Study Of Maitreya Worship In The Northern Dynasties

The worship of Maitreya in the Northern Dynasties was an important phase during the development of Chinese Maitreya Worship history. Maitreya worship emerged in India which was the historic origins of the Northern Dynasty. Some principle sutras including "three sutras of Maitreya " had been translated into Chinese before the Northern Dynasty, meanwhile, Maitreya devotees appeared.The theories of Maitreya worship during this period still took the role of Maitreya as a Bodhisattva. Devotees paid more attention to the thought of Pure Land. Reborning in Tushita and changing the Man's world into Pure Land were the common motif of them. It was a prominent characteristic of the Northern Dynasties that the devotees were deeply attached to carve statues of Maitreya, which was a chief method to realize their religious. Haviryajna, chanting sutras, praying the name of Maitreya were also the practice for this purpose.Maitreya worship in the Northern Dynasties was so prevalent that the ruler, sangha, popular and rebel kept a close relationship with it. We could trace the state of mind of these people and the general development situation in the Northern Dynasties from the different attitude towards the worship of Maitreya they hold.