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Why is Buddha often depicted as a fat guy?

NikkiGemGirlNikkiGemGirl
edited March 2012 in Buddhism Basics
Hahahaha... that's hard to type without chuckling ;)

Thoughts?

Comments

  • mfranzdorfmfranzdorf Veteran
    Wondered that myself. Good question. It looks like in Asia, the Buddha was used as a depiction of good fortune and jollyness, so I guess a well-to-do happy guy would be fat?
  • patbbpatbb Veteran
    he's not.

    Budai is.

    read his story
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited March 2012
    Brian's signature used to be "We don't worship the fat guy!"
    Everybody seems to think that the buddha is round fat and jolly....
    Well, the figure of Hotei is round, fat and jolly - but he ain't the Buddha....

    Read, learn and never make this mistake again, or else you won't learn the Secret Buddhist Handshake.....*dah-dah daaaaah!*
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    We just had a thread on that a couple of weeks ago. It's not the Buddha who's portrayed that way, it's another deity.
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    edited March 2012
    image

    This is actually Budai. He's often thought of as the next buddha, Maitreya. The origin is that of a Chinese monk. Here's more if interested.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
  • NikkiGemGirlNikkiGemGirl
    WOW... *facepalm*. That's a major fail. There are A LOT of Buddhists who believe our homeboy is a jolly fat guy.

    Oops, ha
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    It ain't the fat guy, but Gautama did go through a skinny phase...

    image
  • zenffzenff Veteran
    Eating disorders have a place in Buddhism.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited March 2012
    Budai is considered to be a Buddha by some, just not THE Buddha. I read somewhere that the reason why he is fat is because he was very handsome and the women would always follow him around. So he became fat so they would leave him alone. :p Don't know if that's actually true or not though.
  • suopohesuopohe
    Actually, the significance of fat belly is it can hold everything inside. That means tolerance.


  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Actually, the significance of fat belly is it can hold everything inside. That means tolerance.


    Ah, the intolerance of Weight Watchers. :)

  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    Budai is considered to be a Buddha by some, just not THE Buddha. I read somewhere that the reason why he is fat is because he was very handsome and the women would always follow him around. So he became fat so they would leave him alone. :p Don't know if that's actually true or not though.
    Works for me.
  • MsJeniMsJeni
    This thread makes me think of a phrase my mom would use when I was little. People ask how she is doing and she would always respond "fat and happy". We didn't have money, earned everything we did have, so I always took it to mean, we have more than enough, and content with life.
  • KarunaDharmakayaKarunaDharmakaya
    HOTEI

    this is the chinese santa clause
    (seriously he gave out childrens toys)he was an enlightened chinese guy
    he wasnt actually fat he had a air breathing attainment(cross teachings with taoism)where he could force his gut out really far(sillly attainment if u ask me)

    I think it was a means to attract taoists to Buddhism by adding some of their concepts into the enlightened chinese buddha(of course this was atime when we were actuyally trying to spread Buddhism like the Buddha wanted(now we just say is "unbuddhist" to convert others)

    and ignore the suttas/sutras on spreading the dharma
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