A Buddha was a type of individual important to the Human religion of Buddhism. It was said that to pat the belly of a Buddha statue brought good luck.
While inquiring on the function of the Stone of J'Kah, Captain Jonathan Archer wondered if being blessed by it was to give him good luck. Commander Trip Tucker, however, corrected Archer and told him that he must be thinking of the Blarney Stone, or patting the Buddha's belly. (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")
The Kurlan naiskos was described as "like some alien Buddha" in the script of "The Chase". [1]
From the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 1, p. 109), the literal meaning of Buddha was "the enlightened one". Buddha was "an ancient Earth philosopher, circa 5th century BCE, whose teachings form the basis of the nontheistic religion of Buddhism. In Earth folklore, it is considered good luck to rub the abdominal region of icon representations of a statue called the "Laughing Buddha". Although the icon actually represents an ancient Chinese deity, rubbing the belly of the Buddha is regarded as a gesture of respect of both religious figures."