Guardians of the Dharma: The 16 Arhats in Tibet, by Hugh Joswick, Jack Petranker

The Sixteen Arhats in Tibet, edited by Hugh Joswick and Jack Petranker
(Berkeley: Mangalam Press, 2025).

Sixteen Arhats were selected by the Buddha to remain in this world after his passing and protect the teachings until the coming of the next Buddha. Guardians of the Dharma highlights the significant role these Sixteen Elders play in the literature, art, and religious practices of Tibet and the Himalayan region. The heart of the book is their stories, often compelling, sometimes humorous, adapted with permission from an out-of-print collection by Loden Sherap Dagyab. There are scholarly essays by Joie Szu-Chiao Chen and Ariana Maki on the history of the images of the Elders in Tibet and their iconographic representations, as well as two well-known Tibetan liturgies invoking the Elders, translated by Nathaniel Rich and Adam Pearcey. Stunning images of the Sixteen Arhats from a rare Bhutanese collection are reproduced in full-color, along with line drawings and other reproductions. Guardians of the Dharma is a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners alike.