by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Martin Payette

Age: 71

Occupation: Share International representative

Bio: This erudite Ahuntsic resident spent his working life labouring as a science researcher in the wonderful world of academia. Always a well-read, spiritual kind of cat, Martin came across the good word of Benjamin Creme and Share International in 1982. Creme, a feisty Brit artist who claims to be pretty good buds with one of "the spirit masters," says he has it on good authority that Maitreya, aka the spiritual granddaddy of the universe, is currently residing in "an Asian neighbourhood in London" but will be emerging any day now to rescue humanity from itself. According to Martin, who drives a 1988 Buick LeSabre, "It's all very simple. The masters of wisdom, of spirituality, are coming back into the world right now to create a new civilization. That's all. It's not rooted in dogma, or a religion or a sect. Benjamin Creme isn't a guru, he's just reporting the news."

Why the masters are so smart: Because they've been around forever, consequently they've had lots of time to be reincarnated and think about stuff.

Where the masters have been all this time: Apparently they've been keeping a low profile because the time to emerge is arriving only now that "humanity has evolved to the point where it can look at complex concepts, not just the simple ‘truths' presented in religious dogma."

Like the Bush White House does? "True, that's a problem. The U.S. is a [spiritually] young country and that's why they often act like adolescents. Like adolescents, they want to prove they're strong, the masters of the world."

Something to look forward to: Maitreya's guest appearance on U.S. television, rumoured to be be taking place any moment now. "He's got to figure out the right time to do it. I mean, come on, this is a major cosmic event. It's not simple to decide the proper time to make the best impact on humanity."

Will he appear on network or cable TV? Martin can't be 100 per cent certain but figures it will be a network show.

How the hey is someone way out in the wilds of Africa going to get the good word if he doesn't have access to American TV? "Eventually, Maitreya will speak to all humanity through mental telepathy."

What makes a scientist buy into an argument with a totally unquantifiable premise? "By looking inside oneself. You can't explain everything mathematically. It's an intuition, a kind of light that comes and says, ‘Yes, this is true!' And hey, energy is matter and spirit is energy, so spirit is matter so everything is energy. The world we look upon is more than we think it is." Also, after a "spiritual experience" Martin underwent at one of Creme's lectures, where Maitreya stopped by to give everyone his blessing, he "realized this was much more than just a concept."

Last book read: The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

Musical preferences: Mozart, Beethoven.

Words of wisdom: "I came from God and I will be going back to my father."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca