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Ajita is sometimes called ‘The Arhat Riding a Deer’. One legend of Ajita says that he had once left the employ of a king and went to the mountains to become a monk. After attaining enlightenment, he rode back to the palace on a deer. Upon arrival he was immediately recognized by the guards, and brought before the king. The Arhat Ajita taught him the Dharma. The king decided to turn the throne over to his son and follow Ajita back to the mountains and become a monk himself. Monks practice with the intent of not only learning the Dharma, but of spreading the Dharma. Spreading the Dharma informs those that may not know the practice of Buddhism as a path away from suffering, to enlightenment. So in gratitude, the monk that once was king, ‘pays forward’ the gift of being shown the path by Ajita.
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