Arhat Hall
| Arhat Hall | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 羅漢堂 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 罗汉堂 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Arhat Hall | ||||||
| |||||||
The Arhat Hall is a hall used for enshrining an arhat or arhats in Chinese Buddhist temples.[1] Arhat is another term for Arahant, one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved Enlightenment and liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth.[1] In Mahayana Buddhism, arhats rank the third position in Buddhism, only below the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.[1] In Theravada Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama or The Buddha is the first of the arahats, while his disciples who reach the goal by following his noble path also become arahats.[2]
Statues[edit]
In smaller Buddhist temples, statues of the Eighteen Arhats, the original followers of Gautama Buddha, are usually enshrined within the hall.[1] In larger Buddhist temples, the Arhat Hall typically enshrines statues of all the Five Hundred Arhats, a larger grouping which encompasses other Buddhist deities such as Hayagriva and Yamantaka who take the forms of arhats.[1] In addition, statues of the four main Bodhisattvas in Chinese Buddhism, namely Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, Samantabhadra and Manjusri are often enshrined as well, along with the Wisdom King Mahamayuri.[1][3][4]
Gallery[edit]
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Statue of Mahāmāyūrī at the centre and the Thousand-armed Guanyin at the rear of the Five Hundred Arhat Hall of Baoguang Temple in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Zi Yan 2012, p. 47.
- ^ "Arahants, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas". Accesstoinsight.org. Retrieved 2022-09-22.
- ^ Wei Ran (2012-06-01). Buddhist Buildings. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press. ISBN 9787112142880.
- ^ Han Xin (2006-04-01). Well-Known Temples of China. Shanghai: The Eastern Publishing Co. Ltd. ISBN 7506024772.
Bibliography[edit]
- Zi Yan (2012). "Xiantong Temple in Mount Wutai, Shanxi Province". Famous Temples in China (in English and Chinese). Hefei, Anhui: Huangshan Publishing House. ISBN 978-7-5461-3146-7.
Further reading[edit]
- Wang Guixiang (2016-06-17). 《中国汉传佛教建筑史——佛寺的建造、分布与寺院格局、建筑类型及其变迁》 [The History of Chinese Buddhist Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Tsinghua University Press. ISBN 9787302427056.
- Zhang Yuhuan (2014-06-01). 《图解中国佛教建筑、寺院系列》 [Illustration of Chinese Buddhist Architecture and Temples] (in Chinese). Beijing: Contemporary China Publishing House. ISBN 9787515401188.