Maitreya says,
I am the golden phoenix. I rise from the flames of desire and ignorance to bring love and forgiveness. My feathers send out golden flames, and my call is soothing and melodious.In my form as a phoenix, I guide both individuals and universes into the fire and out again into the cosmos. Life has flames of suffering and fires of joy, and souls dive into incarnation and then rise in transcendence.
On earth, the emperor or ruler is guide to his country as it rises and falls. In more traditional countries, his robes are golden, and the birds of immortality which are embroidered onto them represent the birds who guide their flocks and show them the ways to the heavens. Like the phoenix, I am a bird of golden light, and my calls are chimes that help the soul ride the winds.
I am the stairway in the mountain of dharma, carved into the stone by the suffering of all beings. Each cry of sorrow carves the staircase further, polishing the stairs until they shine for the masses of souls that tread them. Each tormented life helps a thousand others overcome their pain and fear.
Bodhisattvas are like orchestra conductors of emotion. We write the notes of joy and sorrow on the score. For human eyes, we are made of compassion, taking on a million forms to aid the discouraged and lonely. No person suffers alone. Their suffering is part of a vast tapestry of life and consciousness. I am the golden thread.