Coming up on the 1st day of the 1st Lunar Month (February 10, 2024) is the birthday of Maitreya Buddha.
“Maitreya Buddha birthday is celebrated on the 1st day of the 1st moon of the Chinese lunar calendar which coincides with the Chinese New Year Day, a day of joy in which all families traditionally keep pure and holy by avoiding the eating of any meat.
The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit ‘Maitrī’ (Loving Kindness).
In Pali the name becomes Metteyya, in Chinese Milefo, in Japanese Miroku, and in Mongolian Maidari; in Tibetan Byams-pa (“Kind,” or “Loving”). The Buddha Maitreya makes his first appearance in Buddhist scriptures in the Cakkavatti Sutta of the Pali Tipitika (Digha Nikaya 26), making him the earliest Bodhisattva and the only one mentioned in the text of both Mahayana and Theravada traditions. In some Buddhist literature, the Buddha Maitreya is referred to as Ajita, in the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra.
Maitreya is a name of double implications, He is the most renowned of Bodhisattvas who is now in the Tusita Heaven and will lead the coming era; as a Buddha. He would attain Enlightenment, an ideal stage of intellectual and highest ethical perfection. He will come for the deliverance of all conscious beings. Therefore, He is the positive hope for the suffering humanity of the coming age and He is the most excellent & renowned of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas in the Buddhist pantheon.”
Text Source: Buddha Tooth Relic Temple
