The Eighteen Arhats and the Four Heavenly Kings
2 min readWhat can be said about the legendary origin of the Sixteen Arhats，the Eighteen Arhats and the 500 Arhats？
According to Buddhist classics，Sakyamuni’s disciples are 16 Arhats.They were instructed by the Buddha not to ascend into the Buddhist Western Paradise，but to reside in the world，where human beings take care of them，and they，in return，bring benefits to human beings.This account is based on Fazhuji，a Buddhist scripture translated by Tang Xuan that lead to the great esteem of the 16 Arhats on the part of Buddhist followers of the Han nationality.Towards the end of the Tang Dynasty，the 16 Arhats in varied editions appeared.
The evolution from the 16 Arhats to the 18 Arhats began in painting.So far we know that the earliest painting of the 18 Arhats was painted by Zhang Xuan of the Former Shu State（907-925）.Su Shi composed 18 poems to eulogiz this painting，but Su Shi did not name each Arhat.A Sichuan monk named Guan Xiu painted another 18 Arhats，and Su Shi composed another 18 poems to eulogize hispainting.This time Su Shi named each Arhat，and it indicates that the rise of theEighteen Arhats was not in accordance with the original Buddhist classics.It was artists who added two more Arhat figures to the original 16.In later generations，Buddhist followers increased the number of Arhats by unsystematically picking out names from various scriptures to make up a total of 500 Arhats.Kao Taosu of the Ming Dynasty gave a complete list of their names on his Stone Name Tablets to the 500 Arhats in Qianming Courtyard.
Who are the Four Heavenly Kings？
The Four Heavenly Kings are depicted as the Four Warrior Attendants
（Vajras）.Their origin stems from an Indian Buddhism legend which says that there is a hill called Jiantuoluo situated about half way up Mt.Xumi in the Buddhist Western Paradise.This hill has four peaks，and each Heavenly King protects one peak.They are thus called the Four Heavenly Kings.The Lord of the East is the King of the Gandharvas（Guardian of the Nation）.He is dressed in white and holds a stringed musical instrument.The Lord of the South is the King of the Kumbhandas（Guardian of Sprouting Growth）.He is dressed in blue and holds a sword.The Lord of the West is the King of the Nagas（Guardian of Ugly Eyes or Deformed Eyes）.He is dressed in red and has a dragon ir his left hand.The Lord of the North（Guardian of intelligence）is the best known.He is dressed in green and holds a trident in his right hand and a mongoose in his left.According to the Buddhist classics，the Four Heavenly Kings are able to drive out evil and monsters，protect Buddhas，and assure favorable conditions for the growth of crops each year.Therefore，their images are usually placed in the first main hall of a Buddhist monastery.
