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Go Back   Spiritual Forums > Religions & Faiths > Buddhism

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  #411  
Old 10-04-2021, 08:11 AM
AbodhiSky
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigJohn
Hotei's account came from Asia and the bag did not have a hole in it.

i remember reading that buddha is depicted as fat to show abundance

here's a direct quote off google search on why is buddha shown as fat? ""he is included among the Seven Lucky Gods of Japan as a harbinger of abundance"

so the idea there is nothing is missing or lacking including all the food one wants, so a big bag of gold or coins makes sense as it goes along with that idea of abundance.

it's like how in india, the rich wear white as it shows they don't have to do any kind of work where they may get dirty, the fat buddha shows he has all the food he wants, to be fat in some poor countries shows wealth as you have an abundance of food where many don't get enough food to eat.
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  #412  
Old 10-04-2021, 08:43 AM
sky sky is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sentient
Perhaps for many Chinese – the bag is full of money.
For children – candy.
Maybe the old timer shamanics thought the bag must have been full of fly agaric.

Some say he held the whole world in his bag, and that the bag was magical – no matter how much he gave, the bag never emptied.
Perhaps for some diligent practitioners the monk’s bag was full of merit to heave about …
I just enjoyed the version in which the bag had a hole in the bottom of it …

*


Yes as it's a Legend it's obviously interpreted differently. As Hotel is seen by some as ' The God of laughter ' the hole in the bag can be seen as ...
Happiness never decreases by being shared and His bag will never be empty regardless of how many holes it has, happiness comes from within.
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  #413  
Old 10-04-2021, 08:43 AM
BigJohn BigJohn is offline
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In the Far East, if a person is 'fat', they are looked upon, many times, as being wealthy.

........ and then, some will ask, how many wives do you have?
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  #414  
Old 10-04-2021, 09:04 AM
Gem Gem is online now
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Moral of story: needs new bag.
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  #415  
Old 10-04-2021, 09:44 AM
sentient sentient is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gem
Moral of story: needs new bag.
Ha ha Gem
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  #416  
Old 10-04-2021, 08:12 PM
sentient sentient is offline
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I can’t exactly recall the moment in conversation, when the hole in the bottom of the Laughing Buddha’s hemp sack came up. It could have even been a Taiwanese indigenous twist to the story.

But in general - the idea of ‘collecting merit’ & then ‘counting one’s merit points’ and holding onto them is very unappealing to me.
So, the organizer of the Taoist group said that the sack/bag had a whole at the bottom of it (perhaps for my benefit?), which was a mood changer & brought on the laughter and agreement ....

The merit a contented monk accumulates is what is constantly being let go, which might lead to the inexhaustible source of that ‘merit’.

Quote:
The mind of letting go ~ Mingyur Rinpoche

Grasping and fixation arise from the mind, and therefore cannot be eliminated through body and speech alone. The mind of letting go has the capacity to cut the root of ego-clinging; the activity of letting go accumulates merit. And by letting go, we gain access to our own immense inner wealth, which has never been depleted. We begin to glimpse our own treasures, and this initiates the accumulation of wisdom.

*
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  #417  
Old 14-04-2021, 09:22 AM
Gem Gem is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sentient
I can’t exactly recall the moment in conversation, when the hole in the bottom of the Laughing Buddha’s hemp sack came up. It could have even been a Taiwanese indigenous twist to the story.

But in general - the idea of ‘collecting merit’ & then ‘counting one’s merit points’ and holding onto them is very unappealing to me.
So, the organizer of the Taoist group said that the sack/bag had a whole at the bottom of it (perhaps for my benefit?), which was a mood changer & brought on the laughter and agreement ....

The merit a contented monk accumulates is what is constantly being let go, which might lead to the inexhaustible source of that ‘merit’. *
I think this is about what is called 'parami' in Buddhism. Not really possessions you can keep in a bag and hold on to or let go of. More just qualities such as truthfulness, wisdom, kindheartedness and such like - there's 10 listed ones but they kind of run together in reality. There's a whole bunch of philosophy surrounding such qualities which gets nuanced and complex because they try to explain things that are wholly subjective in nature.
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  #418  
Old 14-04-2021, 01:07 PM
sentient sentient is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gem
I think this is about what is called 'parami' in Buddhism. Not really possessions you can keep in a bag and hold on to or let go of. More just qualities such as truthfulness, wisdom, kindheartedness and such like - there's 10 listed ones but they kind of run together in reality. There's a whole bunch of philosophy surrounding such qualities which gets nuanced and complex because they try to explain things that are wholly subjective in nature.
Yes, and those are all important, good and wholesome.
Doing one’s best, but letting go of the expectations …

*
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  #419  
Old 05-05-2021, 04:02 PM
AbodhiSky
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That statue is not of buddha the founder of buddhism, it is of Budai. He is said to have lived around the 10th century in the Wuyue kingdom. His name literally means "cloth sack", and refers to the bag that he is conventionally depicted as carrying as he wanders aimlessly.

His jolly nature, humorous personality, and eccentric lifestyle distinguish him from most Buddhist masters or figures. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha. He is also depicted as overweight.
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