Sixteen Arhats

Sixteen Arhats or Sthaviras (Tib. gnas brtan bcu drug; Skt. ṣoḍaśa sthavirāḥ). The Sthaviras or Elders were disciples of the Buddha who vowed at the time of the Parinirvana to remain in the world and maintain the Dharma until the time of the future Buddha Maitreya. To visualize the Buddha Shakyamuni surrounded by the Sixteen Arhats and an assembly of bodhisattvas generates great merit and quickly develops insight into the teachings of the Buddha.

1. Panthaka (Tib. lam pa)
2. Abhedya (Tib. mi phyed pa)
3. Kanaka (Tib. gser can)
4. Bakkula (Tib. bakkula)
5. Bhāradvāja
6. Mahākālika (Tib. dus ldan chen po)
7. Vajrīputra (Tib. rdo rje mo’i bu)
8. Śrībhadra (Tib. dpal bzang)
9. Gopaka (Tib. sbed byed)
10. Nāgasena (Tib. klu sde)
11. Vanavāsin (Tib. nags gnas) 12. Kṣudrapanthaka (Tib. lam phran)
13. Kanakavatsa (Tib. gser gyi be’u)
14. Aṅgiraja (Tib. yan lag ‘byung)
15. Ajita (Tib. ma pham pa)