New age: Details about 'Benjamin Creme'
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Benjamin Creme (b. 1922 Scotland) is the esotericist founder of an organisation called Share International. He asserts that the second coming prophesised by many religions will come in the form of Maitreya. Maitreya is the name Buddhists use for the future Buddha, but Creme claims that Maitreya is the teacher that all religions point towards and hope for. Creme says that Maitreya is already here on the Earth, and making public appearances, most notably in front of a crowd of 6000 in Kenya in 1988, during which photographs were taken. Throughout his early years Creme also studied various philosophical ideas, in particular the teachings released in the late 1800s by Helena Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society, and more recently by Alice A. Bailey. These teachings, plus his alleged experiences of telepathic contact with an enlightened being, led him to believe in the existence of the Ascended Masters, a group of perfected individuals whom he describes as assisting and guiding humanity into living in harmony with the "Divine Plan" for this planet. From 1975 to 1979, Creme lectured, by invitation, throughout Europe. During his first US tour in 1980, he spoke to large audiences in many major cities. Since the early 1980s, his tours have included Western and Eastern Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and two trips a year through the US. He has been interviewed on more than 300 radio and television programs in the US. Creme's books on the alleged emergence and teachings of Maitreya have been translated into seven languages and are published throughout the world by groups that share his beliefs. He is also co-editor of Share International, a monthly magazine that focuses on the political, economic, social and spiritual changes said to be now occurring globally. The magazine is read in more than 70 countries. Since his first public talk in 1974, millions of people have heard Creme's message, and many have joined Creme in spreading it. "My job," Creme says, "has been to make the initial approach to the public, to help create a climate of hope and expectancy. If I can do that, I'll be well pleased." (Brown).
TeachingsCreme teaches directly from the Bailey and Theosophy material (called "the Ageless Wisdom") and many of his books deal with clarifications about those particular teachings. Creme has also developed some unique teachings, the prime one being that the "Masters of Wisdom" are moving into a more public role. According to the Ageless Wisdom, once one has reached a certain point of spiritual evolution, one either leaves Earth to learn in grow in other ways, or one stays behind to aid the evolution of those on the earth. Those who stay are called the "Hierarchy." In the past they mostly worked behind the scenes, but in Alice Bailey's works she predicted that the Hierarchy would soon begin to work more openly. Creme claims that this is happening now. Creme has also introduced a form of meditation he calls "Transmission Meditation." He claims that in this meditation, one offers one's etheric body (see chakras) to be used by the Hierarchy to "'step down' the great spiritual energies that continually stream into our planet. This transmission process, which makes the energies more useful to humanity, is analogous to that of electrical transformers, which step down the power between generators and ordinary household outlets. These transformed spiritual energies are gradually lifting all life forms, changing our world for the better." () ControversyThere are many who fear Creme's Maitreya as being the Anti-Christ, as foretold in the New Testament Book of Revelation. It is true that many fundamentalist Christians would be offended by the concept of Jesus being an "ascended master". Along with Christians, there are also members of many other religions who have been offended by Creme's use of their messiah, teachers, and Avatar figures to validate his message. Creme lost credibility after 1982, the year in which Maitreya's Emergence was set to occur, but was interrupted by the Falkland Island Invasion. Since he began teaching in the mid seventies, Creme has said that Maitreya's emergence was "imminent." However, the date for Emergence has been postponed repeatedly and none of Maitreya's appearances have been reported outside of testimony from Share International members (including the 1988 Nairobi incident). References
Benjamin Creme Benjamin Creme
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