Shakyamuni Buddha on the Incarnation of the Lord of Tushita Heaven, Maitreya Buddha

The Twilight of an Era, The Dawn of Hope: Maitreya's Promise in a World Adrift

Many of us look at the world today – a tapestry woven with threads of technological marvel, yet equally strained by ecological crises, global pandemics, societal discord, and a palpable sense of spiritual unease – and wonder, "Where are we heading?" Interestingly, ancient spiritual traditions, including Buddhism, offer frameworks that resonate with our current predicament, speaking of cycles, decline, and ultimate renewal. Dojeon 1:2, a passage from Jeung San Do's sacred texts, sheds light on these prophecies, particularly concerning the figure of Maitreya, the Future Buddha, and connects them to our modern reality.

The Prophecy of Malbeop: An Age of Spiritual Decline

Shakyamuni Buddha, over two and a half millennia ago, spoke of the trajectory of his teachings. He foresaw a time when the purity of the Dharma would wane, leading to an era known as Malbeop (the Age of the Final Dharma). This wasn't just about Buddhism losing followers; it was about a deeper spiritual malaise gripping humanity. As described in Buddhist sutras and echoed in Dojeon 1:2, this age would be marked by "colossal catastrophes," where "the sun and moon will lose their light and the position of the stars will change. Terrible diseases will spread one after the other."

Many observe our current world and see these prophecies mirrored. While Southern Buddhist calendars might place us around 2500 years after Shakyamuni, Northern Buddhist traditions suggest we have already passed the 3000-year mark, placing us squarely within this prophesied Malbeop. It's a time, as Shakyamuni warned, when true spiritual practice might be overshadowed by superficiality, where the essence of teachings could be lost, and where society drifts in confusion and suffering.

Maitreya: The Beacon of Hope in the Darkness

Yet, Shakyamuni's prophecies were not solely of decline. He also spoke of a beacon of hope: the coming of Maitreya Buddha, the "Buddha of the Future, the Buddha of Hope, the Buddha of Salvation." Residing in the celestial realm of Tushita Heaven, Maitreya was foretold to incarnate as a human being during this critical Malbeop era. His mission? To "save humanity through three stages of his dharma, and bring forth the new world of the Dragon Flower Paradise."

Maitreya is depicted not just as a restorer of Buddhist teachings, but as a "Great Healing King who will heal the diseased world," a universal savior figure who will guide humanity through immense transformation.

The True Meaning of 'Yonghwa' – Using the Flower

The "Dragon Flower Paradise" (Yonghwa Nakwon, 龍華樂園) is the promised realm Maitreya will usher in. Traditionally, "Yonghwa" (龍華) has been understood as "Dragon Flower," symbolizing auspicious power and mystical transformation. However, Jeung San Do offers a profound reinterpretation based on the direct teachings of Sangjenim (the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, who Jeung San Do teaches is the incarnate Maitreya). Sangjenim clarified that Yonghwa (用華) means "Using the Flower."

This isn't a mere semantic shift. It signifies a world where each individual becomes a "flower" (華) – a radiant being, a vessel of spiritual light and creative potential. In this "Using the Flower" paradise, enlightenment and the full expression of one's divine nature are not the exclusive domain of a select few, but a universal blossoming. It's a world where humanity collectively "uses" its inherent spiritual "flowers" to create a harmonious and enlightened civilization. This aligns with recent teachings in Jeung San Do about practices like "Bhitkkot (Light Flower) Meditation," aimed at awakening this inner potential.

Sangjenim: The Maitreya of Tushita Heaven Incarnate

The core assertion of Jeung San Do, in this context, is that Jeungsan Sangjenim is the very Maitreya Buddha whose advent was prophesied. Sangjenim Himself declared His identity as the Lord of Tushita Heaven. His arrival on Earth as a human was not merely to teach, but to undertake the "Work of Renewing Heaven and Earth" (Cheonjigongsa) – a nine-year cosmic reordering to resolve the accumulated grievances and imbalances of the old era and lay the foundation for the new world of the Later Heaven, the true Yonghwa Paradise.

Dojeon 1:2 emphasizes that Maitreya (Sangjenim) would "incarnate into the Eastern land that borders the seas" and "gather his family, relatives, and others to guide them to their sublime maturation." This isn't about saving a select few but about guiding humanity as a whole towards a higher state of being.

Navigating the Great Transformation

The transition to this new era, the Gaebyeok (great opening or renewal), as described in Jeung San Do teachings (and hinted at in Buddhist prophecies of upheaval), involves profound changes – "colossal catastrophes," diseases, and even shifts in the cosmic order. However, the message is ultimately one of hope and empowerment.

The advent of Maitreya, as Sangjenim, signifies that humanity is not left adrift in the chaos of Malbeop. Instead, the Supreme Architect of the universe has personally intervened to guide us through this critical turning point. The focus is not on an apocalyptic end, but on a necessary, albeit challenging, "epochal transformation" that will birth a world where "the climate will become mild, the four seasons will harmonize, none will suffer from disease, people's minds will become harmonious, and all will become of one will."

In a world that often feels like it's teetering on the brink, the prophecies of Malbeop can seem starkly relevant. Yet, intertwined with these warnings is the enduring promise of Maitreya's return. Jeung San Do's teachings invite us to see the current global crises not as random events, but as signs of a profound cosmic shift, and to recognize in Sangjenim the fulfillment of that ancient hope – the arrival of the Buddha of the Future, come to heal a diseased world and open an era where every human being can truly "use their flower" to co-create a paradise on Earth.  

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Shakyamuni Buddha on the Incarnation of the Lord of Tushita Heaven, Maitreya Buddha

1Shakyamuni was a seeker of dao in Tushita Heaven—a bodhisattva of the name Svetaketu—who eventually incarnated as a human and became a buddha. 
2Shakyamuni Buddha foretold that at the approach of colossal catastrophes in the last stage of dharma, the Lord of Tushita Heaven, Maitreya Buddha, would incarnate as a human being, save humanity through three stages of his dharma, and bring forth the new world of the Dragon Flower Paradise.

3Since ancient times, Maitreya Buddha’s palace in Tushita Heaven has been known as the Wish-Fulfilling Palace. 
4Maitreya Buddha is the Buddha of the Future, the Buddha of Hope, the Buddha of Salvation.

5Shakyamuni Buddha revealed, The Lord of Tushita Heaven is Maitreya Buddha. Have faith in him and follow his teachings.”

6The Buddhist sutras proclaim: When the last stage of Shakyamuni Buddha’s dharma arrives, the sun and moon will lose their light and the position of the stars will change. Terrible diseases will spread one after the other.

7In the last stage of Shakyamuni Buddha’s dharma, Maitreya Buddha, who resides in the heaven of unity, will incarnate into the Eastern land that borders the seas.

8He will gather his family, relatives, and others to guide them to their sublime maturation.

9In this place resides the Great Healing King who will heal the diseased world.

10In the last stage of dharma, a dharma king named Shankha will reveal himself to the world, rule with right dharma, and attain the seven treasures. He will thus naturally receive the surrender of all lands without the force of weapons.

11At that time will arise the world of Uttarakuru in which the climate will become mild, the four seasons will harmonize, none will suffer from disease, people’s minds will become harmonious, and all will become of one will.

12All of these proclamations are heraldings of the advent of Maitreya Buddha at the last stage of dharma when the order of the universe will undergo an epochal transformation.
[JSD Dojeon 1:2]

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1)  Svetaketu.  Sanskrit for “White Banner,” which signifies ‘the Guardian of Truth.’ 
2)  Dragon Flower Paradise.   용화낙원 (龍華樂園). As the spirit that governs cosmic water qi, ‘Dragon’ signifies creation-transformation. Thus, ‘Dragon Flower’ represents the flower of creation-transformation. In the Dragon Flower Paradise—the coming world of Maitreya Buddha—the world’s people will receive ‘flowers of light’ of creation-transformation from Maitreya Buddha and attain enlightenment, becoming buddhas and immortals, who live in a state of ageless longevity. 
5)  the Lord of Tushita Heaven is Maitreya Buddha.   Tushita is the heaven from which Maitreya Buddha descended to the human world. The word tushita signifies ultimate contentment in regard to truth. 
5)  Source: Maitryea Triple Sutra (미륵삼부경 彌勒三部經). 
6)  Source: Candragarbha-vaipulya Sutra (대방등대집월장경 大方等大集月藏經). 
9)  Source: Avatamsaka Sutra (화엄경 華嚴經). 
10)  seven treasures.   칠보 (七寶). According to Maitryea Triple Sutra, the seven treasures, to be wielded by Shankha, the Wheel-Turning King, include the golden wheel and the wish-fulfilling pearl, which signify sacred power and authority to rule. 
11)  Source: Maitryea Triple Sutra (미륵삼부경 彌勒三部經). 
11)  Uttarakuru.   울단월 (鬱單越). According to ancient Indian belief, Uttarakuru was an idealized world located to the north of Sumisan Mountain, which in Buddhist cosmology is the central mountain of the world. 
11)  Source: Maitryea Triple Sutra (미륵삼부경 彌勒三部經).