WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Laughing Buddha

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the podcast, the Short Podcast. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just there. I still look forward to those intros. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry to let you down every time. You'll never

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<v Speaker 1>learn what you know. I think it's great and enjoy them. Well, okay,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm glad one of us does so. Um. We are

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<v Speaker 1>talking today about Buddhism, which is an extraordinarily complex, nuanced,

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<v Speaker 1>layered world religion, one of the Big seven at least. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's going to be a lot of stuff we're

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<v Speaker 1>not going to talk about. There's going to be terms

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<v Speaker 1>that we don't necessarily bring into it. The point is, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not wrong. Okay, we're talking about a major religion

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<v Speaker 1>on a short stuff episode that's supposed to be fifteen

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<v Speaker 1>minutes or less. So just go into it. Giving us

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<v Speaker 1>a break. Yeah, because this is not about Buddhism as

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<v Speaker 1>a whole. Uh. This is about because we've we've talked

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<v Speaker 1>about it here and there. I believe we did one

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<v Speaker 1>on Nirvana yep, correct, Um, so we know a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit about it in Karma, right, Yeah, we did that

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<v Speaker 1>one too. We danced around Buddhism, which is a bee

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<v Speaker 1>from what I understand. But specifically, this is about a

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<v Speaker 1>bit of a chotchkey. This is about the little, happy, jolly, chubby,

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<v Speaker 1>usually shirtless, laughing Buddha. He looks like Rick Ross that

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<v Speaker 1>you see kind of does that you see? And uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, if you go to Chinatown and go to

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<v Speaker 1>a little tourist trap shop there, you might see these.

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<v Speaker 1>You might see him at a Asian restaurant by the

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<v Speaker 1>cash register if your chuck. You might have seen one

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<v Speaker 1>on his desk for many years. Oh yeah, you do

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<v Speaker 1>have that one. Yeah, that someone gave it to me

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<v Speaker 1>years and years and years ago, a little bank and uh,

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know, he's just got a happy little face.

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<v Speaker 1>So I liked it. He definitely does. And he's just smiling.

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<v Speaker 1>You can't even see his eyeballs, he's smiling so much.

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<v Speaker 1>And everybody knows that that's the laughing Buddha. But here's

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<v Speaker 1>the thing that's not Buddha. Nope, not technically Buddha in

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<v Speaker 1>in the very Buddhist way. Yes, he counts as Buddha

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<v Speaker 1>in some way, shape or form, and we'll kind of

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<v Speaker 1>explain that. But when you're talking about Buddha, when most

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<v Speaker 1>people who are not Buddhists point to that and say, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>that's Buddha. You're wrong. That's not Buddha that you're thinking.

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<v Speaker 1>There is one Buddha who is the Buddha, the teaching

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<v Speaker 1>Buddha for our era that we live in right now.

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<v Speaker 1>Capital t e Buddha exactly and not just capitalized, Chuck

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<v Speaker 1>italicized as well. So the Buddha his He was an

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<v Speaker 1>actual man who lived in the eighth century in India,

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<v Speaker 1>and his name was Siddartha Gautama, and he became a

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<v Speaker 1>He was actually born a wealthy prince, had a great wife,

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<v Speaker 1>had a kid, was just living the life, but found

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<v Speaker 1>that he was still unsatisfied, unfulfilled. He needed to know

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<v Speaker 1>what the meaning of life was. So he went on

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<v Speaker 1>basically a vision quest and figured it out and achieved nirvana,

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<v Speaker 1>and in doing so he became the the Buddha. And

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<v Speaker 1>I believe his name changed to um what is his

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<v Speaker 1>name O? Shakyamuni. So we went from Siddartha Gautama, the man,

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<v Speaker 1>the prince, to Shakyamuni Buddha, the teaching Buddha of our age,

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<v Speaker 1>the Buddha. That's right. Buddha means awakened one. And like

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<v Speaker 1>you said, during this vision quest, he meditated for forty

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<v Speaker 1>nine days under a Bodhi tree, and I imagine that

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<v Speaker 1>was a wonderful, peaceful experience. Dude. I'll bet his legs

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<v Speaker 1>had such pins and needles. At the end of it,

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<v Speaker 1>came out the other side, uh, enlightened. And this religion

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<v Speaker 1>has since grown, of course, to the point where I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>they're they're approaching like four hundred million followers at this

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<v Speaker 1>point right somewhere there, which is pretty respectable. Yes, very much.

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<v Speaker 1>So for sure, it's got more than mine does. Uh

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<v Speaker 1>how many it's just me, just you. I usually keep

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<v Speaker 1>it secret. You need still, like, give me a pamphlet

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll take a look at it. She's thinking about it.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm working on her. So Uh. Over the years, Buddhism

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<v Speaker 1>has really expanded, uh, to to the point where there's

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<v Speaker 1>just not uh Gautama Buddha. Is that the pronunciation you used? Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>Gautama's everything I saw, Yeah, Gautama Buddha to where there

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<v Speaker 1>are many, many, many deities, including a bunch of Bodhisattva's Yeah. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>which by the way, I was like, oh yes, steely

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<v Speaker 1>Dan and ended up listening to every major dude because

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<v Speaker 1>I saw that word in print. Oh man, let me

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<v Speaker 1>some steely dan. It's good stuff. So these are it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's sort of a term for these individuals who work

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<v Speaker 1>for enlightenment for everyone. Yeah. I was like, okay, so

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<v Speaker 1>but what is it really? And it depends on who us. So,

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<v Speaker 1>if you're a practicing Buddha Buddhist who has really dedicated

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<v Speaker 1>yourself to living the Buddhist life, to following the Buddhist path,

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<v Speaker 1>you are technically a bodhisatva. But in certain traditions, like

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<v Speaker 1>the one that's practiced largely in Japan and Korea and China,

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<v Speaker 1>bodhisatva is actually somebody who's living walking the earth who

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<v Speaker 1>is so Buddhist that they could achieve nirvana. They're actually

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<v Speaker 1>putting off achieving nirvana so they can stay here on

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<v Speaker 1>earth to make it a better place, which makes them

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<v Speaker 1>like Mr. Rogers would have been a bodhisatva basically. So

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<v Speaker 1>there's there's bodhisatva's there's the Buddha. But then there's also

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<v Speaker 1>some traditions that say, um, well, you realize the Buddha

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<v Speaker 1>has been born and reborn and reborn multiple times. So

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<v Speaker 1>this this um the um Gautama was just the us

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<v Speaker 1>recent in a line of twenty eight so far. Apparently

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<v Speaker 1>every time the world gets destroyed, the Buddha is reborn,

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<v Speaker 1>um and right now, in this incarnation of the world,

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<v Speaker 1>Gautama was the became the the teaching Buddha of our age.

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<v Speaker 1>And then those those reincarnated versions of the Buddha are

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<v Speaker 1>called avatars. So you've got all of them being revered

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<v Speaker 1>as deities as well. So it's kind of understandable how

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<v Speaker 1>you could say, well that that guy technically qualifies as

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<v Speaker 1>the Laughing Buddha, but he's actually another individual, another historical

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<v Speaker 1>figure from what we understand. That's right, And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>that's a great place for a little quick break, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're gonna come back and reveal who the Laughing Buddha

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<v Speaker 1>is once and for all, right after this. M alright,

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<v Speaker 1>So you said that the laughing Buddha was one of

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<v Speaker 1>these avatars, a real human being who walked the earth. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>And tenth century I like tith like you just said.

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<v Speaker 1>It's weirdly sounded like when I didn't have teeth up front.

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<v Speaker 1>It did, but they're all they're chucking, they're looking sharp. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>Tenth century Chinese monk whose name was not Buddha but

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<v Speaker 1>Buddha I. Okay, so that was his nickname. His real

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<v Speaker 1>name was Zoo. Yeah, I think that was my attempted it.

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<v Speaker 1>So Buddha I spelled b U d a I. And

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<v Speaker 1>he's he's this guy that you see. He was pot bellied.

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<v Speaker 1>He was happy and gregarious. Uh. He would go around

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<v Speaker 1>from village to village with sort of like Santa Claus

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<v Speaker 1>with a big sack over his shoulder. Uh. And in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>his very name means cloth, sack and Chinese. And he

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<v Speaker 1>was a very beloved figure. He helped the poor children

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<v Speaker 1>loved him. He would give out sweet treats and rice

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<v Speaker 1>and uh was generally like what you would imagine that

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<v Speaker 1>that that character is, except it was a real human right.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's a weird way to say that, right. But

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<v Speaker 1>he because of this this sack um of like goodies

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<v Speaker 1>that he would give the children and the poor. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>And like you said, he was very Santa Claus like.

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<v Speaker 1>He started to become kind of associated as a Buddha

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<v Speaker 1>that represented like abundance and plenty and contentment and fulfillment

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<v Speaker 1>um kind of materially but not necessarily, but in a

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<v Speaker 1>very Buddhist way. And so the laughing Buddhai just became

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<v Speaker 1>a very lovable, well liked figure, like he was just

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<v Speaker 1>the kind of Buddha or Buddhist avatar that anybody could

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<v Speaker 1>get into. But the thing that really kind of cemented

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<v Speaker 1>his position in the pantheon of Buddhist deities was that

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<v Speaker 1>he basically was a self proclaimed incarnation of Buddha. He left,

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<v Speaker 1>he wrote a polem on is deathbed in which he

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<v Speaker 1>said basically like, hey, guys, just want to let you

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<v Speaker 1>know the truth. I'm actually the incarnation of the next

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<v Speaker 1>teaching Buddha. Remember we live in a certain era right now,

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<v Speaker 1>and Shakyamuni is the teaching Buddha. Well, the next time

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<v Speaker 1>the world destroys itself, after it's reborn, the incarnation of

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<v Speaker 1>the Buddha that I am, my trea is going to

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<v Speaker 1>come back, and then that Buddha will be the teaching

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<v Speaker 1>Buddha for the next era. I was just coming by

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<v Speaker 1>to say what up y'all, Um, have some stuff out

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<v Speaker 1>of my goody sack and and just call me future Buddha, right,

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<v Speaker 1>So they did. So that that cemented buddhis position in

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<v Speaker 1>the pantheon of deities. But the reason why you see

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<v Speaker 1>um Buddhai next to a cash register. Is because over

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<v Speaker 1>time he became associated with restaurants and bartenders. Yeah, which

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<v Speaker 1>is really, uh, really interesting and the only thing that

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<v Speaker 1>sort of makes sense is and you know, people have

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<v Speaker 1>researched this, but uh, it became this imagery of this

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<v Speaker 1>particular future Buddha became very popular in art and sculpture,

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<v Speaker 1>and this started kind of cropping up in about the

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<v Speaker 1>fifteenth century. And then global trade starts starts expanding sixteenth

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<v Speaker 1>and seventeenth century. Porcelain becomes a big thing, Ceramics becomes

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<v Speaker 1>a big thing, and somehow and all this trade and moving,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, kind of spreading, spreading the word West, that

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<v Speaker 1>the image of this guy, this little happy Buddha, future

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<v Speaker 1>Buddha that is that everyone knows and loves just sort

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<v Speaker 1>of got picked up into the West and it became

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<v Speaker 1>sort of like a souvenir. Yeah, like a spoon if

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<v Speaker 1>you're going to St. Louis, if you go to like

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<v Speaker 1>like Beijing, you get a laughing Buddha instead. That's right.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's how likable this guy was. Yeah, And to me,

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<v Speaker 1>the most likable thing about Buddhism period is you know,

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<v Speaker 1>if you rub on the Buddhai's belly for good luck

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<v Speaker 1>that had nothing to do with them, And I thought, man,

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<v Speaker 1>just a bunch of dumb white Westerners rubbing on this thing.

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<v Speaker 1>It's probably sacrilegious, but not to Buddhists. They're like, you

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<v Speaker 1>know what, it's all good, rub on that belly. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't blame you. It's highly rubbable, calling calum laughing Buddha.

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<v Speaker 1>We don't care. Yeah, it's fine because you know why,

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<v Speaker 1>because we're Buddhists. Yeah, and we're not worried about stuff

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<v Speaker 1>like that. And then to button the whole thing up.

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<v Speaker 1>The reason why you see him and why you can

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<v Speaker 1>rub his belly at a restaurants because he became the

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<v Speaker 1>patron saint of restaurant tours and bartenders because of his

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<v Speaker 1>association with contentment and fulfillment and that cool. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>love it. And it's just I really can't stress enough

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<v Speaker 1>how like what a charming welcoming the thing that is

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<v Speaker 1>for Buddhist to be Like, you know what, any inequality

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<v Speaker 1>that represents Buddha nature is great. It's all good with us.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's pretty cool, very very cool. Well, that's it,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the laughing Buddha. Now you can point that out

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<v Speaker 1>to everybody the next time you go to a Chinese restaurant,

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<v Speaker 1>and they will love you for it. Um. If you

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<v Speaker 1>want to get in touch with us, you can go

0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.199
<v Speaker 1>onto our website, stuff you Should Know dot com. You

0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:17.320
<v Speaker 1>can check out our social links there and then you

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<v Speaker 1>can also send us an email to stuff podcast at

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuff Works dot com