Kanaka the Vatsa Arhat

Kanakavatsa Bhadrapāla the Venerable was a compassionate and approachable mendicant. Each day he went on alms rounds, using this practice to form karmic bonds with sentient beings and expounding the principle that generosity yields blessings—thereby helping donors plant deep roots of virtue. Legend holds that whenever he begged for alms, he always held his iron alms bowl high above his head as a gesture of utmost reverence toward both the donors and the Dharma itself; over time, this distinctive posture became his hallmark, earning him the epithet 'Jubo Luohan' (the Bowl-Raising Arhat). Though originally a simple vessel for receiving offerings, the alms bowl in his hands transformed into a powerful instrument of salvation, reminding all who behold it that relinquishing even a single thing yields ten-thousandfold recompense—and that the fertile field of merit lies right here, in the present moment.