Budai

Budai (Chinese: 布袋; pinyin: Bùdài; Korean: 포대, romanized: Podae; Japanese: 布袋, romanized: Hotei; Vietnamese: Bố Đại) is a nickname given to the ancient Chinese monk Qici (Chinese: 契此) who is often identified with and venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism. With the spread of Chan Buddhism, he also came to be venerated in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. He is said to have lived around the 10th century CE in the Wuyue kingdom.

For other uses, see Budai (disambiguation).
Budai
Glazed ceramic sculpture of Budai.
China, Ming dynasty, 1486.
Died916 or 917 CE
Chinese name
Chinese布袋
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese笑佛
Literal meaningLaughing Buddha
Second alternative Chinese name
Chinese胖佛
Literal meaningFat Buddha
Third alternative Chinese name
Chinese快乐佛
Literal meaningHappy Buddha
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetBố Đại
Chữ Hán布袋
Thai name
Thaiพระสังกัจจายน์จีน
RTGSPhra Sangkajaijeen
Korean name
Hangul포대
Hanja布袋
Japanese name
Kanji布袋
Hiraganaほてい
Part of a series on
Chinese Buddhism
History
Major figures
Traditions
Texts
Architecture
  • Buddhist architecture in China
Sacred Sites
  • Mount Wutai
  • Mount Emei
  • Mount Jiuhua
  • Mount Putuo
  • Mount Lu
  • Tiantai Mountain
  • White Horse Temple
Culture

The name "Budai" literally means "cloth sack", and refers to the bag he is usually depicted carrying as he wanders aimlessly. His jolly nature, humorous personality, and eccentric lifestyle distinguish him from most Buddhist masters or figures. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha". Budai is traditionally depicted as overweight and having a huge stomach (possibly a symbol of abundance or forgiveness) and many stories surrounding Budai involve his love of food and drink. Because of this, he is also referred to as the "Fat Buddha", especially in the Western world. He is often mistaken by Westerners to be the original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama.

The main textual record of Budai's life resides in a collection of Chan Buddhist monks' biographies known as The Transmission of the Lamp.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.