Iron Arhat Statue

[Iron Arhat Statue]

Iron Arhat Statue, built in the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty (1497), is 117cm high and 74cm wide
Arhat has prominent forehead, long eyebrows, pekoe between the eyebrows, slightly downward looking eyes, straight nose and square mouth, and wide earlobes. His hands are broken, he wears cassocks, and sits with folded hands. On the lower right of the front of the cassock, a 13-character inscription was cast in Yangwen, “Built in the year of Emperor Hongzhi Ding of the Ming Dynasty, eunuch Yao Jushi”. The statue, which should have been seated, has been lost
This is a statue of Arhat cast by eunuch Yao Ju. As for the specific situation of the benefactor, there is no way to check. The eunuchs believed in Buddhism in all dynasties. For example, the famous eunuchs of the Tang Dynasty, Gao Lishi, had given alms to the monasteries many times, but the number of eunuchs who believed in Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty was relatively rare. It can be seen from the documents such as “Research on the Past News of the Sun” that many temples in and around the capital are related to eunuchs. For example, the bronze bells of the Ming Dynasty in the Beijing Dazhong Temple Museum are cast by eunuchs who donated money, involving more than 100 people; A clay figurine of the Ming Dynasty in the Palace Museum was originally collected in the Dou Pi Temple on the Fangshan Mountain in Beijing. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Feng Bao, the chief executive and the eunuch in charge of printing, gave alms to rebuild the temple. It is said that the statue is the sacrificial statue of Feng Bao. The eunuch worships Buddhism. In addition to believing in Buddhism and hoping that human nature will no longer be distorted in the afterlife, the more important thing is to invite favor from the emperor and empress. In the Ming Dynasty, there were many people who believed in Buddhism after the emperor, and the eunuchs liked it. Many vows clearly wrote the words “worship for the emperor and queen, or live forever for the emperor”, and the corresponding temple amount was mostly given by the emperor. It can be seen that the eunuchs’ almsgiving received certain rewards.