The Great Lord Maitreya !!

Date: 12/20/2010 1:54:38 AM

Subject: [CASonline] The Great Lord Maitreya !! [1 Attachment]

Dearest Friends @ CAS,

It is with great joy to share with you that the 84th Head of the Nyingma Kathok Lineage, Khenchen Lhogah Rinpoche, has just walked through the immigrations gates of the Singapore Changi International Airport barely one hour ago ( twleve mid-night ) and blessed Singapore soil with His holy feet, while most of us are cushioned, unaware, in blissful repose.

So many beings @ CAS, especially, has come under the care of Rinpoche for long, long ages past ( Rinpoche told us ) and we are fitfully blessed to be able to serve Rinpoche again this life in whatever capacity we could handle.

Having missed meeting the Great Teacher of gods and men of our present age, Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, we, the latter day disciples, were exhorted by the Buddha Himself, to establish blessed connections to His Regent, the next Buddha to-be, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, Lord Maitreya.

Khenchen Rinpoche has given His permission to bestow the precious empowerment of Lord Maitreya so that all of us, the latter day disciples of Buddha Shakyamuni, could see and attain full and complete Awakening when Lord Maitreya descends into our human realm in the future.

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Not only the Nyingma students, but, in fact, every lineage in Buddhism, Tibetan or otherwise, venerates and makes aspirations to see Maitreya:

"In the realm of Tushita, built of numerous precious substances, amongst millions of wonders, sits Lord Maitreya. By the force of having well-acquanted my mind with the practice of this Pure Land, Tushita, may I, immediately after death, take birth in that place."

( From the main Gelugpa Guru Yoga text: Guru Yoga of Je Tsongkhapa - "The 100 Deities of the Land of Joy" )

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Again, from the "Sutra on the Birth of the Bodhisattva Maitreya in the Tushita Heaven", a sutra very popular in the Chinese Mahayana tradition, we are exhorted by the Buddha thus:

".... After I, the Bhagavat Shakyamuni, have passed into nirvana, all those of the 4 groups of disciples ( laymen and lay women, monks and nuns ), who abide in vows, venerate stupas, recite sutras, create images of tathagatas, and recite Maitreya's name, will after their deaths, be miraculously born in Tushita. They will see Maitrey's face, hear His Dharma, and will eventually receive prophecy ( of Enlightenment ) from the buddhas of this Fortunate Kalpa ...

Anyone who, hearing the name of the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Maitreya, prostrates to Him with joy and respect will not fall into realms of darkness after death.... in all their births, they will be born in places endowed with upright views, places where the sangha is abundant, places where the 3 Jewels are not denigrated.... at death, be welcomed by rays of white light emanated from Maitreya's brow. They will be received by gods casting rains of mandarava flowers ....

After my nirvana, any member of the 4 groups of disciples who wishes to be reborn in Tushita ... should do the following: "Keeping Tushita in mind, receive the vow of a tathagata.... engage your mind and behaviour in the 10 virtues. Dedicate the merit of doing so with the aspiration to be born in Tushita in Maitreya's presence. ... "

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In the Theravada tradition, Buddhagosa makes similar aspirations to attain Enlightenment when Lord Maitreya shows Enlightenment in our Human Realm in the Dedication Section of the "Commentary of the Path of Purity".

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In so many sutras of the Tripitaka, Lord Maitreya appeared with the Buddha Himself and was an indispensable figure in the dramatic unfolding of so many monumental Teachings.

Quoting one major sutra, The Avatamsaka:

( Sudhana, wishing to meet Maitreya, travelled to Maitreya's divine celestial mansion but could not find Maitreya there )....

Maitreya was returning from another place, where He had received the offerings of thousands of beings, including Indra, Brahmam the protectors of the world, and other rulers of devas, nagas and yakshas.... Maitreya spketh to Sudhana, "At the proper time, I will demonstrate Enlightenment. After my awakening, son, both you and youthful Manjushri will see me again."

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No disciples of the Buddha, particularly of the Vajrayana, should miss the empowerment of Lord Maitreya for anything !!

THE programme: ( See Attachment below)

"Homage, prostrations and every offerings to the Lord of Loving Kindness, the Bodhisattva Maitreya !!"

bb & every being in the world -- in full homage !!

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The Loving Lord Maitreya

holding the Naga-Flower Tree

under which He shall manfest

full and complete Buddhahood

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"A Garland of Jewels"

( by Jamgon Mipham - KTD Publications )

Maitreya Sutra - 4th Chapter: the Regent Ajita

( Birth of Lord Maitreya )

When Maitreya enters His mother's womb, ten thousand realms of worlds will vibrate....

(Renunciation of Lord Maitreya )

Accompanied by Maha Brahma, who will hold a white parasol one hundred thousand yojanas in diameter; Indra the gods' ruler, who will blow a conch; and many splendid and fortunate goddesses, Maitreya will travel to His tree under which He will show Buddhahood ...

( Enlightenment of Lord Maitreya )

That evening, He will sit down with crossed legs in front of the Bodhi Tree, facing east... He will achieve unsurpassable Enlightenment...

The light of Maitreya will surpass all other light so that day and night will be indistinguishable from one another ...

( Turning of the holy Wheel of Dharma by Lord Maitreya )

This peerless Buddha, that Tathagata, Maitreya, will turn the Wheel of Dharma for the gods, then the humans, of ten thousand worlds...

Those wishing to see Him then should now venerate the 3 Jewels and engage as much as they can in the 10 virtuous acts.

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The Ratnakuta Sutra - Chapter: Great Lion's Roar of Maitreya

The Buddha then placed His golden right hand, the result of the virtue of innumerable kalaps, on Maitreya's head .... As the Buddha placed His hand on Maitreya's head, the world shook 3 times and was filled with bright light. The gods of all realms up to Akanishtha joined their palms ...

Maitreya rose from His seat. He bowed to the Buddha and said, "Bhagavan, for the sake of even one being, I would be willing to remain in samsara until its end... "

Maitreya said this while placing His right knee on the ground. As He did so, this realm of a billion worlds whook 6 times ...

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Sutra on the Birth of the Bodhisattva Maitreya in the Tushita Heaven:

The omniscient Tathagata said, "I predict the perfect Enlightenment of the Maha Bodhisattva Maitreya ...

The gods of Tushita will venerate Him ... offering their crowns and jewellery, they will make aspirations. Through the power of those gods' merits, a palace with especially fine and beautiful features will appear. The qualities of Tushita is unique. Even if a Tathagata were to describe it for a kalpa, the description would not be complete.... Tushita is a place of consummate joy and happiness ....

Maitreya's body will be golden in colour and will remain unmoving ....

From His jeweled corwn, innumerable Tathagatas along with their retinues of Bodhisattvas will be emanated. They will demosntrate 18 types of miracles to the Bodhisattvas of other realms. From Maitreya's brow, rays of white light will emerge. From those light rays will appear numerous gods, blazing with light, adorned with makrs and signs, their bodies as colourful as hundreds of jewels. These gods will teach throughout day and night, the dharma wheel of irreversibility ...