Arahant for the welfare and happiness of devas and humans?

[Sati1]

Hello,

I am wondering why it is considered that when someone attains enlightenment he benefits the whole world, as stated in Iti 35-13:

"Next, bhikkhus, there is [...] an arahant. [...] He teaches Dhamma that is good at the outset, good in the middle, and good at the end, with its correct meaning and wording, and he proclaims the holy life in its fulfilment and complete purity. This, bhikkhus, is the second person appearing in the world who appears for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, out of compassion for the world, for the good, welfare, and happiness of devas and humans". (the first person is the Tathagata).

This might be a very basic question, but how does an arahant who lives alone and secluded in the wilderness "appear for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people"? I understand that an arahant is also very kind and noble, but the above quote seems to suggest that the degree to which he benefits the world is much more than just through kindness to others. I once heard from a monk that when one purifies himself, one also purifies the whole universe, and that by doing so one benefits everyone else, but I fail to find a reference for such a statement. Does Buddha ever explain why an arahant benefits devas and humans?

Many thanks,

[Nicolas]

"He teaches Dhamma that is good at the outset, good in the middle, and good at the end, with its correct meaning and wording, and he proclaims the holy life in its fulfillment and complete purity."

Insofar as an arahant teaches, he is not alone. I would think that teaching the Dhamma is what brings welfare and happiness to many people.

[Sati1]

Dear Nicolas,

Many thanks for your reply. I agree that by teaching an arahant does a lot of service to others. I was just wondering if the mere act of "being an arahant" is already beneficial to the world, whether or not one teaches.

With metta,

[santa100]

I was just wondering if the mere act of "being an arahant" is already beneficial to the world, whether or not one teaches.

It certainly is. The metta and perfect mindfulness in every act, speech, and thought of the arahant alone already benefit many sentient beings from the unseen devas and spirits to the tiny insects around him. An example is the many tree deites benefiting from listening to the Metta sutta recited by the monks in the forest in Sn 1.8 (see translator's Introduction).

[SarathW]

I think Paseka Buddhas can't teach others.
However it is pleasant to live among them.
They lead life by setting examples to others.

[Dhammanando]

but how does an arahant who lives alone and secluded in the wilderness "appear for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people"?

By virtue of the fact that he's an incomparable field of merit for the world, and in the practice of dāna the degree of merit is determined in part by the nature of the recipient. And so a withdrawn and eremitical arahant may benefit the manyfolk simply by accepting their offerings, thereby enabling them to accumulate more merit than would be possible with any —or almost any— other kind of recipient.