An Overview of the Project

"Construction of the statue is not the goal – it is the method for achieving the goal. The goal is to benefit as many people as possible for as long as possible."
— Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Maitreya Project

The Project intends to bring as much benefit as possible — spiritually, in education and healthcare, and economically, through the direct and indirect creation of employment opportunities in northern India.

Maitreya Project’s social services will include extensive education programmes and healthcare of international standard.

In both the long and short term, Maitreya Project will contribute significantly to the well-being of the region and aims to become a model of socially responsible development — environmentally sustainable and built to last at least 1,000 years.

The Statue, Park and Sacred Art

As the central feature of its activities, Maitreya Project is planning to build, in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, a magnificent 500ft / 152m bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, built to stand for 1000 years.

World focus, inspiration, and the Buddhist tradition of building very large buddha statues are the reasons for the size of the Maitreya statue. The more notable a statue is, the more people will hear of it, see it, and have the chance to benefit from it.

The statue with its throne building and park will provide the public with temples, exhibition halls, a museum, library, audio-visual theatre and hospitality services. All will contain a remarkable and inspiring collection of sacred art and will be set in beautifully landscaped parks with meditation pavilions, beautiful water fountains and tranquil pools.

The Project intends that the Maitreya statue will act as a catalyst and sustaining influence for Kushinagar and northern India’s development in ways that honour and support the region’s rich spiritual heritage.

Healthcare and Education

village life In the rural areas of northern India, millions of people live in very difficult circumstances. The majority of families receive inadequate healthcare or none at all. Many are malnourished and experience poor health and there is a high infant mortality.

The mission of the Maitreya Healthcare Project is to provide essential curative and preventive medical services and health education to adults and children in Kushinagar and the surrounding areas. A public hospital of international standard will be built, and outreach services will be provided to supplement the medical services currently offered by the government.

Over the years, both the education and healthcare projects will be developed and expanded to meet the needs of their communities.

Employment and Infrastructure

Both directly and indirectly, Maitreya Project will positively impact the economy of Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, and India. Building the statue will create and stimulate employment and infrastructural development, as well as spiritual and social renewal, in and around the Project site.

The Project's construction phase will directly employ more than an estimated 5000 skilled and semi-skilled workers, and hundreds more will be employed in industries supplying materials and services. After completion, hundreds of people will be employed to maintain the park and provide services to visitors all year round.

Maitreya Project will attract other appropriate investment to the region, creating many more long-term employment opportunities. It will facilitate visits by pilgrims and tourists. The region's economy and civic life will evolve and develop naturally, benefiting millions in India for a full millennium.

The government of India has designated touism a key to regional development plans. The Maitreya Project will bring possibly the biggest inflow of funding the north Indian tourism sector has ever seen.

Creating Peace

While Maitreya Project's programmes are located in northern India, they are intended to benefit not only the people of India, but the entire world.

The name Maitreya means 'loving-kindness'. Throughout the world, the image of a buddha is recognised as a symbol of peace. The vision of Maitreya Project is to create peace at every level of society through the practice of loving-kindness: inner peace for the individual, leading to peace within the family, the community and the world.

For thousands of years the world's enduring monuments have been powerful symbols, reminders of society's most treasured values. However, during the 20th century most of the world's great buildings and public development projects have been 'monuments' to commercial interests: high-rise business buildings, airports, shopping malls, theatres and theme parks. The Maitreya Buddha statue will give the world an enduring monument to universal spiritual values.

The Maitreya Project Heart Shrine Relic Tour

A unique and precious collection of more than 1000 sacred Buddhist relics will eventually be displayed in the Heart Shrine of the completed Maitreya Buddha statue in Kushinagar. Meanwhile, it is the wish of the Spiritual Director of the Maitreya Project, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, that the collection should travel throughout the world to inspire people of all humanitarian and spiritual traditions to come together to experience the blessings of the relics, bringing the message of loving-kindness to people everywhere.

Most of the relics resemble beautiful pearl-like crystals, which were found among the cremation ashes of Buddhist masters. The collection includes relics of the historical Buddha and his closest disciples, Maudgalyayana, Sariputra and Ananda as well as relics of many other Buddhist spiritual masters from many traditions.