Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future

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Stele of Maitreya Buddha, 563 CE, in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. From the sculpture’s description on artsmia.org: “In addition to the central Maitreya image with its incised halo and flanking bodhisattvas, apsaras and dragons appear at the top and bottom of the flame-shaped mandorla. The small figures on lotuses at the feet of the bodhisattvas represent the new souls being born in the Western Paradise of Amitabha Buddha. The neatly carved sixty-nine-character inscription on the rear of the stele names the donors who commissioned the piece and had it dedicated in 563.” More information about the sculpture here: https://collections.artsmia.org/art/61570/stele-of-maitreya-buddha-china