[11][12][13] Maitreya has also been employed in a millenarian role by many non-Buddhist philosophies and religions, such as Theosophy, New Age, the White Lotus, as well as by modern new religious movements, such as Yiguandao and Falun Gong.

[2][15] Due to their similar names, some modern scholars like Przyluski, Lamotte and Levi have speculated that inspiration for Maitreya may have come from ancient Indo-Iranian deities like Mithra and the future Zoroastrian savior figure of the Saoshyant.

[16][15] However, David Alan Scott points out numerous differences in their artistic portrayals (even in the same geographic region) and discrepancies which make this direct link unlikely.

[citation needed] In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, Maitreya was the most popular figure to be represented along with Gautama Buddha.

[20] In 4th- to 6th-century China, Buddhist artisans saw Shakyamuni and Maitreya as interchangeable, which indicates that the iconography of the two figures were not fully established at an early date.

He is often represented as a northern Indian nobleman or prince with a full head of hair, fine flowing robes and jewels.

[23][24] Because of this, some scholars argue that the water bottle and hair loop are symbols of his brahminical origins, and indeed, some stories depict Maitreya as being born to a Human family during his last life.

[25][26] In Buddhism, the similar pūrṇa-kumbha (full bottle) also symbolizes "auspicious abundance", wisdom, health, longevity, wealth, prosperity, and the Buddha's infinite quality of teaching the Dharma.

As Buddhist studies scholar Alan Spongberg writes, Maitreya "came to represent a hope for the future, a time when all human beings could once again enjoy the spiritual and physical environment most favorable to enlightenment and the release from worldly suffering.

"[31] The Maitreya legend has provided a positive view of the future for all Buddhist cultures, who have adapted and expressed the prophetic myth in different ways.

In spite of this, Buddhist believers can hope to accumulate good karma so that when the time comes, they will be reborn to meet the future Buddha Maitreya and reach enlightenment under him.

They will have torn the net of the passions, they will manage to enter into trances, and theirs will be an abundance of joy and happiness, for they will lead a holy life under Maitreya's guidance.

Once Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will rule over the Ketumati pure land, an earthly paradise sometimes associated with the city of Varanasi (also known as Benares) in Uttar Pradesh, India,[41] and in other descriptions, the kingdom of Shambhala.

[3] Many Buddhists throughout history have cultivated merit through good deeds in order to be reborn in Tusita and meet Maitreya bodhisattva there in their next life.

Mahayana Buddhists such as Dao'an, Xuanzang, Yjing, and other masters of East Asian Yogacara, have expressed devotion for Maitreya and have sought to be reborn in his pure land, the palace at the center of Tuṣita.

Maitreya is also believed by Buddhists to manifest "emanation bodies" (nirmanakayas) on earth in order to aid living beings and teach the Dharma.

[53] The most famous of these revelations in Mahayana Buddhism are five scriptures Maitreya is traditionally said to have revealed to the 4th century Indian Buddhist master Asanga.

His common name mantra (as taught in Shingon Buddhism) is:[56] oṃ maitreya svāhā Another Maitreya mantra taught in the Tibetan tradition is:[57] oṃ āḥ maitrī sarva siddhi hūṃTwo other mantras from the Chinese canon (in a text translated by Kūkai) include:[58] Namaḥ samanta-buddhānāṃ aparājite jayanti svāhāNamaḥ samanta-buddhānāṃ ajitaṃjaya sarva-sattva-āśaya-anugata svāhā A popular dharani taught in Tibetan Buddhism is the Incantation of Noble Maitreya's Promise (Ārya-maitri-pratijñā-nāma-dhāraṇī):[59][60]Namo ratnatrayāya namo bhagavate śākyamunaye tathāgatāyārhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya.

Tadyathā: oṃ ajite ajite aparājite ajitañjaya hara hara maitri avalokite kara kara mahāsamayasiddhe bhara bhara mahābodhimaṇḍabīje smara smara asmākaṃ samaya bodhi bodhi mahābodhi svāhā oṃ mohi mohi mahāmohi svāhā

[Close Heart mantra] Om sage, sage, remember, svaha.The Chinese canon contains the following:namo ratna-trayāya, nama āryāvalokiteśvarāya bodhi-sattvāya mahāsatvāya mahākāruṇikāya tad-yathā, oṃ, maitre maitre maitra-manasi maitra-sambhave maitra-udbhave mahāsamaye svāhāMaitreya devotion (Chinese: 彌勒信仰) has been a part of East Asian Buddhism since the time of Dao’an (312–85), who is known to have founded a Maitreya devotionalism in China.

Xuanzang was a famous devotee of Maitreya who vowed to be reborn in his Tushita palace so that he could "serve upon the Kind Lord", and to eventually "descend with him to perform the deeds of the Buddhas, until we attain unsurpassed bodhi".

[70] According to Wonhyo, this practice results in being reborn in Tushita to personally receive teachings from Maitreya so that one cannot relapse from Buddhahood.

[82] A Second White Lotus Rebellion broke out in 1796 among impoverished settlers in the mountainous region that separates Sichuan from Hubei and Shaanxi as a protest against heavy taxes imposed by the Manchu rulers of the Qing Dynasty.

[87][better source needed] Beginning with the White Lotus Society (whose roots go back to the 12th century), Maitreya has been an important part of many Chinese Salvanionist Religious sects.

Yiguandao claims that during the end times, Maitreya will incarnate on Earth to save humanity, known among believers as Mile Zushi (Chinese: 彌勒祖師; lit.

[89] Maitreya appears as a similar figure in another popular salvation religion, Xiantiandao (Chinese: 先天道; pinyin: Xiāntiān Dào; lit.

[90] For modern Theosophy, Maitreya is an advanced enlightened being and a high-ranking member of secret spiritual hierarchy, the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom.

As Annie Besant writes, Maitreya has "the duty of watching over the spiritual destinies of mankind; of guiding, blessing, maintaining the various religions of the world, founded in outline by Himself.

Since the growth of Theosophy in the late 19th century, diverse religions and spiritual movements have adopted and reinterpreted older Jain, Hindu and Buddhist beliefs about Maitreya.

[99][100] Baháʼís believe that the prophecy that Maitreya will usher in a new society of tolerance and love has been fulfilled by Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on world peace.