Arhats

thumb|Arhat Garden at Hsi Lai Temple in the [[San Gabriel Valley of Southern California]]

Ānanda (Pali and Sanskrit: आनंद; 5th4th century BCE) was the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples. Among the Buddha's many disciples, Ānanda stood out for having the best memory. Most of the texts of the early Buddhist Sutta-Piṭaka (; , Sūtra-Piṭaka) are attributed to his recollection of the Buddha's teachings during the First Buddhist Council. For that reason, he is known as the Treasurer of the Dhamma, with Dhamma (, dharma) referring to the Buddha's teaching. In Early Buddhist Texts, Ānanda was the first cousin of the Buddha. Although the early texts do not

Śāriputra (; Tibetan: ཤཱ་རིའི་བུ་, Pali: Sāriputta, lit. "the son of Śāri", born Upatiṣya, Pali: Upatissa) was one of the top disciples of the Buddha. He is considered the first of the Buddha's two chief male disciples, together with Maudgalyāyana (Pali: Moggallāna). Śāriputra had a key leadership role in the ministry of the Buddha and is considered in many Buddhist schools to have been important in the development of the Buddhist Abhidharma. He frequently appears in Mahayana sutras, and in some sutras, is used as a counterpoint to represent the Hinayana school of Buddhism.

Maudgalyāyana (), also known as Mahāmaudgalyāyana or by his birth name Kolita, was one of the Buddha's closest disciples. Described as a contemporary of disciples such as Subhuti, Śāriputra (''''), and Mahākāśyapa (), he is considered the second of the Buddha's two foremost male disciples, together with Śāriputra. Traditional accounts relate that Maudgalyāyana and Śāriputra become spiritual wanderers in their youth. After having searched for spiritual truth for a while, they come into contact with the Buddhist teaching through verses that have become widely known in the Buddhist world. Eventua

Yaśodharā or Yashodhara, originally known as Bhaddakaccānā (Pāli) or Bhadrakātyāyani (Sanskrit), was an Indian princess and the wife of Prince Siddhartha prior to his renunciation to become a śramaṇa (ascetic). She was the mother of Rāhula, and the niece of Mahaprajapati Gautami. Later, she became a Bhikkhunī and is considered an arahatā.

Rāhula (born ) was the only son of Siddhārtha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha, and his wife, princess Yaśodharā. He is mentioned in numerous Buddhist texts, from the early period onward. Accounts about Rāhula indicate a mutual impact between Prince Siddhārtha's life and the lives of his family members.

Indo-Greek king

Mahākāśyapa () was one of the principal disciples of Gautama Buddha. He is regarded in Buddhism as an enlightened disciple, being foremost in ascetic practice. Mahākāśyapa assumed leadership of the monastic community following the parinirvāṇa (death) of the Buddha, presiding over the First Buddhist Council. He was considered to be the first patriarch in a number of Early Buddhist schools and continued to have an important role as patriarch in the Chan/Zen tradition. In Buddhist texts, he assumed many identities, that of a renunciant saint, a lawgiver, an anti-establishment figure, but also a "

Disciple of Gautama Buddha

Upāli (Sanskrit and Pāli) was a monk, one of the ten chief disciples of the Buddha and, according to early Buddhist texts, the person in charge of the reciting and reviewing of monastic discipline (Pāli and ) on the First Buddhist Council. Upāli belongs to the barber community. He met the Buddha when still a child, and later, when the Sakya princes received ordination, he did so as well. He was ordained before the princes, putting humility before caste. Having been ordained, Upāli learnt both Buddhist doctrine (; ) and vinaya. His preceptor was Kappitaka. Upāli became known for his mastery and

Āmrapālī, also known as "Ambapālika", "Ambapali", or "Amra" was a celebrated nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of the Republic of Vaishali (located in present-day Bihar) in ancient India around 500 BC. Amrapali also won the title of rajnartaki (court dancer). Following the Buddha's teachings, she became an arahant. She is mentioned in the old Pali texts and Buddhist traditions (āgama sutras), particularly in conjunction with the Buddha staying at her mango grove, Ambapali vana, which she later donated to his order and wherein he preached the famous Ambapalika Sutra.

Aṅgulimāla (Pali; ) is an important figure in Buddhism, particularly within the Theravāda tradition. Depicted as a ruthless brigand who completely transforms after a conversion to Buddhism, he is seen as the example par excellence of the redemptive power of the Buddha's teaching and the Buddha's skill as a teacher. Aṅgulimāla is seen by Buddhists as the "patron saint" of childbirth and is associated with fertility in South and Southeast Asia.

thumb|King Milinda and Nāgasena. Nāgasena was a Sarvāstivādan Buddhist sage who lived around 150 BC. His answers to questions about Buddhism posed by Menander I (Pali: Milinda), the Greek king in northwestern India, are recorded in the Milindapañhā and the Sanskrit Nāgasenabhiksusūtra. According to Pali accounts, he was born into a Brahmin family in the Himalayas and was well-versed in the Vedas at an early age. However, he later converted to Buddhism.

disciple of Śākyamuni Buddha, foremost in the divine eye

Subhūti (Pali: Subhūti; ) was one of the ten principal disciples of the Buddha. In Theravada Buddhism, he is considered the disciple who was foremost in being "worthy of gifts" (Pali: dakkhiṇeyyānaṃ) and "living remote and in peace" (Pali: araṇavihārīnaṃ aggo). In Mahayana Buddhism, he is considered foremost in understanding emptiness (Sanskrit: Śūnyatā).

Kaundinya (Sanskrit कौंडिन्य), also known as Ājñātakauṇḍinya, Pali: Añña Koṇḍañña), was one of the first five Buddhist monks (Pancavaggiya), disciple of Gautama Buddha and the first to attain the fruit of Arahant. He lived during the 5th century BCE in what are now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, India. According to traditional accounts, at the time of Gautama Buddha's birth, he predicted his future destination as an enlightened teacher.

Khema (Pali: Khemā; Sanskrit: Kṣemā) was a Buddhist bhikkhuni, or nun, who was one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the first of the Buddha's two chief female disciples, along with Uppalavanna. Khema was born into the royal family of the ancient Kingdom of Madra, and was the wife of King Bimbisara of the ancient Indian kingdom of Magadha. Khema was convinced to visit the Buddha by her husband, who hired poets to sing about the beauty of the monastery he was staying at to her. She attained enlightenment as a laywoman while listening to one of the Buddha's sermons, co

Utpalavarṇā (; Pali: Uppalavannā; Chinese: 蓮華色, pinyin: Liánhuásè) was a Buddhist bhikkhuni, or nun, who was considered one of the top female disciples of the Buddha. She is considered the second of the Buddha's two chief female disciples, along with Khema. She was given the name Uppalavanna, meaning "color of a blue water lily", at birth due to the bluish color of her skin.

figure mentioned in Early Buddhist texts; leading disciple of Gautama Buddha

disciple of Gautama Buddha

Aśvajit (; ) was one of the first five arhants of Gautama Buddha. He is known for his conversion of Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, the Buddha's two chief male disciples, counterparts to the nuns Kṣemā and Utpalavarṇā, the chief female disciples. He lived in what is now Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in northern India, during the 6th century BCE.

thumb|300px|Asoka|Aśoka and Moggaliputtatissa at the Third Council, at the Nava Jetavana, Shravasti

royal servant and head charioteer of Prince Siddhartha

Half-sister of Gautama Buddha

thumb|Palatial life of Nanda before conversion, veranda of Cave 17 of Ajanta Caves. Prince Nanda Shakya, also known as Sundarananda Shakya (handsome Nanda), was the younger half-brother of Gautama Buddha. He shared the same father as Buddha, King Śuddhodana, and his mother, Mahapajapati Gotami, was the Buddha's mother's younger sister. Nanda also had an older sister named Sundari Nanda.

Buddhist Arhat

thumb|Hanging scroll of an Indian Buddhist [[arhat by Japanese painter Shiba Kōkan]]

Sivali Thera (; ; ; ; ) was a revered Arahant and is widely venerated in Theravada Buddhism. He is counted among the 80 great disciples of the Buddha and praised as the foremost disciple in receiving offerings (Etadagga).

list of the Buddha's disciples in South and East Asian tradition

Indian nun

thumb|Śāṇavāsa statue, Tây Phương Temple, Vietnam, 1794 AD Śāṇavāsa (Śānakavāsin, Sambhūta Śāṇavāsi or Sanakavasa) was a disciple of Ananda, and is considered the fourth Indian Patriarch in Chan/Zen Buddhism after Shakyamuni, Mahakashyapa and Ananda.

Buddhism legends characters

thumb|Conversion of Yasa; a modern depiction in a Thai temple

Paṭacārā or Patachara was a notable female figure in Buddhism, described in the Pali Canon. Among the female disciples of Gautama Buddha, she was the foremost exponent of the Vinaya, the rules of monastic discipline. She lived during the 6th century BCE in what is now Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India. The story of childbirth and loss below has been attributed to Patacara in some Buddhist texts and in others has been attributed to another woman, Kisa Gotami

Disciple of Gautama Buddha

Zhenren ( or 'person of truth') is a Chinese term that first appeared in the Zhuangzi meaning "a Taoist spiritual master" in those writings, as in one who has mastered realization of the Tao. Religious Taoism mythologized zhenren, having them occupy various places in the celestial hierarchy sometimes synonymous with xian. Zhenren has been used in various ways depending on the sect and time period.

disciple of Buddha

Disciple of Buddha