Does any school seriously believe Maitreya might appear in my lifetime

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Well, things have to get really really bad and then it'll have to get really really good in order for Metteyya Buddha to appear:

"And the sons of these sons will come to live eighty years; their sons to 160 years; their sons to 320 years; their sons to 640 years; their sons to 2,000 years; their sons to 4,000 years; their sons to 8,000 years; their sons to 20,000 years; their sons to 40,000 years; and the sons of those that lived 40,000 years will come to live 80,000 years.

Among humans living 80,000 years, brethren, maidens are marriageable at 500 years of age.

Among such humans there will be only three kinds of diseaseβ€”appetite, non-assimilation and old age."

At that period, brethren, there will arise in the world an Exalted One named Metteyya, 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. ~ DN 26 ~

Upvote:-3

I submit that the prophecies of the end times in all religions and cultures are being fulfilled around us, and therefore we should be expecting the imminent coming of Maitreya, or the Prophet expected by all religions and cultures to come at the end times/ending of an age (Messiah, return of Christ, Mahdi, He Whom God Shall Make Manifest, Kalki Avatar, Blue Kachina, True White Brother from the East, Satrio Piningit, etc).

In fact I submit that Maitreya is already here. He has fulfilled Prophecies from all world religions and cultures, and brought a teaching that unifies all the religions of the world and for the first time shows clearly how all are from the same, One God, each sent as part of an overall Plan which is now coming to fruition. Maitreya's teaching also unifies the West and the East, science and spirit, and shows how the two are not contradictory but complementary.

Do not take my word for it - I challenge you to study Maitreya's literature, prophecies fulfilled, etc. and prove it to yourself that he is indeed the True Maitreya, the Prophet of God: www.maitreya.org

Upvote:0

Wikipedia claims that there are non-Buddhist schools or religions, who say variously that Maitreya will arrive soon or did arrive recently (e.g. in the 19th century): see Maitreya - Non-Buddhist views

Although they're non-Buddhist, I mention that in case it has been causing some confusion.

Upvote:0

I think there are some modern alternative religious movements, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist, that claim that Maitreya's rebirth is imminent, or that he is even amongst us now, but neither the suttas nor the sutras support this view. The most ancient texts concerning Maitreya clearly state that he will not appear for many tens of thousands of years, when human civilization is enjoying a super-industrial golden age. The earliest scriptural date I've seen for Maitreya is his association with the appearance of Shambhala in the 25th century, according to the Kalachakra. Many sutras suggest that he will not appear for millions of years. Bahais belive that Baha'u'llah was Maitreya. Followers of Adidam believe that Adi Da was Maitreya. The Nepalese "Buddha Boy" appears to believe that he is Maitreya. Other recent claimants include Peter Deunov, Samael Aun Weor, and Claude Vorilhon. Annie Besant and Leadbeater , leaders of the Theosophical movement, made this claim for Krishnamurti but he repudiated it. There have been many people who have claimed to be Maitreya since the seventh century.

Upvote:1

I don't think so, how can anyone believe that Maitreya would appear in this lifetime?

The main sign of Maitreya's arrival is the life span being around 80,000 years. During The Buddha's time He said:

"At present, monks, one who lives a long time is 100 years old or a little bit more" (Arakenanusasani Sutta, AN 7.70)

Which is basically the same as now in modern times. The life expectancy among people that had food has been like nearly the same since ancient times.

But arahants and paccekabuddhas still can arise during the time-period in between the appearance of a Sammasambuddha.

The distinction between paccekabuddhas and sammasambuddhas is that sammasambuddhas are considered as Supreme Teachers but paccekabuddhas can still teach just not as well.

Upvote:3

Most of the commentaries say that this Buddha Sasana will last for 5000 years...So there are around 2400+ years still left for the Gotama Sasana to disappear...This link gives a detailed explanation of the way in which the first the attainments will disappear, then the method, then the learning, then the symbols and finally the relics.

http://www.lawsofthenature.com/GotamaSasana.aspx

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