Maitreya in Tibetan Buddhism: Image and Myth
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2006 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Studia Asiatica: International Journal of Asian Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Philosophy and religion |
| Keywords | Maitreya; Buddha; Bodhisattva; Natha; Bhattaraka; Tibetan Buddhism; Mongolia; Buryatia; Thangka |
| Description | There are various depictions of Maitreya both in the countries where Buddhism was an active religion and in various periods. The future Buddha and the present Bodhisattva Maitreya is the only Bodhisattva common to Theravada and Mahayana and this fact constitutes his exceptional position in the Buddhist teaching and in the pantheon. The study deals with one picture found in the collections of National Museum – Náprstek Museum in Prague. This Mongolian or Tibetan thangka depicting the field of the Maitreya (Sa. Maitreyaksetra) captures three forms of Maitreya altogether – Maitreya as the Bhattaraka, Natha and in the end as the Buddha, both in the heaven of Tushita and on the earth, where he will „turn his own wheel of teaching” in the future. This type of depiction is known only within the context of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet and in Mongolia and Buryatia. |
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