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Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage From: Raymond_Shaw@mindlink.bc.ca (Raymond Shaw) Subject: A Compilation of Maitreya's Teachings Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1993 03:26:17 GMT Message-ID: <20253@mindlink.bc.ca> Lines: 1414

The following was published in the July/August 1990 issue of Share International magazine (Volume 9, Number 6).

A COMPILATION OF TEACHINGS FROM THE WORLD TEACHER, MAITREYA THE CHRIST

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_TABLE OF CONTENTS_

INTRODUCTION A NEW ENERGY PERVADES THE PLANET EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT: Slower earth's rotation, climate improves THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF LIGHT THE ART OF HEALING TEACHINGS ON RELIGION THE ART OF SELF-REALIZATION THE PRACTICE OF SELF-REALIZATION QUESTIONS ON MAITREYA'S TEACHINGS A PRAYER FOR THE NEW AGE SUGGESTED FURTHER READING FOR MORE INFORMATION

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INTRODUCTION

In April 1988, a close associate of Maitreya, long established in London's Asian community, contacted freelance journalist Patricia Pitchon. He started a series of briefings in which he presented some of Maitreya's teachings and forecasts of world events with the view that they be published through Share International and made available to the world's press. Later, Maitreya's associate also made contact with another journalist who received additional information. Maitreya gives His teachings orally, and His associate conveys it to the journalists. As regular readers will know, each article may cover a wide variety of topics -- from a flood in Bangladesh to a lesson in Self-realization. Many of these topics recur again and again, each time adding some new information from Maitreya. For the sake of clarity, therefore, we have edited the excerpts presented here so that teachings on a particular topic are grouped and can flow together. Maitreya's purposes in releasing this material are further to prepare humanity for His emergence and to help us understand the spiritual laws governing our lives. The forecasts of world events included in many interviews are given out primarily to illuminate one of the most important of these spiritual laws: the Law of Cause and Effect. It is only by grasping and working within this law, Maitreya says, that we can resolve the present social, political, economic and environmental crises.

A NEW ENERGY PERVADES THE PLANET

A new energy pervades the planet now. Scientifically, this is the energy which creates equilibrium between positive and negative currents. When positive and negative currents merge, light is produced. This energizes all life and creates harmony. We will see a new equilibrium in nature, and both people and nature will respond constructively. The sun "has been brought closer to the earth", symbolically speaking. That is, its radiation has increased, and this will energize the earth. The energy of equilibrium affects human affairs, as well as the world of nature. Maitreya is using the energy of equilibrium to stimulate the urge towards greater harmony between man and man and between man and nature. Prior to the achievement of this equilibrium there is an inevitable period of adjustment with its attendant difficulties. But through this process, Maitreya teaches, the world's current spiritual crisis will be resolved, and, in Maitreya's words, "this planet will come close to the Lord".

Effects on human affairs

Nations around the world have been filled with this new energy, and more and more people are responding to it, becoming more aware, realizing a new livingness and becoming free. When the energy of equilibrium is brought into play, nothing is immune from the transformations which take place. All these changes are creating awareness, and people have decided that enough is enough: they have a right to be free and to enjoy life. They no longer want to be conditioned by politics, religion or commercialization. It is the younger generation which is experiencing the effects of this new energy, and this gives them the strength to change the old systems which have imprisoned people. Today, the voice of realism is found among the young, free as they are from ideology, philosophy and theory. They are realistic about life and meet it as it comes.

The politics of harmony

The response to this energy of equilibrium will be increasingly constructive. Conflict between governments and guerrilla forces the world over will begin to decrease, and people will come to the negotiating table. Rule by force will disappear, and politicians will become the servants, not the masters, of the people. Governments will be spending more money on the welfare of the people for social programmes such as education, medicine, and recreation -- rather than on destructive weapons. The role of monarchies around the world will change now, and monarchies will be, in Maitreya's words, "positively active". These changes are not a matter of individual countries only: policies are being forged globally. Says Maitreya: "History will not be repeated". Judicial systems around the world are undergoing rapid change; ideological struggles are beginning to decrease between East and West -- and will also decrease between North and South. Government hypocrisy is being challenged everywhere, and in this "breaking down" process things formerly hidden from the people will come to the surface. Current political systems are losing power and credibility throughout the world, and will eventually give birth to new systems of government which will be much more representative. In the new era, the people themselves will come to the fore and be able to express all of their social, political, religious and educational needs. They will express themselves and their compassion through aid to others. Ordinary citizens, intellectuals, educators, and others from a variety of walks of life will find they have a genuine voice in government. No politician on earth will now be able to repeat past history. The old politics of divide and rule are finished. The divisive art of politics has come to an end, and a new one that respects harmony will soon succeed. The new politics will no longer be moulded by the "isms" of capitalism or socialism, but created from self-respect in individuals and nations. The new politician will be an intellectual, an experienced person who knows the laws of evolution and will wisely guide his fellow beings. The process of inculcation, of imposition, by forcing ideologies into the minds of people, is beginning to dissolve, both in religious and in political fields. Consensus will replace it. The voice of the people is already beginning to be heard, and this representative form of government will replace control of the masses through ideology. Everything is moving so fast now that events are beyond the control of the politicians. A new political era has begun. Awareness awakens people to their basic human rights, their liberties and their responsibilities to themselves and each other. The constitution of every nation will ultimately be based on the three principles of freedom, liberty and salvation. Freedom operates on the individual level, liberty operates on the national level, and salvation operates on the spiritual level. The reality of global interdependence will become an established fact in our awareness, and as it does so, the fact that "all men are brothers" will be increasingly translated into structures and practical programmes of action that reflect this reality. Nations can and will experience brotherhood, common goals and common aspirations. National governments will still be with us in the long term, but responsibility will increasingly be carried by the United Nations, which will become the most powerful political force in the world. It will be the agency through which all major international problems will be resolved. The United Nations will play a very effective role in making sure that arms and ammunition do not filter through and thereby aggravate conflicts. It will act as an observer and a watchdog. The UN is becoming a powerful centre and is no longer "just a name." All of these changes are taking people by surprise. These are historic times, and as each day passes, a new awareness becomes ever more apparent. People will more and more be talking of peace, of living together in harmony. This is a turning point in the history of mankind.

EFFECTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT: Slower earth's rotation, climate improves

The new energy sweeping through our world will make the land more fertile. People will experience greater health, and we shall see many diseases begin to disappear. As a result of the energy of equilibrium, people will be able to live in closer contact with nature, and there will be greater harmony between the plant, animal and human kingdoms. Destructive forces (the effects of human behaviour) are being reversed in such a way that they will become constructive. Because of the greater harmony between nature and humanity, people will be happier: to disturb the environment is to disturb your own nature. Maitreya has energized the planet and generated warmth so that enough food can be grown to meet the new demand for food grown naturally. Changes in weather patterns are already occurring and will continue as a result of the earth's warming. Across the globe, the days and nights will be warmer, and we shall see changes in human behaviour as people spend more time resting and less time working. They will enjoy more recreational activities. The plant and animal kingdoms will also be affected, with a number of species disappearing. We shall find that society will think in global terms, and policies will be developed globally. People will draw closer together, learning to share and live together in harmony. "Even mind, spirit and body will be changed," Maitreya tells us. Nature will respond positively in terms of new vegetation. The earth will be full of food, and no one will be able to understand the process fully. The necessities of life will be on hand. The environment will become the number one issue throughout the world. Even a few years ago, no politician took the environment seriously; now the concern is there. This growth in concern is the result of increasing Self-awareness. There is a link, Maitreya says, between the inner and the outer environment: the moment you become aware of yourself, the environment within your mind, spirit and body is under your control. This awareness then leads you to look into the outer environment.

Turn of the wheel

Maitreya says that a decisive change has occurred in the rate of the earth's rotation. The speed of the earth's revolution has slowed. As a consequence, the forces surrounding the planet have been made to slow down. These are not "blind" forces but the effects of man's activities. This momentous event occurred at the end of July 1988, and will result in decisive changes, both in the short term and the long term, in the earth's atmosphere, in the air, on land and in the seas. Some have already begun. This can be understood as the "turn of the wheel" which marks the end of an era (that is, the Piscean age) and the beginning of a new era (Aquarius). "The wheel governs all creation. When it turns, no one can escape transformation". Naturally, this process will occur gradually during the whole Aquarian cycle, but some changes are imminent and observable. This "end of an age" inevitably produces a certain number of natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, and we are seeing a dramatic climax in the number of disasters taking place around the world. All this energy has been released because of man's inhumanity to man. The greed of those in power has condemned their fellows and nature itself. The environment has been polluted and has reacted. Maitreya says: "The last time I came, as Jesus, it was written in the Bible that when I appeared again the very elements of nature would be disturbed". Human suffering during this process of adjustment is inevitable, but in suffering, the destructive forces are released from their natural pattern and dissipated. Anything which operates by imposition of force will not survive. This period is not, however, one of cataclysmic destruction. This "adjustment" is a matter of degree, and the portents of doom generally offered are exaggerated. Maitreya points out that when disasters occur on an international scale, people await a "second coming". But, He says, "The Lord has been here since the morning of time. When I am with you, there is no question of a second, third or fourth coming". When there is a calamity, He continues, the Lord is always with the soul. He gives it strength, comfort and bliss at that time, although with our minds we perceive only suffering. In crises, people will be brought closer together and will help each other. Through our own free will we can lessen distress by responding with alacrity to human need. After the disasters have peaked, there will come a period of calm -- the violence and destruction will come to an end. As people gain awareness their guilt will recede and they will realize that it is not the Self that is causing all this mayhem. This has been created by an outside force of destructive energy which has sucked them into the storm of chaos and confusion. The new feeling will be like rising in the small hours of the early dawn when you are surrounded by a sense of tranquility and calm. Maitreya points out that these are not predictions, but the fulfilment of law.

THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

One of Maitreya's primary concerns is to illuminate the nature of the spiritual crisis of our time. But we cannot understand this spiritual crisis, He says, without a clear consideration of the underlying causes and their effects. The principle of cause and effect can be understood as a major expression of spiritual law, and to the extent that we learn to recognize and apply this principle, spiritual law is illuminated for us. It is important in this regard to train oneself to perceive patterns. When, for example, a civilian airliner is shot down, it will be found that for no obvious reason one or two other planes are lost; this constitutes a pattern. Nature, like the rest of creation, is composed of atoms; since man-made items such as airplanes are equally composed of atoms, when these patterns are interfered with, crashes are inevitable. Similarly, there are patterns in nature that must be respected. If you disturb these patterns, the elements of nature, the weather cycles, and human beings themselves, become disturbed. Spiritual bankruptcy creates the suffering of disease in the world, while physical disasters such as earthquakes, explosions and murder come about because of ill-health on the mental plane. Life consists of the mind, spirit and body. If the natural evolution of these bodies is retarded or hampered by man-made laws, there are always disastrous consequences. If the body is starved it weakens and becomes sick; if the spiritual body is starved a person fades and dies; if the mental body is starved a person loses his direction in life. People whose balance in mind, spirit and body is fragile can be tipped over the edge by the disturbance of atomic patterns. "Motiveless murders" are the result. One of the primary causes of our spiritual crisis, Maitreya teaches, is complacency -- the root of all evil in the world. "Wherever there is complacency," He says, "there is the seed of corruption, chaos, confusion and ultimate destruction". Complacency is not "outside" us, but inside, a mentality that can be summed up as "I'm all right Jack". This mentality leads both individuals and institutions to become estranged and disconnected from the realities of life. In this condition one has no vision and can only produce ineffective solutions. When people move in this mental atmosphere of complacency, they are essentially cut off from their real selves and fall into a monotonous routine, "the same old thing" day in and day out. Life is movement, but complacent people are, in effect, in an arrested condition. The mind, therefore, seeks new peaks of experience, which can and often does lead to a variety of forms of corruption and perversion. Thus complacency is ultimately self-destructive, and whole societies can be destroyed by it. The following are some examples of how human beings have set in motion energies which, under the Law of Cause and Effect, have generated the social, political, and economic effects causing so much destruction today.

Commercialization and market forces

In the last two to three years we have seen a reduction in the wars and conflicts taking place throughout the world as the superpowers withdrew from their policy of supplying arms to further their own foreign aims and interests. The energy which drives soldiers into battle and fills the air with warplanes has been switched off. But, Maitreya says, that energy cannot just disappear; it has to go somewhere. This energy has been roaming the world and suddenly it has found a new womb: the commercialization created by market forces. Market forces, Maitreya says, are the forces of wickedness, confusion and chaos, and its children are competition and comparison. Freedom is not found in the free play of market forces, for market forces have no "eyes". They are blind, and therefore satanic, leading inevitably to "mine" and "more" -- that is, to possessiveness and greed -- without end. Market forces will bring this civilization as we have known it to the edge of disaster. Market forces have created social and natural havoc. People have been condemned to death, literally, in the name of profit and loss. Hospitals have been shut because they are not profitable; schools have difficulty in staying open. These institutions are essential for the health and well-being of society. The new creed of the superpowers has become "the economy", which is the soul of commercialization. This represents a serious new threat to the world, Maitreya warns, one that could even compromise human life. Commercialization is more destructive than any nuclear bomb. The quality of commercialization is greed, and, in Maitreya's view, commercialization means making money while others starve. It will affect all nations, He says. This negative energy, which recoiled from the battlefield, will create a very hostile world. It is the human mind which has created this force and it can be changed by human awareness. Only Maitreya, however, has the power to turn this destructive energy into a creative force. Commercialization throughout the world is part of the pattern that will result in a major collapse of the world's stock markets, beginning in Japan. After this crash, the first duty of governments will be to feed people with the right food. Their second duty will be to ensure adequate housing. Next will come health and education, and lastly, defence. In short, the crash will lead to a reordering of priorities. Already, there are many strikes taking place as people begin to question the boss-employee relationship. This is because the new energy is already diluting and sweeping away the master-servant relationship which underlies so much of market forces. You can only solve the problems of the world, Maitreya points out, with a sense of realism that is not clouded by ideology or market forces. "Politicians whose creed is 'market forces'", Maitreya says, "will find that their time is over." Capitalism, in its pure form, is at an end in Europe. It has no future whatsoever. Instead, countries will model their governments on a form of democratic socialism. Gradually this will become the model for all nations as the most effective way to ensure that the voice and will of the people is properly represented. In the new systems, Maitreya says, even market forces will be based on social consciousness. Market forces will not be "in charge" of social consciousness. It is social consciousness which will guide market forces.

Violence, crime and drugs

Society as a whole is attempting to emerge from its bondage, and the eruption of crime, corruption, drugs and violence are the inevitable prelude. In the case of violent crime, the Self realizes it is imprisoned in the web of the mind to such an extent that there is no purpose left in life. The vibrations of mind, spirit and body are disturbed, and crimes are committed. The Self is not the perpetrator of these crimes; the perpetrator is the confused mind which has taken over the Self. Take, for example, child abuse. In many cases, a single, powerful thought has taken hold of the mind, to the exclusion of all else. This is destructive. In order to help the person to detach himself from that thought, it is necessary to lead him to an awareness of the Self, the "observer", the "watcher". The Self is not the mind. This will create a space inside the person and will enable him to free himself. There are no shortcuts to this process, but it is itself part of a method which also includes beneficial breathing techniques. Maitreya is training certain people who are fitted for this type of work, and appropriate training will yield results. In addition, harmless drugs will be found which will help to calm the nerves. It is in cities, Maitreya says, that crime combustion occurs, where people are addicted to drugs, sexual violence, murder and other crimes. This process of combustion brings the dirt up to the surface. Neither the police nor the military, however, will be able adequately to control the outbreak of crime now occurring. At the moment, prison is the only alternative for violent and dangerous criminals. But violence cannot be cured by sentencing people to prison. Moreover, Maitreya points out, not all people are in prison for violent crimes. Many who are in prison are not even criminals.

Television advertisements

As for the drug epidemic, the politician's contribution to the problem of drug addiction consists of television advertisements to curb drug abuse. But the politicians alone, Maitreya says, are to blame for the desperation of these people. If people are so straitened in life that they cannot even eat properly, they will lead desperate lives. They will sell their bodies, steal, and end up in prison. If you deprive people of any future in life, deprive them of nourishment, they will end up on drugs to help them to forget their desperation. And from drugs it is not far to crime, even murder. The massive threat posed by drugs cannot be solved through fear of the law. Strong policing will be needed to crack down on the organized gangs of drug producers, but it is not the answer to the individual drug user. Drug addicts are suffering from spiritual starvation, from extreme Self-alienation. Life becomes purposeless and people want to bring their lives to an end, and so they commit slow suicide via drugs. If life has no meaning, then "meaning" is what must be restored, and for this to occur, it is necessary for the person to experience himself differently, to experience a sense of his own worth. Once that happens, he can grow in Self-awareness. How can this be achieved? Not through the fear of laws, or by preaching ideology. Not by restricting people's movement, or by extra police or more prison cells. The only answer, Maitreya says, is developing detachment in mind, spirit and body. You must become free from any ism -- for that is the deadliest drug. This can happen only when the Self is given self-respect. It is like a sponge -- it absorbs illusions like water and engulfs the Self. When helping drug addicts it is no use telling them not to take drugs, or sending the police to arrest them. The only way to transform their lives is by teaching them, "Be what you are". They should be taught to practise detachment, even while they are still taking drugs. The next time they take drugs, they will find themselves a little reluctant about continuing their habit until eventually they will realize that it is the body that is being injected with drugs, and not the Self. Through awareness and then detachment, habits of all kinds will fall away like leaves in the autumn. The power of the environment should also be used to create Self-awareness. When an individual enters a church he feels peaceful and tranquil; the Self experiences this, and the mind is no longer in confusion or turmoil. Living in the bleak, depressing conditions of a run-down council estate, a person's mind will be desperate and reach for drugs to find escape. That is why the environment should be a high priority among the country's leaders. "Clean your environment and your life will respond to it," says Maitreya's associate. If there is no stress or strain in your surroundings, then there is no need for drugs, for within the human body is the most powerful drug known to humanity detachment. An energy has been released in the world which counteracts negative forces. Eventually, certain judicial reforms will take place, and minor or petty crimes will not lead to prison sentences. When world tension begins to decrease, when the principle of sharing begins to be implemented through a variety of social, economic and political reforms, people will feel less threatened and there will be less and less crime.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF LIGHT

We are now entering the age of Light. The Hierarchy is training scientists through experiences of phenomenal powers by demonstrating the use of the science of light to achieve transfiguration, transportation and communication. All living cells are interconnected, with Light between them. Every atom is interconnected with the Light. The time will come when we can transform this light, and then it will be possible to dematerialize the body. Adepts and Masters can do this, and one day, Maitreya says, we will be able to do it. Matter can be transported from one place to another through light. Thus the astral body of one who has departed can materialize. Even now scientists are being taught how to materialize through the technology of light so that objects can be transmitted from one part of the world to another. This technology -- using colour, sound and vibration -- is the science of the 21st century. It will make society more prosperous and happy. People will enjoy life more, many diseases will be healed instantaneously. This is the power of light. In time, scientists will be able to understand these processes, these laws of nature. When you become aware, conscious and detached, Maitreya teaches, you will not manipulate these laws for selfish ends. The Technology of Light will meet all our energy needs in the 21st century. "It will need no huge budgets to maintain because it will be devised and controlled by intellectuals who do not look for billions of pounds of profits to satisfy them," Maitreya's associate explains. Once built, the technology will last for 2,500 years, "until the next cycle of evolution." Environment and energy will be the top priorities of the new era. Last will be defence, "because there will be nothing to defend." When light is at your command you do not need guns and bullets. The time is fast coming when there will be no need for prisons, as individuals can be controlled from space. Terrorism will disappear because there will be no place for terrorists to hide. The ambition of the politicians is now moving into space, from where all movement on earth can be controlled. But Maitreya warns that if the politicians play with this science of light and abuse it, it will destroy them. Humanity has naively believed that they are the only ones in space. But there are others there, far advanced, who have always watched over us, He says, teaching us not to kill, to respect others, and to learn to be happy and free. They have always protected humanity, and they will not allow it to destroy itself by the exploitation of science in space. These "Space Brothers" have now trained scientists in the US and USSR in a technology that can monitor every movement on Earth -- of armies, tanks, planes and even submarines beneath the sea. There is thus good reason behind the Russians' and the Americans' confident calls for major disarmament. For not only does this technology (a sophisticated extension of the Star Wars concept) make pin-point surveillance possible, it can also be used to control men and machines. For instance, if a terrorist was located on a plane thousands of feet in the air, holding a gun or a bomb, he could be "frozen" in the act of terrorism. A submarine beneath the waves could be drained of energy and rendered powerless. Maitreya is sending a clear message to the world's political leaders: no wars can now be won, and spending vast amounts of money on international arms programmes is a complete waste. Our prime task now is to look after the environment. This will become the responsibility of every individual, politician, guru, saint and scientist. Our energies will be spent in making it healthy again. When that happens there will be less suffering, disease and poverty. Scientists are also being taught by the Space Brothers the art of producing energy through light. The effects of the ozone problem will disappear but the climatic changes that are under way are still bound to take place. Many experiments with the technology of light are being undertaken in Russia. This is because the Space Brothers set up a community in that country 15 years ago. Russia was chosen because it was such a closed society, where commercial pressures did not affect scientific research. Today, says Maitreya, the Russians are well ahead of the rest of the world in this field. That is why Russia leads the way in calling for arms reductions.

Dangers of current research

Scientists today are involved in researching and manipulating the mechanism of the forces of evolution. They do not know where these forces lead, but they will definitely get a glimpse of the end of the trail. If they persist in experiments with bio-genetic engineering they will be able to create beings which are half-man, half-animal. But though the scientists are interfering with the natural course of mutation, they will never understand it, for it is beyond knowledge and wisdom. "Only God understands mutation," Maitreya says, and for scientists to use their knowledge to "play God" is dangerous. "You are able to do certain things," He notes, "but you should not do them. Why do you not spend money rightly so that people can be given the right food to eat, that they may die natural deaths"? Scientists are also creating potential havoc in the universe with nuclear-powered spaceprobes. According to Maitreya, there are certain points in the universe which control the energies of creation. If they are disturbed, it is like setting free the atoms from their nuclear bonds. This can create disasters such as earthquakes and floods on earth. The distant planets have their own gravitational force which holds them in place and maintains their pattern of evolution. Nuclear-powered probes can upset the balance and lead to disastrous consequences. Scientists will be given experiences by Maitreya to make them aware of the danger of their research. The Master says: "The moment you come near the powers of creation you will be tempted to use them. If you do not know how to handle them they will destroy you. Certain yogis can approach these powers, but with detachment. Therefore they do not harm them. The scientists, however, do not possess this detachment." Scientists are also playing dangerous games in other ways. They are searching to find the secrets of consciousness. They are now experimenting with animals, playing with genes to discover where this conscious energy comes from and where it goes after death. So many experiments are being carried out behind closed doors that if the public knew about them there would be an outcry and a demand to end them. "The scientists are playing with the forces of life." But as scientists deepen their understanding of the laws of life and mind, Maitreya says, there will be a greater understanding of interdependence, the cement which sustains creation.

THE ART OF HEALING

The technology of Light will also change the practice of medicine. Drugs and surgery will no longer be needed as doctors are trained in the use of the technology of healing. Scientists in Russia and America are already experimenting with genetic engineering and this will develop until the time will come when they can transmit genetic information into a sick organ to rejuvenate it without the use of surgery. Eventually the need for so many hospitals will diminish, as people can undergo treatment within hours for even the most serious conditions. As the scientists learn to develop the rays of light, they will be able to penetrate not only the physical brain but the mind itself. Scientists have already been taught by the Space Brothers how to use the technology of light to dissolve drug habits by targeting specific areas of the brain. Basically, the rays dissolve the conditioning factors of the mind which trap the personality. These methods are already being used in hospitals in China and Hong Kong where drug addiction has become a massive problem. The technology of the future will be nothing other than Light. Through the knowledge and use of the seven colours, the technology will evolve. Mind, spirit and body will be healed. As the art of healing develops, there will be in the long run less employment in the medical field as we know it today. The art of dying will be taught.

TEACHINGS ON RELIGION

According to Maitreya, all religions are at fault for the suffering in the world. Instead of teaching salvation, religions are creating pockets of imprisonment. They have created strife and conditioned people. But this is coming to an end. From now on, schools, colleges and universities will help people discover where thoughts and ideas come from, that we are all connected to the Almighty and that we do not need scriptures to experience our true Selves. Those who are supposed to spread My message, Maitreya says, and are in a position to serve the people, have used their position to obtain personal comforts instead. The struggle to become bishops or other powerful personnages within the religious hierarchies, He says, should end: "Do not say you are becoming a bishop in the name of Jesus, when in fact you are doing it for yourself. Since you are not doing this for the Lord, the Lord cannot be with you". The nearest and dearest to me, Maitreya says, "are the people who do My work without reward. But so is the thief. Why? Because he does his work without knowing what will be its outcome. He has to fulfil his basic needs and so acts in the only way that he can. He does not set out to do anyone harm. He does not cry out for me. The furthest from me are the saints and gurus who have given up all the duties and responsibilities of life. They have closed their minds to the realities of life, and every day and night search for God, wanting to know Him, to find out where He lives, somewhere in Heaven. Outwardly, they appear sane and peaceful. Inwardly they are in chaos, crying inside in their desperate search for God." Politicians are baffled because they cannot control the people with ideologies. But it is the religious authorities who cling most to power, believing "there is only one way to go to heaven." Yet how do these religious leaders live? What is their lifestyle? Perhaps that of kings: palaces, jets, bullet-proof cars. Krishna lived in a hut. This is true divinity. Likewise today, Sai Baba sleeps in a small room, in a simple bed. False prophets, says Maitreya, are those who, surrounded by pomp and circumstance and protected by bodyguards, deny themselves contact with the people. A simple life, with the people, would make this unnecessary for the messenger of the Lord. The true messengers are those who work on the ground with the people, eating with the people, healing and helping them. The others have departed from the example of Jesus. However, many church leaders now are coming out in defence of the people. They are challenging the politicians to address the moral and spiritual dimension which cannot be circumvented by anyone holding power. If this dimension is neglected a crisis necessarily follows. What religious leaders "have not wanted to do, they will have to do now", Maitreya says. Around the world they will eventually leave their palaces to live in simpler surroundings, because simplicity is a significant factor in order "to remain with the Lord in the heart". The trend towards greater simplicity will also be observable among many rich people who will surrender the excess and share with the people. The Master points to the empty churches and observes that the young people are not interested in the old ideologies of their elders. Religions have taught the past generations, "Come to the temple. Give a donation and you will be free." They have also used fear to generate and sustain belief. But the children of today often do not go to churches. Why? According to Maitreya, children do not run after God. There is an awareness in them that "The Lord is within": "If you want to test the truth of anything, speak with a child". "Do not create fear in the minds of innocent children," Maitreya admonishes religious leaders. "Fear is poison". Fundamentalism and dogmatism are coming to an end. That time is quickly passing. Maitreya teaches that the moment a person gives up his brand of "ism" he will be free. "He will find that I am within him for I am free of all ideologies. I have come to teach you not to cry out for me. The gurus and religious fanatics cry out for me and the end result is that they never know me," the Master says. "You are not born in sin, as they insist on telling you. For I am with you and you are with me." Although in reality God is everywhere, individuals are becoming aware that it is possible to experience the Lord in the heart. "God is not in the sky", Maitreya teaches, "God is in the heart". When the mind is quiet, free from dogmatic views, it will absorb the truth. "Self-realization is God-realization"; the teaching of the Master inspires you to look within. This has nothing to do with religion, politics or any form of ideology. If you use this mirror to look at the religions of the world, you will see they are based on the personal experiences of the prophets, gurus, saints, etc. When people follow them, however, they are bound to experience suffering -- because they are not following their own Self. If you close your eyes and allow someone else to lead you, you are bound to stumble. Everyone has free will. When that free will is not functioning or is being misled, Maitreya says, "the Lord intervenes". Many teachers and gurus have themselves fallen through attachment to powers which manifested through them either as a result of natural development or through the grace of the Lord. This happens, according to Maitreya, because as soon as you try to claim anything for yourself, as soon as you identify with those powers instead of understanding that you are the immortal Self and the powers belong to the Lord, you are lost. This is a difficult test and even today the lives of many followers who identified with their guru or teacher have been shattered when the teacher or guru, forgetting the Self within, becomes attached to material, mental or spiritual powers. Thus some begin to accumulate wealth; some misuse thought and imprison others mentally, creating divisions and intolerance instead of respecting the freedom of each individual; and others become attached to power and misuse it. Says Maitreya: "Even if you have reached a very high state of evolution, you cannot say 'I am the Lord.' You can simply say, 'I am the messenger of the Lord'".

The life of Jesus

Even Jesus had to struggle with the problem of attachment to spiritual powers and experiences, Maitreya says. The experiences the Lord gave Jesus are being given to certain disciples today. But in the case of Jesus, his mind initially became possessive of those experiences. The mind tried to use these spiritual powers to achieve certain goals. Jesus was concerned about disparities between rich and poor and he began to preach that "In the eyes of the Lord, no one is rich or poor". But he should, instead, have helped people try to realize the Self, for by this process one learns automatically to use what one needs and to pass on the excess. At that time, Maitreya says, Jesus should have taught, "Be not attached to riches or poverty". When you try to preach, you create nothing but limitation. The true teaching is, "I am with you if you are honest, sincere, detached". When the priests challenged Jesus, "Why can you not free yourself, if you are God?", Jesus could do nothing at that moment. Then, when Jesus was on the Cross and asked, "My Lord, My Lord, why hast Thou forsaken me?", he was given a vision and the prayer Maitreya gave out in these teachings (see "A Prayer for the New Age" after the Question and Answers section). He was taught that the entire creation is the Lord's. "Without the Lord's will," says Maitreya, "nothing takes place". In that moment he understood that the mind should not run after spiritual powers. Upon experiencing the vision, Jesus said: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". When you are free of attachments, as Buddha was, you are given the vision of the Absolute (nirvana). The lesson here is that Jesus was attached to that which He wanted to achieve (justice and parity between rich and poor). His teaching was relative, however, because it was submerged in opposites, and so the Lord gave him a vision of Light. Jesus realized in mind, spirit and body that the relative and the absolute are two aspects of the same Light. Then silence prevailed. He was satisfied. Jesus as a person, as an individual entity, experienced the sustenance, the support, of the Almighty. People everywhere, says Maitreya, are beginning to experience this now. What will the signs of this experience be? People will be able to explain in simple sentences what Jesus experienced in Christ. When you experience the One who sustains you, who is the source of all creation, you know that without Him nothing takes place. At such a time, the Self is oblivious to everything that is happening around it, as was the case when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". When you are honest, sincere, detached, you can reach this stage. During the period of these teachings, Maitreya discussed briefly the controversial film by Martin Scorsese, The Last Temptation of Christ. Many in several countries strongly opposed showing the film because it depicted Jesus being tempted to engage in sex. Maitreya commented that temptations of mind, spirit and body force the self to do something against the will of the real Self. Jesus passed through these stages and was also tempted. "Does anyone know what he did?" Nobody is really in a position to know, Maitreya pointed out, what Jesus actually did. However, even if Jesus had had sexual intercourse in his lifetime, Maitreya noted, one cannot say "Having sex is an offense to God". It is not the case, He says, that "To know the Lord you have got to give up sex. I do not make such regulations." The Lord says: "Do not condemn sex. If you condemn sex you will never know who I am." If you condemn sex, you must ask yourself how you were born. Where did you come from? The Lord does not say, "Give up your wife and children." Does anyone make a fuss about birth and death? Who is not born of sexual intercourse? Do not preach that sex is dirty. It is natural and does not need to be taught. It develops with the evolutionary forces of life. The true Master is awareness, which teaches at the right moment. To educate about sex prematurely is also not advisable. Things should be allowed to take their natural course. "You will find that the sexual act, performed with sincerity of spirit, honesty of mind and detachment, becomes divine. If it is divine, it does not cling to mind, spirit and body. You are free even at that moment. You know the results of the sexual act performed with possessiveness and attachment. The hunger grows, the person can become oversexed and eventually can commit sexual crimes, which are carried out with dishonesty of mind, an insincere spirit and attachment. Any act performed thus becomes destructive." In the process of commenting on The Last Temptation of Christ Maitreya drew a contrast between the attitudes of priests and film-makers toward religion. Religious men run after Christ, He said, and so they give up everything. The Lord gives them certain experiences to quiet the mind. These men then stipulate that others must give up what they have given up in order to have these experiences and reach the stage they have reached. But many religious leaders are, in fact, running away from the realities of life. The film-makers, by comparison, clothe this matter with "inquisitive mind." The mind wants to find things out, but inquisitiveness alone creates division. Detachment and sincerity of spirit would have produced a different film. Another work of art, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, created even more serious religious division. Maitreya explains the problem thus: when the baby cries out for a lollipop and doesn't get it, he becomes angry and confused, and ends up calling his mummy bad names. So it was with Salman Rushdie. He was looking for divine experiences through religion and when he failed he began describing his difficulties and his disillusion. But his failure to experience anything does not negate divinity, because it does not exist in evolution. It exists only in the Supreme Being. A writer or poet fails, says Maitreya, because he or she is seeking the ultimate. But that cannot be found in life -- in evolution. So when they fail to find the ultimate they embark on founding religions and philosophies. They begin to create doubts about the existence of God. These writers are neither right nor wrong in looking for new goals and new experiences. But when they create disturbances through their work, those who read them begin to panic because they do not want to lose their certainties. Salman Rushdie and the devout Muslims are in the same boat because they are clinging to their beliefs and are frightened of losing them. Maitreya says that He has come to guide us to experience Him in our hearts. That experience cannot happen in the mind, spirit or body because they exist in evolution, while Divinity is pure and eternal. The Self exists in the heart, which is where you experience God.

Religion in the new age

All the great religions are experiencing rapid changes. In China there are signs that people are beginning to frequent churches and temples more, and this same process is also occurring in the USSR. In the case of Christianity, there are divisions; people are questioning, challenging. Christianity, along with the other religions, is undergoing a process of purification, in that individuals are going to experience, for the first time, that Divinity is not "outside" but situated "simultaneously" in the heart and in the universe, in all of creation. The Self is now beginning to experience its own, distinct identity. The One who sustains the Self and makes Him aware cannot be limited; He is universal. "No one has a hold on the Christ". The Lord's message is indivisible and applies to one and all: "If you are serving Me, I am everywhere". There is really no contradiction between the different religions. Religions have been trapped through words and slogans into vying with each other. This competition will disappear and the essence will remain. Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists will all experience Oneness. Those who cling to old forms will create division after division. But these forms will eventually disappear. This process is inevitable. Churches, mosques and temples will become meeting places, as well as centres where those in need can be helped by others. A more inclusive religious consciousness will characterize the 21st century. President Arap Moi of Kenya will lay the foundation stone for a temple suited to this new consciousness in Kajadio. There, the symbols of all the great religions will be represented, and this temple will become a place of pilgrimage for people from neighbouring countries. "Kenya will be to Africa," Maitreya says, "what Mecca is to Islam". People of all religions will gather to pray there. This kind of temple, dedicated to religions in the new age, will also be built in Montreal, London, and India. This does not constitute the establishment of a new religion, but rather it is the creation of structures suited to the growing realization of brotherhood.

THE ART OF SELF-REALIZATION

"I have not come to found a new religion," Maitreya says. "I have come to teach the art of Self-realization," something which is neither an ideology nor a religion, but benefits people of all religions and those who have none. "I come to you 'like a thief in the night'", He tells us, "so that you will not become too excited. Slowly, as you become aware, you can 'digest' what is 'eaten'. In awareness you will know Me. In 'isms' you will fight against me". Looking for Maitreya under titles, even the title of "the Messiah", can lead to illusion: "'Messiah' is a word coined by the human race, and to say 'I am the Messiah,' can create opposition." And although some may find the qualities of Jesus in Him, Maitreya says, "Those who look for Me as a Teacher are nearer the mark, for that is what I am".* The true quality of the Teacher will be seen in the teaching -- which is that the Master is within you. In Maitreya's words, "I seek to express that which I am through you; for this I come".* "I have not come to create followers", says Maitreya. "Each of you should continue to develop within your own religious tradition. A real disciple is one who will respect the traditions. Respect your own religions, your own ideologies, in brief, your own thoughtform, and you will experience the Master. Even when you see me, do not run after me. If you run after me, you will lose me. I cannot be monopolized -- I belong to everyone." "If you personify Me, He warns, you will create nothing but confusion, chaos, destruction. If you parade Me, you do not know who I am. Even My signs create only momentary happiness. The happiest moment is when you see Me within your heart." "I have not come to puzzle or startle people. When people experience Me, for the first time they will know the purpose of life." You will not feel you are leading a futile life, but one in which the Master is within you, guiding you. This sense of inwardness will give you another perspective in life. You will feel you are enjoying life. Fulfilment will take place within. Everything is within you. When this happens you will not react in anger. With a sense of detachment you will experience the power of God. God is behind everything. "I do not want you to believe in Me. First experience Me within you. When you experience Me then you become aware of My presence within you: it is not a matter of belief first. I do not want you to accept or reject me -- it is your inner experience which counts". What you experience yourself, says Maitreya, is your wealth, the richness of your own Being. The living truth is a matter of experience". Do not try to worship Me, Maitreya counsels. If you worship Me you are trying to lower yourself. I do not want this. I want you to be equal. You are a spark of the Supreme Being. Do not think you are below Me. "The Self alone matters," Maitreya teaches. You are that Self, "an immortal Being." Suffering is caused by identification with anything and everything which is not the Self. Ask yourself, "Who am I?" You will see that you are identified either with matter (the body), or with thought (the mind) or with power (spirit). But you are none of these. "Mind, spirit and body are the temples of the Lord; the Self experiences in these 'the supreme Being and Becoming of the Lord'". Spirit, in the Sanskrit terminology, is Shiv-shakti, which is energy. Mind is Brahma, which is thought-formation. Body is Prakriti, which is material substance and can also be thought of as material activity. These terms can be regarded as objective facts, but they can also be thought of as movement or processes. The destiny of the Self is to be free. Considered in its freedom, in its Being, it is called Atman. Within the limitations of time and space, in its becoming, it is the soul, or Jiva. The Self is not energy (Shiv-shakti, spirit); the Self is not thought-formation (Brahma, or mind); the Self is not material activity (Prakriti, the body). The destiny of the Self is to enter and leave these temples of the Lord at will. Shiva and Brahma can be seen as aspects of a trinity that includes Vishnu, the sustaining aspect. If a person is overpowered by Shiv-shakti, he can perform miracles. Yet the person looks withdrawn, blank. If a person is overpowered by Brahma, he can be a philosopher, but he can be imprisoned in that thought formation. A person overpowered by the Vishnu aspect can give, and give generously, perhaps become a saint, but that, too, can be a prison. During the 1960s, "hippies" responded to the Vishnu aspect, having become disillusioned with power (Shiv-shakti) and mind (Brahma). Being is eternal, Becoming is temporal. The Self experiences both. Being and becoming are two modalities. Being is unchanging, whereas becoming is a process of unfolding in time and space. Man, in his Being, is the Self. In his becoming, he is the soul -- the reflection of the Self. The Self witnesses. It plays the 'mini-role' of the Almighty. The Self is the spark of the Almighty. "There are times when you become aware that someone is behind you, within you, over you, around you -- something is present." "That 'something'", Maitreya says, "is the Almighty. It does not participate; it observes. No one need struggle for this step. Everyone qualifies at this stage. Then, as your awareness grows, if you practice the discipline of detachment, you will know Me in My totality. The moment you think of Me, I am with you." The Self makes itself known through awareness. The Self makes mind, spirit and body aware of reality and thus able to make decisions accordingly. Maitreya says, "Let your awareness grow. Awareness, with intelligence, will guide mind, spirit and body. This will create harmony between mind, spirit and body and the Self." Then the Self can use the forces of Life to transform things, to effect "miracles". Mind, spirit and body are simply vehicles. Awareness is the light of life. Anything done outside awareness leads to destruction. All thoughts which lead you to selfishness lead you away from awareness. In awareness there is no memory. Memory is only in the mind. All struggle and care is in the mind, never in awareness. Suffering, depression and craving for drugs are all states of mind. Awareness sets you free and allows you to enjoy life. When awareness is still dormant, "isms" control mind, spirit and body and create divisions. This is maya -- illusion. When awareness controls and guides you, "isms" cannot come close to you. Awareness can even make a king give up his kingdom, Maitreya teaches. Privileges divide, denying oneness to the entity within you. "Isms" are not thrown away all at once. They are steps on the way. Awareness controls the pace of evolution. Yet in awareness there is no burden. You remain meticulous, immaculate, pure. There is grace, peace and happiness. These are the blessings of the Lord. Awareness will come to be respected in the home and in the school as a sacred, God-given gift, Maitreya says. Awareness is the mother of creation. It can never be divided, nor imposed. Textbooks cannot describe it, because there is no beginning nor end to it. Awareness can only be experienced. It is a seed in all creation and in every individual. Awareness is universal and does not "belong" to any religion, nor to any guru, saint or politician. According to Maitreya, when you judge, saying "I am right. You are wrong", you are caught in the web of attachment. The Self must always practise detachment. In this way, awareness will grow. The Self is neutral and free from suffering. Awareness protects the Self. Just as the body must be bathed, detachment is the "bath" of mind, and awareness is the "bath" of spirit.

* These words appear also in Messages from Maitreya the Christ, No.10, published by Tara Center, Los Angeles, and received through Benjamin Creme on 8 November 1977.

THE PRACTICE OF SELF-REALIZATION

One of the easiest ways to know Me, Maitreya says, is to be honest in your mind; be sincere in your spirit; feed your body with right food; and practise detachment. This will create harmony. When you experience the Self within and come to know you are an immortal entity, completely separate from mind, spirit and body, you learn to use these temples of the Lord creatively, with awareness. Processes of healing follow automatically. "You have been given mind, spirit and body," says Maitreya, "to express My Being and Becoming in thought, speech and action." Any action performed with dishonesty of mind, an insincere spirit and attachment is destructive. For example, when you think one thing, say another, and do something which is different again, you are lost. Honesty of mind leads to honest speech and honest action. This harmony leads to peace and happiness. "Whether you are a thief or a saint," He counsels, "you can begin right now." But, people have asked, "How do we begin? How do we practise sincerity?" Consider an expression which is often used, such as "having a heart-to-heart talk" with someone, Maitreya responds. What does this mean? It means you will express yourself as you really are, you will communicate from the centre -- your centre -- the Self. Practise this. It will transform you and those around you. The heart is never tarnished or touched; it is the seat of the soul. It is the mind that leads us astray. Peace, bliss, happiness and grace are the qualities of the heart. "By tuning into the 'feelings of the heart'", Maitreya teaches, "you are able to experience your natural innocence, that innocence you had as a child. Do not 'visualize' the heart. For that is only the mind seeking to find the source of light with a torch." Maitreya teaches that everyone needs their "inner space", where there is no direction, no one telling you where to go and what to do. No one can lead you. You are born to be aware of yourself, to know the Master in yourself. Your inner space is sacred. It is where all things, all problems, dissolve. It is where you go when you tell others you are tired and frightened and "fed up", when you want to be left alone to find your own space. According to Maitreya, "You have been given that space so that the confusion and chaos around you will dissolve. You must never surrender that space to anyone, except your true Self. Meditation is really a journey back to that space to find peace and happiness".

Be what you are

"Be what you are," He tells us. "Do not follow one another. If you practise honesty of mind, sincerity of spirit and detachment, you will know your Self, you will know Me, you will know the Lord." If you follow others instead of being yourself, you lose your sparkle and cannot reflect the light of individuality. Without that light, there is no progress in life. To follow another means to copy, imitate or identify with another, forgetting your real Self. As an example, consider popular entertainment stars. Many fans try to dress and behave like them, but this does not lead to happiness or fulfilment. The task of the Master is to awaken the Self within. When you, in turn, know your Self, you can awaken others. To awaken another, however, does not mean to cast your shadow over him. When the Self awakens, development follows naturally; the person fulfils his own destiny and enjoys the blessings of the Lord. The pace of development of each person can thus be respected: "Let the pagan believe in the stone, because without the Lord there is no stone." Correct relationship between the Self and mind, spirit and body is what matters. "Do not surrender your self-respect, your dignity to others. The moment you surrender yourself to some other self you become a 'zombie'. Do not allow any shadow, even, to possess you". Maitreya illustrates His point with the following example: "If the personality of an enlightened man falls on a child who is not yet prepared, what happens? The personality of that child is extinguished. The child becomes like charcoal. Apply this to many politicians and their children. The children cannot progress. They have no sense of freedom and are unable to express themselves". Therefore, "Do not allow anyone to cast his shadow over you. A Master gives experiences, but does not cast his shadow." Remain open-minded, Maitreya says. "Enjoy life. When you enjoy life you are sitting on the beach looking at the vast ocean. At that moment you experience serenity, tranquility, detachment within. You do not think of your bank account at that moment. Nobody lectures you at that moment. The gift of life flowers within you. Experience this and you will realize you are a unique person. You are unique in this creation. Whatever you do in life, Maitreya teaches, practise detachment and you will achieve equilibrium. You will experience the forces of life passing through your mind, spirit and body and yet not be possessed by them. "When you do this the 'Third Eye' is opened and you will be able to sense what is happening around you and foresee events." It is the destiny and evolution of everyone to reach this state. Detachment is the process whereby man ceases to identify with the material aspect (the body), with the thought aspect (the mind) and with the energy or power aspect (the spirit), and thus he comes to know and be his real Self. That Self is endless. Awareness is endless. Mind, spirit and body, however, have a beginning and an end. The laws of creation are in the mind; the universal energy is in the spirit; and the forum for the materialization of the creation is the physical body. With detachment, the Self experiences the phenomena of the mind, spirit and body, but does not become attached to the miraculous powers of which these three vehicles are capable. In effect, when the Self observes God's powers it is detachment which saves the Self from imprisonment in the bondages of life. If you do not know yourself as the Self, however, you can become attached to body, mind or spirit. If you are attached to the body, you will find that there is no end to material desires and sensual gratifications. Greed grows, the search continues, and satisfaction always eludes you. When you are detached, the Self experiences these powers and allows the fulfilment of divine purpose. To possess is not only to misuse but to misdirect and to interfere. For example, true spiritual healers allow the Lord to work through them but remain detached both from cause (the Lord's will) and effect (the healing of a particular individual). This is why it is important to remain detached both from success and failure. Some individuals are healed; some are not. If you do not claim anything for yourself, pride cannot flourish and all is directed according to spiritual law. You do not heal; the Lord heals. The Self knows this. Practise with detachment and leave the consequence to the Lord. To learn detachment is an art. With it, the scientist will learn the laws of physics and chemistry (the laws of creation) and will apply them, creating things which constitute God's work. The artist, with detachment, will be able to describe God through his own experiences. We are all observers in this vast creation. If we observe with a strong sense of detachment, we will find beauty in it, equilibrium, harmony. To be honest, sincere and detached is to experience oneness with God. But so often this oneness is interpreted by people as loneliness and something to be feared. Yet the feeling of loneliness is the supreme blessing in disguise, says Maitreya, because it shows that a person is approaching oneness with the Lord. Detachment is the most powerful "drug". It becomes so effective that it immunizes the Self from the processes and proceedings of mind, spirit and body. Without detachment there is no salvation. Even a thief can experience the awareness that comes with detachment. If a thief comes to you, says Maitreya, do not preach; it will not work. Teach him to be honest about what he is doing. The thief will gradually acquire detachment. Detachment enables the mysteries of life to become clearer, and the thief, with detachment, eventually realizes the mind is reacting to a particular thought formation.

Divine hand

Maitreya says: "Even when you are thieving, know that without the divine hand of the Lord you would not be able to thieve." The Self only witnesses. Gradually the Self becomes aware of its mastership. Gradually, the Self controls mind, spirit and body. Everyone has his own wealth, which no one can take away. This wealth is Self-realization. People want someone to free them from all their sufferings. Yet, it is detachment which frees you from suffering. "Free will is the most important thing given to you, and your destiny is to be free." Thus attachment is loss of freedom; detachment is freedom. In childhood you are detached. But as you grow, if you become attached, you lose the beauty of life. The Lord comes again, in your old age, to free you. The day the Self within is free of the stresses and strains inherent in the processes of being and becoming, yet fulfils Its duty in a detached manner, the Kingdom of the Lord is experienced by the Self in the heart. "When you become desireless all the burdens of life are removed." If you want to know Me, Maitreya says, you have to give up all your attachments. This teaching is simple to understand, yet difficult to put into practice in your activities, because you need discipline. An experience of the Lord can help you develop detachment. When the Self is taken away from mind, spirit and body (even momentarily), that experience alone is sufficient. Maitreya says: "This is not philosophy. I am teaching you live things, not 'past, present and future.' If you practise honesty of mind, sincerity of spirit and detachment while you are alive, you can embrace My totality in one single birth." Detachment releases us from the cyclical patterns of cause and effect -- karma -- which govern our lives. As long as we are conditioned, however, these cyclical patterns repeat themselves. According to Maitreya's teaching, everything that has materialized is called Prakriti. This Sanskrit word refers to material activity or matter in broad terms, but "prakritis, in the plural, also refers to human activities which are the result of conditioning. Prakriti is your 'second nature.' At present, your second nature controls mind, spirit and body. As awareness grows, its strength diminishes. But as long as you are controlled by your second nature you cannot understand the art of existence. Maitreya is inspiring humanity to fulfil its destiny which is to free itself of this second nature through growing self-awareness. This teaching is embodied in the biblical story of the Garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In this interpretation, the snake that tempted Adam and Eve is a symbol of "prakritis", that is, of conditioning -- the opposite of freedom. Once you "eat" knowledge (a possessive act) rather than facing knowledge with awareness (whereby you understand that you must not "grab") you are no longer free. When Jesus went to various places preaching "Love thy neighbour as thyself", he also preached honesty and sincerity, because this creates love within you. The rabbis went to Mary to complain that her son was preaching things which were not in line with their teaching. Mary would ask Jesus why he was teaching in this way. At times there were arguments. Had tempers flared, Mary could have thought, "My son is mad". This is conditioning. Conditioning is like an egg. Once incubated, the life within bursts through the shell. When conditioning cracks, there is a sense of relief. Conditioning can crack with awareness or without awareness. When conditioning cracks without awareness the result is a shock. It has such power it can even destroy part of the memory. The energy tied up in conditioning is like the tremendous energy tied up in a volcano. The destiny of conditioning is that it will burst. No one can remain conditioned for ever. This is why Maitreya says, "Be detached, then you will not be conditioned." Detachment means the Self is using energy. Attachment means energy is using the Self. When energy uses the Self, the effects are destructive. Creation has energy and if that energy is disturbed it can shake our world and even break it, says Maitreya. "One has to be careful with energy. If you try to possess it, it will destroy you. You may be good at mathematics and become a first class mathematician. But what happens? You can become unbalanced if there is no equilibrium on the intellectual level. 'It is the same if you are caught up in spiritualism. You can become obsessive.' Be detached and intelligently use that energy. Life is equilibrium and balance." After the environment, the understanding of energy is the top priority in the world now. For the first time in the history of the human race, people will become aware of energy in their lives. Although no one knows where this energy comes from, or where it goes after death, all experience it during their lives. In extreme cases, it is energy which goads a murderer to pick up a knife and kill another. Yet the murderer, unaware of it, wonders what forced him to act. In another extreme example, a yogi experiences a sudden surge of creative energy which pushes him into unknown regions where psychic powers are available to him. But the yogi is not affected because his training helps him to remain detached. He is not possessed by the energy. Without this energy nothing can happen, and without it none of us can fulfil our destinies. Just as humanity has become aware of the environment, checking the food before we eat it, conscious of our health, so it will become conscious of this energy. This energy must be understood. Then it can be used to help the human race. Once triggered, it can be guided and used creatively. However, if triggered blindly, as in some scientific or psychic experiments, it will destroy. People can suddenly go mad and kill, for there is very little "space" between these happenings in accordance with the Law of cause and effect. This energy can goad the Self into situations in which it becomes trapped in the mind. But what is the mind? It is nothing less than the blueprint of creation. It is not personal. It is universal, like energy. In spiritual language, energy is the Spirit while mind is the Holy Ghost. The Master (Maitreya) says it is like a ghost because it can appear in any form. It can be a human being, a snake, or fire. Anything and everything in creation is in the mind. If the Self is goaded by energy into the trap of mind then the Self will be caught up in the cyclic evolution known as Karma (cause and effect). None the less , the Self has to undergo the experiences of the mind in order to evolve to the point of full Self-realization. The mind, of course, can act like God and control and manipulate the energy to achieve anything. But these psychic or magical powers can be very destructive. As awareness grows, it guides the Self which can then use the mind, spirit and body with intelligence. Balancing energy and environment is the key to salvation.

QUESTIONS ON MAITREYA'S TEACHINGS

Over the past two years Benjamin Creme has answered several questions from readers prompted by our publications containing Maitreya's teachings. A number of these questions and answers are reprinted here.

Q. Help! One of the reasons I have felt drawn to your belief that the Christ is in the world (and to the messages He gave through you) is the emphasis on justice and ending hunger and all that. Now, however, Maitreya is indicating that Jesus was wrong for trying to solve the problems of justice and poverty. Where did I get lost?

A. With respect, Maitreya, I believe, is not saying that Jesus was wrong for trying to solve the problems of justice and poverty. As the reader suggests, Maitreya Himself calls for an end to these human miseries in almost every one of the 140 messages relayed through me. And they are still His immediate concern. What, I believe, He is faulting in Jesus (through whom He Himself was working) was Jesus' attachment to what He wanted to achieve: justice. There is all the difference in the world between a desire to see justice reign and a fanatical attachment to that desire, thus dividing rich men from poor men. As Maitreya says, the true teaching is about detachment. His words vis-a-vis Jesus should be seen in the general context of what He is saying about detachment.

Q. I do not understand what Maitreya means when He talks about our "second nature". Is He using "second nature" as an equivalent to astral body?

A. By "second nature", I believe Maitreya means the desire principle, the instinctual and astral mechanism of the personality vehicles. At present, most people are controlled by the desire principle. By gradual detachment from its action, self-awareness grows, leading eventually to Self-realization, moksha or Liberation.

Q. I thought that "The Great Invocation" was going to be the new world prayer, and many have been using it for a long time. Why introduce another prayer?

A. There are three forms of mantrams, or words of power: Prayer, Invocation and Affirmation. The Lord's Prayer is, as the name suggests, a prayer, a (largely) emotional supplication to the Divine to supply our daily needs of food, protection, guidance and so on. It is passive, asking God to do all, implying therefore that God is separate from us. The Great Invocation is not prayer but a mantram whereby God's energies -- through His Representatives -- the Buddha, the Christ and Shamballa -- are consciously invoked, by an understanding of the ideas of the Invocation and by the intent of the will. This is an entirely new factor and reflects a higher approach. The new world prayer given by Maitreya is really an Affirmation with an invocative effect, and will be a powerful tool in the recognition by us that man and God are One, that there is no separation. By affirming that I am the Creator of the Universe I can come into consciousness (eventually) that I am God, the true reality.

Q. Who is the "I" in the Prayer for the New Age given by Maitreya? Is it (1) our Father in Heaven; (2) the Ancient of Days (as in the Christian Bible); (3) does it mean Maitreya; or (4) other?

A. It is the Divine Principle behind all creation. The Self emanates from, and is identical to, the Divine Principle. Through mind, spirit and body, the Self realizes the Supreme Being, and, in time and space, the becoming of that Divine Principle. It is this Principle that Maitreya calls "the Lord".

Q. What is the difference between being "honest in mind" and "sincere in spirit"?

A. As I understand it, to be sincere in spirit is to have a general attitude of sincerity, ie to be direct, open, spontaneous and inclusive as a normal expression of one's experience of life. By honesty of mind, I believe, is meant the capacity for truthful expression and thinking. As a natural course, one should not deceive oneself or others by thinking one is other than one is. The two, of course, are closely related, corollaries; one begets the other.

Q. Why was the technology of light not given to the United Nations rather than to individual governments who might misuse it?

A. Because the technology can only be understood by scientists, and the United Nations does not have such a group of scientists under its jurisdiction. Scientists work on a national basis and only the two superpowers, the United States and the USSR, have been given this technology because they have the greatest arsenal of nuclear weapons (which the new technology makes obsolete) and where they lead the others must inevitably follow. If they say "our nuclear arsenal is obsolete", what value then have the British, French, Chinese (or Indian, Pakistani, or Israeli) bombs? Eventually, this new technology of light will indeed come under the jurisdiction of the United Nations.

Q. If the new technology of light will eventually cure all diseases, does this mean that each individual will decide himself when to die, not as a result of physical decay?

A. The time is coming when each of us will know instinctively when to die and we will "pass over" consciously. The new technology will make possible a much longer physical life (with greater efficiency) but eventually the organism will wear out completely and a conscious decision to die will be taken. We will know that there is no such thing as death, but simply a shift of consciousness from this to another plane. In the course of time (as we understand it) and according to our destiny, we will reincarnate in new healthier bodies to continue this process of perfection.

Q. Please explain the reason for disasters such as floods, earthquakes and the like. Must they happen before the good times arrive?

A. Many of the disasters are the direct result of our wrong thought and action. For example, most of the earthquakes which occur do so as a result of underground nuclear tests which are carried out by several nations. An earthquake, not necessarily in the vicinity of the test, is the inevitable result of such activity. Furthermore, the pollution of our atmosphere, of the oceans and rivers, upsets the balance of nature. The nature elementals respond, through floods, hurricanes and so on, to purify the planet of these destructive energies. I am afraid that more such disasters are forecast as the purification process reaches a peak.

Q. Will the new science of light be able to neutralize the atomic waste which, for example, is dumped in the seas?

A. Yes. Not only atomic waste but the stockpiles of nuclear weapons can be neutralized and made safe.

A PRAYER FOR THE NEW AGE

I am the creator of the universe. I am the father and mother of the universe. Everything came from me. Everything shall return to me. Mind, spirit and body are my temples, for the Self to realize in them my Supreme Being and Becoming.

A Prayer for the New Age, given by Maitreya the Christ, is a great mantram or affirmaiton with an invocative effect. Using this prayer will enable one to recognize that Man and God are One, that there is no separation. The "I" is the Divine Principle behind all creation. The Self emanates from, and is identical to, the Divine Principle.

The most effective way to use this mantram is to say or think the words with focused will, the attention at the ajna centre between the eyebrows. When the mind grasps the meaning of the concepts and simultaneously the will is brought to bear, then those concepts will be activated and the mantram will work. If it is said seriously every day, there will grow inside you a realization of your true Self.

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING

Share International Magazine, (Amsterdam: Share International Foundation, 1982 - present)

Subscription information: (for North/South America) -- Share International, P.O. Box 971, North Hollywood, CA 91603, USA.

(for UK) -- Share International, 61 Gloucester Place, London W1H 3PE, UK.

(for the rest of the world) -- Share International, P.O. Box 41877, 1009 DB Amsterdam, Holland.

Maitreya's Mission, Benjamin Creme (Amsterdam: Share International Foundation, 1986).

Messages from Maitreya the Christ, Benjamin Creme (London: Tara Press, 1990)

Initiation, Human and Solar, Alice A. Bailey (London: Lucis Press, 1922)

The Soul and Its Mechanism, Alice A. Bailey (London: Lucis Press, 1930)

The Consciousness of the Atom, Alice A. Bailey (London: Lucis Press 1922)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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