Maitreya the Future Buddha (sutra)

ExoticIndiaArt.com; sutra (DN 26); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Tibetan thangka painting of Maitreya Buddha as "deity" (exoticindiaart.com)

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Maitreya thangka with brocade (Exotic India Art)

Maitreya (from maitri or "friend," embodiment of "loving-kindness"), the "kindly one," is a bodhisattva ("being striving for enlightenment") according to the sutras or a buddha (supremely enlightened one) according to the tantras.

When he is represented as a buddha, he is shown seated. But the legs, instead of being crossed, are pendent.

He is the only "divinity" (deva) in the Himalayan Buddhist pantheon represented seated in European fashion.

He has the signs of a buddha such as long earlobes, urna (auspicious bump with curled hair between eyebrows), and the ushnisha (cranial bump on the crown of his head, symbolizing wisdom), and he wears the robes of a wandering ascetic.

Maitreya, also known as "the Future Buddha," is now thought to be living on the Tushita plane waiting for the right time to come down to earth. Tushita is one of the celestial deva worlds above Mount Sumeru and is considered the special field of future buddhas.

Tibetans believe that if someone makes statues and thangka paintings of Maitreya Buddha and chants the mantra "The Promise of Maitreya Buddha," that person will be reborn in Tushita after death.

Shown with an extremely sweet and gentle countenance, he holds in his left hand, between thumb and forefinger, the stem of a lotus flower. The bloom of this lotus supports a wheel. This is the Buddhist wheel of spiritual instruction (eight spokes of the Noble Eightfold Path).

His right hand is held in the varada-mudra (Tibetan mchog sbyin gyi phyag rgya) of generosity or boon granting, with the palm facing downwards and the fingers extended.

Surmounting his image is a royal parasol (Tibetan gdugs, suggestive of a vimana-UFO), the traditional symbol of both protection and royalty. More

• Maitreya (Metteyya) Sutra, flawed translation

SUTRA: "The Wheel-Turning Monarch"
Wisdom Quarterly translation (Pali canon, Cakkavati Sutra, based on Ven. Thanissaro, DN 26)

Future Buddha Maitreya, India (Sahil Vohra/flickr)

Another Buddha -- Maitreya (Pali "Metteyya") -- will gain enlightenment, his monastic community (Sangha) numbering in the thousands.

The greatest king of the time, King Sankha, will go forth into the left-home life of a wandering ascetic and attain full enlightenment as a disciple under Metteyya's guidance.

The story, after chronicling the ups and downs of human wealth, life span, and so on concludes with the following lesson on karma and skillful action:

"...Meditators, live with yourself as your island (lamp), yourself as your refuge (safe resort), with nothing else as your refuge. Live with the Dharma as your island, the Dharma as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge.

• [Note 1: May also be translated as: "Live with phenomena (dharmas) as your island, phenomena as your refuge, with nothing else as your refuge," where the only real "refuge" (sarana) is nirvana. Other things called "refuge," namely the Three "Refuges" are actually mistranslated and are actually "guides." See Henry Steel Olcott for correct etymology.]

"And how does a meditator [do so]? In one instance a meditator remains focused on the body in and of itself-- ardent, alert, and mindful -- setting aside craving and grief for the world.

"One remains focused on feelings (sensations) in and of themselves... mind in and of itself... mental formations in and of themselves -- ardent, alert, and mindful -- setting aside greed and grief for the world.

"This is how one lives with oneself as an island, as a refuge, with nothing else as a refuge, with the Dharma as an island, the Dharma as refuge, with nothing else as a refuge...." More