Maitreya (Sanskrit: Maitreya, Pali: Metteyya), meaning 'The Benevolent One', is the future Buddha in Buddhist tradition. According to Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya is a bodhisattva prophesied by Shakyamuni Buddha to be the next fully enlightened being to appear in the human world. He currently resides in Tushita Heaven, teaching the Dharma to celestial beings while awaiting the right conditions for his descent.
Maitreya devotion has had profound influence throughout Buddhist history. From India to Central Asia, from China to Southeast Asia, the prophecy of Maitreya's descent has inspired countless followers. In China, Maitreya's image evolved into the laughing Budai figure, and the belief in his coming has been linked to popular uprisings and social movements throughout history.
Prophecies about Maitreya's coming are found across multiple Buddhist texts, including the Pali Canon (Digha Nikaya, Cakkavatti-Sihanada Sutta), the Sanskrit Maitreyavyakarana, and Chinese translations such as the Sutra of Maitreya's Descent. This site compiles the core prophecies about Maitreya from these scriptures, covering the decline of Dharma, conditions for his coming, and the Dragon Flower Assemblies.
Core Message
"The future Buddha Maitreya shall attain supreme enlightenment beneath the Dragon Flower Tree in the Garden of Flowers, and at the first assembly shall liberate nine billion six hundred million beings."
After the Parinirvana — The three periods of True Dharma, Semblance Dharma, and Decline of Dharma unfold in successionAge of Dharma Decline — Buddhist teachings wane, beings lack merit, morality collapsesWhen human lifespan reaches 80,000 years — Maitreya descends from Tushita Heaven to the human worldDragon Flower Assemblies — Maitreya teaches the Dharma three times under the Dragon Flower Tree, liberating countless beingsMaitreya's Age — A pure land on earth, all beings at peace, an ideal world realized
Prophecies compiled from Buddhist canonical texts including the Pali Canon Digha Nikaya (SuttaCentral DN 26 ) and Chinese Buddhist texts (CBETA T454 )
For academic background on Maitreya devotion, see Wikipedia: Maitreya
Verification based on doctrinal analysis and historical research, not faith-based judgment
Site icon: Dharmachakra (Dharma Wheel) — the most central symbol of Buddhism, representing the Buddha's turning of the Wheel of Law
Maitreya Prophecies All Prophecies 14 Q&A entries in total
Shakyamuni Buddha prophesied the three periods of Dharma
弥勒佛: After the Tathagata's passing, the True Dharma shall endure for five hundred years, the Semblance Dharma for one thousand years, and the Decline of Dharma for ten thousand years. After the Decline, the Buddhist teachings shall vanish entirely, and beings shall have no wholesome roots remaining.
Moral collapse of beings in the age of Dharma decline
弥勒佛: In the age of Dharma decline, the lifespan of beings shall shorten and their merit shall be meager. Human hearts shall lose their ancient virtue — fathers shall be unkind, children unfilial, ministers disloyal. Greed, hatred, and delusion shall burn fiercely; killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying shall be rampant. Lands shall suffer famine, epidemics shall spread, and wars shall never cease.
How the Dharma will decline and vanish
弥勒佛: In the final age, the Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra shall vanish first, followed by the twelve divisions of the canon. Only the Sutra of Infinite Life shall remain for a final hundred years, saving those with karmic connection. After this sutra vanishes, only the six characters 'Namo Amitabha Buddha' shall linger in the world; after another hundred years, even these six characters shall disappear, and the Dharma shall be utterly gone from the world.
Maitreya Bodhisattva currently resides in Tushita Heaven
弥勒佛: Maitreya Bodhisattva dwells in the inner court of Tushita Heaven, teaching the Dharma to the celestial assembly. Tushita Heaven is magnificent and sublime, with rows of jeweled trees and heavenly music playing spontaneously. There, through the power of his original vows, Maitreya teaches the heavenly beings, awaiting the ripening of conditions for his future descent to the human world.
Ideal conditions in the human world when Maitreya descends
弥勒佛: When Maitreya descends to be born, the continent of Jambudvipa shall be flat as a palm, even and level. The land shall be rich and fertile, producing clothing and food naturally. Human lifespan shall be eighty-four thousand years, and people shall stand sixteen zhang tall. There shall be no disease, no calamity. People shall be kind and gentle, with no conflict or strife.
The Cakravartin King Shankha shall rule the world
弥勒佛: At that time there shall be a wheel-turning monarch named Shankha, who shall govern the four continents with righteous law. He shall possess the seven treasures: the golden wheel, the white elephant, the blue horse, the divine pearl, the queen, the householder minister, and the general. The king shall have a thousand brave and handsome sons. The four seas shall submit without the use of arms, through natural allegiance.
The city of Ketumatī when Maitreya descends
弥勒佛: The land where Maitreya shall be born will have a great city called Ketumatī (also known as 'Chicken Head City'), twelve yojanas in length and breadth. Its streets and alleys shall be orderly, its palaces and pavilions magnificent. It shall be adorned with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, with jeweled bells hanging everywhere. The people in the city shall live in prosperity and peace, as if dwelling in a heavenly palace.
Maitreya's renunciation and enlightenment
弥勒佛: Maitreya shall be born into a Brahmin family, with the surname Maitreya ('Benevolent'). Seeing the suffering of old age, sickness, and death in the world, he shall renounce worldly life to cultivate the Way. Beneath the Dragon Flower Tree in the Garden of Flowers, he shall sit cross-legged and on that very night attain supreme perfect enlightenment. The Dragon Flower Tree shall stand forty li high, its branches and leaves casting shade for thirty li.
The three Dragon Flower Assemblies to liberate all beings
弥勒佛: After attaining Buddhahood, Maitreya shall turn the Wheel of Dharma three times beneath the Dragon Flower Tree. At the first assembly, he shall liberate nine billion six hundred million beings who shall attain Arhatship. At the second assembly, nine billion four hundred million. At the third assembly, nine billion two hundred million. Through these three assemblies, all beings with karmic connection shall be liberated.
Maitreya shall continue Shakyamuni's mission of liberation
弥勒佛: Shakyamuni Buddha told his disciples: After my Parinirvana, all those not yet liberated shall be entrusted to Maitreya. When Maitreya comes to be born in the future, he shall teach the Dharma for you. If you uphold the precepts and cultivate virtue, you shall attain liberation in the presence of Maitreya Buddha. All disciples of Shakyamuni's legacy teachings shall become disciples of Maitreya.
Maitreya shall open Shakyamuni's reliquary stupa
弥勒佛: After attaining Buddhahood, Maitreya shall open the reliquary stupa of Shakyamuni Buddha. He shall retrieve the relics and make offerings of veneration. He shall cause all beings who see Shakyamuni's remains to give rise to reverence and generate the aspiration for enlightenment. Through this karmic connection, countless beings shall be liberated.
The characteristics of Maitreya Buddha's teachings
弥勒佛: Maitreya Buddha shall teach with loving-kindness as the foundation. He shall not guide beings through ascetic practices, but shall liberate the deluded through the gate of ease and joy. In Maitreya's age, beings shall have sharp faculties and abundant merit; upon hearing the Dharma they shall awaken immediately, without need for eons of practice. In one lifetime they shall reach the stage of non-retrogression.
The Pure Land on earth during Maitreya's age
弥勒佛: In the age of Maitreya Buddha, the great earth shall be level and smooth, without mountains, ridges, or ravines. The climate shall be harmonious, with rain falling in due season. Crops shall be abundant, yielding seven harvests from one sowing. Trees, flowers, and fruits shall flourish through all four seasons. Among the people there shall be no distinction of rich and poor, no theft. Doors need not be locked at night, and lost goods on the road shall go untouched.
Prophecy of the True Dharma's duration after Maitreya's Parinirvana
弥勒佛: Maitreya Buddha shall dwell in the world for sixty thousand years, teaching the Dharma and liberating beings. After his Parinirvana, the True Dharma shall endure for another sixty thousand years. Compared to Shakyamuni Buddha's True Dharma lasting five hundred years, Maitreya's True Dharma shall last far longer. Thereafter, the world shall again enter the age of decline, awaiting the appearance of future Buddhas.
Prophecy Verification Evaluating predictions against reality for expired time points
Shakyamuni Buddha prophesied the three periods of Dharma
弥勒佛: After the Tathagata's passing, the True Dharma shall endure for five hundred years, the Semblance Dharma for one thousand years, and the Decline of Dharma for ten thousand years. After the Decline, the Buddhist teachings shall vanish entirely, and beings shall have no wholesome roots remaining.
Moral collapse of beings in the age of Dharma decline
弥勒佛: In the age of Dharma decline, the lifespan of beings shall shorten and their merit shall be meager. Human hearts shall lose their ancient virtue — fathers shall be unkind, children unfilial, ministers disloyal. Greed, hatred, and delusion shall burn fiercely; killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and lying shall be rampant. Lands shall suffer famine, epidemics shall spread, and wars shall never cease.
How the Dharma will decline and vanish
弥勒佛: In the final age, the Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra shall vanish first, followed by the twelve divisions of the canon. Only the Sutra of Infinite Life shall remain for a final hundred years, saving those with karmic connection. After this sutra vanishes, only the six characters 'Namo Amitabha Buddha' shall linger in the world; after another hundred years, even these six characters shall disappear, and the Dharma shall be utterly gone from the world.
Maitreya Bodhisattva currently resides in Tushita Heaven
弥勒佛: Maitreya Bodhisattva dwells in the inner court of Tushita Heaven, teaching the Dharma to the celestial assembly. Tushita Heaven is magnificent and sublime, with rows of jeweled trees and heavenly music playing spontaneously. There, through the power of his original vows, Maitreya teaches the heavenly beings, awaiting the ripening of conditions for his future descent to the human world.
Ideal conditions in the human world when Maitreya descends
弥勒佛: When Maitreya descends to be born, the continent of Jambudvipa shall be flat as a palm, even and level. The land shall be rich and fertile, producing clothing and food naturally. Human lifespan shall be eighty-four thousand years, and people shall stand sixteen zhang tall. There shall be no disease, no calamity. People shall be kind and gentle, with no conflict or strife.
The Cakravartin King Shankha shall rule the world
弥勒佛: At that time there shall be a wheel-turning monarch named Shankha, who shall govern the four continents with righteous law. He shall possess the seven treasures: the golden wheel, the white elephant, the blue horse, the divine pearl, the queen, the householder minister, and the general. The king shall have a thousand brave and handsome sons. The four seas shall submit without the use of arms, through natural allegiance.
The city of Ketumatī when Maitreya descends
弥勒佛: The land where Maitreya shall be born will have a great city called Ketumatī (also known as 'Chicken Head City'), twelve yojanas in length and breadth. Its streets and alleys shall be orderly, its palaces and pavilions magnificent. It shall be adorned with gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, with jeweled bells hanging everywhere. The people in the city shall live in prosperity and peace, as if dwelling in a heavenly palace.
Maitreya's renunciation and enlightenment
弥勒佛: Maitreya shall be born into a Brahmin family, with the surname Maitreya ('Benevolent'). Seeing the suffering of old age, sickness, and death in the world, he shall renounce worldly life to cultivate the Way. Beneath the Dragon Flower Tree in the Garden of Flowers, he shall sit cross-legged and on that very night attain supreme perfect enlightenment. The Dragon Flower Tree shall stand forty li high, its branches and leaves casting shade for thirty li.
The three Dragon Flower Assemblies to liberate all beings
弥勒佛: After attaining Buddhahood, Maitreya shall turn the Wheel of Dharma three times beneath the Dragon Flower Tree. At the first assembly, he shall liberate nine billion six hundred million beings who shall attain Arhatship. At the second assembly, nine billion four hundred million. At the third assembly, nine billion two hundred million. Through these three assemblies, all beings with karmic connection shall be liberated.
Maitreya shall continue Shakyamuni's mission of liberation
弥勒佛: Shakyamuni Buddha told his disciples: After my Parinirvana, all those not yet liberated shall be entrusted to Maitreya. When Maitreya comes to be born in the future, he shall teach the Dharma for you. If you uphold the precepts and cultivate virtue, you shall attain liberation in the presence of Maitreya Buddha. All disciples of Shakyamuni's legacy teachings shall become disciples of Maitreya.
Maitreya shall open Shakyamuni's reliquary stupa
弥勒佛: After attaining Buddhahood, Maitreya shall open the reliquary stupa of Shakyamuni Buddha. He shall retrieve the relics and make offerings of veneration. He shall cause all beings who see Shakyamuni's remains to give rise to reverence and generate the aspiration for enlightenment. Through this karmic connection, countless beings shall be liberated.
The characteristics of Maitreya Buddha's teachings
弥勒佛: Maitreya Buddha shall teach with loving-kindness as the foundation. He shall not guide beings through ascetic practices, but shall liberate the deluded through the gate of ease and joy. In Maitreya's age, beings shall have sharp faculties and abundant merit; upon hearing the Dharma they shall awaken immediately, without need for eons of practice. In one lifetime they shall reach the stage of non-retrogression.
The Pure Land on earth during Maitreya's age
弥勒佛: In the age of Maitreya Buddha, the great earth shall be level and smooth, without mountains, ridges, or ravines. The climate shall be harmonious, with rain falling in due season. Crops shall be abundant, yielding seven harvests from one sowing. Trees, flowers, and fruits shall flourish through all four seasons. Among the people there shall be no distinction of rich and poor, no theft. Doors need not be locked at night, and lost goods on the road shall go untouched.