What are the eighteen statues at the front gate of Chung Tian Temple?
They are the eighteen Arhats. Arhats are perfected beings of Hinayana Buddhism who attain enlightenment by listening and practicing the Buddhas teaching. An Arhat has traversed the Noble Eightfold Path and transcended samsara (rebirth cycle). These Arhats were said to remain in this world to protect the Dharma. They are usually represented as possessing various kinds of supernatural power, symbolized either by objects held in their hands or by wild animals crouching submissively beside them.
