Why is Budai so popular?
Maitreya Buddha is a Budai monk. Qici monk., also known as “Ajita Bodhisattva”, which means “invincible”. Maitreya Bodhisattva now lives in the inner courtyard of Tusita Heaven. After four thousand years (equivalent to 5.6 billion years of the earth), he came to the world and became a Buddha under the Longhua tree in Hualin Garden. He is the fifth of the Thousand Buddhas of the Wise Kalpa.
Budai pronunciation?
The pronunciation of Budai is: bù dài. meaning is: A monk carrying a cloth bag.
The pronunciation of Qici is: qì cǐ , meaning is: Secondly, Next.
What is the real name of the Laughing Buddha?
During the Later Liang Dynasty in China, there was a monk named Qi Shi. Qi Zi is short and fat, carries a cloth bag on his back, and has his chest exposed all year round. Laughing buddha real name is Qici. In the third year of Zhenming in the Later Liang Dynasty (917 A.D.), Budai monk sat on a rock under the east corridor of Yuelin Temple in Mingzhou. Before his death, he said a verse: “Maitreya is the real Maitreya, and he has tens of billions of clones. He always shows people at that time, but people at that time don’t know.” After saying this, he sat down peacefully and passed away.
What does Budai represent?
Subsequent generations regarded him as the reincarnation of Maitreya,and temples began to model the image of Maitreya after him,thus achieving the Sinicization of Maitreya.He has a completely Chinese appearance.
The smile and large belly of Maitreya Buddha are symbols of compassion and tolerance in Buddhism.The smile represents compassion and joy,while the big belly signifies a tolerant and open mind.These characteristics are very popular among Chinese people and have made Maitreya Buddha one of the most familiar and beloved Buddhist figures in the hearts of the Chinese.It is currently known that the earliest image of the Cloth Bag Monk is the Southern Song Dynasty’s Bagu Maitreya Buddha in the West Lake Grottoes in Hangzhou,China.
