Budai

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

Budai (Chinese: 布袋; pinyin: Bùdài; Korean: 포대, romanizedPodae; Japanese: 布袋, romanizedHotei; Vietnamese: Bố Đại) is a nickname given to the 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.[1] He is said to have lived around the 10th century CE in the Wuyue kingdom.

The name "Budai" literally means "cloth sack",[1] 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".[a][2][3] 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.[4]

The main textual record of Budai's life resides in a collection of Chan Buddhist monks' biographies known as The Transmission of the Lamp.[5]

  1. ^ a b Leighton, Taigen Dan (1998). Bodhisattva Archetypes: Classic Buddhist Guides to Awakening and Their Modern Expression. New York: Penguin Arkana. pp. 260–261. ISBN 0140195564. OCLC 37211178.
  2. ^ Cook, Francis Dojun (2002). How to Raise an Ox. Wisdom Publications. p. 166 note 76. ISBN 9780861713172.
  3. ^ "The Laughing Buddha". Religionfacts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2011-12-26.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Chapin, H. B. (1933). "The Chan Master Pu-tai". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 53 (1): 47–52. doi:10.2307/593188. JSTOR 593188.


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