Maitreya-nātha (c. 270–350 CE) is a name whose use was pioneered by Buddhist scholarsErich Frauwallner,Giuseppe Tucci, andHakuju Ui to distinguish one of the three founders of theYogācāra school ofBuddhist philosophy, along withAsanga andVasubandhu.[1] Some scholars believe this Maitreya to be a historical person in India who authored various Yogācāra texts known as the Maitreya corpus. The traditions themselves have held that it is referring to thebodhisattvaMaitreya, thefuture buddha.
Scholars are divided in opinion whether the name refers to a historical Buddhist author, possibly even a teacher of Asaṅga, or to thebodhisattvaMaitreya (the future Buddha).[2] Frauwallner, Tucci and Ui proposed that "Maitreya" referred to a historical figure, while Eric Obermiller andFyodor Shcherbatskoy doubted this theory.[3]
Modern scholars argue that many of the various texts traditionally attributed to Maitreya (and supposedly revealed toAsanga) like theAbhisamayalankara and theRatnagotravibhaga are actually later post-Asanga texts.[4][5][6] However, some scholars likeGareth Sparham use the name Maitreya to refer to the author of "three Maitreya texts", all which seem to be by the same author.[7] This Maitreya Corpus comprises the following texts:[7]
Paul Williams writes that "it is quite possible that these other three [texts] do have a single author" and citesFrauwallner who also thought these three texts were similar.[8]
Mario D'amato, who also agrees that these texts likely share a single author, dates these three "Maitreya" texts to a phase after the completion of theBodhisattvabhumi but before the composition ofAsanga'sMahāyānasaṃgraha (which quotes theMahāyānasūtrālamkāra as an authoritative text).[9]
The Buddhist traditions themselves have always held that Asaṅga received the "Maitreya" texts from thebodhisattva Maitreya directly. Asaṅga is said to have spent many years in intense meditation, during which time tradition says that he often visitedTuṣita to receive teachings from the Maitreya. Heavens such as Tuṣita are said to be accessible throughmeditation.Xuanzang tells the account of these events:[10]
In the great mango grove five or sixli to the southwest of the city (Ayodhyā), there is an old monastery where Asaṅga Bodhisattva received instructions and guided the common people. At night he went up to the place of Maitreya Bodhisattva in Tuṣita Heaven to learn theYogācārabhūmi-śāstra, theMahāyāna-sūtra-alaṃkāra-śāstra, theMadhyānta-vibhāga-śāstra, etc.; in the daytime, he lectured on the marvelous principles to a great audience.
Confusion over the idea of "supernaturally" visiting heavens may be due to the unfamiliarity of scholars with the Indian concept of heavens as being accessible throughsamādhi. Other advanced meditators recorded similar experiences of visiting Tuṣita Heaven at night.[11] One such example of this isHanshan Deqing during theMing dynasty. In his autobiography, Hanshan describes the palace of Maitreya in Tuṣita, and hearing a lecture given by Bodhisattva Maitreya to a large group of his disciples.[12]
The number of works attributed to him vary in the traditions ofTibetan Buddhism andChinese Buddhism. In the Tibetan tradition the "five Dharmas of Maitreya" are:
The Chinese tradition meanwhile maintains that the five revealed scriptures are: theYogācārabhūmi, *Yogavibhāga [now lost],Mahāyānasūtrālamkārakā,Madhyāntavibhāga and theVajracchedikākāvyākhyā.[13]
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