Lucky Buddha Bottle with Lucky Louisiana Green Rice

Lucky Buddha is an actual deity in Chinese and Japanese folklore. In Chinese, he is referred to as Budai or "Laughing Buddha" and in Japanese he is called "Hotei." His name means "Cloth Sack" which refers to the sack of belongings he usually carries. He is typically depicted as poor but content and always happy and smiling. This Lucky Buddha is holding up a bowl filled with gold.

According to Chinese lore, Budai was an eccentric monk known for his good will and character. He is admired for his happiness, plentitude, wisdom and contentment. As these are characters humans strive for, his presence in the form of a picture, figure, charm, amulet or bottle keeps these qualities close, ever reminding us that attitude and perception are often the only things standing in the way of our ultimate success. It is popularly believed that rubbing his stomach will bring wealth, luck and prosperity.

In Japanese lore, Hotei exists as one of the Seven Lucky Gods (Shichi Fukujin) of Taoism. 

I love being a spiritual artist because it makes me happy among other things. This is one of my hand painted with 18 carat gold paint Lucky Buddha Bottles filled with hand crafted Louisiana Lucky Green rice with shredded money. The cork is peyote stitched with a lucky Chinese coin and tiny Swarovski crystal. Open them up and they smell like Algiers Fast Luck formula (which is a blend of wintergreen, cinnamon, vanilla and patchouli - yes it is a unique but very pleasant fragrance). I love these bottles and have so much fun making them...it was Mitchell Tibbs who introduced me to the Lucky Buddha beer and since I don't drink I was happy to discover it is very cheap beer, lol so I can go buy a case at a time and paint away. I've painted them in red and lavender, but I am partial to lavender. Keep one on your prosperity altar, with your money, or anywhere you want to be reminded that wealth and abundance can be yours!