The Maitreya Buddha

Maitreya Bodhisattva (Sanskrit) is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. Maitreya is a Bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure Dharma. Maitreya Bodhisattva will be a successor of the historic Buddha. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna) and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an actual event that will take place in the distant future.

One mention of Maitreya is a Sanskrit text, the Prophecy of Maitreya, stating that gods, men, and other beings will worship Maitreya and it implies that he is a teacher of trance and those whom diligently engage in his sadhana:

"will lose their doubts, and the torrents of their cravings will be cut off: free from all misery they will manage to cross the ocean of becoming; and, as a result of Maitreya's teachings, they will lead a holy life. No longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives! But they will lead the holy life of chastity under Maitreya's guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance" (Conze 1959:241).

Maitreya is typically pictured seated, with both feet on the ground, indicating that he has not yet completed ascending his throne, which is believed to be in the style of a western throne, not Indian as previously believed. He is dressed in the clothes of either a Bhiksu or Indian royalty. As a Bodhisattva, he would usually be standing and dressed in jewels. Usually he wears a small stupa in his headdress and could be holding a dharmachakra resting on a lotus. A khata is always tied around his waist.

In Mahayana schools, Maitreya is traditionally said to have revealed the Five Treatises of Maitreya through Asanga. These important texts are the basis of the Yogachara tradition and constitute the majority of the Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.

Maitreya’s coming will occur after the teachings of the current Buddha Gautama, the Dharma, are no longer taught and are completely forgotten. Maitreya is predicted to attain Bodhi in seven days (which is the minimum period), by virtue of his many lives of preparation for Buddha-hood (similar to the Jataka stories of Shakyamuni Buddha).

Maitreya’s coming is characterized by a number of physical events. The oceans are predicted to decrease in size, allowing Maitreya to traverse them freely. The event will also allow the unveiling of the “true” dharma to the people, in turn allowing the construction of a new world. The coming also signifies the end of the middle time in which humans currently reside (the low point of human existence between the Gautama Buddha and Maitreya).

Origins

The name Maitreya or Metteyya is derived from the word maitrī (Sanskrit) meaning "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun mitra or friend. The earliest mention of Metteyya is in the Cakavatti (Sihanada) Sutra in the Digha Nikaya of the Pali Canon.

Maitreya, who is sometimes represented seated on a throne Western-style, and venerated both in Mahāyāna and non-Mahāyāna Buddhism, is sometimes considered to have been influenced by the Zoroastrian Mithra, a god of contracts, associated with the Sun[citation needed]. The primary resemblance between the two characters appears to be the similarity of their names. According to a book entitled The Religion of the Iranian Peoples, "No one who has studied the Zoroastrian doctrine of the Saoshyants or the coming saviour-prophets can fail to see their resemblance to the future Maitreya.[1]

Paul Williams claims that some Zoroastrian ideas like Saoshyant influenced the cult of Maitreya, such as "expectations of a heavenly helper, the need to opt for positive righteousness, the future millennium, and universal salvation". Possible objections are that these characteristics are not unique to Zoroastrianism, nor are they necessarily characteristic of the belief in Maitreya. It is also possible that Maitreya Buddha originated with the Hindu Kalki, and that its similarities with the Iranian Mithra have to do with their common Indo-Iranian origin. In China, the cult of Maitreya developed around the same time of that of Amitābha, as early as the 3rd century AD.

Since his death, the Chinese monk Budai (Hotei) has been popularly regarded as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Maitreya. His depiction as the Laughing Buddha continues to be very popular in East Asian culture.

While a number of persons have proclaimed themselves to be Maitreya over the years following the Buddha’s nirvana. A particular difficulty faced by any would-be claimant to Maitreya's title is the fact that the Buddha is considered to have made a number of specific predictions regarding the circumstances that would occur prior to Maitreya's coming including that the teachings of Buddha would be completely forgotten.

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