<p>Depends on the achievement of nirvana, either monk or not, in case of sotapanna, sakadagami, anagami,arahant, if they say with good intention, it is ok referring to Thera Theri Apadana. GOOD INTENTION means not for fame, not for offerings , only for the laymen to follow the proper path of Magga and attain nirvana.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-17T13:49:46.397Z
2016-12-17T13:49:46.397Z
user10293
<p>No one can declare that one cannot say he/she has achieved nirvana. Didn't lord Buddha declare that he achieved nibbana? If some one has achieved nirvana don't he/she has to declare it to others in order to teach them about the correct path to nirvana? If you say 'no', then how can he/she guide others to the nirvana? 
Thus it will depend on the person whether to declare it on public or not. No one can thoroughly say 'no'. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-06T06:28:50.863Z
The Buddha left the Dhamma as the guide. Regards
Dhamma Dhatu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-06T06:56:18.417Z
Yes. Buddhism is a phylosophy. And what Lord Buddha taught has ruined by people.but we should be able to distinguish between what is correct and what is not. We should not accept something by the means of someone said or saying it. We must be wiser to understand it
I_am_feminist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-06T11:45:06.927Z
The only way to know the True Dhamma is by testing it. But if a person is an unsuitable student, nobody can help. That is why it is not required for anyone to declare they have reached Nibbana.
Dhamma Dhatu
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-06T12:54:39.170Z
But that's a choice. What if Lord Buddha didn't declare his enlightenment? Will you and me plus others talk about these things?
I_am_feminist
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2017-05-06T13:04:24.903Z
Yes, the Buddha declared it but monks today do not have to declare it because the Buddha declared it. Regards
Dhamma Dhatu
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2017-05-06T13:08:31.543Z
Is now Lord Buddha alive?
I_am_feminist
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2017-05-06T21:34:56.497Z
If you are enlightened, today, you understand which scriptures are genuine. All you need to do to guide other people is to show them which scriptures are valid & explain the meaning of those scriptures if there is a problem with the common translations. This is why the Buddha said: "The Dhamma I leave you will be your teacher" & why an enlightened person today only needs to point to the Buddha's Dhamma (teaching) rather than declare they are enlightened. An unenlightened person cannot actually know if another's declaration is true. People can only test the teachings to see if they work.
Dhamma Dhatu
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2017-05-07T06:52:00.360Z
So i am asking whether today's people are following what Lord Buddha taught.( that to take Damma as the guide)
I_am_feminist
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-05-05T14:40:36.953Z
2017-05-05T14:40:36.953Z
I_am_feminist
<p>From a Theravada perspective, the answer is probably &quot;no&quot;.</p>
<p>While not being a sutta, the Milindapanha states if a layperson attains to Arahatship they either ordain as a monk or die.</p>
<p>If the layperson Arahant ordains as monk, the Vinaya forbids them making a public declaration.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Should any bhikkhu report (his own) superior human state to an unordained person, when it is factual, it is to be confessed.</em></p>
<p><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1.pdf" rel="noreferrer"><em>Page 263</em></a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>As for the Buddha &amp; monks that declared arahantship in the Pali suttas, if they used the personal pronoun &quot;I&quot;, they were only speaking in conventional language. Refer to <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn01/sn01.025.wlsh.html" rel="noreferrer">SN 1.25</a>.</p>

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2016-12-15T20:30:04.727Z
2016-12-15T20:36:44.893Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
Dhamma Dhatu
<p>Maybe it's not possible for an arahant that is a monastic, because it is appropriate for monastics to follow the monastic rules (which discourage saying such a thing in public).</p>

<p>An arahant has no attachment to ego so it isn't as though a lay arahant's public proclamation of enlightenment would cause the arahant any bad karma. An arahant would need an appropriate reason to make such a claim though. Maybe there could never be an appropriate reason to make such a claim; or maybe there could be an appropriate reason, as simple as someone asking the arahant, "How's your meditation practice going"?</p>

<p>Metta :) </p>

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2016-12-23T00:29:44.850Z
@ChrisW Right on Chris :) I should put what I post through some kind of grammar checking app.
Lowbrow
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2016-12-23T01:12:44.220Z
It was very good. I only edited it because you had posted a comment, which asked for the punctuation to be edited.
ChrisW
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-17T08:47:34.623Z
2016-12-22T20:28:14.880Z
2016-12-22T20:28:14.880Z
Lowbrow
<p>Buddha has said that an Enlightened person doesn't go and cling with the self. So they don't have any attachment to self. But a in<a href="https://suttacentral.net/en/an10.92" rel="nofollow noreferrer">An10.92</a>`  the Buddha has clearly mentioned the following.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Then Anathapindika the householder went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, “When, for a disciple of the noble ones, five forms of fear &amp; animosity are stilled; when he is endowed with the four factors of stream-entry; and when, through discernment, he has rightly seen &amp; rightly ferreted out the noble method, then if he wants he may state about himself: ‘Hell is ended; animal wombs are ended; the state of the hungry shades is ended; states of deprivation, destitution, the bad bourns are ended! I am a stream-winner, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening!’</p>
</blockquote>

<p>So an Enlightened person, can say that I'm enlightenment to another person for the sake of showing that person the path of enlightenment</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-11T14:15:26.827Z
2017-03-11T14:15:26.827Z
Akila Hettiarachchi
<p>When you achieve nirvana , you have given up yourself. There is no person anymore. But my question is , if someone says publicly that he is arahant, is there a possibility that it can be true? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-17T22:36:18.833Z
Was there ever a person?
Lowbrow
<theravada><nirvana>
If someone says publicly that he has achieved nirvana , can it be true?
# If someone says publicly that he has achieved nirvana , can it be true?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-12-15)

When you achieve nirvana , you have given up yourself. There is no person anymore. But my question is , if someone says publicly that he is arahant, is there a possibility that it can be true?

**Tags:** theravada, nirvana

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Was there ever a person?  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2016-12-15. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

From a Theravada perspective, the answer is probably "no".

While not being a sutta, the Milindapanha states if a layperson attains to Arahatship they either ordain as a monk or die.

If the layperson Arahant ordains as monk, the Vinaya forbids them making a public declaration.

> *Should any bhikkhu report (his own) superior human state to an unordained person, when it is factual, it is to be confessed.*
>
> [*Page 263*](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1.pdf)

As for the Buddha & monks that declared arahantship in the Pali suttas, if they used the personal pronoun "I", they were only speaking in conventional language. Refer to [SN 1.25](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn01/sn01.025.wlsh.html).


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### Answer by username_1 on 2016-12-17. Score: 4

Maybe it's not possible for an arahant that is a monastic, because it is appropriate for monastics to follow the monastic rules (which discourage saying such a thing in public).

An arahant has no attachment to ego so it isn't as though a lay arahant's public proclamation of enlightenment would cause the arahant any bad karma. An arahant would need an appropriate reason to make such a claim though. Maybe there could never be an appropriate reason to make such a claim; or maybe there could be an appropriate reason, as simple as someone asking the arahant, "How's your meditation practice going"?

Metta :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: @username_5 Right on Chris :) I should put what I post through some kind of grammar checking app.  
> **username_5**: It was very good. I only edited it because you had posted a comment, which asked for the punctuation to be edited.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-03-11. Score: 4

Buddha has said that an Enlightened person doesn't go and cling with the self. So they don't have any attachment to self. But a in[An10.92](https://suttacentral.net/en/an10.92)` the Buddha has clearly mentioned the following.

> Then Anathapindika the householder went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, “When, for a disciple of the noble ones, five forms of fear & animosity are stilled; when he is endowed with the four factors of stream-entry; and when, through discernment, he has rightly seen & rightly ferreted out the noble method, then if he wants he may state about himself: ‘Hell is ended; animal wombs are ended; the state of the hungry shades is ended; states of deprivation, destitution, the bad bourns are ended! I am a stream-winner, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening!’

So an Enlightened person, can say that I'm enlightenment to another person for the sake of showing that person the path of enlightenment


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### Answer by username_2 on 2016-12-17. Score: 2

Depends on the achievement of nirvana, either monk or not, in case of sotapanna, sakadagami, anagami,arahant, if they say with good intention, it is ok referring to Thera Theri Apadana. GOOD INTENTION means not for fame, not for offerings , only for the laymen to follow the proper path of Magga and attain nirvana.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-05-05. Score: 1

No one can declare that one cannot say he/she has achieved nirvana. Didn't lord Buddha declare that he achieved nibbana? If some one has achieved nirvana don't he/she has to declare it to others in order to teach them about the correct path to nirvana? If you say 'no', then how can he/she guide others to the nirvana?
Thus it will depend on the person whether to declare it on public or not. No one can thoroughly say 'no'.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: The Buddha left the Dhamma as the guide. Regards  
> **username_3**: Yes. Buddhism is a phylosophy. And what Lord Buddha taught has ruined by people.but we should be able to distinguish between what is correct and what is not. We should not accept something by the means of someone said or saying it. We must be wiser to understand it  
> **username_4**: The only way to know the True Dhamma is by testing it. But if a person is an unsuitable student, nobody can help. That is why it is not required for anyone to declare they have reached Nibbana.  
> **username_3**: But that's a choice. What if Lord Buddha didn't declare his enlightenment? Will you and me plus others talk about these things?  
> **username_4**: Yes, the Buddha declared it but monks today do not have to declare it because the Buddha declared it. Regards  
> **username_3**: Is now Lord Buddha alive?  
> **username_4**: If you are enlightened, today, you understand which scriptures are genuine. All you need to do to guide other people is to show them which scriptures are valid & explain the meaning of those scriptures if there is a problem with the common translations. This is why the Buddha said: "The Dhamma I leave you will be your teacher" & why an enlightened person today only needs to point to the Buddha's Dhamma (teaching) rather than declare they are enlightened. An unenlightened person cannot actually know if another's declaration is true. People can only test the teachings to see if they work.  
> **username_3**: So i am asking whether today's people are following what Lord Buddha taught.( that to take Damma as the guide)  

---

