The arahant represents a being who has achieved full enlightenment. Rather than merely ‘holy,’ they embody a state of consciousness so transcendent that it can appear incomprehensible to ordinary perception. Identifying and authenticating an arahant presents unique challenges, as their state defies conventional understanding.
The arahant dwells in nirvana (nibbāna in Pali), having transcended all ten fetters (samyojana) and discovered the essential distinction between mind and primal delusion (avijjā). For them, all phenomena are simply phenomena—arising in awareness without identification. While they may experience transient physical discomfort, there exists no ‘sufferer’ to claim the experience.
Liberated from fear, greed, and illusion, they manifest spontaneous wisdom action, as the perspective of ‘I’ necessary for conventional choice-making has dissolved. Without the ‘I’ entangling with perception, discursive thinking largely ceases, replaced by jhanic calm and bliss. The arahant remains equanimous toward this bliss, though the profound peace naturally tends to ameliorate stress-related conditions.
Consciousness and Liberation
The arahant operates through what Buddhist psychology terms kiriya citta (functional consciousness)—consciousness that functions without generating karmic results. Their actions emerge from wisdom rather than karmic conditioning, appearing either as expressions of spontaneous compassion or as movements beyond conventional comprehension.
The Abhidhamma describes several classes of consciousness exclusive to arahants and Buddhas, including the unique “Arahant’s smiling consciousness.” This represents a profound insight into life’s inherent nature, replacing judgment with deep acceptance of existence’s cosmic dance.
Stages of Enlightenment
Full enlightenment manifests in two distinct forms:
- Enlightenment with residues (upādisesa)—where the arahant maintains the material body and mental faculties of their previous existence until physical death[6]
- Enlightenment without residue (anupādisesa-nibbāna)—the complete liberation achieved by a Buddha.
The path to Buddhahood requires mastery of the paramis (perfections) across numerous lifetimes. This distinguishes it from the arahant path, as one who becomes a sotapanna (stream-enterer) has at most seven lives to perfect these qualities. The bodhisattva deliberately cultivates these perfections while postponing final enlightenment.
Alchemical Parallels
The arahant state correlates with citrinitas (yellowing) in the alchemical tradition. This transformation in perception occurs when primal delusion dissolves, allowing consciousness to recognise its true nature in all phenomena, manifesting as an inner luminosity.
Rubedo, alchemy’s final stage, corresponds to Buddhahood. While arahants may develop significant spiritual powers (siddhis), the Buddha’s capacities for transforming phenomena remain unparalleled. The red stone’s ability to transmute base metals into gold mirrors the Buddha’s power to transform ordinary consciousness into divine realisation.
The white stone restores balance, but the red stone manifests divinity directly through miraculous demonstration. For the Buddha, such manifestations aren’t miraculous but natural expressions of ultimate reality.
This exploration reveals how the alchemist’s great work parallels the Buddhist path of liberation. As we prepare to examine the practical challenges of this journey in our final section, remember that the initial stage, though most demanding, leads to increasingly subtle transformations.
The synthesis of Buddhist realization and alchemical transformation reveals a universal pattern: consciousness, like base metals, undergoes progressive refinement until achieving its ultimate potential. Whether described through Eastern or Western terminology, this process points to the same profound transformation—the complete liberation of consciousness from its conditioned limitations into its inherent divine nature.
Further Reading
- Four Stages of Awakening (Wikipedia)
- Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas (Access to Insight)
- The Nature of Mind (Ajahn Punnadhammo’s YouTube Channel)
- “The Master and His Emissary” by Iain McGilchrist