2011-12-05

Can an arhat become a Buddha?

© Anonymous comment to “ Two general viewpoints of “emptiness” and “no-self””, December 4, 2011 10:01 PM

Q: Can an arhat become a Buddha?

A: The answer is “yes” and “no,” it depends.

For a fixed-nature arhat 定性聲聞阿羅漢, he is afraid of losing all his current attainment when proceeding into next life due to the loss of memory during reincarnation (胎昧); he will not take any risk in his future lives. So the fixed-nature arhat will enter nirvana after death and cannot become a Buddha.

As the Buddha is able to see through every individual’s mind and nature, he would preach to all arhats the wondrous connotation of the Buddhahood-Way before their time (entering nirvana), hoping to sow the seeds of the Mahayana nature into the arhats’ Alayavijnana. Most arhats would eventually change their mind to practice the Mahayana (迴心大乘) and will not enter nirvana; some of them would still enter the remainderless nirvana after their death. However, the chance is there that in the state of remainderless nirvana, the Alayavijnana remains its functional distinctions of flowing, after immeasurable eons, the stored memory-seeds of the Buddha’s teachings would initiate the rise of the seventh vijnana, then a new being would be born in the three realms.

Then the possibility exists that this individual might eventually become a Buddha.

3 comments:

  1. Q: Can “sexuality” helps with “liberation”?
    A: No, definitely not, it will only impede the cultivation to liberation.
    The Buddhist final goals are set to cultivate for attaining liberation and Buddhahood. The simplest explanation for “liberation” refers to that a sentient being is able to break free from the attachments of either the desire-realm or the Three Realms.

    The sexual pleasure has to be perceived by the conscious mind, while the perceiving mind as well as the contacting sexual organs are dharmas generated through many other supporting "conditions"; once the sexual organs are parted, the sexual tactile pleasure would cease to exist immediately, for this is an arising-and-ceasing 生滅法, changing and impermanent dharma無常法 within the Three Realms.

    Basically, for a determined Buddhist practitioner, sex is one of the grossest sensory desires that should be eliminated in the desire realm; in fact, it is not too difficult to do if one is able to observe keenly its untrue nature of the dependent arising without intrinsic nature within the Three Realms.

    The conclusion is that sexuality will increase worldly desires and attachments, thereby impeding the cultivation to transcend the Three Realms.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your posting! It is very beneficial. I just reposted it.

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  2. Here is a very revealing post by a Western lama on an internet forum:

    "The reason why the conduct of a Tibetan monk is kept secret from lay people is so that lay people will not criticize monks. Part of the reason behind this is that all Tibetan monks are Vajrayana monks, and so if their conduct seems to be not in keeping with Hinayana vows, they may get into trouble. Vajrayana monks are not under the same restrictions as Hinayana monks.

    When one understands the fundamental principle of Vajrayana conduct is to engage sense objects and enjoy them for one's own pleasure, it changes how one understands a Vajrayana monastic's conduct. The monastic thing is merely an outer show. It's not the essence of the practice."


    In other words, the robes, indicating a state of renunciation of worldly pleasures, are a disguise for fooling the public into thinking Vajrayana practitioners are Buddhist monks, when in fact, their practice is devoted to sex, power, and other indulgences prohibited by Buddhism. Finally, an insider tells the truth!

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