noun
Maitreya; Miroku
Refers to the future Buddha in Mahayana Buddhism, often called 弥勒菩薩 (Miroku Bosatsu). The name alone is common in religious and cultural contexts.
See also: 弥勒菩薩
弥勒は未来に現れる仏とされている。
Maitreya is believed to be the Buddha who will appear in the future.
この寺には弥勒菩薩
A statue of Maitreya Bodhisattva is enshrined in this temple.
Full title 'Maitreya Bodhisattva'; 弥勒 is the shorter, common name for the same figure.
From the Sanskrit 'Maitreya', via Chinese 彌勒 (Mílè). The kanji are used phonetically (ateji) to represent the sound.