Maitreya (Benjamin Creme)

Benjamin Creme
Lecturing in Paris, 17 March 2006
Born	5 December 1922 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	24 October 2016 (aged 93) London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation	artist, author, esotericist
Known for	Views on the second coming

Benjamin Creme (5 December 1922 − 24 October 2016) was a Scottish artist, author, esotericist, and editor of Share International magazine.

He asserted that the second coming prophesied by many religions would come in the form of Maitreya the World Teacher. Maitreya is the name Buddhists use for the future Buddha, but Creme claimed that Maitreya is the teacher that all religions point towards and hope for. Other names for him, according to Creme, are the Christ, the Imam Mahdi, Krishna, and the Messiah. Creme claimed Maitreya is the "Avatar for the Aquarian Age" and has lived in London since 19 July 1977.

At the age of thirteen Creme began painting, inspired by the work of Rembrandt. In order to become a painter he left school at sixteen. At the age of fourteen, Creme said, he became interested in the occult, when he read With Mystics and Magicians in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel. From 1957 to 1959 Creme was the Vice-President of the Aetherius Society, a UFO religion based largely on Theosophy. In 1958 he met George Adamski and Creme said he could personally vouch for the authenticity of Adamski's UFO contacts.

Creme said that he was first contacted telepathically by his Master in January 1959, when Creme was asked to make tape recordings of his messages. Creme first began to speak publicly of his mission on 30 May 1975, at the Friends Meeting House on Euston Road in London, England. His central message announced the emergence of a group of enlightened spiritual teachers who could guide humanity forward into the new Aquarian Age of peace and brotherhood based on the principles of love and sharing. At the head of this group would be a great Avatar, Maitreya, the World Teacher, expected by all the major religions as their "Awaited One" — the Christ to the Christians, the Imam Mahdi to the Muslims, the Messiah for Jews, and the 5th Buddha (Maitreya) for Buddhists.