Arhat (luohan)

One of the many beliefs that a majority of the schools of Buddhism espouse is the concept that anyone can eventually become a Buddha. What that means is that anyone who achieves enlightenment in their current life becomes a Buddha upon their death. From there, they can choose to leave samsara, the wheel of life, death, and rebirth; or go hardcore and abandon their escape from samsara to help others ascend, which pegs them as a Bodhisattva, or princely Buddha. It takes a certain person to be able to give the figurative finger to paradise in my opinion, and these guys aren’t even the top of the totem pole as far as Buddhism is concerned.

You also have the celestial Buddhas, who not only become the principal Buddha in a certain sect, but also are served by Bodhisattvas. Yes, there are Buddhas who are even more enlightened than the guys who denied themselves freedom to help others. No, I’m not mimicking the plot to Dragon Ball Z in the desperate attempt to look like I know about Buddhism. This is actually how this works. This isn’t even the insane part either. There is a rank even higher than the celestial Buddhas. Even these guys are small potatoes to the Maitreya Buddha, or future Buddha.

Marty! I've become Enlightened! I also have my own celery soda!

The future Buddha is a pretty big deal in most Buddhist schools. In a way, you can see the appearance of this guy in a similar light to seeing Jesus during the Rapture. This fellow will appear when the Dharma, or Buddha’s teachings, have all but been forgotten, and reignite it. This guy will ensure everyone will be enlightened and be able to break the cycle of suffering.

Since this is a pretty big deal, it’d be a good idea to have some people wait for the coming of the Maitreya. In fact, Buddha advocated that some Arhats, or people enlightened during their life, look out and help the guy out. This concept of salvation also hit a nerve with the Chinese people, especially those who practiced Buddhism around the time of the early Liao Dynasty. They suffered from persecution not so long ago, and the turmoil that occurs between dynastic changes makes the idea of the Maitreya very popular. So it’s no surprise that they decided to make their own Arhats, or luohans, to await the Maitreya.

Now I downright love this piece. I love how this statue was glazed, since the greens and golds of the robe are so rich in color. I also love how they decided to add realistic details, such as the shaved head, and how the skin has a different texture from the robes. In a way it’s very reminiscent of the Greeks, since there’s that sense of naturalism when I look at it. It almost looks like the statue is alive.

Don't blink...

Another reason why I absolutely dig this piece is that this quality implies that these were made using an imperial style. You can tell because the glazing is done in a similar way to sancai, the three color style of glaze that was popular with the previous dynasty, the Tang. Another tell is that these were actually reinforced with iron rods, a technique mostly restricted to works commissioned by the Emperor. But what makes this actually cool isn't that they used elements similar to those in imperial work, but that the techniques spread across the area, since workshops have been found in the same area that use these techniques.

This piece does however lead me to one question, brought along by the Jesus comparison I made. What would’ve happened if Jesus and Buddha met in life?

If only, if only...

I was thinking more "rap battle” but that works fine too.