Things to love about China: 25 of 100

Chinese Buddha

No one really knows what The Buddha looked like when he walked this earth over 1,500 years ago. Each culture depicts The Buddha in a slightly different way. In Thailand he is depicted as an elegant, slender man. In Japan he is a sad, solemn man. In Korea he is thoughtful and his eyes are always closed. In India he is beautiful and radiant, often with a golden halo behind his head.

China, however, is home to the most distinct Buddha of all. The Chinese Buddha is short, fat, bald and laughing. So what’s with the difference? In my research, I was surprised to find that the difference is that the Chinese Buddha isn’t Buddha.

Really, how could the short fat statue be The Buddha? Siddhārtha Gautama (The Buddha) was a prince who denied his father’s thrown after seeing the suffering of his subjects. Gautama journeyed into wild and found “enlightenment” and detached himself from all worldly desires. Buddha lived simply (like Ghandi) he travelled on foot and walked many miles through many lands. Buddha wasn’t fat.

So where is the confusion? It turns out that the “Chinese Buddha” isn't Buddha at all. He is actually Budai, an eccentric Chinese monk. His name means “Cloth Sack” and he is basically the Buddhist Saint Nick. Legends tell of him bestowing candy upon poor children. He is the fat and happy god of abundance and good health and rubbing his belly is good luck.

So how does a thin & slender founder of a religion get confused with a jolly, fat monk? There are many reasons. First of all Budai was Buddhist and Budai sounds like Buddha. Second-of-all Westerners are pretty ignorant of Eastern culture so they would be easy to confuse with each other. And third of all, Buddha is not a name, it is a title. Buddha means “one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment” and though it is most commonly used to refer to “The Supreme Buddha”, other people in history have been given this title. Indeed, Budai is thought by some to be the successor of The Buddha.

All of this may sound confusing, but what I am really looking forward to is buying those tiny fat Chinese Buddha statues. The figurines, which depict Budai, are a symbol of happiness, joy, and prosperity. The only question now is: what shall my statues be made of? Wood or Stone? Plastic or Chrome? So many choices....