Happy Buddha #1 (Finished Dec 14)

[carolynbb]

Now that Burninate is finished, I'm doing a quick Buddha stitching that I've had queued up. I still want to do the wedding photo for my mom, but am having issues with Photoshop so I'm going to do this one up quick while I'm work on the other photo.

Here's the pic I'm using for Buddha #1 (there's also a #2 that will be stitched later):



And here's how it looks tonight:

[annkor26]

What a cute little Buddha! And a great start! It looks like the color you're using is much darker. Is that just the camera doing that?

[vanessanjf]

What a nice little project

[Like_Fine_VVine]

Excellent start!

[pamelam]

This will be very cute! Great start on it!

[Nachstenliebe]

Awww I dunno if you're supposed to call Buddha cute.. but I can't help but want to pinch his cheeks!
Faith

[Pengwenn]

cute Buddha

[carolynbb]

annkor, I think it's the camera. I started with that color, which is a shading color, because I hadn't yet been to the store to pick up the colors I didn't have yet. So I started with a thread I already had.

It's actually kind of fun to do all of one color first for a piece this small (only ~5880 stitches). Normally I work in four-block squares and do all the colors in that small area, but this is fun.

Isn't he the cutest little buddha?? It's a keychain that I have and it makes me smile every time I see it. He reminds me to do my meditation and keep my cool.

[carolynbb]

Two pictures today!

Here's Buddha after the first color was completely done:



Here he is after the second color is done:

[karen4bells]

very nice progress!! Very interesting to watch this one develop too, quite a cute design!

[Rose]

Super progress but a bit creepy looking.........

[Mabel Figworthy]

It's fund building up a design colour by colour, isn't it? It sometimes gives quite unexpected shapes ... !

[meerkat]

Can't wait to see what Buddha looks like,finished. He's taking shape though

[pamelam]

This is going quickly! Looks great!

[Like_Fine_VVine]

Very nice progress!

[carolynbb]

It's fund building up a design colour by colour, isn't it? It sometimes gives quite unexpected shapes ... !

So true! It's like little ghosts in the pattern. I'm loving it!

[carolynbb]

Third color is done!

[Rose]

You can really see him now!!!!!

[Mabel Figworthy]

Definitely beginning to take (chubby) shape !

A question for those who know more about Buddhism than I do -- I was told once that these laughing well-padded figures are a good luck figure/god rather than buddha, who is usually portrayed as more slim and elegant; is that true?

[carolynbb]

Good question!

The original Buddha was Siddhartha Gautama, a prince in Nepal (well, what's now Nepal, at any rate). He became Buddha after achieving enlightenment.

He is often portrayed as meditating or sitting, and is quite slender:




On the other hand, here's a good explanation of Laughing Buddha:

http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddha/a/l ... buddha.htm" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

When westerners think of "Buddha," usually they don't visualize the Buddha of history, meditating or teaching. Instead, they visualize a fat, bald, jolly character called "The Laughing Buddha." Where did he come from?

The Laughing Buddha emerged from Chinese folktales of the 10th century. The original stories of the Laughing Buddha centered on a Ch'an monk named Ch'i-t'zu, or Qieci, from Fenghua, in what is now the province of Zhejiang. Ch'i-t'zu was an eccentric but much-loved character who worked small wonders such as predicting the weather.

Pu-tai, Protector of Children

The tales of Ch'i-t'zu spread throughout China, and he came to be called Pu-tai (Budai), which means "hempen sack." He carries a sack with him full of good things, such as sweets for children, and he is often pictured with children. Pu-tai represents happiness, generosity and wealth, and he is a protector of children as well as of the poor and the weak.

Today a statue of Pu-tai often can be found near the entrance of Chinese Buddhist temples. The tradition of rubbing Pu-tai's belly for good luck is a folk practice, however, not a Buddhist teaching.

An Ideal Enlightened Master

Pu-tai also is associated with the last panel of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures. These are ten images that represent stages of enlightenment in Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. The last panel shows an enlightened master who enters towns and marketplaces to give to ordinary people the blessings of enlightenment.

Pu-tai followed the spread of Buddhism into other parts of Asia. In Japan he became one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Shinto and is called Hotei. He also was incorporated into Chinese Taoism as a deity of abundance.