Dear Jess,
I think you are referring to a relatively popular New-Age/Conspiracy type of world vision that uses the name of the future Buddha Maitreya (Mirako in Japanese) and integrates it into something that has nothing to do with Buddhism. Please be aware of the fact that I do not claim to be a Buddhist authority or a cult specialist, however everything I have
a) learned about Buddhadharma
and
b) learned about New-Age groups and/or conspiracy theories
points me to believe that this Maitreya issue you are referring to has abolutely no connection to traditional or even modern Zen Buddhism.
Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry (which always has to be read with a critical eye) about the original Buddhist Maitreya.:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitreya
Gassho,
Hans