Audio 0021-4 English
This brings us to Exhibit No. 4, featuring the Bodhisattva Maitreya and the Four Heavenly Kings. The Bodhisattva Maitreya is in the middle, grinning ear to ear. He has a bulbous chin, thick earlobes, round breasts, a big belly, and a radiant smile. The Bodhisattva Maitreya is most commonly portrayed in this way. This relates to the Thirty-Two Marks of a Buddha. Bodhisattvas wish to save all sentient beings from their suffering, to form good relationships with them, and to teach them the causes of happiness. In ancient times, a poem was written to explain the meaning of this: “Before my eyes are people with good causes, and we are closely bonded. How can I not be happy? On earth, many things are difficult to bear. Each person receives the results of their own actions. What harm is there in having a big belly and smile?”
This brings us to Exhibit No. 4, featuring the Bodhisattva Maitreya and the Four Heavenly Kings. The Bodhisattva Maitreya is in the middle, grinning ear to ear. He has a bulbous chin, thick earlobes, round breasts, a big belly, and a radiant smile. The Bodhisattva Maitreya is most commonly portrayed in this way. This relates to the Thirty-Two Marks of a Buddha. Bodhisattvas wish to save all sentient beings from their suffering, to form good relationships with them, and to teach them the causes of happiness. In ancient times, a poem was written to explain the meaning of this: “Before my eyes are people with good causes, and we are closely bonded. How can I not be happy? On earth, many things are difficult to bear. Each person receives the results of their own actions. What harm is there in having a big belly and smile?”