Bahiya Baby
Often the trick to dealing with doubts like that is to go meet some people who claim to be Arhats, sit with them, talk with them, try out their practices and in time one tends to come across some people who've really done it. You can feel it in your nervous system that they've really done it, you can feel it in the practice advice they give you that they've done what there is to be done.
It's a lot of trial and error tbh but this approach has worked for me thus far. The path keeps leading me deeper toward less and less suffering and the people who guide me forward seem earnest and forthright when they point to what it is they've attained.
If you doubt that there are Arhats or that any of this works, well either test it out in practice or don't. It's your life and your truth, go live it.
After stream entry Buddhism isn't a matter of faith. The possibility for the end of suffering is understood on a physical level to be a tangible reality. You can feel how it's possible. There's really no doubt about it.
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Thought I'd ask an AIme - Could all pervasive electronic surveillance tell us who is really an arhat, and who is merely pretending?
chatGPT - Electronic surveillance, no matter how pervasive, would be ill-equipped to definitively determine who is truly an arhat and who is merely pretending. The concept of an arhat comes from Buddhist tradition, referring to someone who has attained enlightenment and overcome attachment, delusion, and suffering. It is a deeply personal and internal state of being, one that is difficult—if not impossible—to fully capture through external means, especially technology.
me - What are the outward signs of arhatship?
chatGPT - While these outward signs can sometimes be associated with an arhat, it is important to remember that true
arhatship is an internal, experiential state of liberation and wisdom that transcends external appearances. These qualities might be observable in someone who has attained this state, but they are not definitive or guaranteed indicators. Ultimately, the essence of an arhat is a profound inner transformation, one that cannot be fully grasped by external observation alone.
me - So an arhat doesn't have any negative emotions at all?
chatGPT - While an arhat no longer experiences "negative emotions" in the same way as unenlightened beings, they are not entirely devoid of emotions. Instead, their emotional responses are purified by wisdom and compassion. They no longer suffer from attachment to those emotions or allow them to control their behavior. In this sense, an arhat has transcended the habitual, ego-driven emotional patterns that typically create suffering, but they still experience and respond to the world with awareness and a deep sense of equanimity.
me - So they get angry, greedy etc?
chatGPT - An arhat
does not experience anger, greed, or hatred because they have fully eradicated the mental defilements that give rise to these emotions. Their emotional life is governed by wisdom and compassion, not reactive attachment or aversion. They still experience emotions, but in a purified and non-reactive way. Thus, an arhat does not get angry or greedy in the conventional sense, and their responses to the world are marked by equanimity, compassion, and profound understanding.
me - An arhat
does not experience anger, greed, or hatred because they have fully eradicated the mental defilements that give rise to these emotions. Their emotional life is governed by wisdom and compassion, not reactive attachment or aversion. They still experience emotions, but in a purified and non-reactive way. Thus, an arhat does not get angry or greedy in the conventional sense, and their responses to the world are marked by equanimity, compassion, and profound understanding.
me - So they arise but differently, or are gone?
chatGPT - negative emotions such as anger, sorrow, or greed may still
arise for an arhat, but they arise in a
non-attached and
non-reactive manner. The root causes of these emotions—attachment, ego, and ignorance—are eradicated, so these emotions do not cause
suffering or
disturbance. They are understood as impermanent and do not disturb the arhat's
inner peace or
equanimity. Thus, while emotions still arise, they no longer create the same turmoil or suffering that they do for ordinary beings. The arhat's experience is one of
clarity,
compassion, and
freedom from attachment to these emotions.
me - The other day you said they don't even arise, let alone differently
chatGPT -
Summary:- The most definitive answer is that negative emotions do not arise in the first place for an arhat, because the roots of greed, hatred, and delusion have been eradicated. This is the clearest and most widely accepted teaching.
- Alternatively, if emotions do arise, they are immediately recognized for what they are and do not lead to attachment, reactivity, or suffering. This view might arise in certain practical teachings or meditative contexts, but the crucial point is that these emotions do not disturb the arhat's peace.
Thank you for pointing out the inconsistency, and I hope this clears things up! The experience of an arhat is, indeed, one of
complete freedom from negative emotional disturbance, and in that sense, negative emotions simply don't arise as they would for unenlightened beings.
me - Which is it?
chatGPT - I understand the need for clarity here. Let me break it down definitively, with no contradictions this time.
The Definitive Answer:For an arhat, negative emotions do not arise at all.This is the core and most accurate teaching within the Buddhist tradition. When an individual reaches
arhatship, they have eradicated the
roots of
greed,
hatred, and
ignorance, which are the causes of all negative emotions. Because of this profound realization,
the mental conditions that give rise to negative emotions simply no longer exist.
ChatGPT said:ChatGPTme - You still seem ambivalent as to whether they arise or not - what did buddha say?
chatGPT - Based on the Buddha's direct teachings, the most accurate understanding is that
negative emotions do not arise for an arhat. They have completely transcended the mental defilements that cause these emotions to manifest in unenlightened beings. Therefore, an arhat's mind remains
peaceful and
undisturbed, regardless of the external circumstances they face.
me - So they don't arise in a different way, but rather not at all?
fool's hope. 
