Maitreya's teachings on religion

Discussion of the impact of religion on human suffering, and the role of the clergy.

According to Maitreya, all religions must take responsibility 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 personages within the religious hierarchies, He says, should end: ëëDo 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: ëëare 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 fulfill 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 ëëthere 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 them-selves 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 ëëhave 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 ëëto 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, ëëCome 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 ëëThe Lord is within'': ëëIf you want to test the truth of anything, speak with a child.'' ëëDo not create fear in the minds of innocent children, Maitreya admonishes religious leaders. ëëFear 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 ëism' he will be free. ëëHe 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. ëëYou 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. ëëGod is not in the sky,'' Maitreya teaches, ëëGod is in the heart. When the mind is quiet, free from dogmatic views, it will absorb the truth. ëëSelf-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, and saints. 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, ëëthe 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: ëëEven if you have reached a very high state of evolution, you cannot say ëI am the Lord.' You can simply say, ëI 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 ëëIn 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, ëëBe not attached to riches or poverty. The true teaching is, ëëThe Lord is with you if you are honest, sincere, and 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 the New Age Prayer, p. 242.] He was taught that the entire creation is the Lord's. ''Without the Lord's will,'' says Maitreya, ''nothing takes place.'' In that moment Jesus 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

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 ëoutside' but situated ësimultaneously' 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. ëëNo one has a hold on the Christ.'' The Lord's message is indivisible and applies to one and all: ëëIf 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. ëëKenya will be to Africa,'' Maitreya says, ëëwhat 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 brother-hood.

Christian Churches/Fundamentalism

Do you think the decade of evangelism of the Christian churches has anything to do with Maitreya? 

Yes indeed. Like everyone else, the Christian churches are responding to the new energies released by Maitreya and His group of Masters. This has led to two reactions: on the one hand, an increased awareness of the spiritual basis of life which for them is focused (solely) in Jesus and the Scriptures of the Bible; and on the other, a sense of being the only upholders of spiritual values in the face of general moral decay. This has produced the dogmatic, crusading evangelism which characterizes the most active and expanding Christian groups. They feel threatened by the new, the changes in modern society, and as a result become fundamentalist – back to the Bible, the Scriptures, taking literally what is presented as symbol.

What might become of the fundamentalist leaders of all religions once Maitreya has established Himself openly?

I am sure there are some who will never change but many, I believe, will be offering their services.

Many Christians may fear that Maitreya is the anti-Christ; will he be able to say or do something to assuage those fears?     

It may well be that, for many, the acceptance of Maitreya as the Christ will be impossible in this life. For the vast majority of Christians, however, I believe that the events and experience of the Day of Declaration and His subsequent mission of salvage and teaching will remove their fears. The tree, after all, is known by its fruits.

Are the fundamentalists, Jews and other monotheists part of the old order that you plan to do away with when your 'Christ comes'? I have heard that the 'new agers' plan to send the fundamentalists to some other strata of creation. In other words, do you plan to kill them? 

What an extraordinary question. And what extraordinary power I am credited with. This question shows an absolute non-under-standing of what new age thought in general and myself in particular are about. The ëold order' of which I speak or write is the civilization of the last two thousand-plus years of Pisces. This is now ending, not because of any action by the Christ, ënew agers' or myself, but because the Sun has moved away from the influence of the energies of Pisces and is now receiving, in mounting potency, the energies of the new age, Aquarius.

It is obvious, is it not, that the institutions, political, economic and social, of that old order must undergo change since they no longer answer humanity's needs. This is clear since they have brought us to the verge of self-destruction in a divided world. We have no alternative but to change them. But it is the divisions which must go, not those who maintain them. No one is under threat in the concept of a new age based on brotherhood and justice, sharing and love.

I have no quarrel with any 'monotheist'. I am one myself, as are the Masters and the Christ Himself. The concept of the one God behind all outer manifestation is basic to esotericism. 

How does Christianity at its best affect one? A student of mine who had quite a spiritual awakening in the last year tells me the essence of Christianity is that we are loved, accepted and forgiven, and that really believing that makes a huge difference. What is your view of this? 

I am sure that if you believe in, or are afraid of, God, to believe that God, after all, loves, accepts and forgives you must make an enormous psychological difference to your view of life. My comment would be that while that is no doubt true, it is not necessary to believe in Christianity (which in any case goes further than that assurance) in order to experience that comforting idea of God's love. Other religions would do the same. My question would be: who set in place the sense of sin that needs God's forgiveness?

The teachings of the Church since the beginning have emphasized the idea of original sin – and therefore of guilt  – with the Church authorities having the sole power of absolution.  Were children to be raised in a loving and forgiving family framework, they would grow without a sense of guilt, and find their own way to the God within us all through trust in life and the moment-to-moment experience of God that brings. 

Does the Vatican know about this (information about the Christ's presence in the world)?

The Pope and others have heard of my statements but, not unexpectedly, do not believe them.

What has the Pope and/or the Vatican said about Maitreya, the Christ? 

Publicly, nothing at all, so far. In private, well, that is anyone's guess. At least two cardinals in the Curia, the managing group around the Pope, know for a fact that Maitreya is here, and in London.

After the Day of Declaration of Maitreya what place do you think the Pope will hold? Will he be near the Christ? Will he recognize Him? 

I expect the Pope to become a helper of the Master Jesus, who is in charge of the Christian Church, rather than be near the Christ, who is World Teacher. I have no doubt that eventually, anyway, the Pope will recognize the Christ.

Where is Monsignor Biaggi? After reading the article in the US weekly, the National Examiner, which quoted the Vatican's Monsignor Biaggi's statement that the Christ is in the world, I contacted several people in the Catholic Church to see what the Church was saying about his views. I was met with scepticism and even a denial of Biaggi's presence in the Vatican. In fact, I phoned the Vatican in Rome and they searched their computer database of all living and/or working in the Vatican. No Biaggi. Was he ousted?

According to my information Monsignor Biaggi (the ëMonsignor is a courtesy title; he is, in fact, a rather well-known and influential priest with contacts in ëhigh places' in the Vatican) was one of three envoys sent to London in January of this year ëëfrom the inner circle of the Pope himself'' (see Share International, Jan./Feb. 1990, p. 7) to make discreet enquiries about the Christ's presence here. He does not live or work at the Vatican.

He had two interviews with Maitreya who gave him experiences that convinced him that Maitreya is the Christ. He reported back to two cardinals in the Curia (the inner group around the Pope), both of whom are conscious disciples of the Master Jesus and who had sent him to London. They, it appears, are still trying to convince the Pope of the validity of Biaggi's experience and report. I think the Examiner has exaggerated the readiness of the Pope to make a statement confirming the Christ's presence. I assume that he would have to have some personal experience to allow him to do that. It has also, I think, exaggerated Monsignor Biaggi's ability to speak for the Vatican, but this can be construed as journalistic licence.

Although this fact is not mentioned in the Examiner article, Monsignor Biaggi, according to my information, was one of the representatives of religious organizations at the conference initiated by Maitreya in London on 21 and 22 April 1990.

Despite these exaggerations, I believe that the National Examiner, sensationalist as it usually is, is to be congratulated on having the courage to publish such controversial news. I only wish this same courage were forthcoming from the rest of the world's media, who cover their caution and fear in a cloak of scepticism and a cynical refusal to investigate or to publish confirming information gathered by their own journalists.

Is or was the Liberal Catholic Church, founded by Leadbeater, an instrument of the Hierarchy?

Yes. It still is a recipient of Hierarchical energy. 

Jesus

 (1) When Jesus took a few selected disciples on to the Mount of Transfiguration and showed them the forms of Moses, Elijah and Jesus, was He not showing them Himself in His three major incarnations? (2) If this was so and Jesus was actually Elijah returned, was John the Baptist Elias? 

(1) No. Jesus had not been Moses nor Elijah. Jesus was (is) 6th ray, Elijah 2nd ray. (2) Yes, John the Baptist had been Elias. 

Why did Jesus try to avoid crucifixion in His prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane? Who was He praying in order to get out of His ordeal?  

Jesus was not trying to ëget out of His ordeal' at all. Rather, He realized (that is, the Christ working through Him realized) that He could not accomplish His mission from His will alone; that He would have to embody the Will aspect of God (as well as the Light and Love aspect) to ëredeem' humanity. The Christ returns now embodying the Will of God and so, by bringing man's will into line with the divine Will and Purpose, can complete the mission He began in Palestine 2,000 years ago.

Why didn't Jesus mention Maitreya by name during His mission in Palestine?

He did, to those immediately around Him. That was part of the secret teachings to the inner group and would have been quite incomprehensible to the people in general. 

Was the crucifixion of Jesus an event which was destined to happen even before Jesus was born?

One must distinguish between ëdestined' and ëplanned'. The crucifixion of Jesus was planned – with His complete co-operation –  to symbolize the Great Renunciation of the fourth-degree initiate. That is not to say it was ëdestined', as some kind of irrevocable act of fate outside anyone's control.

Who suffered on the cross: Jesus, the Christ, or both?  

Jesus. It was for Him the experience of the fourth initiation, the Great Renunciation or Crucifixion.

In the Bible it says that there was an earthquake when Jesus died on the cross. Is this true?  

My information is that it is not true. It is a dramatic addition to the event.

Maitreya referred to Jesus' final words on the cross, ëëMy Lord, my Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?'' However, H. P. Blavatsky discusses at length in The Secret Doctrine (3rd edition, p. 158) that these words were intentionally changed by early church fathers when they translated them from Hebrew into Greek, and that the original meaning of Jesus' words were ëëMy God, my God, how thou dost glorify me!'' Did HPB make a mistake?  

I think she did, yes. The Master DK (through Alice A. Bailey) has interpreted the words ëwhy hast thou forsaken me' as the experience of Jesus as the fourth-degree initiate when there is the sudden realization that he is alone in the universe; the ëdivine intermediary', the soul, with which the initiate has identified for so long, is superseded in the new at-one-ment with the Monad ---- the Divine Spark ---- and God and man (alone now) are One.

Presumably, the incarnation of Jesus as Apollonius was what He had in mind when He said that He would return ëëwithin this generation.'' Was it planned before Jesus incarnated in Palestine that He would incarnate again shortly afterwards? If yes, what was the purpose of having two incarnations close together? 

When He went out of incarnation at the Crucifixion, Jesus was a fourth-degree initiate, and became a Master of the fifth degree as Apollonius. It is usual (although not invariable) to reincarnate quickly on the final stages of the evolutionary journey. This is done under the Law of Service which governs the incarnational cycles of initiates.

Was the Christ's true relationship to Jesus known to any of His early disciples?  

Yes, several of the closest disciples understood the overshadowing process which was used.

(1) I would like to know the truth about the colour of Jesus skin when He was here 2,000 years ago. By colour, I mean was He white or was He of another nationality? More and more I believe He was not white like the majority of the paintings have him. I believe He was of the Negro race as most people in the Bible were. (2) If my beliefs are right why did they change the colour of Jesus and the characters in the Bible?  

(1) Jesus was of Semitic origin ---- a wide-ranging racial type which included Jews, Israelites, Sumerians and Arabs ---- whose colour, as in the Middle East today, ranged from European ëwhite' to ëolive' to ëbrown'. He was not, nor were the majority of the biblical peoples, Negro in origin. (2) Artists throughout history have used artistic licence when depicting historical events, clothing their personages in the costumes and settings of their own time and environment. The questioner is thinking, surely, only of European paintings of Jesus and His time. Paintings of the Gospel story by Coptic artists of North Africa, for example, show black-faced representations of Jesus and His Disciples.

Some Gnostic writers and old Kabalistic works have stated that the real name of Jesus of Nazareth of the Bible was actually Jushu (Jeshu) or Joshua Ben Pandira or Panthera. According to your information, is this correct?  

Yes.

Did Jesus or Jeshu actually live about 100 years before the Biblical time of Jesus?   

No. Jesus (Jeshu, Jushu) was born in 24 BC.

Was Jushu (Jesus) stoned to death first as an alleged wizard in the city of Lud or Lydia, and then hung on a tree or Roman cross?   

No. Jesus was crucified as detailed in the Gospel story. 

Where was Jesus physically located and what was he doing during the so-called ëlost' years (age 12-30)?   

According to my information (I am aware of the many ideas which exist about this) Jesus spent all these years physically in Palestine. He was an active member of the Essenes (as was also John the Baptist). From them He received certain training in preparation for His later mission.

From the age of 12, He began to be overshadowed by Maitreya, which process was more or less complete by age 24.  Jesus was born a third-degree initiate and His life, therefore, was that of achieving the fourth initiation (the Crucifixion or Great Renunciation), symbolized by the actual crucifixion.  Throughout the ëlost' years period He did indeed travel to many spiritual centres and schools in Egypt, India, and the Far East, as believed and reported by several groups. But none of these travels took place in the physical body. He was a free-ranging initiate able to function totally consciously out of the body.

It is said of John the Baptist that he was born in a supernatural manner to Elizabeth long after she was too old to bear children. The same is said of Sarah, Abraham's wife, that she too had children when she was old. Was John the Baptist born in the normal way or were spiritual/supernatural powers involved in this case? Viewed in this light, is it not possible that Mary was indeed still a virgin when she conceived Jesus? The prophets too predicted this. 

My information is that both Jesus and John the Baptist were born in the normal human way; that Mary was not a virgin nor was Elizabeth beyond child-bearing age. The prophets predicted the birth of Jesus ëof a maid' – that is, a young woman, not necessarily a virgin.

Where is the Virgin Mary?  

The disciple who was the Mother of Jesus in Palestine is now a Master and is not in incarnation at this time. He is responsible for the many visions and other phenomena – weeping and moving statues and the like.

Can you say what became of Judas – and why he did what he did?  

Judas is now a Master but not in incarnation, in fact, not on the planet. He did what He did as part of a pre-arranged plan. He Himself did not think that Jesus would die on the Cross, but rather that His power, or that of the Heavenly Father, would save Him and confound His enemies.

Where is Judas Iscariot now? 

He is on Sirius. There is a direct line from this planet to Sirius, and many Masters leaving this planet go directly to Sirius without going through the other higher planets of our system.

When Judas betrayed Jesus, did that not alter his evolution?  

Yes, it did alter His evolution. He has since paid the price, the penalty. Also, of course, it was part of a plan.

Bible Stories

I would like to know if the Bible is still valuable now that Maitreya is in the world?  

Most certainly, yes. The Christian Bible is the embodiment of profound teaching and prophecy, symbolically and allegorically expressed. It is not meant to be taken literally, and, if it is, it leads to the present confusion of fundamentalist and orthodox Christians in relation to the reappearance of the Christ. It is not, as Christians fondly believe, the only book of Divine revelation, but for long years to come it will serve many millions of Christians – when its true meaning and purpose is revealed by the physical presence of the Christ (Maitreya) and of the Master Jesus, Who is in charge of the Christian Churches. Freed of the man-made dogmas and doc-trines, the Christian Bible will find a new lease of life in the demonstration of the age-old story of initiation through the Gospel of the life of Jesus, and as a constant reminder of the interaction of God and man in man's long journey to divinity.

In the Bible it says: ëëI shall return at the head of a celestial army.'' The arrival of the Christ by airplane, as you say, does not correspond to that prediction. Can you explain?  

Christians in general, taking the symbolic statements of the Bible literally, tend to visualize the return of the Christ as taking place suddenly, all at once, in ëëthe twinkling of an eye.'' They look for some one great event (in the sky) when the Christ will come down from ëheaven' in a ëcloud of glory', surrounded by a ëhost of angels'. The reality is somewhat different and yet relates to these symbolic statements: there is one day (19 July 1977) in which He entered, by airplane, the modern world (Britain), but He came as He Himself said He would, ëëlike a thief in the night, in such an hour as you think not.'' He does, indeed, come with a ëëcelestial army, which will be largely invisible to the bulk of humanity for a very long time to come. Many great and powerful Angels (Devas) attend the Christ and carry out His plans. Their work vis ‡ vis humanity will be constructive and fruitful but the average Christian will most probably know little or nothing of Their work in this life.

What esoteric or exoteric light can you shine on the Adam/Eve story of Genesis regarding the Snake who could speak and walk upright?   

The story of Adam and Eve is, of course, purely symbolic and allegorical. It refers to the coming into incarnation of the human egos some 18 1/2 million years ago. The undifferentiated souls took separate sexes on the physical plane and 'ate of the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil',  that is, experienced physical-plane life for the first time. This was –  for the soul – a ëfall' from paradise (the soul state) into carnal life, and therefore limitation for the soul. The descent of the soul, of course, was intentional and according to divine plan. The snake is a symbol for sex.

Do you accept the interpretation of Lucifer as the Fallen Angel of evil?  

No, I do not. I think this is a complete misunderstanding of Lucifer by Christian teaching. The name ëLucifer' means, literally, ëlight'. The word comes from the Latin root: lux, lucis – light; and fer, ferre – to bring. It means, therefore, light-bringing and is the name of the planet Venus as the morning star.

Far from being evil, it is pure light. In the esoteric teaching, Lucifer is the name for the great angelic Entity who embodies the human kingdom on the soul plane. As souls, we are each an individualized part of this great Oversoul. Difficult as it is for us to grasp, there is really no such thing as a separate soul. It does not exist.

The Christian teaching holds that Lucifer – the chief rebel angel, Satan – was thrown out of heaven for getting too big-headed and arguing with God. This is simplistic and shows a complete misunderstanding of the reality. It is also, of course, symbolic. It is symbolic of a very significant point in our human evolution which took place 18 1/2 million years ago.

At that time, early animal-man had reached a point when the energy of Mind could be brought to bear on his incipient mind. He had not yet a mental body. The energy of Mind, brought from the planet Venus, was radiated to animal-man. This process stimulated the mind of these near-men to a point where it was possible for the human souls, waiting on the soul plane, to come into incarnation for the first time. Early animal-man was so undeveloped that the energy of mind, and at least the nucleus of a mental body, had to be present before this could take place.

For the first time, the human souls were individualized. As the soul is perfect, the soul plane is a kind of paradise.

The myth of Adam and Eve symbolizes this descent from paradise into incarnation. Because the soul can manifest only imperfectly through the lower vehicles – mental, astral and physical – it is, in a sense, descending into imperfection or 'evil' as it is called in the Bible. It is not evil in any good/bad sense but is imperfect relative to the soul level. For the Masters there is only imperfection and perfection. There is no such thing as 'sin.' Sin is a relative imperfection. But the Christian groups have focused everything on sin, good and bad.

The descent by the soul into physical matter led to an imperfect expression of that soul. The journey of evolution, of course, proceeds until the physical vehicles are sufficiently refined to allow the perfect manifestation of the soul in incarnation. That is the return process. The descent of the soul into matter (the rebellion in heaven) is involution, the return trip is evolution.

The Bible says satan disguises himself as an ëëangel of light'', preaching love, truth, brotherhood, etc. How in God's name can we trust anyone? I am confused! 

Behind this question, I assume, is the thought: If Maitreya preaches love, truth, brotherhood, etc., how can I know He is not satan in disguise?

I believe that here is the basic misunderstanding by orthodox Christians about the nature and meaning of satan. Satan is always seen as a man, the embodiment of evil, who tempts humanity and seeks to gain their soul – the Faust legend – presenting himself as loving and kind, concerned with truth and justice.

Satan is not a man but a symbol. He symbolizes our own separative, selfish, lower nature which, in the main, we hide by rationalizing it and seeing our motives (through the fog of illusion called glamour) as love, truth, brotherhood, etc., while they are nothing of the kind.

One of the most important functions of Maitreya, in this world cycle, is to help free humanity from the illusions of glamour (which is illusion on the astral planes) and thus free them from living in thrall to ëësatan.

What information do you have about Jews of the Old Testament who were recorded as having lived 900 or more consecutive years in the same body? Was it a super-race? A freak of nature? Planned by Hierarchy? 

I assume that the questioner is thinking of figures like Noah who were said to have lived for hundreds of years. The biblical story of the Flood is a symbolic account of the final destruction, about 16,000 years ago, of the last remnant of the Atlantean continent and civilization, Poseidonis (the Azores of today). Noah was a Master who warned the people of the impending catastrophe and the need to seek the high lands before the flood. From this has come the symbol of the ark. With Masters, such longevity is not uncommon but it was then, as now, the result of evolutionary achievement and not the common rule.

Which of the four Gospels (Matthew's, Mark's, Luke's or John's) is the most accurate account of what happened in Palestine?  

John's.

(1) Are any of the newly discovered Gospels, such as The Gospel of Thomas, The Secret Gospel of Mark, or The Gospel of Mary, genuine accounts of the acts and words of Jesus? (2) Are there others not yet discovered? 

The Gospel of Thomas is, more or less, a genuine account of the acts (less so of the words) of Jesus. (2) Yes.

In the book by Djwhal Khul and Koot Hoomi (The Human Aura) constant reference to biblical passages are made. How much should we focus our lives on biblical philosophy and teachings?  

In my opinion, the book in question, The Human Aura, is not given by, and has no relation to the teachings of, either the Master Djwhal Khul or the Master Koot Hoomi.

People will focus their lives on the teachings of the Bible as and when they seem relevant. When correctly interpreted in relation to the esoteric teachings which underlie them, the teachings of the Bible will be found to be not only beautiful and meaningful, but entirely relevant to the life of every Christian today.

Religion in the New Age

Is there not a contradiction between what you wrote in Maitreya's Mission, Vol. I. – that Maitreya had come to found the New World Religion and to inspire a change in the world's political/economic structures, and yet you have quoted Him as saying: ëëI have not come to found a new religion''?

No, I do not think so. I have to qualify that and to explain it by an elucidation of what I mean and what He means by ëëreligion.'' He has not come to found a religion based on ideology, on belief. All religions today are based on belief structures: belief in this Teacher or that Teaching, these precepts and so on. The New World Religion – it is given that name by the Master Djwhal Khul (who gave the Alice Bailey teaching) and I quoted it from Him – is used to describe a path which is not religious in the usual sense but for which we as yet have no name (except an esoteric one). It is the path of initiation, therefore a highly scientific religion (which seems a contradiction in terms), based not on belief – esotericism is not to do with theology or belief – but is a science, or a philosophy, or an art – it partakes of something of all those, and something of religion too. It relates to evolution and what we understand by Reality, of God, of superconsciousness, or cosmos. Esotericism is a path, and as such you cannot call it a religion though there is religion in it because it is to do with that greater Reality which is also dealt with by religion.

Maitreya is not going to enunciate a certain belief system that you have to accept to be in that religion. He will set the process in motion exoterically, on the outer physical plane, which at the moment exists only esoterically.

The first two initiations, at which Maitreya is the Initiator, will take place outwardly – at the moment they are always an inner experience; they will remain an inner experience but they will also take place outwardly on the physical plane. Maitreya will go from country to country and in the temples which will be set up in various countries He will act as the Initiator for those ready for this experience.

The first and second initiations of the five initiations, which complete the evolutionary course on this planet and make you a Master, will take place in this way. You can call that a new world religion if you like, it has been so called by the Master Djwhal Khul, but Maitreya Himself has said He has not come to found a new religion but to teach humanity the art of Self-realization. The Master Djwhal Khul has written that the New World Religion will emerge out of Russia. As people from the various existing world religions fit themselves for the experience of initiation, they will go to the Mystery Schools, where they will be prepared for this great experience, the most sacred aspects of the New World Religion. 

How do we know ëyour' Christ is who you say he is and how do we know he is not someone who is trying to obtain some form of powerful position in the world with the purpose of world domination?  

This is a question often put to me by fundamentalist Christians. A tree is known by its fruit, and the Christ must be known by His words, His deeds, and, above all, His energy. If one man could achieve world domination (which, in today's world, I very much doubt) then it could only be someone of the stature of the Christ. The fundamentalists, of course, are afraid that Maitreya might be the ëanti-Christ', with which fallacy I have dealt many times, here and elsewhere. On the Day of Declaration, I submit, everyone – even the fundamentalists -– will know, through the overshadowing of the minds of all humanity –  a Pentecostal experience for all – that Maitreya is the Christ.

Is Maitreya the teacher ëëof angels and of men'' in our solar system only or in other systems too?   

Not in our solar system but in our planet only.

Is this (Maitreya's) way the only way to so-called salvation? Does Maitreya have exclusive rights to the salvation business?

I think you will find that, unlike the established fundamentalists of today, Maitreya will not claim any exclusive rights to the path to salvation. He comes as a Teacher. We must save ourselves through response to the teachings, not by following Him as ëthe only way'.

If it is Maitreya's mission to inaugurate the synthesis of all religions and the World Religion, does not the practice in Maitreya literature of using more information from Christian sources and less from other faiths defeat the intended purpose?  

As I understand it, it is not Maitreya's mission to ëëinaugurate the synthesis of all religions.'' He Himself has said that He has not come to found a new religion but to teach the art of Self-Realization. People should continue to evolve, He says, within the framework of their own tradition. The New World Religion, based on the scientific path to God of Initiation, of which the Masters are the custodians, will draw those who are ready from all religions (and no religion –  the religious path is only one of many paths to God). All of the above aside, I do not agree that the ëëMaitreya literature'' (that is, teachings actually coming from Him) uses more information from Christian than from other sources.

What is the role of devotion in religious attitude (for example, the cult of Christ and Mary)? Is such devotion misplaced or valid (based on fact)?  

Devotion is the expression of the love of the devotee for God as exemplified by the object of devotion – the Guru, Christ, Madonna, and so on. It is one of the two major paths to God-realization (the other is knowledge). Eventually, devotion must give way to knowledge and the devotee or mystic must become the occultist or knower.

Which of the world's major scriptures is the least distorted or discoloured?     

Those of esoteric Buddhism.

How has the Buddhist community responded to the emergence of Maitreya?       

With a great deal less fear than the Christian groups. Buddhists are expecting Maitreya Buddha, the fifth Buddha, foretold by Gautama Buddha, and do not have the problems – the ëhang-ups' – of the Christians who are so wedded to their – to my mind erroneous – interpretation of Scripture that they cannot contemplate the return of the Christ now, or in the manner in which it has taken place. The response to my work and books has been extremely vivid in Japan, for instance, and my visit to Taiwan in May is on the invitation of a Buddhist association.

Since the new age is about a new idea, why not have a new name for the new Avatar? Then it will not be possible to associate Him with old religions and old ideas. Christ is very much associated with Christianity.  

It is true that the new age will bring in new ideas but for today it is also necessary to give a sense of continuity, otherwise vast sections of the world's population would feel excluded. The Christ does come to fulfill the hopes of Christians but not exclusively. He is also awaited by Buddhists as Maitreya Buddha, by Moslems as the Imam Mahdi, by Hindus as Krishna and by Jews as the Messiah. The true function of Maitreya is as World Teacher, which covers these many appellations.