All over the Buddhist world, there are Maitreya devotees. Maitreya is the sole bodhisattva recognised and revered by the Theravadins since he’s mentioned in the Pali Canon as well as later scriptures. Metteyya (Maitreya’s Pali name) is the Buddha who will arise in the next world age after the Sangha established by Shakyamuni, ‘our’ Buddha has died out and his teachings have been lost. So Maitreya is known as the Buddha of the Future. ‘Maitreya’ means ‘the Friendly One’ or ‘the Loving One’. In Tibet, he's called Pakpa Jampa – ‘the Lord of Love’, or the ‘Noble Loving One’. Therefore as well as Buddha of the Future, Maitreya is also the bodhisattva of metta or maitri.
At the centre of the Refuge Tree of the Triratna Buddhist Order sit the Buddhas of the Three Times: Dipankara, Buddha of the Past, Shakyamuni, Buddha of the Present, and Maitreya, Buddha of the Future. Although Maitreya is a major figure in traditions all over the Buddhist world and sits at the heart of our Refuge Tree, Maitreya has remained little-known within Triratna. Maitreya’s sadhana (visualisation and mantra recitation practice) wasn’t one of those transmitted to our founding teacher, Sangharakshita, by his Tibetan teachers - although he did introduce Maitreya’s mantra to the Order and movement.
People who, despite this, have connected with the rich and fascinating figure of Maitreya often ask me where they can find out more. I have to say: ‘Well, there isn’t much’ – not of an accessible nature, anyhow. As an additional complication, if you try to research Maitreya on the internet, what you quickly discover is that there are many small religious groups all over the world who have been attracted to Maitreya as a ‘future saviour’ figure, or whose leaders believe quite literally that they are Maitreya. What they teach is not necessarily related in any way to Buddhism, and does not always look like moving towards wisdom and compassion. As a Maitreya devotee myself, I have written this piece for those people who asked me how to delve deeper and explore their relationships with this figure: Maitreya, Bodhisattva of Maitri (metta) and Buddha of the Future.
The chapter headings give a sense of the themes:
- In Relation to the World: Bodhisattva of Metta
- Wisdom and Love: Same or Different?
- Buddha of the Future, Buddha of Potential
- Letting Go of Time: Time and the Timeless
- Maitreya as King: Power and Service
- Awakening to Potential; Awakening to Limitless Love
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Maitreya painting by Aloka