Xianglong Luohan
| Xianglong Luohan | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A statue of Xianglong Luohan | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 降龍羅漢 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 降龙罗汉 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Taming Dragon Lohan | ||||||
| |||||||
Xianglong Luohan (Chinese: 降龍羅漢), also known as the Taming Dragon Arhat, is an arhat and one of the Eighteen Arhats in China.[1] His Sanskrit name is Nantimitolo and origins are said to derive from a Buddhist monk Mahākāśyapa.[2] The legendary Chan Buddhist monk Ji Gong, was widely recognised by people as the incarnate of the Xianglong Luohan.[citation needed]
Origin[edit]
Originally there were only sixteen arhats. Worship of a group of sixteen arhats was set forth in an Indian sutra that was translated into Chinese in the mid-seventh century. Between the late Tang dynasty and early Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China, two additional arhats were added, one paired with a tiger and the other one with a dragon.[3]
Xianglong Luohan is often equated with Mahākāśyapa of Buddhism, but actually, Xianglong Luohan has his own number of stories and has long been worshipped in China.
Legend[edit]
According to legend, the people of a kingdom in ancient India, after being incited by a demon, went on a rampage against the Buddhists and monasteries, stealing the Buddhist scriptures. The Dragon King flooded the kingdom and rescued the scriptures, which he put in his Dragon Palace.[3]
After the Dragon King was tamed by Nantimitolo, who was a disciple of Gautama Buddha, the scriptures were retrieved back to earth. Hence he is called the Taming Dragon Louhan.[3]
In popular culture[edit]
Xianglong Luohan has been portrayed as Ji Gong in many films and television series.
- Xianglong Luohan (降龍羅漢), a 1984 Taiwanese television series produced by CTV, starring Hsu Pu-liao.
Gallery[edit]
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Xianglong Luohan, early 14th century, China, Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), hanging scroll; ink and mineral pigments on silk. -
Statue of Taming Dragon Lohan in the Mahavira Hall of Nanquan Temple. -
Statue in the Pahang Buddhist Association Temple, Kuantan. -
Reliefof Xianglong Luohan
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References[edit]
- ^ Fang, Jing Pei (1997). Treasures of the Chinese Scholar. Weatherhill. ISBN 978-0-8348-0399-2.
- ^ "Highways and Byways: Guardians of the valley". Taipei Times. 14 September 2018.
- ^ a b c "揭秘十八罗汉真实身份". Sina (in Chinese). 2 August 2017.