DESCRIPTION

Maitreya, ‘friendly’, ‘benevolent’. The next or future Buddha, now in the Tuṣita heaven, who is to come 5,000 years after the nirvāṇa of Śākyamuni, or according to other reckoning after 4,000 heavenly years (i.e. 5,670,000,000 human years). According to tradition he was born in Southern India of a Brahman family. His two epithets are 慈氏 ‘Benevolent’, and Ajita 阿逸多 'Invincible'.

There are many different representations of Maitreya, varying significantly from culture to culture.