Hotei
Japanese · deity · mythic · Recorded classification
Almost every statue sold in the West as 'Buddha' is this man, who is not the Buddha. He derives from a tenth-century Chinese monk, Budai, who wandered with a sack giving things to children, and Zen took him up as an image of a mind with nothing left to defend. Of the Seven he is the only one whose sanctity consists entirely in not wanting anything.
Domains
- contentment
- abundance
Relations
- companion: JurōjinOne of the Seven.Reference treatment of the Shichifukujin as a group. (secondary)
Sources
- Hotei is one of the Seven Lucky Gods, the god of luck, happiness and contentment, called the Laughing Buddha for his smile and his belly.: Reference treatments of Hotei and of the Shichifukujin. (secondary)