What is Buddhism? Applications 2 - What is an Arhat? - The Path to Eradicating Attachment to the Self (The goal of practice in Theravada Buddhism)

    As explained in the previous basic section, to his five old friends, Shakyamuni taught the Middle Way, the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path, as methods for transcending the delusion of self. This method involved recognizing that the concept of "self" is fundamentally based on delusion without inherent existence. It involves acknowledging the situation where various attachments cling to the delusional self, and ultimately, through eliminating all attachments thoroughly, eradicating the delusion of self entirely. Eventually, all five old friends are said to have become Arhats.

An Arhat refers to an individual (a person) who, through eradicating all attachments and delusions back to their root causes, thereby eliminating the causes of individual existence by tracing through the twelve stages of dependent origination. (Please refer to the Basics Part 5 for details)

This leads to a state of nirvana where one no longer returns to the cycle of samsara. However, since desires to maintain the physical body persist as long as the body survives, nirvana in this state, where residual desires remain, is called "with remainder nirvana." It is only when the body dies that no desires remain whatsoever, and it is called "without remainder nirvana."

The term "Arhat" originally meant "one worthy of respect," and it is also translated as "one who is worthy of offerings." Although Shakyamuni attained complete enlightenment and became a Buddha, he was also an Arhat.

Thus, Shakyamuni, who became a Buddha, was also an Arhat. However, can we say that everyone who becomes an Arhat becomes a Buddha? It seems not.

At least, in all Buddhist scriptures, there are many descriptions of Shakyamuni's disciples becoming Arhats, but there is no description of any of them becoming Buddhas.

Generally, it is also seen that later Mahayana Buddhism unjustly belittled the state of Arhatship. However, even in the early Buddhist scriptures, there are no examples of Shakyamuni's disciples being called Buddhas. Moreover, practitioners of today's Theravada Buddhism (traditionally transmitted as the Southern Transmission Buddhism, which regards the state of Arhatship as the ultimate goal) themselves have the realization that they can become Arhats but not Buddhas. Hence, there seems to be an understanding from very early stages that Arhats and Buddhas are different.

Moreover, some people questioned whether it was somewhat heartless to become an Arhat quickly and bid farewell to the cycle of samsara, leaving behind many suffering beings, and said, "Because you are so heartless, you cannot become Buddhas. To become a Buddha, shouldn't you dedicate yourself more to helping other beings?" These people eventually formed separate sects, which led to the development of later Mahayana Buddhism.

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