Early Monastic Buddhism v2.c35.s8.8

v2.c35.s8.8

Re. Arhats. All dhammas (not his body, dress, etc.) possessed by an arhat are pure (anāsava) (K. iv. 3). The arhats are able to end their lives in the same way as Buddha did, (xxii. 3), as described in the Mahāparinibbāna-sutta. They admit there may be persons claiming arhathood falsely (xxiii. 2). Taking the instance of Yaśa’s attainment of arhathood they held that a householder (gihi) can attain Arhathood without giving up the householder’s life. The Th. point out that Yaśa may have the gihi signs externally but his mind was free from the ties of a householder (iv. 1). Then on the basis of the existence of Upa-hacca(Uppajja)-parinibbāyīs, the Uttarāpathakas hold that a being, usually a god, at the very moment of his birth, can attain arhathood. They also hold that beings while in the womb or beings just born may attain arhathood on account of their acquisition of sotāpannahood in their previous lives.²