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Share International magazine June 2014
This is an abridged version of
Share International magazine.
Through these electronic files, the magazine Share International makes available a compilation of its contents.
The views expressed by authors other than Share International correspondents do not necessarily reflect those held by the editors of this magazine.
By the same token, interviewees, and authors other than our own correspondents, do not necessarily subscribe to or support the information and approach which form the basis and context of this publication.
The magazine is published monthly, except bimonthly in January/February and July/August of each year.
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Rallying call!
It has come to our notice that more and more people are receiving our information from the website alone, and thus forgoing the small cost of subscribing to Share International magazine.
Not everyone can, or does, use the internet, and it is essential to have an outer, physical expression, which can display with photographs, the events of which we speak. That means there has to be a magazine, which of course requires a lot of work from volunteers, and a lot of money to produce. There may be a notion that Hierarchy dishes out money for this work, but it is not the case. Subscriptions to Share International are an essential part of maintaining our work and reaching the public. The cost of the subscription is kept as low as possible, the magazine is not subsidised by advertisements and printing and postal charges are mounting all the time.
Surely we would all agree that all those who seriously believe in this work would want to support the magazine, whether or not they read the information on the internet.
Thank you for your support.
Gambling gestures
by the Master —, through Benjamin Creme, 3 May 2014
Whenever men make a determined step into right relationship, there are always others who make an equally determined step into confrontation. Multitudes work, and even die, for greater freedom and justice; while other forces threaten the peace in cynical attempts to consolidate their diminishing power. Meanwhile, humanity at large watches and trembles, witnessing with fear a renewal of ancient hatred thought to be discarded and overcome.
Common sense
We, your Elder Brothers, too, watch carefully this dangerous ploy, but fear not. Common sense, We know, will force the acceptance of at least a precarious peace, with gains and losses balanced, more or less.
From now on this scenario will be repeated across the world, where the ‘great powers’ attempt to maintain or to even increase their power, knowing, however, that they must do so carefully without damaging the status quo.
Peace and prosperity
For how long can the nations play this useless game? The only sensible course is to work together for peace and prosperity for all. Only in this way will they ready their peoples for the joy of peace, the prosperity of justice, and the bliss of sharing.
[This article from Share International magazine, June 2014 , is by a senior member of the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom. His name, well-known in esoteric circles, is not yet being revealed. Benjamin Creme, a principal spokesman about the emergence of Maitreya, is in constant telepathic contact with this Master who dictated his article to him.]
(Read more articles by this Master)
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Questions and Answers
Q. (1) Is Maitreya still giving television interviews in Russia? (2) How many have there been to date? What is the total in Russia now?
A. (1) Yes. (2) 48 (as of 29 April).
Q. Please be so kind as to give an overview showing how many interviews Maitreya has given in each country so far; it would really help for when we give talks. People like to know how many interviews there were in each country.
A. USA: 29 interviews (January 2010-January 2011); Mexico: 14 interviews (January-September 2011); Brazil: 41 (September 2011-January 2013); Russia: 48 so far (from January 2013 to the present time). A total of 132 interviews so far.
Q. (1) Many economists are predicting a stock-market crash in 2014. Are they right? (2) And is this the crash referred to by your Master in His article in the April issue of Share International? (3) Is Maitreya still waiting for the crash to occur before He emerges more?
A. (1) More likely the following year. (2) Yes – it is more a continuation of the crash that started in 2008. (3) Maitreya’s emergence is a question of the readiness of humanity to respond to His ideas. Such a crash may well speed the process.
Q. Many here in America are extremely disappointed following the ‘recession’ or market crash of 2008 to find few meaningful reforms in the wake of this devastating economic crisis for so many. Markets are flourishing amidst pernicious cut-throat practices that Maitreya says “benefit the few at the expense of the many”; even new claims like the 31 March 2014 CBS Programme 60 Minutes which featured claims from author Michael Lewis that the US Stock Market is rigged; so I was not too surprised when your Master in the April 2014 issue of Share International suggested that the “ever-increasing commercialization of every aspect of life today is, in itself a ‘time bomb’ whose rupture will bring the present economic structure to its knees. ... This time is not far off”. This language sounds strangely reminiscent of the warnings that preceded the 2008 crash.
(1) Is this the Law of Cause and Effect in action? (2) Will this event constitute yet another wake-up call for international markets and hopefully prepare the world for the wise and sane council of Maitreya? (3) Can this forecast possibly be more ominous in its ramifications for worldwide suffering in the short term before the Day of Declaration?
A. (1) Yes. (2) Hopefully, yes. (3) Not universally but in some countries.
Q. Sharing is emphasized in every issue of Share International. Everyone is urged to share. I only have one question? Not everyone is in a position to help and share, does that not make those people feel inferior that they cannot participate? I agree with the global aspect of sharing in the future, just wondered about that one.
A. Sharing in the sense in which we (Share International) use the word means sharing the world’s resources – it is not an individual matter, but can only take place on a global scale.
Q. How are we to understand your information that “Maitreya has 2 billion people to rely on”? Does this mean that 2 billion people are working for Maitreya? If Maitreya has His 2 billion people why are we in the groups asked to “redouble our efforts”?
A. Oh dear, what a sad question! Why are you making any effort at all to make known Maitreya’s presence and the plans of Hierarchy for the transformation of the world? Have you got your watches out to see you don’t overdo the effort for a moment?
Maitreya can call on nearly 2 billion people; these are people He can rely on to respond to His call for sanity and change in world affairs. But of these, only a tiny proportion are now involved in preparing the way for Him and His teachings. So the onus is now on this relatively small number of people to redouble their efforts right up to and beyond the Day of Declaration.
If you really believe that you are “answering His call”, how could you possibly refuse it?
Q. The first letter ‘Wise counsel’ in the May issue of Share International touches on a very important issue which is probably present in many of the groups around the world. The spokesman raises many vital questions; unfortunately he gives no answers! In our group we advertise and put quite an amount of money and effort into creating a wide variety of types of adverts which we hope will appeal to many different people. Why don’t we attract more people – just as in the ‘Wise counsel’ letter? What to do?
A. The tendency, I’m afraid is to organize such meetings in the same way: to think in the same way for each lecture instead of trying to bring in a new, surprising element that will attract more people. Make it more dramatic, not run of the mill. It’s a question of using the imagination as well as organization.
Q. Could partition be the only solution for Syria between the Shiite (Alawite) minority of Bashar al-Assad and the various factions of the Sunni majority, in order to stop the appalling suffering?
A. Partition would not be a solution in the present situation because so many different groups are involved in the fighting. Both America and her allies and Russia and her allies are working out at a distance, through other agencies, a long-term plan.
Q. I have been reading in the Islamic hadiths about a prophesied man named the Mahdi. These hadiths were written about 1,400 years ago, and yet they describe a good man and a powerful leader who is to come and guide the Islamic faithful into peace, order and happiness.
According to large numbers of the Shia faithful, including the leaders of Iran and Hezbollah, this man is on the planet now, just waiting in the wings for the correct moment to step forward and reveal himself. Is the promised Mahdi indeed just “off-stage”? Is he actually Maitreya? Or will he act hand-in-hand with Maitreya?
A. As Christians await the coming of the Christ, and Buddhists await Maitreya Buddha, so do Muslims await the Imam Mahdi. These are all names for one and the same: Maitreya, who is working in the world, although at present incognito.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Telling all
Dear Editor,
(Three letters from the same person)
(1) On 9 November 2013 we were in a central park in Barcelona with other members of the group handing out flyers about Maitreya’s Emergence. I approached a young man in his thirties who was smiling as he walked speaking with his mobile phone. He had long and curly hair. I handed out a card for our upcoming talk. He took it and sat on a nearby bench to read it. When he finished his phone call, I sat down at his side and explained to him briefly about the present world situation and the Emergence of Maitreya and His Group of Masters, while he listened seriously without interruption. When I finished, I told him that I would not expect him to believe me but before I could finish my sentence, in an abrupt way, he interrupted me saying: “Of course I believe you!” with a surprising firmness, and then continued saying: “Do you know who I am?” I looked straight at his brown eyes and answered: “No, I don’t know”, and he said: “I am Maitreya. Maikel is my karmic name. And yours?” I babbled “Maite.” He shook my hand, stood up and walked off
At one stage, he turned to look at me. Was he Maitreya? It seemed very amazing to me.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man was, indeed, Maitreya.)
Leading question
(2) Some 8 to 9 years ago I was in a stand in an Earth Day Fair handing out information about Maitreya’s Emergence in Barcelona when a man in his thirties with brown hair and sunglasses approached me. He had a kind of ‘hippy’ look. After explaining to him briefly about the Reappearance of the Christ, he asked me a question that still today resounds in my head: “Do you believe that humanity is ready for His Reappearance?” Automatically I answered “Yes”, and that that was the reason He was already here, but at that moment it seemed that it was also something I had doubts about. Now, after all this time and the changes that have taken place in the consciousness of so many people, I realize how much I have changed with regard to that question and believe deep in my heart that the world is indeed prepared for His Reappearance.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man was the Master Jesus.)
Lemon-aid
(3) Around one-and-a-half years ago, in 2012, my sister gave me a lemon tree. I put it in my balcony. Towards that summer the tree produced one single lemon that we shared with the family. But last summer (2013) ended and I had the feeling that there were no signs that it would produce more lemons next summer, something that saddened me. But a few days later, it got full of flowers, and then produced more than 30 lemons. Was there something special that made it give so many lemons and in autumn?
M.M., Barcelona, Spain.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the lemon tree was blessed by the Master Jesus.)
Protection
Dear Editor,
The area where I live, Nasu-Shiobara-Shi, Tochigi Prefecture, has been designated as a hot spot of radiation from Fukushima Nuclear Power Station.
On 25 February 2014, six workmen dispatched from the city came to our house to decontaminate our garden. One man was rather young but the rest were elderly people. They were humble and polite and quite different from the image I had about workmen in general. The leader of the group was a big man and standing by his side made me feel as if I was by the side of a big tree. The group as a whole emanated an air of thoughtfulness and I felt very relaxed. So I was wondering all the time, who are they? They are so different from the usual workmen, how strange and mysterious they are.
At around 10.30, I offered them tea and a snack. They modestly received it, saying: “Thank you very much.” When I brought them tea again in the afternoon, there were three more workmen, nine in total. So I hurriedly brought tea for three more people. At that time, a senior man other than the leader spoke to me. He was sitting on the stump of a tree. As I looked at him face to face, I was so surprised that he resembled Mr Creme very much. Although he was a Japanese, he looked exactly like Mr Creme, in height, stout build, facial look, white hair and his eyes looking at me. I wondered why did he look so much like him? We talked mostly about trees in the garden.
Then they finished, tidied up, and got in three trucks and went away. Just as they left, I was in the garden clearing teacups and stuff. They hooted their horn to say good-bye. I bowed to them to say thank you and the elderly man with white hair bowed to me back together with all the other men. The air around them was so different and serene.
I thought their visit to our house was a blessing. Later, when I received Share International magazine March issue and opened the pages, I was so surprised to see Mr Creme’s photograph there, which looked exactly like the man I met the other day.
Was the man with white hair someone special?
K.I., Nasu-Shiobara-Shi, Tochigi-Ken, Japan.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the ‘man with white hair’ was Maitreya. The other eight men were the Master Jesus and His disciples.)
Straight talking
Dear Editor,
On 15 February 2014, we held a public Transmission Meditation workshop near Ekoda Station in Nerima-ku, Tokyo. Since we had such heavy snow the previous day in Tokyo, the traffic was still very heavy. Four of us were waiting for participants, but since no one turned up after 20 minutes, we decided to watch the video among ourselves. No sooner had we started, an elderly man came in. He was wearing a wide-brim hat, light brown sunglasses, and a rough jacket. He said: “As one of my friends highly recommended it, I came here. But he is not here. I wonder if he comes to the next session.”
During the video, he was sitting with his face downward and I thought he must be sleeping. Since I was the MC, and with this man not watching the video and missing all the message, I was wondering how to proceed the question and answer session afterwards.
However, when the session began, he started to talk quite eloquently.
“You might have thought I was asleep, but I was not. I thought this man (Mr Creme) was telling something very good.” He went on to say that he owned a vegetable factory where he grows vegetable with no caesium, among other various businesses. He went on to talk about other topics, asking for our comments.
“What do you think Japan can be most proud of in the whole world?”
One of the members said: “Could it be peace?”
He said: “Clause 1 of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which was enacted for the first time in the world after Japan was defeated in the last War. In the Second World War when the Atomic Bombs were dropped at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 6 million people were killed including civilians. That Constitution was made on the basis of that sacrifice. Is there anything else you can be more proud of than that? The Japanese should have something they could be most proud of! Some people would say, tradition and culture, but don’t you think that this Clause of the Constitution is the best?”
One of the group said that the general public at large does not realize that. Then he said: “In that case you should say so out loud. Do you know how the War started in the first place? The Emperor of the time asked twice to the Army, if they thought they could win. And they said yes. But the Emperor sent his messenger again to ask the same question to make sure. And again they said yes, they could win. One co-worker said, that the fact was that the person who said they could win did not think so in their heart. Then the gentleman said angrily: “Wait a second! What one had thought inwardly was not important? Then why did he not say so? Anyone can say anything later. It is very important to speak out at the time. What has been said is important.”
He told us again and again that what Benjamin Creme said was very true, but how we interpret it and bring about understanding is crucial. The man said that he was 80 years old, but he looked only around 60. As I was listening to him, I remembered times when I’ve said something contrary to what I really thought. This made me realize the importance of straightforwardness.
Although I was very surprised to hear him talk about something quite contrary to my idea, and at his ease of action based on his ideas, I thought that this person must be showing me my predispositions and prejudices.
One of the co-workers said that this was the same man who came to this venue in July 2013 and told us that people who respond to the new energy were young people, but by ‘young’ he meant not the physical age, but ‘young’ at heart. Was this person someone special?
Y.T., Tokyo, Japan.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the man was a spokesman for the Master Jesus.)
Close call
Dear Editor,
One Saturday in 2009 I was installing a replacement toilet-seat while holding an electric light and trying to tighten the water-pipe connector, when I was caught in the electric current. I was unable to let go of the pipe or the lamp due to spasms in my arms forced by the electricity. I just knew if I remained this way for long I could kiss my sweet life goodbye, so it hit me that I’d have to try to yell for help. I was able to force some kind of sound out and immediately after doing so I felt the electric current cut off and was thrown on my back into the hall outside the toilet. I noticed that water was streaming out from the water pipe. After running to cut the electricity from the lamp and turn off the water mains it struck me as impossible that I’d been thrown on to my back since I think that I was actually leaning over the toilet seat. Also upon closer inspection I noticed that the water pipe had been cut clean off – not ripped off. I believe that the cutting of the pipe had also cut out the electric current going through me and thus saved me from electrocution.
Can your Master please enlighten me as to what happened? I strongly believe I was saved in this instance!
S.M., Helsinki, Finland.
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that He Himself had saved the writer.)
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Signs of the Time
The gathering of the forces of light
Argentina – A diamond-shaped spacecraft appeared above a packed football stadium in Buenos Aires, on 9 April 2014. The UFO was unwittingly filmed by a football fan who was making a video of a match in the Pedro Bidegain stadium. It was only later that he noticed the UFO on the film.
The video shows the craft apparently moving rapidly above the stadium before abruptly changing its course and then disappearing in a split-second. (Source: UFO daily sightings, niburu.com)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the object was a spacecraft from Mars.)
The Netherlands – A resident of Maassluis videotaped a blue, saucer-shaped UFO on the afternoon of 11 April 2014. (Source: OpenMinds.tv; YouTube: rtvrijnmond)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the object was a spacecraft from Mars.)
Pennsylvania, USA – UFO seen changing shape and colour then disappearing over Coraopolis, on 23 April 2014. (YouTube: Shawn Parry)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the object was a spacecraft from Mars.)
California, USA – A person watching a local Fox News television station in Los Angeles, videotaped a UFO seen during the broadcast. The UFO was visible for a few seconds in the sky over the Westwood neighbourhood of Los Angeles on 17 March 2014 just after an earthquake struck the area. (Source: ufosightingsdaily.com)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the object was a spacecraft from Mars.)
In early April 2014 a NASA camera on Mars captured a strange light that appears to be emanating outward from the planet’s surface. The photograph, taken by one of two NASA rovers, was sent from Mars to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, USA. (Source: NASA)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that the light was indeed radiating from Mars.)
Fresh evidence confirms Prince Gautama’s birthplace
In November 2013, archaeologists in Nepal made a ground-breaking discovery while excavating a sacred Buddhist shrine at Lumbini. The Mayadevi Temple is an important pilgrimage site for millions of Buddhists worldwide. The UNESCO funded team, led by Professor Robin Coningham from Durham University, UK, uncovered a tree shrine that predates all known Buddhist sites by 300 years. Despite widespread general belief that Siddhartha Gautama, who became The Buddha, was born in the sixth century BC, this is the first concrete evidence supporting this date.
According to legend, Siddhartha’s mother, Maya Devi, was travelling to see her parents when she stopped in Lumbini, 175 miles south-west of Kathmandu. She gave birth to her son while holding on to the branch of a tree. The research team found evidence of mineralised tree roots and remnants of wooden posts, believed to be a tree-shrine. They used radio carbondating and luminescence techniques to date the timber structure to the sixth century BC. Historically, this was a transitional period of social and economic upheaval for traditional societies with the emergence of cities, kings, coins and a developing middle class. Professor Coningham said the results have “real significance” by confirming the date of the beginning of Buddhism for the first time. “It was precisely at that time that Buddha was preaching renunciation – that wealth and belongings are not everything.”
The early years of the religion predated the invention of writing. As a result of the different oral traditions, there were various different dates for the Buddha’s birth. Previously, an inscribed sandstone pillar, installed at the Mayadevi temple by Indian emperor Asoka in the third century BC, was the earliest record of the origins of Buddhism. Archaeologist Kosh Prasa Acharya said: “This finding further strengthens the chronology of Buddha’s life and is major news for the millions of Buddhists around the world.” (Source: The Guardian, The Observer, UK)
(Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms this to be the authentic birthplace of Prince Gautama and that the finding of the shrine is symbolic of Maitreya’s Emergence.)
Blessings from the Master Jesus on a photograph sent by P.C., taken at Satele, a village near Monterrey in Mexico in 2003.
T. and N.J., Buzy, France, write: “On 5 February 2014, one of our cows gave birth to a female calf which very distinctly shows a big white heart on its forehead. Could this be a sign?” (Benjamin Creme’s Master confirms that it is a sign manifested by the Master Jesus.)
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Book review
A NEW SPIRIT OF SANCTITY:
The Awakening of Humanity, by Benjamin Creme
Book review by Carmen Font [An extract]
There is much talk in the media that the current economic crisis in the world is awakening humanity to different approaches to reality. Many refer to a new political consciousness, where various groups of people practise renewed forms of activism and come together to tackle specific problems in the economic or the social field. This raising of people’s power can be compared to the awakening that Benjamin Creme says that humanity will experience on the Day of Declaration. The working out and meaning of this Day is dealt with in detail in Benjamin Creme’s book The World Teacher for All Humanity [see review in the May 2014 issue of SI]. But the immediate and lasting effects of this event are the focus of further attention in the ‘companion volume’, The Awakening of Humanity.
The book begins with the author’s preface, in which he reminds us of the essential events of the Day of Declaration and their significance. This is followed by a reprint of the article ‘To serve anew’ by Benjamin Creme’s Master, in which among its invaluable insights we read that “suddenly, men will realize that their life till now was a shallow thing, lacking, for the majority, all that makes life dear: brotherhood and justice, creativeness and love” (p.5).
These words by the Master capture the essence of this awakening that will take place on the Day of Maitreya’s full public emergence. The first part of the book is devoted to clarifying the ways in which humanity will take stock of their new situation. In the first place, they will understand that Hierarchy exists. This will be a major eye-opener for millions of people, who, regardless of their belief systems, will come to accept the existence of a group of Wise Men who are, and have always been, willing to help us. All of a sudden, concepts such as ‘rebirth’ will change the outlook of so many people who will see that death is not an ending and that our lives are made up from the consequences of our thoughts and actions. They will also come to understand that we are not alone in the universe: apart from our Planetary Hierarchy, there are other enlightened beings in cosmos, and some of them are also here on Earth to help us. These might be regarded as ‘practical matters’ that, nevertheless, will have an enormous influence on the progressive awakening of humanity to its own reality as a soul in incarnation.
Singly, and solemnly alone
Even though the Day of Declaration will be a global event involving every person older than 14 years, it will still hold an intimate quality. In these “precious minutes”, the Master says, each person, “singly and solemnly alone, will know for that time the purpose and meaning of their lives” (p.15). It is a magnificent statement about the quintessential paradox of humanity. We wish and need to live as a group, within our local and global communities, but our most fundamental decisions have first to be taken alone on an individual basis in our own consciousness. In fact, the history of the world could be summarized as the struggle to reconcile individual needs and claims with those of the larger communities of which we are a part. It is no wonder that as an immediate after-effect of the Day of Declaration, humanity will experience a distinct sense of “joy”, where we will gain a sense of the divinity of the soul and the joy of living. Humanity will feel “connected to one another even though they do not see one another because they will know that everyone in the world is undergoing the same experience” (p.17). This feeling will not be registered as a form of euphoria, but something perhaps closer to a sense of bliss. It will lay the foundations of our awakening, which is already taking place but in a much slower and less conscious manner. Most people who work proactively for change in the economic and political fields, for instance, are already expressing different intensities of this blissful state, since their actions are animated consciously or unconsciously by a desire to dignify the living conditions of humanity. On the Day of Declaration, the impact of this feeling of joy and connection with “all that is” will be so intense that it cannot be denied. As Benjamin Creme comments on his Master’s article, “many will know for the first time that they count, that they matter in the scheme of things” (p.19). Bearing in mind the millions of people who cope with a sense of frustration and disappointment with the ways of the world, this sentence suggests a treasure trove. When we look into this aspect of humanity’s awakening we realize how badly we are living now both in material and, most importantly, in spiritual terms. Many are deprived of their own potential as individuals, since competition, greed and selfishness tend to erode any expression of goodwill and creativity. Many people feel at a loss as to how to conduct themselves morally, and find it difficult to reconcile their best aspirations and efforts towards good human relationships with rampant self-interest and disregard for the well-being of others. However, the new awakening that Maitreya promises to us will bolster our “self-esteem”, our sense of confidence in humanity, and, above all, will provide a “spirit of sanctity” (p.22). For the first time we will grasp the real meaning of being human and act upon it. Only then, can the work of “rehabilitation” in so many departments of life truly begin. The practical details of the political and economic changes that the world urgently needs can be perused in the trilogy of Maitreya’s Mission. The essence of The Awakening of Humanity is the full understanding that these world changes will take place as a result of a single and collective act of free will sealed in a momentous turning point for the evolution of humanity: an inner transformation that will be awakened by our experience and acceptance of Hierarchy on the Day of Declaration. Thus we will advance in “humble pride” (p.31), which is defined by Benjamin Creme as the way forward for the groups and individuals who have participated in making known the Reappearance of the Christ. These will have the experience and the desire to serve anew by informing others about the actual work of reconstruction, and they will be called for further service in humility, while knowing that they have already partaken in the outreach before this “Day of Days”.
The Awakening of Humanity. Benjamin Creme. First Edition. Amsterdam, London, Los Angeles: Share International Foundation, 2008.
Please click to read more about the book on the Share International website.
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Our essential Oneness – a compilation
We present a selection of quotations on the theme of ‘Our essential Oneness’. The quotations are taken from Maitreya (Messages from Maitreya the Christ and Maitreya’s Teachings – The Laws of Life), Benjamin Creme’s Master (A Master Speaks and Share International), and Benjamin Creme’s writings. [An extract]
As Maitreya has so often stated: “men must see themselves as One.” This is the essential first step to all future progress; on the fulfilment of that condition everything else depends. The first task of Maitreya and His group will be to show men that this is so, that only then can self-destruction be avoided, that only then can the sleeping potential of man be unleashed for its next and great achievement.
We do not doubt that men will awaken to their Oneness. Underlying all man’s restless striving is the dawning awareness that all must share in the solving of the huge and manifold problems which beset them today; that the responsibility, like the problems, is global and indivisible, and that only through co-operation and self-denial can they adequately be met and overcome.
Maitreya, soon to appear before the world, has the task of opening men’s minds to these truths. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The rule of Law’)
***
The goal for humanity in this coming age is the creation of group consciousness, the sense of being integral parts of a Whole. The new energies entering this planet from the constellation Aquarius work in this direction; their intrinsic quality is synthesis and universality.
We are about to witness profound changes in all our institutions and structures – political and economic, religious and social, scientific, educational and cultural. These changes will take place as humanity grasps, stage by stage, its essential Oneness, and adopts the measures necessary to implement that Oneness. (Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Vol One)
***
My Mission is to evoke the principle of Love in all men, and for those who are ready, to show a Higher Truth. The means are simple: through Justice and Freedom for all, that Love can be expressed. Through the manifestation of man’s Brotherhood, the Source of All can be known. May it be that you will quickly see this, understand the purpose of life and show the way for your brothers. Thus can you take part in the transformation of your world. (Maitreya, from Message No.41)
***
We see all men as One, brothers and sisters of one great family. Men need, likewise, to banish from their hearts the sense of separation, and to rediscover the reality of brotherhood which lies at the heart of the human condition. Men, all men, are potential Gods and needs must create the conditions in which they all can flourish. We will help you to do this, gladly, when you take the first small step in that direction. That first step is not difficult nor fraught with risk. You have nothing to lose and your divinity to gain: that first step is called Sharing. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘Help is needed – and offered’)
***
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. (From Maitreya’s teachings, Maitreya’s Mission Vol Two)
***
Without recognizing it as such, humanity is undergoing a great spiritual crisis that is focused through the political and economic field. That spiritual crisis can only be resolved by the resolution of our political and economic problems, which are based on the false sense of separation. If we would evolve, develop as a race, we must realize our Oneness, realize that we are brothers and sisters of one family, under the one Divine Source, and identical with that Source. What happens in a normal family? They share whatever they have. A mother will not feed one child better than another, give one child 17 per cent and another 83 per cent of the food. We have to realize that we are one family, and therefore must share the resources of the world more equitably around the world. (Benjamin Creme, Maitreya’s Mission Vol Three)
***
The new man will demonstrate his allegiance to the truth that humanity is One, held together by the force of Love Itself; by his tolerance and harmlessness, his correct relation to all the kingdoms. The new man will be known by his capacity for right action, intuitively understood; by his ability to interpret rightly the Will of God. Thus will gradually emerge the God who sits within the heart of all men, potential, waiting to be called into manifestation by the actions of man himself. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘The Knowers return’)
***
I am a simple Man, and simply I make My Appeal to you: Trust Me, follow Me, let Me take you into the future time, on the basis of Love, on the basis of Sharing, on the basis of Brotherhood. Let Me show you the way into that state of simple interdependence, of justice, correct alignment with your Source and your brothers. (Maitreya, from Message No.4)
***
Mankind itself is beginning to sense itself as One; in this coming time it will be One. It is our next step forward in evolution. Brotherhood isn’t simply an ideal which we might or might not have. It is a fact in nature; only we haven’t manifested it yet. In this coming time it is our destiny, the Will of God, to manifest this fact. All the activity and guidance of the Hierarchy will be bent towards this end. This can only come through right relationship. It is to bring about right relationships between men, first, that the Christ is coming; right relationship to God and to one another. (Benjamin Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom)
***
How can there be two worlds when the world is One? How can there be division when the law is the same for all men? Presently, men will understand that the suffering of the many is the illness of the whole, and that justice alone will provide the cure. (Benjamin Creme’s Master, from ‘Justice is divine’)
***
Raise your voices. Tell the world your needs: your need for peace; your need for justice and freedom; the need for all people to live in harmony, no matter the religion, the colour, the race.
All men essentially are One.
They are My brothers and I love each one.
My blessing of love flows to you all.
Until soon My friends.
(Message from Maitreya, received through Benjamin Creme during an interview on Paris radio station Ici et Maintenant. SI May 2008.)
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FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS
A ray of hope for Afghani girls and women [a short extract]
Interview with Razia Jan
by Jason Francis
Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation is a nonprofit organization seeking to improve the lives of girls and young women in Afghanistan through community-based education. The work of the foundation is focused in the Afghan village of Deh’Subz. Razia Jan, founder of the Ray of Hope Foundation, is an Afghani native who lived in America for many years. She worked as a tailor in Duxbury, Massachusetts, for 20 years and is a member of the Interfaith Council and No Place For Hate. Jan moved back to Kabul in 2008. Jason Francis interviewed Razia Jan for Share International.
Share International: What inspired you to help educate girls and women in Afghanistan?
Razia Jan: I’m an Afghani and had the privilege of getting an education. I went back to Afghanistan right after 9/11. I saw that women were not treated as human beings but as objects or second-class citizens. They were mistreated and brutalized. While I was there, going back and forth [between the US and Afghanistan] for a couple of years, everywhere I went the girls were treated inhumanely and were always abused. For me to start somewhere and give them self-respect and education was very important – the change is wonderful.
SI: How many girls in Afghanistan are in school today?
RJ: Since 9/11, the number has been amazing. We now have 8 million girls in school in Afghanistan. Our school year starts at the beginning of April. We certainly have difficulties. Their education is not the best everywhere in the public schools, but they are getting some education. Compared with the past 30 years, they have more education now.
Zabuli Education Center
SI: Could you tell us about the Zabuli Education Center in Deh’Subz, Afghanistan?
RJ: It is a school we built in 2008. It was really built with the help of the Rotary Club. [Rotary Clubs are branches of Rotary International, an organization that aims to bring leaders in the business and professional community together to offer humanitarian services, promote high ethical standards, and help create goodwill and peace around the world.] I have been a Rotarian for the past 25 years. We did some fundraising and built this school. It is an hour’s drive from Kabul and in an area with seven villages. Girls from all seven villages come to this school to attend kindergarten through high school. We hope in 2015 we will have a connected institute for the girls who finish school to give them two years of training to be a teacher, learn computer science or nursing.
SI: How many girls attend the Zabuli Education Center and what is the age range of the students?
RJ: Right now we have about 460 students. Their ages range from three-and-a-half years old to 23.
SI: What is the main expense of running the school?
RJ: Paid staff is our main expense. Everybody is paid more than the average pay for teachers in Afghanistan, because they have to come through these regions. We transport the teachers six days a week from Kabul to the school.
SI: You spoke earlier about how men treat women in Afghanistan. In particular, how do male family members view the education of girls in their own family?
RJ: We had the most difficulty the first year. We had 107 students. This is our seventh year and things have changed. As time has passed the parents see the benefits of the girls getting an education that they themselves don’t have. They can’t read or write, but they see the girls have access to computers and the internet, and can speak about world affairs. I think things are changing among their parents and in the community.
Going forward
SI: Are there still obstacles that the girls and women face when they become educated in such a male-dominated society?
RJ: Marriage is a great obstacle for us because the girls get engaged very young, at 10 or 11 years of age. The family used to marry them off and send them away, but our girls are going to school and asking their parents if they can wait to get married. Most of the time the in-laws and their father, mother and brother agree. They might not let the girls finish the school year, but the girls do have a good chance of completing another year or two of education. Of course, we still have a lot of people who think that girls should not go to school. But for the ones who are going to school, their families’ views have changed and we don’t have as much difficulty as we used to.
Still we’re very concerned. Every day is a challenge for us because the people who do not like the girls going to school could harm our school. This has happened in other schools. In public schools in Kabul they have attacked classrooms with poison gas and poisoned the water. They throw acid on the girls’ faces and even kill the girls. So it is something we have to worry about every day. But, of course, we have to go forward and hope that nothing happens to the girls.
Having a voice in your own life
SI: How does a girl’s life change when she becomes educated?
RJ: It changes tremendously. It gives them a voice they otherwise wouldn’t have. Let me give you an example. If a girl wasn’t educated and she was 11, 12, 13 or 14 years old and their father and brother said, “You have to get married or exchanged with another family,” the girl wouldn’t say anything and would be sent away. But with an education you cannot marry them to a 70-year old man. They will resist as long as they can. In my school, I have seen girls that have succeeded in not getting pushed into marriage. That’s the greatest thing for these girls to get an education and find a way. And if they have some education they will always make sure their children are educated.
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Trends
Promoting the rights of street children
International Street Children Day was held on 12 April 2014. A Consortium for Street Children (CSC) had been set up in 2011 in the UK, and represents a global network that raises street children’s voices, promotes their rights and improves their lives. CSC together with five of the network members produces Children’s Voices, a paper which explores street children’s perceptions of themselves, their access to support and their ability to exercise their rights. In March 2012, a final report, Protection and promotion of the rights of street children working and/or living on the streets was produced and presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) supported by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child is developing a ‘General Comment on Children in Street Situations’. This document when approved should serve as guidance to governments around the world on how to implement the Rights of the Child with specific reference to street children.
CSC and UNICEF have estimated that 100 million children under the age of 18 are growing up homeless on urban streets around the world, but that an exact up-to-date number is impossible to quantify, and is likely to increase. It could be that the numbers are based on the growing awareness within societies of the existence of street children.
Children end up on the streets for a variety of reasons: domestic, economic or social disruption, political unrest, sexual, physical or emotional abuse. Some children in parts of the Congo and Uganda, who are suspected to be witches, are forced to leave home. The greater majority are found in Africa, Eastern Europe, India and Southeast Asia, but the numbers in developed countries are growing.
To further raise global awareness, The Street Child World Cup took place in Rio de Janeiro in April 2014, sponsored by Save the Children. There were 230 former street children aged between 14 and 17 representing 19 countries including the US who took part in the soccer matches. The programme lasted for 10 days and covered co-operation, exploration and enjoyment through various activities, the children finally interacting with local residents through an arts festival. Pope Francis and Prince William joined David Beckham, Pele and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu in sending support for the event. (Source: streetchildren.org; guardianlv.com; streetchildworldcup.org)
Reading revolution in the mobile era
A recently published report from UNESCO has highlighted the benefits of the Worldreader Mobile project. Reading in the Mobile Era: a study of mobile reading in developing countries confirms that long-standing barriers to literacy are receding thanks to the spread of inexpensive mobile technology. Basic mobile phones offer a new, affordable and easy-to-use portal to reading material. While online technology is transformational by any measure, there are still gaps. Only 40 per cent of the world’s population is ‘online’ and in developing countries in 2013, 16 per cent fewer women than men used the internet. Geographic inequity is especially startling. Today in Africa only 7 per cent of households are connected to the internet, compared with 77 per cent in Europe. Although fixed-line internet technology has certainly expanded access to text, it is hardly a panacea. Many people lack access to computers as well as books, and hence remain cut off from textual information that is foundational to education, employment and engagement in the world at large.
The year-long study, a collaboration between UNESCO, Nokia and the charity Worldreader, reported findings from seven developing countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan and Zimbabwe). There are strong indications that the benefits of mobile reading are long-lasting and far-reaching, with the potential to improve literacy, increase education opportunities and change people’s lives for the better. Recent data from the United Nations indicates that of the estimated 7 billion people on Earth, over 6 billion now have access to a working mobile phone. Collectively, mobile devices are the most ubiquitous information and communication technology (ICT) in history. More to the point, they are plentiful in places where books are scarce. While mobile phones are still used primarily for basic communication, they are also – and increasingly – a gateway to long-form text. For a fraction of the cost of a physical book, it is often possible to access the same book via a mobile device. And this capacity is not restricted to smartphones: today even the least expensive mobile handsets allow users to access and read books. Across developing countries, there is evidence of women and men, girls and boys reading multiple books and stories on mobile phones that can be purchased for less than US$30. In addition, usage patterns provide cause for optimism about the impact of mobile reading on literacy rates among marginalized groups. In particular, women appear to be using mobile devices as a portal to reading material, in spite of their lower rates of mobile phone ownership.
Survey data indicate that in absolute terms, male mobile readers vastly outnumber female mobile readers in the countries studied. On average, there are approximately three male mobile readers to every one female. The gender gap is narrowest in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, where the ratio is two males to one female. The most pronounced gaps are in Ethiopia and India, where the ratio is nine males to one female.
The report findings are significant. Among other conclusions, UNESCO has learned that people read more when they read on mobile devices, that they enjoy reading more, and that people commonly read books and stories to children from mobile devices. The study shows that mobile reading represents a promising, if still under-utilized, pathway to text. It is not hyperbole to suggest that if every person on the planet understood that his or her mobile phone could be transformed – easily and cheaply – into a library brimming with books, access to text would cease to be such a daunting hurdle to literacy. An estimated 6.9 billion mobile subscriptions would provide a direct pipeline to digital books. The study also exposes governments to the idea that digital libraries and mobile reading initiatives may have more impact than traditional, paper-based interventions. In essence, the study shines light on a new strategy to bring text to the people who need it most. (Source: worldreader.org; unesdoc.unesco.org)