Media Reviews
Maitreya's Mission Volume Two, by Benjamin Creme - A book review by Carmen Font Many concerned citizens were looking for answers in 1993, amazed at how the world was going through major changes in the political and economic fields: the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dismembering of former Soviet republics; the end of apartheid; and the beginning of a deep and widespread economic crash that had started earlier in Japan. Maitreya's Mission Volume Two (MMII) not only catered for the information needs of readers preoccupied with current affairs, but also provided a framework and a context in which the deeper causes of these events could be clearly understood. If we were to capture the essence of the more than 700 pages of this volume in a single phrase, it could be: Every cause has an effect. At a time of hectic news, shortly before the internet and instant communication devices took over the way information was produced and exchanged, readers of Maitreya's Mission Two could enjoy thorough depictions of the state of the world and our relationship with these events. In this second volume of Maitreya's Mission, readers are made witness to the fact that His concerns and priorities are global in scale. The exoteric events making headlines in the news were responding to the new energies of Aquarius and to the Plan of evolution. The sense of immediacy and transcendence of these events goes beyond their factual or historical nature and become vivid examples of the underlying purpose of life on Planet Earth. The book is divided into three main thematic areas. The first part, 'Maitreya and the Emergence', focuses on the then latest moves towards the externalisation of Maitreya and the Hierarchy at a time of sincere journalistic activity and media interest. We are reminded of the historic conference held in April 1990 in which Maitreya had made Himself known to a very large group of distinguished people in many countries (p.15). They met Him in person and received great spiritual experiences. The efforts of the journalists invited to the conference turned out to be relatively ineffective, in that they could not communicate these experiences to their editors and news outlets (p.17). The reader might feel frustrated at realising that Maitreya would never impose Himself nor infringe our free will, even in those cases where the 'glaring truth' is in front of our eyes. But at the same time, a second and further reading of the developments of Maitreya's Emergence in early 1993 give us a sense of the enormous strides that Hierarchy was taking towards externalisation and Their loving trust in Humanity. Frustration is not called for as far as the Externalisation is concerned. If Hierarchy were not confident about humanity's ability to carry out changes in the world, Maitreya would not have taken any step towards His external recognition. This involves a change in focus: instead of grumbling about why the Emergence is taking so long , humanity should adopt a stance of proactive and conscious receptivity about the complexity of such an event. That is, we should realise that it is an honour that Hierarchy is presenting us with such direct opportunities to acknowledge Their presence and confront the changes needed in the world. For those who have read subsequent books by Benjamin Creme and the monthly issues of Share International magazine, or who browse the Share International website, the crescendo of this process of Emergence and ever closer contact of Maitreya with humanity is made evident in Part Two of MMII: press releases and interviews with the Master (p.30-38) on consensus, signs and miracles (p.50) and, very importantly, Maitreya's forecasts about political changes that are responding to a new energy of equilibrium that is pervading the planet (p.89). Almost 20 years have passed since the publication of these forecasts in MMII dealing with the collapse of the economic system based on market forces and commercialisation, the new political scenarios - in which Asian, Latin American and African countries have more geopolitical and economic weight - and social and scientific developments in the fields of education and the technology of light. With these forecasts, readers can now understand that Maitreya's mission is taking place in good shape and at a rapid pace. It is never fast enough when one is aware of the suffering of millions of people, but we realise that it is indeed surely and consistently taking place when we bear in mind that, since 2010, Maitreya has already appeared on dozens of media outlets in America, Mexico, Brazil and Russia, and when we see the recent developments in the Middle East. MMII is a central book in Benjamin Creme's writings since it marks a turning point towards understanding the actual realisation of Maitreya's emergence onto the physical plane as well as its development into future events that bring us close to a 'new dawn for humanity'. MMII holds special significance, too, since it gathers together Maitreya's teachings on important matters such as Honesty of Mind, Sincerity of Spirit and Detachment that have so profoundly influenced our internal discipline towards growing in consciousness. Part Three of MMII follows this trail and devotes itself extensively to all essential matters of discipleship and service. Benjamin Creme's talk on the 'Overcoming of Fear' is by now a classic reference and a milestone in how to experience the Self devoid of the glamour of fear. I believe it is possible [to overcome fear] if we can come into relationship with our Self as the Self, and not with that accumulation of experiences that we call 'me' in which fear is inevitable because it is created by thought (p.287). This chapter, as well as Chapter 11, 'Evolution', and Chapter 12, 'Growth of Consciousness', is essential reading for anyone interested in a description and concrete 'hints' about the pitfalls and the dynamics of the Evolution of Consciousness: The quality of your experience of the world depends absolutely on your conscious awareness. Your conscious awareness depends on the quality of the instrument of awareness, your vehicles, physical, emotional and mental (p.347). Thus the actual practice of honesty of mind, sincerity of spirit and detachment that Benjamin Creme spells out for us become a guiding force in the path of discipleship. Chapter 13 is devoted to the 'Seven Rays' and has become basic reference reading for anyone interested in studying the qualities of each ray and how these qualities are expressed in individuals according to their point in evolution. The book includes a helpful appendix with a list of initiates and their ray structures which has subsequently been updated for ease of reference. Benjamin Creme's further insights into Transmission Meditation in Chapter 14 put the emphasis on its service aspect vis-a-vis the development of the disciple: The disciple is someone who knows there is a goal and who seeks to further his evolution himself in a highly conscious manner. The goal he seeks is, of course, perfection (p. 473). Transmission Meditation assists us in this goal because it provides a platform for training our focused attention while allowing us to participate in a specific path of service. Even readers who are familiar with the interplay between meditation and service will find great value in revisiting this chapter and its exploration in the requisite mechanisms of self-consciousness. The long series of questions and answers about relationships and the importance of harmlessness broaden the scope and the instruments available towards a greater recognition of ourselves as souls. The two last chapters of MMII give continuity to this journey into soul consciousness by highlighting the work ahead for us towards group initiation. Benjamin Creme reminds us that this cannot be imposed as a set of rules or regulations, but rather comes as the result of a loving motivation: When the group sees the purpose and goes forward and totally absorbs itself in the purpose, then all these other things [group conflicts] take care of themselves (p.600). A wonderful grand finale for MMII is the keynote talk 'The Call to Service', where Benjamin Creme delves into the significance of right motive and steadfastness as the main enabling forces that sustain a disciple's service and his or her impact on group work and the world at large. There is a very distinct foundational quality in MMII that inspires and delights the reader in every one of its chapters. It is, in a real sense of the word, a central book in the Benjamin Creme bibliography in providing an enormous wealth of relevant information, both historical and educational, that serves the disciple and the casual reader. It sets the tone and pace for a fascinating work in progress into further materialising and participating in Maitreya's Mission. Biographical Note: Carmen Font is a writer and academic based in Barcelona, Spain.
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