Maitreya

Maitreya is the prophesied Buddha who will appear on Earth and achieve complete enlightenment. Maitreya is presently a bodhisattva residing in the Tushita heaven who will descend to earth to preach anew the dharma (“law”) when the teachings of Gautama Buddha have completely decayed.

Maitreya is the earliest bodhisattva, around whom a cult developed, and is mentioned in the scriptures from the 3rd century CE. He was accepted by all schools of Buddhism and is still the only bodhisattva generally honored by the Theravada tradition. Maitreya's mission is to remind humans of the forgotten Dharmas. The Dharma is a fundamental concept in several religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent and can be translated as cosmic law.

Maitreya translates as "friend" in Sanskrit. The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit maitr (“friendliness”). In Pali, the name becomes Metteyya; in Chinese, Milefo; in Japanese, Miroku; and in Mongolian, Maidari; in Tibetan, the bodhisattva is known as Byams-pa (“Kind” or “Loving”). His worship was especially popular from the 4th to the 7th century, and his images are found throughout the Buddhist world; many of them beautifully convey his characteristic air of expectancy and promise.

Maitreya is represented in painting and sculpture both as a bodhisattva and as a Buddha. Maitreya is typically depicted seated with his feet on the ground or crossed at the ankles, dressed as a monk or royalty. Maitreya is striving for enlightenment among Theravada School followers. Maitreya appears most frequently alongside Siddhartha Gautama in the earliest iconographic representations. According to the scriptures, Maitreya will be the historical Buddha's (Siddhartha Gautama or Sakyamuni Buddha) successor as the founder of Buddhism.