Title: A Compilation of Maitreya's Teachings: Part 3

The following was published in the July/August 1990 issue of Share
International magazine (Volume 9, Number 6).  Copyright (c) 1990
Share International Foundation.  All Rights Reserved.


Table Of Contents

Part1: (SI0601.txt)
Introduction
A New Energy Pervades The Planet
Effects On The Environment:
The Law Of Cause And Effect

Part 2: (SI0602.txt)
Science And Technology In The Age Of Light
The Art Of Healing
Teachings On Religion

Part3:(SI0603.txt)
The Art Of Self-Realization
The Practice Of Self-Realization

Part 3a: (SI063a.txt)
Questions On Maitreya's Teachings
A Prayer For The New Age

Part3:
THE ART OF SELF-REALIZATION

"I have not come to found a new religion," Maitreya says.  "I have
come to teach the art of Self-realization," something which is
neither an ideology nor a religion, but benefits people of all
religions and those who have none. "I come to you 'like a thief in
the night'", He tells us, "so that you will not become too excited.
Slowly, as you become aware, you can 'digest' what is 'eaten'.  In
awareness you will know Me.  In 'isms' you will fight against me".

Looking for Maitreya under titles, even the title of "the Messiah",
can lead to illusion:  "'Messiah' is a word coined by the human
race, and to say 'I am the Messiah,' can create opposition."  And
although some may find the qualities of Jesus in Him, Maitreya says,
"Those who look for Me as a Teacher are nearer the mark, for that is
what I am".*

The true quality of the Teacher will be seen in the teaching --
which is that the Master is within you.  In Maitreya's words, "I
seek to express that which I am through you; for this I come".*

"I have not come to create followers", says Maitreya.  "Each of you
should continue to develop within your own religious tradition.  A
real disciple is one who will respect the traditions.  Respect your
own religions, your own ideologies, in brief, your own thoughtform,
and you will experience the Master.  Even when you see me, do not
run after me.  If you run after me, you will lose me.  I cannot be
monopolized -- I belong to everyone."

"If you personify Me, He warns, you will create nothing but
confusion, chaos, destruction.  If you parade Me, you do not know
who I am. Even My signs create only momentary happiness.  The
happiest moment is when you see Me within your heart."

"I have not come to puzzle or startle people.  When people
experience Me, for the first time they will know the purpose of
life."  You will not feel you are leading a futile life, but one in
which the Master is within you, guiding you.  This sense of
inwardness will give you another perspective in life.  You will feel
you are enjoying life.  Fulfilment will take place within.
Everything is within you.  When this happens you will not react in
anger.  With a sense of detachment you will experience the power of
God.  God is behind everything.

"I do not want you to believe in Me.  First experience Me within
you.  When you experience Me then you become aware of My presence
within you:  it is not a matter of belief first.  I do not want you
to accept or reject me -- it is your inner experience which counts".
What you experience yourself, says Maitreya, is your wealth, the
richness of your own Being.  The living truth is a matter of
experience".

Do not try to worship Me, Maitreya counsels.  If you worship Me you
are trying to lower yourself.  I do not want this.  I want you to be
equal.  You are a spark of the Supreme Being.  Do not think you are
below Me.

"The Self alone matters," Maitreya teaches.  You are that Self, "an
immortal Being."  Suffering is caused by identification with
anything and everything which is not the Self.  Ask yourself, "Who
am I?"  You will see that you are identified either with matter (the
body), or with thought (the mind) or with power (spirit).  But you
are none of these.  "Mind, spirit and body are the temples of the
Lord; the Self experiences in these 'the supreme Being and Becoming
of the Lord'".

Spirit, in the Sanskrit terminology, is Shiv-shakti, which is
energy. Mind is Brahma, which is thought-formation.  Body is
Prakriti, which is material substance and can also be thought of as
material activity.  These terms can be regarded as objective facts,
but they can also be thought of as movement or processes.

The destiny of the Self is to be free.  Considered in its freedom,
in its Being, it is called Atman.  Within the limitations of time
and space, in its becoming, it is the soul, or Jiva.  The Self is
not energy (Shiv-shakti, spirit); the Self is not thought-formation
(Brahma, or mind); the Self is not material activity (Prakriti, the
body).  The destiny of the Self is to enter and leave these temples
of the Lord at will.

Shiva and Brahma can be seen as aspects of a trinity that includes
Vishnu, the sustaining aspect.  If a person is overpowered by Shiv-
shakti, he can perform miracles.  Yet the person looks withdrawn,
blank.  If a person is overpowered by Brahma, he can be a
philosopher, but he can be imprisoned in that thought formation.  A
person overpowered by the Vishnu aspect can give, and give
generously, perhaps become a saint, but that, too, can be a prison.
During the 1960s, "hippies" responded to the Vishnu aspect, having
become disillusioned with power (Shiv-shakti) and mind (Brahma).

Being is eternal, Becoming is temporal.  The Self experiences both.

Being and becoming are two modalities.  Being is unchanging, whereas
becoming is a process of unfolding in time and space.  Man, in his
Being, is the Self.  In his becoming, he is the soul -- the
reflection of the Self.

The Self witnesses.  It plays the 'mini-role' of the Almighty. The
Self is the spark of the Almighty.  "There are times when you become
aware that someone is behind you, within you, over you, around you -
- something is present."  "That 'something'", Maitreya says, "is the
Almighty. It does not participate; it observes.  No one need
struggle for this step. Everyone qualifies at this stage.  Then, as
your awareness grows, if you practice the discipline of detachment,
you will know Me in My totality.  The moment you think of Me, I am
with you."

The Self makes itself known through awareness.  The Self makes mind,
spirit and body aware of reality and thus able to make decisions
accordingly.  Maitreya says, "Let your awareness grow.  Awareness,
with intelligence, will guide mind, spirit and body.  This will
create harmony between mind, spirit and body and the Self."  Then
the Self can use the forces of Life to transform things, to effect
"miracles".  Mind, spirit and body are simply vehicles.

Awareness is the light of life.  Anything done outside awareness
leads to destruction.  All thoughts which lead you to selfishness
lead you away from awareness.  In awareness there is no memory.
Memory is only in the mind.  All struggle and care is in the mind,
never in awareness. Suffering, depression and craving for drugs are
all states of mind. Awareness sets you free and allows you to enjoy
life.

When awareness is still dormant, "isms" control mind, spirit and
body and create divisions.  This is maya -- illusion.  When
awareness controls and guides you, "isms" cannot come close to you.
Awareness can even make a king give up his kingdom, Maitreya
teaches.  Privileges divide, denying oneness to the entity within
you.  "Isms" are not thrown away all at once.  They are steps on the
way.  Awareness controls the pace of evolution.

Yet in awareness there is no burden.  You remain meticulous,
immaculate, pure.  There is grace, peace and happiness.  These are
the blessings of the Lord.

Awareness will come to be respected in the home and in the school as
a sacred, God-given gift, Maitreya says.  Awareness is the mother of
creation. It can never be divided, nor imposed.  Textbooks cannot
describe it, because there is no beginning nor end to it.  Awareness
can only be experienced.  It is a seed in all creation and in every
individual.

Awareness is universal and does not "belong" to any religion, nor to
any guru, saint or politician.

According to Maitreya, when you judge, saying "I am right.  You are
wrong", you are caught in the web of attachment.  The Self must
always practise detachment.  In this way, awareness will grow.  The
Self is neutral and free from suffering.  Awareness protects the
Self.  Just as the body must be bathed, detachment is the "bath" of
mind, and awareness is the "bath" of spirit.


* These words appear also in Messages from Maitreya the Christ,
No.10, published by Tara Center, Los Angeles, and received through
Benjamin Creme on 8 November 1977.


THE PRACTICE OF SELF-REALIZATION

One of the easiest ways to know Me, Maitreya says, is to be honest
in your mind; be sincere in your spirit; feed your body with right
food; and practise detachment.  This will create harmony.  When you
experience the Self within and come to know you are an immortal
entity, completely separate from mind, spirit and body, you learn to
use these temples of the Lord creatively, with awareness.  Processes
of healing follow automatically.

"You have been given mind, spirit and body," says Maitreya, "to
express My Being and Becoming in thought, speech and action."  Any
action performed with dishonesty of mind, an insincere spirit and
attachment is destructive.  For example, when you think one thing,
say another, and do something which is different again, you are
lost.  Honesty of mind leads to honest speech and honest action.
This harmony leads to peace and happiness.  "Whether you are a thief
or a saint," He counsels, "you can begin right now."

But, people have asked, "How do we begin? How do we practise
sincerity?"  Consider an expression which is often used, such as
"having a heart-to-heart talk" with someone, Maitreya responds.
What does this mean?  It means you will express yourself as you
really are, you will communicate from the centre -- your centre --
the Self.  Practise this. It will transform you and those around
you.

The heart is never tarnished or touched; it is the seat of the soul.
It is the mind that leads us astray.  Peace, bliss, happiness and
grace are the qualities of the heart.  "By tuning into the 'feelings
of the heart'", Maitreya teaches, "you are able to experience your
natural innocence, that innocence you had as a child.  Do not
'visualize' the heart.  For that is only the mind seeking to find
the source of light with a torch."

Maitreya teaches that everyone needs their "inner space", where
there is no direction, no one telling you where to go and what to
do.  No one can lead you.  You are born to be aware of yourself, to
know the Master in yourself.  Your inner space is sacred.  It is
where all things, all problems, dissolve.  It is where you go when
you tell others you are tired and frightened and "fed up", when you
want to be left alone to find your own space.

According to Maitreya, "You have been given that space so that the
confusion and chaos around you will dissolve.  You must never
surrender that space to anyone, except your true Self.  Meditation
is really a journey back to that space to find peace and happiness".


Be what you are

"Be what you are," He tells us.  "Do not follow one another.  If you
practise honesty of mind, sincerity of spirit and detachment, you
will know your Self, you will know Me, you will know the Lord."  If
you follow others instead of being yourself, you lose your sparkle
and cannot reflect the light of individuality.  Without that light,
there is no progress in life.

To follow another means to copy, imitate or identify with another,
forgetting your real Self.  As an example, consider popular
entertainment stars.  Many fans try to dress and behave like them,
but this does not lead to happiness or fulfilment.

The task of the Master is to awaken the Self within.  When you, in
turn, know your Self, you can awaken others.  To awaken another,
however, does not mean to cast your shadow over him.  When the Self
awakens, development follows naturally; the person fulfils his own
destiny and enjoys the blessings of the Lord.  The pace of
development of each person can thus be respected: "Let the pagan
believe in the stone, because without the Lord there is no stone."
Correct relationship between the Self and mind, spirit and body is
what matters.

"Do not surrender your self-respect, your dignity to others.  The
moment you surrender yourself to some other self you become a
'zombie'.  Do not allow any shadow, even, to possess you".  Maitreya
illustrates His point with the following example:  "If the
personality of an enlightened man falls on a child who is not yet
prepared, what happens?  The personality of that child is
extinguished.  The child becomes like charcoal.  Apply this to many
politicians and their children.  The children cannot progress.  They
have no sense of freedom and are unable to express themselves".
Therefore, "Do not allow anyone to cast his shadow over you.  A
Master gives experiences, but does not cast his shadow."

Remain open-minded, Maitreya says.  "Enjoy life.  When you enjoy
life you are sitting on the beach looking at the vast ocean.  At
that moment you experience serenity, tranquility, detachment within.
You do not think of your bank account at that moment.  Nobody
lectures you at that moment.  The gift of life flowers within you.
Experience this and you will realize you are a unique person.  You
are unique in this creation.

Whatever you do in life, Maitreya teaches, practise detachment and
you will achieve equilibrium.  You will experience the forces of
life passing through your mind, spirit and body and yet not be
possessed by them.  "When you do this the 'Third Eye' is opened and
you will be able to sense what is happening around you and foresee
events."  It is the destiny and evolution of everyone to reach this
state.

Detachment is the process whereby man ceases to identify with the
material aspect (the body), with the thought aspect (the mind) and
with the energy or power aspect (the spirit), and thus he comes to
know and be his real Self.

That Self is endless.  Awareness is endless.  Mind, spirit and body,
however, have a beginning and an end.  The laws of creation are in
the mind; the universal energy is in the spirit; and the forum for
the materialization of the creation is the physical body.  With
detachment, the Self experiences the phenomena of the mind, spirit
and body, but does not become attached to the miraculous powers of
which these three vehicles are capable.

In effect, when the Self observes God's powers it is detachment
which saves the Self from imprisonment in the bondages of life.

If you do not know yourself as the Self, however, you can become
attached to body, mind or spirit.  If you are attached to the body,
you will find that there is no end to material desires and sensual
gratifications. Greed grows, the search continues, and satisfaction
always eludes you.  When you are detached, the Self experiences
these powers and allows the fulfilment of divine purpose.  To
possess is not only to misuse but to misdirect and to interfere.

For example, true spiritual healers allow the Lord to work through
them but remain detached both from cause (the Lord's will) and
effect (the healing of a particular individual).  This is why it is
important to remain detached both from success and failure.  Some
individuals are healed; some are not.  If you do not claim anything
for yourself, pride cannot flourish and all is directed according to
spiritual law.  You do not heal; the Lord heals.  The Self knows
this.  Practise with detachment and leave the consequence to the
Lord.

To learn detachment is an art.  With it, the scientist will learn
the laws of physics and chemistry (the laws of creation) and will
apply them, creating things which constitute God's work.  The
artist, with detachment, will be able to describe God through his
own experiences.  We are all observers in this vast creation.  If we
observe with a strong sense of detachment, we will find beauty in
it, equilibrium, harmony.

To be honest, sincere and detached is to experience oneness with
God. But so often this oneness is interpreted by people as
loneliness and something to be feared.  Yet the feeling of
loneliness is the supreme blessing in disguise, says Maitreya,
because it shows that a person is approaching oneness with the Lord.

Detachment is the most powerful "drug".  It becomes so effective
that it immunizes the Self from the processes and proceedings of
mind, spirit and body.  Without detachment there is no salvation.

Even a thief can experience the awareness that comes with
detachment. If a thief comes to you, says Maitreya, do not preach;
it will not work. Teach him to be honest about what he is doing.
The thief will gradually acquire detachment.  Detachment enables the
mysteries of life to become clearer, and the thief, with detachment,
eventually realizes the mind is reacting to a particular thought
formation.


Divine hand

Maitreya says:  "Even when you are thieving, know that without the
divine hand of the Lord you would not be able to thieve."  The Self
only witnesses. Gradually the Self becomes aware of its mastership.
Gradually, the Self controls mind, spirit and body.

Everyone has his own wealth, which no one can take away.  This
wealth is Self-realization.

People want someone to free them from all their sufferings.  Yet, it
is detachment which frees you from suffering.  "Free will is the
most important thing given to you, and your destiny is to be free."
Thus attachment is loss of freedom; detachment is freedom.

In childhood you are detached.  But as you grow, if you become
attached, you lose the beauty of life.  The Lord comes again, in
your old age, to free you.  The day the Self within is free of the
stresses and strains inherent in the processes of being and
becoming, yet fulfils Its duty in a detached manner, the Kingdom of
the Lord is experienced by the Self in the heart.  "When you become
desireless all the burdens of life are removed."

If you want to know Me, Maitreya says, you have to give up all your
attachments.  This teaching is simple to understand, yet difficult
to put into practice in your activities, because you need
discipline.  An experience of the Lord can help you develop
detachment.  When the Self is taken away from mind, spirit and body
(even momentarily), that experience alone is sufficient. Maitreya
says:  "This is not philosophy.  I am teaching you live things, not
'past, present and future.'  If you practise honesty of mind,
sincerity of spirit and detachment while you are alive, you can
embrace My totality in one single birth."

Detachment releases us from the cyclical patterns of cause and
effect -- karma -- which govern our lives.  As long as we are
conditioned, however, these cyclical patterns repeat themselves.
According to Maitreya's teaching, everything that has materialized
is called Prakriti.  This Sanskrit word refers to material activity
or matter in broad terms, but "prakritis, in the plural, also refers
to human activities which are the result of conditioning. Prakriti
is your 'second nature.'  At present, your second nature controls
mind, spirit and body.  As awareness grows, its strength diminishes.
But as long as you are controlled by your second nature you cannot
understand the art of existence. Maitreya is inspiring humanity to
fulfil its destiny which is to free itself of this second nature
through growing self-awareness.

This teaching is embodied in the biblical story of the Garden of
Eden, in which Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of the
tree of knowledge of good and evil.  In this interpretation, the
snake that tempted Adam and Eve is a symbol of "prakritis", that is,
of conditioning -- the opposite of freedom.  Once you "eat"
knowledge (a possessive act) rather than facing knowledge with
awareness (whereby you understand that you must not "grab") you are
no longer free.

When Jesus went to various places preaching "Love thy neighbour as
thyself", he also preached honesty and sincerity, because this
creates love within you.  The rabbis went to Mary to complain that
her son was preaching things which were not in line with their
teaching.  Mary would ask Jesus why he was teaching in this way.  At
times there were arguments.  Had tempers flared, Mary could have
thought, "My son is mad".  This is conditioning.

Conditioning is like an egg.  Once incubated, the life within bursts
through the shell.  When conditioning cracks, there is a sense of
relief.  Conditioning can crack with awareness or without awareness.
When conditioning cracks without awareness the result is a shock.
It has such power it can even destroy part of the memory.  The
energy tied up in conditioning is like the tremendous energy tied up
in a volcano.  The destiny of conditioning is that it will burst.
No one can remain conditioned for ever. This is why Maitreya says,
"Be detached, then you will not be conditioned."

Detachment means the Self is using energy.  Attachment means energy
is using the Self.  When energy uses the Self, the effects are
destructive. Creation has energy and if that energy is disturbed it
can shake our world and even break it, says Maitreya.  "One has to
be careful with energy.  If you try to possess it, it will destroy
you.  You may be good at mathematics and become a first class
mathematician.  But what happens?  You can become unbalanced if
there is no equilibrium on the intellectual level.  'It is the same
if you are caught up in spiritualism.  You can become obsessive.'

Be detached and intelligently use that energy.  Life is equilibrium
and balance."

After the environment, the understanding of energy is the top
priority in the world now.  For the first time in the history of the
human race, people will become aware of energy in their lives.
Although no one knows where this energy comes from, or where it goes
after death, all experience it during their lives.

In extreme cases, it is energy which goads a murderer to pick up a
knife and kill another.  Yet the murderer, unaware of it, wonders
what forced him to act.  In another extreme example, a yogi
experiences a sudden surge of creative energy which pushes him into
unknown regions where psychic powers are available to him.  But the
yogi is not affected because his training helps him to remain
detached.  He is not possessed by the energy.

Without this energy nothing can happen, and without it none of us
can fulfil our destinies.  Just as humanity has become aware of the
environment, checking the food before we eat it, conscious of our
health, so it will become conscious of this energy.  This energy
must be understood.  Then it can be used to help the human race.
Once triggered, it can be guided and used creatively.

However, if triggered blindly, as in some scientific or psychic
experiments, it will destroy.  People can suddenly go mad and kill,
for there is very little "space" between these happenings in
accordance with the Law of cause and effect.  This energy can goad
the Self into situations in which it becomes trapped in the mind.

But what is the mind?  It is nothing less than the blueprint of
creation.  It is not personal.  It is universal, like energy.  In
spiritual language, energy is the Spirit while mind is the Holy
Ghost.  The Master (Maitreya) says it is like a ghost because it can
appear in any form.  It can be a human being, a snake, or fire.
Anything and everything in creation is in the mind.  If the Self is
goaded by energy into the trap of mind then the Self will be caught
up in the cyclic evolution known as Karma (cause and effect).

Nonetheless, the Self has to undergo the experiences of the mind in
order to evolve to the point of full Self-realization.  The mind, of
course, can act like God and control and manipulate the energy to
achieve anything.  But these psychic or magical powers can be very
destructive.  As awareness grows, it guides the Self which can then
use the mind, spirit and body with intelligence. Balancing energy
and environment is the key to salvation.