COPYRIGHT & USE STATEMENT This book is copyrighted by Benjamin Creme. However, to make information about the impending appearance of Maitreya, the World Teacher, more widely available, this book is being offered free of charge at the link below. It may be read online, downloaded, and shared with others as a weblink, email attachment, or, if circumstances necessitate it, a printed copy for personal use only. It may not be used for any commercial or derivative purposes, republished, modified, or stored on any Internet website without the express written permission of the copyright holder. Benjamin Creme's books have been translated into many languages and are available for sale through online booksellers, bookstores, and the publisher. Mr. Creme accepts no royalties from the sale of his books. When communicating to others the availability of this book via email or the world wide web, please use the following URL: http://share-international.org/books?d=AWT The Ageless Wisdom Teaching An introduction to humanity’s spiritual legacy Benjamin Creme SHARE INTERNATIONALFOUNDATION Copyright © 1996, 2006 Benjamin Creme, London Share International Foundation All rights reserved ISBN-10: 90-71484-13-0 ISBN-13: 978-90-71484-13-1 Fourth printing, April 2006 Printed by Print Tech West, Northridge, CA Recycled paper Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Interview with Benjamin Creme* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Esotericism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Source of the Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Energies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 The Seven Rays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Rebirth and Reincarnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 The Law of Cause and Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 The Plan of Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Evolution and Initiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 The Masters of Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 The Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 The Antichrist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 The Origin of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Meditation and Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Spirituality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Future Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 The Emergence of the World Teacher – In Brief . . . . . . . . . . .51 The Reordering of Priorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Man Must Change or Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 The Prayer for the New Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 The Great Invocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Glossary of Esoteric Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Books by Benjamin Creme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 *Publisher’s note: This interview is excerpted from Maitreya’s Mission, Vol. 3by Benjamin Creme Introduction In every age, or in times of exceptional crisis, great spiritual teachers have come into the world to enable mankind to take its next evolutionary step. We know them, among others, as Hercules, Rama, Sankaracharya, Krishna, Buddha, Mohammed and the Christ. Each has given a body of teaching, a central and common theme of which is ‘right human relations’. For example: (cid:122) Christianity: “... All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them ...” (cid:122) Buddhism: “In five ways should a clansman minister to his friends and familiars – by generosity, courtesy and benevolence, by treating them as he treats himself, and by being as good as his word.” (cid:122) Hinduism: “Do not to others, which if done to thee, would cause thee pain.” (cid:122) Islam: “No one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (cid:122) Judaism: “What is hurtful to yourself, do not to your fellow man.” (cid:122) Taoism: “Regard your neighbour’s gain as your own gain and regard your neighbour’s loss as your own loss.” From such simple teachings men have historically constructed complex dogma and ritual, willing to kill and be killed in the name of their ideology. Such religious intolerance has been, and continues to be, the basis for much of the discord and suffering in the world. When men and women of every faith come to under- stand that they share a common spiritual legacy, as children of One Father – by whatever name their tradition chooses to call Him – a new era of brotherhood and peace will begin. This common wellspring of wisdom is an ancient body of spir- itual teaching handed down from generation to generation, and known as the ‘Ageless Wisdom’. As an esoteric science – mean- ing simply that it lies beyond the understanding or comprehension 1 of the average person – it presents a systematic and comprehen- sive account of the evolutionary process, in man and nature, from an energetic standpoint: how the universe came to exist, how it operates, and man’s place within it. Esotericism, as it is some- times called, is also the artof working with those energies which emanate from the highest spiritual sources. From behind the scenes, these teachings have guided and shaped civilization after civilization, leading to all the great advances in human endeavour, be they in the sciences, politics, the arts or religion. The Ageless Wisdom teaching was first made available to the general public around 1875 by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in her seminal works The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled. Blavatsky established the Theosophical Society to introduce this ‘new’per- spective on history and human evolution. The intermediate phase of the teaching was revealed by Alice A. Bailey who, from 1919 to 1949, collaborated with a Master of Wisdom known as ‘the Tibetan’. Through a process of telepathic overshadowing, the Master Djwhal Khul communicated a vast body of information about the world and its future. Since 1974, British artist Benjamin Creme has been the source of further revelations concerning the Ageless Wisdom and, in par- ticular, about the emergence of Maitreya, the Christ and World Teacher for the coming age – information which Mr. Creme receives through his moment-to-moment telepathic contact with a Master of Wisdom. Benjamin Creme lectures throughout the world on this subject and has given hundreds of radio, television and print interviews. Compiled from these lectures, his books have been translated and published in numerous languages by groups responding to his message. He is also editor of Share International, a monthly mag- azine circulating in over 70 countries. He receives no remunera- tion for this work and makes no claims about his own spiritual status. The main article in this booklet gives an overview of the basic tenets of esotericism and is transcribed from an interview with Benjamin Creme by Rollin Olson, which took place in November 2 1994 in Los Angeles, USA. Readers who are new to this subject may wish to first review the glossary of esoteric terms beginning on page 59 to familiarize themselves with some of the frequently used terms. For those who wish to delve further into the myster- ies of the universe, a suggested reading list is included. “When you see and hear Me you will realize that you have known for long the Truths which I utter.... These simple Truths, My friends, underlie all existence. Sharing and Justice, Brotherhood and Freedom are not new concepts. From the dawn of time mankind has linked his aspiration to these beckoning stars. Now, My friends, shall we anchor them in the world.” – Maitreya, the World Teacher (from Message no. 105) 3 The Ageless Wisdom Teaching Interview with Benjamin Creme by Rollin Olson Rollin Olson: Every day it seems people are talking about how things are out of control – corruption ruining countries, economies in collapse, people losing their jobs, some becoming homeless, the family unit breaking down. A lot of people see no purpose in life any more. Others keep hoping for a turnaround. Do you see any hope for the future? Benjamin Creme: Very much so. I think that before humanity lies a civilization more brilliant than anything this world has ever seen. RO: But how, given the problems we have today? BC: I think these problems are really temporary. They are the result of the fact that tremendous new cosmic energies are influ- encing our world and creating the present – temporary – turmoil and chaos. Our innate divinity, potential in every human being, is sufficient, I believe, to show us a way out of these problems and to create the conditions which will ensure, not only the continu- ance of humanity, but the creation of a civilization which will ful- fil our every aspiration. RO: You say “innate divinity”. Who are we, really? BC: We are really gods in incarnation. We need to recognize our threefold constitution: we are a spark of God; every religion has postulated this and has kept the idea of our divinity before human- ity for thousands of years. But it can be seen more scientifi- cally and still correctly. Speaking as an esotericist, I would say that the divine spark is so refined in vibration that it cannot manifest directly on the physical plane. It reflects itself, therefore, as the individ- Benjamin Creme (left) with Rollin Olson ualized human soul. The soul, in its turn, reflects itself in the human personality, with its physical, emotional and mental bod- 5