Subhakara the Arhat

开心罗汉 · 開心羅漢

Shubhakara the Venerable (Shubhakara Arhat)

Divine Office

Revealing the Buddha seated within the heart to illustrate that the mind itself is the Buddha
Exhorting people to relinquish contention, yield positions, and nurture benevolence
Demonstrating the principle that mind and Buddha are non-dual
Bestowing protection for broad-mindedness and robust health

Origin & Legend

The Venerable Shubhakara is traditionally said to have been a crown prince of Central India. When his younger brother raised an army to usurp the throne and incite rebellion, the Venerable told his brother: 'My heart holds only the Buddha—I have never coveted the royal seat.' Thereupon he opened his robe, and his brother beheld a Buddha seated clearly within his chest. Struck by this miraculous manifestation, the brother immediately ceased hostilities. Later, the Venerable renounced worldly life to cultivate the Dharma and attained the fruition of an Arhat. Because of this extraordinary act of revealing the Buddha within his own chest, he came to be venerated as Kaixin Luohan (the 'Joyful-Heart Arhat'). This story carries profound meaning: the Buddha is not sought externally—the Buddha-nature resides inherently within every person; when the heart opens, the Buddha appears—and with that realization, all strife naturally subsides: this is true joy.