(３４)“在家人不能成爲阿羅漢，是嗎？”

　　34) “Lay people cannot be arahants, can they

　　”

　　對這問題也不要給予“能”或“不能”的絕對答案，而必須這麼回答：“阿羅漢是超越僧俗的”。然而一般人都說在家人一證悟成爲阿羅漢，就得在七天內趕快出家，否則將會死亡，這是後期的人在論、疏或其他作品中，過分自大、武斷的說法。

　　DON”T GO GIVING an unqualified answer to this question either, saying they can or cannot. It must be answered by saying that an arahant has transcended laity and monkhood alike. Please note that the belief that one who becomes an arahant must hurry off and be ordained within seven days or else die was made by over- confident, assertive teachers of later ages, and appears only in commentaries, sub-commentaries, and other such post-canonical works. An arahant must always transcend laity and monkhood. No one can make an arahant into a lay person (i.e. a worldly person), but he lives above and beyond the state of monkhood too.

　　阿羅漢一定都是超越僧俗的，沒有人能夠把阿羅漢變成俗人。因此，不要去宣稱阿羅漢會不會在俗，縱使抓了個阿羅漢，強迫他過在家生活，使阿羅漢成爲居士，這是不可能的，因爲他已經超越僧俗了。

　　Therefore, don”t go making statements as to whether an arahant can live at home or not. Even though they might take an arahant and force him to live at home, they could never make him into a householder. He has transcended both laity and monkhood.