Messages from Maitreya the Christ
Messages from Maitreya the Christ, Book review by Marc Gregory  Many readers of Share International magazine, and those who have followed the Reappearance story for some time, will have read and re-read these Messages from Maitreya, turning to them over and again for inspiration, guidance and solace. Yet however familiar we may have become with them, it is worth noting how extraordinary it is that they exist at all  -  that the World Teacher might choose to address humanity in this way, that is, through the agency of a uniquely qualified man, as a part of His effort to re-acquaint us with Himself and proclaim the fact of His presence in the modern world.  In the time since these Messages were first given (between Autumn 1977 and Spring 1982), much has changed. Yet much remains to be done before we are living in the kind of planetary community Maitreya envisions. There is no doubt then that His advent is an event of unprecedented significance, nothing less than a turning point for the world and the future of all life upon it. And because of the significance of the event, and the nature of the Messages themselves, it is something of a challenge to write about them.   Some years ago, in his spare time, a young man would occasionally browse through a New Age bookstore he knew of not far from his home. Not being particularly well-informed on spiritual matters, but having a certain distaste for organized religion, he nevertheless kept seeing an unusual-looking book with a large silver-lined red diamond set against a vivid blue background on the cover, with the title Messages from Maitreya the Christ. Every time he found himself meandering through the bookstore, this particular volume would quietly draw his attention. At first, owing to a certain skepticism, he really had no interest at all. "Maitreya", he thought. "Who on earth could that be?" After a few more visits, no matter what path he took ambling through the store, he always seemed to end up looking at the red diamond on the blue background. Something like "just buy it, will you?" kept running through his head. So he bought the book.  It probably isn't difficult to figure out that that young man was me, and it certainly isn't that my personal experiences are so important, except for the fact that they, or something like them, are probably shared by many as they first come into contact with these Messages. Needless to say, I did read them, and in so doing, my initial skepticism disappeared  -  completely overwhelmed as I was by their extraordinary power, simplicity and profundity of utterance. They seemed to bypass all the inhibitory tendencies of the mind and strike a resonant chord on a much deeper level  -  or on all levels at once. It is not unimportant that this is so. These Messages cut right to the heart of the most seemingly complex, intractable issues and boldly point a way out. Not only do we live in a world saturated with unnecessary fear, that grips most of us in large ways and small, but, partially as a result of that fear, much of the human race has become mired in inaction. We love to discuss. We love to conduct studies, to inquire, to complicate when we claim to be elucidating, to debate and to constantly toss issues back and forth. In essence, we love to talk, remaining mired in equivocation and inertia. And indeed, there are those who would like nothing more than to see this vainglorious inactivity continue, ad infinitum.   "The problems of men are real, but solvable - Take your brother's need as the measure for your action and solve the problems of the world. There is no other course." (Message No.52) In that succinct statement, volumes are spoken. In it lies a tremendous antidote  -  and a challenge  -  to our paralysis and inertia. And, in that statement also lies the central theme of Maitreya's message, one that He returns to again and again: the principle of sharing.   Power and clarity  Maitreya speaks with focussed power and clarity about the monumental, agonising injustice of dire poverty and its proliferation throughout the world; of how that poverty is completely unnecessary, and of how its existence is an affront to our essential nature and to the nature of reality itself.  "How can you be content with the modes within which you now live: when millions starve and die in squalor; when the rich parade their wealth before the poor; when each man is his neighbour's enemy; when no man trusts his brother? For how long must you live thus, My friends? For how long can you support this degradation?" (Message No.81) Our fear and our problems derive from a flaw in our collective perception. We have yet to grasp an essential reality of life  -  that all are One. "Firstly, men must see themselves as brothers, sons of the One Father. This is essential if they would progress one step nearer the Godhead." (Message No.11) "... for only in so far as man correctly relates to man does he so relate to God." (Message No.29) "The crime of separation must be driven from this world. I affirm that as My Purpose." (Message No.93) Were we to actually see reality the way Maitreya and the Masters see it, we would gladly forego "the crime of separation" and all the misery to which it leads. All over the world, more and more people, as a response to the energy He embodies, and that He and the Masters radiate, sense this and are increasingly convinced that life can and must be infinitely better than it presently is. "The major need today is for the transformation of the structures within which you now live. Your civilisation, My friends, is dying  -  nay, it is already dead. Out of its ashes will grow a new beauty, whose basis is Love, Justice and Sharing." (Message No.107)  Change of direction  No matter how pointed or blunt Maitreya is in certain passages concerning the state of the world, and the dangers we face, He also never fails to inspire and encourage. He repeatedly reminds us of who we truly are, and what we can do to regain our poise and reconnect with our essential nature. "My plan is to realize within you that which you truly are, to show you that you stem from the Godhead Itself, and to that Divine Source must return." (Message No.66) "Despite the signs, the changes are occurring. Despite the tension, My Love is spread abroad. Know this and be at peace within yourselves and raise the hope of men." (Message No.22) "Smilingly turn your gaze on the future. Laughingly turn your back on the past. Gratefully receive the blessing of God's Love and create anew the Plan." (Message No.104) "My Mission begins. Already much is accomplished. Soon the tide will turn and men will sense and respond in joy to My Presence." (Message No.49) The tremendous tension in the world notwithstanding, there is no doubt that since these words were first spoken, many things have changed for the better. There is a new and fresh impetus for real justice, especially among young people, who increasingly want no part of the divisive, warlike ways of the past. Protests like the 'Arab Spring', and the 'Occupy' movements across the globe, the development of the internet and the capacity for information and images to 'go viral' in literally minutes are connecting peoples around the world in ways heretofore unimagined. In His call for true peace, brotherhood and justice, Maitreya states: "When I make Myself known, I shall express the hope of all mankind for a new life, a new start, a readiness to change direction; to see the construction of a New World in which men can live in peace; can live free from fear of themselves or their brothers; free to create from the joy in their hearts; free to be themselves, in simple honesty." (Message No.8) In approximately 100 television interviews given (always incognito) over the past three years, Maitreya has, it would seem, done precisely that. And, as He continues with His Emergence, there is an exhortation that appears, expressed in various ways, in almost every Message: "If you would serve Me and serve the world, make known, My friends, that I am here." (Message No.69) Maitreya is certain that humanity will make the right choices, that we will follow His and the Masters' guidance and do what is necessary to transform the world.  "I know that within men sits a Divine Being, Whose Plan it is that Love and Justice should triumph. This being so, the end is assured." (Message No.77) Or, in the words of Benjamin Creme, "One day, this planet will shine like a diamond in the Heavens." There are also passages so ineffably moving, so profoundly expressive that they seem to simply stop time. Every careful reader will find several or many of his or her own. Passages like: "Look for Me in the dark places, where hunger and strife abound. Know Me as the Brother of the poor, the rejected of the world. See Me thus, My friends and brothers, and see the Lord of Love." (Message No.128)  Clearly, the value of these Messages is not confined solely to the information conveyed by the words themselves. The choice of words, their placement in context, the rhythm and the flow of the language and the way Maitreya returns to the same ideas expressed in different ways, all give the Messages a mantric quality. Thus, as Benjamin Creme points out in his Foreword to the book, they can be used to focus personal and group meditations (many Transmission Meditation groups play one of the recorded Messages before each meditation), as vehicles for serious and prolonged contemplation, and as a means of powerfully invoking His energy and some measure of His attention. Also, while in many of the Messages Maitreya presents Himself as "a simple Man", the great Friend of old, the Elder Brother of the human race, in every tenth one, He speaks more expansively about His true status  -  as the One awaited by all of humanity, as the living embodiment of the Christ Principle on Earth, as the Avatar for the Age of Aquarius.  "I am the Saviour of Old. I am the Teacher of the New. I am the Guide for the Future Time. I am the Law embodied. I am Truth Itself. I am your Friend and Brother. I am your Self." (Message No.70) The more expansive tone of every tenth message gives the entire set an overarching mantric rhythm and quality, amplify...