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Maitreya

Amitabha Buddha ( Dharmakara)

Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta

Manjushri and Samantabhadra

Kshitigarbha

Maitreya

Shakyamuni Buddha spoke of the Buddhas_who had before Him and of the Buddhas who would appear in the Future. The next Buddha to appear would be Maitreya. The name  Maitreya means “one who possesses loving-kindness”, so the future Budhha embodies the quality of loving-kindness. He willingly grants help to all those who direct their Minds towards him.

Having Practised the perfections, Maitreya now awaits the time , when Shakyamuni Buddha, he will be born among human beings and will teach the Dharma for the good of many. Meanwhile, he resides in the Tushita Heaven. Many devoted Buddhists wants to be reborn in the Tushita Heaven in order to be taught by him. They wish to be reborn in the world together with him when he becomes a Buddha. Even in his life, one who has purified his mind through the practice of Mental Development may direct his mind to the Tushita Heaven. There he may be taught by this future Buddha.

Bodhisattva Maitreya

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Amitabha Buddha ( Dharmakara)

Amitabha, whose name means “infinite light”, is said to have attained buddhahood many, many years ago. He now dwells in his Buddha-land (Western Paradise) where he teaches the Dharma. In a previous life, when he first awakened the Thought of Enlightenment, he was known as Dharmakara Bodhisattva. He made a 1arge number of vows. He vowed, for _ instance, that when he became a Buddha, his Buddha-land would ‘have no lower realms of existence. He vowed that even the name of evil would not be known there. He also vowed that all beings reborn in his Buddha-land are sure to gain Enlightenment. Another vow he made was that all beings in his Buddhaland would immediately understand the Dharma.

Perhaps most important of all, is his vow that those who give up unwholesome actions, recite the name of Amitabha and meditate upon him will be reborn in the Western Paradise when they die. There, they will enjoy happiness until they attain Enlightenment. Having made his vows, he practised the way of the Bodhisattva for many lives until he become a Buddha.

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Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta

The two great Bodhisattvas who attend to Amitabha Buddha in the Western Paradise are Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta. In the Buddhist art of East Asia, Avalokiteshvara is often represented standing on the left of Amitabha. Mahasthamaprapta whose name means “one who possesses great Strength", stands on the right. It is said that he radiates the light 0f wisdom throughout the universe. Of these two, Avalokiteshvara is the more popular.

Avalokiteshvara is revered by many Buddhists in East and Central Asia as the embodiment of great compassion. He has _ vowed to free all sentient beings from suffering. Nonetheless, he has achieved the perfections of the way of the Bodhisattva and is on the Threshold of buddhahood. Avalokiteshvara has great powers and can help all sentient beings. His skilful means are limitless and he appear in any form in all the six realms of existence to relieve all suffering of the sentient beings who live there. He rescue those who call on him when they are in danger, for example, when caught in a fire, shipwrecked or facing an attack.

The name Avalokiteshvara means "the lord who looks upon the world with compassion" In Buddhist art; Avalokiteshvara is sometimes represented with one head and four or eighteen arms. In China, Avalokiteshvara represented in female form and is known by the name Guan-yin.

The Amitabha Buddha is flanked by Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara on his left and Bodhisattva mahasthamaprapta on his right

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Manjushri and Samantabhadra

In the Buddhist art of East Asia, Manjushri and Samantabhadra are often pictured accompanying Shakyamuni Buddha. Manjushri is usually represented as mounted on a lion while Samantabhadra is seated on a white elephant with six tusks.

Manjushri  whose name means “gentle glory”, is the embodiment of wisdom. He appears to those who meditate on him. He instructs them in the Dharma, stimulates them to develop insight and give them skill in writing and languages. He is usually represented with a sword in one hand and a sutra of Perfect Wisdom in the other. The sword stands for his ability to cut through the growth of suffering and the net of wrong views, while the sutre stands for perfect wisdom.

Samantabhadra, whose name means “completely auspicious”, embodies the quality of diligent practice of the way of the Bodhisattva. He has vowed to protect teachers of the Dharma It is said that he stands by to remind a teacher of the relevant portion of the text if by chance the latter forgets it.

Bodhisattva of Wisdom, Manjushri

Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

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Kshitigarbha

Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha is venerated by many Buddhists in China and Japan. He is well known for his vow to rescue all sentient being suffering in the realms of the Hells. After he had practised the perfections of the Bodhisattva for many lifetimes, he was ready for the attainment of Buddhahood. However, he chose to remain among sentient beings in this period before the coming of Maitreya Buddha because of his compassion for all suffering beings. According to his vow, he will not become a Buddha unless all the sentient beings in the Hells are relieved of their suddering. Kshitigarbha's patient support of the sentient being in the realms of the hells is similar to the earth's support of allforms of life. Based on this comparison, he bears the name Kshitigarbha which means " Tresure of the earth".

Bodhisattva Kshitigarbha