More commonly known as the Happy Buddha or Laughing Buddha, Hotei was a monk of the T’ang Dynasty, recognized for the sack of candy he carried and shared with small children.  He is a figure of Chinese folklore, and one of the Seven Gods of Fortune representing abundance and good health.  He is also thought to be a bodhisattva, one who has dedicated himself to the path of enlightenment like Buddha, or a Maitreya, a future Buddha-like figure who will appear on Earth, achieve enlightenment and teach the Dharma.

The true Buddha began his path to enlightenment after seeing a infirm old man begging and learned of suffering and decided to embrace asceticism. His journey of contemplation eventually brought him to a sacred fig tree where he paused in meditation.  It was there that he attained Bodhi, a perfect state of illumination. From that moment forward, he was Buddha who took to the countryside and preached for 44 years what was to become one of the primary religions of the world until his death at age 80.

Laughing Buddha statues are frequent Asian decor accent found in business and restaurants because he is the deity of contentment and prosperity. This Buddhist icon is most often seen with a sack in tow, filled with candy for children and gifts of food for the less fortunate. Much like Catholicism’s St. Nicholas, Hotai is the patron saint of children, the suffering and the downtrodden.

A laughing Buddha statue portrays a corpulent, bald man whose ample gut can be seen through his sagging robes. While Ho Tai could definitely benefit from a few stomach crunches, his ample belly is symbolic of good luck and wealth. Along with his jolly middle and pleasant smile the Ho  Tai nearly always carries bent, wooden walking stick in one hand and his bag of goodies in the other. The Happy Buddha is most often portrayed as a statue in either a reclined, standing or sitting position. The reclined position most likely originates from the “sleeping Buddha position,” one that reflects the Buddha’s last moments on Earth before he was delivered to Nirvana.

Most often, the happy Buddha Statues are displayed in the home as a talisman of plenitude. Many Ho Tai statues portray the cheerful patron holding gold ingots in his hands while sitting atop a mountain of gold coins. It’s also not unusual to see the Buddha sitting atop a Dragon throne. The Dragon is a icon of security and virility in Asian culture. Other symbolic elements often seen in sculptures and statues of the happy Buddha include a rosary necklace symbolic of prayer, a pauper’s bowl representing the laughing Buddha’s lack of worldly possessions or an oogi. The oogi is a Chinese “wish giving” fan used in the past by Chinese aristocracy as an affectation to guarantee that their wishes would be granted.

In western culture, the happy Buddha is thought of as  the fat Buddha. As a chubby, smiling man who often travels sharing candies and presents to children, Ho Tai most closely matches what Westerners think of as Jolly St. Nick. However, his offerings and blessings can be enjoyed all year. Many believe if you rub the belly of a happy Buddha you are sure to enjoy good fortune and financial success.

Happy Buddha is also considered a patron of restaurateurs and bartenders and is often seen in Chinese and Japanese restaurants. Overindulgence in food and drink are often credited to the influence of the laughing Buddha.

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Intestested in a Laughing Buddha Statue or planning to add a bit of Asian Decor to your home?  Check out the unique selection of Buddha statues and oriental furnishings at Big Buddha Statue.  Rob Mabry is one of the owners of Big Buddha Statue and the author of this and many other articles on ancient culture.

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A lot of feng shui beginners or practitioners are also interested in the history and real story of how feng shui was developed. It is a very good idea to find out more about this because when feng shui was introduced to the western culture and began to gain popularity, a lot of untruths and misconceptions became mixed in with the real practice.

Real Feng Shui History in Ancient China

Asian cultures have always seemed to place a lot of importance on peace, harmony and balance. In Japan, for example, Zen masters taught that hard work and simplicity were keys to peaceful success. In China, it has been believed that you need to respect your surroundings if you want to be at peace.

Chinese experts, according to the true feng shui history, believed that the earth resonated a strong energy. They believed hat this energy should be attracted to, and welcomed into, one’s home. They also believed that certain practices fought this energy, bringing chaos and disruption.

By arranging their buildings and even their furniture and other accessories in the best possible way to respect this energy, the Chinese believed that there could be balance in ones life.

Feng Shui Arrives in the West

Stories about feng shui history become a bit muddled when the practice was introduced to western cultures; no doubt because there were many unscrupulous persons who realized that they could make a fast buck on the unsuspecting westerners who were unfamiliar with this art.

In addition, many New Age elements had begun to be introduced and were confused as being part of feng shui history. In reality, though, these New Age elements have nothing to do with what is true feng shui. For example, crystals, star shaped mirrors, red front doors and other elements are all among these New Age non-feng shui elements.

Some people claim that feng shui can attract vast wealth, cure any physical ailment and several other similar claims but in reality these things are nothing to do with real feng shui. Feng shui history does not include any of these claims and feng shui practitioners do not claim such statements as being true.

However, these experts did firmly believe that using feng shui in the right way can bring positive energy to life. Use of feng shui energy can mean good things as long as you also work to accomplish them yourself. However, feng shui is in no way a “magic pill” that will heal, cure or otherwise influence outside factors positively by itself.

Understanding Real Feng Shui History

If you have a true interest in the art and science of feng shui, its important to really know its history, otherwise you too could fall prey to one of these so-called experts that is not telling you the truth about its real application and use.

Feng shui history is all about order, harmony, positive energy and balance. Stories you might hear which don’t include these elements are probably just folklore and you should ignore them. When you know and understand the truth behind this fascinating science, you will be better equipped to appreciate and use feng shui in your life and in your home.

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When attempting to learn more about and apply the principles of feng shui in their life, many people are drawn to the use of mirrors, believing that this is one of the most basic necessities of this art. However, is this really the case? Do real experts use mirrors in feng shui applications today? How exactly to they work to encourage positive energy in your home, if at all? Lets take a look at some of these thoughts before you run out and purchase a whole set of mirrors for your own home.

The Ancient Use of Mirrors in Feng Shui

Many people understand that feng shui is a harmonious balance of what it refers to as the five elements ” wood, water, fire, metal, and earth. These elements either feed one another or destroy one another; for example, wood feeds fire, but water destroys it. Water feeds wood, but metal destroys wood, and so on. There needs to be a balance between these elements for true feng shui.

In the early times, the mirrors were commonly used in Feng Shui to bring in the metal element. For example a room which had more of earth (like the earthy hues or live plants) could be balanced by introducing the metal in a convenient way.

The use of a mirror in feng shui makes sense in these kinds of spaces, making a dark room seem more sunny and bright and opening up the space since earth tones can make a room claustrophobic feeling.

Todays Use of Mirrors in Feng Shui

However, there is a big difference between this ancient practice and the modern-day use of mirrors in feng shui, and that big difference is that there is typically no real metal used in todays mirrors. Most are a form of modified plastic and other chemicals. You could rightly call them a type of placebo, just faking the introduction of the metal element.

So in this age, how should one use mirrors in feng shui? Simply put, the same way as they are used in any design or decoration scheme: to make rooms seem larger and brighter and spread light around a room, offsetting any closed in, claustrophobia inducing decor.

Mirrors in feng shui are also introduced simply for their decorative value. Feng shui holds that art should be enjoyed for its own sake rather than ascribing spiritual benefit to it. Mirrors are, in feng shui, decoration and should be enjoyed as such. They are not usually made of the metal element in our age and should not be considered as such for the purposes of feng shui.

Finally, in case you are using mirrors for Feng Shui, then please understand that you will need to include a separate metal element; however you can still use them in a dimly lit room where some light is needed or dark corners which need some light.

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Since we are spending one-third of our time in our bedroom; therefore, it is wise to think about Feng Shui bedrooms.

Here are 8 important secrets to making sure our bedroom is fitting the best Feng Shui.

1. Do not put mirrors in the bedroom. Actually there is no place for a mirror if authentic Feng Shui guidelines are followed to the letter because it is believed that mirrors can bounce energies back and forth and thus create an unlimited source of moving energies, which is not ideal in the bedroom where one is supposed to be taking a rest. So, if the functionality of a mirror is desired, have it covered when it’s not in use and only open the cover to use the mirror when necessary.

2. Make sure the lighting in the bedroom is neither too much nor too little. When it’s too much, then the Yang energy is too dominant. It makes it hard for anyone to fall asleep when too much Yang energy is available. When it’s too dim or dark in the bedroom, then such condition is symbolic of too much Yin energy, which makes it hard for anyone to function in the bedroom either.

3. Only put your favorable objects in the bedroom – those that remind you of fond memories and experiences and will bring a smile to you face when being thought of. Do not allow anything that represents unresolved issues that are bothersome by nature in the bedroom because as it is well understood now that everything carries their own vibration, and that physical objects do store memories energetically too.

4. By all means, avoid creating “clutters” and always aim to “de-clutter” on a regular basis. These “clutters” are those big piles of things that are left sitting or standing somewhere in the room. Often times, when people are going through their daily lives so busily, they’d tend to overlook the importance of keeping the space tidy and devoid of “unattended’ structures. When these structures start to grow up on their own, they turn into “blockages” or “obstacles” that “stand in the way” in physical as well as metaphysical sense. When these “clutters” are formed, “obstacles” are created that will block the smooth flow of energies physically and metaphysically. Therefore, when things are not working out the way they should, start to “de-clutter” as this is one sure-fire way to right the wrong when it comes to reclaiming the good and smooth flow of energy.

5. Choosing the right color scheme is very important for getting good Feng Shui in the bedroom as well. Since the bedroom is mostly used for resting our body, mind and spirit, softer color scheme is much preferred to those that are dynamic by nature. Since every color has its own intensity, always choose the low intensity version of the colors to be applied. This way the choices of colors will still be plentiful because one can always choose whatever colors one likes to go along with the plan of creating good Feng Shui in the bedroom.

6. It is always a good Feng Shui idea for the bed to have a headboard with it. Yes, many a bed does not have any headboard because of its special styling. But those that do have headboard are more preferred when it comes to creating good Feng Shui in the bedroom because this insignificant feature provides the most needed “back support” – “backup” – that is very important in terms of good Feng Shui.

7. The bed should be located in the bedroom in such a way that it gives you a secured, stable and comfortable feeling when you’re sleeping on it. It should be leaned right against the wall and there shouldn’t be any space between the headboard and the wall. This is also for the “solid” support that any good Feng Shui setup will have. Never leave any space in between the headboard and the wall or else one will wake up feeling “spacey” and “not grounded” during the day.

8. The bedroom should be located as far away from the main entrance as possible because in authentic Feng Shui practice, the functionality of the Yin and Yang is very carefully configured. In this case, the Yin aspect of the house is our bedroom, and thus it needs to be not mixed up with its counterpart, the Yang, which is the main entrance of the house. The truly amazing power of Feng Shui will be made more evident when the Yin and Yang functionalities are clearly defined and put to work. Therefore, in order to create good Feng Shui in the bedroom, one is to try arranging the overall setup of the house according to this requirement as much as possible right from the beginning stage of building the house.

These 8 secrets, if followed to the letter, will help create good Feng Shui in the bedroom and you will find life so much more enjoyable with things flowing smoothly for you.

Read more about Feng Shui bedroom.

For practical recommendations and suspended ceiling how to – watch this video.

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Have you ever considered that you might be able to use the ancient art of feng shui to help you attain wealth? You can, but first you have to consider some important factors that you want to keep in mind before you begin. First of all, consider what you want to accomplish when you think that feng shui will work to make you wealthy in your particular case.

Do you have some financial problems at present and think that feng shui can magically cure these problems?

Also, when considering using feng shui for wealth, do you really understand what is required of you, the user and the person applying this principle? There is no ancient practice, ritual, art or science that can be applied that will somehow instantly provide you with money and wealth without expecting you to do your part, so to speak. Assuming that you can just somehow petition feng shui for wealth and it will magically arrive on your doorstep is not how things work.

How are these things tied in with each other, then? Many believe that you can use feng shui to attain wealth, and some have said that their own experiences of this were actually successful. What did they do to bring about these results? What things did they avoid in their pursuits of wealth?

You need to remember that feng shui at its essence is all about balance, harmony and calm. You need to bring these elements into your everyday life when you consider your avenues for wealth, including work and employment.

Do you see any ways that you are bringing disharmony or a lack of balance to your career? Many offices these days stress teamwork and expect their employees to understand its importance; those who dont are often the first in line for dismissal. If you are not bringing this attitude to the office, you can soon find yourself unemployed ” and thats no way to build wealth!

In addition, when you consider using feng shui to acquire wealth, remember that feng shui encourages positive energy for accomplishment. Therefore, if you are attempting to pull together a sense of “family togetherness” or fun, think bright colors and upbeat elements for your family room. These things can make everyone in the room feel energized and alive. In turn, this can encourage closeness and energy among members of your family.

What this means in regard to wealth and feng shui, then, is that you need to apply personal and positive energy toward pursuing wealth. This means that you have to work hard, not be wasteful with money, and apply proper ambition to what you do as well. You cannot have wealth without these things.

Unfortunately for many, there is no magic cure when trying to use feng shui for wealth. Painting your front door red or hanging a crystal over a mirror is not going to be enough to fix your finances or to make you wealthy. You will still need to do the work thats necessary. But by applying the real principles of feng shui including harmony, balance, and positive energy, you may find that your circumstances vastly improve and in turn, your wealth will increase.