Budai is a semi-historical Chinese monk who is venerated as Maitreya Buddha in Chan Buddhism. He was also introduced into the Japanese Buddhist pantheon.[1] He is said to have lived around the 10th century in the Wuyue kingdom.
He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha". As he is traditionally depicted as fat, he is also referred to as the "Fat Buddha", especially in the Western world.Les mer