The Question of Maitreya

The Question of Maitreya (Skt. Maitreya­paripṛcchā; Tib. བྱམས་པས་ཞུས་པ།, Wyl. ’phags pa byams pas zhus pa zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i mdo) is a Mahayana sutra where the Buddha explains to Maitreya the qualities that a bodhisattva needs to attain enlightenment quickly. The Buddha then recounts to Ananda how, in a former life, Maitreya revered a previous Buddha and, wishing to become just like him, at once realized that all phenomena are unproduced. It includes the famous "Prayer to Maitreya".

This sutra should not to be confused with the shorter sutra with the same title: The Question of Maitreya that is found in the General Sutra section of the Dergé Kangyur, Toh 149.

Text

The Tibetan translation of this text is found in the Heap of Jewels section of the Tibetan Kangyur, Toh 85.

• English translation: The Question of Maitreya

External Links

• Teachings on The Question of Maitreya by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, Bodhgaya, 2016