The story of Maitreya Buddha

What is the origin and story of Maitreya?

Origin: Born into a Brahmin family, he became a disciple of Siddhartha Sakyamuni Buddha Gautama. He entered and died in front of Sakyamuni Buddha, was born in the inner court of Li Dou, and was born on earth after 4,000 years old. He became a Buddha under the Longhua tree in Hualin Garden, traveled around the world, spread Buddhism and taught all sentient beings.

Story: According to twelve famous monks in the Song Dynasty, he was a poor monk in a temple in the Southern Song Dynasty, and his dharma name was "Seven Philosophers". This monk is fat, cheerful, smiling all day and carefree. Because he is fat and afraid of heat, he often takes a cloth bag to the folk alms, and takes the food obtained from alms back to the temple for monks to eat or some poor people to solve problems, so his popularity is excellent.

One day, without going out for alms, he called all the monks in the temple to him and said, "I am the embodiment of Maitreya." Buddha wants to call me today, so please do me a favor and burn my skin with firewood after I leave. South Amitabha. " Say that finish, I saw his hands folded, sitting dead.

The image of Maitreya Buddha

The first image appeared in the Sixteen Kingdoms period, which was the image of Maitreya Bodhisattva and was based on Maitreya's sutra.

The second image appeared in the Northern Wei Dynasty and evolved into a meditation or reclining Buddha image, based on the life of Maitreya Buddha.

The third is the image of Maitreya Buddha based on the cloth bag monk. The reason is that the cloth bag monk left a poem before his death: "Maitreya Buddha is a real Maitreya Buddha, with hundreds of billions of people in two places, always appearing when people are unconscious." Therefore, local monks decided that he was the incarnation of Maitreya, so they made statues in his image.

The origin and story of Maitreya Buddha

The origin of Maitreya Buddha

Maitreya Buddha is the future Buddha. Maitreya Buddha, literally translated as cishi and transliterated as Meriye, is often called Mahayana Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhist classics, and is the successor of Buddha Sakyamuni.

The story of Maitreya Buddha

In the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, there was a fat monk named Qichi. His image is very special. He is short and fat, and his earlobe is big and fat. He often carries a big bag in his hand, and every time he gets food from the charity, he throws it into the bag, so people call him the bag monk. He is always in a good mood. Every time he meets someone, he says Amitabha.

One day, he sat cross-legged on the stone in front of the Lin Yue Temple in Fenghua and read a proverb: Maitreya is a real Maitreya, with hundreds of billions of members, which are always visible to the world, but people don't know it. With this poem, he passed away peacefully. Later, people thought of his usual manners and manners, and decided that he was the incarnation of Maitreya and came to the world to transform all beings.

The story of Maitreya and his four protectors

When we visit temples all over the world, as soon as we enter the King's Temple, we will always see a potbellied and smiling Maitreya. Behind the Maitreya in many temples, there will be a commander-in-chief Wei Tuo. Why should General Wei Tuo be arranged behind Tianwang Temple, facing the Sakyamuni Buddha in the Ursa Mahayana Hall from a distance? There is a long-standing story here.

"Shen Xing Pacific Insurance" protects cultural relics

Legend has it that after Sakyamuni's nirvana, the gods prepared to cremate the body of Sakyamuni Buddha and collect the Buddha relics to build a tower for worship. At this time, Indra God came to the scene with a seven-treasure bottle in his hand and told all the gods that Sakyamuni Buddha had promised to give him a Buddha tooth and build a pagoda temple in the Heavenly Palace to support him, so Indra God had to take it off first. While Indra was talking, a Luo Cha ghost happened to be hiding beside Indra. He stole the Buddha's tooth relic when people were not looking. Luo Cha thought what he had done was unknown, but he was discovered by a "Shen Xing Pacific Insurance" general Wei Tuo, only to see General Wei Tuo catch up, catch the ghost Luo Cha at once, and retrieve the Buddha tooth relic intact. When all the gods saw this place, they couldn't help admiring Wei Tuo's bravery. They all say that General Wei Tuo can exorcise evil spirits and has the power to protect Buddhism.

Protecting Buddha, good deeds are like flying.

Brahman's name is Kanda, while Bali's name is Kanda, also known as General Wei and General. It turned out that he was the god of war of Brahmanism, with six heads and twelve arms, holding a bow and arrow and riding a peacock. The belief of worshipping Wei Tuo was first popular in South India, and spread to North India after the 5th century. Attracted by Mahayana Buddhism as the patron saint of Galand, he is one of the eight generals in southern China, ranking first among the four kings and thirty-two generals.

Wei Tuo was born smart and passed away very early. Later, he converted to Buddhism, studied pure Sanskrit, and became the protector of dharma. Legend has it that Daoxuan, a lawyer in the Tang Dynasty, once met with Heaven and Man, saying that the Southern King had a general Wei, so he thought he appeared to protect the law, wearing armor, standing with his hands crossed and a pestle on his arm. From then on, the statue of Bodhisattva and the body of General Tian began to stand in the Dojo of China.

Wei is a Buddhist immortal. He is famous for flying. Therefore, Wei God usually stands behind the Mifo in the Heavenly King's Hall, facing the Ursa Major Hall, with his eyes fixed on the spirit tablet in front of the Ursa Major Hall, guarding the Buddha and the relics in the spirit tablet and preventing demons from stealing. In addition, it also protects monks in temples and becomes a special protector of Buddhism. Behind the newly-added Lotus Mountain and the Tianwang Hall of Shuanglin Temple, there is also a statue of Wei Tuo Bodhisattva, wearing armor, flying with a shoulder strap and holding a diamond pestle, which is very heroic.

According to the introduction in the scriptures, Wei Tuo Bodhisattva is the last manifestation of "cultivating Buddha" among thousands of Buddhas robbed by sages, which can also prove the truth that "one Buddha was born and ten thousand Buddhas supported him".

Sanzhou induction Buddha protection method

Although General Wei Tuotian is a subordinate of the Four Heavenly Kings, he is particularly respected in Buddhist temples. In the morning and evening classes of traditional monasteries, at the end of the morning class, I wish Wei Yituo and sing Wei Tuozan; Among the midday offerings on the first and fifteenth day of the first lunar month, besides the Hall of the Great Hero, the Hall of the Ancestor, the Hall of the THE TEMPLE OF JIALAN and the kitchen of Ji Xiang, there is also the Hall of the Wei Tuo. Why did Wei Tuotian have such a special experience? This is because the four heavenly kings, also known as the "Four Heavenly Kings for Protecting the World", guard four continents, namely, China in the east, Hezhou in the west and Luzhou in the north, so that they can observe people's feelings and maintain social order. Bodhisattva Wei Tuo vowed to protect Buddhism, Dojo and monks. There is no Buddhism in Luzhou, the capital of the north, so it is called "three-continent induction" to travel to the southeast and the west. For the Buddhist Dojo, a truly practicing monk is absolutely committed to protection. His induction story is recorded in China Temple Mountain Records.

Run behind Wei Tuo's back.

The book Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio on Mount Putuo records such a thing: at the end of Qing Dynasty, a temple was built on Mount Putuo, and a famous fire suddenly broke out one night. That night, a little novice monk happened to sleep next to the Weaver Girl. In his dream, he saw a man covered in golden armor who looked like the protector of Wei shouting at the Weaver Girl: "The arrow is on the string, you should be tight." Little novice monk woke up, and sure enough, the fire had burned all the temples. Until dawn, when people inspected the disaster, the temple was in ruins, and only Shen Wei stood quietly outside the door. You know, that statue weighs about a few hundred pounds, and it takes several strong men to do their best to lift it. Now a little novice monk can carry it by himself, which shows that Wei Tuo is effective. Contemporary mages also said in their lectures that monks who practice Buddhism wholeheartedly and do not raise money or beg for alms may live a poor life, but they will never starve to death. If a mage who really practices Buddhism starved to death, Bodhisattva Wei should be dismissed and investigated. Therefore, it is not without reason that Wei Tuo Bodhisattva is treated with special courtesy by monks.

Respect the dharma, and your merits are boundless.

Dharma protection, also known as dharma protection, is the protector of Buddhism and supports the Buddha's dharma. Two thousand five hundred years ago, considering that some people in the last days would defame the Buddhism and destroy the temple tower, the Buddha asked the four major voices and the sixteen arhats to protect the Buddhism. Brahma, Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twelve Gods and the Twenty-eighth Sect all vowed to uphold the Buddhism after hearing the Buddha's statement. These gods who support Buddhism are called the gods who protect the law and are good.

With the development of Buddhism, the ranks of protectors are constantly expanding. The protector is not only responsible for guarding the Dharma, but also for protecting all sentient beings, and has four major merits of saving the world, such as eliminating disasters, gaining enlightenment and respecting others. Therefore, it is also a kind of compassion and merit to respect and worship your dharma protector while learning to worship Buddha.

The main points of worshipping Wei Tuo Bodhisattva:

Generally, it is not offered separately, but only when offering sacrifices to Sakyamuni Buddha or the whole hall Buddha. Other requirements are the same as those of all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Please tell the story of Maitreya on earth.

Maitreya Buddha is a widely believed and popular Buddha in China. "Maitreya" is the transliteration abbreviation of Sanskrit Maitreya, which means "cishi". It is said that this Buddha is always merciful. Kui Ji explained in the Amitabha Sutra: "Or Maitreya, this is cishi. He cultivates compassion and kindness, so cishi who cultivates kindness is the best, and his name can't win. " His name is Ayudo, which means "invincible". According to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya was born in a Brahmin family in Borneo, ancient India, and was contemporary with Sakyamuni. Later he became a monk with Sakyamuni and became a disciple of the Buddha. He died before Sakyamuni became extinct. It is said that Sakyamuni predicted that after he left this world, he would lead his upper class to live in the Heavenly Palace, where he would tell Buddhism to the sky. It was not until 5.66 billion years after the extinction of Sakyamuni that he led his inferior life to the world. According to the Buddhist scriptures produced under Maitreya, by then, Jambu-Di^pa, a winged world and a terminal city, will have a king's name. Maitreya Buddha was born in the home of a minister named Xiufanmo in this city, and became a monk, saying that his experience was just like that of Sakyamuni Buddha. After Maitreya becomes a Buddha, it will be told three times under the Longhua tree in Hualin Garden, covering all sentient beings.

Maitreya belief is also very popular in China. In the Western Qin Dynasty, Maitreya Buddha was painted, such as the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Gansu. Maitreya statues before the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty are mainly divided into two categories: bodhisattva shape and Tathagata shape, which are created according to Maitreya's upper sutra and Maitreya's lower sutra respectively. Maitreya Buddha Bodhisattva mainly shows the Maitreya Buddha statue when the heavenly palace is called the heavens. At this time, Maitreya is like a bodhisattva, sitting cross-legged, or with his left foot hanging down and his right hand holding his chin, which means that Maitreya is waiting to be born in the Heavenly Palace, while the Buddha-shaped Maitreya is the image of the Buddha after its birth, which is not much different from siddhattha gotama. Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, the belief in Maitreya's next life gradually became popular in China, and at the same time, Maitreya statues in Buddhist costumes began to appear.

As the future Buddha, Maitreya holds a very lofty position in the hearts of believers, so there are still some giant statues of Maitreya. The largest wooden Maitreya Buddha statue is in Wanfuge, Yonghe Palace, Beijing. The Buddha statue is18m high, with a buried part of 8m and a total length of 26m. It is carved from a complete piece of white sandalwood. The largest stone statue of Maitreya is Lingyun Buddha in Sichuan, which stands on Lingyun Mountain on the east bank of Minjiang River in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Built on a cliff, the Giant Buddha is called "Leshan Giant Buddha" in the world. With a height of 7 1 m and a shoulder width of 28 meters, the statue is solemn, well-proportioned and magnificent, sitting on the river, and it is also the first stone statue sitting on a Buddha in the world. Tibet secretly worships Maitreya, and the largest bronze Maitreya is the Qiangba Buddha in Tashilhunpo Temple in Tibet.

About five generations later, smiling Maitreya statues began to appear in temples in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. In fact, it is based on the image of a monk named Chechi. According to "Biography of Song Monks" and other records, people from Mingzhou in the Qi and Five Dynasties were also called Changting Zi. He often walks in and out of villages and towns, wandering around Jiangsu and Zhejiang with a cloth bag hanging on his staff. He is short and fat, with a big belly and uncertain speech, sitting and lying around. Can predict sunny and rainy days, "it will rain in the sky, that is, wearing wet cloth shoes;" Drought means dragging clogs. Residents use this as a test. Talking about good luck or bad luck with people is very fulfilling. Because he always carries a cloth bag, he is called a "cloth bag monk". He often pours all the things in his bag on the ground and shouts to the onlookers, "Look! Look! " He once wrote a song: "Only by being a Buddha with one heart, the ten sides are the most spiritual things in the world. Poor life is wonderful, everything is not as true as heart, what is the difference between heart and heart, why bother to seek righteousness. "Liang Zhen Ming two years, this contract was engraved on a rock under the Lin Yue Temple in Mingzhou. Leave a poem before dying: "Maitreya Buddha is a real Maitreya Buddha, and hundreds of billions of members of the two places always appear when people are unconscious." "So later generations thought that he was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and built a tower for him to support. In the third year of Song Chongning, Tan Zhen, the abbot of Lin Yue Temple, built a pavilion for him. Since then, a statue of Maitreya, with a bare stomach and a smiling face, has gradually become popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces according to the image of a "cloth-bag monk". He was placed in the Tianwang Temple, which made people feel happy as soon as they entered the gate and was deeply loved by the world. Later, this arrangement of "Maitreya Buddha with a big belly" became the custom of temples.

Among all kinds of Buddhist statues carved on Feilai Peak in front of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou during the Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, there is such a statue of Maitreya. The statue of Maitreya sits on the cliff, with his bald head hanging down his shoulders and his face full of smiles and smiles. Dressed in cassock, bare-chested, with a big pocket in one hand and a string of beads in the other, I looked at the people who came to play and make pilgrimages happily. When people see this image, they are often infected by his frank smile and forget their troubles. Many temples have such a couplet in the Maitreya Hall: "A big belly can accommodate things that are difficult in the world; Open your mouth and laugh at the ridiculous people in the world. "

See:

The origin of Maitreya Buddha

Maitreya Buddha is the future Buddha, and it is called "Qiangba" in Tibetan. "Maitreya" is the transliteration abbreviation of Sanskrit Maitreya, and it is called Mi Li, Mei Li, Mi Li, Miri, Malaysia, Mei Li Miri, Malaysia and Mei Li Miri, Malaysia Medicine, which is awkward. Bodhisattva's surname is also. Translated into cishi. The name Aiduo is translated as "invincible". Or A Yi is the surname and Maitreya is the first name. Born in a Brahmin family in South Tianzhu. Shaugham's Buddha position has been filled with bodhisattvas all his life. The first Buddha went into extinction and was born in the pocket inner court. He was born at the age of 4,000, and gained enlightenment under the Longhua tree in Hualien Garden. The Maitreya Buddha, who lived in his early days, was endowed with compassion and samadhi, so he was called a kind teacher. Even if you become a Buddha, you are still famous.

Fahua Jiaxiang Shu Er said, "Maitreya, this cloud is cishi. Maitreya used to be called Maitreya. To all the wise immortals, Maitreya used to be all the wise immortals. Kindness is the samadhi sutra of kindness, so it is called kindness.

Hua Yanyun: "I got compassion for the first time, hence the name."

The name of the Tiantai network was sparse for five days: "Those who say Maitreya, there are clouds named after their surnames. Now it's not a surname, I'm afraid it's also a first name. who is it? Maitreya, this turn to cishi. In the past, the king who was kind to China was named Liuzhi of sandalwood, and China people called it the secretariat. My name has been cishi since I was born, and my surname is Aiduo. This cloud didn't win. It is said that Aiduo is a name. I personally don't read the text, and I can't hold it. "

The fifth Buddha of Xianjie is Maitreya Buddha, and his heaven is the fourth desire for heaven. Maitreya Buddha is now leading the inner court of heaven to preach to the heavens. One day, there are 400 years on our earth. Four thousand years later, Maitreya was born in the inner court of heaven, gained enlightenment under the Longhua tree in Hualien Garden, and became Maitreya at first, which was a place of compassion for the Buddha. So it's called secretariat. Even if you become a Buddha, you are still famous.

Maitreya Buddha will be a blessed Buddha in the future. During his death, the earth experienced many changes. Mountains and rivers and stone walls are all extinct, mostly plain, with calm sea water, fertile land and many natural parks. All the year round, the weather is good, flowers bloom, and all kinds of suitable. The product has a bumper harvest, sweet fruit and natural japonica rice. No bran, it tastes delicious. If it is ripe, it can be eaten without cooking, and it is not bitter for people to eat for a long time. Without disaster, people are all good. There is no greed, anger, ignorance, slowness, doubt, killing, stealing, lewdness, madness, drinking, and all other evil thoughts and words. Everyone knows the wonderful methods of practicing body, mouth and heart. People are equal, confused, have no disputes, meet happily, encourage each other with kind words, do good deeds, have no evil deeds, and eat without worry. Its clothes don't need artificial weaving, and there are trees on the ground, which will produce all kinds of soft clothes that anyone can wear; Most of the houses and palaces are made by law, and there is no filth on the ground. People have to pee, the toilet is opened and then closed by themselves. There are many kinds of treasures on the ground, so you can pick them up at will. People will say: I heard that in the past, people robbed for treasure, hurt each other, were locked in prison and suffered all kinds of troubles. Now this treasure is like a tile, unattended, and it is really peaceful. At that time, although there were a number of small countries in the world, only one big country was unified. On this earth, there is a vast plain of 400 Wan Li, four seas on each side, a metropolis, a cock-headed city, 500 miles from east to west and 280 miles from north to south. The land is flat, the population is large, the streets are neat, and there is a dragon king named Shuiguang in the air, which is fragrant at night and sunny in the daytime. In the city, Ye Hua, a Luo Cha man, appeared in the middle of the night to serve mankind, clean up the filth, and spread perfume all over the place, which was very fragrant. Dragons, gods and ghosts all work for human beings, but there is absolutely no need to worship them. At that time, there was no superstition in the world. The right time, the right place, the right people, the right people and the support of ghosts and gods gave birth to a wheel king. The king's name is "_ _", and Kyoto is a city with a cock's head. There are Jinlunbao, Box, Ma Bao, jewelry, jade girl treasure, pawn treasure, guarding treasure and so on. In order to control the world, without knives, guns and sticks, nature is invincible, extremely free, carefree, equal and happy.

Maitreya belief is also very popular in China. In the Western Qin Dynasty, Maitreya Buddha was painted, such as the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Gansu. Maitreya statues before the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty are mainly divided into two categories: bodhisattva shape and Tathagata shape, which are created according to Maitreya's upper sutra and Maitreya's lower sutra respectively. Maitreya Buddha Bodhisattva mainly shows the Maitreya Buddha statue when the heavenly palace is called the heavens. At this time, Maitreya is like a bodhisattva, sitting cross-legged, or with his left foot hanging down and his right hand holding his chin, which means that Maitreya is waiting to be born in the Heavenly Palace, while the Buddha-shaped Maitreya is the image of the Buddha after its birth, which is not much different from siddhattha gotama. Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, the belief in Maitreya's next life gradually became popular in China, and at the same time, Maitreya statues in Buddhist costumes began to appear.

As the future Buddha, Maitreya holds a very lofty position in the hearts of believers, so there are still some giant statues of Maitreya. The largest wooden Maitreya Buddha statue is in Wanfuge, Yonghe Palace, Beijing. The Buddha statue is18m high, with a buried part of 8m and a total length of 26m. It is carved from a complete piece of white sandalwood. The largest stone statue of Maitreya is Lingyun Buddha in Sichuan, which stands on Lingyun Mountain on the east bank of Minjiang River in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Built on a cliff, the Giant Buddha is called "Leshan Giant Buddha" in the world. With a height of 7 1 m and a shoulder width of 28 meters, the statue is solemn, well-proportioned and magnificent, sitting on the river, and it is also the first stone statue sitting on a Buddha in the world. Tibet secretly worships Maitreya, and the largest bronze Maitreya is the Qiangba Buddha in Tashilhunpo Temple in Tibet.

About five generations later, smiling Maitreya statues began to appear in temples in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. In fact, it is based on the image of a monk named Chechi. According to "Biography of Song Monks" and other records, people from Mingzhou in the Qi and Five Dynasties were also called Changting Zi. He often walks in and out of villages and towns, wandering around Jiangsu and Zhejiang with a cloth bag hanging on his staff. He is short and fat, with a big belly and uncertain speech, sitting and lying around. Can predict sunny and rainy days, "it will rain in the sky, that is, wearing wet cloth shoes;" Drought means dragging clogs. Residents use this as a test. Talking about good luck or bad luck with people is very fulfilling. Because he always carries a cloth bag, he is called a "cloth bag monk". He often pours all the things in his bag on the ground and shouts to the onlookers, "Look! Look! " He once wrote a song: "Only by being a Buddha with one heart, the ten sides are the most spiritual things in the world. Poor life is wonderful, everything is not as true as heart, what is the difference between heart and heart, why bother to seek righteousness. "Liang Zhen Ming two years, this contract was engraved on a rock under the Lin Yue Temple in Mingzhou. Leave a poem before dying: "Maitreya Buddha is a real Maitreya Buddha, and hundreds of billions of members of the two places always appear when people are unconscious." "So later generations thought that he was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and built a tower for him to support. In the third year of Song Chongning, Tan Zhen, the abbot of Lin Yue Temple, built a pavilion for him. Since then, a statue of Maitreya, with a bare stomach and a smiling face, has gradually become popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces according to the image of a "cloth-bag monk". He was placed in the Tianwang Temple, which made people feel happy as soon as they entered the gate and was deeply loved by the world. Later, this arrangement of "Maitreya Buddha with a big belly" became the custom of temples.

Among all kinds of Buddhist statues carved on Feilai Peak in front of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou during the Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, there is such a statue of Maitreya. The statue of Maitreya sits on the cliff, with his bald head hanging down his shoulders and his face full of smiles and smiles. Dressed in cassock, bare-chested, with a big pocket in one hand and a string of beads in the other, I looked at the people who came to play and make pilgrimages happily. When people see this image, they are often infected by his frank smile and forget their troubles. Many temples have such a couplet in the Maitreya Hall: "A big belly can accommodate things that are difficult in the world; Open your mouth and laugh at the ridiculous people in the world. "

The story of Maitreya Buddha

Amitabha! ! !

"A big belly can accommodate things that are difficult to accommodate in the world; Laugh when you open your mouth, and laugh at the ridiculous people in the world. "

Maitreya Buddha is a widely believed and popular Buddha in China. "Maitreya" is the transliteration abbreviation of Sanskrit Maitreya, which means "cishi". It is said that this Buddha is always merciful. Kui Ji explained in the Amitabha Sutra: "Or Maitreya, this is cishi. He cultivates compassion and kindness, so cishi who cultivates kindness is the best, and his name can't win. " His name is Ayudo, which means "invincible". According to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya was born in a Brahmin family in Borneo, ancient India, and was contemporary with Sakyamuni. Later he became a monk with Sakyamuni and became a disciple of the Buddha. He died before Sakyamuni became extinct. It is said that Sakyamuni predicted that after he left this world, he would lead his upper class to live in the Heavenly Palace, where he would tell Buddhism to the sky. It was not until 5.66 billion years after the extinction of Sakyamuni that he led his inferior life to the world. According to the Buddhist scriptures produced under Maitreya, by then, Jambu-Di^pa, a winged world and a terminal city, will have a king's name. Maitreya Buddha was born in the home of a minister named Xiufanmo in this city, and became a monk, saying that his experience was just like that of Sakyamuni Buddha. After Maitreya becomes a Buddha, it will be told three times under the Longhua tree in Hualin Garden, covering all sentient beings.

Maitreya belief is also very popular in China. In the Western Qin Dynasty, Maitreya Buddha was painted, such as the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Gansu. Maitreya statues before the Five Dynasties and the Song Dynasty are mainly divided into two categories: bodhisattva shape and Tathagata shape, which are created according to Maitreya's upper sutra and Maitreya's lower sutra respectively. Maitreya Buddha Bodhisattva mainly shows the Maitreya Buddha statue when the heavenly palace is called the heavens. At this time, Maitreya is like a bodhisattva, sitting cross-legged, or with his left foot hanging down and his right hand holding his chin, which means that Maitreya is waiting to be born in the Heavenly Palace, while the Buddha-shaped Maitreya is the image of the Buddha after its birth, which is not much different from siddhattha gotama. Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, the belief in Maitreya's next life gradually became popular in China, and at the same time, Maitreya statues in Buddhist costumes began to appear.

As the future Buddha, Maitreya holds a very lofty position in the hearts of believers, so there are still some giant statues of Maitreya. The largest wooden Maitreya Buddha statue is in Wanfuge, Yonghe Palace, Beijing. The Buddha statue is18m high, with a buried part of 8m and a total length of 26m. It is carved from a complete piece of white sandalwood. The largest stone statue of Maitreya is Lingyun Buddha in Sichuan, which stands on Lingyun Mountain on the east bank of Minjiang River in Leshan City, Sichuan Province. Built on a cliff, the Giant Buddha is called "Leshan Giant Buddha" in the world. With a height of 7 1 m and a shoulder width of 28 meters, the statue is solemn, well-proportioned and magnificent, sitting on the river, and it is also the first stone statue sitting on a Buddha in the world. Tibet secretly worships Maitreya, and the largest bronze Maitreya is the Qiangba Buddha in Tashilhunpo Temple in Tibet.

About five generations later, smiling Maitreya statues began to appear in temples in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. In fact, it is based on the image of a monk named Chechi. According to "Biography of Song Monks" and other records, people from Mingzhou in the Qi and Five Dynasties were also called Changting Zi. He often walks in and out of villages and towns, wandering around Jiangsu and Zhejiang with a cloth bag hanging on his staff. He is short and fat, with a big belly and uncertain speech, sitting and lying around. Can predict sunny and rainy days, "it will rain in the sky, that is, wearing wet cloth shoes;" Drought means dragging clogs. Residents use this as a test. Talking about good luck or bad luck with people is very fulfilling. Because he always carries a cloth bag, he is called a "cloth bag monk". He often pours all the things in his bag on the ground and shouts to the onlookers, "Look! Look! " He once wrote a song: "Only by being a Buddha with one heart, the ten sides are the most spiritual things in the world. Poor life is wonderful, everything is not as true as heart, what is the difference between heart and heart, why bother to seek righteousness. "Liang Zhen Ming two years, this contract was engraved on a rock under the Lin Yue Temple in Mingzhou. Leave a poem before dying: "Maitreya Buddha is a real Maitreya Buddha, and hundreds of billions of members of the two places always appear when people are unconscious." "So later generations thought that he was the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha and built a tower for him to support. In the third year of Song Chongning, Tan Zhen, the abbot of Lin Yue Temple, built a pavilion for him. Since then, a statue of Maitreya, with a bare stomach and a smiling face, has gradually become popular in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces according to the image of a "cloth-bag monk". He was placed in the Tianwang Temple, which made people feel happy as soon as they entered the gate and was deeply loved by the world. Later, this arrangement of "Maitreya Buddha with a big belly" became the custom of temples.

Among all kinds of Buddhist statues carved on Feilai Peak in front of Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou during the Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, there is such a statue of Maitreya. The statue of Maitreya sits on the cliff, with his bald head hanging down his shoulders and his face full of smiles and smiles. Dressed in cassock, bare-chested, with a big pocket in one hand and a string of beads in the other, I looked at the people who came to play and make pilgrimages happily. When people see this image, they are often infected by his frank smile and forget their troubles. Many temples have such a couplet in the Maitreya Hall: "A big belly can accommodate things that are difficult in the world; Open your mouth and laugh at the ridiculous people in the world. "

See:

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