Book of Arhats

CHINA; Yuan dynasty

The Book of Arhats consists of 19 pages, each illustrated with an image of an Arhat. A poem written by the artist, the monk Xue’an, accompanies each picture. The book also contains postscripts and tributes written during the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644) by Master Yinyuan Longqi and his disciples Mu’an and Jifei. Although they are not mentioned in Xue’an’s poems, the Arhats’ names are listed in a postscript by Mu’an. They differ from the names of the Sixteen Arhats described in the Records of Nandimitra’s Discourse on Abiding Dharma, upon which many other Arhat paintings are based. In 1949, the Book of Arhats was listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
In the postscript, it is written that the Sanskrit word “Arhat” means “killing the thief of ignorance” (although it is also translated as “worthy of respect” or “beyond death”). The Buddha said that an Arhat is one who has achieved nirvana and will not be reborn into the cycle of birth and death.
The style of the 19 pictures is similar, with each Arhat drawn in simple, clean strokes and the poems written in cursive script. The drawing and the calligraphy complement each other. This particular image is of Bodhidharma, the First Patriarch of the Chan school. His hooded, long-sleeved monastic robe is drawn around his body, forming a circle. He has intent eyes, a rounded cheeks, and a beard on his long face, which is shown in profile. The figure is simply drawn but evocative.