Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,734,004,566 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Maitreya

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.

Maitreya

Enlarge picture
Miroku (Maitreya) in meditation, gilt bronze figure, Japanese, Asuka period, 7th century; in the …
(credit: The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund, 50.86)
In Buddhist tradition, the future Buddha who will descend to earth to preach again the dharma (law) when the teachings of the Buddha Gautama have completely decayed. Until then, Maitreya is believed to be a bodhisattva residing in the Tusita heaven. Mentioned in scriptures from the 3rd century AD, he is the earliest bodhisattva around whom a cult developed and is still the only one generally honored by the Theravada tradition. His images, found throughout the Buddhist world, convey an air of expectancy and promise.



How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
 Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
When Maitreya appears before the world people will realize that they have known Him from before, and that His teaching is not strange or beyond their level of thought.
The first steps by The Progressive
Watercolour of the Maitreya temple, part of the fourteenth-century royal citadel of Tingmogang in Ladakh, from Tibetan Pilgrimage--Architecture of the Socred Land, by Michel Peissel, London: Abrams, 2005, [pounds sterling]19.
Tibetan Pilgrimage--Architecture of the Socred Land by The Architectural Review
In his teaching the future Buddha refers not to the Buddhist messiah Maitreya, but to the inevitable realization by all of their own potential Buddhahood (pp.
Absolute Delusion, Perfect Buddhahood: the Rise and Fall of a Chinese ... by Overmyer, Daniel L. / Pacific Affairs
More results
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.