Complex sentence: According to an ancient Buddhist prophecy, the world would enter a dark period in 1051; consequently in the late Heian period the belief in the saving powers of Maitreya or Miroku, the Buddha to be, became widespread.
Split into simpler sentences: According to an ancient Buddhist prophecy, the world would enter a dark period in 1051. During the late Heian period the belief in the saving powers of Maitreya or Miroku, the Buddha to be, became widespread.