The Eighteen Arhats refer to the eighteen arhats who live in the world forever and uphold the Dhamma in Buddhist legend, and are derived from the sixteen arhats plus two. They were all historical figures, all disciples of Shakyamuni. The Sixteen Arhats were mainly popular in the Tang Dynasty, and by the end of the Tang Dynasty, eighteen arhats began to appear; by the Song Dynasty, eighteen arhats were prevalent. The emergence of the Eighteen Arhats may be related to the traditional preference for the Eighteenth in Chinese culture.
Origin of the name Eighteen Arhats
In order to make the Dharma pass on to future generations after the Buddha's demise, and so that sentient beings have the opportunity to hear about the Dharma, Shakyamuni Buddha instructed the sixteen arhats to live in the world forever, and to promote the Dharma in various places for the benefit of all sentient beings. After Buddhism spread to China, the Sixteen Arhats became the subject of artists' creations, which later evolved into the Eighteen Arhats.
Arhat, short for Arhat, is an arhat. It was first introduced to China from India. There are three layers of interpretation in the paraphrasing: one is that it can help people get rid of all the troubles in life; the other is that it can accept the heavenly offerings between heaven and earth; and the third is that it can help people no longer suffer from samsara. That is, killing thieves, offerings, and lifelessness are the highest fruits of the Buddha's attainment of the path of disciple cultivation. Arhats are pure in body and mind, and ignorance and defilements have been broken (killing thieves). Having been freed from birth and death, he has attained nirvana (no birth). It is worthy of the respect of all heavens and offerings (should be offered). Before the end of his life, he still lived in the world with few desires, took vows and purity, and civilized the people according to his fate.
According to legend, the arhats were originally the ultimate goal pursued by the Buddhist Hinayanas, but under the advice and encouragement of The Buddha Shakyamuni, all the arhats returned to the small and the big, "the past life is not nirvana", to help maintain Mahayana Buddhism, so the arhats in Mahayana Buddhism also have their new status and deeds.
An arhat, also known as an arhat, refers to a saint who can cut off all defilements, attain the realm of nirvana, no longer suffer from the cycle of birth and death, have perfect practice and have the virtue of guiding sentient beings to goodness, and are worthy of the heavenly offerings.
"Eighteen" is an auspicious number, and many quantitative expressions in Chinese culture use "eighteen", such as "eighteenth", "eighteen marquises", "eighteen martial arts", "eighteen bachelors" and so on. There are also many "eighteens" in Buddhism, such as the "Eighteen Treatises", "Eighteen Realms", "Eighteen Changes", "Eighteen Layers of Hell", etc., and the "Sixteen Arhats" becoming "Eighteen Arhats" is obviously related to this "Eighteen" complex. In the history of songshan Shaolin Temple, there have also been Eighteen Shaolin Arhats. Kung Fu Arhat Pan Guojing is one of the Eighteen Arhats of Modern Shaolin!
Eighteen Buddhist Venerables – The Eighteen Arhats
The earliest record of the Eighteen Arhats
The earliest recorder of this incident was Su Shi of the Song Dynasty, who listed the names of the eighteen arhats in the article "From the South China Sea to the Qingyuan Gorge Baolin Temple to Praise the Eighteen Great Arhats Painted by Zen Yue". The first sixteen arhats are the names of the sixteen arhats listed in the Book of Dharma, the two new arhats are added, and the seventeenth is the "Qingyou Venerable", that is, the author of the Book of Dharma. The eighteenth is "His Holiness Bintou Lu", which is actually the same as the first, but one uses the full name and the other uses the honorific title. Later, the Song Dynasty Zhipan put forward a new insight in volume 33 of the Statistics of the Buddha, arguing that the seventeenth should be His Holiness The Gaya and the eighteenth should be His Holiness the King's Disciple, that is, the two of the "Four Great Arhats" who are not among the "Sixteen Arhats".
However, during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor and Zhangjia Hutuktu believed that the seventeenth Arhat should be the Descending Dragon Arhat, that is, the Gaya Venerable, and the eighteenth should be the Fuhu Arhat, that is, the Maitreya Venerable. The Emperor decreed that from then on the Eighteen Arhats would be subject to the imperial seal. The seventeenth of the eighteen arhats of Tibetan Buddhism is Lady Maya, the mother of Shakyamuni, and maitreya. After the Eighteen Arhats replaced the Sixteen Arhats, the influence became more and more intense. There are not many grotto statues of the Eighteen Arhats, but they are more common in temples, and are generally sculpted in the Daxiong Treasure Hall as a sanitation for the Buddha or the "Vertical Third Buddha".
There was originally no fixed image of the Eighteen Arhats, which were painted by later artists based on their own imaginations, and the earliest surviving statue of the Sixteen Arhats was created in The Yanxia Cave of Hangzhou, which was made by the wife and brother of King Wuyue.
Related records
According to the scriptures, sixteen disciples of the Buddha were instructed by the Buddha not to enter into nirvana. In the 2nd century AD, the Dharma Sutra written by His Holiness Qingyou of the Lion Kingdom (present-day Sri Lanka) records the names of the sixteen arhats and the areas where they lived. After this book was translated by Master Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, the Sixteen Arhats were universally revered by Buddhists in China. By the fifth generation, painting and sculpture were flourishing. Later, the painter painted eighteen arhats, speculating that the painter's original intention may have been to paint the author of the "Fa zhu ji" Qingyou and the translator Xuanzang also together. However, when later generations marked the name of Luohan, they mistakenly listed Qingyou as the seventeenth living Arhat, and repeated the name of the first Arhat Bintou Lu to become the eighteenth. Although some people in the Song Dynasty have pointed out the errors, because the paintings are praised by famous calligraphers and painters and literary artists, such as Guan Xiu, Su Dongpo, Zhao Songxue and others, the Eighteen Arhats are easily spread in China.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="01" >Bindu Lopalo Fallen Pavilion Venerable - Sitting Deer Arhat</h1>
Sit in the sacred deer, think thoughtfully, calmly, and be proud of yourself. His Holiness the Bentura Lok Lok Apocrypha is also known as His Holiness Bintou Lo. One of the eighteen surnames in India, The Varla is a noble brahmin, and Binduro is the name. This arhat was originally a minister of king Yudrayan of India, and he had power over a country, but he suddenly set his heart to become a monk. King Yudyan personally asked him to turn back as an official, but he was afraid of the king's instigation, so he fled into the mountains to practice. One day, a deer-riding monk appeared in front of the palace, and the Imperial Forest Army recognized it as the Fallen Pavilion of The Varla, and hurriedly reported to King Udrayan. The king came out and took him into the palace, saying that the state was still in vain, and asked him if he would come back to be an official. He said that he wanted to lead the king to become a monk, and he used various metaphors to illustrate the disgust of all kinds of desires, and as a result, the king gave way to the prince and became a monk with him. According to the Buddhist scriptures, His Holiness Bintou Lu is an arhat who is still in the world without nirvana.
His Holiness the Bentura Lopalo - Sitting Deer Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="02" > Canoga Daizun - Rejoice Arhat</h1>
The demons were removed, Yu Yu clarified, raised his hands to celebrate, and his heart was full of flowers. His Holiness Ganodh was one of the ancient Indian commentators. Commentators are orators and orators who are good at talking about Buddhism. Someone asked him what joy was, and he explained that happiness is the joy of pleasure by hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching. Someone else asked him, "What is Gao Qing?" He said: "The happiness that is not felt by the ears, eyes, nose, nose and hands is Gao Qing." For example, if you are sincere to the Buddha, you feel that the Buddha is there, that is, you feel happy. "He often smiled when he spoke and debated, and he was famous for his discussion of festivities, so he was called a festive arhat, or a joyful arhat.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama - rejoicing arhats
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="03" > His Holiness noga Palita - Lifting Bowl Arhat</h1>
His Holiness noga Pharma was originally a monk of incarnation. His method of incarnation was different, he held aloft an iron bowl and begged for food from people, and after he became enlightened, the world called him "a bowl-lifting arhat." His Holiness the Ganodh Vajrayogini was a practitioner of compassion and equality. Through the blessing of the people of the world, the cultivation of merit for sentient beings, the teaching of the Dharma to them, and the teachings of sentient beings by example and words.
His Holiness the Noga Palita - Lifting Bowl Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="04" > His Holiness Supindra - Tota Arhat</h1>
The seven-story pagoda, the Dharma channeling, the power without anger, and the superiority of the Tao. Ta is a Chinese character made from the first sound of the Sanskrit word "Tabo". Before Buddhism was introduced to China, there was no tower in China, so the word "tower" was specially created, and the pagoda in Buddhism was the thing that carried the bones of the Buddha. Since the pagoda is an instrument that carries the bones of the Buddha, the pagoda has also become a symbol of the Buddha. The Tota Arhat is not the Tota King, the Tota King is the Bodhisattva, and there is a difference between the Bodhisattva and the Arhat: the Bodhisattva is the fruit of the Mahayana cultivation, while the Arhat is the fruit of the "Hinayana Cultivation". This arhat, whose name was Supindra, was the last disciple of the Buddha, Shakyamuni. He cultivated to the five divine powers, and then cultivated non-thinking and non-thinking. Supinta was the last disciple of the Buddha, and in order to commemorate his master, he specially carried the pagoda with him as the Buddha's constant presence.
His Holiness Supindra - Tota Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="05" > Nori-Rohan - meditation</h1>
Purify the mind, look at ease, be peaceful and celebratory, and enter the bliss of the other. Nori Rokko is translated as Hercules, this Arhat is a Great Arhat, originally a warrior, extremely powerful, and later became a monk, cultivating into a positive result. His master taught him to meditate and abandon the concept of fighting, killing, and killing that he had used to have when he was a warrior, so he still showed the physique of a Hercules when he meditated.
His Holiness the Noble Lama - meditate on the Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="06" > His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Crossing the River Arhat</h1>
Carrying sutra scrolls, dongdu transmission, trekking mountains and wading waters, and pudu sentient beings. The three characters of Bhadra are transliterated as sage, but this arhat took the name Bhadra for another reason. It turns out that there is a rare tree in India called Bhadra. His mother, who was pregnant and gave birth to him under the Bhadra tree, named him Bhadra and sent him to the monastery to become a monk. According to legend, Buddhism in the East Indies was originally transmitted by Cymbals. He traveled from India to the island of Java in the East Indies to spread the Dharma, hence the name Ofagus.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Crossing the River Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="07" > His Holiness Kalikah - riding an elephant arhat</h1>
Ride the elephant Xuan Ang, chant the sutra lang lang, have a heart for all beings, eyes and four directions. The Sanskrit name of the elephant is Caleb, and Kalika means the elephant rider. The image is a symbol of the Dharma, and the figurative image is powerful, able to endure hard work and go far. Kalika was an elephant trainer who practiced as a monk to achieve positive results, hence the name of riding an elephant arhat.
His Holiness Kalikah - riding an elephant arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="08" > His Holiness the Ravodoro the Laughing Lion</h1>
The Laughing Lion Arhat is the eighth of the Eighteen Arhats of Buddhism, a transliteration of the Sanskrit word Vajraputra. He and his dependents, one thousand and one hundred arhats, lived in the Continent of Po Lai. Five of the six types of arhats are Kandharma arhats, also known as arhats who can enter the phase, which refers to those who can quickly improve and attain the immovable Dharma. His body is large and strong, and his appearance is solemn and awe-inspiring. It is said that because he never killed in his past life and achieved a wide range of good deeds, he was disease-free and painless in his life, and he had five kinds of immortal blessings. Therefore, he is also called "King Kong", and he is deeply praised and respected by people. Although he had such miraculous powers, he practiced diligently as ever, and often sat still all day, not moving. Moreover, he was able to speak eloquently, was knowledgeable and memorable, knew the scriptures, and could speak the magic method freely; but he rarely spoke, and often remained silent all day long. His brother Ananda asked him in astonishment, "Your Holiness, why don't you open a convenient door once and talk about the magic method?" His Holiness replied, "Too much is not necessarily popular; although your words are worth thousands of dollars, they are often offensive. I can enjoy dharma in silence, and I hope you will do the same. His Holiness often carried the little lion with him, so the world called him the "Laughing Lion Arhat".
His Holiness vajrafdoro - Laughing Lion Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="09" > Shu Boga Venerable - Happy Arhat</h1>
Happy to see the Buddha, each showing his miraculous powers, comparing himself with each other, and the Buddha's power is infinite. His Holiness Shu Bojia, the dauntless Venerable emperor who came to Chang'an in the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (716 CE), was the crown prince of King Zhongtianzhu, who made him crown prince, and his brother was in trouble, and he immediately said to his brother, "You come to be emperor, and I will go to renunciation." His brother didn't believe it, and he said, "I have only Buddha in my heart, and if you don't believe it, look at it!" Strangely enough, he opened his clothes, and his brother saw that there was indeed a Buddha in his heart, so he believed him and stopped making trouble.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama- Happy Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="10" > half-Toga Venerable - Tantra Arhat</h1>
At ease, yawning and stretching, being sane and self-satisfied. His Holiness the Half Toga is said to be the son of the medicine fork god Half-Gira. According to the Koridi Mother Sutra, there was a medicine fork god named Bhatta on the side of a mountain in the ancient Indian king's city, and there was another medicine fork god named Banjara in the northern kingdom of Gandhara, and Brahmin and His wife were pregnant at the same time, so they were married to the abdomen. Brahma gives birth to a daughter, half a shara gives birth to a child, and half a shara gives birth to a child, which is a half-Toga monk who cultivates the right results, and also crosses the daughter of The Padmasambhava to become enlightened. He is known as the Tantra Arhat, because he often uses the half-kāsa method when meditating, which is to put one leg on the other leg, that is, the single-plate knee method, and after meditating, he will raise his hands and take a long breath.
Half-Toga Venerable - Detective Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="11" > His Holiness The Holiness - Contemplating The Arhat</h1>
One of the Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha. The statue of the contemplative arhat is commonly known as the contemplative arhat, and his characteristics are plump, the eyebrows are curved, the eyes are round, and the thick and dignified style has a graceful charm. Radharado is the name of an Indian star. Ancient India believed that eclipses were caused by a star that could cover the sun and moon. This arhat was born at the time of the lunar eclipse, so he took the name Ofrodo, that is, named after the star that sheltered the sun and the moon. Contemplation Arhat contemplation, contemplation of all the otherworldly. In contemplation, you can know what people don't know, and when you do your work, you can do what you can't do. His contemplation is to acquire wisdom and action. It is famous for its tantric practice.
His Holiness the Rajah - Contemplating the Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="12" > Naga Rhinoceros - Ear-digging Arhat</h1>
Leisurely, self-absorbed, entertaining, interesting and meaningful. Naga translates as Chinese dragon, rhinoceros translates as army, Naga rhinoceros is the meaning of the dragon's army, metaphorically powerful, like the dragon's army. This arhat lived on the hill of Bandupo in India. He was also a commentator and became famous in India for his treatise on the Ear Roots. The so-called ear root, which arises from awakening and cognition, is one of the six sources of human understanding of the world. The so-called six roots are pure, and the ear root is one of them. In Buddhism, in addition to not listening to all kinds of obscene sounds, it is even more forbidden to listen to other people's secrets. Because he talked about the root of the ear the most at home, he took the shape of the ear to show that the root of the ear was pure.
His Holiness the Nagarjuna- the Ear-Digging Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="13" > Ingadah, the Clotha Arhat</h1>
Immeasurable Life Buddha, Qiankun Treasure Bag, Joyful And Happy Pottery. Ingetta is said to be an Indian snake catcher who caught snakes so that pedestrians would not be bitten by snakes. After catching the snake, he pulled out its poisonous fangs and released it into the mountains, where he cultivated positive results because of his kindness. His cloth bag was originally a bag carrying snakes. Some people think that the Budai Arhat was a Budai monk during the Five Dynasties liang dynasty in 907 AD, but the Budai monk said on the rock of Yuelin Temple in the third year of Zhenming (917 AD): "Maitreya is the true Maitreya, with a body of hundreds of billions, showing people at all times, and people do not know themselves at all times." "After saying that he disappeared. It can be seen that the Budai Arhat is the Budai Arhat, and the Budai monk is the apparition of Maitreya Bodhisattva.
His Holiness the Indah, the Budai Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="14" > Venerable Varnabas, The Basho Arhat</h1>
Leisurely and secluded, arrogant and vain, fairy wind Dao bone, otherworldly dust. Vajnaparamita Sanskrit means rain. Legend has it that when he was born, the rain was falling heavily, and the banana tree in the picture was rustling with heavy rain, so his father named him Rain. After he became a monk, he cultivated luo han guo, and it is said that he liked to practice under the plantain, so he was called basho luohan.
Venerable Varnabas - Basho Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="15" > Ashido- Long-Brow Arhat</h1>
Bahraini stone carvings of long-eyebrow arhats, kind old people, high-ranking monks of the Tao, look through the great thousands, and understand the spirit of the heart. Ashdo is an incomparably correct transliteration of Sanskrit. This arhat was born with two long white eyebrows. It turned out that he was also a monk in his previous life, because when he practiced until he was old, his eyebrows fell off, and he shaved two long eyebrows, but he still couldn't cultivate the right results, and then reincarnated as a human after death. After he was born, someone said to his father, "Buddha Shakyamuni also had two long eyebrows, and your son had long eyebrows, which is the face of a Buddha." Therefore, his father sent him to the monastery to become a monk, and finally achieved the right results.
His Holiness the Ashido - Long-browed Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="16" > tea-filled half-Toga Venerable - watching the monks</h1>
Mighty benchmarks, alert gaze, Zen staff in hand, brave demons. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, one of the buddha's close disciples, Shakyamuni, went to various places to make his own offerings, and often used his fists to tell the people in the house to come out and give alms. Once, because someone's house was decaying, he accidentally destroyed it, and as a result, he had to apologize and admit his mistake. Later, he went back to ask the Buddha, and the Buddha said, "I gave you a tin rod, and you will not have to open the door in the future, and use this tin rod to shake on the door of others. It turned out that there were several rings on this tin rod, and when it was shaken, it made a "tin tin" sound. When the people heard this sound, they opened the door and opened the door.
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="17" > His Holiness the Dalai Lama- Descending Dragon Arhat</h1>
The seventeenth of the Eighteen Arhats, the "Gaya Venerable", was appointed by the Qianlong Emperor during the Qing Dynasty. According to the Dharma Sutra, the above sixteen arhats were the sixteen great disciples of the Buddha, and the Buddha ordered them to reside in the human world. Another theory is that the seventeenth arhat was the author of the Dharma Sutra, "His Holiness the Dalai Lama". Legend has it that in ancient India, a dragon king flooded the country and hid the Buddhist scriptures in the Dragon Palace. Later, the Dragon Descending Venerable surrendered to the Dragon King to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures and made great contributions, so he was called "Descending Dragon Venerable". In the "Biography of Ji Gong Wai", Ji Gong is the reincarnation of the Descending Dragon Arhat: the Descending Dragon Arhat is a disciple of the Buddha's throne, with boundless mana, helping the Buddha to descend the dragon and the demon, and performing many miraculous feats. Descending Dragon has been practicing for hundreds of years, but he has never been able to achieve the right results, so he asked Guanyin for advice, and when he learned that the dust fate of the Seventh World was not over, he went down to all the sentient beings and ended the dust fate.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama - Descending Dragon Arhat
<h1 class="pgc-h-decimal" data-index="18" > Maitreya, The Arhat</h1>
In the field of Chinese Buddhism, the highest Buddhist Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha (Rulai Buddha), seated under the eighteen arhats. The Fuhu Arhat was the eighteenth of the Eighteen Arhats, the "Maitreya Venerable", who was appointed by the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing Dynasty. Another theory is that the eighteenth Arhat is the "Juntu Bowl Sigh" in the "Four Loud Voices". Legend has it that outside the temple where His Holiness Fuhu lived, there were often fierce tigers who grew wheezing because of hunger, and His Holiness Fuhu distributed his meals to this tiger, and after a long time, the fierce tiger was subdued by him, and often played with him, so he was also called "Fuhu Arhat".
His Holiness Maitreya - Fuhu Arhat