Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali) is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha.Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition. Routledge, 2009, p. 218. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is also referred to as Ajitā (Invincible, Unconquerable). In Tibetan Buddhism he is known as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One" (Pakpa Jampa). The root of his name is the Sanskrit word maitrī (Pali: metta; meaning friendliness, loving-kindness). The name Maitreya is also related to the Indo-Iranian name Mitra.Jayarava, Visible Mantra: Visualising & Writing Buddhist Mantras, pp. 142-43. 2011 In Hinduism, Maitreya is prophesied to be the king of Shambala, which is also prophesied to be the birthplace of the Kalki Avatar.
In all branches of Buddhism, Maitreya is viewed as the direct successor of Gautama Buddha. As the fifth and final Buddha of the current kalpa (eon), Maitreya's teachings will be focused around re-establishing the Buddha's Dharma on Earth. According to scriptures, Maitreya's teachings will be similar to those of Gautama (Shakyamuni).Horner (1975), The minor anthologies of the Pali canon, p. 97. Regarding Metteyya, Bv XXVII, 19: "I [Gautama Buddha] at the present time am the Self-Awakened One, and there will be Metteyya...." The arrival of Maitreya is prophesied to occur during an era of decline when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have been disregarded or obliviated.
Despite many religious figures and spiritual leaders claiming to be Maitreya throughout history, diverse Buddhist sects insist that these are false claims, while underscoring that Maitreya has yet to appear as a Buddha on the grounds that the Buddha's teachings have not been disregarded. Traditional Buddhists believe that Maitreya currently resides in Tushita heaven. However, Maitreya is not inaccessible, and various Buddhists throughout history have also claimed to have been visited by Maitreya, to have had visions of him, and to have received teachings by him. As such, Mahayana Buddhists traditionally consider Maitreya to be the founder of the Yogacara tradition through his revelation of various scriptures like the Mahāyānasūtrālamkārakā, and the Madhyāntavibhāga.Ruegg, D.S. La Theorie du Tathagatagarbha et du Gotra. Paris: Ecole d'Extreme Orient, 1969, p. 35.Brunnhölzl, Karl, When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sutra and Tantra, Shambhala Publications, 2015, p. 81.Ford, James L. (2006). Jokei and Buddhist Devotion in Early Medieval Japan. Oxford University Press, USA. pp. 69-71.
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The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit word "friendship", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra, signifying "friend". The Pali form Metteyya is mentioned in the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda Sutta (Digha Nikaya 26) of the Pāli Canon, and also in chapter 28 of the Buddhavamsa. Maitreya's prophecy also appears in other texts like the Māhavastu, Lalitavistara, the Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya and the Divyāvadāna.
Due to their similar names, some modern scholars like Przyluski, Lamotte, and Levi have speculated that inspiration for Maitreya may have come from ancient Indo-Iranian deities like Mitra and the future Zoroastrian savior figure of the Saoshyant. David Alan Scott points out many differences in their artistic portrayals (including in the same geographic region) and discrepancies, suggesting that this direct link is unlikely. He also points out the roots of Maitreya in the earliest Buddhist texts. Scott does point out that both deities are personifications of the virtue of friendship, so they do have that in common (maitrī).
Mahayana sutras There are many Mahāyāna sūtras which describe and discuss the bodhisattva Maitreya. He appears as a supporting character in several important Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Lotus Sutra, Vimalakirti Sutra, the Golden Light, the King of Samadhis Sutra, and the Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.
In the Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra meanwhile, Maitreya has an entire chapter in which he preaches the Dharma to the pilgrim Sudhana in one hundred and twenty one verses.Sponberg, Alan; Hardacre, Helen (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. p. 69. Cambridge University Press, 1988. Then Sudhana is allowed to enter Maitreya's palace (Vairocanakutalamkara-garbha), where he has a grand vision of the entirety of Maitreya's bodhisattva career.
In addition, there are also several Mahāyāna sutras which focus specifically on Maitreya, his teachings and future activity. Some key Maitreya sutras in the Chinese canon are the following:
Sutra on the Descending Birth of Maitreya (T.453:421a:421a–423c), translated by Dharmarakṣa (230?–316); Sutra on the Descending Birth of Maitreya (T.454:423c– 425c), translated by Kumārajīva (344–413); Sutra on Maitreya Becoming Buddha (T.456:428b–434b), translated by Kumārajīva (344–413); The Great Vehicle Sūtra Called "Petitioned by Noble Maitreya" (ārya maitriya paripṛhccha nāma mahāyāna sūtra), translated by Bodhiruci Sutra on Maitreya's Descending Birth and Becoming Buddha (T.455:426a–428b), translated by Yijing (635– 713); Sutra on the Time of Maitreya's Arrival (T.457:434b–435a), translator unknown Sutra on the Visualization of Maitreya Bodhisattva's Ascending Birth in Tuṣita Heaven (T.452:418b–420c), translated by Juqu Jing- sheng (?–464)
The Tibetan Buddhist canon meanwhile contains the following Maitreya sutras:
Maitreya-mahāsiṃhanāda (Great Lion's Roar of Maitreya) Maitreyaparipṛcchā (Questions of Maitreya, Ratnakuta section) Maitreyaparipṛcchādharmāṣṭa (Questions of Maitreya on eight dharmas) Maitreyaparipṛcchā (Questions of Maitreya, General sutra section) Maitreyaprasthāna (Maitreya's Setting Out) Maitreya-vyākaraṇa (Prophecy of Maitreya) Ārya-maitri-pratijñā-nāma-dhāraṇī
Other literature Maitreya also appears in other literary works. The Maitreyasamitināṭaka was an extensive Buddhist play in pre-Islamic Central Asia (c. 8th century).古代维吾尔语说唱文学《弥勒会见记》 The Maitreyavyakarana (a poem in śatakam form) in Central Asia and the Anagatavamsa of South India also mention him.
Archeology and art In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in present-day northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha. Numerous sculptures of Maitreya have been found in Greater Gandhara from the Kushan Empire period (30–375 CE). He also appears in Mathura to a lesser extent.Behrendt, Kurt; Brancaccio, Pia. Gandharan Buddhism: Archaeology, Art, and Texts, pp. 17-20. UBC Press, Nov 1, 2011. Maitreya is already depicted at Sanchi before the Kushan period. But art depicting him becomes much more numerous during the Kushan era, when his cult seems to have grown in popularity.
In 4th-6th century China, Buddhist artisans saw Shakyamuni and Maitreya as interchangeable, which indicates that the iconography of the two figures were not fully established at an early date.Angela Falco Howard et al., Chinese Sculpture, Yale University Press, 2006, p. 228 An example is the stone sculpture found in the Qingzhou cache dedicated to Maitreya in 529 CE as recorded in the inscription (currently in the Qingzhou Museum, Shandong). The religious belief of Maitreya apparently developed around the same time as that of Amitābha, as early as the 3rd century CE.
Artistic depictions Maitreya is often depicted standing or sitting on a throne. He is often represented as a northern Indian nobleman or prince with a full head of hair, fine flowing robes, and jewels. Gandharan style images present him with a distinctive long hair loop folded at the top of the head.Behrendt, Kurt; Brancaccio, Pia. Gandharan Buddhism: Archaeology, Art, and Texts, pp. 30-31, 152. UBC Press, Nov 1, 2011.
Maitreya is often depicted carrying a vase or bottle (kamaṇḍalu), an element which goes back to the Gandharan sculptures and which he shares with depictions of the deity Brahma (along with the hair loop).Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations 2nd edition. Routledge, 2009, p. 220. Because of this, some scholars argue that the water bottle and hair loop are symbols of his brahminical origins, and indeed, some stories depict Maitreya as being born to a Human family during his last life. Maitreya is also often shown in a heaven realm, indicating his current location in Tushita.
In Indian symbolism, the kamaṇḍalu pot symbolizes immortality (amrita), fertility, life, and wealth. p.52 p.225 In Buddhism, the similar pūrṇa-kumbha (full bottle) also symbolizes "auspicious abundance", wisdom, health, longevity, wealth, prosperity, and the Buddha's infinite quality of teaching the Dharma. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is termed a bumpa (wisdom urn, ritual vase).
Buddhist Maitreya beliefs
Types of Maitreya myths According to Jan Nattier, there are four main types of the Maitreya myth which we find throughout the history of Buddhism. The typology is based around when and how a devotee expected to encounter the figure of Maitreya:Sponberg, Alan; Hardacre, Helen (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. pp. 25-26. Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Here/now: In this version, a devotee expected to meet Maitreya on earth, during their present lifetime. Here/later: A devotee expected to meet Maitreya on earth at some point after their death, during a future lifetime, perhaps when Maitreya attains Buddhahood and founds a new community. This is the most common and standard myth in which Maitreya's enlightenment is a future event devotees hope to be present for. There/now: In visionary forms of the Maitreya myth, devotees attempted to encounter Maitreya in a vision of his court in Tushita heaven, or to literally travel there by some means (e.g. the story of Asanga's encounter). There/later: A common wish among Maitreya devotees was to be reborn in Maitreya's Tushita palace or "inner court", which is his current Pure land.
Future coming of Maitreya
In all Buddhist traditions, Maitreya is prophesied to be the next Buddha who will arise in this world. He will attain Buddhahood far in the future (5,670,000,000 years from now).Ritzinger, Justin. Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism, p. 13. Oxford University Press, 2017.Sponberg, Alan; Hardacre, Helen (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. p. 30. Cambridge University Press, 1988. Since attaining enlightenment is thought to be much more likely while studying under a living Buddha, many Buddhists have hoped to meet Maitreya and train under him. As Buddhist studies scholar Alan Spongberg writes, Maitreya "came to represent a hope for the future, a time when all human beings could once again enjoy the spiritual and physical environment most favorable to enlightenment and the release from worldly suffering".Sponberg, Alan; Hardacre, Helen (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. pp. 1-2. Cambridge University Press, 1988. The Maitreya legend has provided a positive view of the future for all Buddhist cultures, who have adapted and expressed the prophetic myth in different ways.Sponberg, Alan; Hardacre, Helen (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. p. 2. Cambridge University Press, 1988.
According to Buddhist tradition, each kalpa (a cosmic period lasting millions of years) has several Buddhas. The previous kalpa was the vyuhakalpa (glorious aeon), and the present kalpa is called the bhadrakalpa (auspicious aeon). The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity (saptatathāgata) are seven Buddhas which bridge the last kalpa and the present kalpa, they begin with Vipassī and end (so far) with Gautama (Shakyamuni). Maitreya is thus the eighth Buddha in this line.