A Muslim's Mockery and Misrepresentation of Maitreya

Chenrezig

11 Sep 08, 19:01

Dear Buddhist Fellow

I have come across an article posted (probably) by a Muslim in the ST (Strait Times) Discussion Board, which mocked and misrepresented Buddha and Maitreya on the basis of his DAMN STUPID interpretation and extrapolation of buddhist sutra.

I am DEEPLY DISTURBED by it. I feel the urge and need to counter his claims, but is in no position to do it, as I have limited knowledge of the content of buddhist sutra.

I hope that fellow buddhists would response with counter arguments here so that I can post it in the ST forum, or even better you are encourage to post directly in the ST forum.

I have reproduced the entire article below. It may also be viewed in http://comment.straitstimes.com/showthread.php?t=13417&page=32

The article is as follows

Careful research would prove that Buddha was probably a Prophet of God , that he actually believed in God and disbelieved in reincarnation. His quotations could be given where postulated the existence of a Being without Whom there can be no escape from suffering(Udana) A Bahai gave much materials to prove that Buddha predicted the coming of Bahaullah although Christians would say that he spoke about Jesus and Muslims would say that he spoke about Muhammad. There is one thing that makes me think that it was Muhammad .Firstly he said that Muhammad unlike himself would be the teacher of thousands , that he would wear a turban and be averse in making images or idols(Ref Jamshid Fozdar"The God of Buddha", Vidyarti "Muhammad in World Scriptures)

The Prophesy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Buddhist Scriptures

1. Buddha prophesised the advent of a Maitreya:

A) Almost all Buddhist books contain this prophecy. It is in Chakkavatti Sinhnad Suttanta D. III, 76:

"There will arise in the world a Buddha named Maitreya (the benevolent one) a holy one, a supreme one, an enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe:

"What he has realized by his own supernatural knowledge he will publish to this universe. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, glorious at the goal, in the spirit and the letter.

He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and thoroughly pure; even as I now preach my religion and a like life do proclaim. He will keep up the society of monks numbering many thousands, even as now I keep up a society of monks numbering many hundreds".

B) According to Sacred Books of the East volume 35 pg. 225:

"It is said that I am not an only Buddha upon whom the leadership and order is dependent. After me another Buddha maitreya of such and such virtues will come. I am now the leader of hundreds; he will be the leader of thousands ."

C) "According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 217 and 218 (From Ceylon sources):[/color]

"Ananda said to the Blessed One, ‘Who shall teach us when thou art gone?'

And the Blessed one replied, 'I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.'
Ananda said, 'How shall we know him?'

The Blessed one replied, 'He will be known as Maitreya'."

(i) The Sanskrit word ‘Maitreya’ or its equivalent in Pali ‘Metteyya’ means loving, compassionate, merciful and benevolent. It also means kindness and friendliness, sympathy, etc. One Arabic word which is equivalent to all these words is ‘Rahmat’which means mercy. In Surah Al-Anbiya:

"We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures." [Al-Qur’an 21:107]

"Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called the merciful, which is ‘Maitri’.

(ii) The words Mercy and Merciful are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an no less than 409 times.

(iii) Every chapter of the Glorious Qur’an, except Chapter 9, i.e. Surah Taubah begins with the beautiful formula, 'Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir-Rahim', which means 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful'.

(iv) The Word Muhammad is also spelt as ‘Mahamet’ or ‘Mahomet’ and in various other ways in different languages. The word ‘Maho’ or ‘Maha’ in Pali and Sanskrit mean Great and Illustrious and ‘Metta’ means mercy. Therefore ‘Mahomet’ means ‘Great Mercy’.

2. Buddha’s doctrine was Esoteric and Exoteric: [/color]

According to Sacred Books of the East, volume 11, pg. 36 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta chapter 2 verse 32:

"I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine, for in respect of truths, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps something back".

Muhammad (pbuh) on the commandment of Almighty God delivered the message and doctrine without making any distinction between esoteric and exoteric. The Qur'an was recited in public in the days of the Prophet and is being done so till date. The Prophet had strictly forbidden the Muslims from hiding the doctrine

3. Devoted Servitors of the Buddhas: [/color]

According to Sacred Books of the East volume 11 pg. 97 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta Chapter 5 verse 36:

"Then the Blessed one addressed the brethren, and said, ‘Whosoever, brethren have been Arahat-Buddhas through the long ages of the past, they were servitors just as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me. And whosoever brethren shall be the Arahat-Buddhas of the future, there shall be servitors as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me’."

The Servitor of Buddha was Ananda. Muhammad (pbuh) also had a servitor by the name Anas (r.a.) who was the son of Malik. Anas (r.a...) was presented to the Prophet by his parents. Anas (r.a...) relates: "My mother said to him, 'Oh Messenger of God, here is your little servant'." Further Anas relates, "I served him from the time I was 8 years old and the Prophet called me his son and his little beloved". Anas (r.a...) stayed by the Prophet in peace and in war, in safety as well as in danger till the end of his life.

i) Anas (r.a.), even though he was only 11 years old stayed beside the Prophet during the battle of Uhud where the Prophet’s life was in great danger.

ii) Even during the battle of Honain when the Prophet was surrounded by the enemies who were archers, Anas (r.a...) who was only 16 years old stood by the Prophet.

Anas (R) can surely be compared with Ananda who stood by Gautam Buddha when the mad elephant approached him.

4. Six Criteria for Identifying Buddha: [/color]

According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 214:

"The Blessed one said, ‘There are two occasions on which a Tathagata’s appearance becomes clear and exceedingly bright. In the night Ananda, in which a Tathagata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that ultra passing which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain.’ "
According to Gautam Buddha, following are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha.

i)A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night-time.

ii) On the occasion of his complete enlightenment he looks exceedingly bright

iii) Buddha dies a natural death.

iv) He dies at night-time.

v) He looks exceedingly bright before his death.

vi) After his death a Buddha ceases to exist on earth.

i) Muhammad (pbuh) attained supreme insight and Prophethood at night-time.
According to Surah Dukhan:

"By the books that makes thing clear – We sent it down during a blessed night."[Al-Qur'an 44:2-3]

According to Surah Al-Qadar:
"We have indeed revealed this (message) in the night of power."[Al-Qur'an 97:1]

ii) Muhammad (pbuh) instantly felt his understanding illumined with celestial light.

iii) Muhammad (pbuh) died a natural death.

iv) According to Ayesha (r.a.), Muhammad (pbuh) expired at night-time. When he was dying there was no oil in the lamp and his wife Ayesha (r.a.) had to borrow oil for the lamp.

v) According to Anas (r.a.), Muhammad (pbuh) looked exceedingly bright in the night of his death.

vi) After the burial of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) he was never seen again in his bodily form on this earth.

5. Buddhas are only Preachers:

According to Dhammapada, Sacred Books of East volume 10 pg., 67:

"The Jathagatas (Buddhas) are only Preachers."

The Qur’an says in Surah Ghashiya:

"Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs." [Al-Qur'an 88:21-22]

6. Identification of Maitreya by Buddha:

According to Dhammapada, Mattaya Sutta, 151:

"The promised one will be:
i) Compassionate for the whole creation
ii) A messenger of peace, a peace-maker
iii) The most successful in the world.

The Maitreya as a Preacher of morals will be:

i) Truthful
ii) Self-respecting
iii) Gentle and noble
iv) Not proud
v) As a king to creatures
vi) An example to others in deeds and in words".

Source: http://www.drzakirnaik.com/Features/...3/Default.aspx

Watch lecture of Dr.Zakir Naik:

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...ous+Scriptures

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Shall I not inform you of a better act than fasting, alms, and prayers? Making peace between one another: enmity and malice tear up heavenly rewards by the roots”

“The greatest crimes are to associate another with God, to vex your father and mother, to murder your own species, to commit suicide, and to swear to lie”

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Most beautiful websites.

www.miraclesofthequran.com
www.challengeyoursoul.com

An Eternal Now

11 Sep 08, 20:10

Oh don't worry, these Muslims have made such claims a millionth times without ever actually looking into what the Buddha said regarding Maitreya. All their claims are a total misunderstanding and distortion of the scriptures. There has actually been past topics in this forum which dealt with this.

First it said,

His quotations could be given where postulated the existence of a Being without Whom there can be no escape from suffering(Udana)

Where? I suppose it's refering to this passage:

There is, monks, an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated. If there were not that unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, there would not be the case that emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn -- unbecome -- unmade -- unfabricated, emancipation from the born -- become -- made -- fabricated is discerned.

But where exactly does it postulate the existence of an external Being? There has not been one single instance in every Buddhist scriptures that the Buddha postulated an external creator. Never. On the other hand, there has been several scriptures which the Buddha outrightly rejected the notion that there is an external creator.

If the Buddha was refering the 'Unborn' to an external agent/creator, he would have said so. But he didn't. And even if someone made such a claim in Buddhism, that would be a false, fabricated view because this would be in complete opposition to the fundamental Buddhist tenets. And the Buddha is only concerned about our suffering and the end of our suffering. Speculations about creation, he said, does nothing to bring us closer to our spiritual goals.

In fact that sutta says 'Unbecome', 'Unborn', so it definitely isn't a being. For all beings are merely conditioned phenomena. In Buddhism there is no 'Self' or 'Being' with inherent existence, each 'individual being' is only conditioned phenomena -- arising and passing thoughts, sounds, sights, taste, etc, within or apart from which no 'self' could be found. To claim that there is a existing 'Being' that is unconditioned is utterly in contradiction with the core teachings of Anatta (No-Self), against a dharma seal, and thus in fundamental contradiction to Buddhist tenets and teachings.

Buddha has never taught an external creator, and he taught,

If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why prevail deceit, lies and ignorance
And he such inequity and injustice create?
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Then an evil master is he, (O Aritta)
Knowing what's right did let wrong prevail!

Instead what is being spoken here is the Deathless Element, the Unconditioned, it is not a Being (which will be utterly conditioned.).

We can never find the Deathless outside us, it will never be found. We can only attend to the Deathless, and that attending to the deathless is called Supramundane Consciousness.

https://archives.deepspring.org/node/434

Q: I have a terminology question, also. Awareness—is that the same as the deathless? Deathless as in Small Boat, Big Mountain? The book by Ajahn Amaro on the natural great perfection.

Aaron: The deathless is a way of speaking of the Unconditioned. The Unborn, Undying, the Deathless. The deathless is an object, although supramundane object. Every thing is an object whether it is a mundane thing or a supramundane thing. That which perceives the object is consciousness, mundane consciousness or supramundane consciousness. I use awareness as a synonym for supramundane consciousness. This helps people to understand it in terms of resting in awareness and dzogchen practice. Supramundane consciousness and awareness are the same.

Awareness is not a thing. Consciousness is not a thing. These are active and perceive. So awareness can take the deathless as an object. Mundane consciousness cannot take the deathless as an object.

--------

Another way to put it, as Ajahn Amaro explains,

http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2003/winter/ajahnamaro.html

In the Theravada teachings, the Buddha also talked about this quality in terms of "unsupported consciousness." This means that there is cognition, there is knowing, but it's not landing anyplace; it's not abiding anywhere. "Attending to the deathless" and "unsupported consciousness" are somewhat synonymous. They are like descriptions of the same tree, from different angles.

In describing unsupported consciousness, the Buddha taught:

-------

It's that simple. This is talking about Nirvana, it has nothing to do with an external creator.

Will reply more later...

An Eternal Now

11 Sep 08, 20:41

More about Buddhism rejecting the notion of a Creator:

First of all Buddhism does not accept the Judeo-Christian or other theistic religions' idea that there is a personal Creator, means the Old Testament kind of God that has a personality of its own.. and you can actually meet him up for coffee Mr. Green . If there is a personal Creator it brings a lot of questions into mind. Therefore, Albert Einstein supposedly said (though whether he really said it I do not know),

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural & spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity"

and..

Â“If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism.Â”

Regarding the question of Personal God in Buddhism,

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:

Slightly edited from the first topic in our forum regarding Creationism: How the Brahma believed He was God?

In Buddha's days there were many many different teachings, one popular one was Brahmanism. In fact the Brahma was still worshipped nowadays. Brahma was known to be "The Supreme One, the All-mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of All".

In Buddhism, the Mahabrahma resides in the 1st Jhana plane, the first plane among the 8 jhanic planes. There were higher realms above where he lives that he was unaware of, and above it all, beyond the 8 Jhanic planes and all Samsaric planes, is Nirvana. Nevertheless all the devas below the 1st Jhana planes considered him as the Creator God. Buddha did not subscribe to the belief of such a notion that the Universe and its Inhabitants were the Creation of the Mahabrahma. He met with the Brahma, asked him questions which he could not answer. Eventually he has taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

The Buddha was also known to have said this,

If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why does he order such misfortune
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Why prevail deceit, lies and ignorance
And he such inequity and injustice create?
If the creator of the world entire
They call God, of every being be the Lord
Then an evil master is he, (O Aritta)
Knowing what's right did let wrong prevail!

When the previous universe was destroyed and this universe was formed, the Mahabrahma was first to be reborn. Other subsequent brahmas/devas were to be reborn.

'On this, brethren, the one who was first reborn thinks thus to himself: " I am Brahmà, the Great Brahmà, the Supreme One, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the Maker, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days the Father of all that are and are to be. 'These other beings are of my creation. And why is that so? A while ago I thought, 'Would that they might come!' And on my mental aspiration, behold the beings came." DN 1 2:5

In reality, the universe works by the law of Karma and he has no control over the system of karma.

The Venerable Ledi Sayadaw, a highly renowned Myanmar scholar-monk of the first part of this century, gave a careful analysis of the powers of Maha Brahma in his Niyama Dipani (MB pp. 138-39). He states that although Maha Brahma can perform all sorts of transformations, he cannot actually create independent creatures, change the kammic law of cause and effect, or keep anyone from growing old or dying. Brahma can use his special powers to transport a man to the brahma plane for a short visit, but he cannot ensure that someone will be reborn there.

from http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol5no3f.htm:

When he came to know about Sakyamuni Buddha in the human world who speaks of the universal truth, he was curious and arrived at the human world with the intention to debate with the Buddha. The Buddha, with his ability to know another's mind, knew his intention and asked, "You claim to be the creator of the human race and all things in the universe, is this a fact?"

The king replied, "Yes, it is."

Buddha continued to question him, "Since you created life, why did you also create death? Is death created by you too?"

The king paused for while, and thinking that everyone loves life and nobody welcomes death, he replied, "I did not create death."

Buddha asked him again, "All human beings experience sickness, did you create sickness also?" The king knew that nobody likes to be ill, and he replied, "I did not create illness."

Buddha asked many questions in succession, but the king denied that he created them. Eventually, he admitted that he did not create the universe and all things in it, and certainly not the human race. The king of heavens was full of regrets and he felt ashamed. Finally, he accepted Buddha as his teacher and invited Him to spread the Dharma in the heavens.

(continued below)

http://www.mahindarama.com/e-library/whybuddhism2.html

"To those who talked about the first cause of this world, the Buddha responded by saying that it is impossible to find a first cause since everything is changing, interdependent and conditioned by other things. Something that acts as the cause in the present may become the effect in the future. Later that same effect may again become the cause. Such phenomenon continues ad infinitum. It is called the universal law of Anicca or impermanency.Â”

-----

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/dharmajim/analysis.html

The question is whether or not the view of pratityasamutpada (Dependent Origination), the General Theory I am discussing, infers a final cause, or source, either logically or temporally, or both, from which emerge all phenomena. If the General Theory does infer this, then rendering the General Theory with the term “dependent” would be accurate. I say this because in the monotheistic traditions, as well as in the platonic traditions, all things exist dependently; but what the monotheistic tradition means by this is that all things exist by the grace of an ultimate source, and that source is God.

On the other hand, if the General Theory does not infer such a final source or ground, then I need to ask the location of that which brings forth the appearances of this world. When I contemplate the General Theory I do not observe any inference for a final cause or source of existing things, and to which existing things return. The General Theory simply points to other things as the source for any particular thing. “When this exists, that comes to be,” draws our attention to other existing things. Once again, I see no reason, given the General Theory, to infer that the Buddha meant to imply the existence of a final source.

In addition, there exist very good historical reasons for rejecting the idea, in a Buddhist context, for an ultimate source interpretation of the General Theory. For example, Buddhism never developed a creation myth or story. Instead, Buddhism frequently refers to existence as beginningless and endless. This lack of a creation mythos, from the perspective of the various monotheisms, is quite distinctive. But this lack of a creation mythos in Buddhism is consistent with the view of the General Theory; I think I can infer that the lack of a creation mythos in Buddhism is directly derived from the central role of the General Theory.

The lack of a creation mythos in Buddhism reflects the General Theory’s focus on the appearance of things due to the existence of other things. Those other things, in turn, exist due to the appearance of other things, which are also existing due to other things, etc. This generates an infinite regress, which is logically self-referentially consistent, and has no beginning and no end. Notice also that the General Theory does not require the intercession of an ouside agency in order for this river of relationships to begin. Because the Buddha considered the General Theory as an elucidation of the very nature of things and existence as such, no special catalyst for this onward flowing is necessary. The location, therefore, of the source for the appearance of things is simply other things, spread out over all of existence, both in time and in space. In some of the ancient Indian exegeses they refer to this as “unlocated nirvana”; unlocated because this ultimate nature does not confine itself to any particular thing or corner of existence, nirvana because it is precisely this ultimate nature and its realization which brings about the peace of the cessation of all sorrow.

-----

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/dharmajim/DharmaView.html

The principle here, derived from the core insight of Interdependent Transformation, is that all things appear from a causal base. This understanding is extended to the existence of entire universes or world systems. The Dalai Lama makes this same point in his commentary on Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, the Ninth Chapter on Wisdom. Verse 124 speaks directly to this discussion:

124. ... [I]f Creation were dependent upon conditions, the complete collection of those causal circumstances would be the cause, and not Ishvara [Note: Ishvara was a common name for God in ancient India, similar to Yahweh.] If the complete conditions were assembled, Ishvara would be powerless not to create; and if they were absent, there would be no creation.

The Dalai Lama’s Comment:

If creation and destruction are dependent upon a collection of causal conditions, the totality of those conditions would be the cause, and not a God who is independent of and uninfluenced by events. If the causal conditions were assembled, Ishvara would be powerless not to create the resultant phenomena; and if they were not assembled, those phenomena would not be produced.

( Transcendent Wisdom, the Dalai Lama, translated by B. Alan Wallace, Snow Lion, Ithaca, New York, 1998, page 93.)

-----

In Visuddhimagga XIX:

Everywhere, in all the realms of existence, the noble disciple
sees only mental and corporeal phenomena kept going through the
concatenation of causes and effects. No producer of the
volitional act or kamma does he see apart from the kamma, no
recipient of the kamma-result apart from the result. And he is
well aware that wise men are using merely conventional language,
when, with regard to a kammical act, they speak of a doer, or
with regard to a kamma-result, they speak of the recipient of the
result.

No doer of the deeds is found,
No one who ever reaps their fruits;
Empty phenomena roll on:
This only is the correct view.

And while the deeds and their results
Roll on and on, conditioned all,
There is no first beginning found,
Just as it is with seed and tree. ...

No god, no Brahma, can be called
The maker of this wheel of life:
Empty phenomena roll on,
Dependent on conditions all.

In Buddhism, we believe that pondering over such things brings no benefits at all to our spiritual practice, enlightenment, and liberation from samsara.

Kinds of speech to be avoided by contemplatives

"Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to talking about lowly topics such as these -- talking about kings, robbers, ministers of state; armies, alarms, and battles; food and drink; clothing, furniture, garlands, and scents; relatives; vehicles; villages, towns, cities, the countryside; women and heroes; the gossip of the street and the well; tales of the dead; tales of diversity [philosophical discussions of the past and future], the creation of the world and of the sea, and talk of whether things exist or not -- he abstains from talking about lowly topics such as these. This, too, is part of his virtue.

"Whereas some priests and contemplatives, living off food given in faith, are addicted to debates such as these -- 'You understand this doctrine and discipline? I'm the one who understands this doctrine and discipline. How could you understand this doctrine and discipline? You're practicing wrongly. I'm practicing rightly. I'm being consistent. You're not. What should be said first you said last. What should be said last you said first. What you took so long to think out has been refuted. Your doctrine has been overthrown. You're defeated. Go and try to salvage your doctrine; extricate yourself if you can!' -- he abstains from debates such as these. This, too, is part of his virtue."

-- DN 2

Ten wholesome topics of conversation

"There are these ten topics of [proper] conversation. Which ten? Talk on modesty, on contentment, on seclusion, on non-entanglement, on arousing persistence, on virtue, on concentration, on discernment, on release, and on the knowledge & vision of release. These are the ten topics of conversation. If you were to engage repeatedly in these ten topics of conversation, you would outshine even the sun & moon, so mighty, so powerful -- to say nothing of the wanderers of other sects."

-- AN X.69

-------

"Malunkhyaputta Sutta stresses that whether the universe was created or uncreated, finite or infinite, is irrelevant to our main spiritual concerns: the cause and cessation of suffering:

"Therefore Malunkhyaputta, bear the undeclared as undeclared. Malunkhyaputta, what are the not declared? The world is eternal, is not declared by me. The world is not eternal, is not declared by me. They are not essential for the principles of the holy life, they do not lead to turning away, to detachment, to cessation, to appeasement, to realisation, to enlightenment and to extinction. Malunkhyaputta, what are the declared by me? This, is unpleasant, is declared. This, is its arising, is declared. This, is its cessation is declared. This is the path to its cessation, is declared. Malunkhyaputta, why are these declared by me? These are the essentials for the principles of the holy life; they lead to turning away, to detachment, to cessation, to appeasement, to realisation, to enlightenment and to extinction. Malunkhyaputta, I declare them." MN 64"

Therefore in Buddhism, these kind of speculations about a Creator is useless. Instead, like a scientist, the Buddha encouraged the Buddhist practitioners to find out for themselves the truths that the Buddha said, to put it to test, and to see for ourselves, and to get enlightened. Buddhism does not encourage any blind belief and dogmas (see Kalama Sutra), and also encourages analytical questioning -- whether this teaching actually helps us. If it does, then we should put it to practice.

When we truly realise the truth of Dependent Origination, the question of Creator/Creation will no longer arise, because we understood the principle in which everything arises and pass away -- which is by conditioned 'genesis'. By realising the nature of reality (empty of self and phenomena, dependent arising) we will also be liberated from all sufferings of samsara and the cycle of rebirth.

Kalama Sutra

"Rely not on the teacher/person, but on the teaching. Rely not on the words of the teaching, but on the
spirit of the words. Rely not on theory, but on experience.Do not believe in anything simply because you
have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do
not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is
written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and
elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is
conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

- the Buddha

Note: this is just a summary, please read the entire sutra here: http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/resources/kalama_sutra.html

There are countless enlightened persons from Buddha's times till today, some of them even posting in this forum (not me), who have awakened to the ultimate reality and seen for themselves the truths that the Buddha taught. Beliefs in divine etc are not important and irrelevant in Buddhism, Buddhism being a man-centered (means having great love and compassion for all sentient being, as well as to practise for one's own spiritual development) rather than God-centered teaching, which is a reason why it is the only religion that does not have a history of having fought religious wars, --

Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
No fanaticism

Of Buddhism alone can it be affirmed it is free from all fanaticism. Its aim being to produce in every man a thorough internal transforming by self-conquest, how can it have recourse to might or money or even persuasion for effecting conversion? The Buddha has only shown the way to salvation, and it is left to each individual to decide for himself if he would follow it.

- Prof. Lakshmi Narasu, "The Essence of Buddhism"

An Eternal Now

11 Sep 08, 20:46

Now the next thing, about all those who claimed that so and so is equivalent to the Buddhist Maitreya, obviously never ever looked into what the Buddha said about the Maitreya.

You can look at the prophecy made by Buddha below, and see does which aspect does any of these so called 'Maitreyas' fulfill. Almost none. Are people now living till an age of 84000 years? Is the whole world now under the rule of a singer universal ruler that rules not only this planet but 3 other planets? Are the people now all completely freed from "Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, suspicionï¿½. killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, intoxication ï¿½.etc"? Is there no more oceans and mountains but only flat land and rivers? Are there no more four seasons? Did the 'Maitreya' teach more than 9 billion people at each of three different dharma sessions? (making up 28.2 Billion people -- our world population is currently just a small fraction of that)

Is there no more poverty and hunger today? Are there no more illnesses and diseases? Are there no more natural disasters today? Does palaces and houses miraculously appear and the grounds always remain filth-free? Do our grounds produce different kinds of precious gems that can casually be handpicked by anyone? Does the ground automatically open up when we need to relieve ourselves to receive our waste and then close up afterwords? Do our trees grow celestial garments of different styles?

Does the Maitreya have the 32 major physical characters and 80 minor physical characters of a Buddha? Does that Maitreya have a majestic golden skin colour? Did that Maitreya renounce worldly life to cultivate as a monk and eventually attain Enlightenment under a Bodhi Tree 7 days later?

Obviously, the world today is totally different from what the Buddha prophecised when Maitreya would come. The Maitreya prophecised is also completely different from all the so called 'Maitreyas' we know today. Maitreya would come only after 5.67 billion years later according to Buddhist scriptures.

The next Buddha

Volume 8 Issue No. 3

The next Buddha

by Venerable Shen-Kai

On January 14, 2005, a space probe landed on Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn. The probe was launched in 1997 and arrived some 8 years later through 744 million miles of space travel. And still, this is only within our solar system. Indeed, the universe is so immense that distances are measured in terms of light-years - the distance travelled by light in a year. The speed of light in vacuum is 299,792 km per second and when we multiply this number by the number of seconds in a year, we get a sense of how immense the universe is.

Equally immense is the notion of time in the context of the universe. The Buddha spoke of it in terms of "kalpas", or billions of years. In the present kalpa, the Kalpa of Virtue, there are 1,000 Buddhas born. The first Buddha was Krakucchanda Buddha, the second, Kanakamuni Buddha, and the third, Kasyapa Buddha. The fourth Buddha is our present Sakyamuni Buddha. The fifth Buddha will be Maitreya Buddha. In this article, Venerable Shen-kai answers the often asked question ï¿½

When will Maitreya Buddha be born into this human world?

'Maitreya Buddha' is the Bodhisattva whom the people of today address as the 'To-be-born Honoured Maitreya Buddha'. This Buddha is presently still in the heavens above us. He resides in Tusita Heaven (å…œ çŽ‡ å¤© ), the fourth level of the six World of Desire heavens, within the Maitreya Inner Court of the palace of Tusita. He is the Dharma Master of Tusita Heaven. It is known to all on heaven and earth that he has not yet attained Buddhahood, but he is a Bodhisattva who has cultivated to an extremely high level, one which is almost the same level as that of Buddha. He is a great Bodhisattva who has attained the 51st stage in the enlightenment of a Bodhisattva. This level precedes the attainment of Buddhahood. He is currently in Tusita Heaven waiting to be born into our human world to be the next Buddha, thereby succeeding the present teacher of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha.

In the Kalpa of Virtue, there are 1,000 Buddhas born. The first Buddha was Krakucchanda Buddha, the second, Kanakamuni Buddha, and the third, Kasyapa Buddha. The fourth Buddha is our present Sakyamuni Buddha. The fifth Buddha will be Maitreya Buddha.

During the time when Sakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honoured One, attained Buddhahood, Maitreya was his disciple. Of the many disciples of the World-Honoured One, Maitreya was a most remarkable and prominent Great Bodhisattva, and was widely known as 'Maitreya Bodhisattva'.

Images of reverence for Maitreya Bodhisattva can be found at every corner of the world in most Buddhist temples and monasteries, and in the worshipping halls of Buddhist private homes. Maitreya Bodhisattva, with his ever-laughing expression and all-accommodating round belly, is a delightful sight to all. He embodies the virtues of magnanimity and tolerance, and serves as guidance and inspiration to all of us in the way we deal with people and the way we conduct our daily affairs. This is one Bodhisattva whom we cannot do without.

'Maitreya' is his family name, which translates into 'loving-kindness' in Chinese. Thus, there are people who know him as the 'Bodhisattva of Loving-Kindness'. His given name is 'Ajita', which means 'second to none'. And so, there are also people who call him 'Ajita Bodhisattva' or 'The Unsurpassed Bodhisattva'.

After Sakyamuni Buddha was born, this Bodhisattva was born to a Brahmin family in a village called Kapil located at Varanasin in the southern part of Olden India. Foreigners to his country take 'Ajita' to be his family name and Maitreya to be his given name, as is the way in the West, where it is customary to have the given name before the family name.

Maitreya Bodhisattva has been cultivating through aeons of kalpas. Distant kalpas ago, his name had been the 'Immortal of All Wisdom' (the Immortal Sarvajna). During the time of the 'Ancient Maitreya Buddha', he had been so deeply moved when he heard the discourse delivered by the Ancient Maitreya Buddha on the sutra of 'Compassionate Mind Samadhi', that he immediately vowed to learn to be like Maitreya, to become Maitreya, to emulate the predecessor Buddha, to practise the Bodhisattva Way, to enlighten all sentient beings, and even to become a Buddha in the future. For this reason, he has retained the name 'Maitreya' through all these aeons of kalpas past.

Just before Sakyamuni Buddha entered into Nirvana, Maitreya Bodhisattva returned to his own hometown, sat cross-legged at his birthplace and passed away. At that moment, his body radiated a splendidly brilliant purple golden aura rarely ever seen in this world. He was then reborn into Tusita Heaven. 'Tusita' means 'contented'. Where the five desires of pleasure are concerned, celestial beings born in this heaven are contented and satisfied. However, Maitreya Bodhisattva is not there to indulge himself in pleasure; rather, he is the Dharma Master in the celestial palace, and he guides and enlightens all the celestial beings living there.

Tusita Heaven is of a different temporal dimension from that of our world. One day and night in this heaven is 400 years in our human world on Earth, and one year in Tusita Heaven is 140,000 Earth years. The celestial life span of Maitreya Bodhisattva is 4,000 years, which is equivalent to 5.67 billion years on Earth at that time. This length of time is going to pass before Maitreya Bodhisattva returns to this world to attain Buddhahood. This is the reason why all Buddhists now address Maitreya Bodhisattva as the 'To-be-born Honoured Maitreya Buddha'.

'To-be' infers 'future'. It also implies that it will definitely be Maitreya who comes, and no other Buddha! It refers to a future event. But when exactly in the future and in which country will this great Maitreya Bodhisattva be born into this world to attain Buddhahood? Our Earth goes through four main stages of Formation, Existence, Destruction and Void. These four stages comprise 80 normal kalpas which make one great kalpa. Each stage will take the period of one medium kalpa, which is equivalent to 20 normal kalpas. Starting from an average human life span of 84,000 years, the life expectancy is reduced at a rate of one year per hundred years until the average human life span is ten years. The process then reverses: the average human life span is increased at a rate of one year per hundred years until the average human life span returns to 84,000 years. This cycle of a decreasing and then increasing human life span constitutes one normal kalpa.

On our Earth, during the 20 normal kalpas of the Formation Stage, there were no Buddhas born. The arrival of Buddhas only started during the eighth normal kalpa of the Existence Stage. Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world during the ninth normal kalpa, and Maitreya will only arrive in the tenth normal kalpa when the human life span commences its descent from 84,000 years. When that happens, he will be honoured 'Maitreya' and will be the successor to Sakyamuni Buddha. At that time, the world will be a prosperous, peaceful and happy place. This is the reason people will address him as the 'Prosperous Buddha' or 'Happy Buddha'.

Maitreya is a blessed Buddha. At the time when he arrives to be born, the earth will have gone through many changes. Mountains, rivers, cliffs and gorges will have disappeared, and most parts of the Earth will have become flat plains. The seas will be calm and the soil fertile, so there will be many natural recreational parks. Favourable weather conditions will prevail throughout the four seasons. Beautiful flowers will blossom everywhere and everything will be pleasant. Crops and harvests will be plentiful. Fruits will be beautiful and sweet. Grains will grow naturally and without husk. They will be extremely fragrant and tasty. When matured, the grains will be readily edible without the need for cooking. Feeding on them, people will enjoy longevity and will be free from sickness. There will be no natural disasters. Everyone will be kind, good-natured, and free of evil thoughts and behaviour. Greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, suspicionï¿½. killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, intoxication ï¿½.etc, unwholesome thoughts and bad conduct all will not exist. Everyone will realise the wonderful practice of cultivating the three pure karmas of body, speech and mind. They will exhibit equality in thinking and will not discriminate. They will distance from disputes and will be amicable and joyous with each another. They will utter good words of encouragement, perform numerous virtuous deeds and refrain from all evil deeds. There will be no need to worry about food and drink. As for clothing, weaving will not be needed, since soft delicate garments of different styles will grow from celestial garment trees on earth. People can help themselves to these for clothing. Palaces and houses will miraculously appear, and the ground filth-free. As for latrines, whenever people need to relieve themselves, the ground will automatically open up to receive their waste and then close up afterward. The ground will produce different kinds of precious gems that can casually be handpicked by anyone. Admiring and playing with these gems, people will say, "I've heard that in past kalpas (possibly referring to our present kalpa) people hurt one another over such gems and precious stones. They were imprisoned and suffered all sorts of distress. Now these gems and precious stones are like tiles and stones which no one needs to guard over. This really is a pure and peaceful world."

At that time, even though the world will consist of many normal countries, only one big country will be the common ruler. On the Earth will be a vast plain, covering four million Li (é‡Œ ), with four great oceans located in each direction. There will exist a big city named Ketumati City (é¸¡ å¤´ åŸŽ ), spanning 500 Li from east to west, and 280 Li from north to south. The land is flat and expansive and well populated with people. The streets are neat and orderly. In the sky above, there will be a dragon king named 'Water Radiance', drizzling fragrant water at night and maintaining breezy sunny weather during the day. In the city, a Yaksa (ç½— æ�€ ä»Ž , Demon) by the name of 'Leaf-Flower', will appear in the middle of the night to serve the people; removing the filth from the city, sweeping and cleaning, and sprinkling the ground with perfumes so that the city will be very clean and fragrant. Dragons, deities and ghosts will work for the benefit of human beings. They neither need offerings to be made to them nor do they need to be worshipped, as such superstitious practices will no longer exist. The climate and environment will be favourable; the citizens gentle and amiable; and ghosts and deities will provide their support and protection. These conditions effect the birth of a 'Turning-Wheel Saint King' (è½¬ è½®åœ£ çŽ‹ ) named Rang-qu. Ketumati is his capital city. The King will apply Buddha-dharma to govern and guide his subjects. He has the Golden Wheel Treasure, Elephant Treasure, Horse Treasure, Pearl Treasure, the Lady of Virtue and Beauty Treasure, the Minister of Soldiers Treasure, and the Minister of Treasure. He will secure the city with these treasures, rather than with conventional swords and batons. The place will be carefree and joyous, and freedom, peace and equality will prevail.

During this time, the treasures of the world are gathered and stored in four normal countries controlled by Saint King Rang-qu: the first location is the Yi-luo-bo (ä¼Šç½—é’µ) great treasury of Qian-tuo-yue Country (ä¹¾é™€ è¶Š å›½ ), the second is the Ban-chou (èˆ¬ ç»¸ ) great treasury of Mi-ti-luo Country (å¼¥ æ�� ç½— å›½), the third is the great treasury of Xiang-lai-chi-da Country (é¡¹ èµ– å�± è¾¾ å›½ ), and the fourth is the Rang-qu great treasury of Bo-luo-na Country (æ³¢ ç½— æ�º å›½ ). The quantities of precious gems and exquisite items stored in these four treasuries are too numerous to be counted. All items stored in the Rang-qu Treasury at Bo-luo-na Country are treasures of tribute that King Rang-qu receives from all over the world. Hence, the treasury is named after the Saint King in commemoration. Nonetheless, everything in the four treasuries still belongs to the humanity of the world. The King does not consider them his personal possessions. The personnel managing the treasures are entrusted with the responsibility of helping and aiding others. Whenever they learn of poor people in the world, they report to the Saint King and then the treasure is generously used for aid. Any such act of generosity toward the people brings great joy to the Saint King's heart. At this time, people in the world have no worry regarding food, clothing, housing, transport, recreation, bearing and raising children and education. Those considered 'poor' are only but those living in the outskirts who do not have precious ornaments to adorn themselves with. ('poor' only to this extent) Whenever the Saint King sees men and women, young and old, regardless of racial skin colour, with dignified, healthy bodies, upright, bright and pleasant countenances, he will be very satisfied.

This brilliant and virtuous Saint King has the best Prime Minister by the name of 'Subrahmana' (ä¿® æ¢µ æ‘© ), a good friend of the Saint King in his youth. He is very learned and outstanding in his talents, and more knowledgeable than anyone else. He has a transcending perspective and remarkable wisdom. And he is compassionate in helping others. Both the Saint King and Subrahmana possess upright countenance and healthy good-looking physiques. They are both young and capable. Among the world's women of virtue and beauty, Subrahmana's wife, Brahmavati (æ¢µ æ‘© è¶Š ), is the most intelligent, wise, virtuous, moral, knowledgeable and capable. She is deeply compassionate, dignified, and exquisite, unparalleled anywhere on Earth, just like the Deva Sakka's (å¤© ä¸Š å¸� é‡Š ) wife in Heaven. Her breath is fragrant as the 'You-po-luo Flower' (ä¼˜ é’µç½— å�Ž ), and her body exudes the natural scent of sandalwood. She has not any of the 84 types of pretentiousness of common womenfolk. In her entire life, she is never sick nor does she suffer any pain or tragedy. She is always free from any distracting and wild thoughts, distress and bitter melancholy. All of this is the consequence of her previous lives' cultivation of pure karma of body, speech and mind. In their previous lifetimes throughout aeons of past kalpas, everything of Subrahmana's and Brahmavati's thoughts, deeds and speech, comprise moral work, cultivating, practising giving and performing charity for the masses. This has resulted in their now being the prime ministerial family. Not only are they well honoured and respected by all the people, but even those living in heaven praise them highly and consider them quite rare and extraordinary.

At this time at Tusita palace, the Dharma Master Maitreya of the Maitreya Inner Palace has lived a full celestial lifetime of 4,000 celestial years. Viewing the earth with Buddha-eyes, he deems that the time has come for him to be born on Earth to guide and enlighten sentient beings. Choosing Prime Minister Subrahmana and Lady Brahmavati for his parents, he descends to this world. When the term of pregnancy is due, in the same manner as Sakyamuni Buddha's birth, Maitreya emerges from the right side of his mother's upper body. The entire world celebrates and his parents rejoice. He is born possessing the 32 physical features of a Great Man and the 80 types of handsome and noble physical characteristics of a Buddha. He has a majestic physique and golden skin colour. His parents name him "The Unsurpassed" - Maitreya.

As Maitreya grows up, he profoundly senses that all worldly knowledge is really only mundane and he would be better off renouncing the world to cultivate as a monk. And so, at the outskirts of Ketumati City, in the exceptionally resplendent scenery of Hua-lin Garden (å�Ž æž— å› ), he renounces his worldly life. In the garden is a big Dragon-Flower Tree, named for its dragon-like branches and dragonhead-like flowers. During the midnight of the first day of his renunciation, Maitreya Bodhisattva enters into deep meditation under the Dragon-Flower Tree and instantly attains supreme enlightenment. Maitreya's attainment of Buddhahood quakes the Three Thousand Great Chiliocosm. The earth deities take off in their separate ways, spreading the news. Everyone in the Heaven of Four Heavenly Kings, Thirty Three Heavens (Tavatimsa), Heaven of Devas Yama, Tusita Heaven, Nirmanarati Heaven, Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven, and even up in the higher heavens within the Brahma Devas Heavens become aware that Maitreya has attained Buddhahood. He will be the teacher of celestial and human beings! The Deva King of Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven residing on the sixth level of the World of Desire brings all his celestial followers down from heaven to pay reverence to the Buddha. From that time onwards, Maitreya Tathagata commences spreading the Dharma to all the human and celestial beings, resulting in many human and celestial beings renouncing.

At that time, there is a virtuous and wealthy elder residing in Ketumati City. He brings with him 84,000 followers to listen to the discourse on the Dharma by the World Honoured Maitreya. The teachings clear their minds and remove all of their delusions. And so they attain the Dharma-caksus Purity (first stage of sainthood). All of these people eventually renounce the world and attain 'Arahathood ' (fourth stage of sainthood). This is the first assembly.

Word of such an event reaches Wheel-Turning Saint King Rang-qu, and he is most astonished! He comes to Maitreya Buddha, requesting to be taught the Dharma. Soon after, the Saint King passes his reign over to his crown prince, and renounces to follow the Buddha. He becomes a member of the Sangha community and attains Arahathood.

When news of Maitreya Buddha reaches Maitreya's father, Subrahmana Elder, he too leads a group of 84,000 cultivating Brahmins to renounce the world, become members of Sangha and attain Arahathood. Maitreya Buddha's mother, Lady Brahmavati also leads 84,000 court ladies to renounce the world with the Buddha, become Bhiksuni (Buddhist nuns), and attain Arahathood. The Buddha's mother's renunciation has such a great influence on the women that tens of thousands of other womenfolk come to Maitreya Buddha, requesting to renounce and practise the Dharma. Most of those who are deeply rooted in virtue gradually attain enlightenment. And as for the many who are yet to attain enlightenment, Maitreya Buddha gives them the Teachings of the Three-Vehicles: the Great Vehicle, Middle Vehicle and Normal Vehicle.

Throughout Maitreya Buddha's entire life of delivering discourses on the Dharma, he guides and enlightens infinite numbers of sentient beings. Among the various Dharma discourses, there are 3 great assemblies: The first assembly teaches and guides 9.6 billion people, the second assembly, 9.4 billion people, and the third assembly, 9.2 billion people. These assemblies are the highly renowned 'Dragon-Flower Triple Assemblies' of the future.

Thus during this period, the Saha world is transformed into the pure land of Maitreya Buddha. All who have been guided and enlightened attain Arahathood. The numbers of those who receive guidance and deliverance in assemblies in the heavens, human realm and elsewhere are infinitely many. It is not by chance that those who have been guided and delivered by the Buddha attain enlightenment instantly. Rather it is truly the result of their own cultivation of blessings, morality and wisdom through aeons of kalpas. During the Period of Pure Dharma, the Semblance Period, and the End of Dharma Period of the era of Sakyamuni Buddha, most of them had planted their virtuous roots, established extensive links with the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, learned and practised Buddhism, performed good deeds for many others, observed the precepts and recited the Buddha's name, and spread the Dharma and benefited sentient beings.

When Maitreya Buddha has lived a full life of 84,000 years, he enters Nirvana. And the legacy of his Dharma continues for 84,000 years.

The above scenario is an overview of the future, when Maitreya Buddha arrives to be born in our human world and attains Buddhahood. Sakyamuni Buddha narrated this at Anathapindika Park in Jetavana Grove of Sravasti, to an assembly of 1,500 disciples. Ananda, with a bare right shoulder, knelt upon his right knee, and asked with sincerity and deliberation,

"Enlightened Tathagata of profoundly penetrating wisdom, there is nothing unknown to you. Of the past, present and the future, you understand clearly and entirely. You are well aware of the names and honourable titles of all the past Buddhas, and the numbers of followers, disciples and Bodhisattvas. Whether it be one kalpa, or a hundred, or innumerable kalpas, your observation is complete. Further, you know the kings, ministers and citizens, telling them apart by their individual names. As for today's world, you have full knowledge of the present numbers of territories and the extent of national boundaries. Disciples following you eagerly wish to hear about the distant future to come, about Maitreya's appearance and attainment of Buddhahood, all the changes that will occur, how bountiful and joyous the state of the Buddha world will be, and how much more time is to pass before then."

Time and again, Ananda humbly requested. And in response to this plea that Ananda made on behalf of all those present at the assembly, the compassionate Buddha spoke this prophetic sutra. The 'Sutra of the Coming of Maitreya' has been well documented and referenced in many other sutras.

Taking the Buddhism Tripitaka and Twelve Sections of the Buddhist Scriptures as our guiding compass, let us all cultivate our minds and actions, and diligently progress on the right path. We should extensively establish virtuous links with the Buddha, distance ourselves from evils, and perform virtuous deeds. Let us all come together to implement Humanity Vehicle Buddhism, build a pure land in this world, dignify the minds and bodies of all people, maintain the conditions for rebirth in the human realm, and ready ourselves for the period in the next 5.67 billion years, when we will all come together to welcome the arrival of Maitreya Bodhisattva in our human world, and celebrate his attainment of Buddhahood.

References:

The Sutra of Maitreya's Attaining Buddhahood (Chinese/English translation by Jen-Chen Buddhist Book Publisher, Singapore)
Jen-Chen Buddhist Digest (Vol. 7/1);(Vol. 7/2); (Vol. 7/3)

Glossary of Terms:
Four Evolving Stages:

Formation
Existence
Destruction
Void or Emptiness

Three Kalpa eras:

1. Kalpa of Adornment 2. Kalpa of Virtue 3. Kalpa of Stars

Three periods of Buddha:

1. Period of Pure Dharma of the Buddha 2. Semblance Period of the Buddha 3. End of the Dharma Period

The 7 Buddhas of immediate past:

Last 3 Buddhas of Kalpa of Adornment:
- Vipasyin Buddha
- Sikhin Buddha
- Visvabhu Buddha

First 4 Buddhas of the present Kalpa of Virtue:
- Krakucchanda Buddha,
- Kanakamuni Buddha,
- Kasyapa Buddha,
- Sakyamuni Buddha

Kalpa:

- 1 normal kalpa = 16.8 million years
- 1 medium kalpa= 20 normal kalpas = 336 million years
- 1 great kalpa = 4 medium kalpas = 80 normal kalpas = 1.344 billion years

An Eternal Now

11 Sep 08, 21:17

Here's another reliable Buddhist resource on the Maitreya prophecy:

http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/metteya/arimet02.htm

BuddhaSasana Home Page

English Section

The Coming Buddha, Ariya Metteyya

Sayagyi U Chit Tin

Buddha Ariya Metteyya

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahatto Sammasambuddhassa

This quotation begins the discourse in which the Buddha describes the coming of the next Buddha, Metteyya.[45] The Buddha first describes the ideal conditions that existed on earth long ago when there were a succession of seven Wheel-turning Monarchs. Eventually, there was a king who neglected to provide for the poor. As a consequence, theft arose in the world. Gradually, people became more and more immoral and killed others. Because of this, their life span declined from eighty thousand years to forty thousand years. Then people began to tell lies, and the human life span declined to twenty thousand years. Next, malicious speech became prevalent, and the life span decreased to ten thousand years. Then sexual misconduct became prevalent, with the result that people lived for five thousand years. Harsh speech and frivolous talk became prevalent, and people lived for two and a half thousand years and two thousand years. With the advent of covetousness and ill will, the life span declined to one thousand years. When people began to entertain wrong beliefs, their life span decreased to five hundred years. Then three things became rampant: incest, unnatural greed, and homo-sexuality.[46] As a result, the human life span decreased to two hundred and fifty years and two hundred years. Then there was a lack of filial duty towards parents, failure to fulfil duties towards religious leaders (samanas and brahmanas), and failure to respect community leaders; and the life span decreased to one hundred years. This was the human life span at the time of Buddha Gotama. When the life span is shorter than a hundred years, there can be no Buddha in the world.[47]

The Buddha explained that immorality will continue to increase and the human life span will continue to decrease until it is only ten years. Girls will be married at five years of age. At that time, people who have no respect for their parents, for religious leaders, or for community leaders will be honoured and praised. Promiscuity will be so common, human beings will be like animals. Animosity, ill will, and hatred will be so strong, people will want to kill the members of their own family. There will be a seven-day war with great slaughter. But some people will hide for the seven days, and afterwards they will rejoice to see those who have survived. They will determine to stop killing, and their life spans will increase to twenty years. Seeing this, they will undertake to keep other moral precepts, and gradually the human life span will increase again.

-ooOoo-

FOOTNOTES:

D III 58-79, translated in DB III 59-76 and TS 347-370. Miss Horner seems to overlook this when she says that there is no mention in the Canon or Commentaries that Buddha Gotama made a declaration of future Buddhahood for Metteyya (CB xvi).
See also GS I 142, where the Buddha says that these three things were already prevalent in his day.
See CSM 391.

Published by the Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, IMC-UK, Splatts House, Heddington, Calne, Wiltshire SN11 0PE, England,
Tel: +44 1380 850 238, Fax: +44 1380 850 833.
Registered Charity No 280134.

This publication is one of several marking the tenth anniversary of Mother Sayamagyi and Sayagyi U Chit Tin's
coming out of Burma to continue their work in the Tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin
by teaching the Buddha-Dhama in the West.

The gift of the Dhamma surpasses all other gifts.

Dedicated to our much revered teacher the late Sayagyi U Ba Khin (Thray Sitthu)
to mark the 89th anniversary of his birth in March 1899.

-ooOoo-

Source: Sayagyi U Ba Khin Memorial Trust, IMC-UK, http://ubakhin.com/

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updated: 01-09-2001