Share International Foundation is a non-profit organization in London founded by Benjamin Creme (1922–2016) with sister organizations in Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Berkeley, California.[1][2] From their 'about us' page, Share International describes the group as: "A worldwide network of individuals... whose purpose is to make known the fact that Maitreya ― the World Teacher for the coming age ― and his group, the Masters of Wisdom, are now among us..."[3]
According to Share International, Maitreya, a great Avatar (which means "coming down from far away" in Sanskrit),[4] has been living among the Asian community in London since 19 July 1977, and presently is in the process of emerging publicly worldwide.[5][6]
Beliefs, practices and background
editBenjamin Creme was a student of the esoteric teachings of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich.[7] Share International's lectures and publications further these authors' ideas about Maitreya (meaning "kindliness or compassion" in Sanskrit).[8] According to the Ageless Wisdom Teachings, the Advent of Maitreya fulfills not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the prophecies of a number of other world religions ― including Christianity (the second coming of Christ), Hinduism (the Kalki avatar of Vishnu), Islam (the Imam Mahdi) and Judaism (the Jewish Messiah). Creme claimed that Maitreya was actually Jesus's teacher, and Maitreya manifested through (or overshadowed) Jesus 2,000 years ago.[6]
In 1974, Benjamin Creme began teaching "Transmission Meditation", offering it as a means of pooling positive, spiritual energy for the benefit of Humanity. In Transmission Meditation, groups sit silently receiving spiritual energy 'stepped-down' and transmitted through them by the Masters of Wisdom (also called by some groups Ascended Masters). This group meditation is both a means of accelerating one's spiritual development and a form of service, in contrast to other types of meditation that focus solely on relaxation, physical restoration, mitigating stress or optimizing cognition.[9][10]
Creme was generally reluctant to share the exact details about Maitreya's appearances on television and elsewhere ― as he stated that Maitreya discouraged people from chasing after him, and that no one could own him. Nonetheless, Creme confirmed that on 11 June 1988, Maitreya had appeared before 6000 Kenyans in an outdoor church where he spoke perfect Swahili for 18 minutes before disappearing, as had been reported in the Kenya Times.[11] Both CNN and the BBC reported on this event, including the fact that many miraculous healings occurred there.[12]
Before his death, Creme increasingly described the Emergence as a gradual and intentional process rather than a distinctive event, as, according to Creme, Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom are reluctant to infringe Humanity's free will.[5][6][13]
Maitreya and the press
editCreme maintained that Maitreya descended from his ancient retreat in the Himalayas in 1977 and relocated to the Indian-Pakistani community of London.[14] While journalists were invited to find Maitreya in the Brick Lane area, they failed to do so.[15]
Creme continued until his death in October 2016[16] to assert that Maitreya's full, public emergence was imminent.
Share International magazine
edit
Share International publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International, which brings together ancient ways of knowing and contemporary thinking. It considers the causes underlying social, economic, political, and spiritual changes now occurring on a global scale, while seeking to inspire practical and compassionate action, such as activism, social justice, integrous journalism, as well as planetary healing.[17]
Reception and criticisms
editAccording to the American religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, Creme's statements served as a catalyst for assessment of the New Age movement by Evangelical Christians.[18] A week after the advertisements in 1982, other advertisements appeared in the Los Angeles Times denouncing Creme as an instrument of the Antichrist. Constance Cumbey (an Evangelical Christian and a Detroit area attorney and author) holds that "Maitreya" is a pseudonym for the Antichrist and regards Share International as an openly Luciferian movement.[19][20] Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from Cumbey's conspiracy theory.[18]
British journalist Mick Brown wrote "I came to enjoy my talks with Mr. Creme. His stories of the Hierarchy, of hidden retreats in Tibet, of... the cogs... guiding the planet towards an age of harmony and enlightenment ..." He described Creme's claims as fantastic and outlandish.[21]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Brown (1998), p. 13.
- ^ Melton (1990), p. 135.
- ^ "About Share International".
- ^ Bailey (1948), pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b Barrett (2001), p. 347.
- ^ a b c Brown (1998), p. 8.
- ^ Barrett (2001), p. 348.
- ^ Leadbeater (1925), p. 295.
- ^ Brown (1998), p. 250.
- ^ Melton (1990), p. 136.
- ^ Mutungi (1988).
- ^ Brown (1998), p. 349.
- ^ Nagel (1994).
- ^ Creme (1980), pp. 20–21.
- ^ Barrett (2001), pp. 347–349.
- ^ "Benjamin Creme, artist and esotericist – obituary". The Telegraph. 11 November 2016.
- ^ Brown (1998), p. 257.
- ^ a b Newport (1998), pp. 180–181.
- ^ She bases this on Creme's open professions of loyalty to Lucifer on various talk radio shows - some of which she has personally participated in. She also bases this on Creme's recitation of his belief in the contents of the Alice Bailey books - books which are published by Lucis Press - an organization that originally published under "Lucifer Publishing Company". Brown (1998), p. 23: "Creme was agent for the AntiChrist. I had come across a pamphlet published by an organisation called the Christian Research Institute declaring its belief that Mr. Creme was indeed 'deriving his inspiration from a spiritual realm, albeit a malevolent one'."
- ^ Barrett (2001), p. 349: "Sensing a good offbeat story, a number of journalists search the Brick Lane area, but no one could point them at the returned Christ. Creme lost credibility and supporters, and gained some serious enemies among Evangelical Christians. An Evangelical book,The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow (1983) attacked all New Age and esoteric movements - especially Creme and the Maitreya [sic] - as a satanic conspiracy."
- ^ Brown (1998), p. [page needed].
Works cited
edit- Bailey, Alice A. (1948). The Reappearance of the Christ. New York: Lucis Trust.
- Barrett, David V. (2001). The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-35592-5.
- Brown, Mick (1998). The Spiritual Tourist: A Personal Odyssey Through the Outer Reaches of Belief. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 1-58234-034-X.
- Creme, Benjamin (1980). The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom. North Hollywood: Tara Center.
- Leadbeater, C. W. (1925). The Masters and the Path. Theosophical Press.
- Melton, J. Gordon, ed. (1990). New Age Encyclopedia. Gale Research. pp. 135–137. ISBN 0-8103-7159-6.
- Mutungi, Job (June 22, 1988). "Did Jesus Christ come to the city?". Kenya Times. Vol. 2, no. 111. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
- Nagel, Alexandra (1994). "De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba" [The Sai paradox: contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba]. Sekten [Cults]. Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland [Religious movements in the Netherlands] (in Dutch) (29). Free University of Amsterdam Press.
- Newport, John (1998). The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8028-4430-9.
Further reading
edit- Brown, Mick (23 October 1988). "Messiah is alive and well and in London". The Sunday Times. p. A15.
- Creme, Benjamin (1993). Maitreya's Mission. Vol. 2. Los Angeles: Share International Foundation.
- Constance, Cumbey (1985). Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow: The New Age Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism. Huntington House Publishers. ISBN 0-910311-03-X.
- Groothuis, Douglas R. (1986). Unmasking the New Age. Inter-Varsity Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-87784-568-9.
- Peterson, Wayne S. (2003). Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Beings: Experiences of an American Diplomat with Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom. Hampton Roads Publishing Company. ISBN 1-57174-376-6.