GREAT MOTHER  BUDDHISM
also called
Ekayana or Original   Buddhism

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Futher elaboration in "Realizing Your Maitreya Mind"

Unfortunately only in German and Dutch

Who wants to translate this extremely important essay into English?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Origins, Prophesies and the Messenger

Origins

1. The origin of Buddhism (Ekayana) lies in pre-Buddhist times. It starts with the Great Mother Tradition, subsequently followed by Hinduism. Hinduism is the only religion (apart from Taoism) in which a continuity of the Original Mother is still visible. Buddhism is a reaction to Hinduism. Logically, in order to distinguish itself from its predecessor, the former had to change core teachings. At the same time it was the beginning of patriarchal religion. Hence, especially insights and concepts related to the "Eternal Feminine" had to be "transformed". For instance, central to the Mother Religion was the "cycle of life and death". It corresponded with feminine logic of menstruation, the change of seasons and the moon phases. Because in archaic times the role of men was secondary (to that of women) - often related to that of "vegetation god", in which they had to sacrifice themselves to ensure the next harvest - men were seeking "a way out". They started the "quest for immortality". However, the underlying Truth, namely the Mother as the Vacuum - the Cosmic Womb - could not simply be ignored. That's why the Buddha not only proclaimed his Awakening, but subsequently referred it to something beyond: Nirvana. According to the Buddha Enlightenment has to be put into the context of Absolute Emptiness, the Void. The latter, not the former has to be considered the Ultimate. In the Sukhavativyuhasutra ("Land of Bliss") for instance, the Buddha is asking Maitreya: "Did you see any being in the Land of Bliss, that has been originating from the lap?" Few realize that with this the Buddha acknowledged "Darkness" to be the Origin of Light - a memory of "the old times" - a hierarchy that under the influence of patriarchal developments within Buddhism was soon "forgotten". Not surprisingly, knowing that Buddhism originally was an enterprise entirely aimed at overcoming "the cycle of birth and death" - the feminine aspect of life - after all, a fact even not fully acknowledged by renowned feminist scholars*. "Buddhahood" became a dimension for itself and on its own. The "organic" relationship with the Absolute Void was pushed to the background. It was the Yogacara school that re-opened the discussion though. It emphasized "tathagathagarbha", the Womb. This school not only restored the original lineage ("Light born out of Darkness"), but had no problems with feminine connotations of the Origin. A tendency which later - in a weakened and deviated form - was to be continued by Vajrayana Buddhism.

* R.Gross "Buddhism after patriarchy", 1993 State University of New York Press

In Great Mother Buddhism the "cycle of birth and death" is
reunited with its Origin, overcoming 2000 years
of (hidden) dualism

2. This is confirmed by insights of those who suffered the Great Death* (Tibetan: delog) as well as by modern physics. The Ultimate is the dimension beyond Enlightenment and death, and appears to be a Vacuum. In the old times this was described as the Abyss of the universe, the Womb or the Great Mother. In recent times quantum physics assumes a "zero-point energy ocean" beyond the tangible universe. The former, in its turn, originates from the Abyss beyond. The foundation of life is a Vacuum "in which everything without exception continuously dies and is being reborn in the selfsame Eternal Moment". Which leads to the concept of the Absolute Void as the destroyer and creator of all life: both of Buddhahood (Light, Being) and the relative world. Light is born out of Darkness. Light continuously returns to Absolute Emptiness. It also dies. Because death and rebirth of the Light happens in the selfsame Eternal Moment.....it only seems that the former is "Absolute". In Reality, everything, even the Light is subjected to death and rebirth. Thus, Buddhahood is born out of the Womb! The difference between the Great Mother and Nirvana is that the former includes the dynamic aspect of "birth and death", while the second excludes this. (Apart from the "formal" recognition that "Nirvana is samsara"). By making "Nirvana" an abstract term the Mother was stripped from Her dynamic (Womb!) aspects. It points at a fundamental difference between the official (patriarchal) religion (with the masculine fear of life) and the more down to earth common people, who instead kept an inclusive (matricentral, feminine) attitude. The consequence of this is far reaching: do you accept "birth and death" as belonging to reality or are you trying to escape from it? It is turning point in contemporary Buddhism.

See: chapter "Threefold Realization"

Miroku Nyorei (Maitreya)

3. From the beginning of Buddhism there was a notion of the underlying feminine principle, though. The Prajnaparamita is said to be "The Mother of the Buddha's" or "The Womb of the Tathagatas". Existence is bottomless, hence all dharmas have no self-existing identity. The primary matrix of existence is called "Mother of Creation". The Mother principle is the space that gives birth both to all Buddha's and to the phenomenal world. It is an ongoing process. However, this insight doesn't go far enough. Here "Mother" means   "Essence of the Buddha's", which is equal to the Light, Buddhahood. The confusion is, that the Light is also called Emptiness. Because in Enlightenment the ego is dissolved into it. However, it is relative. Because the Light is born out of Darkness, there must be something beyond "Emptiness", though. That's why the True Mother is "Emptiness beyond Emptiness" or the Darkness from Which the Light (Buddhahood) originates. Even in Tibetan Buddhism the insight in the true nature of existence is confusing, mixing up "Emptiness" with "Emptiness beyond Emptiness", e.g. in the biography of Machig Lapdron, an enlightened female (1055-1145). There Tara said:

4. "Listen, yogini, your past is cleared from your heart but I will explain it to you. The Great Mother is the void state of all the dharmas which we call Mother of all Creation. The Mother is the Mother of the Buddhas of the Three Times, the Dharmata of the Absolute State, beyond all obstructions, the pure essence of egoless voidness-Prajna".*

* T.Allione "Women of Wisdom", 1986 Arkana

5. Trungpa Rinpoche describes the primordial feminine as follows. Here the original Mother-principle is already abandoned (e.g. misunderstood!) in favor of a "consort" of the Buddhas. Rather than Buddhahood being born out of Her, is she born out of Buddhahood. It corresponds with the Shakti-principle of Hinduism or Sophia in Gnosticism. How different this being from pre-buddhist times in Tibet - called "Zan-zun" - in which the Ultimate was called "Sa-trig er-sans" or "Great Mother of Space", confirming that originally She alone was the Source of all life. He states:

"In phenominal experience, whether pleasure or pain, birth or death, sanity or insanity, good or bad, it is necessary to have a basic ground. This basic ground is known in Buddhist literature as the mother principle. Prajnaparamita (the perfection of wisdom) is called the mother-consort of all the Buddhas*...As a principle of cosmic structure, the all-accomodating basic ground is neither male nor female. One might call it hermaphroditic, but due to its quality of fertility or potentiality, it is regarded as feminine".

Chögyam Trungpa "Maitreya IV", pp. 23-4

Predecessor/Goddess (Hariti) of Maitreya (Candi Mendut Java)

6. Why is it so important to know about the true nature of "Emptiness beyond Emptiness?". Although Buddhists use it as a concept very few know about it from their own Realization....During the centuries Enlightenment was considered the Ultimate Liberation. Liberation consisted of two essential parts. First of all, in Enlightenment the ego disappears. Thus, Realization meant freedom from the (unconscious) identification with the small self. The second part consisted of the cultural/religious environment. After Enlightenment the tradition would take care of the newly awakened one, embedding him or her in the context of rules, practices and conventions. The latter preventing a relapse into self-centered attitudes. The current situation is totally different though. Enlightenment has become a commodity in the worldwide "spiritual" market. It is not something to BE, but to HAVE. It has become the victim of a  materialistic attitude. Moreover, instead of leading a selfless life - dictated by the tradition - spiritual Attainment has become an instrument of being succesful in a extremely self-centered environment. "To make a difference" as it is called. Enlightenment is thus often (mis)used for one's own ego-purposes. A balancing tradition is totally absent. "Self-effort", the core of the Buddha's preaching, has thus got an unexpected shadow part. With the ego as underlying motivation the treasure of Attainment degenerated. The result is, that Enlightenment has lost its liberating power.

6a. Some time ago the Buddhist world was shaken by the news that Japanese Zen masters had supported the aggressive Japanese war. Western Buddhists shed (crocodile) tears, apologizing for this dark past. Why am I ironical here? Because "Zen at War" hasn't ended with WorldWar II. What we sadly see nowadays is that "Zen" is shamelessly handing over itself to the interests of big business. Under the guise of "self.improvement", many brochures of "Zen"-centres openly promote their "service" with emphasizing the "positive" benefits of Zen for the workplace.....By practising Zen one can achieve greater "effectivity, flexibility, creativity", which improves your performancein the office, increases your career chances....and this ad nauseam. The same Zen people (teachers) who are so hyper-aware of the darker sides of  Zen in the past, display a  blind spot for the darker side of  Zen today. It means that their lamentations are at best superficial, that they haven't done any serious attempt to discover the true causes. Are they totally hypocritical? Or simply ignorant? Do they realize their role in the HereNow? The current war of which they are a part - again as aggressors - is that their collaboration with big business is further destroying the earth. By improving the effectiveness of the managers, Zen is (indirectly) promoting profit-maximalization of the company - and thus co-responsible for competition, exploitation, worldwide consumerism, addiction, destruction of nature, war and injustice. Zen at War today? I invite everybody to openly and courageously investigate this claim. Only then Zen could free itself from its dark present.

7. If Enlightenment (relative Emptiness) cannot save us anymore, liberation has to come from "something" that is beyond. It is the Dimension of Absolute Emptiness. Only the One who has experienced Total Annihilation, in which both the I and Enlightenment have disappeared altogether*, can guide you here. It is corresponding with the notion of the Vacuum, in pre-Buddhist times called the Great Mother. Buddha called it Nirvana. Contrary to Enlightenment the Vacuum cannot be attained, realized or possessed. It can only be worshipped or surrendered to. The ego has no chance to use it for its own purposes. Absolute Emptiness is thus the true testcase for a truly ego-less attitude. You have no choice but to surrender without expecting anything back. To give up your ego with the underlying expectation of getting Enlightenment back isn't very difficult. In fact, you don't give up anything. Surrendering to the Great Mother, just because of awe, adoration or gratitude, on the other hand, is the way of true purity. It solves our current ego-problems. Hence, the era of Sakyamuni - based on self-attainment - is over. It has become (too much) corrupted. Everyone who is honest admits how deep the Dharma has sunk nowadays....Instead, realizing your Maitreya Mind through unconditional surrender/ love is the only way true liberation can be attained. It requires a total renewal of all aspects of the Way. That's why Maitreya isn't just "a new Buddha". He is a totally new appearence. He hasn't come in his own right but serves as an instrument of "Something" Beyond, the Dimension that cannot be named, the true Unknown, the Great Mother. Hence, the new guideline to all reborn Buddhists: "Take Refuge in the Great Mother, Maitreya Buddha, the new Dharma and the new Sangha". Those who have eyes, see it.....

* See: "Threefold Realization"    

Buddha, born out of the Mother Lap. Japan 17th? century
Computer-manipulated picture from R.Camphausen "The Yoni", 1996 Inner Traditions

8. Anne C. Klein in her book "The Great Bliss Queen" talks about the biography of Yeshey Tsogyel, a Tibetan female Enlightened One. She seems to coming close to the Truth when she is stating, that "in Nyingma Great Completeness traditions, the womb imagery associated with Yeshey Tsogyel suggests a Buddha nature (...) that is "not merely empty, but has the nature of clear light" and "Here the ultimate empty nature itself is filled with positive potential".* The confusion is about the identity of Emptiness ("birthless" origin) and awareness, because eventually the "primordial emptiness proves to be nothing but the internal clear light", e.g. Enlightenment"**. Not surprisingly though, that she subsequently describes how to realize this innermost essence.***, probably not realizing that this is the very core of patriarchal spirituality. She does this in a feminist disguise, since she is talking about "how to become a Great Bliss Queen". Unfortunately, the primordial Origin (the Womb, Absolute Emptiness) is mixed up here with Her offspring: the Light e.g. Buddhahood. What has been overlooked here is the hierarchy of "Mother and Son" (or Daughter). In reality the Ultimate is Emptiness beyond Emptiness (the "Womb of Buddhahood"); it is the Great Vacuum going beyond Buddhanature. It appears to be the Ultimate Bottomlessness. Why is this so important? Obviously, because this is Reality-As-It-Is. Moreover, the Womb is beyond every Realization, hence, It ("She") cannot be attained, achieved or possessed, only worshipped. It is the end of a materialistic era, in which identification with Enlightenment is being (mis)used in favor of influence and power. Buddhanature - the Light - on the other hand, has to be understood as Her Lightbody, her Cosmic Son (Daughter). Something that is granted to you, once your surrender is total. It is the foundation of a carefree life based on effortlessness, grace, joy and gratitude, rather than ego-ambition. Conclusion: The above mentioned book typically advocates "stealing of the female secret", the replacement of the Realm of the Mother (Darkness) by masculine values (Light). It parallels the transition between the original pre-buddhist feminine world and early patriarchy in historical times. Again, it proves how difficult it is, to really overcome the hurdles of patriarchy.

* A.C.Klein "Meeting the Great Bliss Queen", 1995 Beacon Press, p. 160

** This is the core of the confusion. It arises with identifying the Ultimate with Buddhahood. How did it come? Well, to the ego Enlightenment is "Emptiness", because in Enlightenment the ego (self) disappears into it. This is only half the truth, though. Because, in its turn, Enlightenment (Buddhanature) "dies and is being reborn" in the Beyond, in "Emptiness beyond Emptiness". Hence, the latter and not Buddhanature being the Ultimate Reality (which I call the Cosmic Womb, e.g. the Great Mother).

*** ibid. p. 170

Amida Buddha sitting on/emerging from the LotusWomb

9. The object of ultimate reverence thus being the Womb! In Asia, from time immemorial, the Great Mother has been symbolized by a Lotus flower. "Om mani padme hum" - the jewel in the lotus - means Being emerging from the Cosmic Womb. A closer look at almost all images of the Buddha, e.g. celestial Buddhas, Kuan Yin etc. reveals, that he (she) is sitting on a Lotus. It symbolizes the essence of (Great Mother) Buddhism. The Lotus is the Womb from which Buddhahood arises! This way the "memory" of the Great Mother has been preserved throughout the Buddhist world in millions of images. Hence, Great Mother followers both revering the Mother and the Buddha in the selfsame images. They may whisper "Womb of Buddhahood" or a similar mantra, while prostrating themselves. In  Japanese Tantrism (Shingon) images could be very direct and concrete - a Buddha born out of the vulva - as a picture shows.* Furthermore, the supreme all-embracing Matrix is called the World of the Mother-lap there. It is described in the Dainichi-kyo/Mahavairocana sutra. Furthermore huge mandala's - with 428 different figures - have been painted in which the Mother-lap World has been visualized.

* See above.


Womb Mandala
Taizokai (Mahakaruna gharbha mandala)

Even in Nestorian Christianity, the "sect" that had penetrated China in the first centuries ACE, the key symbol is a cross emerging from a lotus! It is an indication of the same - deeply hidden in the archaic layers of consciousness - wisdom: Christ as the Son of the Mother.

10. In Buddhism another "detail" was "forgotten". Buddha having got "his" Enlightenment under a BODHI-TREE. Why under a Bodhi-tree? Why not in a sacred place, a meditation hall or just somewhere? If you read the scriptures one cannot but sense, that there was something special about the fact, that he was sitting under that tree. Was that tree somehow essential to his Realization? Couldn't he have realized without it? Could the Bodhi-tree perhaps have facilitated it.....The fact, that the tree was indispensable makes the latter very likely. So, what does the Bodhi-tree stands for? Is it just like any tree? You will guess it, it is not. The BODHI-TREE* connects to very ancient times, hence its magical/mystical aura. Actually, it symbolizes the Tree of Life, which in turn reflects the Primal Mother of pre-historic times. It was the key symbol of the Sumerian MotherGoddess Inanna, later spreading into all directions. To the West (MotherGoddess Asherah, Canaan), to the North-East (Taoist Mother Hsing Wang Mu) and to the East (the Harappa culture of the Indus delta). The Tree of Life (think of the Bible-story in Genesis) stands for the Orgin, from which all life emerges. Apparently, at the time of Sakyamuni's life it was still such a powerful symbol, that it couldn't be neglected. Applied to the Enlightenment story it means, that Buddha was GRANTED Enlightenment. It was granted by the Primordial Mother, symbolized by the Bodhi-tree! Typically, patriarchal mind subsequently denied its ancestral roots, boasting that Enlightenment is the result of self-effort, only. You have to pay dearly for cutting yourself off from your maternal Origin, though. That's why in current Buddhism the elán has dried up. Even Buddhists have to face the fact, that, if it wants to renew itself, it has to go back to its (pre-Buddhist) Source.

* The Bodhi-Tree is the symbol of our new Eco-Dharma! Personally, an indigenous healer of the Caribbean once recommended me to do the same: to go to Haiti, sit under a sacred tree and wait until he tree would give my new name.....only then I would b able to becom a healer like herself. It is equal to the Dragon-Flower tree story of the Maitreya Dragon-Flower Assembly. Only if that tree starts flowering - if the Mother starts flowering - then A New Era will evolve.

  

Buddha: Son of the Mother

11. Even from an angle, where one would expect to find nothing but "masculine purity", namely Theravada Buddhism, reminiscences of the Great Mother can still be found. In his excellent essay "The Great Goddess Today in Burma and Thailand: An Exploration of Her Symbolic Relevance to Monastic and Female Roles"*, John P. Ferguson makes it clear that "Theravada Buddhism, it would seem, built its religious edifice upon a preexisting structure in which worship of the Goddess was fundamental". One of his main thesis is that Buddhism is a reaction to the power of the Mother. "To the Buddhists the Great Goddess is a veritable matron of suffering (because of the inability to resist Her attractions), the primal cause to all mankind's troubles. She makes us love Her more than we should". Hence, nonattachment to be the core of Buddhist teachings. The interesting nuance, however is, that the Buddha did not renounce the world because of hatred, but because he loved it too much. That means, that there is "a positive valorization of the world of the Great Goddess at the very moment the Theravada Buddhist rejects it". Furthermore it is stated, that the Goddess appears at crucial moments in (Theravada) Buddhist life. First of all, the Buddha's Enlightenment would not have been possible, without the Goddess' interference under the Bodhi tree**, in which She at a crucial moment, after the Buddha touched the Earth (Goddess) as a  cry for help - which ever since became one of the main mudra's - "made such a fearful sound, that Mara (the god of desire and illusion, trying to distract the Buddha) fled. "The Buddha's Enlightenment is thereby assured by the timely intervention of the Great Goddess Herself".

* In: James J.Preston "Mother Worship", 1982 Chapel Hill   

** As stated above, the Bodhi Tree itself being a symbol of the archaic Tree of Life, in its turn being a symbol of the Original Great Mother. The hidden meaning could be, that - contrary to his own claims - the Buddha didn't realize through self-effort, but rather was granted it by the Great Mother: the Light that was born out of Darkness. Isn't that fascinating?  See literature about Sumeria and Harappa or Indus culture.  See also Pali sources, found mainly in Burma.

Maitreya

12. The second very interesting phenomenon is that of the seasonal retreat of young Buddhist novices. "It may be merely coincidental with slack labor periods that males who choose to become temporarily monks pick the period when the rains fall upon the newly planted rice and come out of the monasteries again at harvest time when labor demands are greatest. Such an explanation is traditional. Yet there is reason to see the timing as part of a much deeper and more meaningful statement. In the whole of southern Asia, the fertility of the crops was often ensured by sacrifice of things dear to the people. Vegetation rituals were developed that included human sacrifice and dismemberment for burial in the fields, animal sacrifice with blood poured into the ground for the Earth Goddess, and various planting and harvesting dramas to please the Goddess with gifts and kind words.* Theravada Buddhism evolved in the midst of such ancient beliefs and practices. It is not impossible that the self-denying monks sequestered in their compounds for the growing season were a revolutionary substitute for the ancient sacrifices to the Goddess. If such a hypothesis is correct, then the monks of Theravada Buddhism can be seen as silently but dramatically sacrificing, not their bodies or their blood, but their desires".**   

* These rituals were an important part of almost all prehistoric Mother-oriented cultures, both in Africa, Europe, India, Indonesia (Rice-Goddess), China and South America.

** Ibid. p. 289      

13. Tibet used to be a largely matriarchal society, in which people worshipped the Great (Mother)Goddess. Its women were strong, independent, while taking care of the community. Some pockets have still survived, like the Mosuo tribe in Sechüan. The structure is matrilinear, e.g. the central positions are inherited by women. They still worship the Goddess in the form of the mountain that lies next to their lake. No wonder that Buddhism with its misogynic philosophy encountered strong resistance. However, through a clever integration policy it succeeded in getting the upper hand. Ever since, the Mosuo are ruled by a patriarchal monks class. The same happened in Tibet many centuries ago. In order to make its rule sustainable it had to submit the Mother e.g. feminine dominance. This is what they did. Instead of recognizing the Cosmic Mother as the Ultimate Reality, they started using Her Power to favour their own male spiritual ambition. So they turned reality upside down. Not the Cosmic Womb - Absolute Emptiness (Emptiness beyond Emptiness)  - was considered the highest spiritual principle, but Her derivative - BuddhaNature (Emptiness) - was. In Reality, the latter is born out of the former, though. Hence, the Son should pay tribute to the Mother. This was cleverly reversed in such a way, that the Goddess was made subordinate to the ruling Lama class. She had to serve male spiritual realization through sacrificing Her female energy, a victim on the altar of male supremacy. The underlying emotion is fear for the feminine. Tantric practices - in which the initiate steals the energy of a female "helper" - are a way of exploiting and controlling it. Obviously, here the Truth is being manipulated. Under the flag of "spiritual wisdom" Reality - the Mother as the Origin of all - is grossly distorted, a fatal ignorance, indeed. Surrender vs ego-inflation, purity of intention vs (limitless) greed for power.....that's where it is all about.      

14. Insight is not complete without understanding the Buddhist concept of compassion. Many Westerners think that it is similar to the Christian idea of love. This is not so. Although many Buddhist leaders have strategic goals in mind, purposely remaining vague in this regard. They talk about compassion, leaving it to the audiance how it should be interpreted. Originally, Buddhist compassion is describing the quality of the Enlightened Mind. Which means that somebody who "got enlightened" automatically - and without any effort, obviously, because the ego has disappeared - posseses inclusivity*. Hence, it is a State of Mind. Buddhist philosophy subsequently added a purpose to it, namely "compassion as the desire that everyone would reach that same state of freedom". Freedom in the sense of "being freed from the cycle of birth and death" (of life!). Enlightened Ones thus don't have to reach out to others. Instead, their attitude is "become like me". No reaching out to the world with its suffering. The world itself is suffering, after all. So, "compassion" is the desire to heal people from the world rather than healing the world itself. The world as such cannot be healed, for it is the cause of suffering from which one has to escape. Socially, "compassion" can only be "exercised" by the monk elite. They only posses universal wisdom. "Lay people" and their problems are only relevant, in as much they want to escape from "samsara". This deeply engrained dualism has led to horrendous situations: an arrogant monk's elite on the one hand and an ignorant, empoverished, miserable lay population, often ruthlesslessly exploited by the former. "Compassion", despite its "mystical" aura, proves to be self-serving. Don't buy these talks about "compassion", unless it becomes utterly sure, that true inclusivity - embracing ALL levels of existence simultaneously and equally - is meant. The "highest state" is measured by the love it has for the lowest.....         

* Which in itself is correct.

Prophesies

15. The appearance of Great Mother Buddhism in modern times has been prophesied by Chinese popular religious literature, called Pao-Chüan. Although the origins can be traced back to the fourteenth century, the first books were composed in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. The exact meaning of Pao-Chüan is "precious book". Quite contrary to the official monastic scriptures, the precious books were written by religious lay people. Characteristic of this literature is that they emphasize "the restoration of the primordial unity", both spiritual and worldly. The members of these Buddhist sects not only hoped for personal liberation, but also for a "better world". These people were more or less embracing "all three teachings" (Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism). Hence, respect was paid to life-giving powers and persons such as heaven, earth, parents and teachers. There was an awareness about the continuous decline of religion, including monastic and priestly Buddhism, so that eventually common people became the representatives of the Way. They bore the true tradition and were neither clerical nor lay.

16. The Pao-Chüan literature is unique with regard to its mythical background. Unlike the mainstream Buddhist definitions the Ultimate is described as the "Eternal Venerable Mother" (Wu-sheng lao-mu). According to these myths the Eternal Mother sends down to earth ninety-six myriad's of her children. Although they are originally all "Buddha's and immortals", once on earth they forget their true home in paradise and become attached to fame, profit and sensual pleasures. Trapped by their desires, they are immersed in samsara, the "sea of suffering", repeatedly encountering death and rebirth, and enduring punishments in purgatory. The Venerable Mother, grieved by this, sends down messenger deities to remind her lost children of their true nature and the way home*. It is likely that pao-chüan literature links the ancient notion of the prehistoric Great Mother to the outcome of later spiritual practice. To it he Void isn't just an "abstraction" (Nirvana), but the Realm which includes the dynamic aspects of life - birth and death - a "compassionate Mother" who cares about the world.

"Heaven" (the Light, Buddha) and earth continuously die
in the Great Mother, while being reborn in the
selfsame eternal moment

The Messenger

17. The main messenger of the Great Mother is Maitreya Buddha. His mission is "to show the lost and ignorant the way home to the Eternal Mother". Several texts emphasize his importance as a teacher and a savior. He is supposed to "take charge of religion (chang chiao) and of the world (chang shih-chieh). His task is "to restore the original wholeness" (shou-yüen). Maitreya descends in a time of chaos and decay with the promise of world renewal. In the "Huang-chi- chiu-lien" pao-chüan Maitreya is first protesting against his mission, because of too much attachment to the joy of paradise in which he resides ("Tusita Heaven"). But finally he is giving in and descends to earth and - because of "his weaknesses in the past" - manifests himself as an ordinary human. His call to the people is to "realize their true nature, recognize the true savior (himself) and their way home to the Eternal Mother". These promises gain momentum, as they are placed against a time of terrible chaos, the end of the world, warfare and death...with the hope that the true Buddha (Maitreya) will appear, so that the Mother's children "can escape all forms of calamity and difficulty". Maitreya is said to put "the world in order", which suggests a radical, militant and political role as well. It used to be the reason for suspicion from the side of authorities.

Maitreya

18. "At that period, brethren, there will arise in the world an Exalted One named Metteya, Arahant, fully Awakened, abounding in wisdom and goodness, happy, with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as a guide to mortals willing to be led, a teacher for gods and men, an Exalted One, a Buddha even as I am now. He, by himself, will thoroughly see and know, as it were face to face, this universe, with its world of the spirits, its Brahamas, and its Maras, and its world of recluses and Brahmins, of princes and peoples, even as I now by myself, thoroughly know and see them. The truth (the Norm) lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, lovely in its consummation, will he proclaim, both in the spirit and in the letter; the higher life will he make known, in all its fulness and all its purity, even as I do now. He will be accompanied by a congregation of some thousands of brethren, even as I am now accompanied by a congregation of some hundreds of brethren.

Cakkavatti-Sihanada Suttanta. The Mahabodhdi Society Translation.

(From the Chinese-Sanskrit sources.)

19. "In the old days when the Tathagata was living at Rajagriha (Wang-she), on the Gridhra-kuta(others think at "Benares") mountain, he spoke thus to the Bhikshus: 'In future years, when this country of Jambudvipa shall be at peace and rest, and the age of men shall amount to 80000 years (sic), there shall be a Brahman called Maitreya (Sse-che). His body shall be of pure gold, bright, glistening and pure. Leaving his home he shall become a perfect Buddha, and preach the threefold("Thrice repeated") Law for the benefit of all creatures. Those who shall be saved are those who live, in whom the roots of merit have been planted through my bequeathed Law. These all conceiving their minds in profound respect for three precious objects of worship, whether they be already professed disciples or not, whether they be obedient to the precepts or not, will be led by the converting power (of his preaching) to acquire the fruit (of Bodhi) and final deliverance. Whilst declaring the threefold Law for the conversion of those who have been influenced by my bequeathed Law, by this means also hereafter others will be converted."

Si-Yu-Ki. Vol. 2. Pp. 46-7.

According to Buddhist scripture, Gautama predicted that at some future time another Buddha would come to help men set up an ideal kingdom of righteousness and peace. The coming Buddha is called Mettaya, (Sanskrit: Maitreya) meaning "love." In Theravada temples he is portrayed as a king rather than a monk because of his role as a ruler in the new world order. Most of the time the Maitreya hope has not been a major part of Buddhist piety. However, when Theravada monks and laymen were freed from colonial subjection after World War II, in the excitement of win- ning their independence, a new age seemed at hand. If the first 2500 years was a time of toil and trial for them, the next 2500 years would be filled with dazzling victories.

According to the oldest texts, Buddha does not promise to come back; what he promises is that Maitreya will become the next Buddha whose success will be far greater than his own. Also, Maitreya will bring to fulfillment the Buddhist Dhamma and inaugurate an era of cosmic bliss; he will do so as a teacher and holy man. As the Dialogues of the Buddha report, Maitreya will be "fully awakened, full of wisdom and a perfect guide, himself having trodden the path to the very end; with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as an educator, teacher of gods and men, an Exalted Buddha.... From his own understanding and penetration of it, he will proclaim (the nature of) this universe...and (the nature of) living beings. And he will proclaim the teaching that is lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, and lovely in its consummation...the higher life will be made known in all its fullness and in all its purity.... He will be the head of an order of many thousand monks, just as in the present period I (Gautama) am the head of an order of many hundred."

In the past Buddhism offered to the Orient the hope for the highest kind of individual contentment based on liberation from worldly cares. Without denying this supreme goal, Buddhists today stress the value of creating a just and prosperous social order. This is the necessary prerequisite for the pursuit of the higher joys of the spirit; only in a just environment will men have the security and leisure they need for spiritual advancement. Gautama Buddha and Maitreya Buddha actually complement each other, the first reminding us of individual self-perfection, the second challenging us to bring about the messianic age of justice and material abundance for all.

By Theol. Prof. Young Oon Kim

The most prominent text revealing Maitreya's descent to the earth is the "Ku Fo tang-lai hsia-sheng Mi-le ch'u-hsi" (Cause of Suffering and the Arrival of Maitreya Buddha from the West to the World)...It says:

20. The Buddha of the past, Dipamkara, the historic Buddha Sakyamuni the younger and Maitreya the eldest, all three sons of the same Eternal Mother, all three working at the Dharma and each successful in their own Way are gathered to discuss the succession. Who is most suitable to rule the world and to save the people, that is the question. All three decide to go into meditation, each with a golden staff in the hand. He, to whose staff will first sprout the dragon flower, will be sent to the world. Who will have his flowering later has to wait. Against the rules Sakyamuni opens his eye already after one day, seeing that Maitreya's staff is decorated with the dragon flower with the ten thousand golden light rays. He sneakily steals the flower putting her on his own staff. Immediately the flower feels unhappy, is sagging and looses her light and radiation. Two days later Maitreya's heavenly eye opens and sees that his brother has stolen the dragon flower. Thus He spoke to Sakyamuni: "today the entire world has been given to you, but how can you be a refuge to the people? Because of this theft nothing will ever reach its perfection. Under your rule of 3000 years the people will be tossed about between wealth and poverty, happiness en suffering, needs and discord. There will be conflicts between states, crime and unrest. The people will be misled by the king of the devils. There will be big disasters, like the eight big problems and the last big catastrophe of the earth. Everything because of your deceit Sakyamuni". Shortly after the Eternal Mother, Kuan Yin and several other Buddha's meet on the Holy Mountain. They are moved by the suffering of the people on earth. Although the 3000 years are not yet completed, Maitreya is requested to move forward from his "Western forest" in order to save the people.

Maitreya: the Buddha with many appearances. His main task
is to bring spiritual deliverance, restoring primordial unity,
while taking charge of religion (chang chao)

Maitreya

Another text ("Li-chih pao-chüan": the precious book on establishing a new world) puts it like this:

21.

...the Buddha Maitreya comes to take charge of religion, he has put aside his immortal clothing and descended to the secular world. When Sakyamuni Buddha saw him his mind was scorched (hsin chiao-tsao)...Now the time has come, the red flower withers, and the white flower blooms; only now does Sakyamuni withdraw from his position, and Maitreya laughs out loud. The great kalpa has arrived, and Maitreya has ascended to the throne (teng liao chi). He kept his hair, and changed his clothing. He put on the gauze hat and round-collared robe (of an official),...and appeared in the world (ch'u-shih). Who in the world knows this? Maitreya Buddha is in charge of the world (chang ch'ien-k'un)...

22.

A country in which Maitreya (Mireuk-sa) is particularly revered is Korea. Because Koreans originally came from Central Asia and because Central Asia still had memories of Mesopotamia, the Korean Mireuk-sa includes a variety of "functions", formerly belonging to the Vegetation Gods. First of all, claimed to be a member of a youth organization ("Hwarang"), he stands for a compassionate caretaker, later to be changed into a famous warrior. His original aspect of "bringer of renewal" wasn't forgotten, though, hence, in later centuries embodying fruitfulness and even fertility. As such he became very popular with women, in fact, to this very day. It lasted until the last centuries before Maitreya also took upon him the mission of political reform. However, because of the strong fragmentation of the Maitreya sangha, it never came to any coordinated action in the social arena. Throughout the country, one may find several outstanding Mireuk statues and temples. Some are depicted with a kind of platform on their heads, someting that could possibly be linked to his oldest "manifestation", in which he was considered to take care of ("bear") the world. Because of the interreligious situation, Korea could (again) become an important factor in spiritual renewal, not only for the own country, but for the world, as well.    

       

Hotei-Maitreya

Goddess Hariti-Maitreya

23.

The "Laughing Hotei - Mi-Le or Maitreya - Buddha", this popular image of Chinese lay people typically incorporates motherly characteristics. He reminds us of the Great Mother: "feminine appearance", the images with many children on his/her lap and arms. He is often portrayed with the symbols of the "raised arms" (pre-historic origin) supporting the boat with the cosmic egg, which in Chinese mythology symbolizes the "Yüanbao" or Original Treasure, which stands for the overflowing Emptiness, the Womb with Her offspring, e.g. Buddhahood. Some statues portray him inside the Cosmic Egg, which emphasizes the inseperable connection of mankind and the Cosmic Mother. A fascinating tool is his "Bottomless Bag" or Bu Dai. It is said that this bag contains all human seeds. Everything is sucked in, while never getting full. It symbolizes the death-aspect of the Cosmic Mother. Affluence and Destruction are Core characteristics of the Cosmic Womb, hence Maitreya Buddha is the One Who knows the Ultimate. His historic background can be traced to the Great Mother of the Middle East. In the Indus-Valley Culture She was transformed to a fertility goddess, who much later became part - as the goddess Hariti - of Buddhism. A Chinese pilgrim "took her" to China, where she was transformed into a man: our Hotei (Maitreya) Buddha. A clear example how feminine myths were changed into masculine ones! As is often the case, male redefinitions upgraded his status: from servant to being "a God".  However, the name Maitreya still reminds us of the original situation. It could very well mean "servant of the Mother", from Maitri or Matri ("Mother"). Hotei's appearence clearly shows feminine traits. He therefore can be considered as a happy inner "marriage" between femininity and masculinity, indeed, a true androgynic avatar. 

24.

True insight includes Maitreya as a servant of the Great Mother. It is the turning point in Buddhism as we know it. Sakyamuni propagated "Enlightenment as the fruit of self-effort"*. However, in these materialistic times greed has devaluated Buddhism's most cherished treasure. Maitreya came into this world without any effort on his part, though. He descended rather than ascended. His Enlightenment is a gift. But there is more about it. Because "he was sent" to earth, he knows about his background, his "ancestry". His Light Body originates from Primordial Darkness, from the Cosmic Womb or Great Mother. Hence, he is not a Buddha in his own right, but acts according to Mother's instructions. He teaches people - often after a period in which you have exhausted yourself in self-effort - how to "return Home". It is a true breakthrough, in which the age of decline is turned into renewal. Hence, every Maitreya Temple/ Center/ Organization/ Group around the world may request for initiation into the true mystery: to (re)link Maitreya as the servant of the Great Mother, thus becoming part of the worldwide Mission of transforming Self and Society.    

* However, the imagery of the Bodhi Tree - the ancient Tree of Life, symbol of the Great Mother, under which the Buddha attained Enlightenment - suggests, that the Mother "facilitated" him......

Maitreya

25.

Your Prayers Have Been Answered!

Friends, as you know Green Buddha Maitreya is one of the manifestations of the Ultimate...... others are e.g. "Servant/Messenger of the Great Mother", "Green Man" or "the Friend"......after 33 years of preparation and reluctance he is overjoyed with the prospect of meeting you soon.....So, you don't have to wait for his coming, anymore......In fact, he has already descended......After many years of reluctance the Mother didn't give him a choice......She revealed Herself to him, not as a concept, idea or image, but through Her very Essence...... Therefore, a New Era has begun......He is very happy to see, that his arrival has been expected......You worked so hard to make his coming a joyful event......You have prepared the people well!.......On the other hand, his appearance will not entirely comply with your ideas of how the Messenger looks like.......The Transcendence has its own way of manifesting itself!......Being Nothing, he is everything......Emptiness is including all forms, after all......Be sure, the prophesy will materialize itself in a wonderful way......The world is in desperate need of peace and happiness, love and friendship, healing and justice, prosperity and sustainability.....he is about to depart from his Western Forest and will soon be welcomed in your Beautiful Country......green is his color......he is sure your reception will be overwhelming......Send your messages to all directions, so that everybody can participate.......Once a beginning is made, through mutual cooperation his WorldWide Mission will start spreading all over the globe....... 

Her Blessings to you all!

Literature

* Daniel L.Overmyer
1. "Attitudes Toward the Ruler and State in Chinese Popular Religious Literature", Harvard Journal of  Asiatic Studies, Vol.44., NR.2.
2. "Religions of China", 1986 HarperSanFrancisco
3. "Messenger, Savior, and Revolutionary" in A.Sponsberg & H.Hardacre in "Maitreya, the future    Buddha", 1988 Cambridge University Press
4. "Folk Buddhist Religion", Dissenting Sects in Late Traditional China, 1976 Harvard University Press
5. "The Flying Phoenix" (with David K.Jordan), Aspects of Chinese Sectarianism in Taiwan, 1986 Princeton University Press
6. "Precious Volumes", An Introduction to Chinese Sectarian Scriptures from the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, 1999 Harvard University Press

* Chun Fang Yu
"Kuan Yin", 2001 Columbia University Press

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