The worship of Maitreya spread far and wide in the Uighurs. The practice was in vogue for a long period of time，and its influence was significant. Maitreya worship is a major characteristic of Uighur Buddhism, which took shape under the influence of Chinese Buddhism and therefore does not differ much from Buddhism in the central plains in terms of sutras, doctrine. Maitreya worship in the Uighurs also developed under the strong influence of Chinese Buddhism.
Despite his many roles as a Shravaka, Bodhisattva, and future Buddha, Maitreya mostly appears as a Bodhisattva in Indian Buddhism. In China, however, he is mostly worshipped as a future Buddha. During the period from 4th to 8th Centuries A.D.，Maitreya worship was very popular in China. Under this influence，the Uighurs also called him Maitri Burxan (Maitreya Buddha) rather than Bodhisattva. After 9th Century A.D.，Maitreya worship declined in the central plains, but continued to flourish in the Uighurs until the 15th Century，when Buddhism declined in the Uighurs.
In the Uighur literature excavated from Duen Huang and Turpan，a large bulk of the chronicles (題記) and prayers were written with the motif of meeting Maitreya Buddha and being reborn in Tushita. The famous Maitrisimit (Encounter with Maitreya) is realistically reflects the popularity of Maitreya worship in the ancient Uighurs. Influenced by this practice, the Uighur translators would add some contents related to Maitreya worship at the end of their sutra translations. Sometimes they would even add the life story of highly accomplished Sangha member，such as Master Sanzang (三藏) of Dacien (大慈恩) Monastery. Of special interest is the translator Singqu Sali Tutung's deliberate emphasis on Xuan-zang's (玄奘) worship of Maitreya in his translations.
