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The Laughing Buddha

            The Laughing Buddha statue is believed to be a symbol of prosperity and good luck. It depicts a grinning figure that has a large belly and bald with a cloth bag. Today, many people havebelieved that the bag is full of gold. Original legends however tell that the bag was full of candy. It may also represent an ancient fertility figure that promises a plentiful harvest. Chinese legend traces this statue to a monk who lived and traveled in the 10th century, that the candies he carried in the cloth, he use to pass them to children. In China, the laughing Buddha is called Budai and Hotei in Japan. These names come as a reference to the bag the monk carried. The Chinese also refer to the laughing Buddha as Pu-Tai, which is the original name of the priest who sparked the legend. It is also a fun fact that whoever who rub's the laughing Buddha statues large belly get a good luck. However, the French have adopted this cultural artifact and modified it to different utilitarian purposes away from its original form in the eastern Asia culture. 1.
             These statues have a great significance in the eastern culture and religion, whereby the statues are placed in many restaurants, amulets and even temples. This is because they believe that he is a deity of abundance and contentment in their societies. In other scenes, the Laughing Buddha is seen sitting on a cart that is drawn by boys. He is also seen wielding a fan, which is said to be a wish giving a fan. There are also other statues that show him being surrounded by a group of children. In the past, the aristocracy used this type of fan to point out to vassals that their desires would be granted. All these images present Hotei Buddha in Japan as an itinerant monk who goes around the communities taking away the sadness from people around the world through the virtues he carry for example bringing happiness, good fortune and his role in assisting the poor in the society.


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