An arahant, whatever category he or she happens to be[36], is a wonderful and supreme person, both to himself and to the three realms of existence. It is very difficult for one of them to appear in the world. An arahant is next only to the Buddha in superiority. The life of an arahant is far different from that of an ordinary person. It is a life invigorated by dharma, despite the body which looks like any other body in the mundane world. The mind, being absolutely purified, refreshes every part of the body.

    'You are one of the arahants who have eradicated the seeds of birth from the mind and have thereby become a person without the seeds of becoming and birth, another object of worship for the worlds,' said the arahant disciple who visited him in his vision. 'That is why we have come to offer our appreciation for your achievement, the likes of which is so rare in the Three Worlds. This is the Goal which most people want to reach but few of them want to tread the Path. People crave for external security in the form of parents and relatives [including health of the body, financial security, etc,] little thinking of the inward security of their own purified minds. There are uncountable sentient beings who lack the source of this real security because they overlook its importance. The birth of an arahant is therefore of great benefit to the Three Worlds. You have given extensive assistance to both human and invisible beings since you are well versed in the language of the mind, which is supreme to all the languages in the Three Worlds. Every Buddha and arahants of some categories have made use of this universal language in helping others, especially invisible beings. This language is therefore of great help in facilitating the communication between minds.'

    After their instruction, most of the arahants who came to visit him demonstrated the manner of their complete passing away [parinibbana]. Some passed away while sitting cross-legged, others while lying on their right sides, and still others while walking or standing. In most cases, however, they were seen to have passed away while lying on their right sides or while sitting cross-legged, only a few of them having passed away while standing or walking. Those who entered parinibbana while sitting collapsed quietly at the last moment, with the cessation of all the functions of the body, but it was difficult to observe those who entered parinibbana while lying down since their breathing became more and more subtle with each passing moment, and they looked more like they were sleeping than passing away. Another was seen standing still with his right hand over his left on his chest with his eyes closed. After a moment he slowly dropped down to a sitting posture and then smoothly to a lying posture. Still another walked back and forth about six or seven times, then slowly dropped down to a lying posture.

    It was noticeable that the bodies of those who passed into parinibbana while sitting, standing or walking seemed weightless as they smoothly dropped to a lying posture, appearing to be more feather-like than solid body. All these arahants demonstrated their passing into parinibbana about a metre in front of him. They all passed away in a serene and highly impressive manner, showing no suffering or restlessness, such as can generally be seen in the cases of ordinary people. These accounts of these supreme persons bidding farewell to the mundane world are wonderful indeed.

    Three arahants had passed away within the cave of Mount Chiengdao itself, two of them while lying and the third while walking. They also demonstrated their parinibbana to him. Before showing him, each of them explained the reasons for passing away in that particular manner. The Venerable Acharn said there were many arahants who had passed away in Thailand. As far as can be recalled, there were three in the cave of Chiengdao in the province of Chiengmai, two in the town of Lopburi, one in a cave called Tago and another behind Mount Vong Phra Chan [Lunar Disc], one in the region of Khao Yai [Big Mountain] in the town of Nakhorn Nayok [this is a vast area, now a reserved forest with beautiful scenery] and another in the town of Lampang at the monastery of Thart Luang in the district of Gok Kha. There were more than this, but the writer cannot recall them all.