Types of fully enlightened being

In classical Buddhist teachings, the attainment of full enlightenment (arahantship) is the culmination of the path, but even among the fully liberated, distinctions can be drawn based on the manner and context of their realisation.

The most widely known categories are:

Arahant: One who has eradicated all defilements (kilesas), including the ten fetters (saṃyojana), and is completely freed from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra). An arahant experiences no more craving, aversion, or ignorance. Upon the dissolution of the physical body at death, no further rebirth occurs.

Paccekabuddha: A “solitary Buddha” who realises enlightenment independently, without hearing the teaching from another, but who does not teach the path to others in a fully systematic way. While fully awakened, paccekabuddhas do not establish a community (sangha) or expound the Dhamma broadly.

Sammasambuddha: A “fully self-awakened Buddha” who discovers the path to liberation by himself and establishes the teaching for the benefit of countless others. The historical Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama, is an example of a sammasambuddha.

All three are equally liberated in terms of their inner realisation and freedom from suffering, but their roles and capacities differ. The paccekabuddha and sammasambuddha attain awakening without instruction, while arahants generally do so by following the teachings of an existing Buddha.

These distinctions highlight the vast potential of the human mind for liberation. Regardless of the pathway taken, the essence of enlightenment remains the same: freedom from the bonds of delusion, craving, and aversion.

“There is no more worldly existence for the arahant who has reached the end of the path, who is freed from all fetters.”
— Itivuttaka 44