True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Maitreya – TBN Blog 溫哥華真佛報部落格

True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Maitreya

【Maitreya Mudra :】

Internal Turning the Dharma Wheel Mudra:
Form a circle with the thumb and index finger of the left hand, extend the middle finger, ring finger and little finger to point straight up. Form a circle with the thumb and index finger of the right hand, extend middle finger, ring finger and little finger point away from you while locking the right hand circle to the left hand circle. Hold palms together with a space in between.

External Turning the Dharma Wheel Mudra:
Form a circle with the thumb and index finger of the left hand, extend middle finger, ring finger and little finger to point straight up. Form a circle with thumb and index finger of the right hand, extend middle finger, ring finger and little finger pointing straight away from you. Hold palms together with a space in between and the right hand circle behind the left hand circle.

【Maitreya Seed Syllable :】

yu (white in color)

【Maitreya Mantra :】

「om。mi-tre-ya。 so-ha。」

【Maitreya Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

The image of Maitreya in the Womb Realm – Maitreya wears a crown with a Pagoda on the center top of the crown. Inside the Pagoda are relics. He holds his left hand before his chest with an open palm. His right hand holds a lotus, and on top of the lotus sits a vase. He sits on top of a thousand petaled lotus and wears jewelry on the left and right sides of his body. He looks solemnly like a Buddha.

The image of Maitreya in the Diamond Realm – is similar to the image of Maitreya’s Womb Realm except that he holds his right hand before his chest with thumb, index finger and pinky finger extending straight while bending the middle finger and ring finger. He places his left hand on top of his knee.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Talk – Maitreya Background and Key Cultivation Formula】

Maitreya has many names, ”The Benevolent One,” ”Ajita,” or ”The Invincible One.”
Maitreya was born in Brahman of South India. He later received Shakyamuni Buddha’s teaching and was prophesied as a Bodhisattva who will then become Buddha in the future. Maitreya was one of the ancient Buddhas. He was also a follower of Charitable Thought Buddha.

Maitreya received the name of ”The Benevolent Bodhisattva” from his accomplishment of ”Metta Samadhi” while meditating. The cultivation of ”Metta Samadhi” is – samadhi of compassionate heart; always granting happiness to others, alleviating the pain that all beings suffer, and giving joy to all sentient beings. Since Shakyamuni Buddha is known as ”mighty in kindheartedness, ” then Maitreya would be called ”mighty in compassion.” One is ”kindhearted” and the other is ”compassionate.” Therefore in the future, Maitreya will be the number one Buddha for saving the most number of sentient beings in the Saha world. Tibetans address him as ”Jampa Buddha,” thus he is named ”Maitreya Buddha” or ”Maitreya Bodhisattva.”

Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu has read Six Maitreya Sutras: ”Sutra of Maitreya Reborn Below, ” ”Sutra of Maitreya’s Descent,” ”Sutra of Maitreya Reborn Below to Becoming a Buddha,” ”Sutra of Maitreya Becoming a Buddha,” ”Sutra of Visualization of Rebirth into the Tusita Heaven of Maitreya Bodhisattva,” and ”Sutra of Maitreya’s Reborn as a Buddha.”

The adobe of Maitreya is in the inner court of the Tusita Heaven, where he preaches buddhadharma to save beings. It was noted that after 5,670,000,000 years, he will be reborn in ”Jambudvipa,” and achieve enlightenment under a nagapuspa tree. Subsequently, he will host three major ceremonies, which is known as the most famous ”Nagapuspa Triple Assembly.” When Maitreya descends as a saviour, Nagapuspa Triple Assembly will be Maitreya’s three largest ceremonies. There will be a first, second and third assembly held where he will convert all sentient beings. With just one recitation of ”Namo Buddha Ye,” he will convert and save all sentient beings. Maitreya uses a very special method to convert all sentient beings, known as ” consciousness only Spiritual Transformation.”

This deity’s actual name came from the Vajrayana word ”Maitreya.” In the Womb Realm Mandala, this deity is located at the northeast of Center of the Eight Petal Hall. In the Diamond Realm Mandala, this deity is located on the east side of the sixteen Bhadrakalpa deities. The Mahacakra Vajra of the Womb Realm in the Diamond Realm is a wrathful vajra transformation of Maitreya Bodhisattva.

Below the Paranivrmita-Vasavartin is Nirmanarati, and below the Nirmanarati is Tushita Heaven. Tushita, above Yama, is the fourth of the six desire realms. The devas in this realm enjoy charity and pursuing happiness, thus the alternative name is the ”Joyful Realm.” Tushita Heaven consists of courts; inner and outer. Residents living in the outer court have a life span of 4,000 years, whereas ones living in the inner court are expected to live infinitely. In future lives, water, fire, and wind disasters will not cause the inner court of Tushita Heaven any damages because everything in the inner court is made from the mani element. It earns another reputation as being the Region of Infinite Light.

Maitreya is the ”Next Lifetime Upcoming Buddha,” the highest ranked of the succeeding buddhas. In other words, he is the bodhisattva in the first place who will become a Buddha in the next lifetime. For this reason, he is the ‘first.”

Another reason Maitreya Bodhisattva is referred to as No. 1 is because his birthday is on the first of January. As the first waiting in line to become a Buddha, he will be another Great Authoritative Divine King Buddha in the future.

Maitreya Mudras: The first Mudra is ” Turning the Dharma Wheel Mudra” representing fact that he is a Great Authoritative Divine King Buddha. The second Mudra is called the ”Zuduba Mudra,” which is also the ”Pagoda Mudra,” ”Ushnishavijaya Pagoda Mudra,” and ”Chorten Mudra. ” The third Mudra is ”Enclosed Lotus Mudra,” which is Lotus Mudra with the palms closed. The fourth mudra is Maitreya ”Cheng Shen Hui” Mudra. Maitreya has total of four Mudras. He is the one bodhisattva with the most mudras. Therefore, he is No. 1, and once more, the first one.

At Tushita Heaven where Maitreya preaches, Padmakumara had respectfully asked Maitreya to teach him Buddhadharma. Therefore, Maitreya expounded the ”Detailed Exposition Dharma.”

True Buddha practitioners who wish to save the world with the Buddhadharma or make a vow to practice the ”Maitreya White Cloud Visualization” could follow Maitreya. They will first reborn in Maitreya’s pureland. As Maitreya achieves buddhahood, all his followers will also achieve buddhahood. This is the universal saving of the Nagapuspa Triple Assembly.

Padmakumara and Maitreya have a very deep profound affinity. This is because when Padmakumara descended to our human samsaric world, Maitreya personally presented a ”red crown” to Padmakumara to become the Holy Red Crown Vajra Guru Venerable Lian-Sheng.

During the future Nagapuspa Triple Assembly, Maitreya will quickly eradicate sentient beings’ karmic hindrances and enable them to reveal their true mind and hidden buddha nature. The resulting illumination will allow them to follow Maitreya and ascend to his pure land located in the inner court of Tusita Heaven, which is a great and indestructible pure land.

Maitreya is great. He is aware that sentient beings are ill, therefore he will guide everyone to understand their own mind. By understanding the mind, one’s illnesses will be purified. Subsequently, one will be able to use their mind to spread the Buddhadharma. One will illuminate brightly with the capability to save all sentient beings. Eventually one’s bright illumination will merge with the universe, and at this point one will achieve buddhahood.