Arahant

An arahant (Pali: arahā, Sanskrit: arhat) is a person who has attained full awakening and is liberated from the cycle of birth and death by extinguishing greed, hatred, and delusion. The term translates roughly as “worthy one” or “one who deserves reverence.” In early Buddhist texts, an arahant is a liberated being who has eradicated defilements and will experience parinirvana at death rather than rebirth.

In the Theravada tradition, the arahant is the culminating ideal of the Buddhist path. An arahant has eliminated the ten fetters that bind beings to samsara and achieved Nirvana. The path to arahantship is described through the four stages of enlightenment—stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner, and arahant—cultivated via the Noble Eightfold Path and direct insight into the Four Noble Truths.

In Mahayana Buddhism, arhats are recognized as enlightened beings who have realized liberation for themselves. However, the bodhisattva ideal emphasizes postponing final nirvana in order to assist all beings in attaining Buddhahood. As a result, arhats may be viewed differently across schools: they are respected as realized teachers, yet the ultimate goal in many Mahayana lineages is Buddhahood for the sake of others.

An arahant is distinct from a Buddha, who is understood to have achieved complete omniscience and to teach the Dhamma for the liberation of all beings. In various Buddhist traditions, arahants are regarded as highly realized monastics and lay practitioners who have attained liberation and are no longer subject to rebirth.