Legendary Saints, Masters & Buddhist Kings
While the Buddha and Bodhisattvas represent ultimate enlightenment, Buddhist tradition also venerates remarkable human beings who achieved liberation or made extraordinary contributions to preserving and spreading the Dharma. These arhats, monks, nuns, kings, and scholars demonstrate the potential for awakening within ordinary human life.
The Great Arhats - Disciples of the Buddha
The Buddha's direct disciples who achieved enlightenment and helped establish the early Buddhist community. These saints demonstrated mastery of meditation, wisdom, and miraculous powers.
Mahakasyapa
Chief Disciple - Keeper of the Dharma
The foremost disciple in ascetic practice, Mahakasyapa convened the First Buddhist Council after the Buddha's death to preserve the teachings. In Zen tradition, he received the wordless transmission of dharma when the Buddha held up a flower and only Mahakasyapa smiled, understanding the teaching beyond words.
Known for: Asceticism, Dhutanga practices, Flower Sermon
Shariputra
Chief in Wisdom
The Buddha's right-hand disciple, renowned for unparalleled wisdom and analytical ability. He systematized many of the Buddha's teachings and could explain complex dharma to any audience. His friendship with Maudgalyayana exemplified spiritual companionship. He died shortly before the Buddha.
Known for: Wisdom, Teaching ability, Abhidharma
Maudgalyayana (Moggallana)
Chief in Supernatural Powers
The Buddha's left-hand disciple, foremost in miraculous abilities (iddhi). He could travel to heaven realms, visit hells to teach suffering beings, and perform spectacular displays of power. Despite his abilities, he was murdered by bandits, demonstrating that even great saints experience the ripening of past karma.
Known for: Supernatural powers, Realm travel, Psychic abilities
Ananda
Personal Attendant - Guardian of Memory
The Buddha's cousin and devoted attendant for 25 years. Ananda had perfect memory and recited all the Buddha's teachings at the First Council, beginning each sutra with "Thus have I heard." He advocated for women's ordination and achieved enlightenment only after the Buddha's death, teaching that even those close to the source must make their own effort.
Known for: Perfect memory, Devotion, Preserving sutras
Mahaprajapati Gautami
First Buddhist Nun
The Buddha's aunt and stepmother who raised him after his mother's death. She persistently requested ordination for women, and with Ananda's support, the Buddha established the bhikkhuni (nun) order. She became the first fully ordained nun and achieved arhatship, proving women's equal capacity for enlightenment.
Known for: Founding nuns' order, Persistence, Women's liberation
Angulimala
The Transformed Murderer
Once a serial killer who wore a garland of victims' fingers, Angulimala was converted by the Buddha's fearless compassion. He ordained as a monk and achieved arhatship, demonstrating that even the worst criminals can transform through dharma practice. His story illustrates that no one is beyond redemption.
Known for: Transformation, Redemption, Non-violence
The Sixteen Arhats
Guardians of the Dharma
A group of the Buddha's disciples who vowed to remain in the world to protect and preserve the teachings until the coming of Maitreya Buddha. In East Asian Buddhism, they are depicted as eccentric figures with exaggerated features, representing the diversity of enlightened expression. They guard different regions of the world.
Known for: Protecting dharma, Longevity, Regional guardianship
Buddhist Kings & Royal Patrons
Rulers who embraced Buddhism and used their power to spread the dharma, build monasteries, and establish Buddhism as a major world religion. These "righteous kings" balanced worldly power with spiritual values.
Emperor Ashoka
The Dharma King (304-232 BCE)
The greatest of all Buddhist kings, Ashoka ruled most of the Indian subcontinent. After a brutal conquest of Kalinga that killed 100,000 people, he renounced violence, converted to Buddhism, and devoted his reign to spreading dharma. He erected pillars throughout India inscribed with ethical teachings, built 84,000 stupas, sent missionaries worldwide, and convened the Third Buddhist Council. His reign represents the ideal of compassionate governance.
Known for: Dharma pillars, Non-violence, Missionary work
King Bimbisara
Royal Friend of the Buddha
King of Magadha who befriended the Buddha before his enlightenment, offering him the throne (which Siddhartha declined). After the Buddha's awakening, Bimbisara became his devoted patron, donating the Bamboo Grove as the first Buddhist monastery. His support was crucial to establishing the early sangha.
Known for: Royal patronage, Bamboo Grove, Early supporter
Emperor Wu of Liang
The Buddhist Emperor (464-549 CE)
Chinese emperor who built hundreds of temples, ordained himself as a monk multiple times, banned animal sacrifice, and became vegetarian. His devotion was so extreme that monks had to "ransom" him from the monastery with state funds. Bodhidharma famously told him that his merit-making activities had "no merit" because they were done with attachment to results.
Known for: Temple building, Vegetarianism, Bodhidharma encounter
King Songtsen Gampo
Founder of Tibetan Buddhism (617-650 CE)
First Buddhist king of Tibet, considered an emanation of Avalokiteshvara. He married two Buddhist princesses (from China and Nepal) who brought Buddha statues and sutras, establishing Buddhism in Tibet. He created the Tibetan alphabet to translate Buddhist texts and built the first Buddhist temples, including the Jokhang in Lhasa.
Known for: Tibetan Buddhism, Alphabet creation, Jokhang Temple
Great Philosophers & Scholars
Buddhist masters who systematized the teachings, composed commentaries, and developed sophisticated philosophical traditions that have guided practice for centuries.
Nagarjuna
Founder of Madhyamaka (c. 150-250 CE)
The "Second Buddha," Nagarjuna developed the philosophy of emptiness (shunyata) and the Middle Way, showing that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence yet conventionally functional. His Mulamadhyamakakarika (Root Verses on the Middle Way) is foundational to Mahayana Buddhism. Legend says he retrieved the Prajnaparamita Sutras from the nagas (serpent beings) in their underwater realm.
Known for: Emptiness philosophy, Middle Way, Madhyamaka school
Vasubandhu
Abhidharma Master (4th-5th century CE)
Prolific scholar who initially followed Theravada but was converted to Mahayana by his brother Asanga. Author of the Abhidharmakosa (Treasury of Abhidharma), which systematically categorizes all aspects of existence, consciousness, and the path. His works on Buddhist psychology and philosophy remain influential today.
Known for: Abhidharma systematization, Buddhist psychology, Yogacara
Buddhaghosa
The Voice of the Buddha (5th century CE)
Indian scholar who traveled to Sri Lanka and composed the Visuddhimagga (Path of Purification), the most comprehensive meditation manual in Theravada Buddhism. He also wrote commentaries on the entire Pali Canon. His works standardized Theravada doctrine and practice for over 1,500 years.
Known for: Visuddhimagga, Pali commentaries, Meditation systemization
Padmasambhava
Guru Rinpoche - Second Buddha of Tibet (8th century CE)
The tantric master who brought Buddhism to Tibet, subdued local demons and converted them to dharma protectors, and established the first monastery at Samye. He hid spiritual treasures (terma) throughout Tibet to be discovered by future incarnations. Revered in Tibetan Buddhism as equal to the Buddha himself, he represents the wrathful compassion that conquers obstacles.
Known for: Tibetan tantric Buddhism, Demon subduing, Hidden treasures
Milarepa
Tibet's Greatest Yogi (1052-1135 CE)
From murderous sorcerer to enlightened saint, Milarepa underwent brutal purification under his guru Marpa, then spent years meditating in mountain caves, surviving on nettle soup until his skin turned green. He achieved mahamudra realization and composed spontaneous songs of enlightenment still sung today. His life story inspires practitioners facing hardship.
Known for: Cave meditation, Spiritual songs, Tantric accomplishment
Atisha
Reformer of Tibetan Buddhism (982-1054 CE)
Indian master invited to Tibet to reform and purify Buddhism after a period of corruption. He composed the Bodhipathapradipa (Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment), systematizing the gradual path to awakening. His teachings on compassion and the stages of practice founded the Kadampa school and influenced all later Tibetan traditions.
Known for: Lam Rim teachings, Tibetan reform, Bodhicitta emphasis
Chan/Zen Patriarchs
The lineage of masters who transmitted the wordless teaching of direct mind-to-mind realization, emphasizing meditation practice and spontaneous enlightenment over scriptural study.
Bodhidharma
First Chan Patriarch (5th-6th century CE)
Indian monk who brought Ch an Buddhism to China, famously sitting in meditation facing a wall for nine years until his legs fell off (according to legend). When Emperor Wu asked about merit from his temple building, Bodhidharma replied "No merit." He taught that enlightenment comes through meditation and direct pointing to mind, not rituals or scripture study.
Known for: Wall-gazing, Direct pointing, Shaolin Temple
Huineng
Sixth Chan Patriarch (638-713 CE)
An illiterate woodcutter who achieved sudden enlightenment upon hearing the Diamond Sutra. His teaching of "no-thought, no-form, no-abiding" and famous verse comparing mind to a mirror that needs no dusting revolutionized Chan. The Platform Sutra records his teachings, emphasizing that Buddha-nature is already present and accessible to all.
Known for: Sudden enlightenment, Platform Sutra, Buddha-nature teaching
Zhaozhou (Joshu)
Tea Master (778-897 CE)
Zen master famous for his simple, profound responses. When asked "Does a dog have Buddha-nature?" he answered "Mu!" (No/nothing)—this became the most famous koan in Zen. When visitors arrived, he offered "Have some tea." His teaching style emphasized everyday activity as the path, with no separation between practice and daily life.
Known for: "Mu" koan, Tea ceremony, Simple profundity
Dogen
Founder of Soto Zen (1200-1253 CE)
Japanese master who studied in China and brought Soto Zen to Japan. He taught shikantaza (just sitting)—meditation with no goal, no techniques, simply sitting as the expression of enlightenment itself. His masterwork Shobogenzo explores the nature of Buddha-nature, time, and practice-realization with poetic profundity.
Known for: Shikantaza, Shobogenzo, Practice-enlightenment unity
Themes in Buddhist Hagiography
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Buddhist saints often begin as ordinary people—criminals, woodcutters, kings, householders—demonstrating that enlightenment is accessible regardless of station. The key is hearing the dharma, recognizing its truth, and practicing with dedication.
Transformation Through Practice
Many saints undergo dramatic transformations—murderers become compassionate teachers, kings renounce power, scholars abandon conceptual understanding for direct realization. This emphasizes that past karma doesn't determine future—present effort creates the future.
Supernatural Powers as Side Effects
While many saints develop miraculous abilities (flying, reading minds, visiting other realms), these are presented as mere side effects of deep meditation, not the goal. The Buddha warned against using powers to impress, as they can become obstacles to liberation.
Diverse Paths to the Same Goal
Buddhist heroes demonstrate multiple valid approaches—ascetic discipline, scholarship, devotion, meditation, service, tantric practice—all leading to the same enlightenment. This reflects Buddhism's emphasis on skillful means adapted to individual capacity.
Related Content
Cross-Cultural Parallels
- Hindu Saints & Sages - Enlightened masters in the Vedic tradition
- Jain Tirthankaras - Spiritual teachers who crossed the ocean of rebirth
- Taoist Immortals - Masters who achieved transcendence
Related Archetypes
- The Sage - Wisdom keeper archetype
- The Mystic - Spiritual seeker archetype
- The Teacher - Dharma transmitter archetype
See Also
- Gautama Buddha - The supreme example of awakening
- Bodhisattva Ideal - The path these masters followed
- Nirvana - The goal these saints achieved