In 1988, Maitreya began appearing, both in person and in dreams, to well-known leaders in various countries and to many ordinary citizens.
On June 11, 1988, he appeared ‘out of the blue’ before 6,000 people at an open-air prayer/healing meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was instantly recognized as the Christ. The event, with photographs, was reported in the Kenya Times and subsequently picked up by news media around the world.

After this event, until 2001, Maitreya appeared regularly before gatherings of orthodox religious groups worldwide. He addressed them briefly in their own language and was recognized by the majority of people in attendance as their awaited Teacher. He also created healing springs of water in the areas near these appearances. The healing waters in Mexico, Germany, and India have drawn millions of visitors.

On April 21-22, 1990, Maitreya held a weekend conference in London for around 200 world leaders or their emissaries from the fields of government, business, science, religion and journalism. Many pledged their co-operation to help implement his priorities.