Share International Foundation is a non profit religious organization founded by Benjamin Creme with its main offices in London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Berkeley.^[1][2][3] The organization has also been referred to as Tara Center, which was a name used for the Los Angeles office for work carried out in the USA.^[4]

The organisation believes that a spiritually advanced being named Maitreya, the World Teacher, has returned to the everyday world and has been living among the Asian community in London since 19 July 1977. They assert that when Maitreya first arrived in London he lived in the Brick Lane area for several years^[5][6] before moving to another unspecified location in the city.

Beliefs, practices, and background

Share International's publications claim that the coming of Maitreya (meaning "friendly" in Sanskrit) fulfills not only Buddhist prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named Maitreya, but also the prophecies of a number of other world religions - including Christianity (the second coming of Christ), Hinduism (the Kalki avatar of Vishnu), Islam (the Imam Mahdi) and Judaism (the Jewish Messiah). Creme claims that Maitreya manifested himself through (or overshadowed) Jesus 2,000 years ago,^[6] that Maitreya resided in the Himalayas, and that in 1977 he descended from his ancient retreat in the Himalayas and took an aeroplane to London. His belief is that Maitreya took up residence in the Indian-Pakistani community of London in the Brick Lane area and has been living and working there, seemingly as an ordinary man, his true status known to relatively few. Furthermore, that Maitreya has been emerging gradually into full public view so as not to infringe humanity's free will.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Journalists had been invited to find Maitreya in the Brick Lane area but were unable to do so.^[10] According to Creme, Maitreya influenced the ending of the Cold War, German reunification, and the ending of apartheid in South Africa.^[11]

In 1974, Benjamin Creme introduced a meditation called Transmission Meditation which he says is a way of transmitting spiritual energies through the meditators to create a pool of positive, spiritual energy for the benefit of humanity. Share International says there are 600 Transmission Meditation groups all over the world. The groups sit silently while spiritual energy is transmitted or 'stepped-down' by the Masters of Wisdom (also called by some groups Ascended Masters). This group meditation is a form of service, rather than the traditional personal meditation, which can be continued as well as this service activity.^[12][13][14] Transmission Meditation is a non-denominational meditation and people from all faiths (or none) take part in this form of service.^[15]

Benjamin Creme was a student of the teachings of Alice Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich.^[16]

Share International says that Maitreya appeared before a Christian gathering of 6,000 people on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya on 11 June 1988. This happening was widely published, among others by CNN,^{[citation needed]} and photographs of the Jesus-like apparition were distributed worldwide.^{[16][17][18][19]} Since then, it is claimed that he has made many more appearances. From 1991 to 2002, they say Maitreya appeared before gatherings of orthodox religious groups worldwide. He addressed them briefly in their own language and was recognized by the majority of people in attendance as their awaited Teacher. Maitreya also apparently created healing springs of water in the areas near these appearances. These healing waters in Mexico, Germany, and India have drawn millions of visitors.^[20] The organisation has published a list of Maitreya's alleged appearances.^[21]

1982 onwards

In the spring of 1982 Creme placed advertisements in newspapers around the world saying, "The Christ is now here". According to Creme the "Christ", whom he also called "Maitreya", would announce his existence on world wide television broadcasts. Creme stated in these newspaper advertisements that the Second Coming of Christ would occur on Monday, 21 June 1982 (the summer solstice in the Northern hemisphere).^{[citation needed]} When this did not occur, Creme continued to assert that Maitreya would emerge when the world was ready for him. Creme, who continued to claim that time is now very near for Maitreya's emergence, did not receive any money for this work or royalties from his 14 books, and for over 30 years gave lectures around the world by invitation only. A worldwide network of volunteers worked with Benjamin Creme to inform the public of this information.^[22][23]

In 1997 Creme made similar announcements that there would be imminent global TV broadcasts from Christ/Maitreya, though with far less media interest.^[24]

Main priorities of Maitreya and the idea of sharing

Share International does not claim Maitreya as a religious leader, or that he is to found a new religion, but that he is a teacher and guide for people of every religion and those of no religion. They believe this to be a time of great political, economic and social crisis, that Maitreya will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation.

They highlight the main goals that Maitreya will immediately recommend dealing with after the 'Day of Declaration.' They say that he will call to action the people of the world to save the 862 million who are starving and hungry in a world of plenty. Among Maitreya's recommendations will be a shift in social priorities so that adequate food, housing, clothing, education, and medical care become universal human rights.^[25]

Believers claim that through the years, Maitreya has given 140 messages.^[26] Share International quotes him as saying, "See your brother as yourself".^[27] They say that Maitreya says only through sharing can the world be renewed, and that only sharing will bring justice and peace, and that his can only be achieved by the perception of brotherhood.

Share International magazine and organization

Share International has offices in Amsterdam, London, Berkeley, Tokyo and several other countries.^[3][28] It publishes a monthly magazine, also called Share International.^[29] In it, Creme has published a number of articles that he claims were dictated to him telepathically by a Master of Wisdom (Ascended Master), an enlightened being who apparently has already passed through evolution on this planet and has an expanded consciousness and therefore does not have to reside in a fixed human body (the same is true for Maitreya who is claimed to have made appearances in many different bodies.) The magazine documents many miracles sent in by people experiencing them, that they assert appear all over the world.^[30]

Reception and criticisms

According to the American religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, Creme's statement served as a catalyst for assessment of the New Age movement by Evangelical Christians.^[31] A week after the advertisements in 1982, other advertisements appeared in the Los Angeles Times denouncing Creme as an instrument of the Antichrist. Constance Cumbey (an Evangelical Christian and a Detroit area attorney and author) holds that "Maitreya" is a pseudonym for the Antichrist and regards Share International as an openly Luciferian movement.^[32][33] Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from Cumbey's conspiracy theory.^[31]

The beliefs and claims of Creme have been described as fantastic and outlandish by the British journalist Mick Brown.^[34]