he has become incorporated into buddhist, taoist and shinto. images of him can be found in many temples, restaurants, and businesses. budai has become a god of happiness and plenty in some forms of taoism and buddhism. in japan, hotei is one of the seven lucky gods ("shichi fukujin"). he is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in chinese, the "laughing buddha" (chinese:笑佛).