Arhat Hall | |||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 羅漢 堂 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 罗汉 堂 | ||||||
Literal meaning | Arhat Hall | ||||||
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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]
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]