The Four Different stages of Phra Ariyasong

Buddhism is Thailand’s national religion so most people follow what the Lord Buddha taught and adapt Dhamma to match with their way of living.

• Monks are the ideal example of Buddhists who can successfully follow the footsteps of the Lord Buddha and disseminate precepts or Dhamma to other human beings.
• Monks preach to people and advise them about morality and goodness. They teach us to avoid doing bad things and urge us to do good things.

Monks who have reached the enlightenment stage and who can shun away from negative things in the world are called "Phra Ariyasong." Phra Ariyasong can control their minds to fight against greed and many other bad things.

There are four stages of the state of Phra Ariyasong:

Phra Sodaban means a person who knows goodness and does not want to go back down;

Phra Sokkhathami means a person who will not do bad things anymore;

Phra Anakami means a person who has won over sexual desire, has no need of sex anymore, but has something better, meaning he can sit with his eyes closed and can see anything, called countless happiness;

lastly, is Phra Aurahan, meaning one who can achieve happiness on the Anakami level, who is not afraid of death, and has no ego all the time.

Phra Ariyasong of these four stages can be found in many temples and monasteries throughout Thailand.

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