Daruma
The Daruma ( Japanese だ る ま ) is one of the most popular lucky charms in Japan . It is made of paper mache and is weighed down with a weight so that it cannot fall over. Thus he gives courage to straighten up in every situation. It is often sold in Buddhist temples. The Japanese characters luck or success are written on the Daruma figures.
The figure represents the Buddhist monk and Zen patriarch Bodhidharma ( 達磨 , Daruma - hence the name of the figure). The representation of the figure without arms and legs goes back to the fact that the monk allegedly sat in the meditation seat in front of a rock wall for nine years to attain enlightenment. Since you don't need arms and legs in the meditation seat, they are also missing from the lucky charm. The monk is also said to have mastered yoga and various martial arts and to be the founder of the Shaolin martial arts . According to legend, Daruma fell asleep once during this meditation. When he woke up, he was so annoyed by this indiscipline that he cut off his eyelids, hence his big eyes.
Daruma is seen as a helper in fulfilling wishes. First of all, paint an eye of the lucky charm and put it in a place where you can come by every day if possible. If the wish has been fulfilled, the other eye is painted. Then the figure can be cremated in a temple.
In the 18th century the figure is united with the stand-up man .
In Japan, snowmen are called "Snow-Daruma" ( 雪 達磨 , Yuki-Daruma ).
See also
- Daruma-shū , an early branch of Zen Buddhism
literature
- Henry Punsmann: Daruma, a Symbol of Good Luck . In: Asian Folklore Studies , vol. 21, 1962. ( PDF; 800 kB )
