All over the Buddhist world, there are Maitreya devotees. Maitreya is the sole bodhisattva recognised and revered by the Theravadins, since he’s mentioned in the Pali Canon as well as later scriptures. Metteyya (Maitreya’s Pali name) is the Buddha who will arise in the next world age, after the Sangha established by Shakyamuni, ‘our’ Buddha has died out and his teachings been lost. So Maitreya is known as the Buddha of the Future. ‘Maitreya’ means ‘the Friendly One’ or ‘the Loving One’. In Tibet, he's called Pakpa Jampa – ‘the Lord of Love’, or the ‘Noble Loving One’. Therefore as well as Buddha of the Future, Maitreya is also the bodhisattva of mettaor maitri.
As a Maitreya devotee myself, I have written this piece for those people who asked me how to delve deeper and explore their relationships with this Maitreya, Bodhisattva of Maitri (metta) and Buddha of the Future.
Maitrisiddhi has skillfully presented Maitreya as a much more tangible figure. With her exploration, those wishing to get a real sense of Maitreya have now got a treasure trove to dive into!