Buddha maitreya
Asanga
Atisha
Buddha Maitreya is the manifestation of all the Buddha’s realization of loving kindness. His function is to guide us along the stages of the path to enlightenment. When he appeared as one of Buddha Shakyamuni’s main disciples he was known as ‘Bodhisattva Maitreya’. In truth, Bodhisattva Maitreya and Buddha Maitreya are different aspects of the same person. Through relying upon Buddha maitreya with faith we will receive this Buddha’s special care, and he will bestow upon us the realizations of Kadam Lamrim through which we can solve our own and others problems, and fulfil our own and others’ wishes. We can understand this through contemplating the following true story.
The great practitoner Asanga had a sincere wish to receive teachings on the perfection of wisdom sutra, so that he could find within this sutra all the instructions on the stages of the path to enlightenment. Asanga tried to find a teacher who would teach him the hidden meaning of the perfection of wisdom sutra, that is the stages of the path to enlightenment known as ‘Kadam Lamrim’, but he could not find such a teacher anywhere.
Finally Asanga decided to attain a direct vision of Maitreya, who had received these teachings directly from Buddha Shakyamuni. To accomplish this aim Asanga engaged in retreat in a remote mountain cave. For three years he concentrated on the visualization, meditation and recitation of the mantra of Buddha Maitreya, but his karmic obstructions prevented him from seeing Maitreya and he became discouraged and stopped his retreat. As he was returning to his home he met a man who was working very hard at cutting a block of iron with a peacock feather. Asanga asked the man, ‘How can you cut this iron block with a peacock feather ?’ The man replied ‘With great effort we can accomplish anything. Look i have already made some progress,’ and he showed Asanga a mark on the iron block. Asanga then asked, ‘What are you going to do after cutting this iron block ?’ and the man replied, ‘Nothing. Just leave it here.’ Asanga thought ‘ If this man can work so very hard for something that has no meaning, surely I can work continually in my retreat for something that will bring great meaning for myself and countless living beings?’ He then returned to his retreat.
The man cutting the iron block with the peacock feather was infact emanted by Maitreya for Asanga’s benifit. Through this and his many countless other eminations Maitreya continually helped Asanga. After twelve years of retreat Asanga again became discouraged and left his retreat, so maitreya emanted as a female dog that had collapsed on the roadside and was being slowly eaten alive by maggots. When Asanga saw the dog he developed strong compassion for both the dog and the maggots. To save the lives of both, he cut a peice of flesh from his thigh, and taking all the maggots from the dogs body with his tongue he put them on his peice of flesh. Through these compassionate virtuous actions, the karmic obstructions that had prevented his from seeing Maitreya were completely purified, and instead of seeing the dog Asanga suddenly saw Maitreya. With a feeling of both shock and joy Asanga exclaimed, ‘Why did i need to wait such a long time to see you ?’ Maitreya replied, ‘I have been with you from the very start of your retreat, but your karmic mental obstructions prevented you from seeing me. Now, what do you want from me ?’
Asanga then requested Maitreya, ‘Please give me the instructions of the perfection of wisdom sutra that you received directly from Buddha Shakyamuni so that I can attain Buddha’s enlightenment as you did.’ Then, through the power of Maitreya’s blessings, Asanga instantaneously reached Maitreya’s Yiga Chodzin palace in Tushita pure land, and there received the instructions on the perfection of wisdom sutra.
Asanga also received instructions on Maitreya’s five sets of Dharma , which comprise Ornament of clear realization ( a commentary to the perfection of wisdom sutra), and four other commentaries to other Sutra teachings of Buddha – Ornament for Mahayana Sutras, Explanation of Phenomena and Emptiness of Phenomena, Distinguishing the Middle Way and the Extremes, and Sublime continuum.
Asanga stayed in Tushita pure land for Fifty years. During this time he emphasized the practise of the stages of the path to enlightenment that he had received directly from Maitreya, and progressed to the third ground of a Superior Bodhisattva. He also translated Maitreya’s five sets of Dharma from the language of Tushita pure land and returned to the human world carrying these Five texts.
Asanga passed the Lamrim instructions to his disciples, Principally to Vasubandhu. In time these instructions reached Atisha, who founded a special presentation of Lamrim-the stages of the path of a person of the initial scope, the stages of the path of a person of intermediate scope and the stages of the path of a person of great scope. For this reason Atisha is renowned as the founder of Kadam Lamrim. Atisha based his Lamrim instructions on Maitreya’s Ornament of clear realization.
Through this true story we can understand that Maitreya is the source of Kadam Lamrim, and that Asanga was able to help the human beings of this world by bringing them great meaning to their lives because he had received the special blessings of Maitreya. Understanding this we should make a determined effort to rely sincerly upon Buddha Maitreya with faith, Doing so ,By practising Lamrim we will create the causes for us to actually meet Maitreya in the future and receive teachings Directly from this Buddha.
