The happiness of arahant

An arahant, according to the true teaching of the Buddha in the Pali canon, is “someone” who attained the final liberation, released from the confines of existence such as attachment, ignorance and the pull of existence.

It is not the “self” that attains, rather, that sense of self has disappeared, gone, extinguished  – like blowing out the candle; never to become again. Contrary to some modern popular beliefs, an arahant is not someone who has achieved the deathless state of being or become the unborn. They are not detached like a zombie or all perfect like a saint.

The structure of the mind undergoes a complete transformation to encompass a space of non-existence. Trying to capture these changes in language is bound to fail, but from personal experience, I’ll attempt to describe a few:

1. Non-self. Living a daily life of work and family commitments as a non-self, free ego or any sense of self at all is very much possible. They appear perfectly normal like everyone else, but to those who are sensitive, they may feel a bit different. Contrary to common beliefs, they don’t live by the expected definitions of who they should be, such as perfect morality and fetters model.
2. Free of sickness. They don’t get sick as before, unless there is direct contact with a virus or bacteria such as through kissing.
3. Refuge. Life continues with its dramas and chaos, but “they” can always seek refuge into that space of non-existence where there is absolute stillness, peace and silence.
4. Cessation. If the body is sleeping, tired, relaxed or inactive, then cessation comes easily. This means the whole structure shuts down, similar to deep sleep. It would be interesting to measure the brain function or heart rate during this state.
5. Perception of time. Reality is permanently present and immediate. Since self is time, non-self means no time. There is no filter through the self, no commentary from the knowing;- only the interactions from the external world with the non-existence space and past memories.
6. Yes, to life. Since there are no inner comments or edits, fear of life lessens. This means there is a greater embrace of life. “They” find the courage to say yes to things never considered before, like public speaking or jumping into the ocean, even if you don’t know how to swim.
7. Emotional reactions. There are still conditioned emotional reactions from past memories, but there is also the detachment of the non-existence space. This means arahants observe events or conflicts with a greater detachment and clarity. By entering that space, they’re free from emotional turmoil.
8. Identity. Arahant has no sense of self, which means their actions are automatically selfless.
9. Life’s intent. Arahant live life of simplicity. If there’s a call to action, it is mainly in service for the benefit of all beings.
10. Supernatural abilities. There are super powers that arise during the path and then there are those that become prevalent by naturally being an arahant. Everyone is wonderfully unique with their own combination of gifted powers. My most powerful gift is wisdom, plus a bonus of reducing the pain of others.
11. Sleep. Having that space of non-existence, the mind is never tired, but the body needs relative the same amount lying down rest like before. This mean, the person spent half the time in bed wide awake. Although, they may have 4-5 hrs of sleep a day, they are perfectly functional, actually more present, efficient and productive than before the transformation.
12. Relief. There is an immediate sense of relief because now the path has disappeared. When there was a self, that person constantly striving for the goal, practicing diligently in meditation, heart, morality and insight among the difficulties of life. Now, all that have gone, just a big sigh of relief and contentment.