In Theravada Buddhism, an Arhat (Sanskrit: अर्हत् arhat; Pali: arahant; "one who is worthy"^[1]) is a "perfected person"^[1][2] who has attained nirvana.^[2][1] In other Buddhist traditions the term has also been used for people far advanced along the path of Enlightenment, but who may not have reached full Buddhahood.^[3]

The understanding of the concept has changed over the centuries, and varies between different schools of buddhism and different regions. A range of views on the attainment of arhats existed in the early Buddhist schools. The Sarvāstivāda, Kāśyapīya, Mahāsāṃghika, Ekavyāvahārika, Lokottaravāda, Bahuśrutīyas,Prajñaptivāda, and Caitika schools all regarded arhats as being imperfect in their attainments compared tobuddhas.^[4][5][6]

Mahāyāna Buddhists are urged to take up the path of a bodhisattva, and to not fall back to the level of arhats and śrāvakas.^[7] The arhats, or at least the senior arhats, came to be widely regarded as "moving beyond the state of personal freedom to join the Bodhisattva enterprise in their own way".^[3]

In later Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition a group of Eighteen Arhats with names and personalities were regarded as awaiting the return of the Buddha as Maitreya, and other groupings of 6, 8, 16, 100, and 500 also appear in tradition and Buddhist art, especially in East Asia.^[8] They can be seen as the Buddhist equivalents of the Christian saints, apostles and early disciples and leaders of the faith.^[8] [9]

Etymology and translations[edit]

Gohyaku rakan - five hundred statues depicting arhats, at the Chōkei-ji temple in Toyama

Early uses[edit]

The exact interpretation and etymology of arahant and arhat remains disputed. The term was in use before the appearance of Buddhism. Bhikkhu Bodhi writes that the term arahant was current before the time of Gautama Buddha.^[10]

Arhat occurs as arhattā in the Rigveda.^[11] Though the word arhattā occurs mostly in Buddhist and Jain texts, it also occurs in the Vedas and some Vaishnava works such as the Bhagavata Purana.^[12] Arhattā also occurs in the Vaishnava Srī Narada Pañcaratnam.^[13]

Based on a possible Sanskrit etymology, arhant can be translated as "deathless", since "hant" in Sanskrit means death or killing, and "ar" is often used for negation, implying "cannot be killed" or "beyond death" or "deathless". This fits well with the central philosophical thought in Buddhism. A similar transcendence is referred to in theMahamrityunjaya Mantra, which also occurs in the Rigveda.

Pali term[edit]

In the Theravada tradition, and in early Pali Text Society publications, the word arahant or arhat is interpreted to mean the "worthy one"^[14] This interpretation is based on the assumption that the root of the word is Pali araha (cf. Sk. arha). Bhikkhu Bodhi writes:^[10]

The word is derived from a verb arahati, meaning "to be worthy," and thus means a person who is truly worthy of veneration and offerings. Among Indian spiritual seekers in the Buddha's time, the word was used to denote a person who had attained the ultimate goal, for this is what made one worthy of veneration and offerings.

The interpretation "worthy one" has been challenged by more recent research, resulting from the etymological comparison of Pali and early Jain Prakritforms (arihanta and arahanta).^[15] The alternative etymology is "foe-destroyer" or "vanquisher of enemies," which corresponds to the Jain definition.^[16]Richard Gombrich has proposed an etymology of ari + hanta, bringing the root meaning closer to Jina (an epithet commonly used of both the leaders of theJain religion and Gautama Buddha).^[17]

In the Abhidhamma Pitaka Arhant means destroyer of the taints^[18]