user-1: It is well known that there are periodic crises in Buddhism, usually - it seems - involving sexual misconduct.
I also know that e.g. Vasubandhu claimed that aryans - even if they could still have sexual desire - were incapable of sexual misconduct.
Does that mean that everyone involved in these crises are complete fakes or have retrogressed? Quite famously, an important Tibetan llama was even convicted of child rape: can anyone defend the claim any a "tulku" of this sort is a Buddha behind bars?

user8157: Ariyans cannot perform acts of evil. That is why they are called 'Ariyans'. The suttas say:

"And which are the four factors of stream-entry with which he is
endowed?
"There is the case where the disciple of the noble ones is endowed
with verified confidence in the Awakened One: 'Indeed, the Blessed One
is worthy & rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge & conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer
for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine & human
beings, awakened, blessed.'
"He is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma is
well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless,
inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for
themselves.'
"He is endowed with verified confidence in the Sangha: 'The Sangha of
the Blessed One's disciples who have practiced well... who have
practiced straight-forwardly... who have practiced methodically... who
have practiced masterfully — in other words, the four pairs, the eight
individuals — they are the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples:
worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of
respect, the incomparable field of merit for the world.'
"He is endowed with virtues that are appealing to the noble ones:
untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the
wise, untarnished, leading to concentration.
"These are the four factors of stream-entry with which he is endowed.
AN 10.92

Yes, it does mean that everyone involved in these crises are complete fakes or have retrogressed.

user16635: When the Buddha talks about an arhat (or aryan in the Tibetan), he is referring to an inner state: an attitude that someone naturally develops as they walk further and further down the path.
When lay people talk about an arhat (or aryan) they usually mean it in terms of an outer status: a label acquired by someone due to long practice and broad respect in the community. The label becomes a sigil or a fetish; it is ascribed to someone without foundation in the person's actual (inner) attainment.
Most people rise to the ascription, because even if they haven't yet attained realization, that is their earnest desire. They take care in their use of the label. Some people lose their way under the ascription, becoming attached to their own importance and the rewards they feel they should receive for the status.
The Tibetan tradition has been particularly vulnerable to the latter problem because the Tibetan religious culture has been so thoroughly uprooted from its ancestral home. The combination of disrupted lineages and broad sympathy and support from Western lay communities created a fertile ground for egoism and misappropriation. That will settle itself out over time, I imagine...

-1: <p>It is well known that there are periodic crises in Buddhism, usually - it seems - involving sexual misconduct.</p>
<p>I also know that e.g. Vasubandhu claimed that aryans - even if they could still have sexual desire - were incapable of sexual misconduct.</p>
<p>Does that mean that everyone involved in these crises are complete fakes or have retrogressed? Quite famously, an important Tibetan llama was even <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/oct/08/tibetan-lamas-buddhism" rel="nofollow noreferrer">convicted of child rape</a>: can anyone defend the claim any a &quot;tulku&quot; of this sort is a Buddha behind bars?</p>
 8157: <p>Ariyans cannot perform acts of evil. That is why they are called 'Ariyans'. The suttas say:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;And which are the four factors of stream-entry with which he is
endowed?</p>
<p>&quot;There is the case where the disciple of the noble ones is endowed
with verified confidence in the Awakened One: 'Indeed, the Blessed One
is worthy &amp; rightly self-awakened, consummate in knowledge &amp; conduct,
well-gone, an expert with regard to the world, unexcelled as a trainer
for those people fit to be tamed, the Teacher of divine &amp; human
beings, awakened, blessed.'</p>
<p>&quot;He is endowed with verified confidence in the Dhamma: 'The Dhamma is
well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here &amp; now, timeless,
inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for
themselves.'</p>
<p>&quot;He is endowed with verified confidence in the Sangha: 'The Sangha of
the Blessed One's disciples who have practiced well... who have
practiced straight-forwardly... who have practiced methodically... who
have practiced masterfully — in other words, the four pairs, the eight
individuals — they are the Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples:
worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of
respect, the incomparable field of merit for the world.'</p>
<p>&quot;He is <strong>endowed with virtues that are appealing to the noble ones</strong>:
untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the
wise, untarnished, leading to concentration.</p>
<p>&quot;These are the four factors of stream-entry with which he is endowed.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.092.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 10.92</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yes, it does mean that everyone involved in these crises are complete fakes or have retrogressed.</p>
 16635: <p>When the Buddha talks about an arhat (or aryan in the Tibetan), he is referring to an inner state: an attitude that someone naturally develops as they walk further and further down the path.</p>
<p>When lay people talk about an arhat (or aryan) they usually mean it in terms of an outer status: a label acquired by someone due to long practice and broad respect in the community. The label becomes a sigil or a fetish; it is ascribed to someone without foundation in the person's <em>actual</em> (inner) attainment.</p>
<p>Most people rise to the ascription, because even if they haven't yet attained realization, that is their earnest desire. They take care in their use of the label. Some people lose their way under the ascription, becoming attached to their own importance and the rewards they feel they should receive for the status.</p>
<p>The Tibetan tradition has been particularly vulnerable to the latter problem because the Tibetan religious culture has been so thoroughly uprooted from its ancestral home. The combination of disrupted lineages and broad sympathy and support from Western lay communities created a fertile ground for egoism and misappropriation. That will settle itself out over time, I imagine...</p>
