Maitreya Buddha is also known as Budai monk, and this monk is Ajita, also known as Maitreya Bodhisattva. Maitreya Buddha exists in history. The Maitreya Buddha statues in China are all modeled after the “fat image” of the Budai monk.
Maitreya Bodhisattva more than two thousand years ago
More than two thousand years ago, when Sakyamuni Buddha introduced and promoted Buddhism in ancient India, he was a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha, and his real name at that time was Maitreya Bodhisattva.
Fat image of Budai monk
Maitreya Bodhisattva, a disciple of Sakyamuni Buddha over two thousand years ago, is not as fat as the statues that people see today. The reason why Maitreya Buddha statues in China are so fat is because there was a renowned monk named “Qi” during the Five Dynasties period in my country. This monk is also known as “Budai Monk. He is the embodiment of Maitreya Buddha recognized by the Chinese Buddhist community, and the Budai Monk is renowned for his large size in historical records. As a result, the Maitreya Buddha statues in China are all based on the “Budai Monk. “Fat image”.
His image is very special. He is not tall, a little fat, and has big and fat earlobes. He often carries a cloth bag in his hand. Every time he gets food from alms, he throws it into the cloth bag. He begs for whatever he sees, including things offered by others. Put all of them into the bag. All the things that came from alms were given away. If someone asks him for enlightenment, he will put down the bag (asking you to put it down). If you still don’t understand, he laughed uproariously, picked up the bag, and left without looking back.
Budai monk short story
One day, a monk named Qizi returned from almsgiving and met another man on the road who asked for something from him. The monk who agreed to this bag said that my bag was empty for alms today and there is nothing left. The man suddenly said, “Why don’t you have anything? Don’t you still have clothes?” Oh, yes, yes, you still have clothes, so take them off. When the clothes were halfway off, Budai monk laughed and said: You can give anything in this world, even the clothes you are wearing. The giver is happy, the recipient is happy, and everyone is happy.
Final thoughts
In fact, we cannot use worldly views to think that the Budai monk is overweight. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have hundreds of billions of incarnations and can be thin, tall, or transform into men or women. They are all images that change for the sake of saving sentient beings. We should remember that Maitreya Buddha is open-minded and can tolerate anything in the world. He laughs happily every day and has no worries.
Fabusi is the best
“Infinite Life Sutra” says: “Of all kinds of charity, Dharma charity is the best.” The merit of Dharma giving is the greatest among all forms of giving. Sharing this article helps more people understand Buddhism and connect with it, which is Dharma giving.
