Arhats at Jokei-ji Temple celebrate life by eating dumplings and sipping tea

Arhat eating dumplings and arhat sipping tea

When one hears the name of the Buddha's disciples, one always thinks of them as having difficult thoughts and grim expressions, but this does not seem to be the case when one looks at the arhats lined up in the Kita-in Temple in Kawagoe. Some of them looked grim, but others smiled or chatted happily in secret, reminding me that even arhats are human beings.

After having such an experience, my feelings were heightened when I saw the arhat statues at Jokei-ji Temple in Kawasaki. The human-like quality of the arhat statues at Jokei-ji easily exceeds that of the arhat statues at Kita-in Temple. So much so that one begins to wonder if they are disciples of the Buddha or saints worthy of receiving offerings from the public.

The temple grounds of Jokei-ji Temple, which at first glance appears to be an ordinary temple, are filled with interesting and expressive arhat statues placed here and there. Some are arm-wrestling, some are playing chess, and some are happily drinking sake. Some of the Arhats are staring at a laptop computer, suggesting that the wave of digitalization has arrived in the world of Arhats as well. The statues in the photo were also at Jokei-ji Temple, one eating dumplings and the other sipping tea. The statues are so human-like that it makes me wonder if they are not arhats at all, but just middle-aged men living around the area.

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