The fat Buddha is the future Buddha according to Chinese tradition. Buddha wasn't even Chinese, he was from India. Buddha was athletic and a master martial artist. Please people, get educated before you start mocking Buddha. Take a look at this link and see for yourself.
http://www.fpmt-osel.org/gallery/images/buddhawp1.jpg
2007-01-09 23:35:21 · 16 answers · asked by ? 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Buddha is in our mind.
2007-01-10 00:29:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anger eating demon 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Ok- first thing people need to understand is that there was (and is going to be) more than one Buddha. The historical Buddha many of us think of is Shakyamuni Buddha - Siddartha Gautama - who was a nobleman around 2500 years ago in what is now called India. He wasn't fat.
The 'fat' Buddha so often seen is a different Buddha named Budai or Hotei. He is supposed to represent (as you say) the future Buddha Maitreya. He is particularly popular in China and Zen traditions. Not all Buddhists recognise Maitreya as being a fat, jolly monk, but certain nations have styled him this way.
Why is he fat? He's a bit of a santa claus style figure in some ways in that he is joyful and protects children and the weak - he gave gifts of sweets to children and food to the world - he is seen as an antidote to the woes of the world.
So Shakyamuni Buddha (slim Buddha) and and Hotei (fat Buddha) are not exactly the same thing. Both Buddhas, but different emanations.
2007-01-11 06:12:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
The Buddha was not athletic nor did he study martial arts. that was Bruce Lee.
Buddha was a skinny unfed man who sat under a fig tree and became enlightened. He claimed to live on one grain of rice a day for a short time. after enlightenment he did eat regularly but he never became fat or athletic. He became a teacher.
The Fat guy every one calls a statue of Buddha is really a Chinese Kitchen god.
2007-01-09 23:44:36 · answer #3 · answered by L Strunk 3 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Yes , Buddha was an Indian. His real name was Siddhartha, who was very much touched to see the death for the first time.Sorrow, pain ,sickness, death all this made him very sad and he started to think a way out of this suffering . He left his home and all his comforts and lived a life of wanderer, so in any case he could not have been fat as he did not even eat enough and did not use car for travelling........I think Chinese people make him fat just as symbol of prosperity. May be they think if their God is fat, more and more prosperity will come to their people.
2007-01-09 23:52:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
People get that idea from all of the little Buddha statues and pictures. I've never seen an athletic looking Buddha statue.
2007-01-09 23:39:48 · answer #5 · answered by MsFancy 4 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Aw I like fat Buddha :\
there is no reason to trip over it, no one is poking fun at him, plenty of real Buddhists have the fat Buddha statue.
Clearly you don't know much about Buddha yourself dear, so shut up.
2007-01-09 23:41:30 · answer #6 · answered by +No longer a Yahoo answerer+ 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Yah, Buddha was actually skin and bones lol.
2007-01-10 00:03:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
witnesses.......
Who not only believed in his wisdom, but were there in his presence..... Plus those dag gone statues....He probably loved food..... He was in shape, though: he was "round".......
Life will do that to you... over time..... All it takes is a number of biscuits and a couple bowls of gravy...... You don't think he spilled any of it, do you?.... uh-uhn.. no sir!!!... He loved food
your sister,
Ginger
2007-01-09 23:39:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
He was slim when he was young, then he became more round when he got older. Nothing wrong with that. The same thing happened to me :-)
2007-01-09 23:44:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I know when I studied this in college, he was slender at first, but later he was bigger, as a sign of prosperity... living the good life.
2007-01-09 23:39:37 · answer #10 · answered by RB 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋