Miroku Bosatsu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Miroku Bosatsu (Sanskrit: Maitreya Bodhisattva), the future Buddha, resides in the Tushita heaven, awaiting rebirth on earth. He usually has a princely appearance and holds a stupa. Legends say that Vasubandhu and Asanga, the great Indian philosophers of the Hossō sect, received teachings directly from Miroku Bosatsu. Shell powder was not used to build up the surface underneath the application of gold, suggesting that the painting was probably produced at the end of the Kamakura period, before that practice became prevalent.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art