Link!
http://www.theexpandedheart.com/NCJ2.htmlComment: Compare with this picture of korean Sun Myung Moon from 1960
http://www.unification.net/dp96/On the back of the painting postcard it sais:
Guatama Buddha predicted the arriveal of the Maitreya in this time
period. Unlike previous Buddhas, the Buddha of this Age will bring
enlightenment to the masses as compared to the individual. Here is a
shining depiction of the walthy family man who represents abundance
and True Love in the family unit. Shown in full ceremonial dress the
Maitreya Buddha creates the foundation for the Ideal Society of the
Golden Age. Meditation on this portrait enables the viewer to resonate
to the qualities of Divine Will, Unconditional Love and Planetary
Healing.
In the tradition of the Sacred Arts, this picture incorporates the
divine proportions, numbers, symbols and colors. You may reorder this
and other cards by visionary artist Nanette Crist Johnson.
The Coming Buddha Until recently, almost no Buddhist scholar, Western or Eastern, would term Buddhism messianic. While all books on the religion mentioned briefly the traditional hope in a Buddha-to-come, no one felt that it deserved more than passing notice. Messianism, however, has reappeared in contemporary Theravada Buddhism, especially in Burma.
According to Buddhist scripture, Gautama predicted that at some future time another Buddha would come to help men set up an ideal kingdom of righteousness and peace. The coming Buddha is called Mettaya, (Sanskrit: Maitreya) meaning "love." In Theravada temples he is portrayed as a king rather than a monk because of his role as a ruler in the new world order. Most of the time the Maitreya hope has not been a major part of Buddhist piety. However, when Theravada monks and laymen were freed from colonial subjection after World War II, in the excitement of win- ning their independence, a new age seemed at hand. If the first 2500 years was a time of toil and trial for them, the next 2500 years would be filled with dazzling victories.
In one of his speeches Dharmapala briefly explained the Maitreya hope. The present cosmic aeon is called the great good one because four Buddhas have already come and a fifth is expected when a new race of men appears. The present human race will continue to deteriorate; righteousness will gradually disappear as injustice, cruelty and lust increase. This aeon (Kaliyuga) will last for 2,500,000 years, and then will begin the dawn of a new era. Men as we know them now will gradually die off but the remnant will provide the nucleus for a better race to come. The next Buddha, declared Dharmapala, would be born at Benares in a family of Brahmin caste. With his advent a reign of perfect righteousness will commence. There will no longer be any killing, stealing, adultery, drunkenness, filth or mud huts. The cities will all be lighted; parks and gardens will abound. Then, man will enjoy heaven on earth.
However, Burmese nationalists today believe in an imminent messianic age without the advent of a personal messiah. Premier U Nu reminded his fellow countrymen of man's original bliss in a long-lost Paradise. According to an old Burmese tale, in the early days of our world there was a magic tree whose fruit gave people everything they needed. Everybody was happy, until a few men got greedy. When the covetous grabbed more than their share at the expense of their brethren, the magic tree promptly disappeared. According to the Burmese statesman, Buddhist socialism could lead the nation back to the perfect age of the magic tree. Paradise will reappear because Burmese leftists will restore society to one based on needs alone. Certain aspects of Maitreya messianism deserve brief consideration. First of all, Buddhists clearly distinguish between Gautama and Maitreya. In Buddhist eschatalogy, Gautama is not expected to return; Maitreya is a different person whose mission and status are identical to that of Gautama.
According to the oldest texts, Buddha does not promise to come back; what he promises is that Maitreya will become the next Buddha whose success will be far greater than his own. Also, Maitreya will bring to fulfillment the Buddhist Dhamma and inaugurate an era of cosmic bliss; he will do so as a teacher and holy man. As the Dialogues of the Buddha report, Maitreya will be "fully awakened, full of wisdom and a perfect guide, himself having trodden the path to the very end; with knowledge of the worlds, unsurpassed as an educator, teacher of gods and men, an Exalted Buddha.... From his own understanding and penetration of it, he will proclaim (the nature of) this universe...and (the nature of) living beings. And he will proclaim the teaching that is lovely in its origin, lovely in its progress, and lovely in its consummation...the higher life will be made known in all its fullness and in all its purity.... He will be the head of an order of many thousand monks, just as in the present period I (Gautama) am the head of an order of many hundred."
In the past Buddhism offered to the Orient the hope for the highest kind of individual contentment based on liberation from worldly cares. Without denying this supreme goal, Buddhists today stress the value of creating a just and prosperous social order. This is the necessary prerequisite for the pursuit of the higher joys of the spirit; only in a just environment will men have the security and leisure they need for spiritual advancement. Gautama Buddha and Maitreya Buddha actually complement each other, the first reminding us of individual self-perfection, the second challenging us to bring about the messianic age of justice and material abundance for all.
...in the Book of Revelation there is a picture of the New Jerusalem, the Holy City, coming down out of the heavens. And there was a door on the east and a door on the south, a door on the north and a door on the west - and when the teacher comes, he always has to come through the eastern gate. In the Holy City of Jerusalem there is an eastern gate long since sealed and blocked. It will never be opened until the new teacher comes.
From the east comes mysticism - a willingness to be absorbed in God - God is not something apart - he is something within. From the south comes all the beauty, the ritual - these things which adorn and make beautiful the message. From the north came rational thought clear thinking - reformation - and change. From the west came the critical, scientific analysis.
And now in the New Age, it is an age of orchestration - of a symphony - of unity. And the New Teacher will be neither Christian, Buddhist, Moslem, or anything else. The Holy Spirit speaks in universal terms - and God will no longer be fragmented.
http://www.euro-tongil.org/swedish/english/eford.htmAs explained above, all religions, which have sought the same ultimate purpose, are gradually coalescing into one cultural sphere based on Christian ideals.32(cf. Eschatology 4.2) Christianity does not exist for its own sake, but has as its final mission the fulfillment of the purposes of all the religions in human history. Christ at the Second Advent, who is to come as the center of Christianity, is the person of the Maitreya Buddha who is to return according to the teachings of Buddhism, the True Man who is awaited in the Chinese religious tradition, and the Chongdoryong for whom many Koreans yearn. He is the central figure whose advent is expected in other religions as well.
Consequently, at the Second Coming of Christ, all spirits who believed in religions other than Christianity during their lifetime will, like the spirits in Paradise, also return to earth to be resurrected, even though the timing of their return will vary depending upon their spiritual position. These spirits must guide the earthly believers of their respective religions to Christ at the Second Advent and assist them to believe in him and attend him in his work to fulfill God's Will. We can find a parallel example of this at the First Advent: the three wise men from the East, who were Zoroastrians, came in search of Jesus and worshipped him at his birth.33(Matt. 2:1-12)RS|KJ|NI Accordingly, all religions will eventually be united around a revived Christianity.
http://www.unification.net/dp96Dear Buddhists, I am not saying that your way of life thus far has been wrong. Like Jesus, in my time I also did my best to guide humankind in the right direction. However, with the passing of time, the tasks needed for the salvation of humankind have changed. What I am trying to do is to engraft the fruit of Buddhists who were raised through my methods of spiritual cultivation. Please study the Unification Principle. You will find there a considerable number of truths that also flow through the teachings of Buddhism. Do not be immersed in old-fashioned ideas and concepts, but by accepting the new truth, engraft it to the truth of Buddhism. Then, I am sure that a wonderful passage of faith will open to you.
In this age Reverend Sun Myung Moon is the Buddha for whom you have been waiting. Make a special condition as a Buddhist at a shrine. It is time for you to be true to the highest standard of Buddhist integrity. Do not reject the new Buddha, who is to come in the Completed Testament Age. Do not reject his truth.
Demonstrate the virtue of compassion as practiced by numerous Buddhists who have cultivated their spirituality. Do not look for faults in others, but act with humility and prudence. What is truth? Depending on the historical era, the direction for human beings can change. Look at the world of nature. All things God created can change in color and size, depending on the environment, but the species remain the same. Who can quell the voice of the original mind, through which human beings are striving to lead a life of faith? However, depending on the sound of the voice of the original mind, the mode of human life vary, bringing different aspects of joy to God.
Therefore, do not be fixed on an old-fashioned idea. Expand the horizon of your ideas and views. If I told you Jesus and Buddha are getting along as brothers, you Buddhists would not believe me. However, I cannot help it. God wants us to work together as one. In your opinion, what would Jesus call Buddha? He calls him "Honored Buddha" with a smile and a soft voice, always being humble. Once Buddha speaks, he always responds positively, with a bright and cheerful expression, saying: "Yes, right," " That is correct," and "Let's do it."
Dear fellow Buddhists and Christians, as Heaven and Earth are united
as one, bringing the world of peace, should the Earth not be united as
well?
Let us be unified by the new truth in this new era.
Reverend Sun Myung Moon is leading the Completed Testament Age, and he is the
Buddha to come.
This is the conclusion drawn in these seminars of the four major religious founders.
Let us now liberate God, by bringing oneness between Buddhism and Christianity.
April 6, 2001