Does an Arahant accumulate kamma in his/her life?

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Accepted answer

Cittas are classified in various ways. One such classification is according to their nature. In this classification we have:

  1. Cittas which are resultant states of consciousness, vipaaka, the effects of previous kamma.
  2. Cittas which are causes for action (kamma) through body, speech, or mind. We may call these "causative cittas." A wholesome citta (kusala citta) will issue in wholesome action and an unwholesome one (akusala citta) in unwholesome action.
  3. Cittas which are neither kamma nor its result. These are called kiriya cittas. They are kammically ineffective, being merely functional. Some kiriya cittas perform simple functions in the process of consciousness, others represent the actions and thoughts of arahants, who no longer generate fresh kamma. Read more here

Therefore,

  • Statement 1: False
  • Statement 2: False
  • Statement 3: True, but they are called kiriya cittas. The term is indicative of the functional nature which is different from the intention of a worldly person.

Upvote:2

The consciousness of an Arahant is ethically indeterminate so he does not accumulate Kamma.

From The Abhidhamma in Practice --

For the Arahant, the liberated one, the cittas that arise in him can no longer be associated with any unwholesome roots. The cittas that the Arahant experiences are neither wholesome nor unwholesome, as he does not generate any further kamma; his cittas are exclusively indeterminate.

and:

The universals and particulars are, in themselves, ethically indeterminate but become wholesome, unwholesome, or neither, depending on the state of consciousness in which they occur.

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