Page 172 - Islam and Buddhism

Islam and Buddhism

of Jesus will be a period of justice, wealth and high morality:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5: 5)
In this manner, therefore, pray . . . "Your kingdom come . . . ."
(Matthew 6: 9-10)

There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham
and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and
yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west,
from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.
And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will
be last. (Luke 13: 28-30)
As we mentioned earlier, Buddhism also foretells and expects a

savior-messiah. Buddha said that 1000 years after him, the Metteya (or
Maitreya) would come and bring divine mercy to the whole universe;
and with his coming, religion would reach its completion. The follow-
ing are some examples of this expectation from Buddhist writings from
two different countries. First Burma:

Buddha said: "Our cycle is a happy one, three leaders have already
lived . . . The Buddha supreme am I, but after me, Maitriya comes.
While still this happy cycle lasts, before its tale of years shall lapse.
This Buddha, called Metteya, shall be supreme chief of all Men." 16
Now, from Sri Lanka:
I am not the first Buddha [awakened one] who has come upon the
Earth, nor will I be the last. In due time another Buddha will rise in

the world, a Holy One, a supreme enlightened one, endowed with
auspicious wisdom embracing the Universe, an incomparable
leader of men. . . He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which
I have taught you. He will establish his Law [religion] . . . He will
proclaim a righteous life wholly perfect and pure, such as I now pro-
claim. His disciples will number many thousands, while mine num-
ber many hundreds. He will be known as Maitreya. 17

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