Can a layman be an arahant?

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[idpaydolr]

MN 71 paragraph 11: Vaccha, There is no householder who, without abandoning the fetter of householdership, on the dissolution of the body has made an end of suffering.”

[wijithagorakanage]

Thanks bhante for going in to the fine details and clarifying this point. Specially explaining the case of Bahiya. It helps to dispel lot of misunderstandings. 🙏

[rajwarnakulasuriya]

according to the way I learnt Dharma, during Buddha's time, a Sangha was ordained only if he /she reaches the state of Bojjanga, and it is very unlikely he will have household in his mind. Of course, any layman can become arahant if he/she has developed the mind to the state required to become an arahant, they are already in the eightfold path.

[mrnights]

I think that in addition to the trappings of sensuality, there's often a good deal of hidden ill will in a lay lifestyle. The main reason (on top of the dissatisfaction with sensuality) is what Ernest Becker described as an over-reliance on earthly importance or self-esteem, which leads to a reduced sense of cosmic significance — to an absence of the the larger kind of self-conception or identity that would allow us to better manage a highly influential but unconsciously hidden anxiety in our lives:

The insignificance & finitude represented by death.

This reliance on unsatisfactory sources of self-esteem thus generates a good deal of aversion; which includes frustration, repressed anger and ill will; much of it sublimated and hidden in our every day behaviors and institutional structures.
One of the main manifestations of this aversion is *sadism*.
Becker analyzed it to some degree in The Denial Of Death. Theodore Millon claimed there were 4 subtypes of sadism, which he termed enforcing sadism, explosive sadism, spineless sadism, and tyrannical sadism:

Spineless sadism

Including avoidant features

Insecure, bogus, and cowardly; venomous dominance and cruelty is counterphobic; weakness counteracted by group support; public swaggering; selects powerless scapegoats.

Tyrannical sadism

Including negativistic features

Relishes menacing and brutalizing others, forcing them to cower and submit; verbally cutting and scathing, accusatory and destructive; intentionally surly, abusive, inhumane, unmerciful.

Enforcing sadism

Including compulsive features

Hostility sublimated in the "public interest, " cops, "bossy" supervisors, deans, judges; possesses the "right" to be pitiless, merciless, coarse, and barbarous; task is to control and punish, to search out rule breakers.

Explosive sadism

Including borderline features

Unpredictably precipitous outbursts and fury; uncontrollable rage and fearsome attacks; feelings of humiliation are pent-up and discharged; subsequently contrite.

[TathKositanont]

If you can Perfect the 8 Fold Paths as a Lay Person, then yes. For example, a charitible works.

It would be a very, very narrow path. Extremely challenging but doable in my humble opinion.

Usually Layman would be able to reach Sotāpanna (stream-enterer) or Sakadāgāmi (once-returner), thus Inhave heard.

[tedlanz]

The sutta (MN 71 paragraph 11: Vaccha, There is no householder who, without abandoning the fetter of householdership, on the dissolution of the body has made an end of suffering.”) is a qualification of a qualification. The 'fetter of householdership' applies to whether one is a householder or not. That is, one can be a non-householder and still have the 'fetters of householdership' as in one can be a monastic in charge of a monastery that is exposed and has to deal with all the problems normally accorded to a household life. In addition and more importantly, the focus is on the fetter that needs to be abandoned namely the identification with the body. I think that this is the main point the Buddha is making and is consistent with all his other sayings. So if the answer to the title of this video is No then I disagree. It has nothing to do with whether you are a layman or not, a Buddhist or not, a demon or an angel, etc. What is important is what fetters are you still attached to?

[atozdhamma]

It is very clear. Changing lifestyle, not because of anything but because of right view is the must.
Can I please ask,
If one is feeling he is changing lifestyle with understanding of instant impermanence as a reason for distancing attachments, because he understand here nothing to hold, should he make a straight decision for ordain? Shouldnt be this experience of "Asrawa" will guide him for getting more readiness for real ordain?

[zarahjazmy]

Ven Bhante, is marananussati a suitable starting meditation for a lay beginner?

[zmnyanavira]

That would be an interesting experiment. Well...going back to clean the toilet :)

[youngforeverlastingyfl]

So yeah just let go of attachments and desires

[aldreymenezes]

What's the highest point a layman can achieve?

[wordscapes]

There is a very well-known householder arhant in Taiwan.

[mvadhamma]

I know a laymen who is an arahat. So it is possible.

[CrStrifey]

RIP Bahiya - you must have eaten too many steaks in your past lives.

[KeniLeeBurgess]

Laymen can be bodhisattva. Read the Vimalakīrti Sutra.

[groundofbeing]

You are totally wrong. The only thing on display here is your belief system. Ive had heart openings into Divine Oneness while taking a sh*t, became infinity lying on the floor listening to Heavy Metal and Enya, Ego death while walking in a bathroom...there are no rules in this game.