China: 'Luohan, after a set attributed to Guanxio'. Ink rubbing of the stele commissioned by the Qianlong emperor depicting the arhat Asita. The upper right shows the inscriptions of the eulogy given by Qianlong. Stele c. 1757, ink rubbing c. 18th-19th century. The Eighteen Arhats (Shiba Luohan) are individuals depicted in Mahayana Buddhism who have followed the Eightfold Path and attained the Four Stages of Enlightenment, and are also the original followers of the Buddha. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings. They are charged to protect the Buddhist faith.
The Eighteen Arhats ( Shíbā Luóhàn) are individuals depicted in Mahayana Buddhism who have followed the Eightfold Path and attained the Four Stages of Enlightenment, and are also the original followers of the Buddha. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings. They are charged to protect the Buddhist faith and to await on earth for the coming of Maitreya, a prophesied enlightened Buddha to arrive on earth many millennia after Gautama Buddha's death and nirvana. In China, the eighteen arhats are also a popular subject of Buddhist art. Asita is traditionally considered Arhat , the 'long-eyebrowed luohan', eulogised by China's Qianlong Emperor as: ''Compassionate elder, a monk who has attained enlightenment. Perceptive of the infinite universe, with tacit understanding'.
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