Maitreya

Maitreya

Statue of Maitreya Buddha in Patan Museum, Kathmandu

Maitreya (P. Metteyya; Tib. byams pa བྱམས་པ་; C. mile) is the name of the future buddha, who it is said will appear in this world (Jambudvipa) when the teachings of Buddha Shakyamuni have been forgotten.

According to tradition, Maitreya is currently a bodhisattva who resides in the heavenly realm of Tushita. When the dispensation (śāsana) of Buddha Shakyamuni is no longer present in this world, Maitreya will take his final rebirth in this world as a fully perfected buddha (samyaksambuddha), and begin teaching the beings of his time period.

According to the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Maitreya was initially an minor figure in early Indian Buddhism, who later evolved into one of the most popular figures in Buddhism.

In Buddhist art, Maitreya is typically used to represent the "buddhas of the future" within depictions of the "buddhas of the three times." In this context, Gautama Buddha is the buddha of the present, and Dīpaṅkara (or other buddha) represents the buddhas of the past.