Āryasimha ［師子尊者］ (n.d.) (;  Shishi-sonja): Also known as the Venerable Āryasimha. The last of Shakyamuni Buddha’s twenty-three or twenty-four successors, who lived in central India during the sixth century. A History of the Buddha’s Successors states that, when Āryasimha was propagating Buddhism in Kashmir in ancient India, King Mirakutsu (also known as Dammira, both names being Japanese transliterations of Chinese; the original Sanskrit is unknown), who was hostile to Buddhism, destroyed many Buddhist temples and stupas, and murdered a number of monks. Āryasimha was among those beheaded by the king. When he was beheaded, the text states, milk instead of blood flowed from his neck. According to The Record of the Lineage of the Buddha and the Patriarchs, the same moment as the execution, the king’s arm, still holding the sword, fell to the ground, and he died seven days later. Āryasimha is often cited as the epitome of willingness to give up one’s life for the sake of the Law.