Share International
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Share International is a worldwide network of volunteers who believe the prophesied Master of Wisdom Maitreya has already returned and is currently living in the Asian community in London, specifically in the Bangladeshi Brick Lane area.
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[edit] Fundamental claim
Share International (SI) says that Maitreya is not a religious leader but rather an educator in the broadest sense of the word, whose coming signals the dawn of a golden age for all of mankind. Benjamin Creme, author and principle spokesman for SI tells audiences all over the planet that Maitreya will inspire mankind to see itself as one family and to rebuild the world based upon the principles of sharing, justice, cooperation, brotherhood, and love. Creme says that Maitreya comes to fulfill not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher Maitreya, but also the prophecies of all the other major world religions- including Christianity (the second coming of Christ), Hinduism (the Kalki avatar and/or Krishna), Islam (the Imam Mahdi), and Judaism (the Jewish Messiah).
Mr. Creme has said that Maitreya will present His credentials on the "Day of Declaration". He will speak to the entire world via a satelite TV link. Maitreya's face will be seen by everyone and He will speak to humanity telepathically (everyone will hear Him in their own native language). While this is happening - everyone will feel far more love than they've ever felt before, which will cause hundreds of thousands of people to be miraculously healed of their ailments.
Share International says that the world's most significant problems lie in the fact that 30,000 people starve to death every single day of the year, while tons of food rots, that major political and economic systems are controlled by greed based market forces and commercialization, rather than by ethical forces.
[edit] History
Share International was founded by Benjamin Creme in the 1970's, while he was traveling and lecturing about the return of Maitreya. Creme continues to serve as the chairman of the Share International Foundation, and as editor of the organizations monthly magazine. The foundation is registered as a non-profit organization, and derives its funding from individual donations and the sale of books and magazines. The foundation has offices in London, Amsterdam, and Los Angeles.
Creme has said that he has been in contact since 1982 with an intelligence known only as 'the Master'.
Share International claims that Maitreya appeared in a Christ-like form before a gathered crowd in Nairobi, Kenya in June of 1988. Pictures from that event show a bearded Middle Eastern or South Asian man in a white robe and turban, carrying what appears to be a fly-whisk. This appearance is said to be only one of many different kinds, as he has also been said to have spoken to many other groups or individuals in various guises and speaking different languages.
[edit] Magazine
Share International publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International, that is distributed worldwide. In it, Creme has published a number of articles that he claims were dictated to him telepathically by 'the Master'.
[edit] Underlying beliefs
On the [official website of the organization]http://www.share-international.org, a question and answer section says "In modern times the major expression of these teachings was given through Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, one of the founders of the Theosophical Society, between 1875 and 1890. Her book The Secret Doctrine is the preparatory phase of the teachings given for the new cosmic cycle which we are now entering - we call it the Age of Aquarius. A later phase was given through an English disciple, Alice A. Bailey(founder of [Lucis Trust]http://www.lucistrust.org/), between 1919 and 1949, by a Tibetan Master, Djwhal Khul, and this is seen as the intermediate phase of the teachings. Between 1924 and 1939, a further body of teachings - the Agni Yoga teachings - was given through another Russian disciple, Helena Roerich. These Ageless Wisdom teachings are the means by which humanity is kept informed of its essential divinity and of its journey of evolution toward perfection."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Share International website
- View recent videos of Share International's principle spokesman's (Benjamin Creme) public lectures
[edit] Bibliography and references
- Brown, Mick The spiritual tourist - A personal odyssey through the outer reaches of belief (1998) Bloomsbury New York ISBN 1-58234-034-X
