This brown statue in the Gyantse Kumbum is Maitreya, the future Buddha. Just as Christians await the coming of Christ, Buddhists throughout the world await the coming of Buddha Maitreya. He is prophesied to become the fifth universal teacher of this world era. His deeds will usher in a golden age on earth, and bring an end to the culture of war, violence, intolerance, and hatred that characterizes the present time in human history.