WHAT IS ‘LAUGHING BUDDHA’ ?

Laughing Buddha:

The laughing Buddha is regarded as one of the most auspicious Gods of wealth in Feng Shui.

It brings prosperity, success and financial gains to the house.

How to place Laughing Buddha:

The location of placing the Laughing Buddha is important.

It has to be placed at an height of some 30” approximate and should befacing the main door directly.

The Laughing Buddha greets the energies that enter from the main gate and activates them manifold, and turns highly prosperous.

If this location is not possible, the next best place to keep the Laughing Buddha is on a side table or a corner table, which is diagonally opposite to the main door and facing the door.

It is not advisable to keep the Laughing Buddha in a bedroom or in the dining room.

This God of wealth is not worshipped or prayed to, but just displayed and its presences is purely symbolic and auspicious.

There are many forms of Laughing Buddha. Some are in standing position and some are in the sitting position.

However using any form of Laughing Buddha, may it be having a bag behind him, may it be in the form of holding an ingot in his hands or may it be sitting on the bed of the coins and ingots, are all good and therefore advisable.

It is a known fact that by placing the Laughing Buddha in any direction facing the entrance of your home or office; you bring in prosperity and good fortune to yourself.

Origin:

Budai (Chinese 布袋 Bùdài), is a Chinese folkloric deity. His name means “Cloth Sack, and comes from the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying. He is usually identified with (or as an incarnation of) Maitreya Buddha so much so that the Budai image is one of the main forms in which Maitreya Buddha is depicted in East Asia. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the Laughing Buddha Budai in folklore is admired for his happiness, plenitude, and wisdom of contentment. One belief popular in folklore maintains that rubbing his belly brings wealth, good luck, and prosperity.Many Westerners confuse Budai with Gautam Buddha. Some Buddhist traditions consider him a Buddha or a bodhisattva, often identifying him with Maitreya (the future Buddha).

Description:

Budai is traditionally depicted as a fat bald man wearing a robe and wearing or otherwise carrying prayer beads. He carries his few possessions in a cloth sack, being poor but content. He is often depicted entertaining or being followed by adoring children. His figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a representation of contentment. His image graces many temples, restaurants, amulets, and businesses.

History:

According to Chinese history, Budai was an eccentric monk who lived in China during the Later Liang Dynasty (907–923 CE). He was a native of  Fenghua, and his Buddhist name was Qieci. He was considered a man of good and loving character.The term ‘Buddha’ means “one who is awake”, connoting one who has awakened into enlightenment. Over the history of Buddhism, there have been several notable figures who would come to be remembered as, and referred to as, Buddhas. Later followers of the Chan school would come to teach that all beings possess Buddha nature within them, and are already enlightened, but have yet to realize it. Amongst those new to Buddhism, or otherwise unfamiliar with its history, Budai is often conflated with (or simply replaces) the historical Buddha,Siddartha Gautam, in spite of the distinct visual differences in how each has been depicted.

In India, Nepal, and throughout southeast Asia, Gautama (who lived during the 6th c. BCE) is commonly depicted as being tall and slender in appearance.

In contrast, in China and those areas to which Chinese cultural influence spread, the depiction of Budai (who lived during the 10th c. CE) is consistently short and round. Both depictions are the idealized results of the religious, cultural and folkloric traditions which evolved in the centuries after their respective deaths.

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