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| Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, D.Litt. Manual of Zen Buddhism IntraText CT - Text |
The Arhats, generally sixteen in number, are enshrined in the second storey of the tower gate. They are all registered as dwellers in some remote mountains, and each is the leader of a large following. Their superficially grotesque and irregular appearances contrast in a strange way with those of the Bodhisattvas. They are miracle workers and tamers of the wild beasts. This characteristic seems to have excited the interest of the Zen monk-artist who has turned them into one of the favourite objects of his artistic imagination.
In a large Zen monastery the five hundred Arhats are given a special shelter in the premises.
Bhadrapala is one of the sixteen Arhats and had his satori while bathing. He is now enshrined in a niche in the bath-room attached to the Meditation Hall. When the monks take their bath, they pay respect to his figure.1 The picture shown below belongs to Engakuji, Kamakura, and is one of the national treasures of Japan.