Siddhartha Gautama, the historical figure known as Buddha, abandoned his princely rank as a young man to live as a beggar and ascetic , so it is not at all likely that he was overweight.
The famous "fat and bald Buddha" popularized by a multitude of statuettes represents a Buddhist monk from the 10th century – 1,500 years later the founder of this philosophical and religious doctrine – called Hotei, famous for his affable kindness.
It seems that he was also known as Bu-Dai or Budai, or perhaps his name was pronounced like that, so a homophony with the name of Buddha was created . Budai was born on the east coast of China, in Zhenjiang, and practiced Zen, the doctrine that emerged in this country mixing Buddhism and Taoism.
The popularity of this icon comes, therefore, from China, where the "fat Buddha" has become the most common effigy to show Maitreya, the character who in the traditional theology of his faith will come into the world to become the future Buddha , after a process of enlightenment similar to that of Siddhartha himself.
There are many variations of the figure: he is often shown carrying a sack, which alludes to his scarcity of belongings; sometimes he wears the Buddhist rosary around his neck, and also on many occasions he is surrounded by children who worship him. But the feature in which all statues always coincide is to show him with a perennial smile , which is why he has become a deity associated with happiness.
