Skinny Buddha Vs. Fat Buddha (Buddhism, reincarnation, God, Buddhism)

[Azakel]

I don't mean vs like a fight, but that I have seen picture and statues of the Skinny Buddha and then the Buddha most people are use to seeing, the Fat one that's all was smiling. What's the different(other then ones skinny and the other fat). Does it just depend on the school(or type) of Buddhism?

[koan]

The skinny Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. The fat one is not really Buddha at all, but an Icon of a Chinese monk whom they believe was a reincarnation of Matreiya the future Buddha. In Chinese, his name is Budai Luohan and in Japanese, Hotei.

[Azakel]

Originally Posted by koan

The skinny Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. The fat one is not really Buddha at all, but an Icon of a Chinese monk whom they believe was a reincarnation of Matreiya the future Buddha. In Chinese, his name is Budai Luohan and in Japanese, Hotei.

Thank you, I did not know that. But now I do. One more question, though the fat Buddha(Budai) is not really Buddha then, is it still alright to refer to him as such, or is it just ignorance then to do so(if you know the difference).

[Francine]

Originally Posted by Azakel

Thank you, I did not know that. But now I do. One more question, though the fat Buddha(Budai) is not really Buddha then, is it still alright to refer to him as such, or is it just ignorance then to do so(if you know the difference).

Isn't Fat Buddha's girth evidence that he has not purged himself of desire for milk shakes?

[Somkid]

Originally Posted by koan

The skinny Buddha is Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. The fat one is not really Buddha at all, but an Icon of a Chinese monk whom they believe was a reincarnation of Matreiya the future Buddha. In Chinese, his name is Budai Luohan and in Japanese, Hotei.

That is exactly right and the only answer. Hotei is depicted as fat to show abundance of love, compassion, wisdom, virtue, etc. And every one loves a fat jolly guy.

[Azakel]

Originally Posted by Somkid

That is exactly right and the only answer. Hotei is depicted as fat to show abundance of love, compassion, wisdom, virtue, etc. And every one loves a fat jolly guy.

Ok, so Hotei is a Buddha(Just not the first one), and the reason why he is shown has Fat is to incorporate that he is full of love, compassion, wisdom, virtue, and so on.

[Somkid]

Originally Posted by Azakel

Ok, so Hotei is a Buddha(Just not the first one), and the reason why he is shown has Fat is to incorporate that he is full of love, compassion, wisdom, virtue, and so on.

There are many interpretations of Hotei I agree with the above but that is from the Chinese prospective and we call Hotei (Japanese Name) Budai or Putai in Chinese.
He to be an incarnation of Miroku Bosatsu known as Miluo Fo in China(or as Miluo Pusa) Known as the Fat Buddha or Laughing Buddha in the West.

Ok, I'll tell you everything I know about this topic as it seems to have peaked some interest.

In Japan Hotei is known as the god of contentment and happiness, and is the god of good luck from Shintosim, Hotei. He is supposedly based on Miluo Fo, and is widely recognized outside of Japan. He is generally depicted carrying a large cloth bag over his back, one that never empties, he uses it to feed the poor and needy.

The Japanese spelling of "Ho Tei" means "cloth bag." He also holds a Chinese fan called an oogi (said to be a "wish giving" fan, this type of fan was used by the aristocracy to indicate to vassals that their requests would be granted. Hotei is most likely based on the itinerant 10th-century Chinese Buddhist monk and hermit Budaishi who is said to be an incarnation of Miroku Bodhisattva as I mentioned above
(Maitreya in Sanskrit for those interested).

Hotei is sometimes shown surrounded by a group of small children, playing and laughing around his very round shape.

In recent times, Hotei is also referred to as the patron saint of restaurateurs and bartenders I'm sure you see him in every Chinese restaurant in in the world (and on the dash of my car to remind me to be generous where ever I go). When you over eat or over drink (that would ever happen) the Chinese sometimes jokingly say your under Hotei's influence, well its funny in Chinese anyway .

[vandervalley]

Originally Posted by Azakel

I don't mean vs like a fight, but that I have seen picture and statues of the Skinny Buddha and then the Buddha most people are use to seeing, the Fat one that's all was smiling. What's the different(other then ones skinny and the other fat). Does it just depend on the school(or type) of Buddhism?

Buddhas and Bhodisattavas have many different forms and certainly are not restricted to the forms depicted by statues. They can change forms whenever they wish.

If I remember correctly Matreiya Bhodissatva (the "chubby" Buddha as some call it) was depicted as rather skinny in central Aisa (Afghanistan and Pakistan) when Buddhism was still there hundreds of years ago.

Statues are made to look like whatever people of that region wish it to look like. In Buddhism how statues look like are not important at all; the teachings are more important.

I have seen a Buddha statue in USA and it looked nothing like the ones from East Asia.

[vandervalley]

Maitreya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

look at that photo of the Maitreya Bhodissatva from Ancient Pakistan.

Doesn't look chubby at all

[Kungfuzed]

Originally Posted by Somkid

In Japan Hotei is known as the god of contentment and happiness, and is the god of good luck from Shintosim, Hotei. He is supposedly based on Miluo Fo, and is widely recognized outside of Japan. He is generally depicted carrying a large cloth bag over his back, one that never empties, he uses it to feed the poor and needy.

A Japanese Santa Clause!