????James Baquet ????jamesbaquet@gmail.com ????TODAY’S two arhats are Guojiang, the Arhat who Crossed the River, and Wa’er, the Ear-Cleaning Arhat. ????Little is known of Guojiang, whose Sanskrit name is Bhadra (also sometimes Bodhidharma, like the famous Chan patriarch). But his attribute is a well-known symbol in many religions. The Bible shows people crossing the Jordan River to freedom from the Egyptians; Caesar crossed the Rubicon, committing himself to a rebellion (and thus a new life); and the chicken crossed the road simply to get to the other side. ????Crossing over, then, is a goal in itself. Some religions put a bridge in the image; the Roman Catholic Pope is called the Supreme Pontiff, meaning bridge-builder. In India’s Jain religion, leaders are called Tirthankara, meaning ford-maker. Interestingly, England’s two major universities have a “bridge” and a “ford” in their names! ????He may be seen holding a book, accompanied by a tiger, or, often, with the ringed staff typical of a wayfarer. ????More is known of Wa’er, whose Sanskrit name, Nagasena, means dragon army (so he is also called Longjun in Chinese). He was considered to be a great teacher, and some think he was the speaker in the famous Buddhist book “The Questions of King Milinda,” in which he gave answers to a king regarding the Buddha’s teaching. ????So why is he cleaning his ear in almost every representation? Well, naturally, the only way to become a great teacher was to be a very good listener when the Buddha spoke. The Buddha’s disciples are called sravakas or hearers, and Wa’er was among the best. | 