Item: Maitreya (Bodhisattva & Buddhist Deity)

Maitreya, bodhisattva (Tibetan: cham pa, jang chub sem pa. English: Loving Kindness).

Maitreya is peaceful, yellow is colour, with one face and two hands performing the Dharma teaching mudra (gesture) and holding the stems of two utpala flowers blossoming at the right and left ears supporting a gold Dharma wheel and a vase. Wearing a gold crown, jewel ornaments and fine silks of various colours he sits in a western style on a red tiered throne with the two feet resting on a moon disc and full lotus blossom.

As the future buddha, the next in the succession of 1000 buddhas of this age, Maitreya resides and teaches in the Tushita heaven above Mount Meru in preparation for descending to the human realm several thousand years from now.

Maitreya is one of the eight ?heart sons? of Shakyamuni buddha and played a significant role as the progenitor of the Yogacara/Cittamatra (Mind Only) School of Indian Buddhism.

There are various forms of Maitreya and his practice is common to all Schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Jeff Watt 8-98