大肚能容,容天下难容之事;
笑口常开,笑世间可笑之人。

The big belly can contain,
embracing matters difficult to withstand in this world.
The smile is always there,
laughing at those who are laughable in this world.
—Buddhist Saying

Short, fat, happy, ...maybe even shaking like a bowl full of jelly when he laughs? Santa? No!—It's Budai!

Bu-who? Ah, let's back up and explain.

Many people in the West commonly confuse this jolly, laughing fellow with Shakyamuni, the historic Buddha, often calling him "The Fat Buddha" or "The Laughing Buddha". I know I did when I was young. His actual name is Budai, or Hotei in Japanese, and he was a Chinese Zen monk around AD 900. Some schools also considered him an incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha. He's usually depicted with the bag you see set down beside him in the photo below, often with prayer beads too.

You often see the statue alone, but sometimes you see him grouped with six other characters. At least you do in Japan. These are the Seven Lucky Gods. They arrive on a boat at New Years and give gifts. It’s considered good luck to rub his belly, so next time you see a statue of him, give that belly a good rub.

There is a wonderful Zen story that says one day Budai ambled into town, hunched over from the heavy sack thrown over his shoulder, struggling to carry the heavy load but a grin on his face as always. A monk approached him and asked what enlightenment was like. Budai smiled and took his heavy bag from his shoulders, laid it on the ground and stood up straight. Then the monk asked what comes after enlightenment and Budai smiled even more, stooped over, took up his bag once more, and walked off.

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	David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku.

The Laughing Buddha ~ Chasing Budai in Japan

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