A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s6.t3.100

v2.c19.s6.t3.100

The Maitreyavyākaraṇa, "the prophecy about Maitreya," or the Maitreyasamiti, "the Meeting with Maitreya," by the Vaibhāṣika Āryacandra, belongs to the same period, and perhaps also to the same school of poets, as the above-mentioned works. There is only one incomplete manuscript³ of this work, but it was translated repeatedly into Chinese, into the languages of Central Asia, and also into Tibetan, and it must have enjoyed great popularity for a long time, at least beyond the confines of India.¹ In the form of a dialogue between Gotama Buddha and Śāriputra (in other versions Ānanda) the work contains the prophecy about the coming of the future Buddha Maitreya, his birth, his appearance and the paradisaic life under him. In Central Asian versions it is sometimes called a "drama" (nāṭaka), and it seems to have been adapted for dramatic performances in Central Asia (perhaps at religious festivals).²