In the Buddha's Words - Bhikkhu Bodhi [216]
32. “And how is the arahant one whose trench has been filled in? Here the arahant has abandoned the round of rebirths, the process of renewed existence, has cut it off at the root ... so that it is no longer subject to future arising. That is how he is one whose trench has been filled in.
33. “And how is the arahant one whose pillar has been uprooted? Here the arahant has abandoned craving, has cut it off at the root ... so that it is no longer subject to future arising. That is how he is one whose pillar has been uprooted.
34. “And how is the arahant one who has no bolt? Here the monk has abandoned the five lower fetters, has cut them off at the root ... so that they are no longer subject to future arising. That is how he is one who has no bolt.
35. “And how is the arahant a noble one whose banner is lowered, whose burden is lowered, who is unfettered? Here the arahant has abandoned the conceit ‘I am,’ has cut it off at the root ... so that it is no longer subject to future arising. That is how he is a noble one whose banner is lowered, whose burden is lowered, who is unfettered.”
(from MN 22: Alagaddūpama Sutta; I 139–40)
(4) Nine Things an Arahant Cannot Do
“In the past, and also now, I declare that a monk who is an arahant with taints destroyed—one who has lived the spiritual life, done his task, laid down the burden, attained his own goal, utterly destroyed the fetters of existence, and become liberated by final knowledge—is incapable of transgression in regard to nine things: he is incapable of destroying life, of taking what is not given, of engaging in the sexual act, of telling a deliberate lie, and of making use of stored-up enjoyments as he did in the past when he was a householder; further, he is incapable of taking a wrong course of action on account of desire, on account of hatred, on account of delusion, or on account of fear. In the past, and also now, I declare that a monk who is an arahant is incapable of transgression in regard to these nine things.”
(from AN 9:7; IV 370–71)
(5) A Mind Unshaken
[The Venerable Sāriputta said:] “When, friend, a monk is thus liberated in mind, even if powerful forms cognizable by the eye come into range of his eye, they do not obsess his mind; his mind remains uncontaminated, steady, attained to imperturbability, and he contemplates their fall. Even if powerful sounds cognizable by the ear … smells cognizable by the nose … flavors cognizable by the tongue … tactile objects cognizable by the body … mental phenomena cognizable by the mind come into range of his mind, they do not obsess his mind; his mind remains uncontaminated, steady, attained to imperturbability, and he contemplates their fall. Suppose, friend, there were a stone pillar sixteen meters long, eight meters sunk in the ground and eight meters above the ground. Then a powerful rainstorm would come from the east: the pillar would not budge, would not shake, would not tremble. Then a powerful rainstorm would come from the north ... from the west ... from the south: the pillar would not budge, would not shake, would not tremble. Why not? Because of the depth of the base and because the stone pillar has been deeply planted. So too for a monk thus liberated in mind, if powerful sense objects come into range, they do not obsess his mind; his mind remains uncontaminated, steady, attained to imperturbability, and he contemplates their fall.”
(from AN 9:26; IV 404–5)
(6) The Ten Powers of an Arahant Monk
The Buddha asked the Venerable Sāriputta: “How many powers does an arahant monk have, Sāriputta, possessing which he claims that he has attained the destruction of the taints?”
“The arahant monk has ten powers, venerable sir, possessing which he claims that he has attained the destruction of the taints. What ten?
“Here, venerable sir, for an arahant monk all formations have been well seen as they really are with correct wisdom as impermanent. This is a power of an arahant monk on the basis of which he claims that he has attained the destruction of the taints.
“Again, venerable