Buddha Maitreya-Is he coming ths century?

• Catknight

  29 May 08, 20:53

  Our world is fraught with multitude of problems and dharma is not going up high enough to change the  hearts of our leaders to lead us to a better world.

  Is Maitreya coming and will my children finally able to receive true dharma from a successor of sakaymuni buddha?

• Catknight

  29 May 08, 20:58

  Do you think buddha maitreya will be more of an alien than human since men are becoming so corrupted ?

• Bodhi hut

  29 May 08, 21:31

  Hi,

   

  infact he will only come many centuries later..but if you have been cultivating and reach a level of 禅那。。or 四禅八定..you might be able to see bodhisavatta or maybe Mitreya..

   

  He will not be an alien..he will be enlightened similar to the way like shakayumuni...and he will be preeching dharma like shakayumuni..

   

  But why wait till he comes...you can start now..and your children can start now as well.....

• Catknight

  29 May 08, 21:35

  OIC thought he'll be coming this century so can meet a real buddha neh:)

• An Eternal Now

  29 May 08, 21:49

  Nope... he will not come any time soon, not as soon as we hope.

  There are alot of Maitreya-themed cults that claim that Maitreya has come and attained Buddhahood... please beware of them, those are unorthodox teachings.

  In Buddhism it will not be until many millions or billions of years before he will attain Buddhahood here. At that time, humanity and civilisation is very very different from what we see today... see what the Sutras say about it.

  http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no3a.htm

   

  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 � 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 (兜 率 天 ), 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 small kalpas which make one great kalpa. Each stage will take the period of one medium kalpa, which is equivalent to 20 small 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 small kalpa. On our Earth, during the 20 small kalpas of the Formation Stage, there were no Buddhas born. The arrival of Buddhas only started during the eighth small kalpa of the Existence Stage. Sakyamuni Buddha came to this world during the ninth small kalpa, and Maitreya will only arrive in the tenth small 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, suspicion�. killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, intoxication �.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 small countries, only one big country will be the common ruler. On the Earth will be a vast plain, covering four million Li (里 ), with four great oceans located in each direction. There will exist a big city named Ketumati City (鸡 头 城 ), 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 (罗 � 从 , 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' (转 轮圣 王 ) 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 small countries controlled by Saint King Rang-qu: the first location is the Yi-luo-bo (伊罗钵) great treasury of Qian-tuo-yue Country (乾陀 越 国 ), the second is the Ban-chou (般 绸 ) great treasury of Mi-ti-luo Country (弥 � 罗 国), the third is the great treasury of Xiang-lai-chi-da Country (项 赖 � 达 国 ), and the fourth is the Rang-qu great treasury of Bo-luo-na Country (波 罗 � 国 ). 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' (修 梵 摩 ), 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 (梵 摩 越 ), 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 (天 上 � 释 ) wife in Heaven. Her breath is fragrant as the 'You-po-luo Flower' (优 钵罗 � ), 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 (� 林 园 ), 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 Small 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 small kalpa = 16.8 million years - 1 medium kalpa= 20 small kalpas = 336 million years - 1 great kalpa = 4 medium kalpas = 80 small kalpas = 1.344 billion years

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• Catknight

  29 May 08, 21:58

  Wow sounds like a japan anime world!

• sofital

  30 May 08, 09:36

  ADVENT OF THE METTEYYA BUDDHA

  There will then come a time when the human life span will be about ten years. Maidens of five years will be of marriageable age. Among such humans the taste of butter, sugar and salt will disappear. Kudrusa grain will be the highest kind of food. Among such men the ten moral courses of conduct will disappear, and the ten immoral codes of conduct will flourish. Just as today homage is paid to the wise, the pious and the noble, at this time homage will be paid to the ignoble. Among such humans there will be no bar to intermarriage with mother, with mother’s sister, etc. Mankind will fall into promiscuity like goats, sheep, fowl and swine.

  Among such humans enmity will be the rule. Passionate thoughts, even of killing a mother, a child, a brother, a sister will occur just as sportsmen today revel in the hunting of animals. Among such humans will arise a sword period of seven days when they will fight and kill each other as wild beasts.

  With time the people of this era will slowly realize the folly of their behavior. They will become good and abstain from slaughter. Over an exceedingly long time their life span will slowly increase so that they who lived for a decade will have descendants who will live for twenty years. As the virtues of the people increase, so will the life span to 80, 160, 320, 640, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, 20,000 and 40,000 years. And then a time will come when the human life span will be 80,000 years. Maidens will be marriageable at 500 years. There will be only three kinds of disease: desire (Leecha), hunger (Anasana), and decay (Jaraa). This 'India' will be mighty and prosperous. The villages, towns and cities will be close to each other. Among such humans, Benares (Vaaranaasi of present), will be named Ketumati, a royal city, mighty and prosperous, full of people crowded and well fed. There will be 84,000 towns with Ketumati as the royal city. A righteous king named Sankha will reign over Ketumati. He will live in supremacy having conquered all by righteousness rather than by the sword.

  At that time there will arise in the world an Exalted One by the name of Metteyya, a Fully Awakened One abounding in wisdom and goodness, a teacher of Gods and men. The Truth, beautiful in its origin, beautiful in its progress, beautiful in its consummation, will be proclaimed by Him. The higher life will be made known to the world just as now it has been made known to us by the Buddha Gotama. The Buddha Metteyya will be accompanied by thousands of monks, nuns and disciples.

  King Sankha will reconstruct the great fairy palace that King Panada had built (said to be under the Ganges in Payaaga). He will dwell there and later give it away to the recluse ascetics and Brahmins. And he himself will give up his wealth and kingdom and wear the yellow robes under the Exalted One, Metteyya.

  The era of the Metteyya Buddha is in this same Mahaa kappa (world cycle) as ours. The next Buddha, the Buddha Rama, will appear only after 100,000 world cycles, after the passing away of the Buddha Metteyya's dispensation. We live in a very fortunate period known as a Mahaa Bhadda Kappa. In this Mahaa Bhadda Kappa four Buddhas have already reigned; the dispensation of the Buddha Metteyya is yet to come.

  It is opportune at this point to find out who will not see (with certainty) and who will see the Buddha Metteyya. We can then with effort, perform good deeds and aspire to see and hear the beautiful teachings of the Buddha Metteyya and attain Nibbaana during His reign.

  Those who will not see Metteyya Buddha

  According to the Anaagata-Vamasa Desanaa, those who have caused disharmony in the Sangha (like Devadatta), as well as others born in Avichi hell as a result of committing the five grave sins will not see the Metteyya Buddha, as they will remain in Avichi hell for the entire Mahaa kappa or world cycle (the life span in the Avichi hell is longer than a Mahaa kappa). Those who cherish wholly heretical views and those who slander the noble (Ariya) disciples shall not see Him.

  Those who will see Metteyya Buddha

  All other beings who give gifts (daana), keep the precepts, keep fast days, fulfill their religious duties, build shrines, and for the good of many build parks, groves, highways and wells, shall see Him. Those who in their longing for a Blessed One shall offer a gift of flowers, a lamp or a single mouthful of food, shall see Him. Those who feel pleasure in meritorious deeds shall see Him. Those who further the religion of the Buddha shall see Him. Those who listen to the Vessantara birth story shall see Him. Those who make offerings to the Sangha shall see Him. Those who wait on their mothers and fathers and perform respectful duties to their elders shall see Him. And those who strive with effort when they have listened to the doctrine of the Blessed One, Metteyya, will attain Arahatship.

  Next Ten Buddhas

  Then the Buddha Gotama gave the names of the next ten Buddhas. He proclaimed:

  "Metteyya excellent, Rama,
  Pasenadi Kosala, Abhibhu
  Dighasoni and Samkacca,
  Subha, and the Brahman TodeMett.
  Nalaagiri, ParaleMett.
  These ten are future Buddhas now
  And in due course, in time to come
  Wisdom supreme shall they attain."

  These ten Bodhisattas received the definite prophecy from the Buddha Gotama and will in the distant future attain enlightenment with certainty. Bodhisatta Metteyya is currently, has completed the ten perfections and is and awaits the opportune time in the Tusita heaven, the others are now practicing the ten perfections in earnest in preparation for Buddha hood.

  (When I first received the message from my mother, Thondra Devi, I was very confused as to how I could verify the truth of her message. Some months following, I met a fellow samtha practitioner whose guardian was Shin Mahakesi Arahat. The arahat in his previous birth was – an architect of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Saputta, and the elder brother of the two merchant brothers who received Buddha Gotama Buddha prophecy to enshrine his hair relics in a stupa, now known as Shwedagon Pagoda. At the request of my mother, the arahat disclosed again the truth of the message and the advent of the Miracle Buddha Relics Image, now known in Burma as – Yaung Daw Pyan Paya Pwe” The arahat being one of the definite chosen participant, confirmed the truth of the message my mother’s message._

  4.4 Arahatship 

  The Buddha predicted that there would be Arahats for only about the first 1,000 years of His dispensation.

  "As long as my disciples lead a pure, religious life,
  so long will the world never become empty of Arahats."

  Dhammapada 151

  It is easiest to achieve enlightenment during and shortly after the time of a Buddha. This is because a Supreme, Fully Enlightened Buddha, having realized the bliss of Nibbaana through His own efforts, can explain the path best. Arahats who achieve the bliss of Nibbaana by following the teachings of a Supreme Buddha, can in turn explain the path, as they have realized the Truth themselves. These enlightened beings are now in a position to explain that which they have experienced. And they have done so during their lifetime through their own effort. Those who have completed the virtues tend to be born at the time of a Buddha, for they have performed the meritorious deeds required for enlightenment, and with a little instruction from a Buddha or an Arahat and diligent practice, can achieve Nibbaana.

  The truth is that for the majority of us, this is the training period. Now is the time to practice the virtues and follow the path diligently. Some of us may attain our goal in this birth. But the rest of us need to strive on with diligence so that we too may be able to achieve Nibbaana at the time of the Buddha Metteyya, with a little instruction and practice.

  ( Yes, my mother said, there are beings who have already lived the life of virtue and are destined to appear in the Deva world to participate in the Miracle Buddha Image – “Yaung Daw Pyan Paya Pwe”. To them she send her urge and encouragement to strive hard to live a virtuous life so they will not miss the chance as Deva in an event designed specifically for Devas and Brahmas.)

  Some of you may be discouraged when you visualize or understand for the first time the concept of samsaara. You might think, "How long is this samsaara? How difficult is the attainment of Nibbaana? What hope is there? How can I ever reach Nibbaana?" Samsaara, the cycle of birth and death, is infinite. The Buddha, with His infinite vision, could see no beginning. You know now how far back the Buddha traced His life. In fact, He went much further back in search of a beginning, and each time He went back through an infinite period, He saw the flux of life weaving its way throughout the entire period. He went back another infinite period only to find the flux of life weaving its way during the entire period. The Buddha then said:

  "Inconceivable is the beginning of samsaara.
  A first beginning of beings who wander on in samsaara,
  Bonded by ignorance and fettered by craving cannot be seen.
  But despite this fact, there is suffering
  (due to the impermanence of phenomena).
  Divert your energy instead to the destruction of suffering,
  For the destruction of suffering is within your reach."

  Our past in samsaara is infinite. Our future in samsaara too will be infinite if we do not try now. The Buddha was a human being, a remarkable human being, but nevertheless a human being. And He realized the truth by His own effort with no divine intervention, assistance or prayer. He assured us that by following the path He has shown us, we too, like Him, can succeed. The Buddha said:

  "... If you also will strive unceasingly
  You too will in time attain the highest goal of bliss."

  THOSE IN THE HUMAN WORLD

  Those who have missed the event designed for the Devas and Brahmas, will have to wait to take rebirth in Metteyya Sasana in the fifth world cycle to see the Metteyya Buddha and listen to his teaching.

  Countless people followed the Gotama path and attained Arahatship. Look at the alternative. Giving up will not change samsaara. We have an alternative. We live in a very fortunate period. Within this same world cycle (MahaBhudda Kappa) in one of the succeeding intra-aeon (anto-kappa), the Buddha Metteyya will reign. All of us have performed the wholesome (good) deeds required to see the Buddha Metteyya. Now let us strive on with diligence so that we too can achieve the bliss of Nibbaana during His dispensation. Let us strive on with diligence, for the era of the Buddha Rama is more than 100,000 world cycles away.

• wilsonhao

  1 Jun 08, 11:40

  Isnt Maitreya Buddha always with us, near and far? Just that we cant seem to point our where he is or know who he is. But when he comes down to preach the dharma, he will not come that soon anyway.

  If you read buddhist or tibetan prophecy, when maitreya buddha comes down, the earth and its continent will be acessible because the water level and geographical landscapes would have changed so greatly by natural disasters and so on. Thus, according to such saying, he is not approaching. We are at the dharma declining age for now, and of course in the Kali Yuga. But buddhism is still right here now. The dharma still exist.

   

• justdoit77

  1 Jun 08, 12:12

  It is said that by the time buddha maitreya come to our earth in the form of buddha, buddhism already disappeared.

• rokkie

  1 Jun 08, 14:17

   u know what according to buddhism,buddha take a expedient way to preaching,so he may become a girl, become a è�©è�¨ï¼Œmaybe someone u encountered ,helping u out is buddha himself