1. Pindola Bharadvaja
- Pindola Bharadvaja (or Pindola the Bharadvaja), called in Chinese Changmei Luohan, or "The Arhat with the Long Eyebrows."
The eyebrows make this old fellow one of the easiest of the Arhats to spot. They represent longevity, which translates to seniority, so he is often considered the Arhats' leader.
One story says that Changmei was a monk in a previous life who, try as he might, could not attain enlightenment. He wouldn't give up, and lived to an extreme age--and his eyebrows grew to extraordinary lengths. (A variation says that he strove for so long that eventually, all that was left was those eyebrows!) After death, he was reborn as an otherwise-normal baby--with the same eyebrows! In that life, at long last, he became an Arhat.
As Binzuru, he is often seen alone at Japanese temples, without the eyebrows but with wide, scary eyes. If present at all, he is usually found outside near the front door of the main hall. People will often rub some part of his body for healing.
Remember, he's sometimes confused with Asita (#15)