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A question about the community picture.
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It looks like the Moderator hasn't been around since 2007...so getting the picture changed could be tricky...
Out of curiosity, what image do you think would be best?? Or as another question, what is your favorite image of Buddha??
Symbols don't really matter... Laughing, or Future Buddha is still a symbol of Buddhism, even if its not a symbol of Gautama. Personally, I'd have picked something simple like a Dharma Wheel, but thats just down to personal preferance. Reclining or meditative Buddhas can be peaceful to look upon, but I think it's more important to think of him as a living, flesh and blood man.
Now, as far as I know, the "fat Buddha" statue we know and most people mistakenly associate with Siddhartha Gautama, isn't a representation of the historical Buddha, but of a Buddhist monk named Qieci.
Edited to add this reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budai
I'm not sure whether this information is accurate or not, but if it's true, shouldn't a change of images be considered? I'm asking this only because there seems to be a great deal of confusion about this statue.
Please, I hope I'm not offending anyone here. It's just a question.