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Given that Gautama Buddha was an ascetic until shortly before his enlightenment and several Dhammapada verses reflect a moderate attitude toward food, such as:

Verse 7: He who keeps his mind on pleasant objects, who is uncontrolled in his senses, immoderate in his food, and is lazy and lacking in energy, will certainly be overwhelmed by Mara, just as stormy winds uproot a weak tree. source: http://www.tipitaka.net/tipitaka/dhp/verseload.php?verse=007

it's unlikely he looked much like the image below. But the statue pictured below is often referred to as a "laughing Buddha". What is the story of the laughing Buddha? enter image description here

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His name is Budai and many people in the West mistake his image as being Gautama Buddha. Budai is usually identified with or seen as an incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha.

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  • Was he a Buddhist monk? I also found he was an eccentric monk. I had read a folklore that he can predict something like if will raining his sole were become wet.
    – Swapnil
    Apr 11, 2017 at 13:16
  • @Swapnil there are no records of Budai being a monk. In fact Budai has no relation to Buddhism or Budhdha at all. Its just a misunderstanding made by people, that they call Budai as Budhdha.
    – Sampath
    Feb 17, 2022 at 4:00
  • @Sampath Yeah in India people call him laughing Buddha. Thank you
    – Swapnil
    Feb 17, 2022 at 7:24

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