The chapter focuses on Maitreya, the future historical Buddha, one of the most important deities in Buddhism throughout Asia. Believed to reside in the Tuṣita heaven as a Bodhisattva, Maitreya became particularly important in the Vajrayāna Buddhist traditions of Tibet and Mongolia. This chapter explores Maitreya’s preeminence in late Mongolian Buddhist art by examining the images of Maitreya, Maitreya iconography, depictions of Maitreya Procession, and temples of Maitreya. According to historical, textual sources, the Maitreya Procession was introduced in Tibet in 1409 by the reformer and founder of the dGe lugs Order in Tibet, Tsong kha pa. It was imported to Mongolia in the seventeenth century and henceforth became central to Mongolian Buddhist ritual practices. This chapter covers the Maitreya ritual texts dating from nineteenth-century Mongolia, Mongolian temples, and production of the images of Maitreya in Ikh Khüree Monastery.
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Introduction Zanabazar’s Statues Of Maitreya Maitreya In The Mural Paintings In Altan Khan’s Maitreya Monastery A Grand Maitreya Statue Of Ikh Khüree The Maitreya Procession And Longevity Rite In The Paintings Of The Eighth Jebtsundamba Bogd Gegeen Conclusion
