Maitraya

The Futute Buddha

Maitraya is the Buddha of the future. Even while waiting for his incarnation on earth as a Buddha, he is believed to exercise his compassion in a myriad of ways to benefit all sentient beings.

Some say that this time his energy will take the form of the sangha, not a single Buddha, but community of peoples who support each other on the path of awakening.

In this superb carving, he is shown as a young Buddha, with a particularly lovely, gentle intensity. His hair is piled high on his head in the Brahmanic style resembling the shape of a stupa.

In his left hand he holds a kundika bottle, filled with the elixir of immortality and he raises his right hand in the teaching mudra, the vitarka mudra. His only decorations are two sashes and the Brahmanic cord.