China: Ink rubbing of the stele commissioned by Qianlong depicting the arhat Asita. The upper right shows the inscriptions of the eulogy given by Qianlong.

The Eighteen Arhats ( Shíbā Luóhàn) are individuals depicted in Mahayana Buddhism who have followed the Eightfold Path and attained the Four Stages of Enlightenment, and are also the original followers of the Buddha. They have reached the state of Nirvana and are free of worldly cravings. They are charged to protect the Buddhist faith and to await on earth for the coming of Maitreya, a prophesied enlightened Buddha to arrive on earth many millennia after Gautama Buddha's death and nirvana. In China, the eighteen arhats are also a popular subject of Buddhist art.

Asita is traditionally considered Arhat No.15, the 'long-eyebrowed luohan', eulogised by China's Qianlong Emperor as: ''Compassionate elder, a monk who has attained enlightenment. Perceptive of the infinite universe, with tacit understanding'.

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