阿彌陀經疏 1.40

1.40

“All were great arhats” reveals their rank. This means these bhikṣus were not trainees (śaikṣa); all possessed the ultimate fruit of non-training (aśaikṣa). “Arhat” contains three meanings: first, “worthy of offerings,” because they are capable of serving as fields of merit for humans and devas—this is the fruit of the “beggar of sustenance”; second, “slayer of thieves,” because they have cut off afflictions completely—this is the fruit of the “destroyer of evil”; third, “unborn,” because they do not undergo subsequent existence—this is the fruit of the “terrorizer of Māra.”