Arya (Sanskrit: आर्य pronounced ārya; Pāli: ariya) is a term used in Buddhism that can be translated as "noble", "not ordinary", "valuable", "precious",[a] "pure",[2] "rich".
Arya in the sense of "noble" or "exalted" is frequently used in Buddhist texts to designate a spiritual warrior or hero.
The term is used in the following contexts: In the context of the Four Noble Truths, contemporary scholars explain the meaning of ārya as follows: Bhikkhu Bodhi explains:[web 1] In Chinese Buddhist texts, ārya is translated as 聖 (approximately, "holy, sacred", pinyin shèng, on'yomi sei).
The same text also describes the āryas as the ones who "have understood and realized about the [truth of] suffering, (impermanence, emptiness, and no-self)" and who "understand things as they are".
The Bhaiṣajyavastu (from the Mūlasarvāstivādavinaya) describes a story of Buddha teaching his dharma to the Four Heavenly Kings (Catvāraḥ Mahārājāḥ) of the four directions.