How Did Buddha Get Fat?

[Sophus]

I'm really curious why so many people think of Buddha as the jolly indian fat man. Usually I see him depicted like this:



There's another common way of him being depicted where not idealized like this but rather he's so skinny that you can see his ribs. Where did the chunky enlightened one come from?

[tymygy]

Actually, there isn't just ONE Buddha. The "fat" Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama, and Buddha is "one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment" and there are a few people who have gotten that "title".

So the statues are really statues of those who achieved that.

[Sophus]

Actually, there isn't just ONE Buddha. The "fat" Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama, and Buddha is "one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment" and there are a few people who have gotten that "title".

So the statues are really statues of those who achieved that.

But I believe they are all suppose to depict Siddhartha Gautama, no?

[tymygy]

Actually, there isn't just ONE Buddha. The "fat" Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama, and Buddha is "one who has achieved a state of perfect enlightenment" and there are a few people who have gotten that "title".

So the statues are really statues of those who achieved that.

But I believe they are all suppose to depict Siddhartha Gautama, no?

I looked around and thats what I found.

Sorry, thats all I can tell you.

Maybe if I do a little more research on it when I get on a better computer I can tell you more about it.

[Recusant]

I'm really curious why so many people think of Buddha as the jolly indian fat man.

The image you posted looks well nourished, but not what I would call fat.  The same goes for many of the ancient Indian images of Buddha.  I think that the "fat Buddha" is actually the result of confusion with a character called "Budai" or "Hotei."  Though there are apparently some sects that consider Budai to be an incarnation of Buddha, generally he's considered to be an entirely different person.  The Wiki article on Budai covers all this, and is not too bad, in my opinion.  I'm not what anybody would call an observant Buddhist though, so I might have missed an inaccuracy or two in the wiki piece.

[Asmodean]

How Did Buddha Get Fat?

McDonalds. Like every one else  

On a more serious note, I believe being nice and plump is considered a symbol of success down in India at least. Perhaps that holds true for Buddha's place of origin? Somneone attempted to make him look successful?

[PoopShoot]

On a more serious note, I believe being nice and plump is considered a symbol of success down in India at least.

That tends to hold in any area where simply getting enough to eat is a sign of wealth and success.  What really baffles me is the ears.

[Asmodean]

On a more serious note, I believe being nice and plump is considered a symbol of success down in India at least.

That tends to hold in any area where simply getting enough to eat is a sign of wealth and success.  What really baffles me is the ears.

You can stretch your ear piercing holes to fit some pretty damned extreme things into them.

[PoopShoot]

You can stretch your ear piercing holes to fit some pretty damned extreme things into them.

Among other parts.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Christ, I really didn't need to see someone's septum at eight in the morning.

[PoopShoot]

Christ, I really didn't need to see someone's septum at eight in the morning.

On the plus side, it makes booger-removal all that much easier.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Christ, I really didn't need to see someone's septum at eight in the morning.

On the plus side, it makes booger-removal all that much easier.

Yeah, it looks like a garden-hose could do the trick with that kid.

[Tanker]

If I remember the Buddha story right. The Buddha in this case being the fat one most westerners think of. He came from a rich and powerful affluent family. He became tied of the holowness of this lifestyle and seeked enlightenment through a hindi religous practice of starvation and deprivation to remove worldly distraction and achive a greater understanding of "life, the univere, and everything". At some point he came to the realisation that life and oneness should not be about enforced pain and stuggle but about seeing and expierenceing the good and the wonderful the world has to offer. This of course included eating with enjoyment. If you eat too much, especialy with the goal of enjoyment, you get fat. It's as "simple" as that. There are many forms of buddha not all of whom represent "the Buhhda" as westerners think of but many of him throughtout his life including earlier in when his weight reflected his eating habits

This is of course just hearsay and my own somewhat flawed memory. If there is someone better versed with the life of the Buddha or eastern mystisism please correct me. I'd rather the information be right then my half remembered story has me comfortable with.

[Sophus]

I'm really curious why so many people think of Buddha as the jolly indian fat man.

The image you posted looks well nourished, but not what I would call fat.  The same goes for many of the ancient Indian images of Buddha.  I think that the "fat Buddha" is actually the result of confusion with a character called "Budai" or "Hotei."  Though there are apparently some sects that consider Budai to be an incarnation of Buddha, generally he's considered to be an entirely different person.  The Wiki article on Budai covers all this, and is not too bad, in my opinion.  I'm not what anybody would call an observant Buddhist though, so I might have missed an inaccuracy or two in the wiki piece.

Ah, thanks Recusant. I bet you're right. Says he's known here as "the fat Buddha" but I'm guessing the average Joe you ask on the street would presume the Buddha as a jolly fat man.

[Tanker]

Lol. Wow I suck. I totaly missed Recusants answer and link. My scroll must have jumped because I read the first couple responses and skimmed the body mod posts thinking I had read the whole thread. Well there you go and thanks for posting acurate info and a link Recusant.