Page 27 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

C III

e hinese uddhist antheon

e Buddhist Pantheon has a vast number of Deities in the

seemingly endless variation of forms so that it is quite impossible

to portray them in any one illustration. Most of these Deities fall

into the category of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arahants and other

Heavenly Beings. e illustration of the Chinese Pantheon only

depicts the most popular Deities whom the Chinese adore and

there is another popular illustration which includes the Eighteen

Lohans that can be found in many temples and homes of the

Buddhists.

escription of the hinese antheon

e Trinity of the Buddhas on the top row of the illustration

consists of the historical S B who is seated

in the centre and is attended by his two foremost disciples. e

older monk standing on his left is M, who later be-

came the First Patriarch of Buddhism after the Buddha’s death.

e young monk on his right is A, his personal attendant,

who was well known for his great memory power and ability to

repeat accurately all the teachings that had been spoken by the

Buddha. He later became the Second Patriarch of Buddhism.

