[OdedMember]

Your followup questions indicate that we might not have the same definition to the word Arahant. By my definition, an Arahant is someone who has:

1. Experientially accumulated the five Insights which lead to awakening (Impermanence; suffering; no-self; emptiness; interconnectedness)
2. Realized the true nature of reality
3. Reached Nirvana
4. Became liberated from desire, aversion, ignorance, and suffering

Arahants can still use money and have possessions; they simply realize that their happiness or misery is not conditioned by them. They can keep using their name; they just don’t assume any selfhood. They may enjoy the pleasants of life, yet they don’t crave them or attach to them. This state of being is achievable by mortals, you and I included.

Is your concept of Arahanthood different, and if so, in what way?
Also, would it be possible that these questions are preliminary to a deeper question you’re yet to ask?

[OdedMember]

Very true!

So, to be most precise:

“There are no enlightened individuals, only an enlightened state” 🙂

[OdedMember]

Enlightened behavior is indeed an excellent measuring stick to arahanthood.

Having said that, we mustn’t forget that enlightenment is first and foremost a *cognitive* event, which holds profound implications over the individual’s emotional well-being. It’s marked by gaining Insight into the true nature of existence and achieving Nirvana — personal, subjective experiences. The enlightened behavior is an external manifestation of that fundamental internal shift.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by  Oded.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by  Oded.

[OdedMember]

Of course, it is! 🙂

It’s possible to become an Arahant today just as it was in the past, and it will remain a possibility in the future as well.

Awakening, enlightenment, Nirvana, and Arahanthood can be achieved by anyone who’ll work patiently, diligently and effectively. Those who follow the detailed meditation instructions in TMI can reach their final goal within a few years, and there’s more than a single known success story.

Training the mind is no different than training the body. If you believe you can become muscular and strong by regularly working out at the gym or turn flexible by practicing Yoga every day, then believe you can become fully-liberated through daily meditation. There’s nothing magical or mystical about awakening; it’s an inherent capability of the human mind. TMI accelerates the awakening process tremendously by its clear and simple instructions, making it accessible to everyone, laymen included.

Many Arahants live among us today, both privately and publicly. The firsts that come to mind are Culadasa (obviously), Daniel Ingram, Rupert Spira, Adyashanti, Mooji, and more.

Should you wish to see and hear a few Arahants in person, I highly recommend listening to some of the interviews at Buddha at the Gas Pump:
https://batgap.com/

• This reply was modified 6 years, 3 months ago by  Oded.

[OdedMember]

Awareness (in its general sense) is defined in TMI as any imprint or registration upon a nervous system that is capable of producing an effect, either immediately or after some delay.

Becoming aware of breath sensations and physical activities (e.g., driving) is considered to be Conscious Awareness; the portion of the content of awareness in the general sense that we’re subjectively conscious of in any given moment (which could potentially be reported).

Metacognitive Introspective Awareness happens when the mind “stands back” and observes its own state and activities (e.g., thoughts, feelings). It’s the awareness of the mind itself.

Awareness indeed plays an important role in training the mind, as the very practice of meditation could be summarized as cultivating exclusive single-pointed attention while expanding awareness (both introspective and extrospective) to be as clear and all-encompassing as possible. These key concepts are well explained in TMI’s interludes, should you wish to explore them at a finer resolution.

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