Bodhisattva Maitreya พระโพธิสัตว์ศรีอริยเมตไตย

โอม.บุด.ดา.ไม.ตรี.มิน.โซ.ฮา.
ธิเบตเรียก จัม.ปา.โกน.โป จีนเรียก มีเล็กฮุก
ด้วยพุทธทำนายที่ว่าพุทธศาสนาในยุดปัจจุบันคือยุคพระศากยะมุนีพุทธเจ้ามีอายุ5000ปี เมื่อถึงปลายยุดสรรพสัตว์ตกอยู่ในห้วงทุกข์มหาศาลด้วยว่าได้หลงระเริงในวัฏฏะสงสาร พระธรรมคำสั่งสอนถูกลืมเลือนไปจนหมดสิ้น เมื่อเวลานั้นมาถึง พระศรีอริยเมตไตย ซึ่งขณะนี้ประทับอยู่ณ สวรรค์ชั้นดุสิต ก็จะลงมาบังเกิดเพื่อกระตุ้นเตือนสรรพสัตว์อย่าได้ละเลยในการปฏิบัติธรรมดังเช่นพระพุทธเจ้าทั้งหลายที่ได้ปฏิบัติมาแล้ว
ภาพพุทธลักษณะมีทั้งในปางพุทธเจ้าและในปางพระโพธิสัตว์ ในภาพทังกานี้เป็นปางพระโพธิสัตว์พระวรกายสีทอง บนเศียรมีเจดีย์ มืออยู่ในท่ามุทราหมุนธรรมจักร นั่งบนสิงหอาสน์พระบาทห้อยใต้พระบาทมีแท่นบัวรัศมีจันทร์ มีดอกไม้อยู่ด้านหลัง ดอกขวามีธรรมจักร บนดอกซ้ายมีกาน้ำอมฤตในวัดในประเทศธิเบตและจีนที่มีการสร้างพระประธานเป็นพระพุทธรูปสามองค์ ด้วยหมายถึงพระพุทธเจ้าแห่งอดีต ปัจจุบันและอนาคต ซึ่งองค์ทางขวามือคือองค์อมิตาภะพุทธเจ้ามีดอกบัวเป็นสัญลักษณ์คือพระพุทธเจ้าในอดีต องค์กลางก็คือองค์ศากยะมุนีพุทธเจ้ามีบาตรเป็นสัญลักษณ์ คือพระพุทธเจ้าในปัจจุบัน และองค์ทางซ้ายมือองค์พระศรีอริยะเมตไตยมีเจดีย์เป็นสัญลักษณ์ คือพระพุทธเจ้าในอนาคต

Maitreya
[The future and fifth human-Buddha], The Compassionate One
Posture of hands [Mudra]: dharmacakra [turning the wheel of law]
Symbol: kalasa [vase], cakra [wheel],
Body color: yellow or white
Emblem: naga pushpa [white flower with yellow center]

Buddhist tradition divides the period between the death of Buddha and the manifestation of Maitreya in the actual universe into three divisions of time:
I) Period of 500 years, 'the turning of the Wheel of the first Law'.
II) Period of 1,000 years, period of deterioration of 'the law of images' [Sadharma pratirupaka].
III) Period of 3000 years, 'the turning of the Wheel of the second Law', after which Maitreya will leave the Tushita heaven and come upon earth to 'establish the lost truths in all their purity.'

Maitreya is the only Bodhisattva, who is popular among all the Buddhism sects, i.e., the Hinayana, Mahayana, and the Vajrayana, and often his statues and paintings are found in all Buddhist shrines of northern and southern Buddhist.
Sakya-muni is supposed to have visited Maitreya in the Tushita heaven when he appointed him his successor, and many Buddhist sages [arhats] are believed to have had communion with him, transporting themselves by supernatural means to the Tushita heaven to seek enlightenment on various religious points. The great Asanga, one thousand years after the birth of Buddha Sakya-muni, ascended to the Tushita heaven, where Maitreya, initiated him, into the mystic doctrine of Tantra, which he grafted on to the Mahayana school in the beginning of the sixth century. Certain sects therefore look upon, Maitreya, as the founder of the Tantra school.

Although the cult of Maitreya was evolved before Indian King Asoka's time, his worship was not at its height until the fifth century AD, and there are many statues of him in the famous Gandhara sculptures of that period. He is represented either as Buddha or Boddhisattva. As Buddha he often with long hair drawn up in a knot on his head forming the ushnisha, his hands in dharmacakra mudra [turning the Wheel of the Law]; and as Boddhisattva he may be standing with his long hair hanging over his shoulders and his hands form 'argument' and 'charity' mudra [posture]
Tibetan Schools of Buddhism also worship Maitreya both as Buddha and Boddhisattva. As Buddha, he has short curly hairs, the ushnisha, urna, and long lobed ears. He wears monastic garment with crown and ornaments, and his hands are in dharmacakra mudra both holding lotuses stems with cakra [Wheel] in right and kalasa vase in left. He is seated with legs locked or sometime the legs, instead of locked, are pendent, and the feet may be unsupported.

We may find some minor difference in his iconographic representation among the various sects of Buddhism. The early Mongolian images of Maitreya are also generally standing, and hold in their hands forming 'argument' and 'charity' mudra, the stems of flowers called 'campa', which, however, in the bronzes often resembles the lotus flower.

In the bas-reliefs of the temple of Boro Boedoer, there are many representations of Maitreya, which date from the ninth century.
Mendut, candi. Central Maitreya Buddha ... Digital ID: 1113578. New York Public Library In Java Indonesia, he is also found in statuary form, as for instance in the temple of Tjandi Mendut, where he is figured seated the leg pendent and the hands in the dharmacakra mudra. see left picture

In the ancient Gandhara sculptures, Maitreya was represented much larger than his assistants were. According to the Chinese traveler Hsuan Tsang, there is a statue of Maitreya at Dardu, north of the Punjab, in wood, which is one hundred feet high. It is said to have been created by artist whom Lohan Madhyantika caused, by magic, to mount three times to the Tushita heaven to contemplate the form of Maitreya before carving the statue.

The group of five Manushi Buddha, corresponding with Panca-Dhyani-Buddha and five meditative Bodhisattvas are mentioned as below.


1:KRAKUCHANDRA is a first Manushi Buddha, who is emanated from the first Dhyani Buddha Vairocana.
2: KANAKMUNI is considered as second Manushi Buddha, emanated from second Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya.
3:KASYAPA is considered as the third Manushi Buddha being emanated from third Dhyani Buddha Ratnasambhava.
4:SAKYA-MUNI is a forth Manushi Buddha, who is emanated from fourth Dhyani Buddha Amitabha.
5:MAITREYA is the fifth Manushi Buddha, emanated from fifth Dhyani Buddha Amogasiddhi.

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