Maitreya Kadampa Buddhist Center
Who is Maitreya?
Maitreya: the embodiment of the loving kindness of all the Buddhas. At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, he manifested as a Bodhisattva disciple. In the future, he will manifest as the fifth founding Buddha.
We visualize JeTsongkhapa at the heart of Buddha Maitreya within the Pure Land of Tushita. This reminds us that Je Tsongkhapa and Buddha Maitreya are the same mental continuum. White clouds billow from Maitreya’s heart and descend to the space in front of us, just like a ball of wool unraveling with one end of the thread remaining connected to Maitreya’s heart. At the same time, Je Tsongkhapa and his two Sons descend and sit on thrones on the clouds. This way of inviting Je Tsongkhapa and his Sons is very special because it indicates that, from the space of Maitreya’s Truth Body, clouds of his compassion for the beings of this world arise, and as a result a rain of Dharma teachings continually descends upon the beings of this world through Je Tsongkhapa and his emanations.
~Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, in Heart Jewel.