Atlas›Domain XIII · Contemplative & religious disciplines›Guide 073
Guide XIII-073

Yogacara visualisation of Maitreya

China
A 35 · L 46 · M 1914 interventions in the Trinity explorer
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: the East Asian contemplation (觀, guan) of Maitreya (彌勒, Mile; Japanese Miroku; Korean Mireuk) and his Tuṣita heaven (兜率天, Doushuai tian) based on the Sutra on the Contemplation of Maitreya Bodhisattva's Ascent to Rebirth in Tuṣita Heaven (佛說觀彌勒菩薩上生兜率天經, Taishō no. 452, attributed to the translator Juqu Jingsheng 沮渠京聲) as read in the Faxiang (法相, East Asian Yogācāra) line through Kuiji's commentary (觀彌勒菩薩上生兜率天經贊, Taishō no. 1772). The modern revival associated with Taixu (太虛) is noted where relevant. This is a devotional contemplation of a bodhisattva and his heaven. As with other deity-centred practice, this guide gives a public outline only. The detailed sequence of the contemplation is learned from the sutra and a qualified teacher, not from a therapist. [source: Kuiji commentary on Dharmamitra; Leiden course description; Xue Yu 2023]

What it is. In the Maitreya tradition, Maitreya is the bodhisattva who now dwells in Tuṣita heaven, teaches the devas there, and will later descend to become the next Buddha in this world. Practitioners aspire to be reborn in Tuṣita, hear his teaching, and return with him when he descends (Xue Yu 2023, as the tradition holds it). The sutra's title marks it as a guan or contemplation text. In his commentary Kuiji glosses Tuṣita with a line linking contemplation to seeing Maitreya: "祈心住觀必獲瞻奉", that is, the one who prays and abides in contemplation will come to behold and serve him. He also characterises the sutra's practice as cultivating six matters together and accumulating two kinds of cause (六事齊修、二因兼積). The six matters are not listed here [uncertain: not verified]. [source: Kuiji, T1772, Dharmamitra reader]

Who has practised it. A Leiden seminar taught by Funayama Tōru framed Xuanzang's (7th c.) Maitreya worship as prayer for rebirth in Tuṣita, studied through Fayuan zhulin fascicle 16. Alan Sponberg's Encyclopedia of Religion article states that Kuiji, Faxiang's first patriarch, "personally devoted himself" to Maitreya. The Faxiang school passed to Japan as Hossō. Earlier, Dao'an (道安, 4th c.) organised one of the earliest documented groups taking collective vows for Tuṣita rebirth (Yang Dan & Ben Cheng 2026). In the 20th century, Taixu, founder of "human-life Buddhism", promoted Maitreya faith and vowed to ascend to Tuṣita and draw near Maitreya (Xue Yu 2023). Art-historical work reads the cross-legged contemplating Maitreya figures at Yungang as depictions of practising visualisation, drawing on the sutra and the Silla monk Wonhyo's commentary (Heidelberg dissertation). [source: as named]

How change happens, as the tradition frames it. Ethical conduct, devotion and sustained contemplation of Maitreya and Tuṣita bring the practitioner into a karmic connection with Maitreya. That connection is understood to lead to rebirth in his presence, and in the present life to seeing him and to joy in the practice (Kuiji speaks of a mind diligent on the wondrous object, "心勤妙境"). These are religious claims, held by the tradition and attributed here, neither affirmed nor dismissed. For the therapist the working mechanism is different and more modest: a client's practice can be a source of meaning, hope, ethical orientation, a compassionate inner figure and community belonging. It can also bring challenging experiences. [synthesis]

The therapist's role is to support the client's own practice in their own tradition, with consent, and to refer to teachers for instruction. The therapist does not teach the contemplation. The Faxiang school also has a distinct doctrinal meditation on "consciousness-only" (vijñaptimātratā). Sponberg's chapter "Meditation in Fa-hsiang Buddhism" (in Gregory ed., 1986) is listed in the EoR bibliography. It is not covered here [uncertain: not verified].

2. Framework

The tradition does not publish a therapy framework. The phases below organise the psychotherapist's work alongside a client's Maitreya contemplation. They are [synthesis], following general practice for working alongside contemplative practices. No source gives a session count. Pace the work to the client; use a single assessment session or fold it into ongoing therapy.

  • Phase A – Assessment and consent. Goal: understand the client's tradition, teacher, community, practice history and current dose. Screen for risk (psychosis, mania, dissociation, trauma, suicidality) and for current challenging experiences. Agree in writing or in notes whether, and how, spirituality is to be part of therapy. Move on when the client has given informed consent and the therapist has a clear picture of who teaches the client and what they practise.
  • Phase B – Meaning and resources. Goal: understand what Maitreya, Tuṣita and the aspiration for rebirth mean in the client's life. Identify the practice's supportive functions (hope, compassion, ethics, community) and any strains (scrupulosity, sectarian conflict, death longing). Move on when the client and therapist share a formulation that includes the practice in the client's own words.
  • Phase C – Integration and adaptation. Goal: let the client draw on the practice for therapeutic aims they choose, and adapt the dose and setting where the client's wellbeing requires. Examples: the compassionate image of Maitreya as an inner support; precept-keeping as values work. Defer instruction questions to the teacher. Move on when the client uses the practice flexibly and without harm, or when adaptation needs a teacher's input.
  • Phase D – Monitoring, collaboration and consolidation. Goal: keep watching for adverse effects. Coordinate with the teacher or clergy if the client wishes. Plan for retreats, life transitions and endings. Phases recur: return to A when the practice intensifies (for example a retreat) or symptoms emerge.

Format: individual psychotherapy. Group formats are not described in sources for this practice [uncertain: not verified].

3. Guiding principles

  • Client-led, consent-based. The client decides whether and how their Maitreya practice enters therapy. Ask before using any religious language or imagery, and record the agreement. [synthesis]
  • The therapist is not the teacher. Do not instruct the contemplation, give its sequence, set durations or interpret visions doctrinally. Refer instructional questions to the client's teacher or monastic community. [synthesis]
  • Public outline only. Talk about the practice at the level of what the tradition openly states: the sutra, Tuṣita, the aspiration, ethical conduct, contemplation. Never coach a client to bypass their teacher. [synthesis]
  • Concepts attributed, not adjudicated. Speak of Tuṣita, rebirth, karma and Maitreya's coming as "in your tradition" or "as the sutra teaches". Neither affirm nor dismiss them. [synthesis]
  • Use the client's own language. Use the client's terms (Mile, Miroku, Mireuk, Cishi 慈氏, Doushuai) and their tradition's framing, Faxiang, Hossō, Taixu-lineage, Pure Land or other. Ask which. [synthesis]
  • Even-handed between traditions. Some Pure Land teachers argue that Amitābha's Pure Land is preferable to Tuṣita, and such polemics are in circulation (the Daily Enlightenment page relays one such treatise). Do not take sides. Explore what the debate means to the client. [source: Daily Enlightenment page; synthesis]
  • Watch the whole range of experience. Meditation can produce challenging effects across cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense-of-self and social domains. These are not limited to people with a psychiatric history. Monitor proactively. [source: Brown University 2017 report on Lindahl et al.]
  • Do not pathologise devotion or vision, and do not miss illness. Assess function, distress, insight and context before reading a devotional experience as a symptom. [synthesis]
  • Rebirth aspiration is not suicidal intent, but check. Longing to be reborn in Tuṣita is a religious aspiration. Still ask directly about wishes to die when there is depression, loss or hopelessness. [synthesis]
  • Precepts as values, not fear. Help the client hold ethical conduct as chosen values. Watch for scrupulosity. [synthesis]
  • No health claims. The contemplation is not presented as treatment for any physical disease. Some traditional accounts link the sutra's practice to removing karmic faults; that is a religious claim, not a clinical one. [synthesis]
  • Scope and boundaries. Avoid dual roles, such as co-practising in the client's sangha. Disclose your own religious commitments only when this serves the client. Practise within the spiritual and religious competencies set out by professional bodies (Vieten et al. 2013) [uncertain: not verified] and your profession's ethics code [synthesis].
  • Trauma-sensitive by default. Imagery work can bring up intrusive material. Offer choice, eyes-open options, grounding and permission to stop. This follows trauma-sensitive mindfulness as published by Treleaven (2018) [uncertain: not verified] [synthesis].

4. Intervention inventory

The contemplation itself is outlined first, at the level the tradition states publicly. The therapist's own interventions follow. All therapist procedures are [synthesis] unless a source is given. Example language is illustrative wording, not drawn from any source.

4.0 The practice as the tradition outlines it (public outline only; for understanding, not for teaching)

  • Purpose (as the tradition states it): to form a connection with Maitreya and aspire to rebirth in Tuṣita. There one hears his teaching and later accompanies him when he descends to become Buddha. Kuiji links abiding in contemplation with coming to behold and serve Maitreya (祈心住觀必獲瞻奉). [source: Kuiji T1772; Xue Yu 2023]
  • Elements named in the sources: the sutra presents itself as a guan (contemplation) of Maitreya's ascent and of Tuṣita. Kuiji describes six matters cultivated together and two kinds of cause accumulated, with the mind diligent on the "wondrous object" and delighting in daily contemplation (欣趣日觀). A secondary Pure Land source relays that the sutra mentions upholding the Ten Good Deeds and practising many samadhis to "deeply enter Right Concentration" (as that page quotes it). Historical practice included collective vows for Tuṣita rebirth (Dao'an) and personal devotion (Xuanzang, Kuiji, Taixu). [source: Kuiji T1772; Daily Enlightenment; Yang Dan & Ben Cheng 2026; Xue Yu 2023]
  • Elements commonly reported: keeping precepts (including lay eight precepts), reciting Maitreya's name, recollecting images, repentance, making offerings, and reading and reciting the sutra [uncertain: not verified].
  • Who teaches it: monastics and teachers in Chinese, Korean and Japanese Mahāyāna communities that keep Maitreya devotion. These include communities in Taixu's lineage and Hossō temples in Japan [uncertain: not verified for present-day teaching]. The client's own teacher is the authority on how it is done.
  • Therapist stance: do not give or rehearse the contemplative sequence, durations or counts. If the client asks "how should I do it?", refer them to their teacher (4.12).

4.1 Spiritual and cultural assessment

  • Purpose / when: at intake, or when the client first mentions Maitreya practice. It locates the practice in the client's identity, community and explanatory models.
  • Steps: (1) Ask open questions about tradition, lineage, teacher, temple or community, and the language used in practice. (2) Use the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview and its supplementary module on spirituality, religion and moral traditions, in your own words and per your licence [uncertain: not verified]. (3) Ask how the practice helps, and whether it ever adds strain. (4) Ask about family attitudes and any sectarian pressures, such as Pure Land versus Tuṣita. (5) Record the client's own terms.
  • Example language (illustrative): "You mentioned Maitreya practice. Could you tell me what it involves for you, who you learned it from, and what it means in your life?"
  • Watch for: reluctance born of expecting dismissal, and practice used to avoid painful material. It is working when the client describes the practice freely in their own words and links it to their concerns.

4.2 Practice-history and dose mapping

  • Purpose / when: before integration, before retreats, and whenever symptoms change.
  • Steps: (1) Ask what the client does, how often and in what setting, at the level they choose to share. (2) Ask about recent intensification: retreats, new vows, sleep or diet changes. (3) Ask about any experiences that felt overwhelming or lingered after practice. (4) Ask about supports: teacher access and sangha. (5) Note this as a baseline; prescribe nothing.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Has anything about your practice changed lately: how much, where, or with whom?"
  • Watch for: a sudden increase in intensity, isolation, or loss of sleep. Lindahl et al. identify practice-related and health-behaviour factors, including intensity, sleep and diet, as influences on challenging experiences. [source: Brown University 2017]

4.3 Consent and integration agreement

  • Purpose / when: before bringing Maitreya imagery, sutra language or precepts into therapeutic work.
  • Steps: (1) Explain that the therapist will not teach the practice. (2) Offer the options: discuss its meaning; use its imagery as a resource; keep it separate. (3) Agree on boundaries, including whether the therapist may contact the teacher. (4) Document the agreement and review it periodically.
  • Example language (illustrative): "We can include your practice in our work as much or as little as you like. I won't teach it. That stays with your teacher. What would feel right?"
  • Watch for: deference to the therapist as a spiritual authority. It is working when the client keeps authorship of how the practice is used.

4.4 Exploring the meaning of Maitreya and Tuṣita

  • Purpose / when: when the practice carries hope, future-orientation, compassion or a sense of connection, or when it is linked to loss or longing.
  • Steps: (1) Invite the client's account of who Maitreya is for them, and of Tuṣita and the aspiration to rebirth. (2) Reflect themes such as hope for a future good, being taught and accompanied, and the wish to return to help others. (3) Link these themes to the client's goals and values. (4) Keep metaphysical claims attributed to the tradition.
  • Example language (illustrative): "When you picture being in Maitreya's presence, what does that give you? What does it ask of you here and now?"
  • Watch for: spiritual bypassing, where hope used to avoid present problems. Also watch for longing that shades into a wish to die (see 4.9 and 5). It is working when meaning translates into present-life values and action.

4.5 Maitreya as a compassionate inner figure (client-led imagery integration)

  • Purpose / when: for self-criticism, shame or loneliness, when the client already holds an image of Maitreya as kind, and has consented. Cross-refer Domain II, compassion-focused therapy and its compassionate-other imagery, and Domain VII, Buddhist and spiritually integrated psychotherapy. The fit with CFT is [synthesis]. No published clinical adaptation of this specific contemplation is cited here [uncertain: not verified].
  • Steps: (1) Ask whether the client would like to bring their sense of Maitreya to a current difficulty. (2) Let the client choose eyes open or closed, posture and length. (3) Invite them to recall the figure as their tradition depicts it, without the therapist describing iconography or sequence. (4) Ask what the figure's attitude toward their difficulty would be. (5) Return to the room with orienting, then debrief. (6) Keep it brief and stop at any distress.
  • Example language (illustrative): "If it fits for you, bring to mind Maitreya as you know him from your practice. You can keep your eyes open. What sense do you get of how he would regard what you're struggling with?"
  • Watch for: an image turning critical or frightening, intrusive memories, dissociation, or devotional guilt ("I'm not worthy"). It is working when the client reports warmth, self-kindness or a new perspective they can carry into daily life.

4.6 Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds as values work

  • Purpose / when: when ethical conduct associated with the practice is a source of meaning or of strain. Sources relay that the sutra mentions the Ten Good Deeds. [source: Daily Enlightenment]
  • Steps: (1) Ask which precepts or ethical commitments the client holds, and why. (2) Explore how they show up in current relationships and choices. (3) Frame them as chosen directions, not tests to pass. (4) Separate questions of doctrinal interpretation and send them to the teacher.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Which of these commitments matters most to you right now, and where do you see yourself living it this week?"
  • Watch for: rigid, fear-driven checking or repeated confession, which suggests scrupulosity (4.11). It is working when commitments guide action with less anxiety.

4.7 Aspiration, vows, community and grief

  • Purpose / when: when collective vows or community practice matter, as in the Dao'an model of a group vowing together for Tuṣita rebirth. Also in bereavement, when the client hopes a loved one is with Maitreya, or at the end of life. [source: Yang Dan & Ben Cheng 2026; synthesis]
  • Steps: (1) Ask about the client's community and its rituals of vowing, memorial and dedication. (2) Support the use of community and ritual resources for grief, as the client chooses. (3) With a dying or bereaved client, explore hopes and fears about rebirth in the client's terms. (4) Offer chaplain or clergy involvement if wanted.
  • Example language (illustrative): "In your tradition, how do people mark a loss like this? Would it help to involve your temple?"
  • Watch for: isolation from community, or complicated grief. The client may experience a vow broken or unkept as a moral failure; consider moral injury and scrupulosity. It is working when ritual and relationships ease grief.

4.8 Trauma-sensitive adaptation and grounding

  • Purpose / when: for clients with trauma histories, or for anyone who becomes distressed during imagery or contemplation. Draw on trauma-sensitive mindfulness as published by Treleaven (2018) [uncertain: not verified]; cross-refer Domain IV. The specific steps are [synthesis].
  • Steps: (1) Psychoeducation: concentrated imagery can sometimes bring up memories and body states. (2) Offer choices: eyes open, shorter periods, movement, external anchors such as sound or the feel of feet on the floor. (3) Agree a stop signal. (4) Use grounding (orienting to the room, naming objects, slow ordinary breathing with no retention) when arousal rises. (5) Encourage the client to discuss dose reduction with their teacher, never to bypass the teacher.
  • Example language (illustrative): "If anything feels too much, you can open your eyes, look around and name a few things you see. You're always in charge of stopping."
  • Watch for: freezing, numbing, flashbacks, or a sense of unreality. It is working when the client can approach practice within their window of tolerance.

4.9 Screening for and responding to challenging experiences

  • Purpose / when: throughout the work, and especially around retreats. Lindahl et al. (2017, PLOS ONE) built a taxonomy of 59 challenging experiences in 7 domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Examples include light or sound hypersensitivity, insomnia, involuntary movements, panic and loss of emotion. Effects lasted from days to more than a decade. Difficulties were not confined to people with a psychiatric or trauma history. Note that the study sampled Theravada, Zen and Tibetan practitioners, not Maitreya devotees. [source: Brown University 2017] Farias et al. (2020, Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica) review adverse effects [uncertain: not verified]. Cheetah House offers support resources [uncertain: not verified].
  • Steps: (1) Ask routinely about each domain. (2) Normalise these experiences without dismissing them. (3) Assess impairment, duration and risk. (4) With the teacher's input if the client wishes, consider reducing intensity, pausing retreats, attending to sleep and diet, and more grounding activity. (5) Refer to medical or psychiatric care when impairment or risk is significant.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Sometimes practice brings experiences that are hard to live with, like trouble sleeping, feeling unreal, or strong waves of emotion. Has anything like that happened for you?"
  • Watch for: persisting insomnia, depersonalisation, panic, agitation or withdrawal. Lindahl notes that an experience positive in one situation can become a burden in another. It is working when symptoms settle and functioning returns.

4.10 Distinguishing visionary devotion from psychosis, mania or dissociation

  • Purpose / when: when the client reports seeing Maitreya, hearing him, or a strong sense of Tuṣita. Seeing and serving Maitreya is a hoped-for fruit in the tradition (瞻奉). [source: Kuiji T1772; synthesis]
  • Steps: (1) Listen respectfully and ask how their tradition and teacher understand such experiences. (2) Assess context: did it arise in practice? Is it time-limited? Is it voluntary? Does the community recognise it? (3) Assess function: sleep, self-care, work, relationships, insight, distress. (4) Screen for features of psychosis or mania: thought disorder, grandiosity beyond the tradition's norms, commands to harm, sleeplessness, pressured speech. (5) Screen for dissociation. (6) Where the problem is spiritual and not a disorder, the DSM-5-TR category "religious or spiritual problem" (Z65.8) may apply. (7) Refer urgently when risk or illness is likely. Coordinate with the teacher if the client wishes.
  • Example language (illustrative): "That sounds like a very significant experience. How would your teacher understand it? And how have you been sleeping and managing day to day since?"
  • Watch for: the twin errors of pathologising normative devotion and missing emerging illness. It is working when the experience is integrated without loss of function, or when illness is identified and treated early.

4.11 Scrupulosity and ERP adapted with religious consultation

  • Purpose / when: for obsessive doubt about precept breaches, compulsive repentance or recitation, fear that a single lapse ruins rebirth prospects, or repeated reassurance-seeking from teachers. The steps are [synthesis] based on standard ERP practice; IOCDF guidance on scrupulosity is relevant [uncertain: not verified].
  • Steps: (1) Assess obsessions and compulsions, and separate them from normative practice. (2) With consent, consult the client's teacher about what the tradition actually requires. (3) Build an exposure hierarchy using uncertainty, not violations the client finds genuinely wrong. (4) Reduce compulsive confession, checking and reassurance. (5) Agree with the teacher on how to respond to reassurance requests. (6) Obtain consent at every step and observe contraindications such as active psychosis or acute suicidality.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Your teacher has said that practice doesn't require repeating this until it feels perfect. Shall we practise stopping at once and letting the doubt be there?"
  • Watch for: ERP mistaken for an attack on faith, and compulsions migrating to new rituals. It is working when practice feels freer and time spent on compulsions falls.

4.12 Referral and collaboration with teachers, monastics and chaplains

  • Purpose / when: for questions of instruction, doctrine, dose or vows; at retreat planning; in crises with a religious dimension.
  • Steps: (1) Identify the client's recognised teacher or community. (2) Obtain written consent and agree the scope of what is shared. (3) Share clinical concerns in plain language, and invite the tradition's view. (4) Keep roles clear: the teacher instructs the practice, the therapist treats the clinical problem. (5) If the client has no teacher, help them think about how to find a qualified, accountable one.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Would it help if I spoke with your teacher about adjusting your practice while you're recovering? I'd only share what we agree."
  • Watch for: a teacher discouraging treatment or demanding secrecy, or the client feeling caught between authorities. Watch the teacher relationship and its power. It is working when advice from teacher and therapist is coherent.

4.13 Retreat preparation and re-entry

  • Purpose / when: before and after intensive Maitreya retreats or periods of intensified practice.
  • Steps: (1) Screen before retreat: current symptoms, trauma, recent sleep loss, medication changes (route these to the prescriber), past adverse experiences. (2) Make a plan covering whom to tell at the retreat, warning signs and an exit plan. (3) After retreat, review sleep, mood and perceptual changes, and plan a gradual return to daily life.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before you go, let's agree on what signs would tell you to speak to the retreat teacher, and what you'd do then."
  • Watch for: destabilisation after the retreat, even after experiences that felt positive at the time (Lindahl). It is working when transitions occur without lasting impairment.

5. Handling problems

The sources cited do not address psychotherapy problems with this practice. Everything below is [synthesis] unless a source is named.

  • Client asks the therapist to teach or correct the contemplation. Decline warmly and refer to the teacher (4.12). If the client has no teacher, explore how to find an accountable one in their tradition. Do not reconstruct steps from books or the internet for the client.
    • Illustrative: "That's a question for someone trained in your tradition. I can help you think about who to ask."
  • Stuck: practice feels dry, or the client feels Maitreya is absent. Explore meaning and expectations (4.4) and the client's comparisons with others. Normalise fluctuation. Encourage the client to raise it with their teacher. Screen for depression: anhedonia that spreads beyond practice needs clinical attention.
  • Overwhelm during imagery or contemplation. Stop, ground and orient (4.8). Encourage the client to discuss shorter or eyes-open practice with their teacher. Assess the challenging-experience domains (4.9). Refer for assessment if symptoms persist or impair functioning. [source for domains: Brown University 2017]
  • Visions with declining function. Follow 4.10. Act urgently if there is a sleep collapse, grandiosity, commands or risk. Involve the GP or psychiatry, and the teacher if the client consents.
  • Rebirth longing and suicidality. A wish to be reborn in Tuṣita can sit alongside depression, bereavement or chronic pain. Ask directly about wishes to die, plans and intent, following current risk-assessment standards. Respect the religious aspiration while treating suicidal crisis as a clinical emergency. Do not debate doctrine. Where the tradition's teachers hold that one should not end one's own life, the client may find the teacher a valuable ally [uncertain: tradition position not verified].
  • Sectarian distress. The client may be told by Pure Land practitioners that Tuṣita is inferior, as in the treatise relayed on the Daily Enlightenment page, or may face family conflict over the choice. Explore the meaning and impact. Stay even-handed. Support the client in consulting their own teacher. [source: Daily Enlightenment]
  • Non-adherence to agreed adaptations. The client may keep intensifying practice despite symptoms. Explore the motive (for example fear of losing a karmic connection, or teacher expectations). Use motivational interviewing. Invite a joint conversation with the teacher.
  • Scrupulosity resistant to ERP. Recheck that the teacher supports the plan and that the hierarchy targets uncertainty, not sincerely held values (4.11). Consider an OCD specialist.
  • Ruptures over religion. The client may feel the therapist is sceptical, or conversely is proselytising. Name the rupture, apologise for any misattunement and restate neutrality and consent. Review the therapist's own commitments and self-disclosure. Seek supervision or consultation with a colleague competent in Buddhist traditions.
  • Teacher-related harm or high-control dynamics. Signs include isolation from family, financial pressure, discouragement of medical or psychological care, secrecy demands, and sexual or other exploitation. Assess for coercive control and safety. Support the client's autonomy, including leaving a group. Treat religious trauma with standard trauma care. Independent investigations of misconduct specific to Maitreya-contemplation teachers: none found in the sources consulted. Do not name or accuse individuals.
  • Millenarian or apocalyptic interpretations. Some clients may link Maitreya's coming to imminent world events. The history of Maitreya-based movements is noted in scholarship [uncertain: not verified]. Explore the belief's context and function. Assess for psychosis or for group pressure without ridicule, and consult the client's teacher.
  • Health claims. If the client expects the practice or the sutra's merit to cure a physical illness, acknowledge the religious meaning. Make clear that the practice is not presented as a medical treatment. Encourage continuity with their doctor. Never advise on medicines.
  • Minors. For under-18s, involve parents or guardians as appropriate. Obtain assent as well as consent, and follow local safeguarding procedures if there are signs of coercion or harsh discipline.
  • Dual relationships. If therapist and client share a temple or sangha, discuss the boundaries openly. Consider referral if roles cannot be kept separate. Follow your profession's ethics code [synthesis; code not verified].

Sources

Web sources:

Books and papers cited:

  • Sponberg, A. & Hardacre, H. (eds) (1988). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (Chapter contents [uncertain: not verified].)
  • Sponberg, A. (1986). "Meditation in Fa-hsiang Buddhism." In P. N. Gregory (ed.), Traditions of Meditation in Chinese Buddhism, pp. 15–43. Honolulu. (As listed in the Encyclopedia of Religion bibliography.)
  • Lindahl, J. R., et al. (2017). The Varieties of Contemplative Experience. PLOS ONE.
  • Farias et al. (2020), Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica; Treleaven (2018), Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness; Vieten et al. (2013); DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview; IOCDF scrupulosity resources; Cheetah House [uncertain: not verified].
← Previous · XIII-072Huayan fourfold-dharmadhatu contemplationNext · XIII-074 →Pure Land nianfo - nembutsu and guanfo visualisation