Maitreya (Sanskrit) or Metteyya (Pali), is a bodhisattva who is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in all schools of Buddhism, prophesied to become Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is also referred to as Ajitā. In Tibetan Buddhism he is known as the "Lord of Love" or the "Noble Loving One". The root of his name is the Sanskrit word maitrī. The name Maitreya is also related to the Indo-Iranian name Mitra.
Schist Greco-Buddhist statue of Maitreya, Gandhara, ca. 3rd century
Bodhisattva Maitreya, Gandhara, 2nd-3rd cents., National Museum of Korea, Seoul
Greco-Buddhist standing Maitreya
Nepalese Maitreya sculpture, c. 11th century
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
A relief depicting Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva in Plaosan temple, 9th century Central Java, Indonesia.
Probable early image of a bodhisattva (Bimaran casket, 50 CE)
Gandharan relief depicting the bodhisattva (future Gautama Buddha) taking a vow at the foot of Dipankara Buddha, Art Institute of Chicago
6th century painting of Maitreya, Kizil Caves, Cave 224
