Question for Ajahn Brahmali about arahant after death

Touche! I fell into an eternalistic wording of the doctrine, while trying to avoid a nihilistic one. I’ve reworded it once again… :grin: :slightly_smiling_face: What do you think?

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That sounds more to my liking. :joy:

I usually avoid my nihilistic tendencies by just equating ‘(sentient) being(s)’ with ‘suffering(s)’, then compassion arises (at least for me), even for those beings experiencing the highest peace.

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To think that books have been written giving wrong understanding without knowing.

In the first place an Arahanth does not die. (Please see in Itivuththaka Pali the Sutta Nibbana Dhathu.) A Bhikkhu is one who seeeing the Bhi or fear of the repeated cycles of birtha & deaths strive to end it, Kkhu. There is two nibbana elements, Saupadisesha element and Anupadisesha element. When getting enlightened as an Arahanth, the ascetic will attain Saupadisesha Nibbana where whose fermentations have ended, who has reached fulfillment, finished the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, ended the fetter of becoming, and is released. His five sense faculties still remain and, owing to their being intact, he is cognisant of the agreeable & the disagreeable, and is sensitive to pleasure & pain. His ending of passion, aversion, & delusion is termed the Unbinding property with fuel remaining.
Suppose a huge log fire is burning and after a long period of time, the fire will extinguish. But the cinder will keep glowing for may be even a day or two. So as stated by Buddha in Ratana Sutta the ascetic attain Nirvana just like the flame of the lamp getting extinguished.

Then Anupadisesha Parinirvana is where all that is unrelished and will grow cold. That is the 5 faculties that were kept now cease to function, like the cinder that was glowing too cease to glow anymore.

Vandami Bhante…

An Arahant/Buddha cannot be said to exist after parinibbana, nor can he be called non-existent after parinibbana; because “exist” and “not exist” are concepts as far as perception reaches. It means that it is said to be “exist” as far as the perception can understand “exist”. Also called “non-existent” as far as what the perception can perceive as “non-existent”. Existence and non-existence in this plane of existence is a proliferation of the mind. While parinibbana is outside the realm of life. It is beyond the reach of perception/thought which is part of the realm of life.

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