Question: As the people burn their karma more and more, will they affect one another? Then wouldn't everyone's consciousness be raised?

Maitreya: Sure. Everything in this universe affects everything else. There is no object that is not affecting something around it. You surely affect everyone else in this room, I affect everyone else in this room. For instance, when Sarah and I were living alone, the energy was completely different then when Isaac came. And then Ananda Ma came.

The more people come together, the greater the collective consciousness. With the different levels of participation of these individuals in the Body that is gathered together, the Body becomes more and more complete. That is why as more people meditate and pray for the Grace of God, and become more Graceful and see Him and bring Him in all the levels of their lives, they will start affecting one another in a greater degree. The more Grace is there, the less karma. And the more Grace, the more karma is going to be burned away. So everything is going to be accelerated.

I was reading an article that was saying if 500 million people meditate at the same time, it's going to affect the earth. That's the research done with computers. And there is some truth in it. Of course, if 500 million people create l00,000 Communities of Light, and these Communities of Light are linked together by meditation from 6 - 6:30 on Saturdays, we are a powerful energy on earth that can just change the tide of many things toward a better world.

Unfortunately, humans don't listen until they have to. They have to be forced to listen. God doesn't want to create tribulation or Armageddon as prophesied. However, the human is very stiff-necked.

So they resist God. They say, "No, we don't want you. We want our own lives. We want to do things according to our ways. We want this or that," just like a little kid, when you take him to the toy shop. He cries, "I want this. I want that," etc.

He doesn't ask his parents, "Do you have enough money? Can you buy this for me? Is it appropriate for me? Is it good for me?" The only thing important for the child is, "I want that toy." He doesn't care about anything else.

The same thing with humans, they're like little children, "We want this thing! We want to have that!" Or, "If you are not giving it to me God, you're not there. You don't exist." It is not that God is not there or He doesn't want to give it to you but He knows what is better for you.

Our ego is very limited. We see a very small portion of the universe, through tunnel vision. And usually we're very self-centered. We only see ourselves and what we want, not what is good for God's universe.

As we meditate, expand ourselves and become more familiar with our teachings, then little by little more people are going to create the feeling of, "Well, yes, I am a part of the universe. It's not just me and what I want, it's what is good for the universe."

Just like the earth, it was probably true, that 50 years ago what happened in Africa wouldn't bother the people in South Carolina. Or if it did affect them, they did not realize it as they do nowadays. However, whatever happens in Africa now, affects everyone, everywhere. And the people are becoming more and more aware, "Yes, we're not alone, what we do affects other people and what other people do affects us."

So the more we expand our minds, the more we realize we have to create the feeling of unity between everyone. That is why we are here.

If you look, every sign is there that human consciousness is reaching a point for a great leap. That is why we came, we show them another alternative. We say, "Look, this is how God sees things." We work on ourselves with meditation, individually and collectively. And with working toward creation of the Communities of Light, we have an alternative. When they reach the point that they say, "Well what we are doing is not working," we can tell them, "Here is an alternative which is going to work."

We are not revolutionaries, we are not here to revolt against the present system. We're not against anyone. However, the present system is not working. You can patch it here and there but it is beyond repair anymore, it needs a real overhauling.

That's what we're doing. We're here this time, not to heal individuals. We're here to heal the earth.

Audience: And then eventually the universe.

Maitreya: One of the things that happens when you say The Reminder is, you dedicate yourself "...to endeavor to help the whole universe to reach higher consciousness and eventually Pure Consciousness."

So we're going to meet each other doing this over and over again. I'm sure we have been together before. We have done this before, and now we are gathering back together to do it again.

Question: The fact that we're doing this and we're realizing and learning these things here on earth, will that make it easier? My hope would be that if I come back to do it again, I will remember somehow what I have done so I won't have to go through such a mess trying to get here, and go right to what I need to do.

Maitreya: Actually, it doesn't matter how much wealth, how much fame, whatever the manifested world offers you, the only thing that remains with you when you leave your body at the time of death is your Spirit and your spiritual progress. The money, the body, the fame, you have to leave everything here and go to the other world. In the other world, the only thing that counts is how much you progressed. The rest is really an illusion. It exists, but it is not the ultimate truth.

However, every gain, all the spiritual progress you make in this lifetime, stays with you for the next lifetime. You might come back as a regular person (be born as a regular person), but you learn your lessons fast because you have experienced many of them before. See, you don't have to go through all your life and experience everything and then at the end of that life realize, "What happened? I really accomplished nothing. I'm in the door of death and what have I done?"

Question: I know that there are a lot of spiritual masters here and there are a lot of people who are supposed to be drawn to the Mission to help who are still involved in their egos, and they're not seeing that. I'm hoping that maybe with my progress this time I will have shattered enough of the ego to not do that to myself next time. Is that possible?

Maitreya: Any progress that we make stays with us. But any lifetime we come back, we have to go through some of that experience. However, because we have progressed in the previous lifetimes, the learning experience is faster. Probably some people go through the same experience that you have gone through, and they continue following the same pattern to the end of their lives.

If you look at anyone's life, you see the same pattern happens to them. They cannot break that pattern because they don't learn their lesson. The same thing happens to them over and over. They meet a boyfriend or a girlfriend and they break up. Again they find another boyfriend or girlfriend, and they break up. So this is a pattern(s) in which they are trapped. If you look, the cycle is going on and on, and they always blame other things for their problems.

Some people leave a location because they feel if they leave that place their problems are going to be solved. They go to another place and the same problem is there. It's not the place that is the problem, it's the person himself or herself.

That is why the people who meditate create a keener understanding of their lives. They can stand back and look at themselves and say, "Hey, what am I doing? I'm going through the same pattern again and again, and I'm making the same mistakes and the same problems for myself." Eventually they become tired of it, and that's when they turn to God. They turn around. They become baptized. When they turn 100% back to God, then they start seeing their mistakes and problems. And that is progress.

So this time maybe you went through 10 - 12 relationships. The next lifetime you may go through two, and you realize the pattern because, see, you already had the experience, you went through the relationships. Maybe the third lifetime that problem is completely solved.

Then you have to learn another lesson. You go through it and after awhile you learn. Then when you come back, and whatever desire is there, you see the emptiness of it, right away. You don't have to go through it.

You can even go through it in your meditation and say, "If I do this and that, I'm going to be in this situation. Is that what I really want?" You haven't even gone through the experience, you just meditated on the experience. And you can see, "No, that's not it." Now you say again in your meditation, "OK, if I do this other thing, I will be in this situation. Is that where I want to be? No. That's not it either." Eventually you realize, "No, the only way to really be happy is to know God and do His Will."

Audience: Is to become Divine. Keep focused on that every lifetime.

Maitreya: Then you can be a doctor, but a Divine doctor. You can be a lawyer, a Divine lawyer. You can be a missionary, a Divine missionary. You can be a father, a Divine father, etc. However, the first goal is to be(come) Divine, to realize God, to realize His Will for you. Then whatever you are is fine. We're not against anyone or anything to be, but to be that in His Divinity before being anything else!

Audience: I've been reading THOTH, I've read The Plan and The Keys. (And I have a lot of nice spiritual people around too, they keep me straight.) And The Greatest Sign really helps. I get a lot of things from that.

Maitreya: Satsang means good company, talking about God. Actually the business at hand and talking about God are the only talk people have to share with each other. Like Esa said, "If you're not talking about God, the conversation should be Yea, Yea or Nay, Nay. The rest is from ego (devil)."

If you meditate for awhile and you are familiar with the energy, you see the other talk just brings the energy down, because talking is from the first chakra in general. This energy comes from the lowest energy center in the body. When you talk constantly about a lot of mundanity, a lot of talk that is not really high and from God, not only do you bring your energy down, you bring everyone else's energy down.

As I said, everyone affects everyone else. Still you are in your first chakra, so you're really sending signals from your first chakra. As you relate to everyone else, you're really asking everyone, "Come to my level, come to the first chakra and let's be in that level."

However with Satsang, when you talk about God, the energy really comes from the seventh chakra, and that is why everyone becomes high and you start talking about things of higher levels. You go from the first, second and third levels of consciousness, to the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh levels and that is where deeper thoughts are, that is where the gems are. The gems of the wisdom of God are there.

Audience: Yes. As you were saying that, I was thinking that there are not a lot of people who want to spend a lot of time talking about God. But in the Communities of Light you have that and you'll really be working for God. That's just such a nice way to be able to raise your consciousness.

Maitreya: Indeed. When the Communities of Light are created it is easier for the people to pray and be in His Presence, to know Him and feel Him. When you think God, and you talk God, and you sleep God, and you wake up God, and you eat God, and you drink God, and you look God, then you are in God.

The communities and everything else are going to come. It's just something that gradually, with wisdom and cooperation, everyone can sit and figure out what is the best way to do what, and how we can do it. Eventually, we will create an environment where everyone is comfortable. And every time you go out to the world and it gets to you, you can return to the community and become revitalized with everyone here. Then when you are revitalized, you can go back again. You're not alone.

Question: Would you share with us those steps necessary to begin this Community of Light we are starting here now?

Maitreya: Really the greatest message you can take to humanity is that the Expected Person, the Expected One is here. Esa chose 72 disciples and sent them out. They had only one message, that "The kingdom is at hand." Everyone knew what that meant. That was the message that the Messiah is here, the King is here. Every Jew knew what that meant. So when they said the kingdom is at hand, that meant that the Expected One is on earth. That is the greatest message that has to be given to humanity, to know that the fulfillment of the prophecies are here.

After they accept that, in reality they are accepting our teaching. Some people will accept our teaching (Message) and then accept the Messenger. But the first real Message is, The Messiah is here. Of course, you have to believe it and realize it yourself first.

So first of all you realize it either in your mind by reading my teachings, or you realize it in your heart by just knowing that what I am saying is the truth and what I am claiming is the right thing. When you do that, then you proclaim it with your mouth.

Question: No matter what anyone thinks, and you can tell anyone? Is there some kind of discrimination in sharing the Message?

Maitreya: As Esa (Jesus) said, don't be worried about that. When the time comes my Father will put the words in your mouth, and you will say things that you know it is not you who is saying them. It is the Father. That is how the Spirit of the Father works right now with us, with the Mission.

When missionaries go out and open their mouths, the more pure channels they become, the more submissive they become to the Message and let their egos go more and more, the more they will manifest greater works and the Word from the Father comes through them. That is going to have a greater effect on others because they will see that the Father is coming through them. That flame is going to kindle a lot of other candles. And each candle lit can kindle many others.

So we really need the people who have been kindled first. If there is no kindling, there is no fire. No matter how good or beautiful our teaching is, or how many prophecies we tell them are fulfilled, the only thing they are going to say is, "Why him?" You tell them, "But who then?"

That's what I asked Father, "Why me?" I was just here to finish my education, and continue the life I'd already planned to do. "Why me? You've got the wrong person." Actually I fought Him for one year and a half. "No, no, not me, it's just wrong, You've got the wrong person, it's not me." But eventually He convinced me, that I have no choice.

Audience: We're glad He did.

Maitreya: Well, I have no choice anyway now for sure. So this fire, the kindling of the fire, is the most important thing. For each fire we can kindle many others.

Question: So you go out and you tell the people that the Messiah is here, and then in the next breath you can tell them about the teaching?

Maitreya: Exactly. Especially those people who accept it. And when they accept that first step it's very easy to present to them the Mission, the teaching. But if they don't accept that first step, it's very hard for them to listen.

Question: But sometimes that happens then through the teachings?

Maitreya: Sometimes yes. Sometimes people read the teachings, they like them, and they come to the point where they say, "Well it is the fulfillment of the prophecy." But then they say, "No, no, no, no, it can't be."

So it's OK, if some people like the teaching and they want to help with it alone. They will eventually also spread the Message of the first step. But it's just a package. You have to accept the whole package or you won't make it. If you just accept the teaching and don't accept the other parts of the package, it is being lukewarm and God does not like being lukewarm!

Question: I wanted to take the easy way out -- show everyone the teaching. This is such a wonderful teaching and they have to realize that this is the Messiah.

Maitreya: But it doesn't work that way. We have had experiences. We started that way. Actually I approached Florida and also some other people that way, with the teaching. They said, "It's wonderful." Some people even said they had been waiting for 40 years for such a teaching. They said, "The teaching is wonderful...B U T..." But, if you are waiting for such a teaching for 40 years, there is no "but" or "and."

However, if you accept the first step and are kindled, then the teaching is easy. Then we can create a strong Body on earth for the Father, and each candle and each person is a part of this Body. Just like a puzzle, every cell in the Body has to function properly so the Body can manifest. Someone is the feet, someone is the eyes, someone is the brain, someone is the hand, but we need all of them.

Audience: I pray for so much strength to be able to do this, because I feel my family, though they do respect what I'm doing spiritually, when I say, "I've met the Messiah," I can just hear them saying, "She's really lost it now." So I need a lot of strength to do this, and not worry about what people are thinking.

Maitreya: Don't rely on your own strength, rely on God's strength. He will do it through you. They will reject you, no doubt about that. I've been rejected myself. But if you stay with God and His Spirit, and go through it as He wants it, eventually, not only will they accept you, they will respect you. That happened to me, that happened to others in the Mission.

They were very upset by the way we started the Mission, and so on. However, as time went on they realized that our life is fine, our ideal, our compassion, our love, our everything is great. We are much more than they thought we were, and they respect us now. Not only is the rejection no longer there but it was replaced instead by a greater respect.

The same thing here. Many many think that we have gone crazy. Later on they will see, No we are not crazy. Time will show that everything we said is going to happen.

So you have to keep on with God's strength and rely on that all the time. Pray for His strength. Focus your attention to the center, to where you want to go. According to your temperament, you can focus on the Father, if it's easier for you. If you need a channel or something manifested, you can focus on me as the same representation of the Father. Of course, I will connect you all the time to the Father. That is my job.

See your job is to connect all to me. My job is to connect them to the Father. If you try to connect them to yourself, you become an obstacle. If I try to connect them to myself, I'll become an obstacle. But if you connect them to me and I connect them to the Father, then the energy is going to flow through all of us.

The moment your ego comes in and you try to connect them to yourself, you will feel it right away. The energy will be cut off. And the same thing for me, if I try to connect them to myself, then the energy is going to be cut off from me.

Audience: I don't think I've experienced that. So far with the sharing of the Mission I don't feel that I've done any connecting to myself.

Maitreya: Well, whatever I say doesn't mean that you're doing it.

Audience: I know that too, but I'm examining myself at the same time you're saying that, just for checking.

Maitreya: That's one of the reasons we wrote to one of our representatives about letting people come here if they want to. It's just that they are connected here directly.

So that is the real Message. It's very simple. It's a very simple Message, very powerful. And they are waiting for it. They are candles that are not lit yet -- but they are dry and ready candles nevertheless.