The second honorific about Buddha is Arhat.

To some, an arhat is considered a lower rank than the Buddha, with Bodhisattvas above the arhats. Thus, calling the Buddha an arhat may be seen as offensive, ignorant, or even sacrilegious. In their minds, each Buddha and Bodhisattva, followed by the arhats, has a rank and position. In an imagined Buddhist heaven, these beings must sit according to honor, with the most powerful at the top and the lesser below—like an office organizational chart.

If you’re already weary of samsara and a society where rank and hierarchy shape every experience, then such a Buddhist heaven might sound unsettling. How could Nirvana be freeing if enlightenment means just another corporate rat race or ladder to climb? Yet, some are drawn to this concept because it gives them a ladder—a goal to strive for.

However, it’s essential to understand that the Buddha is indeed an arhat. In the Pali Canon, the Buddha taught a path to Nibbana—a state of equality for all. When one becomes an arhat, their Nirvana is the same as the Buddha’s. Awakening is the same for all; extinguishing the fire of the mind is universally the same experience. In a full recovery, there’s no such thing as “my recovery is better than yours.”

Remembering that the Buddha is an arhat reminds us that Nirvana has one taste. Buddhism is simple: it is freedom. When we attain Nirvana, we experience the same ultimate happiness the Buddha experienced.

Yet, for some, this idea is horrible. This is because they had missed the point entirely.

Surely, the disciples can’t be equal to their teacher, children to their father, or subjects to their emperor or king. If that happens, what would become of society. Surely, the arhats are inferior to the Buddha, otherwise, why would they all bow and respect Buddha, as stated in the sutta? But that is missing the point entirely.

To use an analogy.

Suppose a scientist was suffering from cancer and finds a cure for himself; and the patient then says, I will not be cured of cancer because I want to be that scientist who discover that cure. So I will die, and be reborn, and be reborn; until that cure of cancer has been forgotten. Then I shall rediscover the cure for cancer to help all humanity at a time when there is no known cure for cancer! Noble? Who can say not? Well, to each his own.

Buddhism, then, becomes more complex.

When the Buddha approached the five ascetics, he said, ‘Hey, I’ve found a way to end suffering. If you follow this path, you too can experience ultimate happiness.’ He didn’t recruit them to sit at the bottom of an org chart. The Buddha offered a way to ultimate happiness, a happiness equally shared between him and all who follow his path. That’s what attracts me to Buddhism—not entering another race or spiritual hierarchy.

So, when we recall the Buddha as an arhat, let’s remember that Nibbana, or Nirvana, is the same for us as it is for the Buddha.”

If the above concept is challenging for you, we can also understand ‘Arhat’ as simply meaning ‘one who is worthy of veneration.’ In this interpretation, an arhat is someone who has attained purity in action, speech, and mind by extinguishing greed, hatred, and ignorance from their minds.

This perspective directs our focus toward our interactions with spiritual beings or people. We’re taught that those deserving of our respect, offerings, or support are individuals who have won their inner battles against negative qualities or who genuinely strive to do so, making an earnest effort to extinguish their greed, hatred, and ignorance.

This is an essential message, especially for beginners.

In this view, we’re reminded that Buddhists should venerate those who have overcome these negative traits, not those who possess supernatural powers or hold positions of religious authority. Thus, when we respect a Buddhist leader, it should be for their purity of conduct, not merely for their status as the head of a sect or school.

And when we recall the Buddha, we should remember that he has completely eradicated the three poisons from his mind, making him truly worthy of our veneration.

May all be well and happy.