Primary sources on Maitreya Teachings?

[CB18031]

I am interested in learning about Maitreya devotion in East Asia, more specifically Chinese "Maitreya Teachings." I am wondering if any primary documents remain from these sects, or if any good research in English exists that relies on-- and quotes-- these primary documents from the sects themselves. Does anyone know if any Maitreya sects still exist today?

[HauntedHotel]

I am interested in learning about Maitreya devotion in East Asia, more specifically Chinese "Maitreya Teachings." I am wondering if any primary documents remain from these sects, or if any good research in English exists that relies on-- and quotes-- these primary documents from the sects themselves. Does anyone know if any Maitreya sects still exist today?

There are still many groups doing much of the same things.
A lot of the old texts do still survive to this day.
And we are making more of the same type types of texts every year.
We are still living in the same era as those people, so we just do the same thing

[curtstein]

Right now I am reading "Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism", which I can highly recommend. The book has one serious flaw (imnsho), which is that the author, Justin Ritzinger, adopts (in his own words) a "Taylorian framework" for his analysis. That being said, the damage done by such a choice of "framework" is to a great extent offset by the fact that Ritzinger provides a very well articulated explanation of why he uses that framework, what it actually means (to him), as well as explaining other (admittedly worse) frameworks that other scholars who have covered the same period/topics have used.

The book is unfortunately fairly pricey (at least for me) - but here is a free and very interesting interview with the author talking about the book:
https://newbooksnetwork.com/justin-r-ri ... rd-up-2017

The above interview is especially interesting due to Ritzinger's explanation of how he started out studying the movements to modernize Buddhism in China only to discovered that (contrary to his assumptions up to that time) one of the foremost and influential leaders of that movement (Taixu) was not only not at all interested in "demythologizing", "deritualizing", and "rationalizing" Buddhism, but was in fact an ardent proponent of the worship of the future Buddha Maitreya, and who prayed fervently to be reborn in Tushita Heaven.

Since so much of Ritzinger's book is devoted to the modern revival of "the cult of Maitreya", he spends some time on the various scriptural sources for Maitreya in East Asian Buddhism, including:
(1) The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Contemplation of Maitreya Bodhisattva’s Ascent to Tuṣita Heaven (Guan mile pusa shengsheng doushuai
tian jing 佛說觀彌勒菩薩上生兜率天經
(2) The Yogācārabhūmiśāstra (Yuqie shidi lun 瑜伽師地論)
(3) The Sutra on Maitreya’s Descent and Attainment of Buddhahood (Mile xiasheng cheng fo jing 彌勒下生成佛經)
(4) Sutra on the Questions of Maitreya Bodhisattva (Mile pusa suowen jing 彌勒菩薩所問經)
(5) Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on Maitreya’s Great Achievement of Buddhahood (Fo shuo mile da cheng fo jing 佛說彌勒大成佛經)

[kirtu]

There is a practice of Maitreya Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism but I didn't realize until today that it is primarily a Gelug tradition practice (claimed by James Apple, Professor Buddhist Studies, University of Calgary). However I received Maitreya empowerment from Lama Norlha from the Kagyu so it can't be just a Gelug practice. I have to admit that I haven't seen a Sakya or Nyingma practice related directly to Maitreya that I remember.

In the Gelug tradition this comes directly from Indian Maitreya Pure Land practice so it had to have come to Tibet from India not later than 1200 CE (1400 CE at the outside).

See
Apple's Maitreyas Tushita Heaven as a Pure Land in Gelugpa Forms of Buddhism

Also The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy

The sūtra translated here, Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy, is part of this larger tradition. It is one of the many sūtras in the Kangyur to have been translated into Tibetan from Chinese. This is immediately clear from the original title of the text, which is transcribed from Chinese rather than Sanskrit, and from the colophon, which indicates that the translation was produced based on a Chinese manuscript. The Tibetan translation corresponds to a sūtra in the Chinese canon titled (Fo shuo guan mile pusa shang sheng doushuaitian jing 佛說觀彌勒菩薩上生兜率天經, Taishō 452). Of the six sūtras in the Chinese canon that center on Maitreya (Taishō 452–57), this is the only one to focus on his “ascendant” rebirth in the Heaven of Joy, whereas the others are primarily concerned with his future descent to be reborn in Jambudvīpa.

This sutra appears to correspond to curtstein's #1 entry above.

[curtstein]

One thing to keep in mind is that East Asian Buddhism (especially outside of Japan) tends to be quite eclectic/syncretic, to the extent that it might be a good idea to look for practices and teachings concerning Maitreya that may not necessarily be associated with anything like a "Maitreya sect".

As an example, here is a youtube video of a group of Korean Buddhists who are affiliated with the Chogye Order (the largest Buddhist order in Korea and definitely not a "Maitreya sect"). They are (for almost 2 solid hours) chanting "Mirok Jonggeun", that is "Maitreya, Diligent One" (미륵정근 / 彌勒精勤):

[CB18031]

Right now I am reading "Anarchy in the Pure Land: Reinventing the Cult of Maitreya in Modern Chinese Buddhism", which I can highly recommend. The book has one serious flaw (imnsho), which is that the author, Justin Ritzinger, adopts (in his own words) a "Taylorian framework" for his analysis. That being said, the damage done by such a choice of "framework" is to a great extent offset by the fact that Ritzinger provides a very well articulated explanation of why he uses that framework, what it actually means (to him), as well as explaining other (admittedly worse) frameworks that other scholars who have covered the same period/topics have used.

The book is unfortunately fairly pricey (at least for me) - but here is a free and very interesting interview with the author talking about the book:
https://newbooksnetwork.com/justin-r-ri ... rd-up-2017

Thank you. I found a free copy of this book and I am enjoying it. The part about the object (jing 境), practice (xing 行), and fruit (guo 果) of the Maitreya School is incredibly interesting.

Moreover, I must say that Venerable Taixu is such an intriguing figure and I wish more of his writings were translated into English. It is a shame that has been neglected, and I wish there was something I could do about it.

[HauntedHotel]

Moreover, I must say that Venerable Taixu is such an intriguing figure and I wish more of his writings were translated into English. It is a shame that has been neglected, and I wish there was something I could do about it.

You could start here-

https://journal.nantien.edu.au/studies- ... -thoughts/

[HauntedHotel]

Anyways, I originally thought this thread was about something else, which is why I posted that earlier

[CB18031]

Anyways, I originally thought this thread was about something else, which is why I posted that earlier

Here is a Wikipedia link about the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya_teachings

[MGeorge116]

Thereupon, the ninety-four sectarians, wanderers, religious mendicants, brahmins, and many hundreds of
nonbelievers approached there, where the great city Rajagriha was. At that time, at that moment, the
Blessed One displayed a smile.
Thereupon, the bodhisattva, the great being Maitreya, having risen from the seat, putting his upper robe
over one shoulder, placing his right knee on the earth, and making obeisance with folded hands in the
direction of the Blessed One, spoke to the Blessed One thus: “Blessed One, what is the cause, what is the
reason for displaying a smile? Not without cause, not without reason, do tathagatas, arhats, perfectly
completed buddhas display a smile.”
The Blessed One said: “Listen, son of the lineage. Today, there will be a great assembly in this great city
of Rajagriha.”
He said: “Blessed One, who will come here? Devas, or nagas, or yakshas, or human beings, or nonhuman
beings?”
The Blessed One said: “Maitreya, all of them: devas, nagas, yakshas, human beings, and nonhuman
beings are coming here today. And 84,000 brahmins will also come here; 90,000 million sectarians,
wandering ascetics, religious mendicants, and nonbelievers will come here. They will dispute with me. I
will preach the Dharma to silence the disputes of all of them. All those brahmins will produce the thought
of supreme, perfectly completed enlightenment. Nine million millions of sectarians, wandering ascetics,
religious mendicants, and nonbelievers will attain the fruit of a stream-enterer. Eighteen thousand million
naga kings will come. They will hear the Dharma from me. Having heard it, all will produce the thoughts
of supreme, perfectly completed enlightenment. Sixty thousand million sons of deities of the pure abodes
will come. Mara, the evil one, will come with his retinue of 32,000 million followers. Twelve thousand
million asura kings will come. Kings, 500 in number, will come with their retinues to hear the Dharma.
Having heard the Dharma from me, they will all produce the thought of unsurpassed, perfectly completed
enlightenment.”
Then the bodhisattva, the great being Maitreya, having worshipped at the feet of the Blessed One with his
head and having circumambulated the Blessed One, vanished in that very place.

Arya Sanghata Sutra

[jmlee369]

One thing to keep in mind is that East Asian Buddhism (especially outside of Japan) tends to be quite eclectic/syncretic, to the extent that it might be a good idea to look for practices and teachings concerning Maitreya that may not necessarily be associated with anything like a "Maitreya sect".

As an example, here is a youtube video of a group of Korean Buddhists who are affiliated with the Chogye Order (the largest Buddhist order in Korea and definitely not a "Maitreya sect"). They are (for almost 2 solid hours) chanting "Mirok Jonggeun", that is "Maitreya, Diligent One" (미륵정근 / 彌勒精勤):

Just a correction, they are chanting Mireuk Jonbul (彌勒尊佛) which means Maitreya, venerable Buddha. Jeonggeun (精勤) refers to the general practice of repeating a Buddha or bodhisattva's name for an extended period of time, hence the meaning of diligent effort.

Korean peninsula has a long history of Maitreya worship and there was a notion in Silla that they were the kingdom Maitreya would take birth in. Many Maitreya claimants came and went in Korean history, sometimes with disastrous results. There is in fact currently a 'monk' with a strong Youtube presence who calls himself Maitreya Buddha and has commissioned Buddha statues modelled after himself.

[curtstein]

Just a correction, they are chanting Mireuk Jonbul (彌勒尊佛) which means Maitreya, venerable Buddha. Jeonggeun (精勤) refers to the general practice of repeating a Buddha or bodhisattva's name for an extended period of time, hence the meaning of diligent effort.

Thanks for that! I did a little more digging and found another youtube video (see below) which (to my non-Korean ears) has a clearer enunciation of the syllables: 미륵존불 vs 미륵정근 (mi reuk jon bul vs mi reuk jeong geun).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkm5cwt9qfI

[HauntedHotel]

Anyways, I originally thought this thread was about something else, which is why I posted that earlier

Here is a Wikipedia link about the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya_teachings

Thats what I thought you meant which is why i posted what I did....but then the thread went its own way

[HauntedHotel]

Here is a Wikipedia link about the subject:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya_teachings

If anyone wants to discuss, this is something I know a little bit about...