In Buddhism, Maitreya is the future Buddha expected to appear after Gautama Buddha. The name comes from the Sanskrit word maitri, commonly translated as loving-kindness or friendliness. In Pali texts, the corresponding name is Metteyya.
Maitreya is described as a bodhisattva currently residing in Tusita, a heavenly realm. Buddhist tradition says that Maitreya will be born in the human world, attain complete awakening, and renew the Buddha’s teaching after Gautama Buddha’s dispensation has disappeared. The tradition does not provide a historically verified date for this event.
Maitreya is important across several Buddhist traditions and has inspired devotional images, temples, and religious movements. He is sometimes confused with Budai, the laughing figure widely known in East Asian art. Budai is a Chinese monk associated with folklore and is often identified with Maitreya in popular culture, but the two figures are not identical in early Buddhist doctrine.