Maitreya , Metteyya , Maitri , Jampa (Wylie: byams pa) or Di-Lặc , is regarded as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature ...
Maitreya
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Maitreya (
Sanskrit),
Metteyya (
Pali),
Maitri (
Sinhalese),
Jampa (
Wylie:
byams pa) or
Di-lặc (
Vietnamese), is regarded as a future
Buddha of this world in
Buddhist eschatology. In some
Buddhist literature, such as the
Amitabha Sutra and the
Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as
Ajita.
According to
Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a
bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete
enlightenment, and teach the pure
dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha,
Gautama Buddha (also known as Śākyamuni Buddha).
[1][2] The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been forgotten by most on the
terrestrial world. This prophecy is found in the canonical literature of all major
schools of Buddhism.
Maitreya has also been adopted for his millenarian role by many non-Buddhist religions in the past such as the
White Lotus as well as by modern
new religious movements such as
Yiguandao.
Sources
The name
Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit word
maitrī "loving-kindness", which is in turn derived from the noun
mitra "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.
[1][2]
Most of the Buddha's sermons are presented as having been presented in
answer to a question, or in some other appropriate context, but this
sutta has a beginning and ending in which the Buddha is talking to monks
about something totally different. This leads scholar
Richard Gombrich to conclude that either the whole sutta is apocryphal or that it has at least been tampered with.
[3]
In the
Greco-Buddhist art of
Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with
Gautama Buddha (often called
Śākyamuṇi "sage of the
Shakya").
In 4th to 6th-century China, "Buddhist artisans used the names
Shakyamuni and Maitreya interchangeably... indicating both that the
distinction between the two had not yet been drawn and that their
respective iconographies had not yet been firmly set".
[4]
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.
[5]
Characteristics
One mention of the prophecy of Maitreya is in the
Maitreyavyākaraṇa. It implies that he is a teacher of meditative trance
sādhanā and states that gods, men and other beings:
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 oneness 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.[6]
General description
Maitreya is typically pictured seated, with either both feet on the
ground or crossed at the ankles, on a throne, waiting for his time. He
is dressed in the clothes of either a
bhikṣu or Indian royalty. As a
bodhisattva, he would usually be standing and dressed in jewels. Usually he wears a small
stupa
in his headdress that represents the stupa with relics of Gautama
Buddha to help him identify it when his turn comes to lay claim to his
succession and can be holding a
dharmachakra resting on a
lotus. A
khata is always tied around his waist as a girdle.
[citation needed]
In the
Greco-Buddhist art of
Gandhara, Maitreya is represented as a Central Asian or northern Indian nobleman, holding a
kumbha in his left hand. Sometimes this is a "wisdom urn" (Sanskrit:
Bumpa). He is flanked by his two acolytes, the brothers
Asanga and
Vasubandhu.
The
Maitreyasamiti was an extensive Buddhist play in pre-Islamic Central Asia.
[7][8] The
Maitreyavyakarana (in Sataka form) in Central Asia and the
Anagatavamsa of
South India also mention him.
[9][10]
Maitreya's Tuṣita Heaven
Maitreya currently resides in the
Tuṣita Heaven (Pāli:
Tusita), said to be reachable through
meditation. Śākyamuni Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the
Tuṣita
Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas.
Although all bodhisattvas are destined to become Buddhas, the concept of
a bodhisattva differs greatly in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In
Theravada Buddhism, a bodhisattva is one who is striving for full
enlightenment (Arahantship in Pali), whereas in Mahayana Buddhism, a
bodhisattva is one who has already reached a very advanced state of
grace or enlightenment but holds back from entering nirvana so that he
may help others.
In Mahayana Buddhism, once Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will rule
over the Ketumati Pure Land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated
with the Indian city of
Varanasi (also known as Benares) in Uttar Pradesh. In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhas preside over a Pure Land (the Buddha
Amitabha presides over the Sukhavati Pure Land, more popularly known as the Western Paradise).
[11]
In Theravadin Buddhism, Buddhas are born as unenlightened humans, and
are not rulers of any paradise or pure land. Maitreya's arising would
be no different from the arising of
Shakyamuni Buddha, as he achieved full-enlightenment as a human being, and died and entered
parinibbana
when the conditions were ripe for his final passing. Orthodox
Theravadin doctrine has much less emphasis on deities and Bodhisattvas,
and do not view Bodhisattvas to be in an unachievable state.
Activity of Maitreya in the current age
Main article:
Maitreya-nātha
In
Mahayana schools, Maitreya is traditionally said to have revealed the
Five Treatises of Maitreya through
Asanga. These texts are the basis of the
Yogachara tradition and constitute the majority of the
Third Turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
Future coming of Maitreya
Statue of Maitreya Buddha in Patan Museum,
Kathmandu
According to Buddhist tradition, each
kalpa has 1,000 Buddhas.
[12] The previous kalpa was the
vyuhakalpa (Glorious aeon), and the present kalpa is called the
bhadrakalpa (Auspicious aeon).
[13] The
Seven Buddhas of Antiquity (
Saptatathāgata) are seven Buddhas which bridge the vyuhakalpa and the bhadrakalpa:
[14]
- Vipassī (the 998th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Sikhī (the 999th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Vessabhū (the 1000th and final Buddha of the vyuhakalpa)
- Kakusandha (the first Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Koṇāgamana (the second Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Kassapa (the third Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
- Gautama (the fourth and present Buddha of the bhadrakalpa)
Maitreya will be the fifth Buddha of the bhadrakalpa, and his arrival will occur after the
teachings of Gautama Buddha are no longer practiced.
The coming of Maitreya will be characterized by a number of physical
events. The oceans are predicted to decrease in size, allowing Maitreya
to traverse them freely. Maitreya will then reintroduce true dharma to
the world.
His arrival will signify the end of the middle time, the time between
the fourth Buddha, Gautama Buddha, and the fifth Buddha, Maitreya,
which is viewed as a low point of human existence. According to the
Cakkavatti Sutta: The Wheel-turning Emperor,
Digha Nikaya 26 of the
Sutta Pitaka of the
Pāli Canon),
Maitreya Buddha will be born in a time when humans will live to an age
of eighty thousand years, in the city of Ketumatī (present Varanasi),
whose king will be the Cakkavattī Sankha. Sankha will live in the palace
where once dwelt King
Mahāpanadā, but later he will give the palace away and will himself become a follower of Maitreya Buddha.
[15]
The scriptures say that Maitreya will attain
bodhi
in seven days (which is the minimum period), by virtue of his many
lives of preparation for Buddhahood (similar to those reported in the
Jataka stories of Shakyamuni Buddha).
At this time a notable teaching he will start giving is that of the
ten non-virtuous deeds (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying,
divisive speech, abusive speech, idle speech, covetousness, harmful
intent and wrong views) and the ten virtuous deeds (the abandonment of:
killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, abusive
speech, idle speech, covetousness, harmful intent and wrong views).
The
Arya Maitreya Mandala, founded by
Anagarika Govinda is based on the idea of the future coming of Maitreya.
Pali sources say that beings in Maitreya's time will be much bigger
than during the time of Sakyamuni. In one prophecy his disciples are
contemptuous of Mahakasyapa, whose head is no larger than an insect to
them. Buddhas robe barely covers two fingers making them wonder how tiny
Buddha was.
Mahākāśyapa is said to be small enough in comparison to cremate in the palm of Maitreya's hand.
[16]
Nichiren Buddhism and Maitreya as metaphor
According to the
Lotus Sutra of
Nichiren Buddhism,
all persons possess the potential to reveal an innate Buddha nature
during their own lifetimes, a concept which may appear to contradict the
concept of Buddha as savior or messiah.
Although Maitreya is a significant figure in the Lotus Sutra, the
explanation of Nichiren is that Maitreya is a metaphor of stewardship
and aid for the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, as written in the Lotus
Sutra:
Moreover...all the bodhisattvas, Bodhisattva Maitreya....will guard
and protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, so one may indeed rest
assured.[17]
In much of his writing, Nichiren mentions the traditional Buddhist
views on Maitreya but explains that the propagation of the Eternal
Dharma of the Lotus Sutra was entrusted by Shakyamuni to the
Bodhisattvas of earth:
The Buddha did not entrust these five characters to Maitreya,
Medicine King, or the others of their group. Instead he summoned forth
the bodhisattvas....from the great earth of Tranquil Light and
transferred the five characters to them.[18]
Thus, each individual can embody the character of the Maitreya because he is a metaphor for compassion:
The name Maitreya means ‘Compassionate One’ and designates the Votaries of the Lotus Sutra.[19]
Maitreya claimants
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 the
East Asian cultural sphere.
[dubious – discuss]
While a number of persons have proclaimed themselves to be Maitreya
over the years following the Buddha’s parinirvana, none have been
officially recognized by the
sangha
and Buddhists. 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 fairly specific predictions regarding the circumstances
that would occur prior to Maitreya's coming; such as that the teachings
of the Buddha would be completely forgotten, and all of the remaining
relics of
Sakyamuni Buddha would be gathered in
Bodh Gaya and
cremated.
[dubious – discuss]
The following list is just a small selection of those people who
claimed or claim to be the incarnation of Maitreya. Many have either
used the Maitreya incarnation claim to form a new Buddhist sect or have
used the name of Maitreya to form a new religious movement or cult.
- In 613 the monk Xiang Haiming claimed himself Maitreya and adopted imperial title.[20]
- In 690 Empress Wu inaugurated the Second Zhou dynasty, proclaimed herself an incarnation of the future Buddha Maitreya, and made Luoyang the "holy capital." In 693 she replaced the compulsory Dao De Jing in the curriculum temporarily with her own Rules for Officials.[21]
- Gung Ye, a Korean warlord and king of short-lived state of Taebong
during the 10th century, claimed himself as living incarnation of
Maitreya and ordered his subjects to worship him. His claim was widely
rejected by most Buddhist monks and later he was dethroned and killed by
his own servants.
- Lu Zhong Yi, the 17th patriarch of I-Kuan Tao, claimed to be an incarnation of Maitreya.
- L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the belief systems Dianetics and Scientology, suggested he was "Metteya" (Maitreya) in the 1955 poem Hymn of Asia.
Numerous editors and followers of Hubbard claim that in the book's
preface, specific physical characteristics said to be outlined—in
unnamed Sanskrit sources—as properties of the coming Maitreya; properties which Hubbard's appearance supposedly aligned with.
- Samael Aun Weor - stated in The Aquarian Message
that "the Maitreya Buddha Samael is the Kalki Avatar of the New Age."
The Kalkian Avatar and Maitreya Buddha, he claimed, are the same "White
Rider" of the book of Revelation.
- Adi Da was suggested by his devotees to be Maitreya: "an
All-Surpassing God-Man yet to come -- a final Avatar, the ultimate
Messiah, a consumate Prophet or Enlightened Sage, a Spiritual Deliverer
who will appear in the 'late-time', the 'dark' epoch when humanity is
lost, apparently cut off from Wisdom, Truth and God. Buddhists call that
Expected One 'Maitreya'." [22]
- Raël's (Claude Vorilhon's) Maitreya claims [1] center on the content of the Agama Sutra (Japanese: Agon Sutra),[23]
supposedly a very ancient text written by Buddha himself, but which has
been deemphasized or forgotten by the majority of Buddhist cultures.[24] Raël has claimed directly to people attending Asia Raëlian Church seminars, that someone born in France, a country which is often symbolized by the cock (or rooster), west of the Orient, meets the criteria of the Maitreya. Rael himself claims to be this individual.[25]
Maitreya sects in China
Maitreya Buddha depicted as
Budai (or Hotei) form.
Pre-Maitreyan Buddhist messianic rebellions
Southern and Northern Dynasties
- 515: The Mahayana Rebellion. In the late summer of that year, the renegade monk Faqing 法慶 married a nun and formed a sect in the Northern Wei
province of Jizhou 冀州 (in the southern part of today’s Hebei province)
with the assistance of a local aristocrat named Li Guibo 李歸伯. The sect
was named the Mahayana ("The Great Vehicle", in reference to Mahayana Buddhism), and Li Guibo was given the titles of Tenth-stage Bodhisattva, Commander of the Demon-vanquishing Army, and King who Pacifies the Land of Han by Faqing.
- Using drugs to send its members into a killing frenzy, and promoting
them to Tenth-Stage Bodhisattva as soon as they killed ten enemies, the
Mahayana sect seized a prefecture and murdered all the government
officials in it. Their slogan was "A new Buddha has entered the world;
eradicate the demons of the former age", and they would kill all monks
and nuns in the monasteries that they captured, also burning all the
sutras and icons. After defeating a government army and growing to a
size of over 50,000, the rebel army was finally crushed by another
government army of 100,000. Faqing, his wife, and tens of thousands of
his followers were beheaded, and Li Guibo was also captured later and
publicly executed in the capital city Luoyang.
- The Fozu Tongji (Comprehensive Records of the Buddha), a chronicle
of Buddhist history written by the monk Zhipan in 1269, also contains an
account of the Mahayana Rebellion, but with significant deviations from
the original account, such as dating the rebellion to 528 rather than
515.[26]
- 516: The Moonlight Child Rebellion. Toward the end of that year, another sect was discovered by local authorities in Yanling. A man named Fa Quan and his associates were claiming that an eight-year-old child Liu Jinghui was a Bodhisattva called the Moonlight Child (yueguang tongzi pusa； 月光童子菩萨), and that he could transform into a snake or a pheasant.
They were arrested and sentenced to death on suspicion of seditious
intent, but Jinghui had his sentence commuted to banishment on account
of his youth and ignorance.[26]
- 517: Early in the spring of that year, surviving remnants of the
Mahayana rebels regrouped and mounted a sudden attack on the capital of
Yingzhou province, which lay just northwest of their original base in
Bohai prefecture. They were repelled only after a pitched battle with an
army of slaves and attendants led by Yuwen Yan, the son of the
provincial governor, and nothing more is known of their fate.[26]
Although a "new Buddha" was mentioned, these rebellions are not considered "Maitreyan" by modern scholars.
[26]
However, they would be a later influence on the rebel religious leaders
that made such claims. Therefore, it is important to mention these
rebellions in this context.
Maitreyan rebellions
Sui Dynasty
- 610: On the first day of the Chinese New Year,
dozens of rebels dressed in white, burning incense and holding flowers
proclaimed their leader as Maitreya Buddha and charged into the imperial
palace through one of its gates, killing all the guards before they
were themselves killed by troops led by an imperial prince. A massive
investigation in the capital (Chang'an) implicated over a thousand families.[26]
- 613: A skilled magician named Song Zixian claimed to be Maitreya in Tang County
(northwest of Yingzhou), and allegedly could transform into the form of
Buddha and make his room emit a glow every night. He hung a mirror in a
hall that could display an image of what a devotee would be
reincarnated as: a snake, a beast or a human being. Nearly a thousand
"from near and far" joined his sect every day, and he plotted to first
hold a Buddhist vegetarian banquet, or wuzhe fohui, and then
attack the emperor who was then touring Yingzhou. The plot was leaked,
and Song was arrested and executed, along with over a thousand families
of his followers.[26]
- 613: The monk Xiang Haiming claimed to be Maitreya in Fufeng
prefecture (western Shaanxi) and led a rebellion. The elite of the
Chang’an area hailed him as dasheng, or holy man, because they
had auspicious dreams after following him, and his army swelled to
several tens of thousands before he was defeated by government troops.[26]
Tang Dynasty
- 710: Wang Huaigu declared, "The Shakyamuni Buddha has declined; a new Buddha is about to appear. The House of Li is ending, and the House of Liu is about to rise".[20]
Song Dynasty
- 1047: Army officer Wang Ze led a revolt of Buddhists expecting Maitreya; they took over the city of Beizhou in Hebei before they were crushed.[27] The Song Dynasty
government declared Maitreya Sects to be "heresies and unsanctioned
religions". Tens of thousands of Maitreya Sect followers were killed.[28]
Yuan and Ming Dynasty
- In 1355, Han Shantong's son, Han Lin'er (韓林兒), was proclaimed "Emperor of the Great [Latter] Song" (大宋, referring to the dead Song Dynasty) (1355-1368?) by Liu Futong. Liu Futong claimed Han Lin'er was a direct descendent of the Zhao
royal family who ruled the Song Dynasty. After Liu Futong's death, Zhu
Yuanzhang took up command of the Red Turban Rebellion and later
assassinated Han Lin'er to become Emperor Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty. (See History)
- According to Beijing University,[29]
| “ |
The leader of White Lotus sect, Han Shantong called himself Ming Wang (明王 - "King of Brightness"), while his son, Han Lin'er called himself Xiao Ming Wang
(小明王 - "Small King of Brightness"), both names reflecting the sect's
beliefs. Zhu Yuanzhang had been a member of the White lotus Sect, and
admitted to have been a branch of the White Lotus rebel army (being at
one time vice-marshal of Xiao Ming Wang). When Zhu Yuanzhang took power,
he chose the dynastic name "Ming". |
” |
This suggests that the
Ming Dynasty was named after the
White Lotus figures of the "Big and Little Bright Kings".
Qing Dynasty
- The Yi He Tuan (義和團), often called in English the "Society of Harmonious Fists" was a 19th-century martial-sect
inspired in part by the White Lotus Society. Members of the "Harmonious
Fists" became known as "Boxers" in the west because they practiced Chinese martial arts.
- 1899: The Boxer Rebellion (義和團之亂). Chinese rebellion from November 1899 to September 7, 1901 against foreign influence in such areas as trade, politics, religion and technology that occurred in China during the final years of the Qing Dynasty. By August 1900, over 230 foreigners, tens of thousands of Chinese Christians,
an unknown number of rebels, their sympathizers and other innocent
bystanders had been killed in the chaos. The uprising crumbled on August
14, 1900 when 20,000 foreign troops entered the Chinese capital, Peking
(Beijing).
Albeit not in the name of Maitreya, both rebellions were perpetrated solely or in part by the
White Lotus Society, a rebellious Maitreya sect.
Speculation
Some have speculated that inspiration for Maitreya may have come from
Mithra, the ancient
Indo-Iranian deity. The primary comparison between the two characters appears to be the similarity of their names.
[31]
Paul Williams claims that some
Zoroastrian ideas like
Saoshyant
influenced the beliefs about 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.
Non-Buddhist views
Theosophy
In
theosophy, the
theosophical Maitreya has multiple aspects signifying not just the future Buddha, but similar concepts from other religious or spiritual traditions.
[32]
In early 20th century, leading theosophists became convinced that an appearance of the Maitreya as a so-called "
World Teacher" was imminent. A
South Indian boy,
Jiddu Krishnamurti,
was thought to be destined as the "vehicle" of the soon-to-manifest
Maitreya; however the manifestation did not happen as predicted, and did
not fulfil theosophists' expectations.
[33]
Post-theosophical movements
Since the growth of the theosophical movement in the 19th century,
and influenced by theosophy's articulations on the Maitreya,
non-Buddhist religious and spiritual movements have adopted and
reinterpreted the concept in their doctrines.
Share International, which equates
Maitreya
with the prophesied figures of multiple religious traditions, claims
that he is already present in the world, but is preparing to make an
open declaration of his presence in the near future. They claim that he
is here to inspire mankind to create a new era based on sharing and
justice.
[34]
In the beginning of the 1930s, the
Ascended Master Teachings
placed Maitreya in the "Office of World Teacher" until 1956, when he
was described as moving on to the "Office of Planetary Buddha" and
"Cosmic Christ" in their concept of a Spiritual Hierarchy.
Islam
Some Muslim scholars who studied Buddhist texts believe that Maitreya
is "Rahmatu lil-'alameen" (Mercy for The Worlds), which is the name for
the prophet
Muhammad as it is said in the
Qur'an.
[35] According to the research on the book
Antim Buddha – Maitreya scholars have surmised that Maitreya Buddha is Muhammad.
[36]
After examining the Buddhist texts, researchers concluded that Muhammad
had been the last and final awakened Buddha to come into existence long
after the current teachings.
[37] The
Ahmadiyya Community believe the 19th-century
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad fulfilled expectations regarding the Maitreya Buddha.
[38]
Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'ís believe that
Bahá'u'lláh is the fulfillment of the prophecy of appearance of Maitreya.
[39][40]
Bahá'ís believe that the prophecy that Maitreya will usher in a new
society of tolerance and love has been fulfilled by Bahá'u'lláh's
teachings on world peace.
[39]
Gallery
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The future Buddha Maitreya, Gandhara, 3rd century CE
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The monk
Budai as an incarnation of Maitreya
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See also
Notes
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