religion

The Fat Buddha “Insult”

Before I post stories about my Marinduque Holy Week, I came across a little epiphany while watching a movie while I was processing my bank account to get money for the trip (kinda makes me wish I had check city cash advances… the line was so long at that time ~_~). The movie was called “Necessary Roughness”, and it starred Scott Bakula and Sinbad way back in 1991.

Anyway, even though I wasn’t really paying attention to the movie, but I do remember one part where they insulted one guy as a “Fat Buddha”. Being a chubby person myself, it kind of made me think a little.

Is being called a “Fat Buddha” really an insult?

The way I see it, it’s not.

Look at it this way. The person calling you a “fat buddha” is, for one thing, stupid and foolish. If they had studied religion and philosophy, they would know that the “fat buddha” is not actually the real Buddha. The real Buddha was named Siddharta Gautama, a young man from India who attained enlightenment by meditation, and the founder of Buddhism. His religious icon is that of a young man, sitting in a Lotus Pose (yeah, I know my Yoga XD). Buddha is also given to several other people, because the name itself means “enlightened one”.

Second, the “fat buddha” term is mistaken… it’s called a Budai. It’s Chinese diety. Buddha is, of course, the founder of Buddism, while Budai, is one of the deities of the Chinese Zen. He is also included in the Buddist teachings, but he is more known as “The Laughing Buddha” rather than just “Buddha”.

And finally, Budai, even though his appearance is that of a bald, short and fat man, is often times called the representation of contentment and enlightenment. He did not care if the world made fun of his belly or his looks. He is laughing because he is content of his life. He helped the poor and the destitute, and he understood the ways of the world. Society’s view of physical appearances didn’t matter to him. He’s laughing because he is content and happy with life and his life’s work. He is enlightened and happy… hence the name “Laughing Buddha”.

So yeah, the next time someone calls you a “Fat Buddha”, don’t be afraid to say, “Hey! Thank you!”. Why? Because it means you are enlightened. That you are happy and content with what you are, and with what you do, and what you look like. Consider it as a compliment. That ought to throw your enemy in loop. They’d go, “Why the heck is this guy thanking me when I insulted him?”. And you, having read and learned this, would just smile, knowing that the person who insulted you had just called you a happy and content “Enlightened One”. ^_^