Sakyamuni and the Eighteen Arhats

Sakyamuni  and the Eighteen Arhats have Sakyamuni as  the main Buddha with an alms bowl showing the touchdown mudra meaning subduing demons and the perfection of cultivation and accomplishment of Buddhahood. And attending to the right and left are Venerable Ananda (the foremost Hearer Bodhisattva) and Venerable Kasyapa (the foremost dhūta Bodhisattva).Beneath a tree is background of music symbolizing the treasures of the Dharma realm, its presence resonating with harmonious and elegant sounds.

Dharma-Sthiti Vyākaraṇa tells that, upon Buddha’s nirvana, he instructed the great sixteen arhats to prolong their stay in the mundane world to transform beings, preach scriptures, and serve as the fields of blessings for beings, and protect practitioners from obstacles, harm and obstruction from their pursuit of the dharma. Later on, two attendants, Venerable Dharmatrāta and Bag Monk, later joined the Sixteen Arhats so that the total came to Eighteen, among whom Venerable Dharmatrāta, a practitioner serving the 16 venerable ones and living a family life from Helan Mountain, was known for his extraordinary wisdom and ability to tame tigers, whereas the Bag Monk, a kind and cheerful figure from Fenghua, Mingzhou (now Ningbo) in the period between late Thangka Dynasty and the Later Liang Empire of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in China, is believed to be the earthly incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva as he spends his days bare-chested and smiling, kind, optimistic, and tolerant, deeply respected and loved by all.The Saṃyukta Āgama Sutra teaches that the six senses embody bitterness, pleasure, and neutrality totaling 18 standing for the Dukkha or suffering, and the eighteen Arhats represent the transition from suffering to happiness, and from consciousness to wisdom and attainment of the proper fruitsion. The four Heavenly Kings below serve as protectors as according to the Mahayana Pitaka Sutra, the Eastern Country Holding Heavenly King protects the land  and thus resides in Mount Sumeru’s Golden Portion, the Southern Growth Heavenly King augments other beings’ good roots and thus resides in the Coloured Glaze Portion, the Western Broad Eyes Heavenly King contemplates with his pure heavenly vision stays at the Silver Portion, and the Northern Extensive Learning Heavenly King is known far and wide in all directions for his blessings and virtues, and resides in the Crystal Portion, symbolizing omnipresent auspiciousness and indestructible strength.

This work is a classic example of the Neo-Meythtang (Regong) School of Painting, in which at the center is Sakyamuni, with the music tree casting a gentle shade, and surrounding Him are the Eighteen Arhats and Heavenly Kings, accompanied by a diverse crowd, each displaying unique expressions.