Buddhist Deity: Maitreya Main Page

Maitreya Masterworks

- Art History

- Iconography

- Religious Context

Videos:
- Maitreya Bodhisattva
- Bodhisattva: Three Definitions
- Buddha of the Future (Book Review)

Maitreya Profile:
Gender: Male
Identity: Bodhisattva, Buddha, Meditational Deity (not an emanation)
Tantra Class: Kriya Tantra
Source Text: Maitreyapratijñādhāraṇī.
Function/activity:
Metaphor: Loving Kindness
Special Characteristics: Sitting Postures
Appearance: Peaceful
Colour: Yellow or Gold
Attributes: Vase, Stupa, Mala, Wheel, Deerskin
Consort: none
Mount: none

Maitreya (Tibetan: cham pa. English: Love), the bodhisattva of loving kindness and the Buddha of the next future eon after the age of Shakyamuni Buddha. Maitreya is believed to currently reside in the Tushita Heaven and is typically depicted as having either a Peaceful Appearance (Bodhisattva) or Buddha Appearance.

Tibetan: Jetsun Jampa Gonpo (rje btsun byams pa mgon po)

In painting, Maitreya is commonly depicted in peaceful appearance and very often grouped with the Eight Great Bodhisattvas. Either Shakyamuni or Amitabha Buddha typically appear as the central composition or sculpture for such sets.

Database Search: All Images | Painting | Sculpture | Bodhisattva Maitreya | Buddha Maitreya

Jeff Watt 2-2002 [updated 2-2016, 5-2017, 12-2019]