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The Project
“It is 1999. What do you expect?
Me, myself, and I are the rule of the game. There is no way I can
work with these people. No way!” Anna cried to her teacher.
The situation seemed grave. Anna was the smartest of the class, but
also the most conceited. She would have to share her knowledge
because this assignment was a group project. To make things worse
Mr. Williams said everybody had to participate, or he would fail them
all. Anna didn’t think that was fair, but her teacher wasn’t very
concerned about her personal opinions. Besides, her parents
wouldn’t tolerate anything, but the greatest of success.
“Well, young lady, thank you for telling me what you are not able to do,
but this project will give you the chance to prove yourself wrong.
Russell, Tina, and Abdul are your partners. Listen, sometimes we
all have to sacrifice a little bit, and swallow our pride. Perhaps
you will discover that everybody has something good inside.” Mr.
Williams then dismissed Anna to go her merry way.
Anna felt terrible. She got all the bad luck to work with for the
project. Everybody knew that Russell was too quiet, and never did
his homework. Anna didn’t like his eyes because they looked like
shinning pearls which made Anna feel like he was a nice kid. She
had no time to be friends with people like him.
Tina was the second best in the class, but Anna didn’t like her either
because she always wanted everyone’s attention. A day in class
couldn’t go by without Tina nudging Anna’s shoulders to ask her silly
questions that she already knew the answers to. This really upset
Anna because it wasted her time on someone that tried to be better than
herself.
Abdul was the sorriest of them all. He hardly spoke English, and
wore strange clothes. Anna simply didn’t care for him because he
had a funny name, and looked different from herself. Sometimes she
would see Abdul smiling, and wondered if he laughed for the same reasons
as herself.
At home Anna sat in her big room. She wondered how in the world all
of them could work on the project. In fact, Anna had no idea what
Mr. Williams had in mind, but she was glad he had told her because she
would find a way to do it all herself by tricking the rest of her
teammates. That would give everyone a great grade, and she
wouldn’t have to work with the two misfits, and foreigner.
“Honey, why are you so quiet?” Mrs. Blake asked her daughter at the dinner
table.
“Oh, Mr. Williams is making me work with a bunch of losers for a project,”
Anna complained.
“Well, as long as your do great, and learn something. Cheer up, it
isn’t the end of the world. We all must learn to work with
different kinds of people. It is important to adapt,” her father
responded.
“Whatever,” Anna carelessly retorted. It was easy for her dad to
say, but it was Anna that would have to suffer the humiliation of
getting stuck with Russell, Tina, and Abdul.”
“Watch yourself young lady. Haven’t we taught you what the Bible
says? Honor your mother and father. We won’t stand for any
of that nonsense. Eat your dinner, and do what your are told in
class,” Mr. Blake told his daughter.
After dinner Anna went back into her room to think of clever ways to do
the project without her class mates. Perhaps she could offer them
money, or tickets to the movies. One way or another she would find
a way to work alone, and be in control.
“Good morning everybody. As you well know, it is time for
finals. This semester I have decided to make this last project 75%
of your grade. You may wonder why, but if you get passed this
inquisitive state, you will discover that the project unites many
aspects into a working principle...” Mr. Williams said before getting
interrupted by a student called Dan.
“I don’t like any of my partners. They are no good. Why can’t
we pick the ones we like?” Dan questioned as he leaned back into his
chair.
“You are in Junior High, and just like in real life, you will have work
with what you have. There is no changing group members, or topics
for that matter. Your topic will be the contrast between
democratic systems and socialism. The next group will study the
labor practices of industrial nations. The one with Mary, Colby,
Sam, and Alex will do a report on dolphin awareness, and music therapy.
The next group will give the latest information about quantum physics.
Thomas, Greg, Molly, and Chris will study the theory of evolution and
creationism. The last group with Abdul, Russell, Tina, and Anna
will give an extensive report about an emerging religion called Divines.
That is all. You all better get moving,” Mr. Williams commanded.
Anna’s hand shot up, but she didn’t bother to wait for her teacher to
recognize her. She spoke her words as if Mr. Williams was hard of
hearing. “What? Divines? That is ridiculous.
Everyone gets a normal assignment, but we get the weirdest! Then I
have to work with them!”
“Anna, it is your job to find out all you can. I have no problem
failing you. Think about that. Stop complaining, and begin
your task,” her teacher told her with a face that resembled an iron
mask.
Anna had never heard about this religion, so she would have to cooperate
with her group until she knew enough to venture out on her own.
“Kids, your seating arrangements will temporarily change. Sit in
your project groups. I expect a brief report on your progress by
Monday,” the teacher declared as his eyes swept the room to make sure
everyone was following his directions.
Anna had no choice but to sit next to the misfits and foreigner. “Hi,
guys. Let us get to the point. I don’t like this any better
than any of you, but we have a job to do,” Anna said while
slumping into a chair next to Abdul.
“I know Divines. I see on Internet. I can find information,”
Abdul offered to his teammates.
“Right! You don’t know Divine from Adam,” Anna rudely declared.
“Hey, wait a minute. Who made you queen? If Abdul has
something to share, then he should be able to bring it. Anna, we
know that you don’t like us, but this is a group thing. We are all
that you have between success, and failure. Anyway, Russell, what
do you think?” Tina asked.
“I am very interested in religion, but I have not found one that I really
like. Our best bet is to find out as much as we can, so that
Monday we sound like we know what we are talking about,” Russell
shyly mentioned to his partners.
Anna was surprised to realize that Abdul was the only one that had even
heard of the Divines, but this evening she would discover more than
everybody else. Actually her project group members didn’t seem
that bad after all for the moment.
“All right. Lets get to work. We ought to work in teams within
the teams. That way we get more done,” Anna tried to order.
“Don’t think that is a project. We have to work together,” Abdul
answered.
“Fine!”
Anna didn’t want to call him, but she had exhausted all her means.
She had checked the Internet for Divine, but found things that only
confused her even more. Calling Abdul was her last resort, but she
had to get some kind of information.
“Salam,” a deep resonate voice answered.
Anna almost hung up, but she couldn’t go back to school empty-handed.
Softly she made her request. “Good evening, sir. May I speak to
Abdul? This is Anna from school.”
“Oh, yes. Anna. Hold please,” the gentleman responded.
Anna could hear strange music in the background. It didn’t sound
like anything she had ever heard before. It was nice, but
different.
“Anna?!” Abdul inquired in an astonished tone.
“Hi, Abdul. I need your help. I am trying to find that Divine
information, but I haven’t had any luck. Do you have the address
of the website?
“Yeah, but they are called Divines. Anyway, try
www.maitreya.org. I spell for you.
w-w-w M-a-i-t-r-e-y-a dot o-r-g. It is good
information. Anything else?”
“No, thank you. Actually, what kind of music is that you are
listening to? It’s very relaxing, but I have not ever heard
anything like it,” Anna said with genuine interest.
“Glad you like. It is B’ismillah CD. Sacred songs about God.
Many artist. I like a lot.”
“That’s way cool. Abdul?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry I was so mean. You are OK.”
“Not to worry, partner.”
“Good night.”
“Salam.”
“Huh?”
“Peace be with you, Anna. That’s the meaning.”
“Beautiful. Shl-om then.”
Anna was really glad she called Abdul. Perhaps they could become
friends.
She logged on to her computer, and went to the web to search for
Maitreya.org. Anna was amazed at all the information that she
found. There was too much. She had no idea where to begin
until she found the place where she could download a bunch of literature
for free about the Divines religion. Surfing through the website
Anna noticed that it was possible to go to a conference room, and speak
with this Maitreya. Perhaps she would volunteer to do that
for their project to discover exactly what the Divines were all about.
Anna was eager to get to class, and find out what her classmates had
found out about their project.
“Hi guys. What did you all come up with?” Anna asked.
“Well, I found out that the Divines are more than just a religion.
It is a way of life. It is a lifestyle that brings together many
parts,” Russell shared. “ I really like that. Also, they are
into establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth. They think that
the family base is what makes a society great. I can respect that,
you know. Without families we can’t do much of anything.
Sounds like the Divines make a lot of sense to me.”
“Looks like you did your homework on that, Russell. We have a
great start here. How about you, Tina?” Anna wondered.
“It started in 1982 by a man called Joseph Emmanuel. He is also
called
Maitreya. Apparently there are quite a few religions
including Christianity, Muslims, Hebrews, and Buddhist that believe a
World Teacher kinda like a Messiah is supposed to be showing up around
this time. He hangs out in New Mexico, and began what is now
called the Mission of Maitreya as a way of sharing his teachings.
His bio is on the web. I find it fascinating. Really neat
how he wrote the THOTH. That is like the bible of the Divines.
I am beginning to vibe with a lot of what he talks about. You know
what I like best?” Tina asked her project buddies.
“Nope,” Russell answered for everyone.
“It’s practical, man. I can do it without a bunch of fancy words
getting in the way,” Tina informed her teammates.
“Well, Abdul, what did you get?”
“Maitreya means Compassionate Buddha. His teachings bring
together 7 truths. Like Tina mentioned, the THOTH was
written by Maitreya. Friends, something important to
remember that like Prophet Mohammed that wrote the Koran, the THOTH was
shown to Maitreya by God. That makes big difference because
holy scripture is not everyday like story book. I’m Muslim,
but see many good things in this Divines religion. I like
because big mystery made easy to understand. Too much confusion in
this world already. Good to see something logical.” Abdul
told them.
“That’s wonderful! Well, I called Abdul last evening for the
website address of the Divines. When I checked out it out, I
noticed that it is possible to talk live with this Maitreya.
Maybe I could ask him some questions. Tomorrow is Saturday, and he
is there in the conference room every week from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Mountain Time,” Anna offered to her project group.
“That’s a great idea. I found out that the Divines have a mantra.
You know those things folks chant for meditation, or whatever...”
Russell began, but got interrupted by Abdul.”
“Haree Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam,” Abdul repeated this several
times. In fact, the whole class stopped to pay attention because
his voice was mesmerizing.
“Sounds wild, dude. What’s that mean?” One of the kids in class
asked.
As if Russell and Abdul had planned this all along, Abdul slowly began
chanting each word, as Russell shared with the rest of the class
what the mantra’s meaning was in English.
“Haree Om Shrii Hung,” Abdul sang.
“The Goal of the life is to be Divine!” Russell declared.
“Om Nam Kevalam,” Abdul finished the chant.
“That Divinity is in everything,” Russell told the class with pizzazz.
“Looks like Tina, Russell, Abdul, and Anna are getting into the spirit of
their project. Good job. Now, let us all get back to work,”
Mr. William requested from his students.
“Wow. That was cool how we got everybody to listen,” Anna said with
a beaming smile.
“Yep. I find the chant beautiful because it reminds me to be more
loving,” Russell shared.
“Have you guys heard of their Reminder?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, read it on the website, but you have to do these movements kinda
like yoga, or something while you say the words,” Tina replied.
“Well, let us experiment by saying this mantra, studying the THOTH this
weekend, and I will ask Maitreya what he is up to,” Anna
suggested.
“It takes a lifetime to understand, and commitment more than a weekend
long to become a teaching. That is what I have learned from my
comparing religions and philosophy, but we can gather as much
information as possible for the project,” Russell declared.
Anna felt nervous as she played with her mouse. It was almost time
to enter the conference room What would she ask him? Would
he even respond, or take her seriously? Anna had followed the
direction, and now was just one click away from joining the Divines
conversation.
“Sal-Om Anna, It means Salutation tot he Divinity within you” a voice
said.
“Hi. Salutations to the divine in you, too,” Anna replied.
“Welcome. This is Maitreya. I am here most Saturday
between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM Mountain Time in this conference room.
Everyone is welcome. We share Satsang. I am glad to answer
any questions you may have, too. First let us address what has
happened with the Mission since last week. We have a new issue of
our Divine News coming out. I am very happy to see all the
participation, and suggestions. We have added a section especially
for children. That is all for the moment, so I am open for
discussion, or any questions,” Maitreya said in a friendly voice.
“Yes, I have a question, sir. What is Satsang?” Anna inquired.
“No need to call me ‘sir’. Maitreya is fine, but if you feel
more comfortable with calling me sir, I have no problem with that, Anna.
Back to your question. That is a very good one. Satsang is
when people gather together physically, and that now includes the
Internet with this conference room to talk about God, His Will,
and the universe,”
Maitreya
replied.
He sounded like a pretty nice guy. Anna didn’t feel nervous anymore,
“Well, Maitreya, who are you? Why is this religion called
Divines?”
“You are full of questions. Aren’t you? I am a person just
like you are. The only difference is that I have a very special
message to deliver to people all over the world. I don’t know how
much you know about history, but when the world sometimes becomes a
place of darkness, confusion, and doubt, God sends messengers to
bring the Truth back to the people. It really is very simple, but
people can be stubborn. They don’t usually want to hear Truth, or
work together to make this a better world for everyone concerned.
These teachings are not only for Divines, but for all of humanity to use
a means by which we can experience and actively participate in
establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth. Since our universal
mantra says the goal of the life is to be Divine, and that Divinity is
in everything, I figured ‘Divines’ would be the most logical name.
Does that make sense, Anna?”
“Yeah. Actually, it’s very interesting. And you are nicer than
I thought you would be. Our teacher told us to study the Divines
as an emerging religion. Is it only for adults, or can teenagers
join, too? Anna inquired.
“God is for everyone, Anna. These teachings are a gift from God to
all people in the world. Age, gender, or race don’t matter.
We are all part of the same spiritual family, but now is the time for
people to stop fighting themselves, especially their Creator by finding
fault with each other. Let us unite, and follow His Divine
Will by celebrating life through the Universal Truth (Eternal Divine
Path) He has given us. Diversity, under the umbrella of this
Unifying Path, is a wonderful thing. The point is not do away with
choices, but to have a way to make decisions based upon the Laws of God.
You have heard of Daharma?”
“Yes, that’s doing your thing. It’s a TV show with Greg,” Anna
confidently replied.
“Well, it is a little more than doing your own thing, but if you mean
doing that task for which you have been made, then we might be speaking
the same language, Anna,” Maitreya said with amusement.
“When you become more familiar with our teachings you will realize that
all of us are connected. Everyone is a part of God. All men,
women, and children have goodness within, but there is a difference
between potential, and something that is realized, or actually happens.
Our teachings are for those that dare to seek new ways from the old.
They are tools, spiritual principles that open the heart and mind to new
possibilities.”
“Like peace on earth?” Anna interjected.
“Exactly!”
“Thank you very much. I have to go, but I may come back to check you
guys out, Anna said.”
“You are always welcome,” Maitreya replied in a fatherly
tone.
Monday morning Anna rushed to class to tell her group members of her
discoveries.
“Hey guys. I talked to Maitreya. He’s a nice guy, and
very wise,” Anna told her friends.
“Good. Then we should have no problem piecing together a short
report,” Tina expressed.
“Yes,” Abdul agreed, “ we have all it takes for us to make a great report.
After they all shared what each had learned, Russell volunteer to present
the Divines report to the rest of the class. This was great
because usually Anna took the lead, but this time she played part of the
team. Even the teacher and class was amazed at their choice since
Russell was never considered too clever in anything.
“Good morning. Our project report is about the Divines. There
is a lot that can be said, but words are only words until we live them.
Any way, this religion was founded by Maitreya. According
to many spiritual traditions, Maitreya is supped to be the
World Teacher who shall inaugurate the Golden Age. His mission is
to share the message he received from God. Basically the 411 on
that is the goal of the life is to become Divine, and that Divinity is
in everything. In order for that to happen it is vital to
establish proper environments so that it is possible to nurture this
spirituality. He calls them Communities of Light. They are
based on keeping the family unit strong, and working together for a
common goal. Maitreya which means Compassionate Buddha,
offers his teachings as the Eternal Divine Path. This may
sound boring, but if you go to his website @
www.maitreya.org, you will be able to see the unity in diversity.
There is this neat symbol called The Greatest Sign that
represents all religions or truths in a way that makes them one.
We still have a lot to learn about the Divines, but that is our progress
report for now,” Russell informed his classmates with elegance.
Anna was the first to congratulate Russell when he came back to his seat.
“That was awesome, dude. You really gave a great report for
us. I have never seen you talk like that before.”
Russell shrugged his shoulders, “Never had a reason to until now.”
“Good job, but now we have to think about the final project. We need
to organize our information to be effective and successful,” Tina said
to her group.
‘Yes, it has to be done a week from Friday. Maybe we can meet in the
library an hour before school?” Abdul suggested.
“That’s a great idea. I have no problem with that. I’m really
getting into this project guys,” Anna told her friends. Tina,
Abdul, and Russell were all nodding their heads in agreement.
“This is the first time I have cared about anything. Maybe it has to
do with the subject. I love religion,” Russell shared with great
emotion.
“Not to be rude, Russell, but why do you fail most of your classes?”
Tina wanted to know.
“I don’t know. Probably for the same reason that you are such a
success--interest. I just don’t like school because I find it
boring, and a lonely place. I have enjoyed working with you all,
though. I think learning should be done in small groups.
Believe it or not, I am really hooked on this project about the Divines,
especially the parts about the Communities of Light,” Russell replied.
“OK, we don’t have all day. We need a plan,” Tina reminded them.
“We meet tomorrow. Everybody focus on one thing, and then we put
together the best project report ever. I like the Greatest Sign,
and the part about Islam. That is what I will bring,” Abdul told
his friends.
“That would be too easy because you already know about that. Be
daring! Try something you don’t know anything about,” Russell
suggested to Abdul.
“True, but I still want to do Islam part of Divines. Maybe
something else, too. The 15 Commandments are interesting.,” Abdul
said.
“Well, from what I see there is plenty of material for everyone.
This Divines Religion has truth from many spiritual traditions, but
somehow stands alone. If you want to study the 4th Seal,
Submission, in the Greatest Sign, Abdul, and you really love
Communities of Light which are the 2nd Seal, Russell, I don’t see why
both of you can’t. But Tina is right. We have to organize
ourselves to do our best. It’s not just about making the grade,
but making people understand this project,” Anna had just finished with
her last sentence when the school bell rang. As usual the
classroom door flew open, and everyone raced out.
“Tomorrow. Don’t be late guys,” Russell called out.
“Later. See you then,” Anna replied at the same time that Tina and
Abdul acknowledged Russell with peace signs.
Anna had a lot on her mind when she got home from school. The
project had become something more than a way to show off success.
Anna had always been the best in her class, but something inside her
heart was telling Anna that there was something more to life. She
didn’t have the exact words to express, yet the teachings of Maitreya
really spoke to Anna. She was thinking of joining the
Divines.
Mrs. Blake was at the kitchen table drinking tea when Anna approached her,
“Hi Mom.”
“Hello, sweetheart. How was school?”
“Great. We had to give our progress report on our project.
Remember the one I told you about?”
“Yes, how is it going?” Anna’s mother inquired.
“Wonderful. All of us are working hard to make the best final
project,” Anna replied, and then was silent.
“What has happened to my chatterbox?” Her mom asked in a jesting tone.
“Mom?”
“Yes, hon. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing, but I’m thinking of joining the Divines.”
“I beg your pardon? Please repeat.”
“I want to join the Divines. That’s what our project is about.
It’s a new religion that has a lot to offer,” Anna answered in a
brooding mood.
“What’s wrong with being Catholic?” Mrs. Blake angrily asked.
“Nothing. I just like this better.”
“Where did you get such an idea? From your teacher? Well,
you’re Catholic. You don’t need a new religion. We have all
you need to be saved. You don’t need a cult,” Anna’s mother
repeated as if she were a recording.
“It’s not a cult. I can show you some neat information from
Maitreya’s website,” Anna offered.
“Internet? It is full of strange weird things.! If it isn’t a
cult, then tell me again who started it, and where he is from?” Mrs.
Blake demanded.
“Maitreya started it, and officially began the Divines in 1982
after receiving Divine Revelations from God. In his biography it
says that it took him a while before he realized that he was part of a
line of prophecies that have been fulfilled just like the Bible says.
He was born November 8, 1944 in Iran, or what used to be called Persia,”
Anna tried to explain, but her mother was glaring at Anna with an icy
expression.
“Iran? They held our hostages! Have you gone mad? What
have I done to deserve this? There is nothing wrong with being
Catholic. That is how I was born and raised. That is how you
are and will stay!” Mrs. Blake shouted.
“Gee, now I know why dinosaurs went extinct. Get with it, mother.
What does it matter where Maitreya is from if his message speaks
to my heart and soul? That’s like saying you, me, and Dad are to
blame for slavery because our ancestors owned them. Besides, you
can’t make me be Catholic. This country has freedom of religion,”
Anna replied with tears in her eyes.
“What do you mean that you know why dinosaurs went extinct? I don’t
like what you are suggesting. Well, Anna Roslyn Blake, we will
finish this discussion when your father gets home,” her mother
defensively commanded.
‘Mom?”
“Did I not speak plain English, Anna Roslyn Blake?!”
That was Anna’s clue to leave her mother alone. She went into the
living room feeling sad. Her Mom simply didn’t get it. This
project had changed her life. New questions were forming within
her mind. Even if she wasn’t a grown-up, Anna deeply felt a need
to belong to something that gave her a reason to be in this world.
Sitting on the sofa, Anna began flipping through the TV channels.
There was nothing to watch, so she settled for MTV. For the first
time Anna paid attention to the visuals and words of the songs.
None of them made her feel closer to God, or anything that made any
sense. Anna turned the television off, and went upstairs to her
bedroom. There were hundreds of pages that she diligently had
printed from
www.maitreya.org about the Divines.
Perhaps she would sift through them for some inspiration because the
fight with her mother really was getting Anna into the dumps. How
was she supposed to become Divine when her own mother was against her?
She still had to face her father. There was no telling what he
would impose. She might be grounded until graduation from High
School!
Anna sank into her bed, and fell asleep.
“Who are you?” Anna asked.
“Who are you? That is the question to ask,” an angelic voice
replied.
“You sound like someone I know,” Anna seemed to say, but her lips were not
moving.
“Knowledge is good, but wisdom is better,” the melodic voice expressed.
“What is this? I must be dreaming.”
“Wake up! Haree Om Shrii Hung...Om Nam Kevalam. Wake up! Haree Om
Shrii Hung...Om Nam Kevalam. Wake Up! Haree Om Shrii Hung...Om Nam
Kevalam.”
As the words faded into the distance Anna felt an eerie chill.
“Fear not. Be still and know I am God,” but this time Anna saw the
face behind the voice. She didn’t recognize him, but his eyes were
like liquid crystals.
“God? Where? Anna inquired.
“Meditate to still your mind, and you will see God is in everything
including yourself,” the gentleman lovingly explained.
“This can’t be. I must be dreaming,” Anna said mostly to
herself.
“God Is...not a dream.” The sentence rippled like a pebble thrown
into a pond.
Anna opened her eyes to stare at the empty ceiling. What did all
that mean? She had no time to think about her dream because her
father was calling Anna into his study.
“I hear that you are causing your mother grief. What’s the problem
here?” Mr. Blake asked his daughter.
“Nothing is the matter. She is upset because I want to change
religions. That’s all.”
“Change religions? What’s wrong with being Catholic?”
“Here we go again. Nothing is wrong with being Catholic, but I have
decided to become a Divine. I mean, I am grateful for all
you have done, but God is a personal thing,” Anna replied.
“You are sassy for a young lady, but tell you what, let me look over some
of your material about the Divines to make sure they aren’t a cult or
something.”
“They are not!” Anna cried.
“Lets get something straight. You might be clever, but I am still
your father. I have the right to know what you are doing until you
stop living under this roof. Unlike your dear mother I am not
against you changing religions. I would rather you stay Catholic,
but a caged bird can’t fly. In my younger days I was a rebel
without a cause, too.,” Anna’s father said with a nostalgic smile.
“Thanks, dad, but I have a cause: Haree Om Shrii Hung...Om Nam Kevalam.
The goal of the life is to be Divine, and that Divinity is in
everything. Isn’t that beautiful?”
‘It sounds interesting. Where did you get that?”
“Maitreya.org. It’s the universal mantra of the Divines. Glad
you like it. I am dedicating my life to living it.”
“But why did you call your mother a dino? You know how sensitive she
is.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I was frustrated because she didn’t want to meet
me half way like you,” Anna replied.
“I don’t want to hear you disrespecting your mother. I am sure even
Divines respect their parents. Do they not?” Mr. Blake
questioned.
“Yes, daddy. We have a hierarchy, as Maitreya writes in the
THOTH, of the most important beings in our lives. First is God.
Maitreya teaches that God is Generator, Operator, and Destroyer.
That spells G-O-D. I love that.”
“Well, sweetheart, what is second in this system of your Divines?”
Her father actually sounded interested.
“The spiritual teacher, or guru is second because he is supposed to lead
you to God. Maitreya says that false teachers attach you to
themselves. Dad, that sure isn’t a joke. Look at the movies,
TV shows, and music out these days. Everybody is selfish. I
must confess that I even I have been that way. Anyway, that was
then, and this is now. I don’t want no fake. I talked to
Maitreya the other day. He is very wise.”
“Gurus? A long time ago I used to be a hippie. I used to go to
peace rallies, and chant mantras all day for love and light. Then
I met your mother, and became a Catholic. Your mom’s parents, God
rest their souls, didn’t care for me. They refused for me to marry
your mother unless I became a Catholic. I was a carefree soul, but
loved your mother very much. I converted, and the rest is
history,” her father shared with Anna like she was an adult. “Are you in
love with Maitreya? That is all you seem to talk about
lately,” Mr. Blake teased.
Anna blushed.
“I see that. You can’t hide anything from your father.”
“Nope. He’s married already, and has a son. But I do love what
he has to say like the idea about Pure Consciousness, Mystical Paths,
Communities of Light, Sacrifice, Submission, Universalism, and
Paravipras. These are the 7 seals or truths that make up the
Greatest Sign. I still have a lot to learn, but I look forward
to learning more. Maitreya mentions that it is possible to
reach God by following the Seven pillars of a good Divine. They
are the Seven Steps of the Eternal Divine Path which includes
much more such as, Service, Meditation, Prayer, and Satsang,” Anna told
her father.
“You know what I am going to ask you, so why not humor me with the
answer.”
“Satsang is when people get together to talk about God, His Divine Will,
and the universe,” Anna recited.
“Actually I am wondering about who is the third in your system of
Divines.”
“It’s not my system.”
“It’s just a figure of speech, dearest. Didn’t mean to offend.”
“Oh. The third most important beings are the parents whom you are to
honor and respect. The fourth is your husband or wife. That
is as far as I have studied about this part,” Anna said.
“So parents are respected. That is good. I don’t like anything
that breaks the family,” Mr. Blake declared.
“Dad, you sound like a perfect candidate for the Divines!
Maitreya
teaches that the family unit is the building block of a strong society.
In fact, unless we have good families it will be impossible to bring the
kingdom of heaven on earth. He calls them Communities of Light
which are the second seal, Dad.”
“You have me spell-bound. I have quite a few questions. I’ve
converted once because of love, and that is ‘til death do us part,’ but
you really have me interested in religion again, Anna. It is
wonderful to Satsang. Is that what you call talking about God, His
Will, and the universe?”
“You have a great memory. Yes, that is that. If you got some
time you can check us out at
www.maitreya.org. You can even e-mail
Maitreya, or join the conference room every Saturday from 2:00 PM
to 3:00 PM Mountain Time. I am hooking up on Saturday. You
can watch. Will you, Dad?” Anna pleaded.
‘We’ll see. I’m very busy, but I might pop in to listen.
Okay?”
“You are way cool.”
“I can see that I didn’t raise a daughter to be a fool. Now, do me a
favor, sweetheart. Go apologize to your mother. Kiss and
make up. We can’t have dinner with bad blood. Please don’t
tell me that you did nothing wrong. Divines respect their parents.
I am sure Maitreya doesn’t teach for young ladies to call their
mothers dinosaurs,” Mr. Blake winked at his daughter, and pointed to the
door.
The walk down the corridor seemed to take a lifetime. Anna wasn’t
used to making apologies for anything because she was stubborn.
This was the first time she actually listened to her father without
blabbering excuses. Anna knew she had been rude to judge her
mother. Somewhere in the THOTH it stated that only those who reach
Pure Consciousness have the right to judge because they are one with
God. Anna also remembered the story in which Christ told those
without to sin to cast the first stone at that prostitute. Nobody
did because everybody had done something wrong.
Anna found her mother outside in the back yard raking some leaves.
“Can I help?”
‘I’m finished.” Mrs. Blake walked back into the house in silence.
Anna followed her, “I am sorry I called you a dino, Mom.”
“It’s OK, honey. I wasn’t too friendly either. I don’t know,”
her mother took Anna’s hand into her own, “ I don’t know anything
different than being Catholic.” Her mother was struggling for
words. “ I just don’t want my little girl to get caught up in all that
teenage rubbish. I want you to become a nice young lady with good
values that we can be proud of.”
Anna motioned for a hug which her mother gratefully accepted. “We aren’t a
cult, Mom. And there isn’t anything wrong with being a Catholic.
I just want more than one piece of the pie. I want the whole pie.
I still respect your religion, but being Divine is really what it’s all
about for me. I’m not asking for you to convert or anything.
I have tried being Catholic, and now I want to be Divine.”
“Well, I guess that’s OK with me if it’s OK with your father,” Mrs. Blake
conceded.
“Dad doesn’t mind. Hey! I saw you doing some yoga the other
day. We have this thing called The Reminder. The movements
are like yoga, but as you do each position you say words that help
you pay attention to God. Can I show you, Mom? Can I?” Anna
begged.
“Go ahead, but I have to finish making dinner.”
Anna stood up straight with her feet together. She folded her hands
in a prayer position in front of her chest. Taking a deep breath
Anna started to recite the first verse of The Reminder. “We pay
our salutations to The Divine Father, who has helped all come from
ignorance to the Path of Enlightenment. Ignorance is the state of
unawareness of the reality behind this universe, and enlightenment is
the state of Pure Consciousness. That is the beginning,
Mom. Then you have to open your hands like an inverted triangle,
and say We open our hearts to Your Grace, and pray for Your
Guidance in overcoming the power of the tama guna over our souls...”
“What is tama guna?” Mrs. Blake desired to know.
“Well, I am not too sure.”
“You bow to things you don’t know?”
“No, I just don’t know how to explain,” Anna replied.
“Then find out.”
“OK, hold on.” Anna raced up the stairs into her room. She knew the
answer to the tama guna was somewhere in the piles of papers about the
Divines. Anna couldn’t find what she was looking for no matter how
hard she looked in her notes. She had to hurry because only a few
minutes remained before her mother would lose patience or interest.
She had to think of something quick. Anna decided to go on line at
www.maitreya.org and go to the THOTH
for the revelation to the question. By the Grace of God she found
exactly what she was searching for. Anna printed the pages.
Then she dashed back down the flight of stairs, but had to slow down
because she heard her father calling.
“No running. Haste makes waste, Anna!”
“Copy, sir.”
Her mother had started to set the dinner table, but Anna was too excited
to offer to help. “I found the answer. Do you want to hear
the short or long version?”
“Short as possible, honey.”
“Okay, OK. Tama guna is what makes us selfish, and attached to the
world. There are two other gunas called Satva and Raja. All
three make up the creative force that God uses to make the physical
universe,” Anna explained.
“Are you now speaking in tongues? Tama, Raja, Satva. What kind
of talk is that? I know it isn’t Ebonics,” her mother said with a
twinkle in her eyes.
“You’re making fun of me,” Anna huffed. “It’s Sanskrit from India.
Words like karma and daharma come from there, too. Man, do you dig
what I’m talkin’ about? Don’t be knockin’ my sistahs and bros,”
Anna slipped into her street-wise slang.
“I see. Well, the words just sound funny. Anyway, what is
after that?” Mrs. Blake asked.
Anna quickly went back into her meditative position. “Then you have
to bring your hands together like you are stuck in a hold-up, and bend
back a little to say the last part of the second verse. and
detaching ourselves from Maya.”
“Maya? Sanskrit I am sure. And it means?”
“Illusion. You know, the ways of the world instead of God,” Anna
stated with assurance. “Then you bend over to your to touch your
knees and say
We adore and promise to endeavor to help the whole universe reach
higher consciousness, You then go back up with your hands to
your sides, and bend back a little while you recite and
eventually Pure Consciousness. See Mom?”
“I’ve seen enough child. Call your father for supper,” Anna’s mother
requested.
“But it’s not finished at all. I have to show you the rest.
Please!” Anna beseeched Mrs. Blake.
“Hurry up.”
“Thanks. You get to the floor with your hands to the sides of your
forehead which is touching the floor. While in that position, you
have to repeat In reverence we bow our heads in front of all the
Great Souls in the past and those to come who have helped and will help
all to understand Your Compassion and Mercy Then you sit
on your toes with your hands on your lap and say in Your
Actions and Creations. After that you bow again, but this
time you have to spread your hands out, and say We surrender
ourselves to You, the Words revealed to us through Your Prophets, and
Your Great Sign which clarifies the confusion between all,” Anna
paused for one moment.
“I’m becoming full of questions Anna. What is the Greatest Sign,
dear?”
“It’s a symbol that represents the 7 truths in a way that regular people
can understand. I can show you a copy,” Anna offered.
“Finish your Divine exercise. I can’t make promises, but maybe after
dinner.”
“Sounds awesome to me. My favorite part of The Reminder is when you
stretch out your toes with your forehead touching the floor, and
your hands spread out. It’s total prostration. You then repeat
We submit only to You which is formless, nameless, and invisible.
You in this state unify--in any other state, humanity will be divided.
After that you have to sit on your knees with your hands to your sides as
you say Also, this prevents us from surrendering ourselves
to false prophets and teachers. You have to bend back down
with your hands at the sides of your head, and with your forehead on the
floor as you repeat However, in reverence we bow our heads
in front of all those Great Souls who will teach us how to know you and
show us the way to become Pure Consciousness. The last
part is to get on your knees with your hands in a prayer position like
in the beginning, and say
As is the goal. You are supposed to repeat the whole
Reminder three times.”
“Interesting. Who are the Great Souls anyway?”
“The Prophets like Moses, Christ, Mohammed, Saints, and people like that
who have given everything to follow God’s Will.”
“Really? Mohammed isn’t a saint or Christian,” Mrs. Blake declared.
“He’s still a Great Soul by Divines’ standards. He started
Islam. It’s the 4th Seal. I’d have to show you the
Greatest Sign to give you a bigger picture. I admit that I am
just learning myself, but according to
Maitreya Islam contributed something very important to the
foundation of the Divines. Christianity teaches Sacrifice, and
Islam teaches total submission to God whom they call Allah. My
friend Abdul is Muslim. I can get you more information if you
want,” Anna offered.
“I don’t get it,” Anna’s mother shook her head. “Why don’t you call
your father for supper?”
“Dad! Chow is ready!” Anna shouted.
“Do I look like a carry-out service? I don’t know about you
sometimes.” Mrs. Blake pulled out her chair, and sat down.
“Sorry.”
Her father entered the dining room, and took his seat.
“Can I say Grace?” Anna asked. She grabbed her Mom and Dad’s hand.
“Please hold Mom’s hand. I would like to thank God for the food we
are about to eat, and for giving us the chance to be together to offer
God our thanks.”
“This is too much,” her mother mused. “ Now you want to give thanks
without being told. To whom do we owe our gratitude?”
“Darling, need you even ask?” Mr. Blake responded.
“Maitreya and the Divines,” Anna joyfully proclaimed.
Anna walked with Tina to the library. Abdul and Russell were
already there. Anna had done a lot of research last evening after
dinner. She hoped that her partners had gathered their share of
information, too.
“I found out in an essay by Maitreya that Divines follow a calendar
close to the Jewish tradition
based on the moon. They call it God’s Calendar,” Tina said.
“The Mayan Civilization also measured time according to the phases of the
moon,” Russell remarked.
“This isn’t about Mayans. It’s about Divines,” Tina curtly replied
to Russell.
“So?” Russell shot back at Tina.
“People! I am way over fighting. Yesterday I got the 3rd
degree from my own mother. Thank God I was able to make her see
that I am really serious about becoming a Divine. We can’t get
anything accomplished if we divide, and fall apart. This isn’t a
battle between ourselves. It’s a process folks. This project
can lead us out of darkness, and into light,” Anna emotionally
announced.
“Go on preacher woman! Yes, we must stick together, and stay on the
subject,” Abdul giggled.
“But everything is related, especially history. Maitreya even
says so in the THOTH. It teaches us lessons from God to make us
understand that it is He who controls the universe. It is God that
can bring us from this misery. All of you are just talking like
this project is a passing fancy, but who was at the library first?”
Russell rhetorically reflected. “Me! You wouldn’t have
caught me within a 1 mile radius of school 2 weeks ago. I only
used to show up to avoid getting expelled. Now I have a purpose,
and you all want to deny me the chance...” Russell’s words faded into
silence.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dog you, or anything. Let
us rewind, and begin with a clean slate. OK?” Tina offered.
“Rene Decartes, a French philosopher, once said something close to that,”
Russell pointed out.
“Rewinding? Starting over?” Tina asked with a puzzled look.
“Never mind. I’ll try to stay on track.”
“”Kosher. Hey, that takes us right to the next subject. The
Divines try to follow a satvic diet. Bet nobody knows what that
is,” Tina challenged her friends.
“Satva means sentient, so it probably means food that makes you that way,”
Anna replied.
“Right on. You’re really on the ball,” Tina complimented Anna.
“It’s my life!” Anna exclaimed.
“Your life? That is like Islam. You give your life to Allah
completely. Divines have a lot of Islam. I like that,” Abdul
remarked.
“Divines are about balance, Abdul. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism,
Hinduism, and all the rest are parts or ingredients,” Anna explained.
“Well, I understand Islam, so I start from there.”
“Lets hear you start then,” Anna shuffled her notes. She was getting
a little annoyed because everybody was too attached to what they thought
was most important about the Divines.
“When you look at the Greatest Sign the symbol for Islam is on top
of the triangle pointed towards heaven!” Abdul boasted. “Prophet
Mohammed taught that there is only one God, and we must bow to nobody
but the Almighty. The Divines consider Islam the 4th seal.
Submission is the greatest spiritual understanding. There can’t
anything better than that.”
“Not better than Jesus,” Russell objected.
“You guys are missing the point. Both Sacrifice and Submission
are necessary for well-rounded Divines. Besides, his name wasn’t
Jesus anyway,” Anna said.
“Says who?” Russell insisted.
“Says the THOTH. His name was Esa. He is called Jesus, but
that’s not his original name,” Anna corrected her friend.
“Jesus. Esa. What’s the difference anyway?” Russell said to himself,
but loud enough for Anna to hear.
“According to Christianity you are saved by His Name, what if the name you
use never was His Name!” Anna contended.
“Makes sense. Talking about names, how are we going to bring in the
concept of Paravipras?” Russell asked.
“Those are the Elected Ones. They are supposed to be the ones that
help bring the kingdom of heaven on earth by using all their talents to
serve God and humanity. The sixth seal in The Greatest Sign
represents them,” Anna shared. She felt an overwhelming sense of
dedication to sharing what she had learned with her friends. The
thought crossed her mind to examine the qualities necessary for becoming
a Paravipra. In the THOTH
Maitreya
taught that Paravipras or Elected Ones were people that were capable
combing within themselves the best from the four groups that made up
people. They were the working class, courageous ones, businessmen
and women, intellectuals, and also spiritual advanced (spiritual
leaders). Anna could see herself becoming one of them, and
working to bring heaven on earth.
“Wake Up! Haree Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam,” Abdul gentle nudged Anna
from her daydream.
“That’s weird. I had a dream with that the other day. Anyway,
does anybody know anything about the fifth seal?” Anna asked.
“Yeah. This holy man called Báb had all these teachings that helped
folks realize that all religions are sent by God and basically say the
same thing. He was killed for his beliefs, and his followers began
what is now called the Baha’i religion. According to Maitreya
the idea of Universalism really got perfected through Baha’i,” Tina
shared with her friends.
“Looks like we are on a roll, but we need a way relate this to real life.
How about holidays? Every religion has holidays. With so
many religions in the Divines, they feast every single day of the
year,” Abdul snidely remarked.
“Not really. Divines only celebrate the Feasts recommended by God to
be kept forever. Maitreya teaches that God only gave direct
orders to celebrate these Holy Days. Only the Bible out of all the Holy
Scriptures mentions Holy Days. You can check it out for yourself
in Leviticus Chapter 23. It isn’t practical to follow man-made
celebrations. Divines don’t do Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Wesak,
and all that jazz,” Anna told her friends.
“Are you serious?” Not even Ramadan?” Abdul asked.
“Nope. One more can of worms for those that are stuck in the dino
age,” Anna chuckled to herself. “Reincarnation. Anybody do
anything with that for the project?”
“You mean the Lost Tribes of Israel?” Tina inquired.
“I don’t know. It could mean that,” Anna replied.
“Well, Divines believe in reincarnation. Maitreya teaches God
made this universe to help humans reach perfection. That state is
called Pure Consciousness and is the same as God. Anyway, to get
there you have to go through the process of evolution. It almost
like playing Gameboy with lots of levels where you get killed off a
bunch of times but have reserve lives. It’s just like that!
You try over and over again until you get it right. Your body
dies, but your soul lives on,” Russell expounded.
“And then what?” Anna sat at the edge of her seat because she really was
paying attention to what Russell was saying.
“Then you learn your lessons to submit to God, and do His Will. The
universal mantra of the Divines really sums up what life is all about:
The goal of the life is to become Divine, and that Divinity (God) is in
everything. Haree Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam.
In their Reminder there is a beautiful line about how Divines ‘promise
to endeavor to help the whole universe reach higher consciousness, and
eventually Pure Consciousness.’ In Buddhist and Hindu traditions
the point is to get out of this place, but for Divines the purpose is to
live in this world, but not be of it. Am I boring you all?”
Russell asked his partners.
“No way, but the gathering hour is almost done. I think we can
finish up tomorrow. Same time same place,” Anna said.
“OK. Lets bring info on the 15 Commandments,” Abdul suggested as he
stood up to walk to class.
“I didn’t tell you guys, but I ordered a Rosary from the Divines last
week. I should be getting it any day now. Maybe they will
have some good information for us,” Tina said.
“Gotta run. Don’t want to be late for class. See you all
later,” Russell dashed out of the library with his backpack dragging
behind him.
“He really is getting into this. I’m really impressed with him,”
Tina revealed to Anna in a hushed tone.
“Later, sisters,” Abdul said to the young ladies, and walked out
into the crowded hallway.
“Miss Russell, how do you do?” Anna teased.
“Don’t even go there. I’m just saying that he is much smarter than
any of us thought, Miss Abdul,” Tina replied.
“Whatever,” Anna smiled. She picked up her bag, and ran with Tina to
their next class.
The next morning Anna met Tina, Russell, and Abdul at the library again.
She was prepared to help finish gathering information on the Divines.
Everyone knew that their group was working overtime, and the buzz around
school was that Mr. Williams was going to invite college students to
listen to their presentations. That is why it was very important
they have everything ready. The Divines would be the talk of the
town because
Maitreya had a special message. Besides, Anna and her friends
had worked hard to make the project easy for all to understand.
“What’s up?” Anna greeted everyone, and sat down. “Are we ready to wrap
things up?”
“Yep. Got the 15 Commandments for the Divines. Lets start with
those,” Abdul suggested.
“OK. That’s cool with me. Tina, why are you so quiet?” Anna
asked.
“Well, you just messed up my tempo. My rosary that I ordered from
Maitreya’s website arrived, and I was trying to do it, but I’ll try
again later. It came with this laminated card that has
instructions. I’m really like it,” Tina responded as she let her
friends see the beautiful beads that were part of the rosary.
“What are the larger beads for?” Russell inquired.
“The HOSH mantra,” Tina replied. “That’s an acronym for Haree
Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam. My favorite part is reciting the 33
Virtues,” Tina declared.
“Thought we were going to start with the 15 Commandments,” Abdul reminded
Tina.
Tina didn’t seem to hear him because she began to chant the 33 Virtues one
by one. “Fearlessness; Purification of one’s existence; Cultivation
of spiritual and intellectual knowledge; Charity; Self-control;
Sacrifice, not being self-centered; Study of spiritual Scriptures;
Austerity and simplicity; Non-violence (not violating the Daharma of
things...”
“Hello?!” Abdul interrupted.
“Gotta know your virtues to be Divine! Now where was I or should I
start from the beginning?” Tina reflected.
“No, no, no. That won’t be necessary. You were at something
about not violating the Daharma of things,” Russell offered to keep Tina
on her track.
“Gracias. Truthfulness; Freedom from anger; Renunciation; Tranquility;
Aversion to faultfinding; Compassion and freedom from covetousness;
Gentleness; Modesty and steady determination; Cleanliness; Freedom from
envy; Patience for honor; Readiness to sacrifice everything of
individual life for the ideology...” Tina continued, but was
interrupted..
“That’s like Islam,” Abdul reflected.
“More like Christianity,” Russell declared in response to what Abdul had
stated.
“It’s Divines, buddies. That’s what we are studying,” Anna reminded
her friends.
“Let me go on guys. You all need to hear the rest to totally
understand what’s needed to be a Divine to the max. Sweet and smiling
behavior; Moral courage; Setting an example by individual conduct before
asking anyone to do the same; Strict adherence to the Fifteen
Commandments; Constant contemplation of The Greatest Sign; Even while
dealing with a person of inimical nature, one must keep oneself free
from hatred, anger, and vanity; Keep aloof from talkativeness (idle
talk); Obedience to the structural code of discipline; Sense of
responsibility. That’s it folks. Now you know. I
have a few pages from the Mission of Maitreya
that explains each virtue better. I can read it,” Tina proposed.
“Nope, but thanks. We have to cover the 15 Commandments. Also,
we haven’t done anything for the first and seventh seal. Abdul,
what do you have for us?” Anna asked.
“The 15 Commandments cover every part of life. I like the
first commandment the most. It is Submission. The
Divine Father in heaven is One, Invisible, Nameless, and the Greatest.
The next one is
Surrendering. Do not go to complete prostration (submit) to anyone
or thing except Him, the Words revealed through His Prophets, and The
Greatest Sign, which clarifies the confusion between all. This
is good. Nobody is more worthy than Allah,” Abdul enthusiastically
reflected.
“Well, everybody has different names for God. You call Him ‘Allah’,
some call God Krishna, and others choose to worship without worrying
about what to call Him. Maybe that is why the Divines have that
first commandment. Maybe. It’s just a thought,” Anna
contemplated.
“Anyway, the third commandment is Goal of the Life. Remember the
goal of the life, which is to reach Pure Consciousness and help others
to reach the same. This commandment must be where Haree
Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam comes from. It’s good to have
purpose. We have a goal. We must finish this project,” Abdul
joked.
“The Goal of the Life isn’t that funny. A lot of people
forget to help others once they get to their goal. Maybe this is a
good time to throw in the first seal. It represents all the
mystical spiritual traditions. Their contribution to the Divines
in The Greatest Sign is that they help awaken the spiritual
forces within” Anna explained to her partners.
“What are you talking about? Next thing you’re going to tell us to
meditate, fast, and practice yoga!” Russell exclaimed.
“Those are exactly the things that the first seal through the mystical
paths gives as ways to reach Pure Consciousness. You are clever,
man,” Anna complimented Russell.
“More where that came from. I know about chakras, breathing
exercises to still your mind, and all kinds of binaural mind machines
that help do all that stuff,” Russell boasted.
“That’s cool, but Divines are not just about themselves. The point
is for each seal in The Greatest Sign to build upon each other.
The first seal frees the energy needed to serve God. At least,
that is how I understand it,” Anna said.
“This is just the beginning. Let me tell you the fourth commandment.
Messengers. Consider the Prophets, Satgurus, Avatars or likewise as God’s
Messengers to bring His Messages and Laws to humanity. We must
listen to those that Allah sends. This is great. It would be
even better if everybody listened,” Abdul commented. “The fifth
commandment is
Elects. Accept Paravipras as the Chosen Ones to establish and
enforce the Laws, to spread the Messages of God and establish the
Kingdom of Heaven. Everybody following me?
“Yeah. Chosen Ones are the people who dedicate themselves to
bringing the kingdom of heaven here on earth. They are also called
Paravipras. Man, they have to be talented because they have to be
well-versed in all areas of life. If they have to shovel dirt, or
roll up their sleeves to do manual labor, Paravipras are on it. If
they have to manager business transactions, or talk shop, they will not
skip a beat. They can be intellectual, and mystical.
Paravipras can even courageously enter battles if they have to fight a
just war! I want to be a Paravipra all the way,” Anna told
her friends.
“Praise Allah! You really are into the Divines. The sixth
commandment is
Non-violence. Not violating the daharma. That means
don’t disturb the nature of things. The seventh commandment is
Truthfulness, with discriminating mind. To guide all thought,
speech and action with the spirit of welfare. That doesn’t
sound so easy,” Abdul said.
“We like to talk too much. Maybe that’s why the wise are so quiet,”
Tina commented.
“Anyhow, Not to Steal (Non-stealing, physically, mentally or
spiritually) Do not take things which belong to others, by
thought, by taking (action), or by preventing them from doing their
duties or possessing things which belong to them is the eight
commandment. The next one is Non-Indulgence. Not to
indulge in the enjoyment of such amenities and comforts as are
superficial to the preservation of life. That’s impossible,”
Abdul decisively declared.
“Why?” Anna wanted to know.
“This world is full of things we don’t need. How can we decide what
isn’t needed?” Abdul replied.
“Well, we have to relate this to the Divines. It’s not saying you
have to give up everything, but you have to learn to let go of things
which aren’t do or die. It’s like living alone, and having five
cars. It’s not necessary. One car is enough, and the rest of
the money can be used for better things,” Anna answered.
“But how would I know what is good or bad?” Abdul contested.
“I guess it depends on what you would follow. The teachings of
Maitreya
have a way to make decisions for you easier. See, all you have to do
is love God with all your heart and soul, follow the Truth revealed to
us through the Prophets, and dedicate yourself to becoming Divine as you
help others reach the same goal. In fact, all the virtues that
Tina rattled off a while back, and studying the THOTH, the Bible,
and even the Koran that you so love can show you the way to be all that
you can be,” Anna smiled at Abdul, and then gave him a military style
salute.
“Yes, the tenth commandment is all I want to be. It is
Attachment to God. To keep the mind immersed in the ideation of
God, to remain attached to God, and to accept Him as the only Refuge,
the only King, and His Laws as the only Laws. The next one is
Internal and External Cleanliness. To maintain purity and
cleanliness of mind, body and environment. The twelfth
commandment is Contentment and Mental Ease. To remain in a
state of mental equanimity and contentment. Wonder how many
can keep that one?” Abdul asked his project partners.
“Gratitude is the best attitude. Maybe if we are grateful for
everything we have, and busy ourselves to serve God everyday in every
single way possible, we can relax about all those things that freak us
out,” Anna replied.
“Easier said than done,” Tina added, “but with my new rosary that’s not
problem. I can take it easy, do my thing, and still be focused on
God. In case somebody gets me upset, I can touch my pretty little
pearls, and remember EDP.”
“EDP is Eternal Divine Path, right?” Russell asked.
“Yep. You all don’t have the Divine Path Sutra. It’s the
awesomest,” Tina enticed her friends.
“Lets finish with the Commandments first,” Abdul suggested.
“You don’t know what you are missing. Your lives will totally shift
gears. I am telling you. It’s divine!” Tina exclaimed as if
she had discovered a secret to the mysteries of the universe.
“OK. Go ahead,” Abdul told Tina.
“Listen up folks. The thoughts, love and peace of God will arise
in those who perform meditation and/or The Reminder twice a day or more
regularly. They will become an instrument for His Will, sacrifice
all for this ideal, surrender and submit unto Him, and become a
universalist at last. Also, they follow the Fifteen Commandments.
With these, they will become the Elects, and win His Grace, and reach
their goal, Maitreya. Now, isn’t that beautiful?”
“That’s great, Tina. We only have twelve commandments so far.
So, let me finish up with them. The thirteenth commandment is
Satsang, Service, Meditation. To attain true Satsang (when people
talk only about God, the universe and His Will), to practice penance in
the service of others (as being done for the Lord, in creating
Communities of Light), and to sincerely meditate and/or do The Reminder
at lease twice a day. The fourteenth commandments is
Understanding God and His Laws through the Scriptures. To clearly
understand the underlying meanings of the Scriptures and discourses of
spirituality. The last commandment is
To Be(come) Divine. To strive to become perfect in our action as God
is, to ideate that He does the actions through us, and to become a
perfect instrument for His Will to be done, until able to radiate His
Divine Universal Truth through ourselves,” Abdul finished.
Everybody was silent for a long time before Anna spoke.
“That’s heavy duty. Sure have to do a lot to be a legit follower of
Maitreya’s teachings, but I am going to try.”
“Me, too,” Tina agreed.
“Maybe me three,” Russell added.
“Could be four, but I’m still Muslim,” Abdul remarked.
“Guys, we are almost home. Now we just have to deal with the seventh
seal. It’s at the center of The Greatest Sign. It has
the upright I-Ching, or yin and yang symbol, and what Maitreya
calls a Lotustica ,” Anna explained.
“You mean a swastika,” Russell said. “It’s one of the oldest symbols
known to humanity, but many cultures have misused it.
“That is precisely why the Divines call it a Lotustica. Anyway, the
seventh seal is what is supposed to bring everything together. In
fact, if you read in the Bible in Revelations, it states that all Truth
will not be known until the Seventh Angel appears, and breaks the seal.
Well, it’s 1999. Everybody is waiting for Christ or somebody to
come back and help us. If you carefully read Maitreya’s teachings
in the
THOTH, and put
two and two together, he is the next Messenger, or should I say
Las Messenger, through whom God has spoken,” Anna felt clever for having
made this discovery to her friends.
“You think Prophets still show up?” Russell asked.
“They have in the past throughout history, why would they stop in the
present?” Anna replied.
“I think it’s a little scary with all that stuff about the end of the
world,” Russell shared with his friends.
“Remember? Maitreya says that history is but a lesson,” Tina assured her
companions.
“With everything said and done, perhaps we have learned something,” Anna
began as she put on a pair of dark sunglasses, and Abdul’s
baseball cap on backwards. She crossed her arms, and continued
with her impromptu rap. “ The Seventh Seal is broken. Now we’re
done. The THOTH is our token of sal-va-tion, given as a
gift to Maitreya to make us understand that the goal of the life
is to become Divine, and that Divinity is in everything. If you
don’t like plain English. Here it is in Sanskrit. Haree Om
Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam. Still in doubt? Listen with
attention to what I am about to mention. The next words will
part the clouds of confusion, and help you tread the Eternal Divine
Path because
The Greatest Sign shows the way for us to bring the kingdom of
heaven here on earth. All we need is to awaken the Spiritual
Forces inside, and make the Communities of Light. But it’s gonna
take a little bit of sacrifice, and submission to make us realize that
God is in us, here and everywhere. Need the kinds of people
willing to be Elect, so that they can dedicate themselves to the Mission
of Bringing God’s Will here on earth. Yes, the Seventh Seal is
broken, and now the Truth is known. Not to just one part, and not
the rest. We are talkin’ the whole wide world. Maitreya has
the teachings in the THOTH. Seek and you will find. Knock and it
will open. Time to party into the Golden Age. Set your
timers for 2000 and 17, that’s when everyone will see His Glory.
Thanking God for what I have. Glad my friends and I had the chance
to jive, and be alive,” Anna was running out of things to say, but
Abdul, Tina, and Russell helped her out.
“Haree Om Shrii Hung. Om Nam Kevalam. The goal of the life is to be
Divine, and that Divinity is in everything,” They all chanted over
and over again. They were having so much fun that they forgot that
they were in the library, but Anna remembered when she saw Mr. Williams
pass in the hallway.
“Shh. I guess we ought to hush. Others are tying to study.
There is a time and place for everything. All we have to do is get
some visual aids, and we should be finished,” Anna said.
“I really don’t want the project to end. I’ve had so much fun with
you all. I am even studying out of my own free will these days.
I’ll miss you guys,” Russell told his friends.
“ It’s not like we have to stop meeting. We can set up a study
group, or something,” Anna suggested.
“I’m in. How about you Tina and Abdul?” Russell asked.
“I’d love it! In fact, I have a couple of friends that are really
interested in becoming Divines, but they don’t know anybody else to talk
to. Of course, I told them to check out
www.maitreya.org but they aren’t on
the Net yet. We can even meet at the public library. They
have those conference rooms we can sign up for,” Tina replied.
“ I like it. I will come to the meeting, but...” Abdul was
interrupted by Anna, Tina, and Russell.
“You are Muslim!” They all laughed.
“That’s no problem. All faiths are welcome. We can use the
information we already have to make little pamphlets about the Divines,
and Maitreya’s teachings. There’s a lot we can do, but for now we
better go to class,” Anna said.
The project for all practical purposes was done, but Anna still felt a
wonderful sense of anticipation. It was just another Saturday as
far as the world was concerned, yet it was special because it was
Satsang Day with Maitreya and the rest of the Mission.
“Daddy, it’s Saturday. It’s Satsang Day. I’m going to go to
the conference room to listen to Maitreya. Wanna watch?” Anna
asked her father.
“Why don’t you begin, and I might visit you. OK?” Her father
replied, and continued with his work.
Anna then waltzed to her mother, “Mom, do you want to see what I’ll do on
the Internet every Saturday from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Mountain Time from
now on?”
“I already know what you’ll do, sweetheart,” Mrs. Blake responded.
“Fine. Then you’ll have to just hear about it every single week
second-hand unless you want to join me,” Anna attempted to persuade her
mother.
“I’m sure that you won’t run out of words each week. Now run along,
and let your mommy be, Anna.”
Anna really wanted both her parents to see how cool the Divines were, but
then she remembered what Maitreya taught about not worrying about
results. Everybody was given freedom of choice. She was just
happy that she had found Maitreya and the Divines.
When it was time to log on to Maitreya’s conference room Anna made sure
she had prepared all her questions, and got on line. She noticed
that many of the names seemed unusual.
“Sal-Om everybody. I have a question for Maitreya please,” Anna
requested.
“Good morning to you Anna. It is good to see you again. As
always, we welcome you. What would you like to know more about?”
“Well, I have studied meanings of your names, but why do most of the
people here have names that I am not familiar with?
“That’s a very good observation, Anna. They are using their
spiritual names. The Mission of Maitreya is made up of two
kinds of people. There those that love the Mission, its teachings,
and support it financially, or make some kind of contribution.
Then there are those that feel a need to dedicate their whole lives to
the Mission by turning around from what they are used to doing.
This is like being reborn, and giving your life to God. This second
group chooses to take initiation, and they get a new name to go with
their new pledge to God. Does that make sense?” Maitreya asked in
a serene and jovial tone.
“Yes. Then can I get a name now. I am ready to change to God,”
Anna replied.
“That’s wonderful that you want to serve God, but first you must think
about your decision. Also, when you take initiation that means you
have to have listen to your spiritual teacher who will point the way for
you to reach God. Then if everything goes as planned, you will
help others reach the same goal. Now, you don’t have to sit there
waiting to reach Pure Consciousness before you can serve God. You
have heard of Communities of Light?”
“Yes, that is making places that help you become more spiritual. By
the way, we turned in our project, and the teacher loved it very much.
In fact, when we made our presentation about the Divines everybody was
very fascinated,” Anna said.
“Good. Thanks be to God. So, Anna, even with that presentation
you are beginning to serve God. Remember that it doesn’t matter if
others like you or not. Just be the best person that you can be.
Study the scriptures, follow the words of the Prophets, and you are on
your way to being Divine!” Maitreya explained to Anna.
“But I want a neat name now,” Anna requested.
“Listen to your own words, Anna. You want a new name now.
These teachings are not so easy because you have to let go and let God.
Eventually you will reach your goal, but you can’t command or demand
anything from God or those whom He sends to guide humanity. But it
is good that you have awakened the thirst to know more about God, His
Will, and the universe. It doesn’t matter how young or old you
are. God loves you no matter what. My suggestion is that you
take it one step at a time. First, learn as much as you can about
the Mission, the THOTH, and these teachings. Then if you
have questions, you can inquire here in the conference room or send me
an email
(sending questions to the Mission).
When the time is right, you will receive your spiritual name, and have
the choice to serve God in various ways,” Maitreya said with
much compassion.
“That’s cool. Thank you Maitreya,”
“May all gratitude be given onto The Lord. It is He that works
through me, and those willing to submit to His Divine Will,” Maitreya
reflected.
“Yes, thank God.”
Anna enjoyed the rest of the Satsang, and realized that there were endless
possibilities available through the teachings of Maitreya. She
intended to study the Divines as her way of life. Granted, Anna
was a teenager, but the goal of the life was eternal. The project
may have been done as far as grades were concerned, but the real Mission
had just begun. Anna now could become Divine, and see that
Divinity in everything because she had a way through the teachings of
Maitreya.
Written for
M.O.M.
For those interested in the Mission of Maitreya:
·
Check out WWW.MAITREYA.ORG
to get more information.
·
Read the
THOTH
by Maitreya
·
Write a note to:
Mission of Maitreya
PO Box 44100
Albuqueruque, NM 87174
|
