Budai

deity Chan Buddhism single tradition · 1

Budai is a nickname given to the historical Chinese monk Qieci in the Later Liang Dynasty, who is often identified with and venerated as the future Buddha Maitreya in Chan Buddhism and Buddhist scripture. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha". Budai is traditionally depicted as having a huge stomach and many stories surrounding Budai involve his love of food and drink.

When

First attested
900 CE
Attested period
900 – 2020
Historical notes
Associated with Qieci, a monk in the Later Liang Dynasty.

Relationships

allied with
Jiang Mohe
manifested by
Angida

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Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“Who was Budai the "Happy Buddha"?”

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