Upvote:1
Beautiful answer by Robin111.
But I believe the question is why isn't Buddha represented as emaciated? Specifically why do people have the fat Laughing Buddha statue everywhere especially at the front of business buildings? Mainly this is because it represents wealth, commerce, and overspending, something businesses like. Most when asked say "it's luck." These people feel it attracts abundance.
Other reasons this trend has remained so is because:
Upvote:2
Because people often wish to deny that starvation and illness exist. Even Buddhists find these facts challenging
Upvote:2
The fat, bald, laughing"buddha" is a chinese monk named Ho Tai (or Mi Lo Fa) .
Upvote:5
Because it is not the middle way.
Representing the Buddha as emaciated is likely to lead others to fast like the Buddha, thereby repeating his follies.
The representation of the Buddha is not primarily a representation of the human or of history alone, but of the realized wisdom of a Buddha.
Upvote:6
As @ChrisW linked above, there are many representations of the Buddha in his emaciated state, such as and .
From the book Buddhist Art and Architecture by Robert E. Fisher, a brief mention of this style of portraying the Buddha is found on page 47 when discussing contrast between Roman and Indian styles of portraying the Buddha in art in the Gandhara region where Alexander the Great had just ended his campaign.
The Roman love of portraiture and dramatic realism appeared in the form of images of the emaciated Buddha, a favorite subject of the region but one seldom found in Indian art.
So while the Romans liked this style, it certainly wasn't as popular then (or now) as depictions of the Buddha while not in an emaciated state. As mentioned, the Buddha taught the middle way, so neither his period of luxury nor his period of austerity seem as important or as inspiring as the period of his enlightenment, most popularly depicted with the Buddha looking healthy and serene.