The Laughing Buddha
This particular form of the Buddha -
one of many Buddha’s – is the bringer of good luck. This Asian deity is believed
to be able to also offer contentment and abundance. Buddha, means ‘Awakened
One’ and is at the heart of the Buddhist religion. An awakened one is someone
who sees things as they really are. They realize mental delusions are not
reality and they are credited with having great compassion for all living
beings.
There are many different types of Laughing
Buddha who is often depicted with a belly and jolly smile. Some records suggest
that his appearance is based upon a Buddhist Zen monk who lived more than 1000
years ago,. In short, this figure represents the possibility of having all one
wishes for: wealth, happiness or satisfaction.
Variations of this happy man
include:
Laughing Buddha playing with children. Generally, this symbolizes good fortune coming from heavens.
Laughing Buddha with a bowl. The bowl depicts a monk's life. It represents renunciation
of material possessions.
Laughing Buddha with a fan. It is said that waving of fan by Buddha sculpture depicts
banishment of troubles.
Laughing Buddha with a sack or bag. This traveler
collects people's sadness and woes and puts
them in his sack.
