One of three texts that constitute the Maitreya Triple Sutra, compiled after the well known Sutra which made a lasting impression of the concerns of the Indian Mahayana community. The Sutra That Expounds the Descent of Maitreya Buddha follows the tradition of portraying Maitreya as the future Buddha who will arise to restore the Dharma after the original teachings have fallen into decline.

Huineng (638–713), author and hero of the Platform Sutra, is often credited with founding the Southern school of Chan Buddhism and its radical doctrine of "sudden enlightenment." However, manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang at the beginning of the twentieth century reveal that the real architect of the Southern school was Huineng’s student Shenhui (684–758). An ardent evangelist for his master’s teaching and a sharp critic of rival meditation teachers of his day, Shenhui was responsible for Huineng’s recognition as the "sixth patriarch," for the promotion and eventual triumph of the...