Fat Buddha does not depict Buddha at all but a 10th century Chinese Zen monk named Pinyin (also known as Budai or Pu-Tai). He was a good-natured man who loved children and spread love and goodwill wherever he went (kind of like Santa Claus). Because of these attributes, he was believed to be a future Buddha — or Maitreya. His roly-poly physique and fun-loving personality earned him the nickname, “Laughing Buddha.”
Buddhists adopted Pinyin’s characteristics as desirable Buddhist qualities and began to erect statues of him in front of Buddhist temples. Soon, visitors began rubbing his big, round belly as a sign of good luck. His laughing face made believers smile. Many people now keep a small figurine of Fat Buddha in their homes to bring them success, prosperity, and happiness.
In addition, Fat Buddha represents abundance, spiritual fulfillment, and enjoyment of life. Suffering is a state of mind that humans can overcome by accepting life and all that it brings.
Dawn Pisturino
January 26, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Dawn Pisturino's Blog 
Your choice of words (kind of like Santa Claus, roly-poly) struck me pleasantly, and made me smile (laughing face made believers smile). You got some of that fat man too. Great. Keep stroking his fat belly. 👸
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Thank you, I have learned something new!
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And thank you for sharing your hiking adventures and all the beautiful photographs!
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💖 Love this Dawn: Suffering is a state of mind that humans can overcome by accepting life and all that it brings.
Contentment, love, goodwill, and simplicity are things we should relish daily. Thanks for delivering this cultural snippet in a manner that we can relate to. 😊👏🏼🌟 Have a FANtabulous day! 🌞
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Thank you, Kym, and thank you for all of your positive posts which help everyone everyday get through all of this madness! As you’ve said before, it takes all of us working together. Have a peaceful, stress-free evening with your hubby!
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Awwww Dawn my friend, thank you. You have no idea how much your positive and informative messages uplift us as well. You give us something new to savor and I appreciate that. 🙏🏼
You, your husband, and your resident coyotes have a howling good evening as well my dear!!! 😉🥰🤗 Smooches! 😘😘😘
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I agree with Robert, this is new info for me and I actually wondered about this statue and why it represents Buddhism. Thank you Dawn…very enjoyable and informative too.
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Thank you, Karima, I appreciate that very much!
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Nice post
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great 😊
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I was not aware of this! Very educational!
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Thank you, Sir!
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