Love Alone Prevails
De Simple Silence.
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[modifier] Everything We Looked At Was Enchanted
At 6 p.m. we reached Avila... In appearance and spiritual atmosphere Avila is not unlike Assisi ; both have nursed and witnessed the labors of great saints. Baba explained that it is the spiritual atmosphere, the quickened vibrations, that give value to the shrines of saints. They are not present in the more subtle body, nor is there any special virtue in the dust and bones of their physical bodies. « Saints, » He said, « are nerves in My body » — pointing to His wrists and arms...
Baba had very special work to do here and we were all to fast for twenty four hours. During this time we were not to touch Him. Shortly before noon, we crossed the square and entered the cathedral... The spiritual atmosphere was not unlike that of St. Mark’s at Venice or of Assisi. As we left, Baba specially directed that four silver coins should be given to the sacristan.
On three sides Avila is surrounded by bleak hills ; on the south side the rocks upon which the city is built descend swiftly to the plain. Passing through the Southern Gate we stood on the terrace and the view was magnificent...
That day with Baba, everything we looked at was enchanted ; an ecstasy of living took hold of all of us. It was beautiful, but the beauty was within us. We might have been walking in Galilee...
Baba was so happy in Avila ; His spiritual work was accomplished. How fortunate we were to be with Him. He explained to us how all those who were not there, His followers, would still share in the spiritual benefits of this experience.
There are in Europe as in other continents holy places particularly connected with great spiritual work. The four centers are St. Mark’s in Venice, a place on the Ligurian coast in Italy, Assisi and Avila. Baba had now visited or revisited them all. I was ordered to return to Avila in ten days’ time and to visit this particular place every day (which I did).
It was essential that Baba should visit this spot and it is interesting to see how it was chosen. First, He never told us that we were going to Avila. Kitty, who was responsible for arranging the time-table of the Spanish trip, having been told by Baba that one day should be spent on a mountain, asked the travel bureau for advice. So it might be said that the bureau, which of course did not know the reason for our journey, decided on Avila. The ways of Baba are very mysterious sometimes. The use of human agencies and intelligence to fulfill hidden spiritual purposes is one of the most interesting aspects of His working.
[modifier] God Alone Is The Beloved
« My only happiness lies in making people understand not through the mind but through experience that God alone is the Beloved for whom we exist. » MEHER BABA Baba was in seclusion in India from the summer of 1935 to the early spring of 1936 when He opened a center at Rahuri for the mad and masts, twenty three miles from Meherabad. It was not until early November of 1936 that Baba returned to the West and a completely different phase of work started. His object during this short visit was to arrange for our group from England and others from Europe and America to come and stay in India. Prior to our arrival in India and after much correspondence, Baba wrote that He had obtained property in Nasik some one hundred fifty miles from Bombay. This property, « Meher Retreat, » was made possible by Norina Matchabelli as years later the « Meher Spiritual Center » in America was made possible by Elizabeth Patterson. To quote Baba’s words : « I have procured the ideal property in Nasik. It is twenty acres situated amidst beautiful surroundings with special scenery all around. With the Western group in Nasik, the Eastern group in Meherabad and Myself in Rahuri midway between Meherabad and Nasik—these will comprise the nucleus of My activities for the next five years. The Center will have nothing in common with the accepted notions concerning ashrams and spiritual retreats, with the strict, dry, rigid disciplines governing them—Its special featire will lie in its having My personal living guidance as Jesus gave His disciples... In short, I will personally guide each of you according to the aptitude, mentality and capability of each. I want all who are dear to Me to pass through certain experiences that are necessary. » In December, to our joy, fifteen of us from the American and English groups were called by Baba to India. This meant leaving our families or careers, and a promise to obey Baba implicitly. Although Baba said we would be at the Nasik ashram for up to five years, before leaving I had written to Baba for the English group, expressing our concern that He would send us back to the West after a short stay with Him in India, as He had done previously. What was Baba’s reply? Rahuri November 26, 1936 Darling Saroja, ... I feel so disappointed that with all their love for Me Kimco wouldn’t understand in spite of explanations of some important things so clearly given... I was so happy you all eventually agreed to come but the peculiar attitude of Kimco, always so typical, of taking all things—however serious—so lightly even if I want them to take it seriously and understand, at times causes Me great pain... Your heart is so wonderful, always feeling so deeply and truly, and responsive to the call and understanding, but the peculiar mind of yours at times wobbles and tries to shake your faith and your love revives it all again and afresh. One moment you feel quite prepared to do and stand anything, the next moment you hesitate with if’s and but’s and feel depressed and worried unnecessarily. But I will see that this eternal struggle between the head and the heart, for you as well as for all others who suffer from the same weakness, ends eventually in the victory of the heart over the head, and brings about a blending of the two. In fact, I am working at it, suffering Myself almost all the while of being misunderstood every moment, and in every act of compassion in raising the consciousness and understanding of humanity to a higher level even by My own who have known Me and have been in My closer contact! Just a little individual effort to understand and do as I say and it would save so much trouble and pains for Me and for all. My Love to all and self, (signed) M.S. Irani
[modifier] Time, Other Worlds, And Thorns
One person asked about other worlds. Baba answered, « What a vast illusion! There are millions of worlds, tiny and huge ones. There are no Perfect Masters in the other worlds. Four of these worlds are inhabited. One of them is like this earth with different types of forms—little forms. Only this world has Masters and Realized souls.These worlds are very near, yet very far. When you understand the principle, it will be very clear how near everything is and yet how far away. The other worlds are connected with this world—not actually, but they are. »
On one occasion, Baba told us :
« Remember about keeping time. In the beyond state, time and space are nil—non-existent. In the sphere of duality, time, space, cause and effect exist. So when I work in the sphere of duality for the upliftment of humanity, I am bound superficially by time and space. So I, too, appear limited at times ; but in reality, I continually experience Oneness and the Infinite State of the beyond. I work at fixed times for My Circle, but for the universe no time is fixed. So when I ask you to abide by time it means you have the benefit of My working for the Circle. Always I give the mandali a fixed time to do certain things. »
Baba also talked about illusion and delusion :
« Now what is self-delusion? We say that so and so is self- deluded. What is meant by this? » Someone answered, « A person who imagines himself to be what he is not. » Baba replied : « But this imagination is so strong that the self-deluded man does not doubt he is what he thinks himself to be. He feels he really is this or that person. This delusion is very positive, but it is, after all, delusion, and although these persons are not hypocritical, they are dangerous—but not seriously so. In one sense all are mad ; deluded persons are mad. For instance, you think you are the body—you are body-mad. Are you not mad? [addressing one of the group] You are mad, but God-mad. There are many on the path who become self-deluded and think they have reached the Goal and they say, ‘I am God.’ They are not charlatans but self-deluded. They believe it genuinely. This is called Mukameafasan or the Abode of Delusion. »
From time to time various notices were posted for all to note and abide by. For example :
Breakfast 8 :00 a.m., Luncheon 12 :00, Tea 4 :00 p.m., Dinner 7 :00 p.m.
No one should sit in the sun between 10 :00 a.m. and 4 :00 p.m.
Till 25th February, none of the Western devotees to walk beyond the property boundaries.
None of the Western devotees to converse with visitors unless ordered by Baba.
None of the Western devotees to receive or to invite guests for meals or to stay overnight, unless ordered by Baba.
No one to enter the kitchen. Complaints to be referred to Norina.
For individual errands in Nasik or Bombay, refer to office.
Access to store-room can be at any time during the day—call for key at office.
No one is allowed to use the cars without informing the office.
Sometimes even a serious order would reflect Baba’s sense of humor, such as the notice which was posted that read :
NOTICE FOR THIS DAY
EACH MEMBER OF THE GROUP MUST REST FOR ONE HOUR AFTER LUNCHEON TODAY ONLY PROFOUND SLEEP (with snoring)
It was not easy for us, who had lived such independent lives, to be suddenly obeying a sheaf of orders. Baba’s orders—yes—but not anybody else’s! And, when rightly or wrongly we felt at times that even some of Baba’s orders had been prompted by one of the group or by Norina, the manager—well! This was enough for a clash of temperaments! For example, we were all asked by Baba to write « Our Impressions. »[1] These were to be typed, if possible. Nadine, I recall, had no typewriter and, wanting hers typed, suggested to Baba that I could type hers. Baba agreed and asked me and I said, « Yes, of course. » Delighted, I began full of enthusiasm and typed them along with my own. And then, Nadine’s « Impressions » seemed never to end! Each day there were more pages of handwritten material with a slight Russian idiom! I was getting impatient and probably made some unkind remark, to which Nadine replied so sweetly, « But Baba said you were to type them. » A small, stupid thing, but moods did not always improve under such tests. Just a slight murmur, but indicative of deeper murmurings, for on December 31, Baba called us all together and began :
« I have left things in Norina’s charge regarding food and general management. To have harmony amongst you all, four points should be kept in mind :
« [1] There should be complete cooperation between you all and Norina.
« [2] In some matters, Norina should give way—in some you should give way. You all have come here to learn spiritual Truth, leaving all, so you should put up with small discomforts and inconveniences. By this I do not mean that you should overlook your real needs and necessities. We are going to give to the world the Message of Love and Brotherhood through Garrett’s magazine and if in our home we have conflicts and disharmony over trivial matters, our message would be farcical and even hypocritical.
« [3] The ‘thorns’ to which I previously referred will be in many forms. If you take them too seriously or give them too much importance, they will naturally cause unnecessary suffering. But if you take these thorns lightly and do not attach undue importance to them, even these thorns will be like flowers.
« [4] If any of you here have the impression that Norina tries to run things her own way just because she is in charge, it is a grave and unjust misconception and should immediately be removed from your minds. I know whatever Norina does is only out of her deep love and feeling for Me ; to economize and save as much as possible for My work. On the other hand, Norina seems to have the notion that some do not like it that she is in charge, although I know it is quite the contrary. You all like her to manage things as she does. These misunderstandings create unnecessary situations, disharmony, and upset things, so the sooner you all clear them up the better.
« You should never forget that your aim is spiritual ; otherwise the retreat would be like a resthouse or a hotel. If you have come for Me you should also suffer for Me.
« In the event any of you feel indisposed, you should report at once to Norina and she should give it her immediate attention and either utilize Garrett’s stock of medicines or send for the doctor if it is anything serious. Norina should give Me a detailed health report when I come every week. »
Here again was cause for conflict, as we were all so independent we did not wish to discuss our ailments except directly with Baba or the doctor!
Food was often a cause for dissatisfaction, perfect as the menus were. One had to have spinach every day, another needed cooked beets. Another request would be for buttermilk but with an orange squeezed in it to make it more digestible! These were but a few of the daily problems the housekeeper had to deal with, besides our resentment over such orders as « lights in the living room to be out by 9 :30 p.m. and no noise between [specified hours]. » After lunch we might like to play records, but the one whose room adjoined the living room would want to rest. When Baba heard of the argument, He said it was good for the digestion to sit and listen to music. (Delia recalls how at other times Baba would play continually, « Mad Dogs and Englishmen Go Out in the Mid-day Sun » by Noel Coward—perhaps referring to us as we often did not put on hats when going out in the sun!) Nevertheless, this did not mean Baba approved of our lack of consideration! That was a different matter.
There were many opportunities for each to give in, to be silent rather than to argue—to help make the life of the ashram run smoothly because by so doing we would be obeying Baba and helping Him in His work. Let us, however, not forget that Baba’s work on the individual is the elimination of the ego and He saw to it that opportunities for His work were not lacking. The atmosphere, I’m sure, improved for a while, but only for a while—else why was it we were all called together by Baba within a week or so on the same theme?
[modifier] On Dying
« Now listen very seriously to this lecture. As I said this morning, it is time we started dying. Dying not in the meaning of ordinary death, but the death of low sense desires. It is all bliss and yet all are miserable because of ignorance. This ignorance causes desires to be fulfilled, yet the goal of each and every one is to attain the ‘no-desire’ state.
« You want millions of things. You say, ‘I want this, I want that.’ And wanting inevitably leads to suffering. So try your best—your very best—by loving more, and then you will want less and less of that which is beyond your needs. Try seriously. It will be all bliss if you don’t want anything. But you must try consciously. The stone wants nothing, but wants nothing unconsciously.
« Let us begin by dying. The more you want the more you are miserable. If you think seriously for just five minutes about what you have wanted all your life—what you have got and what you did not get—and today see if you are satisfied with life. All that you enjoyed all these years, today is nil. All you suffered is nil. It was all illusion.
« So when it is our right to be happy, why try to be unhappy by wanting things? If you do not get that which you want, you are disappointed. And when you do, you do not want it. Long for and want only the one thing that will kill the million other wants. Long for Union. How clear and simple. Try with all your heart. Do not say yes and then not do it. Begin seriously now. You cannot love each other—all right, but try at least to give in to each other. This you do not do. Why? Because you are not honest. That is why I love those in the mad ashram. They are honest in their insanity. You come from afar to love Me and to realize Me and you become fighting cocks and hens. I think I will have to leave you and go to Nepal or send you all to the Himalayas. So begin by wanting less. Try to love more. Try to have more tolerance. It is all sublime, and yet everybody is sad, miserable and suffering. Do you all promise to begin dying? [Each promised to try.]
« If I find disharmony and no willingness to die, it would be better to have you all leave. It is not for name or fame that you have come here. Baba has many disciples. He does not need anybody. I am always alone and always will be, throughout eternity. It is you who need Me until you become Me. But if you do not try, what is the use?
« Now let us be gay! If you were all strong physically then I would take you to Rishikesh to see the real India. »
Norina brought up the question of food—how to cater to all and still be economical. Baba Himself took up the subject, and each was asked to give his or her opinion on the subject of food and menus. Once and for all Baba wanted these points clear. He said : « You all have promised to try your best to die, so let us begin with food. Let us have no more clashes. Let Norina go on giving the same as before. As all say, you, Norina, manage wonderfully well but what You lack is gentleness. You are much too blunt. And for the role of Mother you ought to be more gentle. Be one without duality.
« Be gentle and listen to all suggestions. If you can fall in with them, good, if not, kiss and say no, gently. This is tact. It hurts if you are too frank sometimes. And this I do not want. So all begin to try now, or seriously I will tell you all to go. Real harmony, love and peace—not forced. Don’t keep the door closed [pointing to the heart]. Keep it open so that when I want I can enter. Every time I intend entering I find a closed door—all because of useless wants.
« Petty things take up all your energy, thoughts and time. So no more of that. Love and forget. This is the only thing that matters. Love, always try to love. You don’t like Norina being blunt—love her all the more. She needs it. If she finds you weak in your wants, then she too must love you—you need it.
« If a mother found her child sick or weak, she would fondle it more, love it more. So when any one of you is weak, the rest of you should love that one more. By weak, I mean taken up with desires. Anger is weakness, pride is weakness, and so on. So all try. As Kaka says, ‘No discuss, just try.’ »
Let us now see how Baba dealt with the various types assembled at the Nasik Meher Retreat. How often He had to humor our less worthy qualities! Listen to Baba’s explanation given us in January 1937 :
« Love for a Perfect Master, however deep and devotional it may be, does not necessarily affect the original nature of a person because, despite apparent superficial changes, the individual nature remains the same up to the seventh plane. On the seventh plane, there is no individual mind, therefore no individual nature. This nature is so powerful that it continually strives to assert itself, and being inherently beyond one’s control, even influences the expression of pure love by often assuming irritating and embarrassing forms. So to keep the love of My disciples for Me unalloyed, I have to humor less noble qualities of human nature, such as jealousy, pride, etc. Otherwise, there is always the danger of these qualities gaining supremacy over love and changing it into a feeling of opposition—thus creating hindrances in My work.
« Do not get disheartened or alarmed when adversity, calamity or misfortune pours upon you. Thank God, for He has thereby given you the opportunity of acquiring forbearance and fortitude. One who has acquired the power of bearing adversity can easily enter upon the Spiritual Path...
« Do not get angry, but be pleased with he who backbites you, for he thereby renders service to you by diminishing the load of your sanskaras ; and also pity him for thereby he makes his load of sanskaras more burdensome...
« Don’t criticize. The habit of criticizing our fellow-beings is a bad one. At the back of it often lies self-righteousness, conceit, a false sense of superiority. Sometimes it indicates envy or a desire for retaliation. »
Baba also told us, « We are all One and irritations are only surface ones—they cannot affect the love we have for each other deep down. » And thus, by Baba’s personal living guidance, did He lead us along the Path He had chosen for us.
[modifier] Garlic-Faced
With Baba there was frequent change, never routine for long. He wanted one to be fluid and adaptable, to accept the easy and the difficult, unattached to either, with equal poise and cheerfulness. Not only did Baba plan the work of each, but He also made one feel He was the worker too by His intense interest in all one did. For example, when He came up the hill from lower Meherabad, or before He left in the morning, He would come to the kitchen to inspect what we were cooking. Naja, one of the earliest of the Eastern group told of a day when she was cooking for the two hundred Prem Ashram boys and Baba came into the kitchen to inspect the rice. Baba found the rice not too well cooked, each grain not separate as it should be and He had new rice freshly cooked. As Naja explained to us, it was not that Baba was concerned that the boys should have perfectly cooked rice, but He wanted to bring home a lesson to all : that all work, whether done for Him directly or indirectly, from the cooking of a simple dish to the writing of a book, must not be carelessly done.
From the kitchen Baba would go to the garden where the plants were being watered or seeds sown, or go to the office room to discuss the Meher Baba Journal, and go to the sewing room to take an interest in what was being made. Baba, through His example, showed that the life of the spirit is unified, though made up of so many particles ; a widening of interest, not a cutting down.
One felt Baba’s personal interest served a double purpose, for it also constituted a point of contact with the doer. It seemed that through such activity one came closer to Baba. He overlooked no one. No one knew when Baba would be just around the corner. This kept up a certain stimulating and tense feeling of expectancy, which one immediately missed when Baba was away. To one and all, Baba had a welcoming smile, a touch on the shoulder, an unspoken gesture signifying, « Are you happy? Are you well? » And in a strange way, one’s frown or negative mood would disappear.
No one can realize how much we did have of Baba’s personal supervision, interest and care in the early years of training in Meherabad ashram. Surely He was day by day giving us the example by which we were to remold our own lives : an example of Love in daily action. We, too, must find time for apparent trifles—show the kindly interest, speak the helpful word, be ever ready to adapt to changing circumstances, our own and others—and not be so busy or preoccupied that we could not attend to our neighbor’s need ; to put them off with, « Oh, don’t bother me now. Really I have not the time and what’s more I don’t know. Find out from someone else. » And with a frustrated and annoyed look add, « So sorry, ask me another time. »
All Baba asked from each was a happy face and work done cheerfully. To Baba, this cheerfulness was a goal most worth striving for, a goal of paramount importance. Baba told us, « If you don’t want to be old before you really ought to be old, be cheerful in thought, word, deed and appearance—most of all in appearance. Maybe you are not happy inside—perhaps gas in your stomach! But you must look happy. I always find half of you garlic-faced. When you eat garlic it is a smell passed on to all ; so when you appear garlic-faced, that too is contagious. It is a divine art to always look cheerful. It is a divine quality. It helps others. When you are garlic-faced, it makes others unhappy. » Baba emphasized that no one must expect to get happiness from others, but be happy in oneself.
So we would try to be gay, not look moody or bored. And Baba, calling the group together, would tell us what a tiring day He had had with the God-mad or the men mandali, thus preparing us to feel sympathetic. « I want to relax. I want to laugh, » He would begin. « You, » pointing to one of the group, « sing Me a song. » To another, « Tell Me a story, a funny joke. » If this brought no response, « Tell Me something amusing about your school days ; act something ; dance. » There we sat, glued to our seats, frustrated, getting redder and hotter. Says one, « I have never sung. » Another, « I have never danced. I am no good at storytelling. I remember no jokes. » Baba goes on hammering, « What, you tell Me you love Me and want to please Me and when I ask, you say ‘no.’ What kind of love is this? » Some of the group responded spontaneously. But to Rano and me these times were a trial beyond description.
Sometimes on special occasions Baba would ask all of us to dress up in fancy dress, and this afforded much amusement and excitement, for we made our own costumes out of whatever the ashram possessed and were thus kept busy for days ahead. Baba would be ready at the given hour, and when we would all appear before Him, He would select the winner. On one occasion, Rano and I dressed as Laurel and Hardy. Another time I won with a home-made chicken costume—although I later had a bad reaction to the feathers and became quite ill!
[modifier] Ego And Moods
Believe it or not, there were times when one was tempted to stand apart and not cooperate, asking oneself why all this trouble? What had it to do with the spiritual life? But Baba’s emphasis on group work and group living was evident at all times. What meant most to Baba, of course, was to see how much enthusiasm and interest we had taken in these preparations to please Him. Baba so often emphasized that to please Him was one practical way of showing our love for Him.
In India, bit by bit the ego gave in ; self-consciousness, inferiority, obstinacy, likes and dislikes, all went in our effort to please and obey Baba. It was surprising how, with Baba’s encouragement and Mani’s patient coaching, we did produce some quite amusing and simple performances. All this served Baba’s work, for it helped to liberate us from our ego and, during Baba’s frequent absences, kept our thoughts one hundred percent on Him, for He would always expect us to have « some surprises » for Him when He returned. I think Baba had many an opportunity for a « silent laugh » when the Westerners attempted to perform in Hindi, Marathi or other Indian languages!
I once asked Adi Sr. how best to please Baba when you were with Him. Adi replied, « Be supersensitive to Baba’s moods and act accordingly and anticipate His needs before He asks. I know of only one disciple, Mehera, who does this for Baba one hundred percent. »
Baba, while tolerant of our various moods, understanding their causes (frustration, jealousy, inferiority complexes) as a result of sanskaras left over from past lives, disliked them intensely. Said Baba, « All such moods feed the ego-life. » In a letter to Delia, He remarked, « And how can you help in this game of Mine? By love and service. By control of your mind and moods, and yes, weaknesses which are there for the purpose of exercising control over them. Often, the greater one loves, the greater is the tendency to moods, because the pangs of separation are more acute. But I do not like moods and therefore, to please Me, which is one of the best ways of showing your love for Me, try your best to overcome them. A joyful heart will help you most to get strong. »
In the early days, Baba would devote an hour or more to help you see the cause of your upset, occasionally making use of another of the group to come out with the unvarnished truth, knowing full well how distasteful it is to be told the truth by your neighbor. With Baba, weaknesses had to be brought to the surface and faced. Once He had made you aware of the « lesser good » He rarely brought up the matter again. You had to do the correcting and controlling yourself, knowing that Baba would help you. Continually worrying and referring to your weaknesses and focusing your thoughts on yourself might increase your ego, and Baba’s work was to eliminate the ego. To one of the group Baba dictated the following on the board :
« Why worry?! Worry is unnecessary. Necessary worry is not good, but unnecessary worry is madness. If I say : ‘Be happy!’ be happy at once! Forget. Away with it! Why brood? I never brood. Laugh! Be cheerful! It is all illusion—why not be cheerful, happy? Start now!! »
Another time Baba said :
« Do everything, but don’t worry. Worrying binds. When one is beyond worrying, one is happy. But you must consciously not worry. The stone does not worry, but unconsciously. It is all fun, all a game, happiness—if you don’t worry. »
Baba’s ways of eliminating the ego were both skillful and subtle, but they did rapidly cut down both prejudice and pride. To quote Baba,
« The spiritual benefit accruing to an aspirant on the path approaching a Spiritual Master is in direct proportion to the weakening or elimination of the ego. »
And so Baba might frequently ask you to do just those things which your nature revolted against, but never gave you the reason why. At first, we were rarely given occupations which we had done before joining the ashram but rather chores that we would have avoided doing in the outside world, or which we disliked intensely. Said one who set to work in the kitchen, « I did not come to peel potatoes—I can do this at home. I came to be with Baba! » Did we think we had come to sit with Baba all day, to meditate, discuss spiritual subjects, read philosophical books, escape the problems and monotony of daily life? If such was our vision, Baba through His own example showed us that this was not His way of life. « All work is My work, » He said. Baba was so intensely practical and I feel it was a help to Baba if those around Him were practical too.
[modifier] "Jane Do"
At Meherabad, it was very necessary at first that Baba supervise every activity in the ashram because, although we all loved Baba, still with our very different nationalities and different ages, life, as I have said, did not always run smoothly.
Baba, of course, did not expect all would go smoothly with such assertive egos. Had He wanted continual peace, He would have selected very different types. We all had too many sanskaras, more than even we suspected while we were still out in the world.
Loosening up the ego must have been for Baba not unlike extracting a tooth, painful to the patient, but most satisfying to the dentist! And as Baba saw the ego slowly disintegrating under His ceaseless drilling, there He would be, ready to fill the void with His Love and presence.
In the ashram at Nasik, we Westerners had clashed only amongst ourselves. In Meherabad, however, Easterners and Westerners had to adjust their various habits and temperaments to each other. I recall Baba saying in the midst of one « crisis » : « Will the East and West ever love one another? » (meaning our groups, of course).
We discussed the point and finally decided that fundamentally we were the same, but our ways and ideas were so different that, superficially, friction was impossible to avoid ; yet year by year that superficial friction became less and less and, finally, nonexistent.
There were often arguments, discussions or clashes of opinion regarding how things should be done. We were fussy over food ; Indian food was too spicy, English food too insipid (finally we settled for more or less one type of food with one plainly cooked vegetable).
To Baba, dislikes were as significant as likes. « Both, » He said, « are desires of the ego, and hence both have to go. »
It was often over such stupid things that we got upset and annoyed, and resorted to those hasty bursts of irritation. We had thought we had left all worldly pettiness behind, but not so ; not until we could overcome it in ourselves.
For instance, when there was a water shortage for bathing, Baba would order for each of us one-half pail ; but some criticized others for using more, or what the criticizer thought was more — not easy to measure when a pail is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top! It was, however, just these daily happenings that afforded Baba His opportunity to work up a crisis of ego-elimination and bring us a step further on the Path toward God, through control, obedience, and a mind concentrated on Him.
« Any time a person’s thoughts turn truly to Me, I am truly with them, » He told us.
Baba would see all that went on, arbitrate between two contending parties and bring about a compromise, but He rarely took sides. Each would have the opportunity to get a straight talk with Baba, and this was very refreshing.
Baba never evaded anything and never harbored bitterness. I think He rather enjoyed watching the tussle between two pronounced egos. He had a wonderful way of finding both parties to be in the right. As Baba said, for instance, to Norina and Elizabeth after a heated argument : « You are both in the right, but Norina has got to go a little slower and Elizabeth has got to try and move a little faster. » Then, looking at both with a smile, He added, « Now both embrace. »
At another time He said, « Love and forget. This is the only thing that matters and it pays.[... ] Learn to « jane do » — [let go] — to give up wanting the last word — Why do you care to be understood when you know you are right? Give up all wants and be happy. But you must try consciously. »
[modifier] Spiritual Contacts In Person
I recall the day [in March, 1939] we went with Baba to the Amber Palace, the old palace of the Maharaja of Jaipur. One of the annual festivities was in progress, and in the courtyard were many decorated elephants and many cars of the guests. There was also a council meeting and everything was ready for the reception of the Viceroy. When we arrived with our pass, the order was « No visitors, » with or without passes, because the Maharaja was in residence and the Viceroy was arriving shortly. Baba, for some reason, meant for us to see the inside of the palace—and so we did finally, through the back gate.
The crowning incident of the day, however, was a far more important meeting than all the pageantry we saw. On the way to the palace Baba had us get out of the car, cross the road, and walk up to a platform or parapet from which we had a wonderful view of the palace. Baba was very quiet. As usual He was looking around, but not in the direction of the palace, as if expecting to see someone.
A moment later He motioned us all to look to the right, up the lane on the opposite side of the road, leading to the woods. There we saw a half-naked figure. Baba explained to us that he was a mast and the spiritual chargeman of Jaipur. Then at once Baba returned to the bus, and we continued our journey to the palace—Baba now in quite a different mood than before, jolly and interested, for His work there was done. Baba said before we started on this trip that He had to make many of these spiritual contacts in person.
[modifier] The Eye Of An Internationalist
During this time, we were not always permitted to discuss the Second World War, but I recall one occasion when we were sitting with Baba and the war was under discussion.
In an arrogant mood I blurted out, « What am I doing for my country? How much more I could do if I were in England! »
Baba apparently took me seriously. He told Elizabeth to phone Bombay and book a passage to Europe and sent me to pack my bedding roll, telling Margaret and Rano to assist me.
Meanwhile, both women tried to knock a little sense into my stubborn head. Whilst I was packing, Baba called me to Him and, with the board, explained that as He was the axis of the world, by my being with Him where I was, I was helping England more than if I were helping with the wounded, etc., elsewhere.
Of course it was one of my moods, and needless to say I did not go. Such was my poor understanding of Baba and His universal work.
Our basic sanskaras — lust, greed, anger, arising from the whole evolutionary process — are, as Margaret points out, so clearly supplemented in the human form by an additional sanskara, namely of pride, the most insidious of all, especially when it takes on the aspect of pride of country and of race.
It is when you come up against individuals of other countries by living with them as we did in Baba’s ashram, that this pride asserts itself. When challenged, you stand up for your country, its ideas, its way of life, its ethics — yes, even its plumbing — and try to prove its superiority!
Then it is that Baba steps in and breaks it down, leaving you to integrate something in its place.
To put Him in that void, the creative vital spirit of Baba — to try and find anew this center of the universe in your own environment and finally within yourself.
Traherne expresses it so beautifully : « You can never enjoy this world aright until the sea itself floweth in your veins. Till you are clothed by the heavens and crowned by the stars. Until you realize that you are the sole heir of the whole universe and more than so, that there are men in it who are sole heirs of the whole universe as well as you, until you can delight in God as a miser delights in gold, you can never enjoy the universe. »
Previously I tended to look out on the world at large with the eye of a proud nationalist. Today it is with the broader, more sympathetic eye of an internationalist.
Living with Baba was to live at the center of the universe ; each nation, each individual, equidistant from its center, Meher Baba.
[modifier] Meher Spiritual Center
Baba dear,
You have received a number of cables from me about the property in South Carolina which I hope You will accept as one of Your spiritual Centers in the U.S[... ] .
It is my one desire to give the property to You forever for Your spiritual cause.[... ] You may be sure it will be « given from the heart, » also I am pleased to say that Father gave it to me « from the heart » and knows the fact that it will be used for Your spiritual and humanitarian purposes eventually. It would be the dream of my life for You to have a great Center here.[... ] No other name than « The Center for Meher Baba » will be given it until You decide that, too...
Yesterday we all went as far as we could around the large lake, Kashmir Lake [now known as Long Lake].[... ] However, there are no gardens unless we plant them. The reason I particularly thought of Kashmir is because I looked at the globe and followed the 34th line latitude around from Myrtle Beach and find that it is the same as Kashmir in India. Of course, it is the Atlantic Ocean here and not the Himalayas in India, but merely will give Your Eastern disciples an idea of where Your Center in America will be in relation to India...
For the first week we have not left the property as we want to initiate it for You in our constant thought.
We find a vast amount of work will have to be done in clearing the underbrush because with virgin land there are so many insects and crawling things — like the first day of Creation, but then they were said not to bite![... ] You see, there is so much to be discovered.[... ] It is important to live in the huts and merely feel out things. But something will have to be done before any numbers can come here because it is all too primitive and jungle-like at present, as no one has ever lived here before. Nature has complete sway over the place and man from the city has to learn a lot, and there are discomforts of insect bites because of so much underbrush. This is also due to wearing beach-type clothes which are too exposed for the woods life and we are learning the hard way but take discomforts lightly.[... ] The property is not inaccessible although so secluded. It has great possibilities for development.[... ] Please write and let me know what You want us to do foremost and Your general idea about it all.[... ] In our every thought and deed it is Yours now.
With all my love to You and loving remembrance to all,
Devotedly Yours, Elizabeth
During this first visit, the property was dedicated to Baba by those present gathering shells along the ocean, bringing them to a knoll in the woods and placing them in the ground to spell out « BABA » in large letters. After this, each went in a different direction calling loudly the name of Baba through the silent forest and over the rippling waves of Long Lake.
In a letter dated June 15, 1944, to her parents, Elizabeth wrote of the great vision she had for the Center.
« Regarding our life in the forest, it is slowly emerging out of its most primitive state. We invaded Nature and the underbrush would invade us. (By the way, the Invasion — Eisenhower’s June 6 D-Day — took place during our first week here and we did not know about it until the 10th, which was the first day we came out for the mail and news.) . . .
« When Baba, whom you think is far off in India, projects an idea for a Center it comes to pass. Now that the soil is found, it will flourish. It will be based on cooperation, on active good will and devotion to a higher cause. In this there is no difference in spiritual teachings. Truth is One, though men call it by many names. Of one thing you may be certain, that until I met Baba I have never shown any tendency towards active expression or day-to-day living of the teachings of Christ which are universal in application, such as will come to pass at this Center. Here will develop Father’s real ‘Foundation’. «
Elizabeth, of course, continued correspondence with Baba and on September 16, 1944, He cabled as follows :
AM HAPPY TO FIND IN ALL YOUR LETTERS ABOUT MYRTLE BEACH EVERYTHING THAT I PERSONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY APPROVE OF AND SANCTION. ALL MY LOVERS SHOULD COOPERATE TO MAKE MYRTLE BEACH THE SPIRITUAL ABODE FOR ONE AND ALL.
MEHER BABA
[modifier] The Cabins, The Barn, And The Paths
Then began the great pioneering work undertaken by Elizabeth and Norina — working together day and night, with Baba’s frequent instructions by cables and letters, to ready the Center for the great day of His arrival.
Baba specified that water and electricity were to be provided — no easy task as the property was situated in such a remote area, ten miles north of Myrtle Beach. As the work gradually began, a dramatic event occurred during the first month which tended to focus the group’s attention even more strongly on the need to begin clearing the land : A forest fire started not far from the main area where the Center buildings were to be put up and, although the Coast Guard and Army came and tried to put it out, the fire continued to burn for two days until an unexpected cloudburst finally extinguished it!
Elizabeth then had plenty of fire lanes, well-marked hydrants throughout the property, and long water pipes in every section installed as precautionary measures against this ever-present danger.
Baba had specified that when He came He would bring with Him approximately twenty men and women from India, thus Elizabeth and Norina began the joyous preparation.
The first cabin built, the « Cabin on the Hill » (so named because it was located on the gentle rise with its spectacular view as first seen by Elizabeth and Norina), was originally intended for Baba. Looking down from this knoll, Elizabeth and Norina envisioned the other cabins as being within clapping distance from Baba’s cabin, for in India Baba would often summon all to Him by clapping — always a welcome call!
Although various persons were caretakers of the Center during the years of preparation for Baba’s visit, the overall planning was always done by Elizabeth and Norina on their frequent visits from New York. While the building and construction went on, they stayed in the Cabin on the Hill or at Youpon Dunes, Elizabeth’s family home in Myrtle Beach.
During this period Elizabeth and Norina were called by Baba to India and activity at the Center was then carried out by Darwin Shaw, John Bass and Frank Eaton, with the help of other devoted ones. Letters and cables flew back and forth between the two continents in regard to Center work.
All of the work was voluntary (with the exception of necessary paid help) and everything — even the smallest detail — was given to Baba with love. There was not a tree or a shrub, a table or a chair that was not permeated with love for Baba.
The clearing and building went on slowly and gradually, for there were many postwar restrictions in the 1940s and building materials were scarce.
The « Lake Cabin » (overlooking Long Lake) was donated by John Bass, and several smaller huts were contributed by Darwin and Frank which Elizabeth, with her eternal eye for guests’ comfort, transformed into small cabins. Other structures arrived prefabricated.
With their one hundred percent desire to please Baba, Elizabeth and Norina did not miss the slightest opportunity to find suitable structures. When Elizabeth spied in the newspaper an item stating that the nearby Air Corps base was selling hutments, four were bought and converted into cabins on the southwest side of the property : the « Near Cabin » (near the Cabin on the Hill) and the « Far Cabin » (farther away) were designated for guests ; the « Lagoon Cabin » (overlooking the lagoon by the lake) was set aside for Baba’s special use in giving interviews to individuals and small groups ; and the « Caretaker’s Cabin » was for the night watchman, as Baba had specified that there must be someone sleeping on the Center every night.
A small kitchen, the « Original Kitchen, » was also built in the early days of the Center’s development. As there was no refrigerator, food was kept cool by means of a box submerged in the lake. Such were the early beginnings of the Center — simplicity and love were the two keynotes that surrounded all the work.
Following the custom in India, men’s and women’s quarters were separated. The women were to be accommodated on the wooded bluff on the northeast side of the Center. The feeling of solitude there ; the impression of an oriental landscape, mystical and serene with the faint sounds of waterbirds drifting across the lake below, made this an ideal setting.
In a large clearing on the southwest side, the men’s cabins were unobtrusively nestled in the shade of oaks, cedars, dogwoods and soaring pines.
To separate the two sides, Elizabeth widened a stream which fed into Long Lake to create an enchanting lagoon, with a connecting cypress foot-bridge. A picturesque addition, a gazebo called the « Boathouse, » was also built beside the lagoon.
The « Guest House » for the Eastern women disciples was another cabin built during the stringent war years. It was only after furnishing the government with a large quantity of lumber (from other property owned by Elizabeth) that she was permitted to keep the necessary wood with which to build it.
This charming cabin is located on one of the most beautiful spots on the Center, a point high on the bluff overlooking the lake. It not only made a compact little home for Baba’s Eastern women disciples when they came with Him in 1952, but was also used by Baba when He gave private interviews in the afternoons on its peacefully secluded porch.
Several other cabins, including the « Lantern, » « Twin Cabins » and « Log Cabin, » were located nearby.
The Log Cabin, constructed of Adirondack mountain logs, had a special purpose, for it was to serve as a « go-between, » so to speak, for both sides of the Center ; and Baba, clapping from either the Guest House on one side or the Lagoon Cabin on the other side, could quickly summon either Elizabeth or Norina who would be staying at the Log Cabin.
Baba had intimated that when He came He would require a building large enough to accommodate two to three hundred for group gatherings and He also wished to hold darshan programs, or « Open Days, » for the public. With so many wartime restrictions, how would Elizabeth and Norina build such a structure?
Then Norina had an idea — they would buy a barn and move it to the property. Barns were not easy to come by but neither Elizabeth nor Norina was easily disheartened or defeated, and eventually they discovered a barn for sale in the nearby town of Conway. After they purchased the barn, it was transported in sections, with each plank carefully marked and numbered, and reassembled at the far end of Long Lake in a large grove of live oaks with Spanish moss similar to its original setting.
The Barn, with walls of weathered cypress, the « wood eternal » of the old Southland, had originally been built as a stable for mules. After the stalls were removed, Elizabeth asked the builder, Truman Moore, to eliminate all the original interior posts, as she was most concerned that no one’s view of Baba be blocked in any way ; and she remarked humorously that when Baba was there, if there was even a single post, she was sure to find herself behind it!
Although Mr. Moore felt that the posts were necessary for support and could not be removed, Elizabeth urged him to find a way. The problem was eventually solved with a very solid and intricate wooden truss-work constructed overhead, which to create a pleasing effect was painted a soft Mediterranean blue at Norina’s suggestion. As Elizabeth observed, « So much of the artistic nature of the Center was Norina’s inspiration. »
The Barn required something different from the customary lighting fixture. It happened that the Center’s first caretaker, Joe Chestnut, had a mule that was very dear to him which had died and, saying he had no further use for his wagon without his mule, he wanted Elizabeth to have a wheel from it for a lighting fixture for the Barn. So this, too, was given « from the heart. »
Most of the approximately five hundred acres comprising the Center are dense forestland. With their great respect for nature, Elizabeth and Norina were quite concerned that as few trees as possible be cut in clearing areas and paths.
The little road from the Cabin on the Hill to the Barn, like all of the paths and sandy roads on the Center, was made by the two women wending their way in a jeep through the woods. Wherever the jeep could go, there came a small bulldozer behind it to clear the underbrush. Thus, these cool, shady trails, walked upon so often by Baba, are somewhat narrow and curved, but happily not a single tree had to be felled to make them.
[modifier] Wildlife, Mosquitoes And Baba's House
Before Elizabeth acquired the Center property it had, as mentioned, been used as a hunting and game preserve. The animal kingdom is as much a part of Baba’s divine work of unfolding consciousness as the human kingdom. Therefore, the Center, with Baba’s sanction and with Elizabeth’s reverence for life in all of its manifestations, was also developed as a wildlife sanctuary, with no hunting or fishing permitted.
Rabbits, raccoons, foxes, possums and other animals thrive in the thick underbrush and cross the meandering paths without fear. Throughout the forest, a great variety of colorful birds, such as quail and pheasants, abound. The lake, bound on its eastern rim by high marsh grass and dunes, forms a protective haven for fish, turtles, ducks and geese as well as an occasional alligator or white heron.
The Center’s domestic water supply was originally derived from pitcher pumps (still in evidence on the grounds). Later, water from an artesian well was piped onto the property. As Elizabeth did not want to detract from the Center’s beauty, a complex network of pipes running underground for over sixteen-hundred feet was installed. With the property’s own natural water resources combined with thorough efforts to obtain additional water, Baba’s condition that there should be « more than ample water » was secured.
When Elizabeth obtained the forestland, there was a great deal of marshy soil which presented a serious problem, as it turned out to be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. In 1947 when Elizabeth and Norina were with Baba in Satara, India, Elizabeth wrote to John Bass on July 17 as follows :
« Today Baba went over all the maps, pictures and data about Myrtle Beach and sent the following message : ‘Baba is definitely coming in the near future so take care of Myrtle Beach properties as you would take care of Baba. And work hard to get rid of mosquitoes.’ «
The story of the development of the Center would not be complete without reference to the solving of this problem, a challenge which involved some of the most costly and painstaking work in the early years.
Elizabeth and Norina were still in India when in July of 1948 Baba sent a cable to Darwin Shaw in New York requesting him to return to Myrtle Beach to look after the Center. Darwin managed to obtain a one-year’s leave of absence from his job.
He and his wife Jean (having arrived in October with their three children) stayed as caretakers at Youpon Dunes. Although there was still much work to be done to prepare the Center for Baba’s eventual visit, Baba had indicated that eliminating as much as possible the problem of mosquitoes was the number- one priority at this time. So it was to this project that Darwin devoted most of his time and energy.
Preliminary exploration determined that large swamp areas extending across almost the entire width of the Center property were the main breeding places, along with scattered marsh areas where mosquitoes also accumulated.
Darwin sent cables and long, complex letters with maps and proposals to Elizabeth, who consulted with Baba about every detail and sent back long and equally complex replies. According to Darwin, « What might have appeared to be a relatively simple project turned out to be a very complicated one with seemingly endless ramifications and innumerable details [and] many unforeseen factors. »
After months of deliberation and painstaking investigation, the best drainage plan was finally decided upon and Baba gave it His approval. Accordingly, the work was undertaken, supervised by a professional civil engineer, and took several months to complete.
« One suspects that through the struggle of this project, » Darwin noted, « Baba might have been doing something more than seeing that the swamp areas on the Center were properly drained. »
As Elizabeth wrote from India in January of 1949 to Darwin, « The unusualness of corresponding about details of a drainage project, between America and India, that Baba has directed us to ‘dig’ together is apparent.[... ] From an ordinary point of view, it would be easier to let the one on the spot do it all — that is, if it were only a drainage project. Nothing we do for Baba is just that which it seems. »
Whilst Darwin was supervising the work at the Center in 1948, Baba requested that he see to another project — initiating the building of Baba’s own house overlooking Long Lake. Some time earlier Baba had indicated His desire for a more secluded location than that of the Cabin on the Hill.
Baba’s requirements for His own house were that it should be on the highest ground, secluded from the other cabins, and five hundred feet from Briarcliffe Acres (an adjoining residential development that commenced the year the Center was founded).
A point of interest here is that before Elizabeth and Norina were called to India in 1947, Elizabeth sent blueprints of the Center to Baba, and the exact spot He selected on the blueprints for His house was the spot which fulfilled these conditions. Baba gave these blueprints to Margaret Craske, who was at that time in India, and told her to guard them carefully and take them wherever she went.
The original plan for Baba’s House was drawn up by an Indian architect, the brother of Chanji. Baba had asked for a stone house for reasons of permanence and the architect’s plan called for walls four feet thick, no doubt to be built with fieldstone which was plentiful in India.
Whilst Elizabeth was wondering what to do, she happened to notice a prize-winning house plan in the newspaper that was almost identical to the plan Baba had sent, with the exception of the four-foot-thick walls. This house plan had been chosen by a group of prominent architects as the « perfect house »!
Elizabeth sent the plan to Baba and He answered that it would be suitable and also consented, at Elizabeth’s request, to the use of Charleston brick which was more readily available than fieldstone.
Baba’s House is situated in a grove of live oaks, magnolias and pines, with a spectacular view of both Long Lake and the sea beyond. In order that no trees be cut, the house is not on a square with the shore line, but Baba’s room faces due east, towards India.
During the building, not a detail was too small to escape Elizabeth’s and Norina’s watchful eyes. For instance, Elizabeth noticed that when one was sitting on the porch adjoining Baba’s room, the railing obstructed the beautiful view, and she therefore asked the builders to lower it.
To insure complete privacy, Baba requested a fence, eight feet high, to surround the house. Norina ingeniously arranged a stockade fence of French Chestnut in a zig-zagging pattern around the house, allowing room for a landscaped garden of azaleas, roses, camellias and other colorful flowers and shrubs.
In 1949, at the start of the New Life, by Baba’s order everyone in the East and the West was notified to stop all communication with Him. However, when He sent Elizabeth and Norina back from India to the U.S., they were given special permission to cable Him when necessary regarding Center work.
It is interesting to note that the only properties retained by Baba in His name at that time were, it seems, the Meherabad Hill premises in India and the Meher Center in the U.S.[2]
[modifier] Ready For Baba
During the New Life phase, Baba indicated that He was coming to Myrtle Beach in July of 1951 for one year. At the Center, the emphasis was on completing the building and landscaping in preparation for Baba’s visit.
Then in February of 1951 a cable came from Mahabaleshwar stating that Baba’s plans had changed and He would not leave India until February, 1952. However, He also indicated that when He came He would not stay after the end of July.
In October 1951 came another cable :
ABSOLUTELY HAPPY ELINORA[3] SUCCESSFUL HAVING BABA DEFINITELY COME TO AMERICA ABOUT END OF MARCH GOD WILLING. DEEPEST LOVE
BABA
This cable was followed by a message from Baba to Elizabeth and Norina that seemed a sure indication that He really was coming :
« From October 16 to February 15 (four months) I will be away for My most important final work. Then after the 15th of February I will rest for about a fortnight and then before we start, vaccination, injections, etc., will have to be taken.[... ] God willing and if I am alive, we will definitely come to America in the last week of March 1952.
« I have stopped all correspondence with everyone from October to February 15 but you can correspond with Don [Dr. Donkin] on this subject of our coming to America.[... ] « So now, you beloved lovers of Baba, be happy that at last you have made it possible for Me to come to the West. Love to you both. »
Due to Baba’s weak physical condition after coming out of the Manonash seclusion and due to His work, a further postponement from the end of March to April 10 was necessary. In response to a request from Baba for a verification of this date, Norina, I believe, cabled Dr. Donkin :
« BABA ASKS US WHETHER THE 10TH APRIL SUITS US — ANYTHING! EVERYTHING SUITS US AS LONG AS HE COMES. »
Around this time the following message from Baba was circulated to all concerned in the West.
« The necessary arrangements having been successfully completed by Elizabeth and Norina, I shall if God wills and if I am alive, come to the West next year. I shall fly first direct to America. Later in the year I shall stay a few weeks in England, France and Switzerland[4]. In order that the results of My work from October 16 to February 16, 1952, may be fully manifested in the Western world, either with the fullest success or as an utter failure — I must be in seclusion for the first two weeks of My stay in America. I therefore want no publicity of any kind, either when I leave or when I arrive in America. After these first two weeks of seclusion, I shall see everyone everywhere, because eventually I shall have to give to the world the results of My four months’ work. »
Many were the cables sent back and forth during this month. We in India tried to persuade Baba that He should cancel His visit to the West until much later when He would feel less weak. But although Baba changed the actual date of His coming, He still intended to keep to His original plan of not staying in the States after the end of July and Dr. Donkin wrote,
« Baba tells me to repeat and repeat that His coming is DEFINITE not only because of the desire of the people in the West that He should come, but also because of what is destined by God. »
After further complications, then came a cable to Elizabeth and Norina which said :
BABA HAS NOW FINALLY DEFINITELY DECIDED TO FLY 18TH APRIL.
PLANE TICKETS PURCHASED. TWENTY DAYS SECLUSION, WILL SEE 10TH AND I ITH OF MAY FEW CLOSE ONES.[... ] WILL SEE INVITED ONES BETWEEN 17TH AND 24TH MAY.
DURING SECLUSION WILL SEE ONLY THE VERY FEW NEAR ONES AND THEY CAN ACCOMPANY TRAIN TO MYRTLE BEACH.[... ] BABA’S LOVE
MEHERJEE.
This surely seemed fixed and something that Elizabeth and Norina could work on and plan. They could arrange « Open Day » and visitor’s times and special interviews. From the moment the cable was received, work on the Center quickened.
From India, Baba sent Dr. Donkin to help Elizabeth and Norina with the arrangements. Elizabeth was kept busy seeing to visitor’s visas for Baba and party and attending to the many necessary details. Norina, meanwhile, was busy with the domestic side of arrangements, since Baba was bringing with Him a large group of men and women.
After Elizabeth’s and Norina’s many years of loving and devoted preparation, all was at last in readiness at the Center for Baba’s arrival.
[modifier] On His Way
On the 18th of April, Baba left India by plane for the U.S. with Mehera, Mani, Meheru and Dr. Goher of the Eastern women, and Rano and myself of the Western women. From His Eastern men disciples with Baba were Sarosh, Adi Sr., Dr. Nilu, Gustadji and Meherjee.
Baba made no stops in London or elsewhere — His intention being to visit Europe on His return flight. When the plane arrived in New York on April 19, Baba, Mehera and the rest were in fine spirits. The flight had been good all the way to Paris, but high winds prevailed from then on, and under the delusion that champagne kept off air-sickness, I had gulped down — with dire results — the contents of a pint bottle served with the dinner. I, for one, arrived somewhat green at Idlewild (now Kennedy) airport!
Baba walked briskly to the entrance where Elizabeth waited with Margaret Craske to welcome Him. As Baba’s first official stop was to be Myrtle Beach, He did not allow many to see Him in New York, either at the airport or at Penn Station Hotel, where we spent the day before taking the train to Florence, South Carolina, en route to Myrtle Beach.
John Bass was one of those who met Baba in New York for five minutes after a lapse of twenty-one years. He wrote, « I felt such great Divinity in Baba’s presence. I don’t know how to describe it. It is something never felt before or afterwards. The feeling of Baba’s terrific power and energy, at the same time a certain peace permeated, so that I remarked to Elizabeth who was outside the room at the time, ‘But, Elizabeth, Baba is tremendous, magnificent.’ Elizabeth replied, ‘Yes, Baba is what He is.’ »
Of His long-time disciples present in the West, Delia de Leon, Margaret Craske and Ruano Bogislav accompanied Baba and the rest of us on the train to South Carolina. Jean Schloss was not able to join us due to illness.
[modifier] The Home That I Love The Best
On April 20th, from the railroad station at Florence we drove by car to Myrtle Beach. Arriving in the afternoon at the Center on a bright, sunny day, Baba and party went first to His own house at the far end of Long Lake.
Norina was awaiting Baba in the living room and it was a wonderful reunion after three long years of waiting for His visit. The room was bright with flowers and sunshine and aglow with Baba’s loving presence.
We stood whilst Baba sat on the sofa with Norina beside Him and remained a few minutes in silence. Thus Baba bridged, as it were, the span of years of separation. Then, led by Norina and Elizabeth, we went with Baba through the different rooms.
In His own bedroom, Baba saw a big surprise — a large bed not with box springs but strung in the Indian fashion with strips of wide, strong interlaced tape which could be tightened when necessary (if you knew how!).
When we were again assembled in the living room, Baba spelled out on His board, with Mani interpreting, how happy He was to be at the Center, and most of all how deeply touched He was with the love, devotion and work shown by both Elizabeth and Norina throughout the past years in preparing such a unique spot for His work and comfort.
No detail, no expense had been spared to carry out His wishes, and all had been the labor of love — love direct from the heart, and as such He accepted the gift.
After embracing Elizabeth and Norina He said, « I have had many homes this time. I have laid My head on the ground [bowed down] in palaces and on concrete floors of humble homes. » Then Baba gestured over all the Center and continued, « Of all the homes I have visited, this is the home that I love the best, because it was given to Me and built for Me with such love. » After a bit He added, « I never leave. Remember, I do not leave because this is My home. »
Baba then proceeded to walk around the grounds surrounding the house, having us all stand at different spots to appreciate the magnificent view of the freshwater lake with the vista of ocean beyond. I recall that Baba, in commenting on the unusualness of this aspect of the Center, later told a visitor, « Ages ago this was a place where I moved about and stayed, and the combination of the lake, the ocean and the woods gives it a unique atmosphere. »
Following Baba out the large gate in front of His house, we then walked south to the other cabins situated about a half-mile away. We stopped first at the Guest House where the Eastern women mandali were to stay.
In India during our many tours with Baba He always allotted rooms and houses. This He did at the Center. Sarosh and Meherjee were in the Cabin on the Hill, Dr. Donkin was in the Caretaker’s Cabin, Gustadji in the Far Cabin, Adi Sr. with Dr. Nilu in the Near Cabin — all south of the bridge spanning the lagoon.
Cabins for the women staying at the Center were situated north of the bridge. Elizabeth and Norina were in the Log Cabin ; Delia, Margaret, Ruano, Rano and I (along with others from time to time during Baba’s visit) were accommodated in the Lantern and Twin Cabins.
This personal touch of Baba’s meant so much.
Francis Brabazon came over from Australia, expecting to continue on to California with the party, but after a few days Baba sent him back to Australia for His work. Malcolm Schloss stayed at the Center and, I believe, made two journeys back and forth to Los Angeles whilst Baba was at the Center.
Malcolm was working on material Baba had given him which he was to put into verse and which was later published and entitled, Ways to Attain the Supreme Reality.
Whilst Baba was at the Center, many stayed in Myrtle Beach including Ivy Duce and her daughter Charmian, Fred and Ella Winterfeldt, Darwin Shaw and family, Beryl Williams, and Barbara Mahon.
[modifier] Touched By Your Love
This was the first visit to America for the Eastern women, and Mani in a letter to those still in India described her impressions and those of Mehera.
21 April, 1952
Dear Everybody,
Today is the second day of our arrival in Myrtle Beach. We have put our sweaters on for it is quite coldish but in a very pleasant way. Mehera is sitting beside me dictating this letter. From our window in front of me we can see the lake which is our own private, freshwater lake in spite of it being so close to the blue sea, which we can also see from the horizon.
We had a very comfortable journey (except for cramped nights) with excellent service on board.[... ] Meheru and Goher and Kitty were « seasickish » on the last day (if you mention airplane to Goher just now she looks ready to scream).[... ] Of course Baba could not sleep at nights in the plane though He had a very comfortable seat with the seat in front facing towards Him so He could stretch His legs.[... ] The funniest part on the plane was that they kept putting the clock back every now and then, so that the nights and days seemed doubly long and we were tired, longing for N.Y. to come.
When our plane landed, the first person we saw was dear Elizabeth waving frantically to us. We got through customs very easily and the officials were very friendly and kept smiling at Baba.
Now about Baba’s health — He was looking very tired and weak on the plane up till N.Y. but the minute we got down we noticed a marked change in Baba’s appearance and He looked wonderfully better. The aerodrome was actually at Long Island from where we drove over to a hotel in N.Y.[... ] The taxi driver was a friendly soul and wished us welcome to America.
New York at night was a most beautiful sight with its towering skyscrapers and the gay lights of Broadway and its lovely shop windows. We went to the Radio City building and looked down on a very gorgeous sight of the lighted city.
That night we also saw the ice-skating rink where couples were dancing to the music — it was a lovely sight.[... ] After seeing the sights we went to the station and on the train we slept most comfortably in Pullman compartments.
We crossed beautiful scenery, trees in springtime bloom amidst fine forests and adorable houses. We will tell you details when we meet. I forgot to mention that the American people are the most friendly and warm-hearted people anywhere and the service is efficient and willing ; it is a perpetual pleasure.[... ] On the Myrtle Beach property we first went to see the house that is especially built for Baba with its soundproof bedroom, and it was not only beautiful in structure and surroundings but also most conveniently furnished in minute details with every modern fixture and convenience, including a « Hollywood » kitchen. Norina was at the door to embrace Baba.
We next went to see our little house (which is also newly built) and it is a most dear little cottage made of pinewood and also with modern conveniences. The situation is most inexpressively beautiful.
Mehera’s little bedroom with pink furniture is facing the lake and there are acres and acres of grounds for beautiful walks in the woods. There are also many other cottages all over the place. This morning Elizabeth drove us round the whole property and Baba told Elinora at the end of it, « I am not only extremely happy with all this but also touched by your love which has made you do all this for Me. » Really they are a wonderful pair.[... ] Baba has been very busy looking to details and so far has not had any rest He needs so badly. He hasn’t slept well as yet and today is developing a cold. So from tomorrow He wants to take a complete rest for ten days so as to be refreshed for His work which is fast approaching.
Love to you all from us all Mani
[p.s.] Elinora had kept Baba’s date of arrival a very well-guarded secret as Baba told them to and therefore we met no one at the Aerodrome, or else there might have been crowds and reporters, etc.[... ] An agent of the International Airways [was] a great help to us. But the funny thing was he didn’t know who Baba was, but He kept looking for a Mr. Irani and came over and shook hands with Baba and offered his card. Isn’t it strange how the unexpected have a chance of meeting Baba. This was meant to be mailed yesterday, but I am just adding a line today before Elizabeth goes to town with it. Today is cloudy and drizzly, we all have colds.
[modifier] So Let Us Love
[1952]
During the first two weeks of Baba’s stay at the Center there were no private interviews with the general public. Baba wished to be in seclusion and His wishes were obeyed.
Bessie Graham, Elizabeth’s long-time cook from Youpon Dunes, was asked to care for the needs of the four Eastern women mandali. After the first few days, Baba chose to dispense with the chef in the main kitchen and said He wished Bessie to cook, with help for washing up, for everyone — about twenty-five in all.
Of course this number varied from day to day as Baba asked this one and that one to remain on. I for one looked askance at the suggestion, but Elizabeth with complete serenity remarked, « Whatever Baba plans will always work out for the est. » Elizabeth was told to tell Bessie who, with her habitual smile and good nature, agreed to try. Meals were delicious, served on time, and all went well.
At this time we were vegetarians, eating an egg occasionally. Rice and dal had been our staple foods in India, along with fresh green vegetables. Baba now allowed fish every other day. As Baba once said on this subject :
« I allow vegetarians to follow their diet and nonvegetarians to eat meat, fish, etc. I do not interfere with any religion and permit all to follow their own creeds unhindered. When faced with love for God, these external ceremonies have no value. Love for God automatically and naturally results in self-denial, mental control and ego annihilation, irrespective of the love following or renouncing these external adoptions. »
During this visit, many met Baba for the first time. Among these were Filis Frederick and Adele Wolkin. Both were asked by Baba to stay at the Center from the second week up until the time Baba left for California. I will quote from their first interview with Baba in the Lagoon Cabin. Baba spelled out on His board :
« I have heard so much about you both from Elizabeth, Norina, Donkin, and Margaret, and I heard you from within, that I feel very happy that at last I have seen you.[... ] When you know Baba you will love Me like a little child. I am a child, a grown-up man. I love humor, I love to tease and work hard here and at various places while talking to you now. Do you love Baba honestly? »
« Yes, Baba! » both replied.
« What can I do for you? » Adele asked.
« What more can you do for the Beloved — I want love, nothing else! Love Me and let God love us. That is what I want. When you love Baba, God will love you and God’s loving means everything. So Baba is very happy. One who really is the humblest of the humble is the greatest of the great. But it has to be in all honesty, in all truth[... ] so let us love, love, love ; all else is illusion. So Adele and Filis, what more can you do if you really love Me? »
[modifier] Days At The Center
How did Baba spend the days at the Center in 1952 — His first visit to Myrtle Beach? Baba walked over each morning around 5 a.m. from His house at the far end of the lake to the Guest House where He breakfasted — just tea and cereal. Before 7 a.m. He would be seen literally racing down the path to the bridge, crossing the lagoon, up the steps to the main dining room.
He would look around to see that all were present, send for absentees and then, sitting just inside the doorway, discuss various details of the moment, whilst we finished eating. Then with the women only He went for a brisk walk to the beach along the lower path by the lake, returning by the upper path. I recall Baba always made me walk ahead with a stick in case of snakes, but we never saw one on these walks even though they can be quite prevalent at that time of year. (Baba had told us, if we did see a snake, to take His name and it would not harm us.)
On the beach, Baba walked some distance ahead and we followed in groups, stopping to gather a variety of shells. Occasionally Baba paused to let us catch up with Him and, showing keen interest, looked to see what we had found. Off again, He sent us in search of better shells.
Mehera usually found the prettiest, often the most delicate, and these Baba put in His pocket or gave into the charge of one He felt was careful. These outings reminded me of the times I had gathered pretty shells or pebbles on walks with Baba in the early years.
When we returned before the sun got hot around 9 :30 a.m. Baba left Mehera and the rest of us at the Guest House. He then proceeded with the men mandali to the Lagoon Cabin for private interviews with visitors which continued till lunch-time.
I recall that Ivy Duce had several interviews with Baba in connection with her Sufi work. In the afternoons, Baba would often resume the private interviews on the Guest House porch. A few of the women who met Baba for the first time were sent after their interviews to meet Mehera and the three other Eastern women.
Baba had daily talks with Elizabeth and Norina regarding the journey to San Francisco, Meher Mount near Ojai, and Los Angeles. Baba had proposed going by plane but this worked out to be too expensive, and plans were made for going by car.
On one occasion, Baba spoke of the future work at the Center. He had come to the Lantern Cabin one morning from the Guest House. Calling several of us to the porch, on His alphabet board and with Mani interpreting, Baba enumerated the various aspects of this work, which were the same aspects as those given on the occasion in India in 1939 when Baba inaugurated His Centre at Byramangala, near Bangalore.
These aspects were : (1) the Spiritual Academy, (2) the House of the Advanced Souls, (3) the Abode of Saints, (4) the Mad Institute, (5) the Solitary Quarters for Meditation, and (6) the Resting Place for the Afflicted.[5]
In the afternoons, Baba often suggested games outdoors. Margaret was always called when Baba wanted us to have recreation. One time it was croquet on the grounds outside the Guest House. Did we play fair? Why ask! With Baba it was not the winning but the fun. Would we have enjoyed the game if Baba had not won?
Another form of recreation was boating on the lake. Margaret was chosen by Baba to take Mehera and the girls out on the water and teach them how to manage the rowboat. Later they went alone.
Meanwhile Baba, apparently deep in work, would pace back and forth on the bridge that spanned one end of the lake. I felt very nervous and I recall making the remark, « But, Baba, what about the alligators? ‘Grandpa’ Alligator is fourteen feet long! »
Baba put up both His hands and I understood Him to mean, « They wanted to go, what could I do? » I was always foolishly worrying about something or other interfering with Baba’s plans — some mishap or some inconvenience. Baba would stand by, so calmly, so unconcerned, and would gesture, « Don’t worry, don’t worry — it will be all right. » Maya was very potent when Baba was on some special intent. One felt it so strongly at times.
The early evenings at the Center would be spent with Baba at the Guest House, where all the women would be called to be with Mehera, Mani, Goher and Meheru. Jokes were told to make us laugh. Earlier stories about Baba were told by the girls.
Then Mani would read passages selected by Baba from Hafiz or other Persian poets and Baba would explain their spiritual meaning. Also, we talked about saints, Baba telling us how they suffered so much and welcomed suffering for God.
At 7 :30 sharp, Baba would say goodnight to all and leave the house. Outside the gate, Adi Sr. would be waiting to walk back with Baba to His house.
No one was allowed to be absent during the day to go bathing or shopping. To always be where Baba could send for you was His desire, and we obeyed it unless specifically sent out by Him. I recall Baba allowing Mehera and a few of us to visit Toni Roothbert’s delightful bungalow at Briarcliffe Acres. We had a lovely tea and much enjoyed seeing her modern house with all the American gadgets — a far cry from India’s normal household equipment.
[modifier] Open Day At Meher Center
During Baba’s visit, there was one « Open Day, » on May 17 from 7 :00 a.m. to 7 :00 p.m., to which more than fifteen hundred had been invited. Elizabeth was with Baba, and as Norina was not able to be there due to ill health, Baba asked Margaret and Delia to marshal visitors in and out of the Barn. Filis, Adele and the two Shaw sisters, Leatrice and Renee, were asked to assist them.
So that visitors would not ask too many questions, they were handed before entering the Barn a two-page mimeographed sheet entitled, « Baba Explains. »[6] Matters concerning His Silence, miracles, healing, and other topics were briefly touched upon.
To quote one : « God is not to be learned, or discussed or studied or argued about. God is to be contemplated, felt, loved and lived. »
And another : « The purpose of every kind of Yoga (search for Truth), Karma Yoga, Dynan Yoga, Raj Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, is to lose the limited self by forgetting that self through selfless service to others, through meditation, through love for God, and gain the unlimited self. »
Baba asked that each visitor should see Him, touch His hand and pass on. He was sitting in a large chair facing the far end of the Barn. Elizabeth, sitting on Baba’s right, said, « How can you help each when they pass by so quickly? »
Baba answered, « If they linger longer, the mind begins to work and I want to touch the heart. » (Another time Baba said that the mind works infinitely quicker than the heart, hence the one must be slowed down and the other quickened.)
John Bass also sat with Baba in the Barn on Open Day. He later said, « I believe this was one of the greatest experiences of my life, to see them embrace Baba. I learned more in that day than reading a whole library. »
There was a constant stream of men and women and children passing by. Some were deeply moved and left weeping, feeling Baba’s divine Love and compassion that shone forth from His penetrating eyes. Among the group, there were a number of black people, and it was remarked by those present that Baba always rose from His seat when a black visitor entered the Barn.
Beryl Williams, who met Baba for the first time on this occasion, later wrote :
« I stepped onto the porch of the Barn and spied Baba through the screen door seated with a group of disciples around Him. Delia opened the door for me and said, ‘Baba, this is Beryl.’ As I hesitated at the entrance Baba rose from His chair and stood with outstretched open arms to me. The next thing I knew I was weeping my heart out on the Beloved’s shoulder at the joy of having found my home at last. Baba left no room for doubt as to where I belonged in His welcome. Later, as I sat beside Him while He inquired about the trip and whether I had eaten lunch, etc., I received the unmistakable impression that it was Baba who had drawn me to Him in His own way, particularly when in the course of the interview He suddenly turned to Adi and spelled out on His board, ‘It was worth it,’ while I happily nodded and babbled foolishly.
« After giving me some personal instructions of what He wanted me to do, Baba looked deep into my heart before enjoining on me the simple command, ‘Leave everything to Me — leave it to Me.’ So simple but oh how difficult.[... ] Yet I felt a great burden lifted from my heart which until that moment I had been unaware of even carrying. I knew then what it was to be at peace with one’s self. Finally Baba introduced me to Mrs. Patterson and told me I was to remain at Myrtle Beach as His guest, explaining that Mrs. Patterson would make all arrangements concerning my stay, etc., and then to return to New York. »
Barbara Mahon, one of Margaret Craske’s young dancers, was another who met Baba for the first time that day, and her story reveals another aspect of Baba’s universality :
« [After arriving in Myrtle Beach] I was driven out to the Center. The first person I saw connected with Baba’s party was Kitty Davy wearing a pink silk dress-standing at a dusty crossroads directing traffic in a very authorative manner. I recognized her from many photographs Margaret had shown me.
« We finally arrived at the grounds around the Barn and there I found Ella Massey and Mattlyn Gravers with whom I was to see Baba.[... ] Margaret had suggested we take gifts to Baba and I had made an alphabet board on her suggestion...
« Baba sat in what I later came to think of as His usual place in the Barn. He was in white, His hair down. He was smaller than I had imagined. He was smiling, gay. How did I feel? Mainly numb, dumb and very shy. There seemed nothing to say. From my previous two years of thinking about Baba, I had long since decided that since He was God and since God is in us all — that there just was not anything to ask or say. I had long felt that Baba must actually know me — my innermost thoughts and feelings, and this conviction, I regret to say, left me with shame and confusion. Baba told us He knew we had made sacrifices to come — that He loved us and suffered for us. Yet, though this sounds serious, there was laughter in His eyes and such tenderness and love.
« We presented our gifts. Baba was amused at the board. He commented that it was the first reversible one He had ever had and the only one with sufficient margin to make it easy to hold without obscuring some of the letters. He actually used it! Then He invented a game where He held the board between two fingers and twirled it with two other fingers. He invited us to try it. The poor little board was bounding on the floor. We just couldn’t do it. Then the interview was over.
« What followed is a mere jumble of impressions. I remember meeting Delia de Leon and Rano Gayley and sitting about drinking soda.[... ] I remember crossing the bridge to the Guest House and meeting those Margaret affectionately called ‘the little nuns’ — so gay and bright and happy, living only for Baba, talking of Him with such love and showing us albums of photographs of Him. Later, I remember Kitty taking a little girl across the bridge, telling her that there were baby rabbits she might play with. »
I would like to tell you of one other incident in connection with this « Open Day. » Baba was always rather strict about keeping to any days or times He might set for giving interviews. All had to come on the appointed days or lose their chance of seeing Him.
In the instance I am about to relate, there was a misunderstanding about the dates as they had been changed, and four ballet dancers, not aware of the change, had wired to say they would be arriving on the 18th, as had been arranged before. Margaret asked Baba — who previously said He would see no one after the Open Day on the 17th — whether He would see them if they came. Baba was always « soft as butter and hard as steel » and when Margaret stood before Him with her request He agreed, saying « for five minutes only at 9 :00 in the morning. »
Margaret wired the dancers to this effect. They were coming directly from a professional engagement near Chicago and would be flying to Myrtle Beach.
Next morning at 9 :00 promptly, Baba arrived at the Lagoon Cabin, looking especially radiant and beautiful with His hair all combed out and not in the plait. He was wearing a colorful coat over His white sadra. Baba waited and waited. No dancers arrived.
He sent for Margaret. Why had she asked Him to see anyone after the 17th? He was not in the mood for any interview now and where were they? Others were called and told the same. Baba paced up and down the Lagoon Cabin, asking us what we thought had happened. Did we think they had met with an accident? How had they proposed coming? He sent us to ring up the airport. No news of their plane. This continued throughout the day.
Baba went off to lunch, came back afterward and again began pacing up and down, purposely keeping conversation entirely on the four dancers. At times, Baba seemed so annoyed they were coming, then again deeply concerned as to what had happened.
By evening, when it was time for Baba to leave us at the Guest House, He again told us to ring up the airport. No news beyond that the weather was very bad, flights cancelled, many airplanes overdue. Baba then said He would go to His house and that if the dancers did arrive we were to say He would see them at 7 :00 the next morning for five minutes.
Baba then walked to the gate and just as He went out the telephone rang. It was the party of dancers at the Myrtle Beach airport. They had had a terrible time, and it had been necessary to charter a private plane, as the scheduled airline refused to fly. But Tex Hightower, Catherine Damon, Zebra Nevins and Sura Gebsen were equally determined not to lose their interview with Baba. Their plane arrived in Myrtle Beach with enough gas for only fifteen minutes more of flying, and it had been touch-and-go many times during the flight.
Baba saw the four the next morning in the Lagoon Cabin, first individually and then as a group. He embraced each one and then, telling them to sit quietly on the sofa, stood silently in front of them. Such love poured from Him to them that they were deeply moved and came out in tears. Then He sent them off to catch the next plane, to be on time for their next professional appointment. I think they missed it, but did they really care? They had made the only appointment that really mattered.
After they left, Baba called us and said that their plane had been in great difficulty and they were in danger many times throughout the flight. We then knew why Baba had focused both His thoughts and ours on them throughout the day.
[modifier] Mehera's Birthday
Satara December 27, 1954
Dear Kitty,
Mehera was very happy to receive your loving message, and wants me to be sure and convey her fond thoughts to you. We often think of you, and she was happy to greet you among her birthday wishers on the 25th (we made a very colorful Kitty 10 » high with the « Happy Birthday » sign in her hand — so you see you were with us specially on that day).
According to our Gujerati calendar (which does not observe the leap year) these last two years Mehera’s birthday has been on the 25th so we’ve had a sort of double celebration. Owing to Baba’s 40 days programme of three stages of fasting we do not feel we had the heart to celebrate at all, but as you know, Baba loves gaiety, and what with Mehera’s birthday on the same day [as Christmas] we were hectically busy the last few days making paper caps and a huge Cracker (in which to put them with the jokes), an enormous Christmas stocking for Baba (with books), a lovely little Christmas tree, etc.
On 24th evening Naja dressed up as Santa Claus and my Peter came in dressed up as the reindeer, with horns and all (he doesn’t mind being dressed up, in fact he really enjoys it for he loves to show off).
Actually, contrary to our anxiety, Baba stood the fast very nicely and is as active as ever. But with the extra amount of intensified work He puts in, He looks very tired sometimes.
For these 40 days the mandali are keeping up (in relays, night and day) a constant nonstop repeating of God’s name. From the 21st we have been allowed to share a little better — one meal a day and two cups of tea or coffee twice a day.
Yes, Margaret’s books are welcome, and her last two came in time for Christmas and went into the Christmas stocking. With His fast and the concentrated and intensive working, they are useful as relaxation (I read them aloud as we used to do in Meherazad, and Baba sits relaxed often with eyes closed and His fingers moving rapidly as if He was « writing » or sending messages like they do in code (I mean that is what it looks like).
I can see Sheba (Mehera’s lovely mare) going around, picking up her ears for her mistress’s voice, for it’s nearly her lunch time, and Sheba is as punctual as if she owned the best Swiss watch. Baba and we all feed her carrots every afternoon which she adores ; and at the first sound of Baba’s clapping she comes straight for the verandah where He is standing, and is even ready to climb the steps, which of course we don’t allow. She responds to her name and call of « Ow, Ow, » especially if it is Mehera calling.
Rano says she misses her friendly squabbles with you. What we miss, dear Kitty, is your ready sympathy, encouragement, and enthusiasm at any and all times. I have sent some pictures of Baba to Elinorkit — the ones of Baba with the leper are beautiful.
Much love to you, dear Kitty,
from Mehera, Naja, Rano, Goher, Meheru and Mani
[modifier] Sparrows And Marigolds
JANUARY 23, 1957
In Poona Baba was able to sit up in a wheelchair and, on one occasion when Mehera wheeled Him to the verandah, Mani commented : « I wish one of us could have sketched our Beloved as He is sitting out here, His drawn face radiating Love, watching the sparrows having their bath and the marigolds nodding happily. »
[modifier] He Is For The Whole Universe
Time and again there have been in the West as well as in the East people who have imagined themselves as spiritual guides of those seeking the Divine Goal. These have not lasted long, ending in disillusionment, for only He that is truly Eternal can disperse the darkness of ignorance. There are others that are genuine and highly advanced (as on the mental plane) who can help others to come up to their own level of advancement.
Amongst these latter is Sant Kirpal Singh, who Baba said is a highly advanced seeker on the Path. We have other jewels like him in India, some known, others unknown. These Masters of the planes should not be confused with Perfect Masters. The Masters of the planes have different grades of perfection (according to the plane they are on), while all Perfect Masters who are Supreme Perfection personified are ONE in consciousness. The Perfect Master, having reached the Goal and having gained Supreme Consciousness, regains the consciousness of the planes and worlds (mental, subtle and gross) in order to help others in the bondage of illusion...
We are all one, including the Masters. We are all parts of Baba, the Ocean. We are, as it were, the « drops » ; the ones on the subtle planes, the « streams » ; the advanced ones on the mental planes, the « rivers »—all part of the shoreless Ocean of Divine Truth.
Baba has said : « Once you open your wings to fly, you must fly straight like the swan. Do not flit from tree to tree like the sparrow, or many things will distract you on the way, and the journey is long. »
We cannot benefit by following more than one Master, even Perfect Masters as they themselves tell us... We cannot follow two living Masters at once. Those who follow Baba must follow only Baba. Naturally we respect all others whom we recognize as His own Reflection, but we should hold on to only one (and what better one than THE ONE?).
Jesus said, « Give up all and follow Me. » He did not say give up all and follow Peter for I am in him too... When we have amongst us the Avatar to guide us along the High road to our Destination, need we tread the many side roads that eventually must lead to the High road?
The function of the five Perfect Masters (present at all times) is different at the time of the Avatar. At such times, their role or function is to precipitate the coming of the Avatar, and they all leave their bodies before the Avatar manifests, reposing their « charges » in Him who works as the Redeemer of humanity on a wide scale. The Avatar then functions alone (with also the duty of the five Perfect Masters incorporated in Him). Upasni Maharaj said to his disciples before giving up the body, « I have given over my charge to Merwan. He is the Ruler. »
Babajan (to whom Baba’s mother would protest for having « taken away » her son from her) told mother, « He is not your son. He is for the whole Universe. Be proud and happy, for He will twirl the world on His little finger like a ball... »
[modifier] Elizabeth
« I recall that when I was with Baba in the mid-1940s in India, one day He handed me a map of the property destined to be the Meher Spiritual Center, and told me that wherever we went I was to carry it in my bedding roll and to be prepared to bring it to Him at any moment.
« At intervals, Baba would send for the map, examine it, and point with His slim forefinger along the edge of the lake, indicating spots suitable for cabins that would not destroy the primitive beauty of the forest.
« One morning after He had received a letter from Elizabeth making suggestions about the place, He called me, showed His pleasure at her ideas and twice spelt out on the board, ‘Elizabeth is unique.’
« Some years later, when I landed in America, Elizabeth met me at the docks. We had a long time to wait for my baggage and since she was hungry to hear of some of the things that had happened after her return from India to America in 1941, we sat and talked.
« Among other things, I told her of Baba’s announcement of her uniqueness. She was extremely moved and sat for a long time weeping and saying nothing. It does not seem necessary to say more about Elizabeth. Baba Himself gave a full picture of her with the word ‘unique’. »
[modifier] I Speak Eternally
External silence helps to achieve inner Silence, and only in internal Silence is Baba found — in profound inner Silence. I am never silent. I speak eternally. The voice that is heard deep within the soul is My voice — the voice of inspiration, of intuition, of guidance. Through those who are receptive to this voice, I speak.
Meher Baba
[modifier] Like The Perfume Of Flowers
We were with Baba at Calicut on the Malabar Coast when Baba first contacted Chatti Baba. Then later two or three of the mandali brought him way up to Quetta by train. It was not an easy task. Quetta being high up on a plateau was very cold at that time, particularly as it was a rainy period. However, Chatti Baba would never be persuaded to sleep indoors, despite the cold and wet. Sometimes when we were inside feeling cold, we would see Chatti Baba under a tree, entirely happy and showing never a sign of even noticing the weather. In fact, Baba had us go near him one rather bitter-cold day and we could actually see he was not cold — his warmth was coming from within. Baba said it was not uncommon with masts....
More than the physical warmth that he apparently was able to generate was his aspect of being always happy, contented [to have] nothing, and inwardly being alive to completeness. No wonder that a poet has said "the fragrance of saints is like the perfume of flowers." It does affect us even when we don't realize from where it comes. How much more it is with a Perfect Master that even the saints are drawn to them like bees to honey.
[modifier] Meher Baba And Consciousness
Many aspects of the spiritual path seem much clearer when we understand the concept of the word "consciousness." Also, certain sayings of Meher Baba's, hitherto difficult to understand, become clearer. How I came to live to the present time so unaware of the importance of this word is a mystery to me. Baba used the word so frequently in His writings, but somehow I overlooked its significance. The time, as we say, was not right.
Although the word "consciousness" is in common use today, in my early years with Baba the word "awareness" was far more often used. However, I cannot recall Baba's using or emphasizing either word to any great extent, or if He did I was not aware of it at the time. The words we were most familiar with were love for Baba and obedience that followed from that love. What Baba emphasized was happiness, cheerfulness and the importance of trying to please Him — bringing us closer to loving Him more and more. Looking back, however, I realize that above all other aspects of our early lives with Baba in India and in the West, He was silently and continuously weaving one fine thread onto the canvas, and that fine thread, as I see it today, concerned consciousness. Why, for instance, did Baba call us so frequently to be with Him — to sit with Him, to play various games, receive various orders and duties? I feel He was working to try to bring consciousness away from self and away from the many objects of illusion and duality to the one object of Himself. He appeared never to tire of having us around and His constant inquiry was, "What are you thinking of?" And who can forget His smile and His twinkling eye when you could reply, "Of you, Baba."
Think of it: companionship with infinite Consciousness, infinite
Divine Love — which Baba was and is and always will be — and yet at the time we did not comprehend this. Baba was our friend and companion. Undoubtedly this was as He wanted it
— winning our love so spontaneously and at the same time watching our awareness being gently shifted to Himself as the One object of consciousness. Over the years, this gradual shifting of consciousness grew as our love for Baba deepened. Many of us feel and observe, when we visit the mandali at Meherabad and Meherazad, that we are meeting face-to-face with those whose consciousness is completely absorbed in the one object of consciousness, Meher Baba. And yet at the same time the mandali are immersed in the daily duties assigned to them — a perfect balance of head and heart.
How clear today is that moment in 1937 when we were in Nasik and Baba called me suddenly "out of the blue" and spelled out on His alphabet board,
"Learn to love the One in the many and not the many in the One. I am the only friend who will never let you down."
How often have I pondered this phrase! And now it is so clear what "the many" means: all the varieties of illusion and duality.
How hard in those early days was our shell of obstinance and ignorance! Only Baba's infinite patience could succeed in His work of shifting our awareness to Himself. For Baba it was a ceaseless struggle, otherwise would He ever have said of us, "You are hard nuts to crack"? Through it all, Baba's magnetic love was pulling us ever closer. This shifting of consciousness was noticeable not only in His work with us, but also in His work with the masts, the poor and the masses. No activity was left out, no opportunity was lost for contact. To quote Baba's words:
"Everyone of you is in one form or another the Divine Manifestation. You are all in Me. I am in you all. The only way to realize God is through love. Love for God and love for one another."
Thus He tells us that the shifting of consciousness can be done through love — a selfless, giving love.
On this theme, I recall Eruch saying that since love and faith are gifts of Grace, and perfect obedience is not within the grasp of any one of us, then all we can do is to try and please Baba. And Baba, responding to our need to know how to please, gave us three ways in which we could do this. In so doing, we would grow in our love for Him. Note how positive these ways are:
"(1) Think of things you would not hesitate to think in My presence.
"(2) Speak words that you would not hesitate to speak in My presence.
"(3) Act and do things that you would not hesitate to act and do in My presence."
To these I would add a later statement of Baba's:
"Think of Me, remain cheerful in all your trials and I am with you, helping you."
It is sometimes said that there are few disciplines that Baba has stressed for the spiritual path, but could we find a stricter inner discipline than these four points with their emphasis on obedience?
As Baba wrote to Kimco in the early 1930s:
"My work is the conscious realization of Myself in all creation. I alone do My work but I allow you, my close ones, to work for Me so that you have the opportunity to use your talents and capacities selflessly, so as to draw closer to Me."
We know of course that all work is God's work — creative arts, caring for children, sweeping the porch. But what we have to keep in mind is that fine thread of consciousness that must permeate all work and become its motivation in order that we may experience love, joy, peace and happiness. The Greek writer Kazantzakis expresses this theme so well:
"This life becomes a crusade in the service of God. Whether we wish it or not we set out as crusaders to free not the Holy Sepulchre, but God, buried in matter and in our souls."
What a divine work! Nevertheless, we have to remember that
Baba has told us the binding of Himself in us is His own doing. It was, all along, God's plan that Reality gets buried in the ego-mind, attaching itself to illusion until eventually the individual self finds its way back to the Ocean (God consciousness).
Baba once referred to the shifting of consciousness as one surrender after another. What eons of degrees of consciousness between its two poles! As Teilhard de Chardin has said,
"There are as many waves of consciousness as there are human forms."
Fortunate indeed, I feel, are children whose consciousness early on is spontaneously centered on Baba, their Friend. Baba spoke of the young generations as the New Humanity and He states,
"Through divine love the New Humanity will learn the art of cooperative and harmonious life — oneness."
From the beginning Baba told us,
"It is not practical to have spiritual ideals without putting them into practice. To realize the ideal in daily life, to give beautiful, adequate form to the living spirit — this is being practical in the truest sense of the word."
And He continued,
"I will teach you how to move in the world and yet to be at all times in communion with Me as the Infinite Being."
Meher Baba has said that the spiritual impact of the Avatar continues until He returns again within 700 to 1400 years. Elizabeth Patterson, in her article "Follow Love" from the « Meher Baba Journal », writes on the Avatar's spiritual impact as follows:
"From time to time in the history of religions, there have been revivals where man asserted his right to know God for himself and demanded his experience, uncircumscribed by rights and creeds. No amount of persecution could dim such fervor, and only when the experience ceased to be direct and intimate did the waves subside. Religion itself is inspired from the living example on earth of God as man. God the abstract can be worshipped from afar, prayed to, meditated or pondered upon; but when Divine Love awakens the heart the affections become concentrated and objectified. God, the Beloved, has ever been in the form of a Savior. He who, like Christ has become One with God is the God-Man. Those searching in this present era have heard the Call of the Avatar: 'I am the Ancient One; I was Ram, I was Krishna, I was this One, I was that One, and now I am Meher Baba.' It is the Avatar who kindles the genuine enthusiasm that is indispensable to the disciple's progress and to the heart of the seeker. Meher Baba's very life is the Divine example of Love and Truth."
I recall that, in reference to the above, Baba has said that one may follow God in the Absolute, but one must bring the Absolute into one's own being. This surely is what we must do if we want to be really alive and filled with enthusiasm — a word that comes from the Greek and means literally "alive with God." It is so important to be alert and ready to give a smile, a word of interest, an intuitive response that would help others. Baba, by the example of His own life, shows us that not by running away from life but by communicating with and loving one another can we strive to shift our consciousness to His infinite Oneness.
If we try to remember Baba every time our consciousness slips back from the "One" to the "many," we will be on the way to putting into practice the valuable lesson of mental control and obedience, and thus be pleasing Baba. There are so many opportunities that we miss throughout the day simply because of our inability to keep our focus on Baba. What we need to try to do is to learn to love Love. Baba reminds us to let all our thoughts, words and deeds be controlled by our constant remembrance of God, with love.
Clearly Love and Love alone prevails in Meher Baba's final message to us, dictated by Him on January 6, 1969:
"To love Me for what I may give you is not loving Me at all. To sacrifice anything in My cause to gain something for yourself is like a blind man sacrificing his eyes for sight. I am the Divine Beloved worthy of being loved because I am Love. He who loves Me because of this will be blessed with unlimited sight and will see Me as I am."
~Meher Baba
[modifier] Meher Spiritual Center Preparation And Cabins
During this first visit, the property was dedicated to Baba by those present gathering shells along the ocean, bringing them to a knoll in the woods and placing them in the ground to spell out "BABA" in large letters. After this, each went in a different direction calling loudly the name of Baba through the silent forest and over the rippling waves of Long Lake.
In a letter dated June 15, 1944, to her parents, Elizabeth wrote of the great vision she had for the Center.
"Regarding our life in the forest, it is slowly emerging out of its most primitive state. We invaded Nature and the underbrush would invade us. (By the way, the Invasion — Eisenhower's June 6 D-Day-took place during our first week here and we did not know about it until the 10th, which was the first day we came out for the mail and news.)...
"When Baba, whom you think is far off in India, projects an idea for a Center it comes to pass. Now that the soil is found, it will flourish. It will be based on cooperation, on active good will and devotion to a higher cause. In this there is no difference in spiritual teachings. Truth is One, though men call it by many names. Of one thing you may be certain, that until I met Baba I have never shown any tendency towards active expression or day-to-day living of the teachings of Christ which are universal in application, such as will come to pass at this Center. Here will develop Father's real 'Foundation'."
Elizabeth, of course, continued correspondence with Baba and on September 16, 1944, He cabled as follows:
AM HAPPY TO FIND IN ALL YOUR LETTERS ABOUT MYRTLE BEACH EVERYTHING THAT I PERSONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY APPROVE OF AND SANCTION. ALL MY LOVERS SHOULD COOPERATE TO MAKE MYRTLE BEACH THE SPIRITUAL ABODE FOR ONE AND ALL. MEHERBABA
Then began the great pioneering work undertaken by Elizabeth and Norina — working together day and night, with Baba's frequent instructions by cables and letters, to ready the Center for the great day of His arrival. Baba specified that water and electricity were to be provided — no easy task as the property was situated in such a remote area, ten miles north of Myrtle Beach. As the work gradually began, a dramatic event occurred during the first month which tended to focus the group's attention even more strongly on the need to begin clearing the land: A forest fire started not far from the main area where the Center buildings were to be put up and, although the Coast Guard and Army came and tried to put it out, the fire continued to burn for two days until an unexpected cloudburst finally extinguished it! Elizabeth then had plenty of fire lanes, well-marked hydrants throughout the property, and long water pipes in every section installed as precautionary measures against this ever-present danger.
Baba had specified that when He came He would bring with Him approximately twenty men and women from India, thus Elizabeth and Norina began the joyous preparation. The first cabin built, the "Cabin on the Hill" (so named because it was located on the gentle rise with its spectacular view as first seen by Elizabeth and Norina), was originally intended for Baba. Looking down from this knoll, Elizabeth and Norina envisioned the other cabins as being within clapping distance from Baba's cabin, for in India Baba would often summon all to Him by clapping — always a welcome call!
Although various persons were caretakers of the Center during the years of preparation for Baba's visit, the overall planning was always done by Elizabeth and Norina on their frequent visits from New York. While the building and construction went on, they stayed in the Cabin on the Hill or at Youpon Dunes, Elizabeth's family home in Myrtle Beach. During this period Elizabeth and Norina were called by Baba to India and activity at the Center was then carried out by Darwin Shaw, John Bass and Frank Eaton, with the help of other devoted ones. Letters and cables flew back and forth between the two continents in regard to Center work. All of the work was voluntary (with the exception of necessary paid help) and everything — even the smallest detail — was given to Baba with love. There was not a tree or a shrub, a table or a chair that was not permeated with love for Baba.
The clearing and building went on slowly and gradually, for there were many postwar restrictions in the 1940s and building materials were scarce. The "Lake Cabin" (overlooking Long Lake) was donated by John Bass, and several smaller huts were contributed by Darwin and Frank which Elizabeth, with her eternal eye for guests' comfort, transformed into small cabins. Other structures arrived prefabricated. With their one hundred percent desire to please Baba, Elizabeth and Norina did not miss the slightest opportunity to find suitable structures. When Elizabeth spied in the newspaper an item stating that the nearby Air Corps base was selling hutments, four were bought and converted into cabins on the southwest side of the property: the "Near Cabin" (near the Cabin on the Hill) and the "Far Cabin" (farther away) were designated for guests; the "Lagoon Cabin" (overlooking the lagoon by the lake) was set aside for Baba's special use in giving interviews to individuals and small groups; and the "Caretaker's Cabin" was for the night watchman, as Baba had specified that there must be someone sleeping on the Center every night.
A small kitchen, the "Original Kitchen," was also built in the early days of the Center's development. As there was no refrigerator, food was kept cool by means of a box submerged in the lake. Such were the early beginnings of the Center — simplicity and love were the two keynotes that surrounded all the work.
Following the custom in India, men's and women's quarters were separated. The women were to be accommodated on the wooded bluff on the northeast side of the Center. The feeling of solitude there; the impression of an oriental landscape, mystical and serene with the faint sounds of waterbirds drifting across the lake below, made this an ideal setting. In a large clearing on the southwest side, the men's cabins were unobtrusively nestled in the shade of oaks, cedars, dogwoods and soaring pines. To separate the two sides, Elizabeth widened a stream which fed into Long Lake to create an enchanting lagoon, with a connecting cypress foot-bridge. A picturesque addition, a gazebo called the "Boathouse," was also built beside the lagoon.
The "Guest House" for the Eastern women disciples was another cabin built during the stringent war years. It was only after furnishing the government with a large quantity of lumber (from other property owned by Elizabeth) that she was permitted to keep the necessary wood with which to build it. This charming cabin is located on one of the most beautiful spots on the Center, a point high on the bluff overlooking the lake. It not only made a compact little home for Baba's Eastern women disciples when they came with Him in 1952, but was also used by Baba when He gave private interviews in the afternoons on its peacefully secluded porch.
Several other cabins, including the "Lantern," "Twin Cabins" and "Log Cabin," were located nearby. The Log Cabin, constructed of Adirondack mountain logs, had a special purpose, for it was to serve as a "go-between," so to speak, for both sides of the Center; and Baba, clapping from either the Guest House on one side or the Lagoon Cabin on the other side, could quickly summon either Elizabeth or Norina who would be staying at the Log Cabin.
Baba had intimated that when He came He would require a building large enough to accommodate two to three hundred for group gatherings and He also wished to hold darshan programs, or "Open Days," for the public. With so many wartime restrictions, how would Elizabeth and Norina build such a structure? Then Norina had an idea — they would buy a barn and move it to the property. Barns were not easy to come by but neither Elizabeth nor Norina was easily disheartened or defeated, and eventually they discovered a barn for sale in the nearby town of Conway. After they purchased the barn, it was transported in sections, with each plank carefully marked and numbered, and reassembled at the far end of Long Lake in a large grove of live oaks with Spanish moss similar to its original setting.
The Barn, with walls of weathered cypress, the "wood eternal" of the old Southland, had originally been built as a stable for mules. After the stalls were removed, Elizabeth asked the builder, Truman Moore, to eliminate all the original interior posts, as she was most concerned that no one's view of Baba be blocked in any way; and she remarked humorously that when Baba was there, if there was even a single post, she was sure to find herself behind it! Although Mr. Moore felt that the posts were necessary for support and could not be removed, Elizabeth urged him to find a way. The problem was eventually solved with a very solid and intricate wooden truss-work constructed overhead, which to create a pleasing effect was painted a soft Mediterranean blue at Norina's suggestion. As Elizabeth observed, "So much of the artistic nature of the Center was Norina's inspiration."
The Barn required something different from the customary lighting fixture. It happened that the Center's first caretaker, Joe Chestnut, had a mule that was very dear to him which had died and, saying he had no further use for his wagon without his mule, he wanted Elizabeth to have a wheel from it for a lighting fixture for the Barn. So this, too, was given "from the heart."
Most of the approximately five hundred acres comprising the Center are dense forestland. With their great respect for nature, Elizabeth and Norina were quite concerned that as few trees as possible be cut in clearing areas and paths. The little road from the Cabin on the Hill to the Barn, like all of the paths and sandy roads on the Center, was made by the two women wending their way in a jeep through the woods. Wherever the jeep could go, there came a small bulldozer behind it to clear the underbrush. Thus, these cool, shady trails, walked upon so often by Baba, are somewhat narrow and curved, but happily not a single tree had to be felled to make them.
Before Elizabeth acquired the Center property it had, as mentioned, been used as a hunting and game preserve. The animal kingdom is as much a part of Baba's divine work of unfolding consciousness as the human kingdom. Therefore, the Center, with Baba's sanction and with Elizabeth's reverence for life in all of its manifestations, was also developed as a wildlife sanctuary, with no hunting or fishing permitted. Rabbits, raccoons, foxes, possums and other animals thrive in the thick underbrush and cross the meandering paths without fear. Throughout the forest, a great variety of colorful birds, such as quail and pheasants, abound. The lake, bound on its eastern rim by high marsh grass and dunes, forms a protective haven for fish, turtles, ducks and geese as well as an occasional alligator or white heron.
The Center's domestic water supply was originally derived from pitcher pumps (still in evidence on the grounds). Later, water from an artesian well was piped onto the property. As Elizabeth did not want to detract from the Center's beauty, a complex network of pipes running underground for over sixteen-hundred feet was installed. With the property's own natural water resources combined with thorough efforts to obtain additional water, Baba's condition that there should be "more than ample water" was secured.
[modifier] Christmas In Meherazad
The year ended with a special long letter from Mani filled with wonderful glimpses of life with Baba at Meherazad over Christmas:
Meherazad December 31, 1961
Hello, dear Kitty,
This letter will be a snow goose and fly to Canada specially with a special load of love to you from Meherazad. We miss you very much particularly on these occasions, Kitty — birthdays, Christmas, etc. The pattern we used to observe in the old days has changed a lot in a subtle way, but fundamentally it still holds good. For instance, Baba comes from His room much later in the mornings, so there is not the early-morning rush and dressing up, etc., as before. But the inevitable sweet dish from Naja for breakfast is always there — there was Sev [a sweet dish like cream of wheat] on both birthdays for the mandali and us, and on Christmas morn He gave a prasad of chocolates to each. There was also a special treat for lunch on the birthdays, sent by our dear Gaimai with Meherwan and Meherjee who came up for their weekend. And as usual of course there was so much of it we had it for supper too. We didn't make a Christmas tree this year, but Rano was just as busy making a table arrangement from some lovely folding paper cut-outs that Ivy had sent us — tall, white angels (that we placed on each side of the tall, white candle) and a Nativity scene that was fascinating in each little detail (even to the little mouse on the thatched roof of the manger)! As usual Baba enjoyed it with us, and then called the boys (mandali) over to admire it too and gave them each the chocolate prasad and had the little golden music-ball play "Silent Night" — a Swiss musical toy the Campens had brought on their little visit to Meherazad.
Before I could steer my thoughts to another Family Letter I set to clear up some overdue correspondence and also to spring-cleaning the office cupboards (your wardrobe cupboard has now shelves put in it to hold the files and stock of typing paper, etc.) so with Rano's help, got down to it yesterday.
Meherjee brought some delicious cakes for Christmas and birthdays and we sent some to Don and Padri and one chocolate cake to Dr. Pedersen (of the Booth hospital, who has been doctoring Eruch) and Gaimai had also donated an amount to the mission Nursery that the doctor is particularly fond of, and in his thank-you note he said we should have seen what a happy time the children had on Christmas!
Zillah and Jenny must be so happy to have you with them again and I hope you have a really nice time and a relaxation too. I expect it's always a white Christmas there and I like to think carol-singing is still observed as one sees in the Christmas cards. This year Ahmednagar also has had Christmas cold weather for the occasion and the mornings and evenings continue to be quite cold (it is 1 p.m. now and Rano for instance is sitting out in the sun with a coat on, but she also has a hat on so as not to get sunstroke). It has been terribly cold in northern India, and in Bihar where it was unexpectedly so, over 200 people have died from cold so far!
I've just brought Peter from a walk by the well and Mehera is feeding Mastan who is really a pet and a "baby" for his size! For some time Baba has not been for His morning walk (up to the mango tree) but we're trying to persuade Him to commence it again. Your letter had us anxious over Elizabeth's health, so were happy to know in her birthday greetings letter that she was improving. We hope she's soon her dear self again, and I'm sure she and Ruth miss you very much as also Margaret and the others who are at the Center for Christmas. Do tell dear Margaret that « The Hobbit » has arrived, was begun right away and is so very much enjoyed.
Have you seen the new wallet-sized calendar card for 1962? And on the back is a little picture of Baba and His saying "Nothing is Real but God. Nothing matters but love for God." Ella sent me a sample, and Dana Field has had a lot of them shipped. I think it's a wonderful idea — one can offer it to anyone, for its calendar value, and some time when the other side is looked at it may turn out to be just what the person was seeking.
Well, there's not much space left, but I've talked enough for all the space there was — please give my loving greetings to Jenny and Zillah, and accept heaps of love for yourself from all at Meherazad.
Mani
[modifier] In Memoriam Elizabeth Chapin Patterson
July 26, 1896 — December 6, 1980
I rise on the wings of morning, I am upheld by protecting grace, Soul-striving is the urge of me It is my dawn and my destiny.
~Elizabeth Chapin Patterson
Kitty Davy
As many of my readers know, before the completion of this book [« Love Alone Prevails »] my long-time friend Elizabeth Patterson passed on, and in her memory I would like to close with this tribute.
~Kitty Davy
Mani S. Irani
"[When we received the news] that Beloved Baba had taken His Elizabeth to Himself, our hearts were so full with the love and sadness that surged within that we could only say 'OH BABA!' And that speaks for Elizabeth's whole life, lived gloriously in total love and surrender to God, Meher Baba, never asking, always giving Him her all and serving Him unstintingly and one-pointedly to the end — a life that itself was His message of Love and Truth. Such blessedness, such grace, such good fortune, is bestowed by Him to only a very, very few."
~Mani S. Irani
Mehera Irani
"Elizabeth's love for Beloved Baba and her one-pointed desire to serve Him and please Him are shining examples to all Baba-lovers of true courage and endeavor. To all of us in Meherazad, as to you dear ones, she was so much more. Always we remember dear Elizabeth, her warm smile, her love for animals, her clear way of thinking and her ready wit and humor that so often amused Beloved Baba.... Elizabeth's love for each one, and at the same time her practical side which was so necessary in her work for Beloved Baba, portrayed a wonderful balance of heart and head.... She had lived to love and serve her Beloved, always wanting to obey Him and make Him happy.... Dear Elizabeth was always very close to us all in our hearts; we loved her dearly."
~Mehera Irani
Jane Barry Haynes
"Meher Baba has said, 'Live My life of Love and Truth and they will know Me.' These profound words represent the essence of the goal set by the Master for those who would aspire to true discipleship. Our Elizabeth's life is a testament to this directive. She proved her faith in action. She lived the life of Baba's Love and Truth. Many knew Him through this shining 'life of the spirit' that spanned half a century. Elizabeth is loved and respected by human beings of all kinds in many corners of the earth as a woman of wisdom and humility. She gave herself completely to the spiritual life as few have done. Now some will recognize her as an impersonal force which goes on to influence a time beyond her own. Forty years of this beautiful life was in the quiet, behind-the-scenes selfless work at the Meher Spiritual Center, Elizabeth's gift 'from the heart' to her Beloved. As Baba's dear sister Mani wrote on December 29, 1980, 'Beloved Elizabeth's supreme happiness in Baba will help you to be happy. Elizabeth lives on at the Center and in our hearts, immortal in Beloved Meher Baba's Love.' Meher Baba's own expression is the only real tribute that can be offered to His Dilruba, who showed each of us who was privileged to know her what true humility is. In two of His many cables to Elizabeth through the years, Baba sent His Love in this way:
'ALL THE LOVE THAT YOU PUT INTO THE MAKING OF MY CENTER COMES FROM MY HEART WHERE YOU ARE VERY CLOSE. I SEND YOU MY LOVE. MEHER BABA.' (July 1966)
'BELOVED BABA SAYS HIS LOVE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU HIS VERY DEAR DILRUBA. BABA SAYS HIS MYRTLE BEACH CENTER IS YOUR ETERNAL BIRTHDAY SONG TO HIM. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAREST ELIZABETH FROM ALL YOUR MEHERAZAD FAMILY WITH MUCH LOVE TO YOU. MANI.' (July 1968)" ~Jane Barry Haynes
Margaret Craske
"I recall that when I was with Baba in the mid-1940s in India, one day He handed me a map of the property destined to be the Meher Spiritual Center, and told me that wherever we went I was to carry it in my bedding roll and to be prepared to bring it to Him at any moment. At intervals, Baba would send for the map, examine it, and point with His slim forefinger along the edge of the lake, indicating spots suitable for cabins that would not destroy the primitive beauty of the forest. One morning after He had received a letter from Elizabeth making suggestions about the place, He called me, showed His pleasure at her ideas and twice spelt out on the board, 'Elizabeth is unique.' Some years later, when I landed in America, Elizabeth met me at the docks. We had a long time to wait for my baggage and since she was hungry to hear of some of the things that had happened after her return from India to America in 1941, we sat and talked. Among other things, I told her of Baba's announcement of her uniqueness. She was extremely moved and sat for a long time weeping and saying nothing. It does not seem necessary to say more about Elizabeth. Baba Himself gave a full picture of her with the word 'unique'."
~Margaret Craske
[modifier] Darshan And Sahavas
Before describing Baba's 1956 visit in the West, I would like to pause for a moment to discuss two Indian words, "darshan" and "sahavas" often used in connection with Baba's activities.
In the early years, to me and to many others, these were merely words that one connected with Baba's many travels and journeys throughout India in His contact with the masses in large and small groups. We would hear through the mandali that Baba had left the ashram in Meherabad on a darshan program, or less frequently on a sahavas program with a group of His men mandali. But of their purpose we understood little.
What was Baba's intent? In brief, in darshan there is an atmosphere of reverence and seeking, while in sahavas there prevails an atmosphere of intimacy between Baba and His lovers. Sometimes the words themselves are used interchangeably, and after sharing from time to time in both types of programs it seems to me that occasionally they overlap in purpose. You felt that both were being carried out at the same session.
To take the word "darshan" — a word with many meanings, literally it means "seeing" and those in India use the word whenever they visit a saintly person or a Master to pay their respects. Taking darshan implies that one approaches a saint or a Master, offers whatever presents (flowers or fruit, etc.) he or she may have and quickly pays his or her respects by bowing down. After the offer is accepted, the individual is blessed and then moves on.
During Baba's large darshan programs, Baba-lovers would generally sit in the large hall from beginning to end while the general public would stand in queue, take Baba's darshan and leave. Such programs would last for hours and Baba would remain with the crowds who would share His love and receive His blessing.
On one occasion, when Baba was telling us about His earlier darshan programs in India, He remarked, "At the time I would allow people to come near Me — they used to come just for My darshan as we say in India — to see Me and to meet Me, to receive My blessings and love."
I would like to quote what Baba Himself gave as the meaning of real darshan at the big public gathering in Dehra Dun in November of 1953:
"I am happy to be in your midst. It is the deep love of some of My lovers in Dehra Dun that has drawn you all together to have My darshan. But to have My real darshan is not easy. To see Me at close quarters, to do obeisance to Me, to offer Me fruits and flowers, to bow down to Me and then to return to your homes can never mean that you have had My darshan. Having seen Me with your own eyes, you have still not seen Me as I am. You have not had even a glimpse of My true Being in spite of your having gone through the convention of so-called 'darshan.' To have My real darshan is to find Me. The way to find Me is to find your abode in Me. And the only one and sure way to find your abode in Me is to love Me. To love Me as I love you, you must become the recipient of My grace. Only My grace can bestow the gift of divine love. To receive My grace, you must obey me wholeheartedly with the firm foundation of unshakeable faith in Me. And you can only obey Me spontaneously as I want when you completely surrender yourselves to Me, so that My wish becomes your law and My love sustains your being. Age after age, many aspire for such a surrender, but only very few really attempt to surrender themselves to Me completely as I want. He who succeeds ultimately not only finds Me but becomes Me and realizes the goal of life."
The darshan programs that began as early as 1922 increased in intensity and universal momentum. After August of 1952, when Baba returned from the U.S., He plunged into His Fiery Free Life with programs continuing right through the 1960s. Of the many thousands who approached Baba at His darshan programs He has said, "If one of them loves Me as I want to be loved, My coming has been worthwhile."
Let us turn now to an equally important word. "Sahavas" literally translates as "to stay" or, as used in India, staying by the Perfect Master or Avatar. To quote Baba's words, "Sahavas is the give and take of love." The keynote to a sahavas program is love — an exchange of love, the giving and receiving of love. Baba, when asked once, "What is sahavas?" replied, "It is companionship with God. It means I come to your level or you rise to My level. We are not on the same level. Either I come to yours or you come to Mine. Sahavas means God becomes human."
On another occasion Baba stated, "Be ready to step into the intimacy of sahavas, there you will find the treasure complete. Inscribe the following in your heart — the intimacy of love, lover and Beloved in the silence of that word, sahavas." As on His previous visits to the West, Baba's visit in 1956, was, I feel, both a darshan and sahavas combined.
Meher Baba's 1956 Visit to the West
The great visit began when, in the midst of His seclusion, Baba with Eruch, Adi Sr., Dr. Nilu and Meherjee left Satara, India, on July 16,1956, for Europe. After going to Zurich, Paris and London, they arrived in New York and went directly to the Hotel Delmonico where they stayed for four days. Elizabeth, by Baba's request, met them in New York and, with over fifty devotees accompanying the party, they arrived in Myrtle Beach the morning of July 24th for a six-day visit.
At the Briarcliffe gate by the Center to meet Baba were Frank Eaton, myself and several others. Baba beckoned me into the car and the four long years' absence seemed to completely disappear. He looked radiant and full of vitality.
Throughout the six days, Baba met frequently with us individually and in small groups in the Lagoon Cabin in the mornings and afternoons. Large gatherings with Baba usually took place in the Barn, at which time many discourses and talks on various subjects were given by Him.
One of our first gatherings with Baba was when He invited the entire group of eighty to visit with Him at His house. Whilst sitting under the large oak trees at the edge of the bluff in the garden by the house, He remarked:
"I want you all to know that I have stayed in many, many places. In India, when I went on mast trips to different places, I have stayed sometimes in palaces, sometimes in dharmashalas or special rest-houses, sometimes in temples or huts and sometimes under trees or on station platforms, where the sweepers or untouchables would follow Me. But here, Elizabeth has built a very comfortable house for Me. She has made everything possible just through her love for Me.
Tomorrow is Elizabeth's birthday. I am just in time to celebrate her birthday. Tomorrow I will have to embrace her seven times! None of you must give any gifts however. Of all the places in the world, I feel most comfortable in this house; even though the climate is hot and humid, I like this place."
Baba then stood on the porch like a gracious host and all were invited to see everything inside the house. On Elizabeth's birthday, the following day, Baba gave her seven embraces — thus fulfilling his promise to her.
Amongst the planned activities was the dedication ceremony of the Center, with NBC-TV cameramen coming from New York to film the proceedings. It was also "Open Day" for all those in the area to come for Baba's darshan, and this had been printed in the local newspapers. At the Barn, Margaret Craske was cautioned by Baba to tell each one, "I have a message for you from Baba. You are not to ask questions and there will be no private interviews today. Just accept Baba's love and darshan." Jeanne Shaw added that each should eat the prasad Baba would give them. The « Myrtle Beach Sun », the « Myrtle Beach News » and the « Charleston News and Courier » all interviewed and photographed Baba and later printed excellent accounts of "Open Day."
While waiting for the TV crew, which was unavoidably detained, Baba talked to all at the Barn seated informally around Him in a circle. He said:
"I want you all to listen very carefully to what I say. It appears so simple, yet it is so very important for My lovers. To love Me is to lose yourself in Me, and to find Me as your own Self is to leave all your pleasures and pains to Me. What does this mean?"
Someone answered, "Very simple — just leave everything to Baba!"
"Everything!" Baba emphasized. "And remain happy! Leave your pleasures to Me — leave your pains to Me — and then you remain free! But it is a great thing, a difficult thing. Say you have three children and all three of them die at one stroke. Naturally, what can you say? You must not only say, but feel, — 'I leave all this to Baba. It is His wish, it is His pleasure.'
"Kabir said a nice thing. This morning when I was strolling here, I asked Eruch to write it down."
Eruch and then Adi repeated the verse in Hindi. Then Eruch said:
"Kabir was a Perfect Master. All over India people revere Him and love Him. He said this to His own Master. I will give you the English translation; Baba translated it this morning:
'Nothing that I have belongs to me. All that I have belongs to You. What will I lose if I surrender to You What belongs to You?'"
Baba then continued,
"That is what I want to tell My lovers: Your pains and your pleasures — leave them all to Me."
A rain began, which turned into hail, and Baba left His chair and began to walk about restlessly. He stopped on the verandah and His fingers vibrated as He "worked." He then continued His talk by stating:
"I come down to your level to such an extent that I mix with you all.... I appear to you to be gay, cheerful, playful. [But] you have no idea of My Divinity, of My all-pervading state.... I have the greatest sense of humor, like Krishna. The sense of humor should not mislead you or make you forget who I really am. Don't mix Me up as one of you! It is possible only for the saints and those on the higher path, the real saints of higher consciousness, to know Me a little. If you had just a glimpse of Me, you would lose your body consciousness completely.
"I am like a child, playful, free and also like an old man. I am soft as butter and hard as steel — simultaneously. Only those who love Me sincerely, with all their hearts, can know Me a little. Mind can never know Me, mind can never touch Me, I am beyond that, beyond mind."
This reminded me of Baba's statement the day before: "I'll walk with you, I'll talk with you, I'll play with you but I want you to remember I am the Highest of the High."
The dedication ceremony began around 8:30 a.m. outside the Barn. Whilst the TV crew and others were filming, Baba, with Elizabeth nearby, spread His hands in blessing and planted a small holly tree. Don Stevens then read a message from Baba.
Later on this same day, the party went by bus to nearby Brookgreen Gardens. I accompanied Baba and the mandali in a car driven by Fred Winterfeldt. Baba walked through the lovely sculptured garden at a rapid pace, with the rest of us doing our best to keep up. In a more secluded area, He sat under a tree with us round Him and talked about Buddha, who had also sat under a tree, and of how He attained God-realization. After returning to the Center, Baba said He was very happy that afternoon with us at the garden.
During this week, Baba scheduled an evening meeting in the Barn to discuss the topic of groups, and to settle some misunderstandings between the Sufi group and the New York group (known as the "Monday night" group because meetings were held on that night). Baba arrived early, surprising those already waiting. Filis Frederick recalls some special moments that took place:
"Some of us... were lucky to sit beside Him quietly as dusk shifted through the tall pines outside. Baba's face in the half-light glowed with that ethereal, divine beauty that remains forever etched on one's heart. Every line, every shadow, every movement, seem to proclaim and flame His divinity. He gestured to us silently, 'Even the rishis and munis, meditating for years in the Himalayas, longing for My darshan, do not have the chance you are having to be with Me. And here you are all getting it! So do not think of anything else but Baba!'"
The others from town had not yet arrived and Baba decided to postpone the discussion on groups until the next morning. An important meditation meeting was then held in the Barn. Baba told all to be alert and put all our heart into the meditation meeting at which He wanted to give us a special outpouring of His Love.
As everyone removed their shoes and got settled, Baba, deep in thought, walked outdoors back and forth around all four sides of the Barn. A strange, unnatural silence fell on everything — even the crickets seemed to hush. When all were settled, Baba came inside and the meeting began. As one remarked, "Baba looked so beautiful, so far away, one was quite conscious of some tremendous spiritual force at work. There was an atmosphere of that peace that 'passeth all understanding.'" I do not know what took place at this special meeting, for by Baba's order no notes were to be taken and I was to "stand guard" outside after everyone else had gone into the Barn.
"After the meditation was over," Filis related, "we and our flashlights trailed Baba through the pitch-dark woods. Once Baba stopped and stood close by a very tall pine, gripping it with His hands, while we waited quietly in the road. In the dim circle of light, His face looked drawn and full of suffering as if He had expended a terrific amount of energy. Then, He strode on again with such a swift pace that we all had to run to keep up with Him, even the mandali."
The morning after this meeting, following an early breakfast, Baba and the group went to the beach. He had promised to bring Mehera seven shells and everyone scattered to find the "perfect" shell. Each brought his or her choices to Baba who accepted some and rejected others, giving them back. Most, of course, kept the shells handled by Baba as "prasad."
Upon returning, all gathered with Baba for the discussion, postponed from the previous evening, on groups and how to work together harmoniously for Him. Quoting Baba:
"Last evening I told John Bass and others that in India there are many groups. Each has a group head and all work for the love of Me. All love Me. The group heads are responsible for the work the group does. In India, in the different groups, there are different castes, different religions, those of different economic status. There are Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus... but all love Baba. All want to work for Me and spread My message of Love and Truth. Muslims work in their own localities to bring Muslims; Parsis and Christians do the same thing. Here I have been hearing for a long time about the two groups [Sufi group and New York group] in the U.S., but there has been some misunderstanding. What is the difficulty?"
After an explanation by those involved, Baba continued:
"I want you all to bear in mind one thing. I now emphasize one point which I emphasized in India also, when I called all together at the Andhra meeting. I said that for Me, there is no need for centers, for different places, nor different groups with different heads or names. My center is the heart of every lover. Every lover with a heart that loves Baba is a center. The second point I would like to emphasize is that whoever wants to work spreading My message of Love and Truth absolutely needs a central office and groups of workers who can function from that central office. There is always a need for a group to have a center. You can have many such centers. Myrtle Beach is such a center — and it stretches for many miles!
"But there should be cooperation, harmony, and the group heads should not try to win over other members from one office or another. Why? What for? When all work for Baba? There should be harmony, cooperation."
After further discussion, Baba ended by saying:
"I would like you all to belong to certain groups. Why? Because you can cooperate and tell others about Me and share your thoughts. You learn much more than when you remain by yourself. When you listen, exchange thoughts, prayers, My presence is there. Where there are five collected together, Parameshwar is there, I am there. If you are talking of Me, having love for Me, then there I am...is it all clear?"
Whilst speaking of groups and group meetings, I always recall Baba's words to Elizabeth in a letter dated February 15, 1934, in which, apropos of group gatherings, He said:
"I am glad about your meeting every month... for meditation. It is not so much the thing in itself [meditation] that matters as the purpose, i.e., to collect all of our group, talk of love, spirituality, etc., and feel in harmony. And if 'meditation' is one of the items on the programme that helps the original purpose of bringing people nearer to Me — it is good.
"The bi-monthly gatherings — at teas — too serve their purpose splendidly in bringing people who desire to come nearer to Me. My love to all who arrange and attend these — for love."
I also recall that in a letter to Dr. Donkin Baba said, "I would prefer to make a hundred people love God to converting millions to Babaism. Arrange meetings only if they will be work done for God and not just to make Baba well-known."
[modifier] The 41st Anniversary Of His Silence
"Our stay here this summer has been a quiet one," Mani informed us, "in utter contrast to that of last year when Guruprasad was constantly humming with swarms of happy darshaners from far and near, and the massive May gathering of Baba's Eastern lovers. The other morning, while listening to some verses composed by Francis [Brabazon], Baba was in the mood to dictate a message in verse. Rapidly His fingers spelt out:
'He who seeks My pleasure Finds the divine Treasure.'
"On the 10th of July, 1966, the 41st anniversary of His Silence, Avatar Meher Baba wishes all who love and obey Him and all who would want to do so, to observe complete silence for 24 hours beginning from midnight of the 9th to midnight of the 10th July in accordance with the local time.
"Baba wants all His lovers to know that the forty-first anniversary of His Silence is a very important event and as such all His lovers should observe complete silence for 24 hours on this occasion.
"Avatar Meher Baba has given the following message for the 41st anniversary of His Silence:
'God's first Word was "Who am I." God's last Word is "I am God." And the Word that I the God-Man Will utter soon will be the Sound of My Infinite Silence.'
"Avatar Meher Baba sends His Love and Blessing to each of His lovers."
----
Cable: JULY 19, 1966 INDIA
ELIKIT MY LOVE TO YOU AND ALL MY LOVERS IN MYRTLE BEACH AND AT CENTER GATHERED 101% IN THE FULLNESS OF MY SILENCE.
MEHER BABA
---
Dilruba, July 20, 1966
Dear Mani,
Silence Day with over 30 at the Center — every nook and cranny was taken, like when Baba was here in 1958. Most came a week ahead and left the 11th. A few stayed on and we have some still here. A few dogs and a few children kept the Day of Silence from being completely silent!! Of course I suppose that to be silent does not mean necessarily no noises that naturally occur throughout. It is something we all have to work out — for normal times — just how far the Center is to be for spiritual quiet, meditation, etc., and how much for children who come in during the day or who are staying at the Center. It will all turn out all right. Changes are good. One is inclined to be in a rut and say this and that were not always so, etc. There is a time and place for both and this is the time for youth.
We had three or four weeks of intense heat, rather like we had in July of 1952 when you all were here, and it has not cooled down yet.
I could write a lot about all that took place over the week before July 10th but I have asked Wendy, who writes well, to do this.
All were so happy with the cable from Baba. Thank you so much for all your letters. I just don't know how you get so many written.
One of the big jobs now is posting books. Someone sent $34 for several books only yesterday and my last « God to Man » went — so I do hope those coming from India are on their way, for they are surely needed.
Well, I don't think I am in the letter-writing mood today for I cannot think of anything to say!
So goodbye and love to all, especially to dear Mehera and yourself and, of course, love to Baba.
Kitty
p.s. Margaret left last week — she was here for six weeks — looks fine, will not be retiring for awhile!!!
---
In my letter to Mani, I referred to an account of the Silence Day Observance at the Center by Wendy Haynes Connor. Here are some excerpts:
"For the 'Day of Silence,' July 10, 1966, many came by bus, car, train and plane. The Center was all hustle and bustle — the atmosphere was charged with love for the Beloved. Baba's Elizabeth, as always, supervised all the preparations with her usual devotion and care. Kitty and Jane were seen scurrying here and there and everywhere with suspicious-looking bundles in their arms, which of course turned out to be supplies and linens for all the cabins. The telephone was to be heard ringing constantly. Dates were changed, families enlarged and the new arrivals announced every day. Kitty's remarkable vitality was in full force as she juggled rooms, cabins and spaces for the visitors. Every nook and corner were used, including the Coop and Happy Club room (where children gather once a week); every spare bed was pulled out, and finally the Center was ready to receive Baba's dear ones.
"Work on the grounds was also intensive. Frank Eaton, the Center's dedicated caretaker, along with his assistant George Anderson, were to be seen clearing, trimming, working constantly. To relieve the congestion in the main kitchen, two new porches with their own kitchens had been added to both the Lantern and the Twin Cabins. What a help these new additions turned out to be!
"It was wonderful to see everyone, especially those who had not been able to come to the Center before. Everything was most lively. Sometimes the activity was so great that some compared it to Sahavas time!
"The days passed, each day filled with something new: people talking of Baba, exchanging memories and ideas, seeing the wonderful films of Baba with His devoted mandali; some enjoying the Center's beautiful ocean beach where Baba had walked. And what joy it gave everyone to look through the beautiful photographs of the Beloved in the albums just sent by Mani to the Center.
"A familiar sight to all was Margaret Craske, at the boathouse or on the porch, surrounded by a group drinking in her many anecdotes and reminiscences of her early experiences with Baba during the years in India and elsewhere.
"During the preceding days there had been a great feeling of anticipation, as if waiting for the best to come last. How true that was, for the 'Day of Silence' was the peaceful and loving climax.
"The Center was even more beautiful than ever and all were revelling in its beauty and rejoicing in their love for Baba, remembering above all His Love for each of us. Figures were seen slipping away quietly to the Barn, where Baba had gathered us all together on so many memorable occasions; or to the Lagoon Cabin where Baba's presence is so strongly felt, as if He were sitting in that chair as He has so many times before; others making their way to the ocean to gaze at the beautiful sight before them, wishing that they could sail right over to India that very instant.
"Throughout the day there was an uplifting of love for the Beloved. Each felt Him so close in his own way; just as each loves Him in his own way — from nine-months-old little Christopher John to ninety-six-years-young Ruth White.... All added up to the one and same thing, Love for Baba. He has told us, 'Everything Real is given and received in Silence.'"
---
Soon after the Silence Day Observance, loving greetings from Baba came just in time for my birthday:
Cable: AUGUST 27, 1966 INDIA
KITTY
YOUR LOVE FOR ME WHICH IS YOUR LIFE SPEAKS MY MESSAGE TO ALL WHO COME TO MY CENTER AND MAKES ME HAPPY. KEEP WELL AND REMEMBER YOU ARE VERY DEAR TO ME KITTY. JANE'S CABLE MADE ME HAPPY. MY LOVE TO YOU ALL MY OWN AT DILRUBA HAPPY HOUSE CENTER MYRTLE BEACH.
MEHER BABA
[modifier] 50th Anniversary Of Baba's Second Visit To Meher Spiritual Center
The great visit began when, in the midst of His seclusion, Baba with Eruch, Adi Sr., Dr. Nilu and Meherjee left Satara, India, on July 16, 1956, for Europe. After going to Zurich, Paris and London, they arrived in New York and went directly to the Hotel Delmonico where they stayed for four days. Elizabeth, by Baba's request, met them in New York and, with over fifty devotees accompanying the party, they arrived in Myrtle Beach the morning of July 24th for a six-day visit.
At the Briarcliffe gate by the Center to meet Baba were Frank Eaton, myself and several others. Baba beckoned me into the car and the four long years' absence seemed to completely disappear. He looked radiant and full of vitality.
Throughout the six days, Baba met frequently with us individually and in small groups in the Lagoon Cabin in the mornings and afternoons. Large gatherings with Baba usually took place in the Barn, at which time many discourses and talks on various subjects were given by Him.
One of our first gatherings with Baba was when He invited the entire group of eighty to visit with Him at His house. Whilst sitting under the large oak trees at the edge of the bluff in the garden by the house, He remarked:
"I want you all to know that I have stayed in many, many places. In India, when I went on mast trips to different places, I have stayed sometimes in palaces, sometimes in dharmashalas or special rest-houses, sometimes in temples or huts and sometimes under trees or on station platforms, where the sweepers or untouchables would follow Me. But here, Elizabeth has built a very comfortable house for Me. She has made everything possible just through her love for Me. Tomorrow is Elizabeth's birthday. I am just in time to celebrate her birthday. Tomorrow I will have to embrace her seven times! None of you must give any gifts however. Of all the places in the world, I feel most comfortable in this house; even though the climate is hot and humid, I like this place."
Baba then stood on the porch like a gracious host and all were invited to see everything inside the house. On Elizabeth's birthday, the following day, Baba gave her seven embraces — thus fulfilling his promise to her.
Amongst the planned activities was the dedication ceremony of the Center, with NBC-TV cameramen coming from New York to film the proceedings. It was also "Open Day" for all those in the area to come for Baba's darshan, and this had been printed in the local newspapers. At the Barn, Margaret Craske was cautioned by Baba to tell each one, "I have a message for you from Baba. You are not to ask questions and there will be no private interviews today. Just accept Baba's love and darshan." Jeanne Shaw added that each should eat the prasad Baba would give them. The « Myrtle Beach Sun », the « Myrtle Beach News » and the « Charleston News and Courier » all interviewed and photographed Baba and later printed excellent accounts of "Open Day."
While waiting for the TV crew, which was unavoidably detained, Baba talked to all at the Barn seated informally around Him in a circle. He said:
"I want you all to listen very carefully to what I say. It appears so simple, yet it is so very important for My lovers. To love Me is to lose yourself in Me, and to find Me as your own Self is to leave all your pleasures and pains to Me. What does this mean?"
Someone answered, "Very simple — just leave everything to Baba!"
"Everything!" Baba emphasized. "And remain happy! Leave your pleasures to Me — leave your pains to Me — and then you remain free! But it is a great thing, a difficult thing. Say you have three children and all three of them die at one stroke. Naturally, what can you say? You must not only say, but feel — 'I leave all this to Baba. It is His wish, it is His pleasure.'
"Kabir said a nice thing. This morning when I was strolling here, I asked Eruch to write it down."
Eruch and then Adi repeated the verse in Hindi. Then Eruch said:
"Kabir was a Perfect Master. All over India people revere Him and love Him. He said this to His own Master. I will give you the English translation; Baba translated it this morning:
'Nothing that I have belongs to me. All that I have belongs to You. What will I lose if I surrender to You What belongs to You?'"
Baba then continued,
"That is what I want to tell My lovers: Your pains and your pleasures — leave them all to Me."
A rain began, which turned into hail, and Baba left His chair and began to walk about restlessly. He stopped on the verandah and His fingers vibrated as He "worked." He then continued His talk by stating:
"I come down to your level to such an extent that I mix with you all.... I appear to you to be gay, cheerful, playful. [But] you have no idea of My Divinity, of My all-pervading state.... I have the greatest sense of humor, like Krishna. The sense of humor should not mislead you or make you forget who I really am. Don't mix Me up as one of you! It is possible only for the saints and those on the higher path, the real saints of higher consciousness, to know Me a little. If you had just a glimpse of Me, you would lose your body consciousness completely.
"I am like a child, playful, free and also like an old man. I am soft as butter and hard as steel — simultaneously. Only those who love Me sincerely, with all their hearts, can know Me a little. Mind can never know Me, mind can never touch Me, I am beyond that, beyond mind."
This reminded me of Baba's statement the day before: "I'll walk with you, I'll talk with you, I'll play with you but I want you to remember I am the Highest of the High."
The dedication ceremony began around 8:30 a.m. outside the Barn. Whilst the TV crew and others were filming, Baba, with Elizabeth nearby, spread His hands in blessing and planted a small holly tree. Don Stevens then read a message from Baba.
Later on this same day, the party went by bus to nearby Brookgreen Gardens. I accompanied Baba and the mandali in a car driven by Fred Winterfeldt. Baba walked through the lovely sculptured garden at a rapid pace, with the rest of us doing our best to keep up. In a more secluded area, He sat under a tree with us round Him and talked about Buddha, who had also sat under a tree, and of how He attained God-realization. After returning to the Center, Baba said He was very happy that afternoon with us at the garden.
During this week, Baba scheduled an evening meeting in the Barn to discuss the topic of groups, and to settle some misunderstandings between the Sufi group and the New York group (known as the "Monday night" group because meetings were held on that night). Baba arrived early, surprising those already waiting. Filis Frederick recalls some special moments that took place:
"Some of us... were lucky to sit beside Him quietly as dusk shifted through the tall pines outside. Baba's face in the half-light glowed with that ethereal, divine beauty that remains forever etched on one's heart. Every line, every shadow, every movement, seem to proclaim and flame His divinity. He gestured to us silently, 'Even the rishis and munis, meditating for years in the Himalayas, longing for My darshan, do not have the chance you are having to be with Me. And here you are all getting it! So do not think of anything else but Baba!'"
The others from town had not yet arrived and Baba decided to postpone the discussion on groups until the next morning. An important meditation meeting was then held in the Barn. Baba told all to be alert and put all our heart into the meditation meeting at which He wanted to give us a special outpouring of His Love.
As everyone removed their shoes and got settled, Baba, deep in thought, walked outdoors back and forth around all four sides of the Barn. A strange, unnatural silence fell on everything — even the crickets seemed to hush. When all were settled, Baba came inside and the meeting began. As one remarked, "Baba looked so beautiful, so far away, one was quite conscious of some tremendous spiritual force at work. There was an atmosphere of that peace that 'passeth all understanding.'" I do not know what took place at this special meeting, for by Baba's order no notes were to be taken and I was to "stand guard" outside after everyone else had gone into the Barn.
"After the meditation was over," Filis related, "we and our flashlights trailed Baba through the pitch-dark woods. Once Baba stopped and stood close by a very tall pine, gripping it with His hands, while we waited quietly in the road. In the dim circle of light, His face looked drawn and full of suffering as if He had expended a terrific amount of energy. Then, He strode on again with such a swift pace that we all had to run to keep up with Him, even the mandali."
The morning after this meeting, following an early breakfast, Baba and the group went to the beach. He had promised to bring Mehera seven shells and everyone scattered to find the "perfect" shell. Each brought his or her choices to Baba who accepted some and rejected others, giving them back. Most, of course, kept the shells handled by Baba as "prasad."
Upon returning, all gathered with Baba for the discussion, postponed from the previous evening, on groups and how to work together harmoniously for Him. Quoting Baba:
"Last evening I told John Bass and others that in India there are many groups. Each has a group head and all work for the love of Me. All love Me. The group heads are responsible for the work the group does. In India, in the different groups, there are different castes, different religions, those of different economic status. There are Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus... but all love Baba. All want to work for Me and spread My message of Love and Truth. Muslims work in their own localities to bring Muslims; Parsis and Christians do the same thing. Here I have been hearing for a long time about the two groups [Sufi group and New York group] in the U.S., but there has been some misunderstanding. What is the difficulty?"
After an explanation by those involved, Baba continued:
"I want you all to bear in mind one thing. I now emphasize one point which I emphasized in India also, when I called all together at the Andhra meeting. I said that for Me, there is no need for centers, for different places, nor different groups with different heads or names. My center is the heart of every lover. Every lover with a heart that loves Baba is a center. The second point I would like to emphasize is that whoever wants to work spreading My message of Love and Truth absolutely needs a central office and groups of workers who can function from that central office. There is always a need for a group to have a center. You can have many such centers. Myrtle Beach is such a center — and it stretches for many miles!
"But there should be cooperation, harmony, and the group heads should not try to win over other members from one office or another. Why? What for? When all work for Baba? There should be harmony, cooperation."
After further discussion, Baba ended by saying:
"I would like you all to belong to certain groups. Why? Because you can cooperate and tell others about Me and share your thoughts. You learn much more than when you remain by yourself. When you listen, exchange thoughts, prayers, My presence is there. Where there are five collected together, Parameshwar is there, I am there. If you are talking of Me, having love for Me, then there I am... is it all clear?"
Whilst speaking of groups and group meetings, I always recall Baba's words to Elizabeth in a letter dated February 15, 1934, in which, apropos of group gatherings, He said:
"I am glad about your meeting every month... for meditation. It is not so much the thing in itself [meditation] that matters as the purpose, i.e., to collect all of our group, talk of love, spirituality, etc., and feel in harmony. And if 'meditation' is one of the items on the programme that helps the original purpose of bringing people nearer to Me — it is good.
"The bi-monthly gatherings — at teas — too serve their purpose splendidly in bringing people who desire to come nearer to Me. My love to all who arrange and attend these — for love."
I also recall that in a letter to Dr. Donkin Baba said, "I would prefer to make a hundred people love God to converting millions to Babaism. Arrange meetings only if they will be work done for God and not just to make Baba well-known."
Our wonderful, precious time with Baba at the Center came inevitably, after the six days, to its conclusion.
[modifier] Illusion Comes And Goes But The Soul Remains
It is natural to be tired on account of the body. Although the body and mind are two different entities, they are interdependent. When the mind feels tired, the reaction is felt by the body; when the body feels tired, so does the mind. Only the soul is aloof from both. All this feeling is done by the ego. The "I" does not feel content; that means "I am unhappy," "I am in trouble." All this is the ego.
Now this limited "I" takes all that is unimportant as important, and vice versa. There is a world of difference between importance and necessity. Bodily needs and comforts are unimportant but necessary. Spirituality, which is important but externally unnecessary, is taken as unimportant.
See how unimportant the external is. Quetta was a flourishing town and within five minutes it was destroyed. This is unimportant. If it were of real importance, the Infinite would not have it destroyed. Look at Spain. All that was thought to be of importance was destroyed.
All illusion comes and goes, but the soul remains unchanged. What is meant by God-realization is to actually experience this important thing - that the soul is eternal.
Meher Baba
Kitty Davy. Published by Sheriar Press. © 1981 by Meher Spiritual Center, Inc., © 1981 by AMBPPCT for all quotations from Meher Baba
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