The Encyclopedia of World Religions

274 S Maitreya

us as a teacher in this world, like the historical Buddha, or within ourselves. This perspective can help us understand Mahayana temples and practices. It was in this Mahayana form that Buddhism spread into the northern tier of Buddhist countries, forming schools and denominations emphasizing various aspects of the complex Mahayana world view, but commonly also embracing its broad and tolerant nature. Further reading: Edward Conze, Buddhism: Its Essence and Development (New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1959); Holmes Welch, The Practice of Chinese Buddhism 1900–1950 (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1967); Paul Williams, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations (New York: Routledge, 1989). Maitreya The B UDDHA who is to come. B UDDHISM has taught about many buddhas besides Siddhar tha Gautama (563–483 B . C . E .), the Buddha of our world. One such teaching concerns the Buddha Maitreya. His name comes from maitri, a word in Sanskrit, the ancient language of India, which means “friendship” or “benevolence.” Buddhists believe that all things change. Change characterizes the Buddha’s teachings, too. Eventually these teachings will lose their appeal and be forgotten—according to some stories, after 5000 years. But the Buddhist DHARMA or teaching will not be lost forever. When the time is right, another buddha will appear who will once again teach the truth. That buddha is Maitreya, who now resides as a BODHISATTVA in a HEAVEN called Tushita. Unlike many bodhisattvas, Maitreya is revered by Buddhists of all schools—Theravada, Mahay ana, and Vajrayana ( see M AHAYANA B UDDHISM , T HERAVADA B UDDHISM , and V AJRAYANA B UDDHISM ). He is not always, however, given the same respect. From about 300 to about 600 C . E . the rulers of China especially favored Maitreya. Then they seem to have become interested instead in P URE L AND B UDDHISM and its Buddha, Amitabha (Japanese, A MIDA ). Starting around 1000 C . E ., however, the

1. We are, Mahayana believes, really in nirvana and enlightened Buddhas right now. We just do not realize it. But we “have” or dwell in a uni versal Buddha nature. 2. Any means to enable us to realize that nature is all right. Therefore Mahayana has many paths to enlightenment: Zen MEDITATION ( see Z EN B UD DHISM ), the elaborate RITUALS of T IBETAN RELIGION , faith in A MIDA in P URE L AND B UDDHISM , chanting from the Lotus Sutra in N ICHIREN Buddhism, or the simple awesome experience of being in a Mahayana TEMPLE . 3. Mahayana says there are innumerable buddhas throughout the universe, not just the one histor ical Buddha, and they can all be of help to us. Mahayana temples may contain images of sev eral of these “cosmic” buddhas, such as A MIDA . According to Pure Land Buddhism, Amida vowed countless ages ago to bring all who call on his name in faith into his “Pure Land” or Heaven, from which entry into nirvana is easy. Sometimes he and other transcendent buddhas are arranged into a MANDALA , or pattern, for devotional purposes. 4. Mahayana also emphasizes the role of the BODHISATTVA , one who fully realizes the truth of samsara and nirvana, lives in the Void, and works actively in the world out of wisdom and compassion to help all beings along the path to enlightenment. A favorite is A VALOKITESVARA , who as Kuan-yin in China and Kannon in Japan is worshipped as a goddess of mercy. Sometimes bodhisattvas are seen as active expressions of a buddha, as Avalokitesvara is of Amida. In a deeper sense, we can all realize we are bodhi sattvas, just as we are all Buddhas. 5. In time Mahayana developed a teaching that there are three forms of expression of the uni versal buddha nature: the Absolute, or nirvana, or what we may think of today as the dance of the atoms and galaxies, the universe as a whole conscious and unconscious; the Heav enly expression, thinking of the cosmic bud dhas and bodhisattvas as like heavenly beings because this is the way our minds work; and the Earthly, when universal buddhahood appears to