Is personal liberation a spiritual victory or a selfish retreat?
In short: In Buddhist tradition, the Arhat is a master who has broken the cycle of rebirth. Yet, within different schools, this achievement is viewed with wildly different lenses: some see it as the ultimate goal of perfection, while others dismiss it as a fallible, lesser path compared to the altruistic ideal of the Bodhisattva.
The term Arhat (or Arahant) stems from the Sanskrit root 'arh,' meaning to deserve or merit. In pre-Buddhist India, these figures were often associated with miraculous powers and asceticism; however, Buddhists made a sharp distinction, moving the focus away from miracles toward internal liberation. An Arhat is defined as one who has gained insight into existence, achieved nirvana, and eliminated the 'unwholesome roots'—greed, hatred, and delusion—that bind a person to samsara.
The status of an Arhat is not universally agreed upon across Buddhist schools. The Theravada tradition and the Mahīśāsaka school generally regard Arhats as having attained the same liberation as Buddhas, though via different paths. Conversely, several early schools—including the Mahāsāṃghika, Kāśyapīya, and Sarvāstivāda—viewed Arhats as fallible and imperfect. For instance, the Kāśyapīyins believed Arhats might still harbor desire and could potentially relapse into ignorance, while the Caitikas viewed them as subject to lingering limitations.
This tension reaches its peak in Mahayana Buddhism, which introduces a hierarchy of spiritual goals. While Mahayana respects the Arhat's transcendence of the mundane world, it often critiques the 'śrāvaka' path (the seeker of personal liberation) as being motivated by a fear of samsara. In this framework, the Bodhisattva is superior because of an altruistic orientation: seeking nirvana without seeking it for oneself. Some Mahayana texts even suggest that a true Arhat will eventually be roused from their state to accept the Bodhisattva path.
Despite these theological debates, Arhats remain central to Buddhist iconography and practice. In East Asian traditions, they are often grouped into specific numbers—such as the Eighteen Arhats or Five Hundred Arhats—and are venerated similarly to saints or apostles. These figures represent a profound human achievement: the systematic dismantling of the psychological fetters that perpetuate existence.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Arhat
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