1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the podcast, the Short Podcast. It's 2 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: just there. I still look forward to those intros. Well, 3 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: I'm sorry to let you down every time. You'll never 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,160 Speaker 1: learn what you know. I think it's great and enjoy them. Well, okay, 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: I'm glad one of us does so. Um. We are 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: talking today about Buddhism, which is an extraordinarily complex, nuanced, 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: layered world religion, one of the Big seven at least. Um. 8 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:42,319 Speaker 1: And there's going to be a lot of stuff we're 9 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: not going to talk about. There's going to be terms 10 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: that we don't necessarily bring into it. The point is, everybody, 11 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: it's not wrong. Okay, we're talking about a major religion 12 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,160 Speaker 1: on a short stuff episode that's supposed to be fifteen 13 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: minutes or less. So just go into it. Giving us 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: a break. Yeah, because this is not about Buddhism as 15 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: a whole. Uh. This is about because we've we've talked 16 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: about it here and there. I believe we did one 17 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:08,199 Speaker 1: on Nirvana yep, correct, Um, so we know a little 18 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: bit about it in Karma, right, Yeah, we did that 19 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,119 Speaker 1: one too. We danced around Buddhism, which is a bee 20 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:18,200 Speaker 1: from what I understand. But specifically, this is about a 21 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:24,200 Speaker 1: bit of a chotchkey. This is about the little, happy, jolly, chubby, 22 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: usually shirtless, laughing Buddha. He looks like Rick Ross that 23 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: you see kind of does that you see? And uh, 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: you know, if you go to Chinatown and go to 25 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: a little tourist trap shop there, you might see these. 26 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: You might see him at a Asian restaurant by the 27 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: cash register if your chuck. You might have seen one 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,240 Speaker 1: on his desk for many years. Oh yeah, you do 29 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 1: have that one. Yeah, that someone gave it to me 30 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: years and years and years ago, a little bank and uh, 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,280 Speaker 1: I don't know, he's just got a happy little face. 32 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: So I liked it. He definitely does. And he's just smiling. 33 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: You can't even see his eyeballs, he's smiling so much. 34 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,400 Speaker 1: And everybody knows that that's the laughing Buddha. But here's 35 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: the thing that's not Buddha. Nope, not technically Buddha in 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: in the very Buddhist way. Yes, he counts as Buddha 37 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: in some way, shape or form, and we'll kind of 38 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,520 Speaker 1: explain that. But when you're talking about Buddha, when most 39 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: people who are not Buddhists point to that and say, oh, 40 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: that's Buddha. You're wrong. That's not Buddha that you're thinking. 41 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,680 Speaker 1: There is one Buddha who is the Buddha, the teaching 42 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 1: Buddha for our era that we live in right now. 43 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: Capital t e Buddha exactly and not just capitalized, Chuck 44 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: italicized as well. So the Buddha his He was an 45 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: actual man who lived in the eighth century in India, 46 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: and his name was Siddartha Gautama, and he became a 47 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: He was actually born a wealthy prince, had a great wife, 48 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,600 Speaker 1: had a kid, was just living the life, but found 49 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: that he was still unsatisfied, unfulfilled. He needed to know 50 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: what the meaning of life was. So he went on 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: basically a vision quest and figured it out and achieved nirvana, 52 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: and in doing so he became the the Buddha. And 53 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: I believe his name changed to um what is his 54 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:22,239 Speaker 1: name O? Shakyamuni. So we went from Siddartha Gautama, the man, 55 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: the prince, to Shakyamuni Buddha, the teaching Buddha of our age, 56 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: the Buddha. That's right. Buddha means awakened one. And like 57 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: you said, during this vision quest, he meditated for forty 58 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: nine days under a Bodhi tree, and I imagine that 59 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: was a wonderful, peaceful experience. Dude. I'll bet his legs 60 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: had such pins and needles. At the end of it, 61 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: came out the other side, uh, enlightened. And this religion 62 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: has since grown, of course, to the point where I mean, 63 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: they're they're approaching like four hundred million followers at this 64 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: point right somewhere there, which is pretty respectable. Yes, very much. 65 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: So for sure, it's got more than mine does. Uh 66 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: how many it's just me, just you. I usually keep 67 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: it secret. You need still, like, give me a pamphlet 68 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: and I'll take a look at it. She's thinking about it. 69 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: I'm working on her. So Uh. Over the years, Buddhism 70 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: has really expanded, uh, to to the point where there's 71 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: just not uh Gautama Buddha. Is that the pronunciation you used? Yeah, 72 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: Gautama's everything I saw, Yeah, Gautama Buddha to where there 73 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: are many, many, many deities, including a bunch of Bodhisattva's Yeah. Yeah, 74 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:42,600 Speaker 1: which by the way, I was like, oh yes, steely 75 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,280 Speaker 1: Dan and ended up listening to every major dude because 76 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: I saw that word in print. Oh man, let me 77 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: some steely dan. It's good stuff. So these are it's 78 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: it's sort of a term for these individuals who work 79 00:04:55,680 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: for enlightenment for everyone. Yeah. I was like, okay, so 80 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: but what is it really? And it depends on who us. So, 81 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:07,720 Speaker 1: if you're a practicing Buddha Buddhist who has really dedicated 82 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:11,719 Speaker 1: yourself to living the Buddhist life, to following the Buddhist path, 83 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:16,600 Speaker 1: you are technically a bodhisatva. But in certain traditions, like 84 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: the one that's practiced largely in Japan and Korea and China, 85 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:25,800 Speaker 1: bodhisatva is actually somebody who's living walking the earth who 86 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: is so Buddhist that they could achieve nirvana. They're actually 87 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,120 Speaker 1: putting off achieving nirvana so they can stay here on 88 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: earth to make it a better place, which makes them 89 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 1: like Mr. Rogers would have been a bodhisatva basically. So 90 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: there's there's bodhisatva's there's the Buddha. But then there's also 91 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: some traditions that say, um, well, you realize the Buddha 92 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: has been born and reborn and reborn multiple times. So 93 00:05:56,320 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: this this um the um Gautama was just the us 94 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:03,440 Speaker 1: recent in a line of twenty eight so far. Apparently 95 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: every time the world gets destroyed, the Buddha is reborn, 96 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: um and right now, in this incarnation of the world, 97 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: Gautama was the became the the teaching Buddha of our age. 98 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 1: And then those those reincarnated versions of the Buddha are 99 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 1: called avatars. So you've got all of them being revered 100 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,720 Speaker 1: as deities as well. So it's kind of understandable how 101 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: you could say, well that that guy technically qualifies as 102 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: the Laughing Buddha, but he's actually another individual, another historical 103 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: figure from what we understand. That's right, And you know, 104 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: that's a great place for a little quick break, and 105 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,599 Speaker 1: we're gonna come back and reveal who the Laughing Buddha 106 00:06:42,640 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: is once and for all, right after this. M alright, 107 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,359 Speaker 1: So you said that the laughing Buddha was one of 108 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: these avatars, a real human being who walked the earth. Uh. 109 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: And tenth century I like tith like you just said. 110 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: It's weirdly sounded like when I didn't have teeth up front. 111 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,120 Speaker 1: It did, but they're all they're chucking, they're looking sharp. Uh. 112 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: Tenth century Chinese monk whose name was not Buddha but 113 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: Buddha I. Okay, so that was his nickname. His real 114 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: name was Zoo. Yeah, I think that was my attempted it. 115 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: So Buddha I spelled b U d a I. And 116 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: he's he's this guy that you see. He was pot bellied. 117 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: He was happy and gregarious. Uh. He would go around 118 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: from village to village with sort of like Santa Claus 119 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,280 Speaker 1: with a big sack over his shoulder. Uh. And in fact, 120 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: his very name means cloth, sack and Chinese. And he 121 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: was a very beloved figure. He helped the poor children 122 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: loved him. He would give out sweet treats and rice 123 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 1: and uh was generally like what you would imagine that 124 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:09,240 Speaker 1: that that character is, except it was a real human right. 125 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: So it's a weird way to say that, right. But 126 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: he because of this this sack um of like goodies 127 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: that he would give the children and the poor. Uh. 128 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: And like you said, he was very Santa Claus like. 129 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: He started to become kind of associated as a Buddha 130 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: that represented like abundance and plenty and contentment and fulfillment 131 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: um kind of materially but not necessarily, but in a 132 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,880 Speaker 1: very Buddhist way. And so the laughing Buddhai just became 133 00:08:39,920 --> 00:08:43,000 Speaker 1: a very lovable, well liked figure, like he was just 134 00:08:43,040 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: the kind of Buddha or Buddhist avatar that anybody could 135 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,080 Speaker 1: get into. But the thing that really kind of cemented 136 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: his position in the pantheon of Buddhist deities was that 137 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: he basically was a self proclaimed incarnation of Buddha. He left, 138 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 1: he wrote a polem on is deathbed in which he 139 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: said basically like, hey, guys, just want to let you 140 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,959 Speaker 1: know the truth. I'm actually the incarnation of the next 141 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: teaching Buddha. Remember we live in a certain era right now, 142 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: and Shakyamuni is the teaching Buddha. Well, the next time 143 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: the world destroys itself, after it's reborn, the incarnation of 144 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: the Buddha that I am, my trea is going to 145 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 1: come back, and then that Buddha will be the teaching 146 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: Buddha for the next era. I was just coming by 147 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: to say what up y'all, Um, have some stuff out 148 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 1: of my goody sack and and just call me future Buddha, right, 149 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 1: So they did. So that that cemented buddhis position in 150 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:45,439 Speaker 1: the pantheon of deities. But the reason why you see 151 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: um Buddhai next to a cash register. Is because over 152 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: time he became associated with restaurants and bartenders. Yeah, which 153 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: is really, uh, really interesting and the only thing that 154 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:01,520 Speaker 1: sort of makes sense is and you know, people have 155 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: researched this, but uh, it became this imagery of this 156 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:10,319 Speaker 1: particular future Buddha became very popular in art and sculpture, 157 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: and this started kind of cropping up in about the 158 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: fifteenth century. And then global trade starts starts expanding sixteenth 159 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: and seventeenth century. Porcelain becomes a big thing, Ceramics becomes 160 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: a big thing, and somehow and all this trade and moving, 161 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: you know, kind of spreading, spreading the word West, that 162 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: the image of this guy, this little happy Buddha, future 163 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: Buddha that is that everyone knows and loves just sort 164 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:40,839 Speaker 1: of got picked up into the West and it became 165 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: sort of like a souvenir. Yeah, like a spoon if 166 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: you're going to St. Louis, if you go to like 167 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 1: like Beijing, you get a laughing Buddha instead. That's right. 168 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,200 Speaker 1: But that's how likable this guy was. Yeah, And to me, 169 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: the most likable thing about Buddhism period is you know, 170 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,560 Speaker 1: if you rub on the Buddhai's belly for good luck 171 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: that had nothing to do with them, And I thought, man, 172 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: just a bunch of dumb white Westerners rubbing on this thing. 173 00:11:08,920 --> 00:11:12,679 Speaker 1: It's probably sacrilegious, but not to Buddhists. They're like, you 174 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: know what, it's all good, rub on that belly. I 175 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 1: don't blame you. It's highly rubbable, calling calum laughing Buddha. 176 00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:23,080 Speaker 1: We don't care. Yeah, it's fine because you know why, 177 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: because we're Buddhists. Yeah, and we're not worried about stuff 178 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 1: like that. And then to button the whole thing up. 179 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: The reason why you see him and why you can 180 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: rub his belly at a restaurants because he became the 181 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: patron saint of restaurant tours and bartenders because of his 182 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: association with contentment and fulfillment and that cool. Yeah, I 183 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:48,080 Speaker 1: love it. And it's just I really can't stress enough 184 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: how like what a charming welcoming the thing that is 185 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: for Buddhist to be Like, you know what, any inequality 186 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 1: that represents Buddha nature is great. It's all good with us. 187 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: I think that's pretty cool, very very cool. Well, that's it, 188 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: that's the laughing Buddha. Now you can point that out 189 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: to everybody the next time you go to a Chinese restaurant, 190 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: and they will love you for it. Um. If you 191 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: want to get in touch with us, you can go 192 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,199 Speaker 1: onto our website, stuff you Should Know dot com. You 193 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: can check out our social links there and then you 194 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,319 Speaker 1: can also send us an email to stuff podcast at 195 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:37,880 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com