the jha¯nas are to be developed

and practised even by Arahants, as the example of Sa¯riputta shows.

Friendship

When Sa¯riputta emerges from his meditation, he often meets up with the
Buddha, or with other members of the san˙gha, such as A

¯ nanda,

57

Maha¯kot

thita,

58

Kassapa,

59

or Moggalla¯na.

60

These encounters usually take the

form of question and answer sessions in which questions about the Dhamma are
asked and answered. In the Sam

yutta Nika¯ya, they are often repeated with an

inversion of the questioner and the respondent, pointing to their rhetorical
nature, and their use more as a vehicle for instruction than as real questions
posed by the various protagonists. An example

61

is when A

¯ nanda asks Sa¯riputta

questions about the requirements for stream-entry (sota¯patti),

62

and Sa¯riputta

asks A

¯ nanda these same questions at a different time.

63

While it is rather

surprising that Sa¯riputta, who is, after all, an Arahant, and foremost in wisdom,
should ask questions about the requirements for stream-entry, these dialogues,
which occur throughout the Nika¯yas, seem to touch upon a question, taken up
later in other parts of the Pa¯li canon, about the extent of the Arahant’s
knowledge.

64

In other words, they seem to indicate that the pursuit of learning

beyond the attainment of Arahantship is not only possible, but also desirable.

In connection with these discussions on the Dhamma, the importance of

friendship is emphasized on several occasions, particularly at the death of
Sa¯riputta, when, for example, both A

¯ nanda’s and the Buddha’s reactions

underline the importance of friendship. A

¯ nanda exclaims to the Buddha as he

brings news of his friend’s death:

Venerable sir, since I heard that the Venerable Sa¯riputta has attained final
Nibba¯na, my body seems as if it has been drugged, I have become
disoriented, the teachings are no longer clear to me.

65

And although the Buddha admonishes him for not keeping in mind that ‘we
must be parted, separated, and severed from all who are dear and agreeable to
us’ (sabbehi piyehi mana¯pehi na¯na¯bha¯vo vina¯bha¯vo an˜n˜atha¯bha¯vo),

66

he,

himself, seems to lament the loss of Sa¯riputta and Moggalla¯na:

Bhikkhus, this assembly appears to me empty now that Sa¯riputta and
Moggalla¯na have attained final Nibba¯na. This assembly was not empty for
me [earlier], and I had no concern for whatever quarter Sa¯riputta and
Moggalla¯na were dwelling in.

67

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

41

The importance of friendship is made even clearer in the Maggasam

yutta, when

Sa¯riputta equates the entire holy life (brahmacariya) with ‘good friendship,
good companionship, and good comradeship’ (sakalamevidam

, brahmacariyam

yadidam

kalya¯namittata¯ kalya¯nasaha¯yata¯ kalya¯nasampavankata).

68

One who

has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade will develop the Noble
Eightfold Path, and the Buddha himself can be considered as the good friend.

69

In passages of the Maggasam

yutta, good friendship (among many other things),

as the forerunner and precursor for the arising of the Noble Eightfold Path, is
compared with the dawn, as the ‘forerunner and precursor of the rising of the
sun’;

70

the bhikkhu who has a good friend, understood, as Collins notes, as a

‘helper on the Path’,

71

is expected to develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold

Path by developing right view and right concentration,

72

respectively the first

and eighth limbs of the path or, in other words, knowledge and conduct.

Teaching

Another important aspect of Sa¯riputta’s life is his role as a teacher, acknowl-
edged by A

¯ nanda when he describes him as ‘unwearying in teaching the

Dhamma’ (akila¯su dhammadesana¯ya).

73

A number of significant suttas are

attributed to him in the Nika¯yas. For example, in the Dı¯gha Nika¯ya, the Sangı¯ti
and the Dasuttara Suttas, in which some have seen the beginnings of the
Abhidhamma, are spoken by him. Similarly, as mentioned earlier, in the
Sam

yutta Nika¯ya, the Sa¯riputtasamyutta

74

contains suttas in which Sa¯riputta

outlines meditative attainments. He is frequently shown teaching one bhikkhu

75

or an assembly of bhikkhus,

76

whether at their request,

77

at the Buddha’s

request,

78

or on his own initiative.

79

The content of his teachings is diverse and

seems to cover most of the doctrines and concepts of Buddhist thought. Some
of the most important suttas according to the tradition, such as the Samma¯dit

thi

Sutta

80

and the Saccavibhan˙ga Sutta,

81

are attributed to him.

82

Helping

Besides meditating and teaching, Sa¯riputta is also often seen assisting the
Buddha, other bhikkhus, or lay persons. As mentioned, he stands in for the
Buddha, particularly when the latter is not feeling well: for example the San˙gı¯ti
Sutta was taught to the bhikkhus at the request of the Buddha whose back was
aching.

83

In the Sam

yutta Nika¯ya, Sa¯riputta is seen comforting a bhikkhu, who

is troubled because his co-resident has gone back to lay life, by explaining to
him how to guard the sense-doors.

84

He also visits Channa, who is seriously ill

and tries, unsuccessfully, to persuade him not to kill himself.

85

When the

layman, Ana¯thapin

dika, is dying and requests his presence, Sa¯riputta goes and

preaches to him.

86

He is described both by the Buddha and A

¯ nanda as one ‘who

helps his brothers in the holy life’.

87

The picture of Sa¯riputta’s life that emerges is thus that of a life centered on

three main activities: meditation, cultivation and sharing of knowledge and

42

P. Engelmajer

assistance to others. This is interestingly very similar to the pattern found in the
Nika¯yas to describe the Noble Eightfold Path: namely, the three dhamma-
kkhandhas of ethical conduct (sı¯la), concentration (sama¯dhi), and wisdom
(pan˜n˜a¯),

88

which I mentioned at the beginning of this paper, and to which I will

return at the end.

The Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta

Another example of this pattern is found in the Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta, which

narrates the Buddha’s visit to three bhikkhus, Anuruddha, Nandiya, and Kim-
bila, who live together in the Park of the Gosin˙ga Sa¯la-tree Wood.

89

They greet

him with a seat and water for washing his feet, and take his robe and bowl.
Addressing the three of them as ‘Anuruddhas’,

90

he asks them how they live ‘in

concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk and
water, viewing each other with kindly eyes’.

91

There follows a description that

could be used as a model for regulating communal living. Three main themes
can be identified: loving kindness towards others, putting others’ needs before
one’s own, and taking responsibility. Anuruddha explains that they perform
bodily, verbal and mental acts of loving-kindness towards each other, both
publicly and privately; that they try to fulfil each others’ wishes instead of
fulfilling their own, and that they take responsibility for what there is to do as,
and when, it arises, rather than leaving the responsibility to the others. He
unforgettably sums it up as: ‘we are different in body, venerable sir, but one in
mind’.

92

The Buddha then asks whether they develop special meditative states, and

Anuruddha describes the different jha¯nas they attain (in a pattern similar to that
found in the Sa¯riputtasam

yutta). We also learn that besides taking care of their

basic needs, and practising the jha¯nas, they discuss the Dhamma every five
days, while remaining silent the rest of the time. Although they are first
presented as ‘clansmen seeking their own good’,

93

their status as Arahants is

confirmed when Anuruddha declares that they have destroyed the a¯savas.

94

After the Buddha has ‘instructed, urged, roused, and encouraged them’

95

and

left, Nandiya and Kimbila ask Anuruddha whether they have ever told him
about attaining the jha¯nas, and destroying the a¯savas. He says they have not,
but he knows because he has encompassed their minds with his mind, and
because devas have told him.

96

The sutta ends with spirits, and earth and heavenly gods up to Brahma¯’s

retinue, rejoicing about the three Arahants, and the Buddha declaring that it is
a blessing for those who will remember them, and that they ‘are practising for
the welfare and happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, for the
good, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans’.

97

The similarity with Sa¯riputta’s daily activities is unmistakable, and the

three-fold pattern of the Path is also apparent: their lives are centered around
three main activities: caring for others, meditative practice, and the study of the
Dhamma. The importance of friendship is greatly emphasized and, in the

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

43

Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta, its value is clearly demonstrated as each one does every-

thing he can in order to make the others’ lives easier and more favourable to
practice and tranquillity. Meditative practice is also greatly emphasized, and
takes up most of their time. One interesting difference is that the Arahants of
the Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta do not seem to spend as much time teaching as Sa¯riputta

does, and much more time practising. This might indicate different degrees of
ability.

Can the Arahant continue developing?

This brief study of ‘real’ Arahants revealed, indeed, that their activities are the
manifestation and expression of the Path. This is true whether we take each
aspect, such as the alms-round, friendship, study of the Dhamma, or meditative
practice, or all of them as a whole. Each is an opportunity to fulfil the Path, and
together they constitute the three divisions of ethical conduct (sı¯la), concen-
tration (sama¯dhi) and wisdom (pan˜n˜a¯). However, the study of ‘real’ Arahants
also appears to suggest that Arahants are not all endowed with the same
qualities. I will now attempt to understand how Arahants differ, and what
factors make them all Arahants despite their differences. I will also try to show
that Arahantship is an event that allows for further development of the very
factors that led to it, rather than simply a conclusion.

Differences

Differences between Arahants are clearly recognized in the Nika¯yas. The main
disciples of the Buddha are shown to have different qualities: in the An˙guttara
Nika¯ya,

98

for example, the Buddha enumerates their principal quality, thereby

clearly establishing a hierarchy among them in this regard. Arahants are also
said to be different: at S I 191, the Buddha divides the assembly of 500
bhikkhus into sixty bhikkhus who are ‘triple-knowledge bearers (tevijja¯), sixty
who possess the six ‘direct knowledges’ (abhin˜n˜a¯), sixty who are ‘liberated
both ways’ (ubhatobha¯gavimutti), and the rest who are ‘liberated by wisdom’
(pan˜n˜a¯ vimutti).

99

Some, like Sa¯riputta or the ‘Anuruddhas’, practise the jha¯nas

and the formless meditative attainments, whereas, to the great surprise of
Venerable Susı¯ma, those liberated by wisdom do not.

100

This disparity seems to

reveal that the attainment of Arahantship is not as homogeneous as the formulae
suggest.

This disparity is even more striking when it concerns the chief disciples of

the Buddha: it is indeed surprising to note that despite all the praise he receives,
and his place as chief disciple being held up as an example and role model to
the san˙gha, Sa¯riputta is still reprimanded by the Buddha on several occasions.
The reprimands seem to serve two purposes: on the one hand, they establish a
clear distinction between the Buddha and Arahants and, on the other hand, they
reveal differences between Arahants themselves. Here, however, I am only
concerned with differences between Arahants.

44

P. Engelmajer

Differences between Sa¯riputta and Maha¯moggalla¯na

In the Dha¯nan˜ja¯ni Sutta,

101

Sa¯riputta preaches the Dhamma to the brahmin

Dha¯nan˜ja¯ni, who is said to be plundering brahmin householders and the king.
Later, when Dha¯nan˜ja¯ni is on his death-bed, he asks Sa¯riputta to come and see
him. Sa¯riputta accepts and teaches him the way to the Brahma-world, which is
where the brahmin is reborn after his death. On his return from Dha¯nan˜ja¯ni’s
house, Sa¯riputta is reprimanded by the Buddha for leaving ‘while there was still
more to be done’,

102

implying that he had failed to teach the appropriate

teachings to Dha¯nan˜ja¯ni, thus causing him to be reborn in the Brahma-world.
This failure indicates that Sa¯riputta lacks the ‘knowledge to encompass the
mind of others’ (ceto-pariya-n˜a¯n

a), which is one of the ‘supernormal powers’

(iddhis) possessed by some Arahants, in particular by Maha¯moggalla¯na, who is
‘foremost in supernormal powers’.

103

Indeed, as far as I am aware, the suttas

never show Sa¯riputta using supernormal powers, although his meditative attain-
ments, which are necessary for achieving supernormal powers, are well
developed.

104

This is not the only incidence when a difference is made between Sa¯riputta

and Maha¯moggalla¯na. In the Ca¯tuma¯ Sutta, the Buddha dismisses 500 bhikkhus
who have come with Sa¯riputta and Maha¯moggalla¯na, because they have been
loud and noisy. After being persuaded by the Brahma¯ Sahampati to accept them
again into his presence, the Buddha asks Sa¯riputta what he thought when he
dismissed the bhikkhus. Sa¯riputta answers that he rejoiced at the thought that the
Buddha, Maha¯moggalla¯na, and he himself would ‘abide inactive, devoted to
pleasant abiding here and now’.

105

The Buddha reprimands him, telling him that

‘such a thought should not be entertained by [him] again’.

106

Moggalla¯na, on the

other hand, when asked the same question, replies with the correct response;
namely, that he and Sa¯riputta will lead the assembly of bhikkhus while the
Buddha ‘abides inactive, devoted to pleasant abiding here and now’,

107

therefore

recognizing his own responsibility for the group of bhikkhus they came with. It
should not, however, be thought that this indicates a discrimination in favour of
Maha¯moggalla¯na, as he too is admonished by the Buddha, and told that he
should ‘not be negligent regarding noble silence’,

108

and the jha¯nas.

109

The seven powers

Gethin has suggested that, in the face of such diversity of attainment displayed
by Arahants, the tradition established a minimum number of qualities common
to them all, which are described by the seven powers of the Arahant (khı¯n

a¯sava-

bala).

110

Like the formulae analysed in the first part of this paper, the seven

powers are also related to the Noble Eightfold Path in several ways, especially
as the seventh power is the Noble Eightfold Path itself. In addition, most of the
powers can be linked to one or several of the limbs of the Path. The first and
second powers, seeing the impermanence of all things, and seeing the danger in
the sense-desires, as well as the second factor of enlightenment,

111

investigation

of dhammas (dhammavicaya), included in the sixth power, are all related to the
first limb of the path, right view (samma¯ dit

thi). The third khı¯na¯sava-bala, ‘his

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

45

heart bent on, and inclined towards, enlightenment’, is clearly an expression of
right intention (samma¯ sam

kappa). The fourth and fifth powers, the four

foundations of mindfulness (satipat

tha¯na) and the five faculties (indriya),

include two lists comprising aspects of right striving (samma¯ va¯ya¯ma), of right
mindfulness (samma¯ sati) and of right concentration (samma¯ sama¯dhi). The
sixth power, the seven factors of enlightenment (bojjhan˙ga), again is related to
several limbs of the path.

It would be most interesting to establish how this combination evolved over

the history of early Buddhism, and finally crystallized, but as it is, it must be
taken in its present form. Beyond their obvious relationship with the Noble
Eightfold Path, the seven powers are intriguing since they clearly fall into two
groups: the first group corresponds to individual abilities, whereas the second
includes a good part of what the later tradition has termed the ‘37 factors which
contribute to enlightenment’ (bodhi-pakkhiya¯ dhamma¯).

112

Gethin has argued

that it is enough to fulfil one of the bodhi-pakkhiya¯ dhammas in order to fulfil
the whole Path.

113

It seems that this argument is also applicable to the seven

powers of the Arahant, and that fulfilling any of them would be to fulfil them
all. Furthermore, the apparent redundancy is no more than a statement about the
variety of ways that enlightenment may come about, in the same way that there
is a variety of ways in which knowledge (an˜n˜a¯) can be expressed.

However, the seven powers are rather comprehensive, since they encompass

virtually all aspects of the Buddhist Path. Therefore they do not give a very
precise idea of what the basic requirements for Arahantship may be. Is it
possible to find a characteristic that all Arahants share to the same extent? I
think it is, and that the characteristic at issue is made clear by the Pa¯li name for
the seven powers: the powers of one who has destroyed the a¯savas (khı¯n

a¯sava-

bala). This characteristic is also included in the formulae discussed in the first
part of this paper. The terms Arahant and khı¯n

a¯sava are commonly found

together, and they can undoubtedly be taken as synonyms. It is also significant
that the description of the attainment of Arahantship, such as that of Sa¯riputta
discussed earlier, usually refers to the destruction of the a¯savas. The descrip-
tion, given in the Kit

a¯giri Sutta, of those liberated in both ways

(ubhatobha¯gavimutti), and those liberated by wisdom (pan˜n˜a¯ vimutti), clearly
support this argument: the common element between them is that the a¯savas are
‘destroyed by [their] seeing with wisdom’.

114

If we examine the other categories

of Arahants mentioned at S I 191, the characteristic common to them all is,
again, the destruction of the a¯savas.

What is the relationship between the destruction of the a¯savas and the seven

powers? How can Arahants possess the seven powers, which include most of
the bodhi-pakkhiya¯ dhammas, and still be different? On the one hand, Arahants
are defined in terms of what they have destroyed and cannot do, and on the
other hand, they are defined in terms of what they do. With the destruction of
the a¯savas, the Arahant relinquishes the last traces of attachment he had for the
world and existence. He has eliminated the three defilements of greed (lobha),
hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha), in particular the very subtle forms of greed
and ignorance represented by the a¯savas of becoming (bhava¯sava) and

46

P. Engelmajer

ignorance (a¯vijja¯sava), and can therefore never act in a way that is not
consistent with the Noble Eightfold Path. This is made clear by the list of nine
actions that are impossible for an Arahant to perform.

115

As I have attempted

to show with examples from the Vaset

tha Sutta, the description given in the

An˙guttara Nika¯ya,

116

and the daily lives of Sa¯riputta and the ‘Anuruddhas’,

what the Arahant does as an Arahant is the same as what he needs to do in order
to attain his goal of eradicating greed, hatred and delusion. There is no
difference between the end and the means. The Arahant, having attained his
goal, can now fulfil the Path in each and every one of his actions: he is no
longer capable of being negligent with regard to the fulfilment of the Path. It
is in this sense that he is said to possess the seven powers. In a discussion of
the difference between indriyas and balas, Gethin argues, following the
Pat

isambhida¯magga, that the balas are characterized by their ‘unshakeability’:

they cannot be shaken by their opposite qualities.

117

If this definition is applied

to the khı¯n

a¯sava-balas, it can be inferred that Arahants cannot be shaken by the

opposites of the factors of the Path, which can be understood in terms of greed,
hatred and delusion. While all Arahants are equal in terms of ‘unshakeability’,
their differences may be explained by different degrees of development of the
seven powers. As was discussed earlier, different Arahants are shown as having
developed different qualities: Kassapa is said to be chief among the scrupulous,
Anuruddha, chief among the clairvoyant, and Pun

na Manta¯niputta, chief among

Dhamma teachers.

118

To take an example, some may have developed concen-

tration to the utmost, and attained the jha¯nas and formless attainments, as have
Sa¯riputta and the Anuruddhas. Others, such as Maha¯moggalla¯na have developed
the supernormal powers (iddhis). In other words, they all possess the same
qualities, but possess them to varying degrees.

Arahants can develop

While the Arahant has ‘done what had to be done’ to escape the round of
rebirths, the nature of his attainment entails the actualization of the very factors
that he had to develop to achieve his goal. This is confirmed in the examples
of Sa¯riputta and the Anuruddhas. An important aspect of Sa¯riputta’s life is
sharing knowledge of the Dhamma with his friends in the holy life, and he is
often portrayed questioning them. Although I have already pointed out the
likely rhetorical nature of these sessions of questions and answers, I still think
they denote a willingness to accept that no matter how advanced one is, there
is still room for learning more. A telling example occurs in the Rathavinı¯ta
Sutta, in which Sa¯riputta expresses a wish to meet Punna Manta¯n

iputta after

hearing him praised by the bhikkhus and the Buddha. When he is told that
Pun

na Manta¯niputta is in the vicinity, he immediately joins him and questions

him about the Dhamma.

119

The Anuruddhas also discuss the Dhamma, and

receive instruction and encouragement from the Buddha when he visits them. It
must be noted that this phrase

120

is common in the Nika¯yas as describing the

meeting of a bhikkhu and the Buddha, but again I think it is telling that it should
still be used with Arahants, as it seems they should not need instruction and

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

47

encouragement any longer. I think that if there was no possibility of further
development for Arahants, the Nika¯yas would only have shown them teaching
less advanced bhikkhus, rather than striving to learn more themselves.

Meditation practice is also encouraged for Arahants. Sa¯riputta is repeatedly

described as practising the jha¯nas and the formless attainments. Both the
Anuruddhas and Sa¯riputta spend their day in meditation, as do most of the
Arahants described in the Nika¯yas. Johansson claims that the ‘main concern of
the Arahant was to maintain what he had achieved [nibba¯na] by means of
meditation’.

121

Another explanation, according to Harvey who sees nibba¯na as

a state, and Arahantship as an event that gives access to this state, is that the
Arahant dwells in that state while in meditation, but cannot do so when carrying
out his daily business. The jha¯nas seem important, even, as mentioned earlier,
for the Arahant, since the Buddha warns that gain, honour and praise would
prevent an Arahant from attaining them.

122

Leaving aside the important question

of why an Arahant should be affected by gain, honour and praise in any
detrimental way, this clearly indicates that the Buddha thought it was important
for the Arahant to be able to attain the jha¯nas.

Another example of the advantage of practising meditation occurs in the

Pin

dapa¯tapa¯risuddhi Sutta, discussed earlier in relation to Sa¯riputta, in which,

after describing a bhikkhu who develops the bodhi-pakkiya¯ dhammas, and gains
true knowledge (vijja¯) and liberation (vimutti) (i.e., Arahantship), the Buddha
claims that ‘this bhikkhu, then, can abide happy and glad, training day and night
in wholesome states’.

123

The dhamma-kkhandhas

Another example of this tendency to sustain development is found in the (seldom
discussed) concept of the dhamma-kkhandhas.

124

The dhamma-kkhandhas were

mentioned in the description of Sa¯riputta and the Anuruddhas, as well as in the
discussion of the Arahant archetype. The three dhamma-kkhandhas of ethical
conduct (sı¯la), concentration (sama¯dhi) and wisdom (pan˜n˜a¯) are another way of
describing the Noble Eightfold Path, although as the bhikkhunı¯ Dhammadinna¯
explains to Visa¯kha in the Cu¯l

avedalla Sutta,

125

the three dhamma-kkhandhas

include the Noble Eightfold Path, but the Noble Eightfold Path does not include
the three dhamma-kkhandhas. This seems to imply that the three dhamma-
kkhandhas are broader than the Noble Eightfold Path. Sa¯riputta’s daily life seems
to illustrate this: many of his activities can be performed in such a way that they
are an actualization of the whole path, and his activities as a whole are comprised
within the three dhamma-kkhandhas. The alms-round, the cultivation of calm,
and of good friends, all are presented in the suttas as a potential means of
fulfilling the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Anupada sutta, the Buddha extols
Sa¯riputta, and in particular confirms that he has ‘attained mastery and perfection
in the noble virtue, […] noble concentration, […] noble wisdom and […] noble
liberation’.

126

These include the dhamma-kkhandhas although perplexingly they

are not called dhamma-kkhandhas in this case.

127

Although the number of dhamma-kkhandhas varies between three and five,

48

P. Engelmajer

there is a certain pattern to this variation that seems to imply various degrees
of development: the instances in which all five dhamma-kkhandhas are explicitly
named are either referring to the Buddha or to hypothetical bhikkhus, except for
one case concerning A

¯ nanda, which I will discuss later. The only person

mentioned in the Nika¯yas as fully possessing the five dhamma-kkhandhas is the
Buddha. In the Brahmasam

yutta,

128

the Buddha claims that there is no other

ascetic or brahmin more perfect than he is in the five dhamma-kkhandhas. As
a result, he does not need to depend on anyone, but only on the Dhamma itself.
It seems fair to conclude from this statement that those, like his disciples
(including Arahants), who depend on him, have not attained the same degree of
fulfilment of the dhamma-kkhandhas as he has.

That there is a notion of degree in the fulfilment of the dhamma-kkhandhas

is further supported by another passage in the An˙guttara Nika¯ya (by far the
Nika¯ya in which the dhamma-kkhandhas are most often mentioned), where three
sorts of persons are described: one who is ‘not to be followed, not to be served
and not to be honoured’, one who is ‘to be followed, served and honoured’, and
one who is ‘to be followed, served and honoured with worship and reverence’.

129

The reason for these differences in rapport depends on whether the person
involved is inferior, equal or superior to oneself with regard to sı¯la, sama¯dhi and
pan˜n˜a¯. Here it must be noted that in the case of someone inferior or equal, the
terms sı¯la, sama¯dhi and pan˜n˜a¯ are used; whereas in the case of one who is
superior, the actions should be done for the fulfilment (paripu¯ri) of the unfulfilled
(aparipu¯ram

) dhamma-kkhandhas, which is the same terminology used by the

Buddha when reflecting on his own fulfilment of the dhamma-kkhandhas. It thus
seems that simple qualities, accessible to everyone, become dhamma-kkhandhas
as one enters the Noble Eightfold Path, and develop as one progresses.
Furthermore, as I wish to argue, they continue being developed even after the
attainment of Arahantship.

Another passage of the An˙guttara Nika¯ya establishes a difference between one

who is accomplished (sampanna) in the qualities and one who is endowed
(samanna¯gata) with the five dhamma-kkhandhas, which are said to be ‘beyond
training’ (asekha). Although they are still both worthy of offerings and gifts, and
unsurpassed fields of merit,

130

the distinction between being accomplished in

qualities and being endowed with them seems to indicate a degree of develop-
ment. The distinction may be very slight, and may be valid only in this specific
context, but there seems to be a question of intent, in that the one who is
accomplished still has, to a certain extent, to make some effort to put the qualities
into practice, whereas the one who is endowed with these qualities beyond
training actualizes them instinctively. They have become part of him to such an
extent that they are the sole way of behaving, without even the need to think
about it.

The passage in which the five dhamma-kkhandhas are mentioned as referring

to a specific person concerns A

¯ nanda. He is asked by the Buddha whether

Sa¯riputta, when he died, had taken with him A

¯ nanda’s five dhamma-

kkhandhas.

131

Bhikkhu Bodhi

132

notes that this is surprising since, according to

the commentaries, only Arahants possess the five dhamma-kkhandhas. I am

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

49

tempted to propose that this is another suggestion that the five dhamma-
kkhandhas can actually be developed at various degrees, and that A

¯ nanda might

have developed them to a lesser degree than an Arahant.

Conclusion

The completion of the Path implies that the Path is fulfilled in every single
aspect of the Arahant’s life, and that the Arahant’s life, taken as a whole, is an
expression of the Path that can be expanded indefinitely. The characteristic
common to all Arahants is the destruction of the a¯savas, and the concomitant
powers (khı¯n

a¯sava-bala). The very nature of these powers entails that one might

be endowed with them without having fully developed them, and this is also
true of the dhamma-kkhandhas, which delineate the activities of the Arahant.
Do these differences imply that some achievements might be higher than
others? I think that would be to misunderstand the nature of the perfection of
the Arahant, a misunderstanding that might have led later schools of Buddhism
to criticize and reject the Arahant as not having reached the highest goal. While
I would not go as far as I. B. Horner in arguing that ‘Monastic Buddhism’ has
corrupted early Buddhism, and eliminated the idea of ‘infinite improvement,
enrichment and development’

133

that, according to her, characterized Arahant-

ship in very early Buddhism, I think that it can be argued that there is a
tendency within the Nika¯yas to accept that Arahants can continue to evolve
after attaining Arahantship. This, I believe, in no way undermines the perfection
of their realization. Once the destruction of the a¯savas is achieved, and the
defilements eradicated, the Noble Eightfold Path can be completely and
indefinitely fulfilled. To claim that the Arahant cannot develop further would be
to imply that, if I may use a worldly metaphor, the prima ballerina of the Royal
Ballet cannot improve and develop new skills because she has already attained
the highest goal of her profession. Going along with Harvey’s argument that
Arahantship is an ‘event’ and nibba¯na a state in which the Arahant does not
dwell at all times,

134

it seems that attaining Arahantship opens up the possibility

of developing the dhamma-kkhandhas to their fullest extent, without any further
interference from the defilements. This would explain why the Nika¯yas do not
mention any specific Arahant, but the Buddha alone, as having developed the
five dhamma-kkhandhas — even Sa¯riputta seems to have only four.

135

While it is quite clear why Arahants continue fulfilling the Path after gaining

Arahantship, it may be asked why they need to further develop the seven
powers and the dhamma-kkhandhas. One answer may lie in the Buddha’s
comment about the ‘Anuruddhas’ of the Cu¯l

agosin˙ga Sutta: ‘these three are

practising for the welfare and happiness of the many, out of compassion for the
world, for the good, welfare, and happiness of gods and humans’.

136

Notes

1 The PED gives a fourth formula, but as far as I can tell it only refers to the Buddha,

and thus will not be discussed in this paper. Note that for most translations, even
of the formulae, I use those of Bhikkhu Bodhi.

50

P. Engelmajer

2 The PED refers to this as formula B.
3 For example, SI 140 (eko vu¯pakat

tho appamatto a¯ta¯pi pahitatto viharanto […] tad

anuttaram

brahmacariya-pariyosa¯nam dittheva dhamme sayam abhin˜n˜a¯ sac-

chikatva¯ upasampajja viha¯si); I am giving here a more extended version of the
second formula than the PED version, which only includes the beginning epithets.

4 PED’s formula A.
5 For example, MI 139 (khi¯n

a ja¯ti vusitam brahmacariyam katam karani¯yam

na¯param

itthatta¯ya).

6 PED’s formula C.
7 For example, M I 4 (bhikkhu araham

khi¯na¯savo vusitava¯ katakarani¯yo ohitabha¯ro

anuppatta-sadattho parikkhi¯n

a-bhava-saymojano sammad-an˜n˜a¯-vimutto).

8 D III 133.
9 There are many translations of the term a¯sava; for example, cankers, influxes,

corruptions, taints (see, for example, Horner (1936, 46) for a list of early transla-
tions). None of these, in my opinion, seems to capture adequately the connotations
of the Pa¯li word, and consequently I will only use the Pa¯li.

10 For example, D III 83; S I 146.
11 For example, S II 83.
12 For example, M I 7 and S IV 256.
13 Horner (1936, 122, note 1) simply notes that ‘later the a¯savas included as well

ditthi’; Hamilton (2000, 84, note 7) mentions that the Vinaya gives the four a¯savas.
However, dit

thi is also included as an a¯sava in the Maha¯parinibba¯na Sutta of the

Di¯gha Nika¯ya.

14 M I 250.
15 S IV 256.
16 S V 236.
17 S V 434.
18 A III 387.
19 For example, bond: S IV 163–4, S II 166, S IV 89, and S IV 283; fetter: S III 166,

S IV 89, and S IV 162–3.

20 S III 166–7.
21 S IV 162–3.
22 S IV 162–3.
23 M I 7–12.
24 See S V, 61.
25 For example, S I 140 (… tad anuttaram

brahmacariya-pariyosa¯nam dittheva

dhamme sayam

abhin˜n˜a¯ sacchikatva¯ upasampajja viha¯si).

26 For example, S I 140 (abhin˜n˜a) and M I 4 (abhija¯na¯ti). Others use ‘higher

knowledge’; see Walshe (1987), for example.

27 M I 1–6.
28 For example, M III 289, S V 52.
29 For example, S IV 17–9.
30 S IV 50 (evan˜cetam

bhikkhu, bhikkhuno sutam hoti sabbe dhamma¯ na¯lam ab-

hinivesa¯ya¯ti; so sabbam

dhammam abhija¯na¯ti, sabbam dhammam abhin˜n˜a¯ya,

sabbam

dhammam parija¯na¯ti sabbam dhammam parin˜n˜a¯ya sabbanimitta¯ni an˜n˜ato

passati).

31 S IV 48–9.
32 S V 16 (ayameva kho a¯vuso ariyo at

than˙giko maggo brahmacariyam).

33 S V 17 (yo kho a¯vuso imina¯ ariyena at

than˙gikena maggena samanna¯gato ayam

vuccati brahmaca¯ri¯).

34 ayameva kho a¯vuso ariyo at

than˙giko maggo etesam a¯sava¯nam paha¯na¯ya.

35 Sn 115–123. It also appears in the Majjhima Nika¯ya.
36 Collins, (1982, 32–3), also see the Son

adanda Sutta (D I 111–26).

37 I am using here the definitions given in the Maha¯satipat

tha¯na Sutta. However, the

same definitions can be found at M III 252 ff.

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

51

38 Sn 632 (akkakasam

vin˜n˜apanim giram saccam udiraye, ya¯ya na¯bhisaje kan˜ci

tamaham

bru¯mi bra¯hmanam).

39 D II 312 (musa¯va¯da¯ veraman

i¯, pisuna¯ya va¯ca¯ya veramani¯, pharusa¯ya va¯ca¯ya

veraman

i¯ samphappala¯pa¯ veramani¯).

40 A I 211–2.
41 M I 301.
42 Gethin (1998, 83).
43 D I 63–9.
44 A I 211–2.
45 S

II

32

(atha

kho

a¯yasma¯

sa¯riputto

pubban

hasamayam niva¯setva¯

pattaci¯varama¯da¯ya ra¯jagaham

pinda¯ya pa¯visi); also see S III 235–240 (Sa¯riputtasa-

sam

yutta), for example.

46 M III 294 (chando va¯ ra¯go va¯ doso va¯ moho va¯ pat

igham).

47 M III 293–7.
48 For example, S III 235.
49 S III 235–40.
50 S III 235 (tassa mayham

na evam hoti: aham pathamam jha¯nam sama¯pajja¯mi¯ti va¯

aham

pathamam jha¯nam sama¯pannoti va¯ aham pathama¯ jha¯na¯ vutthitoti va¯ti).

51 S III 235 (tatha¯ hi pana¯yasmato sa¯riputtassa di¯gharattam

abhimka¯ramamim-

ka¯rama¯na¯nusaya¯ susamu¯hata¯. tasma¯ a¯yasmato sa¯riputtassa na evam

hoti: aham

pat

hamam jha¯nam sama¯pajja¯mi¯ti va¯ aham pathamam jha¯nam sama¯pannoti va¯

aham

pathamajha¯na¯ vutthitoti va¯ti).

52 For example, S II 254.
53 I am not suggesting that the conceit ‘I am’ (asmima¯no) is still present in the ‘new’

Arahant, but that, in the same way as one who changes from a gear car to an
automatic car might still reach for the gear stick, the ‘new’ Arahant might still reach
for the concepts ‘I’ and ‘me’ as an automatism before letting them go.

54 Harvey (1995, 182–5).
55 S II 239 (yo pi so bhikkhave, bhikkhu araham

khi¯na¯savo, tassa pa¯ham

la¯bhasakka¯rasilokam

antara¯ya¯ya vada¯mi¯ti).

56 S II 239 (ya¯ hissa sa¯ a¯nanda, akuppa¯ ceto vimukti, na¯ham

tassa¯ la¯bhasakka¯ra

silokam

antara¯ya¯ya vada¯mi).

57 For example, the just cited Sa¯riputtasam

yutta.

58 For example, M I 292–7.
59 For example, S II 195.
60 For example, S II 275.
61 Another example occurs at S III 172–5 and S III 175–7 with Maha¯kot

thita.

62 S V 346.
63 S V 362.
64 See, for example, Kvu 173–80.
65 S V 162 (api ca me bhante, madhurakaja¯to viya ka¯yo. disa¯pi me na pakkha¯yanti.

dhamma¯pi mam

nappatibhanti. a¯yasma¯ sa¯riputto parinibbuto ’ti sutva¯ti).

66 Ibid.
67 S V 164 (api ca kha¯yam

bhikkhave, parisa¯ sun˜n˜a¯ viya kha¯yati parinibbutesu

sa¯riputtamoggalla¯nesu asun˜n˜a¯ me sa¯ bhikkhave, parisa¯ hoti anapekha¯ tassam

disa¯yam

hoti, yassam disa¯yam sa¯riputtamoggalla¯na¯ viharanti). There is some

tension here as, on the one hand, the Buddha seems to express a certain degree of
sadness at the loss of his chief disciples and, on the other hand, he claims that there
is ‘no sorrow or lamentation in the Tatha¯gata’ and enjoins the bhikkhus to ‘dwell
with themselves as their own island; with themselves as their own refuge; with the
Dhamma as their island, with the Dhamma as their refuge, with no other refuge’.

68 S V 3–4. In the preceding sutta, A

¯ nanda is corrected by the Buddha when he claims

that ‘good friendship, good companionship, and good comradeship’ are ‘half the
holy life’ (S V 2–3), thereby perhaps stressing the difference of understanding
between Sa¯riputta and A

¯ nanda, between an Arahant and one who is not an Arahant.

52

P. Engelmajer

69 S V 3–4.
70 S V 29.
71 Collins (1987, 51).
72 Ibid.
73 S V 162.
74 S III 235–40.
75 For example, S IV 103–5, and M II 184–96.
76 See the two Di¯gha Nika¯ya suttas cited earlier, for example.
77 For example, M I 46–55 and M I 14–6.
78 D III 207–71.
79 The Dasuttara Sutta, for example (D III 272–92).
80 M I 46–55.
81 M III 248–52.
82 Bhikkhu Bodhi (1995, 20), in his introduction to the translation of the Majjhima

Nika¯ya, notes that three of the nine suttas attributed to Sa¯riputta ‘have become basic
texts for the study of Buddhist doctrine in monastic schools through the Therava¯da
Buddhist world’ (two are cited hereafter).

83 D III 207.
84 S IV 103–5.
85 S IV 55–60. On the issue of Arahants committing suicide, see the articles by

Wiltshire (1983) and Keown (1996). Note the commentary’s position that those
committing suicide such as Channa, only became Arahants at the moment of death
(this, however, seems to contradict the sutta).

86 S V 380–5.
87 S III 5 (Buddha), S V 162 (A

¯ nanda).

88 For example, M I 301 and S V 162, which has five dhamma-kkhandhas.
89 M I 205; the three also live together at M III 156, although in a different park.
90 Peter Harvey (1995, 61) argues that the use of a single name illustrates the lack of

boundaries of the Arahant’s mind.

91 M I 206 (yatha¯katham

pana tumhe anuruddha¯ samagga¯ sammodama¯na¯ avi-

vadama¯na¯ khi¯rodaki¯bhu¯ta¯ an˜n˜aman˜n˜am

piyacakkhu¯hi sampassanta¯ viharatha¯ti).

92 M I 207 (na¯na¯ hi kho no bhante ka¯ya¯. ekan˜ca pana man˜n˜e cittanti)
93 M I 205.
94 M I 209.
95 M I 209 (atha kho bhagava¯ a¯yasmantan˜ca anuruddham

a¯yasmantan˜ca nandiyam

a¯yasmantan˜ca kimbilam

dhammiya¯ katha¯ya sandassetva¯ sama¯dapetva¯ samuttejetva¯

sampaham

setva¯ uttha¯ya¯sana¯ pakka¯mi).

96 M I 210.
97 M I 211 (passa di¯gha, ya¯van˜cete tayo kulaputta¯ bahujanahita¯ya pat

ipanna¯ bahu-

janasukha¯ya loka¯nukampaka¯ya attha¯ya hita¯ya sukha¯ya devamanussa¯nanti).

98 A I 23–5.
99 For example, S I 191.

100 S II 123.
101 M II 185–96.
102 M II 196 (kim

pana tvam sa¯riputta, dhanan˜ja¯nim bra¯hmanam sati uttarim karini¯ye,

hi¯ne brahmaloke patit

tha¯petva¯ uttha¯ya¯sana¯ pakkantoti)

103 A I 23 (etadaggam

bhikkhave mama sa¯vaka¯nam bhikkhu¯nam iddhimanta¯nam

yadidam

maha¯moggalla¯no).

104 For example, in the Brahmasam

yutta (S I 144–6), a few of the Buddha’s most

eminent disciples use their supernormal powers, but Sa¯riputta is conspicuous by his
absence.

105 M I 459 (appossukko ’da¯ni bhagava¯ dit

thadhammasukhaviha¯ram anuyutto viharis-

sati. mayampida¯ni appossukka¯ dit

thadhammasukhaviha¯ram anuyutta¯ viharissa¯-

ma¯ti).

106 M I 459 (na kho te sa¯riputta punapi evaru¯pam

cittam uppa¯detabbanti).

Reflections on the Arahant in the Nika¯yas

53

107 M I 459 (evam

kho me bhante ahosi bhagavata¯ bhikkhusan˙ghe pana¯mite appos-

sukko’da¯ni bhagava¯ dit

thadhammasukhaviha¯ram anuyutto viharissati. ahan˜cada¯ni

a¯yasma¯ ca sa¯riputto bhikkhusan˙gham

pariharissa¯ma¯ti).

108 S II 273.
109 S IV 262–9 Here it is not clear whether Maha¯moggalla¯na is already an Arahant or

not, although the commentaries say that he is not at this point. Also see A IV 85–8,
where a similar scene is depicted, and again it is not clear whether Maha¯moggalla¯na
is an Arahant or not at this point.

110 The number of khi¯n

a¯sava bala¯ni varies; for example, ten are found at A V 174–5;

also see Gethin (1992, 261–2).

111 See D III 252 for a list of the seven factors of enlightenment.
112 Cousins (1996, 145).
113 Gethin (1992, 351–2).
114 M I 477 (pan˜n˜a¯ya cassa disva¯ a¯sava¯ parikkhi¯n

a¯ honti).

115 D III 133.
116 A I 211–2.
117 Gethin (1992, 142–3).
118 A I 23.
119 M I 145–51.
120 ‘After the Blessed One instructed, urged, roused, and gladdened the Venerable …

with a talk on the Dhamma’ (bhagava¯ a¯yasmantam

… dhammiya¯ katha¯ya sandas-

setva¯ sama¯dapetva¯ samuttejetva¯ sampaham

setva¯). See for example, M I 209 for the

Anuruddhas, and M I 146 for Pun

na Manta¯niputta.

121 Johansson (1969, 110).
122 S II 239–41.
123 M III 297 (tena bhikkhuna¯ teneva pi¯tipa¯mojjena viha¯tabbam

ahoratta¯nusikkhina¯

kusalesu dhammesu). Cousins (1996, 145) points out that the term kusala¯ dhamma¯
refers principally to ‘jha¯nas and […] the dhammas contributing to awakening
(bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammas)’.

124 Gethin (1992, 32) briefly mentions them with reference to the Buddha; and Harvey

(1995, 234) mentions that the Buddha and the Arahant are ‘endowed and awakened’
to the five dhamma-khandhas, while the other ‘members of the Holy Sangha’ are
still developing them.

125 M I 301.
126 M III 29 (sa¯riputtameva tam

samma¯ vadama¯no vadeyya vasippatto pa¯ramippatto

ariyasmim

si¯lasmim, vasippatto pa¯ramippatto ariyasmim sama¯dhismim, vasippatto

pa¯ramippatto ariya¯ya pan˜n˜a¯ya, vasippatto pa¯ramippatto ariya¯ya vimuttiya¯ti).

127 S I 139.
128 S I 139; also at A II 20.
129 A I 124–5 (atthi bhikkhave puggalo na sevitabbo na bhajitabbo na payirupa¯sitabbo.

atthi bhikkhave puggalo sevitabbo bhajitabbo payirupa¯sitabbo. atthi bhikkhave
puggalo sakkatva¯ garukatva¯ sevitabbo bhajitabbo payirupa¯sitabbo).

130 A III 134.
131 S V 162.
132 Bodhi (2000, 1924, note 160). Here he gives as evidence that the five dhamma-

khandhas only apply to Arahants a reference to the passage at S I 139, which
actually only mentions the Buddha. He treats this as an ‘anomaly’. His other
example, about Ana¯thapin

dika, can also fit within my argument.

133 Horner (1936, 283).
134 Harvey (1995, 182–4).
135 The later tradition disagrees with this view, and claims that Arahants have fully

developed the five dhamma-khandhas. See, for example, Bhikkhu Bodhi’s com-
ment, mentioned earlier, on A

¯ nanda’s five dhamma-khandhas (Bodhi, 2000, 1924,

note 160).

136 M I 211 (passa di¯gha, ya¯van˜cete tayo kulaputta¯ bahujanahita¯ya pat

ipanna¯ bahu-

janasukha¯ya loka¯nukampaka¯ya attha¯ya hita¯ya sukha¯ya devamanussa¯nanti).

54

P. Engelmajer

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