Maitreya Buddha Mantra brings Happiness in Life
According to the scriptures, Maitreya Buddha is a future Buddha who will be rebirth in the Saha realm to teach the Dharma and bring much joy and happiness to all sentient beings in the whole realm. Therefore, many Buddhists regularly recite Maitreya Buddha mantra to welcome Him, hoping for a life of good luck and happiness in the future.
Who is Maitreya Buddha? Maitreya Buddha is the future Buddha currently living in the Tusita heaven; a realm in which all bodhisattvas or Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have resided before being reborn on earth to become a Buddha.
Buddhist often called him “Happy Buddha” or “Smiling Buddha”. It is said that Maitreya Buddha is always smiling because he is happy in alleviating all sentient beings’ suffering.
According to Buddhist tradition, he is a Bodhisattva who will appear on earth, attain complete enlightenment, and teach pure dharma.
The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the Dharma is forgotten in the world. It is found in the text of many schools of Buddhism, including Theravada Buddhism.
Maitreya Buddha is a symbol of harmony, infinite joy, so when appearing on earth, he will preach love – compassion and inspire others to follow a virtuous path to enlightenment.
In Chinese feng shui, Maitreya Buddha symbolizes good luck, fortune and full happiness. Therefore, many business establishments often worship the smiling Maitreya Buddha overlooking the main door to attract fortune and bring luck to the owner.
Many people believe that rubbing the belly of the Maitreya statue will bring good luck, wealth and prosperity. A ritual based on this belief occurs on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the astral day of Maitreya Buddha. On this day, Buddhists go to the temple to pray and touch the Maitreya Buddha statues in the hope of achieving good luck and happiness in life.
Also, some people believe that by building more Maitreya statues or reciting mantra, the time interval between Shakyamuni Buddha and Maitreya will be shortened.
One of the common benefits of building statues or reciting the Maitreya mantra is that after the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha ceased to exist in the world, when Maitreya Buddha arrived, the people who helped build statue or chanting mantra will be among the first disciples and receive teachings directly from him.
Benefits of reciting the Maitreya Buddha mantra
In addition to building statues and worshiping Maitreya Buddha, people can recite Maitreya’s name or chant the Maitreya mantra to receive his blessing.
Start with the motivation to develop Bodhichitta and while reciting the Maitreya Buddha mantra, visualize the love within and out towards all sentient beings. After that, you have to actualize it with specific actions to bring happiness to others (liberation, charity, and being active in Buddhist affairs).
Namo Ratna Trayaya – Namo Bhagavatay Shakyamuniyay
Tatagataya – Arhatay Samyak Sambuddhaya – Tayata
Om Ajitay Ajitay Aparajitay – Ajitanchaya
Bara Bara Maha Bodhi Menda Bidza
Bodhi Bodhi Maha Bodhi Soha
Maitreya Buddha mantra short version:
Om maitri maitreya maha karuna ye.
Oṃ maitri mahāmaitri maitriye svāhā
Although Maitreya is a Bodhisattva, he is often worshiped as a Buddha in anticipation of becoming a future Buddha. Many Mahayana Buddhists, especially the Chinese, regularly pray and recite the Maitreya Buddha mantra to bring luck, wealth and happiness in life.
However, the main benefits of reciting Maitreya Buddha mantra are:
Rebirth in Tusita heaven, a pure land to continue practicing.
Gain the full merit to be able to take rebirth at the time when Maitreya Buddha appeared on earth, heard his direct teachings, and was completely peace.
Maitreya Buddha embodies compassion, love for all sentient beings. Therefore, if you are constantly reciting the Maitreya mantra and still being selfish, petty, jealous, you are probably practicing the wrong method.
Open your heart to many people, not only to your family and friends, but to many more people in your life. Follow Maitreya Buddha’s ideal of life, think and act positively to bring joy and happiness to everyone’s life. And then luck, fortune and happiness will naturally come to you.
