I suppose you can moderate away any of my commentary, so I’ll keep talking… 😉 I describe Hotei as the “Santa Claus” of the Buddhist world. He was said to be a wandering Chinese monk or Bodhisattva who crafted hand-made toys and gave them to children wherever he wandered. He’s the “Laughing Buddha” that we often see in Chinese restaurants in the States, and he’s the reason that people often think (mistakenly) that the historical Buddha got fat after Awakening. (He’s not likely to have ever had enough surplus food after age 29 to ever put on that much weight.) The children may be rubbing Hotei’s belly for luck. Or they may be trying to tip him over. With children, who knows? 😉
Innovation on Earth 
I suppose you can moderate away any of my commentary, so I’ll keep talking… 😉 I describe Hotei as the “Santa Claus” of the Buddhist world. He was said to be a wandering Chinese monk or Bodhisattva who crafted hand-made toys and gave them to children wherever he wandered. He’s the “Laughing Buddha” that we often see in Chinese restaurants in the States, and he’s the reason that people often think (mistakenly) that the historical Buddha got fat after Awakening. (He’s not likely to have ever had enough surplus food after age 29 to ever put on that much weight.) The children may be rubbing Hotei’s belly for luck. Or they may be trying to tip him over. With children, who knows? 😉