They listened to Buddha and did ascetic practices in accordance to his instruction.
In doing so the “Rakan” became free from their worldly desires and finally became saints.
In India, people worshiped monks who were free from the worldly desires
by ascetic practices and called them “arahan”.
When Buddhism was brought to China,
the Chinese used Chinese characters to pronounce the name “Harahan”.
As time went by, the sound “a” was dropped and the name became “Rakan”.
It has been said that the 500 disciples who gathered when Buddha passed away were the “Gohyaku Rakan“ represented in these models.
“Rakan” pass on the teachings of Buddha from generation to generation. Without “Rakan”,
we would never have been able to learn the teachings of Buddha.
Rankan’s messages are displayed in front of each statue. These messages are the words of wisdom of Buddha and the gifts from Rakan.
We would be pleased if these words gave you insight and resonated with you.
The”Rakan-san” are laughing, shouting crying and meditating.
Among the various figures and faces of the Rakan-san, you will find one that looks like you or your relatives.”Rakan-san” are watching over us and guiding us.
