TANATA:

(Editor’s Note: The material below is reprinted from Share-International.org for the purpose of airing every and all viewpoints on matters pertaining to faith. TANATA is committed to truth and recognizes that there is great deception in the world today, as is notably and remarkably foretold by the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, which frankly stand alone as valid and substantive, but this is our opinion. If you can read the material below and not have cause for concern or a reason to renew your beliefs and ideas, and denounce paganism in all its forms, if that is necessary for you, that of course if your prerogative. The problem is … this sort of thing, i.e., esotericism, because of its nature as demonstrated by the Nazis, affects everyone, will lead to a loss of rights (fascism, arranged decreases in population, forced religion) … and then my prerogative and your prerogative won’t amount anymore to anything. I/we don’t want to live like that. If you do … God help you.

Mankind cannot solve its own problems, certainly not in this time of turmoil, which has such finality written all over it … only the true Messiah, Jesus, the only son of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, can save us, we believe. The prophet Isaiah said on God’s behalf: “Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God … and there is none else.” We’ll leave it at that, for now.)

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 ‘outside’ but situated ‘simultaneously’ 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. ‘‘No one has a hold on the Christ.’’ The Lord’s message is indivisible and applies to one and all: ‘‘If 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. (We contend that God looks on the heart of the individual, regardless of any labels or denominations mankind might place on people. And we contend that Jesus died for all. Ed.)

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-understanding of what new age thought in general and myself in particular are about. The ‘old 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, ‘new 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 ‘Monsignor is a courtesy title; he is, in fact, a rather well-known and influential priest with contacts in ‘high places’ in the Vatican) was one of three envoys sent to London in January of this year ‘‘from 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.

(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 ‘get 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 ‘redeem’ 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 ‘destined’ and ‘planned’. 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 ‘destined’, 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, ‘‘My 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 ‘‘My 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 ‘why 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 ‘divine 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 ‘‘within 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 ‘white’ to ‘olive’ to ‘brown’. 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 ‘lost’ 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 ‘lost’ 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 ‘of 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.

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: ‘‘I 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 ‘‘the twinkling of an eye.’’ They look for some one great event (in the sky) when the Christ will come down from ‘heaven’ in a ‘cloud of glory’, surrounded by a ‘host 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, ‘‘like a thief in the night, in such an hour as you think not.’’ He does, indeed, come with a ‘‘celestial 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 à 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 ‘fall’ 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 ‘Lucifer’ means, literally, ‘light’. 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 ‘‘angel 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 ‘‘satan.

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.

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: ‘‘I 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 ‘‘religion.’’ 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 ‘your’ 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 ‘anti-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 ‘‘of 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 ‘the 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 ‘‘inaugurate 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 ‘‘Maitreya 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 ‘hang-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.

(Ed. Judge for yourself … and determine which teachings have stood the test of time. Interestingly, Maitreya is often uncertain of his answers and facts — a far cry from the omniscience of Jesus.)