Vajraputra the Arhat

Originally a hunter, Vajraputra the Venerable renounced his profession upon ordination, laying down his hunting tools and vowing never again to take life. Rather than harming wild beasts, he treated them with profound compassion—frequently keeping a young lion by his side. The lion, deeply influenced by his kindness, grew as gentle and placid as a domestic cat. To his followers, he would often say with a smile: 'Though lions are fierce, they too possess innate goodness; if humans nurture compassion, even beasts will turn toward virtue—how much more so should human beings refrain from harming their own kind!' Because he preached with constant laughter and was invariably accompanied by a juvenile lion, he came to be revered as Xiao Shi Luohan (the Laughing Lion Arhat). His image symbolises how compassion transforms brutality and how benevolent intention subdues ferocity and obstinacy.