Chapter 7: The Venerable

The author establishes that the Arhat (venerable one) who has completed the spiritual journey experiences no suffering because they have abandoned grief, freed themselves entirely, and released all attachments and fetters.

The Arhat departs with a collected mind and finds no happiness in dwelling, just as swans abandon their lakes, illustrating the principle of non-attachment to place.

The spiritual path of those without possessions who subsist on alms and have perceived Nirvana is described as difficult to understand, compared to the incomprehensible flight of birds.

The person whose desires have been extinguished and who has realized Nirvana is similarly incomprehensible to ordinary understanding, compared to the path of birds in the air.

The author asserts that even gods envy the person who has subdued their senses like a trained horse, possesses no pride, and is free from desires.

The Arhat who fulfills their duty demonstrates tolerance like the earth and durability like a thunderbolt, maintaining purity without accumulating future rebirths.

The author describes how the Arhat achieves quietness in thought, speech, and action through direct knowledge, becoming a tranquil being.

The author identifies the supreme person as one free from credulity and blind belief, possessing knowledge of the uncreated (Nirvana), with all ties severed and desires renounced.

The author asserts that any place where venerable Arhats dwell becomes delightful, regardless of whether it is in hamlet, forest, water, or dry land.

The author contrasts ordinary people's attachment to forests with the Arhats' detachment, showing that the passionless find delight where the world does not because they seek no worldly pleasures.