With no beliefs, the Unmade known,
with fetters finally severed,
with kammas cut and craving shed,
attained to humanity’s heights.
Explanation: He has no faith in anybody but in himself. He is aware of deathlessness – the unconditioned. He is a breaker of connections, because he has severed all worldly links. He has destroyed all the opportunities for rebirth. He has given up all desires. Because of these, the arahat, is a truly noble person.
The Story of Venerable Sariputta (Verse 97)
While residing at the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Venerable Sariputta.
One day thirty forest-dwellers approached the Buddha, paid obeisance to him, and sat down. The Buddha, seeing that they possessed the requisite faculties for attaining arahatship, addressed Venerable Sariputta as follows, “Sariputta, do you believe that the quality of faith, when it has been developed and enlarged, is connected with the deathless and terminates in the deathless?” In this manner the Buddha questioned the Venerable with reference to the five moral qualities.
Said the Venerable, “Venerable, I do not go by faith in the Buddha in this matter, that the quality of faith, when it has been developed and enlarged, is connected with the deathless and terminates in the deathless. But of course, Venerable, those who have not known the deathless or seen or perceived or realized or grasped the deathless by the power of reason, such persons must of necessity go by the faith of others in this matter; namely, that the faculty of faith, when it has been developed and enlarged, is connected with the deathless and terminates in the deathless.” Thus did the Venerable answer his question.
When the monks heard this, they began a discussion: “Venerable Sariputta has never really given up false views. Even today he refused to believe even the supremely Enlightened One.” When the Buddha heard this, he said, “Monks, why do you say this? For I asked Sariputta the following question, ‘Sariputta, do you believe that without developing the five moral qualities, without developing tranquillity and spiritual insight, it is possible for a man to realize the paths and the fruits? And he answered me as follows, ‘There is no one who can thus realize the paths and the fruits’ Then I asked him, ‘Do you not believe that there is such a thing as the ripening of the fruit of almsgiving and good works? Do you not believe in the virtues of the Buddhas and the rest? But as a matter of fact, Sariputta walks not by the faith of others, for the reason that he has, in and by himself, attained states of mind to which the Paths and the Fruits lead, by the power of spiritual insight induced by ecstatic meditation. Therefore he is not open to censure’