Porcelain seated figure of Budai or Laughing Buddha

Long ago there was a Chinese fisherman who lived in a small coastal village. He was known as Xinyung, or 'Mr. Lucky' to his friends and family because he never returned home with an empty net. One day he went out to sea and spotted a drowning boy crying for help. Without hesitation he hauled the boy onto his boat, and seeing his dire condition quickly sailed home so he and his wife could care for him. They clothed and fed the boy, and made a bed for him to sleep so he could recover from his ordeal. In the morning the boy was gone, and so too was the fisherman’s boat!

Budai, or Laughing Buddha is known as the 'patron saint of good fortune'

Now the villagers gathered together and declared the fisherman’s luck had changed. He hadn’t caught any fish, but instead, someone who appeared to be an ungrateful thief.  The fisherman just said, “We’ll see.” He knew the real secret to his good luck was a small statue of Budai, the Laughing Buddha that had been in his family for generations. The following day a brand new fishing boat appeared at his dock, compliments of the boy, who it turned out was the son of a rich merchant. Although the villagers said his luck had returned, he knew the gift was really from Budai, who had never gone anywhere.

This week’s New Arrival features a porcelain figure of Budai, whose story began long before the fisherman’s. Budai was a friendly, compassionate monk who roamed the countryside pulling countless gifts from a cloth sack that never seemed to empty. It didn’t take long for him to become “the patron saint of good fortune” – and not just in China, but in many places all over the world!  It doesn’t matter if you believe Budai’s story or the fisherman’s tale. You need only believe that having Budai nearby will allow you to see the silver lining in most situations, so you too may confidently say, “we’ll see.”

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