The Sutra of the Descent of Maitreya (佛说弥勒下生经)

The Sutra of the Descent of Maitreya (佛说弥勒下生经) (Sanskrit: Maitreyavyākaraṇa Sūtra, full Chinese: 佛说弥勒下生成佛经) is a discourse given by the Buddha regarding the arrival of Maitreya in this world and his final achievement of perfect enlightenment.

The sutra begins with Śāriputra asking the Buddha how one may be able to meet Maitreya Buddha in the distant future. The Buddha responds with a prophecy, elaborating the condition of the world at the time of Maitreya’s final descent into the human world, 5.6 billion years after his parinirvāṇa. 

The sutra presented here was translated by Tripiṭaka Master Kumārajīva. It is considered one of the “Six Maitreya Sutras (弥勒六部经)” and is also listed among the “Three Maitreya Sutras (弥勒三部经),” all of which detail the final stages in Maitreya’s bodhisattva career. 

The following link contains a PDF file of the sutra, translated from the Chinese by Shōtarō Iida and Jane Goldstone, and published by Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai America, Inc.

The Sutra of the Descent of Maitreya and His Attainment of Buddhahood