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Happy Laughing Buddha is a jovial incarnation of ‘Maitreya Buddha’, who is deemed to be the successor of ‘Gautama Buddha’ according to the Buddhist or Shinto culture.

An image of smiling Buddha can bring forth good luck, success, happiness, fulfillment, prosperity and wealth is a belief in the Chinese mythology. Not only the Chinese but also people of all communities to keep laughing Buddha idols where they reside motivate this belief. A deity of the Buddhist monastery now has become a universal figure of admiration and worship.

The idea of Laughing Buddha originates from the later beliefs of the Buddhists that good life and contentment can be attained in this living world. Through simple lifestyle, purposeful endeavors, benevolence and enlightenment of knowledge, it can be acquired. Termed as ‘Budai’ in Chinese and ‘Budai Luohan’ in Japanese this pot bellied bald figure with a smiling face is linked to a roving ‘Chan’ monk who existed in the time of Liang Dynasty in China.

Known as ‘pu-tai’ in Chinese and ‘Hotei’ in Japanese is the monk dressed in a cloth-bag. Hence the local folks used to call him ‘Pu-tai Hoshang’ or ‘hemp-bag monk’. The legends say that the monk carried cute gifts for the children in his linen sack.

The Buddhist shrines grace the statue of ‘Budai’ in the entranceway. With an impish grin and a protruded tummy the robust monk is found in various poses. He is seated on an elaborately inlaid pedestal or a cart drawn by children. Sometimes he is seen waving a hand fan ‘ogi’. A symbol of aristocracy of the past the fan was believed to fulfill the wishes of those who carried them. Some ‘Budai’ statues with small children in his feet represent his fondness and love for the children.

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