Arya

Arya (Skt. ārya; Tib. pakpa; Wyl. 'phags pa) literally means 'noble' or 'sublime'. The Tibetan word for Arya (pakpa) means 'elevated' or 'exalted', as in elevated above the level of an ordinary, samsaric being. There are four classes of noble beings:

• arhats
• pratyekabuddhas
• bodhisattvas
• buddhas