Utopian Concepts: The Reign of Emperor Sankha and Maitreya Buddha

Abstract

This article aims to study the concept of “utopia”, or an ideal society, as it appeared during the reign of Emperor Sankha and the era of Maitreya Buddha. The analysis primarily utilizes the Cakkavatti Sutta in the Tripitaka, the Anāgatavaṃsa (a special text outside the Tripitaka), the Ammatarasadhāra, the Anāgatavaṃsa commentary, the Anāgatavaṃsa sub-commentary and the Malaya Sutta sub-commentary, to illustrate the relationship between Buddhist principles and the emergence of a perfect, peaceful society.

The study found that the concept of “utopia” in Buddhism is prominent in the belief in the era of Maitreya Buddha and Emperor Sankha, which is projected when humans live for 80,000 years. This era is described as a time of global abundance, peace, and freedom from war, inequality and crime. People are morally upright, cities are governed justly, and weapons are not used. Maitreya Buddha proclaims the Four Noble Truths, liberating sentient beings from suffering, leading to completeness both materially and spiritually. However, this utopia does not arise spontaneously but is the result of accumulated merit and the restoration of human morality, reflecting the principle that the development of an ideal society begins with the cultivation of the inner virtues of each individual.