Wooden Seated Hotei

Maitreya

Maitreya, also known as Hotei, Budai and many other pseudonyms, is a Buddhist god known for his contentment and happiness. Maitreya is also known for his love of children. Maitreya is often depicted as what is known as the "laughing buddha", typically including a bald head, a large belly, and dangling earlobes. Maitreya is mentioned in Mahayana Buddhism as a "bodhisattva", or a "Buddha-to-be" since he is believed to be a successor of the Gautama Buddha. The arrival of Maitreya will happen when dharma has been forgotten by the terrestrial world according to Mahayanian prophecy. 

Check out the High Library for more information. 

• Buddha in the crown: Avalokitesvara in the Buddhist traditions of Sri Lanka 
• Haunting the Buddha: Indian popular religions and the formation of Buddhism

 Check out sacred texts that relate to the article.

Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)

Dr. William V. Puffenberger

Elizabethtown College retains all intellectual property rights to this image including, but not limited to, digital rights and any derivative works. For permission for reproduction, please contact the College’s Administrative Assistant for Humanities.

A moderately sized wooden statue of a smiling toothless Hotei or Budai.

7.25 in x 4.5 in (18.4 cm x 11.4 cm)

Physical Object

Puffenberger #66

India