One of the largest statues of the Buddha in the United States rises 30 ... ‘Please observe noble silence,’ you have people laughing, chatting, as they ’re coming out to give their offerings.” ...

It is also the site of the world's largest stone statue of Buddha. The Great Buddha at Leshan This colossal statue was carved on a cliff on Soaring to the Clouds Hill facing the three rivers.

He carries a large sack full of odds and ends and shares his “treasures” with children. Some texts even identify Hotei as a buddha ... and beard on the Hotei statue in Tokyo’s Maitreya ...