Maitreya's Mission (Volume 1)
Maitreya's Mission: Volume One by Benjamin Creme, A book review by Carmen Font  Thomas Edison (1847-1931), who gave us the light-bulb, once said that "opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". Too often we tend to believe that the greatest breakthroughs in human life are in most cases the result of 'genius' and 'chance'. Even though these two factors play a role in every achievement, hard work is always a prerequisite. Working consistently, with a focused and sincere intention, provides the necessary energy to invite an 'opportunity'. By responding to a window of opportunity, we participate in the creation or the unveiling of an achievement. The bigger the achievement, the more effort it demands. What we interpret as 'hard work' often requires the performance of arduous tasks, the sacrifice of the lesser for the higher, a degree of physical or emotional discomfort and the avoidance of our line of least resistance. Constructive hard work is never the result of coercion or lack of purpose. Creative work is undertaken with faith in the result, even when we cannot see the prize amidst the fog. Thus hard work becomes a mission.  Maitreya reminds us in His Message Number 31 that "nothing happens by itself. Man must act and implement his will". Whereas in His messages Maitreya refers to His work and His call for humanity to participate in it, it was not until the publication of Maitreya's Mission, Volume One (MMI) that the rationale and the details of His mission were laid out in full panoramic view. The first edition of the book was published in 1986, with two subsequent editions in 1990 and 1993, and it included a compilation of questions and answers published in the magazine Share International up to then. These questions and answers are organized in topics in order to highlight each thematic area of Maitreya's work. This proves to be an invaluable source of inspiration for the reader, who gains a deeper insight into Maitreya's endeavours. It is also a large window that reveals changes in the world and their causes. So much so, that the book saw two sequels, Maitreya's Mission Volumes Two and Three (MMII and MMIII), which illuminate the continuing work-in-progress and humanity's preparedness with regard to the Emergence of Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom.  In full co-operation  Maitreya's mission has never been and will not be a solitary one. In every chapter of MMI we are gently reminded and made vividly aware of the fact that the process of His Emergence and the changes in our modes of living call for our full co-operation.  A case in point is Benjamin Creme's reference to Maitreya's contact with media representatives in January 1986 who "agreed to make an announcement that a man claiming to be the Christ was indeed living in the Asian community of London. Under pressure from high religious and government officials, however, this statement was withheld" (p.9, 3rd ed). Given this rejection, by karmic law Maitreya became engaged in a much longer process of emergence which did not involve the media at all. By creating miracles of all kinds, by appearing to large sections of humanity in various guises, a knowledge of His presence was slowly built up and spread around the world. Thus, without infringing humanity's freewill, Maitreya kept the reality of His presence before all those who could believe in it. Even today in His appearances on television in the USA, Mexico and Brazil He always appears 'incognito' so that the viewers can agree or not agree with His ideas, without simply accepting His words to be those of the 'Christ' or 'World Teacher'.  The late 1980s and early 1990s were momentous times for humanity. Whereas the main political and economic developments of those years are given special focus in MMII (for example, the end of Apartheid in South Africa, the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the stock-market crash beginning in Japan) MMI is concerned with the esoteric essentials of Maitreya's Emergence and His teachings for the New Age. In the introduction to the book, Benjamin Creme tells us about a "new mode of communication" by Maitreya: through one of His close associates, Maitreya gave "teachings and forecasts of world events, which one by one are coming to pass" (p. 10), thus providing a constant influx of information of a political, social and spiritual nature. Before we can fully understand the dynamics of world change in the outer physical plane, we need a better grasp of elementary esoteric rules. In this sense MMI is the perfect sequel to Benjamin Creme's first book, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom and an invitation to further reading the successive volumes of Maitreya's Mission.   The foundations of the externalization of the Masters of Wisdom, as well as Maitreya's basic teachings, are the concern of the three first chapters of the book. Even though it is almost 20 years since the publication of MMI's third edition, it is always refreshing and informative  -  for instance, to dwell on the Christ's role as Agent of Divine Intervention: "The Christ's presence is the guarantee that the inner decision necessary for peace  -  that is, sharing  -  has already been taken by humanity, whether it knows it or not" (p.73). This is a most reassuring statement, and one which highlights the significance of the covenant between Maitreya and humanity. After two decades of changes in the political, economic and social fields, events that Share International has unfailingly reported, readers can grasp the wide-ranging implications of these words. For those who have already pored over MMI, revisiting its pages gives a sense of living history. For newcomers, it helps them to understand the origins and background of Maitreya's Emergence. Far from being outdated, Maitreya's Mission One can thus be read from two perspectives: as a review and reminder of the esoteric laws governing Maitreya's Emergence; and as a primary source for newcomers who want to delve into the details of the context of this Emergence. In both cases, MMI is imbued with such strength and clarity of purpose that it enables the reader to appreciate the profound significance of Maitreya's story and history.   Expansion of consciousness  There are many such moments of revelation, whether they are completely new to us or a revisit from a former reading. Chapters IV to VII, which are devoted to the esoteric rules of life and deal with the Seven Rays, the concept of initiation, evolution and reincarnation, tackle the intricacies of humanity's expansion of consciousness. We find an interesting parallel with current events: "The wilderness experience, particularly for the West, is the acceptance of a simpler way of life, so that all people everywhere can live. In fact, one of the Christ's main tasks is to release humanity from the glamour of materialism. It is this glamour, this fog of unreality, which prevents man from knowing who he really is and what the meaning of life really is" (p.179). The mission undertaken by Maitreya is therefore to encourage co-operation and education for humanity, because when humans are free from the glamours and the fogs of life, we can enjoy a fuller life as co-partners in His work. Maitreya's mission is also our mission. "Suffering", MMI reminds us, "is the result of the inability of the personality to correctly or fully express the nature of the soul, which is entirely self-less, knowing no sense of separation. Evolution (as it pertains to man) is the process whereby the personality, functioning under the principle of desire, is gradually brought through suffering to renounce the blocks or impediments to the soul's expression on the physical plane". (p.157) For long-time readers of Maitreya's teachings, these words, and many others throughout chapters IV to VII of MMI, are revitalizing. They are also useful when preparing for lectures or public speaking. For new readers, these are simply pearls of a wisdom rooted in the past and distilled into the present. In essence they are timeless.  But MMI is likewise a highly informative book. From details of Maitreya's life in the Asian community of London to the ray relations between nations or, for example, the subtle but significant difference between self-discipline and punishment, we run the whole gamut of the early and foundational stages of Maitreya's mission. The last two chapters of MMI are devoted to meditation and service, and include a long sequence of questions and answers about particular aspects of Transmission Meditation, from the benefits of meditating in a dark room, to the right posture to meditate or the meaning of each stanza in The Great Invocation. Readers may also be interested in connections between meditation and modern psychology (p.310).  It is never too late to re-visit the wisdom of Maitreya's Mission, since each rereading is not so much a repetition as a re-discovery. And it is never too early to begin absorbing the wisdom of Maitreya, since MMI is lucidly written and its content deftly organized. It is, for many, an invaluable document of Maitreya's plans for the world. And it is, for most, an intimate call to a meaningful life mission.  Biographical Note: Carmen Font is a Share International co-worker based in Barcelona, Spain.