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Hotei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hotei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Statue of Hotei in the familiar likeness of the Chinese tradition. In this picture, he is facing the main entrance, which is traditional for Chinese temples.
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Statue of Hotei in the familiar likeness of the Chinese tradition. In this picture, he is facing the main entrance, which is traditional for Chinese temples.
For the Japanese musician, see Tomoyasu Hotei.

Hotel (布袋) or Bu-Dai (布袋羅漢 (pinyin:Bùdài Luóhàn) literally Calico Bag Arhat) is better known in the English-speaking world as the fat Laughing Buddha. In China, he is called Bu-Dai (Wade-Giles Pu-Tai) or Mí Lè Fó (彌勒佛) and dubbed the Loving or Friendly One. Hotei is the interpretation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the predicted Buddha to succeed Gautama Buddha in the future. He has become incorporated into Buddhist and Shinto culture and is based on an eccentric Chinese Chan monk. His image graces many temples, restaurants, and amulets. Hotei has become a deity of contentment and abundance, Taoist in origin. Hotei persists in Japanese folklore as one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichi Fukujin).

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] As Angida Arhat

The Laughing Buddha derives from the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, where there was a monk named Angida, whose name also meant calico bag.[1] Angida was one of the original eighteen Arhats of Buddhism. According to legend, Angida was a talented Indian snake catcher whose aim was to catch venomous snakes to prevent them from biting passers-by. Angida would also remove the snake's venomous fangs and release them. Due to his kindness, he was able to attain bodhi. Both Hotei and Angida have similar resemblences, as they both are obese, seen laughing and carrying a bag.

[edit] As a Chinese Buddhist monk

In 907 AD, during the Liang Dynasty in China, Hotei was theorized to have been a Buddhist monk in China. He was considered a man of good and loving character. It was said of Hotei's benevolent nature, that he was to be regarded as an incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva (the future Buddha), but this claim was only allegorical, and due to his large protruding stomach & smile, he was caricatured as the "Laughing Buddha."

[edit] Description

The image of Hotei is almost always seen carrying a cloth or linen sack, which never empties, and is filled with many precious items, including rice plants (indicating wealth), sweets for children, food, and the woes of the world. Sometimes it can be filled with children, as they are seen as some of those precious items of this world. His duty is patron of the weak, poor and children. In some scenes he may be found sitting on a cart drawn by boys, or wielding a fan called an oogi (said to be a "wish giving" fan -- in the distant past, this type of fan was used by the aristocracy to indicate to vassals that their requests would be granted).

The statue depicts a stout, smiling or laughing shaved man in robes with a largely exposed pot belly stomach symbolic for happiness, good luck, and plenitude. The stomach is also considered the seat of the soul in Chinese mythology and so the large stomach can be taken as an allegory for Hotei's Open Heartedness. Some sculptures have small children at his feet. Another item that is usually seen with the Hotei figure, is a begging bowl; to represent his Buddhist nature. All of these images display Hotei as a wandering monk who goes around and takes the sadness from people of this world, in some ways parallel to the Christian Jesus. He most certainly is a loving and cheerful character, strikingly similar to Santa Claus in the West, and is a common statuette found in homes and businesses in China and Japan.

[edit] Religions that believe in Hotei

[edit] I Kuan Tao

Statues of Hotei form a central part of shrines in the I Kuan Tao. He is usually referred to as Maitreya and is taken to represent many important messages from Taoist teachings, including generosity and open heartedness.

[edit] Folklore

One belief surrounding the figure of Hotei in popular folklore is that if a person is to rub his belly, it brings forth wealth, good luck, and prosperity. This belief however does not form part of any Buddhist doctrine. He is often admired for his happiness, plenitude, and supposedly wisdom of contentment.

There is also the story that he was a very handsome enlightened monk. people came for his teachings but most of the people came for his beauty, to stop people from coming for his beauty the monk ate himself until he was big and fat, so that people would come for his wisdom and enlightenment.

[edit] Western trends

Recently, Hotei statues, statuettes and amulets have become relatively well-known in Western cultures. Misconceptions have arisen because of this new enthusiasm, including the false connection made between the Laughing Buddha and Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Shinto

Stories and Myths:
Kojiki | Kwaidan | Nihon Shoki | Otogizoshi | Yotsuya Kaidan
Divinities:
List of divinities in Japanese mythology | Kami & Megami | Seven Lucky Gods
Legendary Figures:
Abe no Seimei | Hidari Jingoro | Kintaro | Kuzunoha
Momotaro | Nezumi Kozo | Tamamo-no-Mae | Tomoe Gozen | Urashima Tarō
Mythical and Sacred Locations:
Horai | Mt. Hiei | Mt. Fuji
Rashōmon | Ryugu-jo | Suzakumon | Takamagahara | Yomi
Religions | Sacred Objects | Creatures and Spirits

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