BUDAI (MAITREYA)

Image of the Chinese character known as Budai, Chinese for “cloth sack”. Qici, Budai’s original name, lived in the 10th century in the southern province of Zhejiang (China). As a monk, he traveled through towns and villages dressed as a beggar and dragging a hemp sack, from which he got his popular name. With his various performances, Budai showed the spirit of Chan (Zen) Buddhism centered on teaching through paradox, whether intellectual or vital. Multiple legends were woven around his figure, even seeking a lineage with Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. As we can see in these two pieces, Budai acquires in the popular iconography the aspect of a person always cheerful, seated with the right knee raised and the left leg in a relaxed attitude, simulating the posture of lalitasana. He is covered with a light cloak that leaves his chest uncovered, and his smiling attitude leads to the lines of his forehead. Her bulging belly is synonymous, in the Chinese context, with abundance, while her smile and relaxed attitude reflect the spiritual state of peace and harmony she achieved by following the teachings of Chan Buddhism. Like other popular figures of the Chinese pantheon, such as Guanyin, the Eight Immortals or the Mother Goddess of the West, they were widely reproduced during the Qing dynasty in different types of ceramics. Their use was not exclusive to temples, but also to family altars and in public places, a custom that is still widespread today. I.C.F. Extracted from: Isabel CERVERA FERNÁNDEZ: Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta. Asian Art Collection. Granada, 2002. Bibliography: CERVERA, I.: Art and Culture in China. Concepts, terms and materials. Barcelona, 1997.