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Yes, thatâs right. He appears once. Elsewhere we have the general idea that there have been Buddha in the past and will be in the future, but no details are given.
Itâs tempting to think of the idea of Metteyya as a later addition, and that may be the case, but I am not sure. Normally the Buddha avoided giving detailed predictions of the future. He might say, âif you do this, that will happenâ, but with DN 26 it sounds like a full-on prophecy.
Nevertheless, the story is a fascinating one! You can search on this form for some previous discussions.
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I think early Indian Buddhism did not really have a leader in terms of religious political power after the death of the Buddha.
The first two Sangha councils were convened by leading monks to determine the Buddhaâs teachings under the headings of Sutra/Sutta or Dharma/Dhamma (teaching) and Vinaya (rules of the Sangha). Only these two councils are recognised in common by all early Buddhist schools. This period, about 100 years, was from the death of the Buddha up to the first schism of the Sangha into two main branches, the Mahasanghika and Sthavira (not the Theravada). The leading monks during the first two Sangha councils did not really have the religious political power to lead the Sangha, and thus leading to further schism in early Indian Buddhism.
The Buddha did not appoint his successor as a leader of his Sangha.
Did the Buddha make a mistake in not appointing a successor?
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A statement indicating that the Buddha wonât appoint a successor is found, I believe, in the Vinaya, regarding the occasion when Devadatta asked the Buddha to retire and leave him in charge of the Sangha. The Buddha replied to the effect that he wouldnât leave the Sangha even in the hands of Sariputta and Moggallana, much less to him, Devadatta, who should be rejected like vomit.
Can anyone find this account?
Edit: Found it here - using the new search engine provided by @faujidoc1!
Devadatta repeatedly asked the Blessed One to retire and âhand over the Order of monks to me. It is I who will lead the Order of monks,â to which the Buddha was saying âEnough, Devadatta, please do not lead the Order of monks.â
After Devadattaâs 3rd request, the Buddha added that he would not "hand over the Order of monks even to SÄriputta and MoggallÄna. How then could I to you, a wretched one to be vomited like spittle?â
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Also, the Blessed One is recorded as specifically refuting the idea in DN 16. Pardon me if this has been mentioned already.
The section begins here.
The relevant quote about not appointing a successor is several paragraphs down. (My phone is malfunctioning at the moment, not allowing me to copy & post it for your convenience.)
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sir, Ven. Sujato.
What I meant as a mahayanist later addition is the concept of âPurifying the Dhamma and reviving of the forgotten parts of it by Maitreya Buddhaâ In regard to what Gabriel_L had said. I didnât meant that Maitreya Buddha is a later added concept.
this is coming from his knowledge of the various possibilities that may arise from various actions of people.
It seems to be the case. Ven. Sujato.
I was asking regarding if there is two concepts, a future character Maitreya (who is not a Buddha) and Maitreya Buddha (who is a Buddha) that may had been mixed with each other, seen as one. But regrading that there is only this mention in the EBTs, I can say that my question had been answered. Thanks, Ven. Sujato and Sir Gabriel_L.
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Thanks, Ven. It answers a lot of questions.
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Oh okay, indeed, yes that is a later development. There is a very interesting chapter on this in Lamotteâs Indian Buddhism.
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