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Fortune Buddah or Budai, also known as the Laughing Buddha, is an
interpretation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the
predicted Buddha to succeed Gautama Buddha in the
future.
He has become incorporated into Buddhist, Taoist and Shinto culture and is based on an
eccentric Chinese Chán monk who lived in the time of
the Liang Dynasty. His image
graces many temples, restaurants, and amulets. Budai has become a deity of
contentment and abundance, when adopted by Religious Taoists. In Japan, Hotei persists
in folklore as one of the Seven Lucky Gods. He is
almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the
"Happy Buddha"
Budai is almost always represented as 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, small mammals, 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, the poor and
children. In some Japanese representations, Budai 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).
Let this CelebriDuck add a touch of good fortune
and happiness to your bath
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