Mastery of Consciousness

De Simple Silence.

Mastery Of Consciousness, As Given By Meher Baba

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English

Contents

[modifier] The Problem Of Sex

Meher Baba’s analysis of physical sexuality goes beyond moralistic judgment. In his cosmology there is no personal « Satan, » eternal hell, or absolute evil. Given the ultimate goal of God-realization, « good » is anything that frees consciousness to experience divine love ; « evil » is anything which obstructs spiritual freedom. Baba views sexuality from this perspective, noting the spiritual limitations and possibilities in male-female relationships. To the extent that sexual contact reflects lust for sensation, it is a roadblock ; to the extent that it is an expression of selfless love, it becomes more consistent with spiritual progress.

The craving for sexual sensation is a serious obstacle to spiritual development, but originates from understandable motives. Baba points out that identification with the male- female polarity is the most powerful experience of duality, that we reincarnate as both male and female, and that sexual attraction is

a result of the effort which the mind makes to unite with its own unconscious part.

But a purely physical solution to compensate for fragmentation is impossible because,

paradoxical though it may seem, the form of the opposite sex prevents the true understanding of experience associated with the opposite sex.[1]

Baba thus states that relationships motivated primarily by physical desire tend to choke the development of real love. This spiritual roadblock is intensified by sexual promiscuity, in which

the temptation to explore the possibilities of mere sex contact is formidable. In promiscuity the suggestions of lust are necessarily the first to present themselves to the mind, and the individual is doomed to react to people within the limitation of this initial perversion and thus close the door to deeper experiences.[2]

The problem of sensual desire can haunt the aspirant all along the spiritual path in both obvious and subtle forms. Baba advances two different kinds of solutions, the first occurring when a seeker gets fed up with both indulgence and repression and learns detachment.

When the aspirant becomes fully awake to the inevitable bondage and suffering entailed by craving, he begins voluntarily to disburden himself of craving through intelligent understanding. [3]

Perhaps a more palatable solution is the sublimation of physical desire.

This lust must be converted into love. What is lust, but a craving to satisfy physical senses, and love is the craving of the Soul. [4]

In all practicality, Baba advises a committed aspirant to follow either strict celibacy or marriage, whichever is more natural. He suggests lifetime celibacy only for those serious pilgrims to whom restraint comes easily, its value lying

in the habit of restraint and the sense of detachment and independence which it gives.[5]

In parallel, Baba points out the immense possibilities for spiritual growth in a totally committed two-person relationship :

The value of marriage lies in lessons of mutual adjustment and the sense of unity with the other. In one sense married life may be looked upon as the intensification of most human problems. As such it becomes the rallying ground for the forces of bondage as well as the forces of freedom, the factors of ignorance as well as the factors of light. In married life two souls get linked in many ways, with the result that they are called upon to tackle the whole complex problem of personality rather than any simple problem created by some isolated desire. [6]

In the beginning of married life the partners are drawn to each other by lust as well as love, but with conscious and deliberate cooperation they can gradually lessen the element of lust and increase the element of love. Through this process of sublimation lust ultimately gives place to deep love. By the mutual sharing of joys and sorrows the partners march on from one spiritual triumph to another, from deep love to ever deeper love, till the possessive and jealous love of the initial period is entirely replaced by a self-giving and expansive love. In fact, through the intelligent handling of marriage a person may traverse so much of the spiritual path that it needs only a touch by the Master to raise him into the sanctuary of eternal life. [7]

[modifier] Revifying The Spiritual Spark

Any attempt to predict the ultimate future of the Baba movement involves massive speculation. The movement’s direction will depend on events yet to emerge, such as the timing and scope of Baba’s manifestation. However, there are some predictable possibilities for the near future. On the positive side, if Meher Baba really is the Avatar of this age, God in human form, his name and message should continue to spread. More individuals will find their minds and hearts touched by the truth and love of Baba’s life and messages. Much initial activity will be generated from the English-speaking nations. Baba once mentioned that America would spark the resurgence of spirituality in the world.

Then there is the negative aspect. If the number of Baba lovers increases dramatically, systematic resistance and criticism may emanate from traditional religious organizations that feel threatened by a « competing » Messiah—ironically, by their own Messiah returned in different form. However, as Baba said as early as 1932,

My work will arouse great enthusiasm and a certain amount of opposition—that is inevitable. But spiritual work is strengthened by opposition, and so it will be with mine. It is like shooting an arrow from a bow—the more you pull the bow-string towards you, the swifter the arrow speeds to its goal[8].

Further, despite Baba’s injunctions, a quasi religion or quasi hierarchy might sometime be built around Meher Baba’s name. It is to be hoped that lovers who understand Baba’s message will resist ritualization, dogmatism, or rigid orthodoxy surrounding Baba’s incarnation.

Predictable also is increased friction, schism, and organizational competition among segments of the Baba community. Baba’s statements about his humiliation and the frailties of the human ego imply that further disruption is probably inevitable. Baba seemed to stimulate difficult group situations in order to bring spiritual weaknesses and strengths to the surface. However, his physical presence and authority prevented many gross distortions and hypocrisies from getting out of hand. With Baba out of the body, aspirants have more room to err and indulge their egoistic inclinations. If Baba is the Avatar, he is no less aware of such events ; seekers merely have more latitude for learning through spiritual stupidity.

We can expect valuable historical additions to the Meher Baba literature, although Baba’s direct messages and discourses are so lucid and comprehensive that few aspirants will need to become dependent on speculative extrapolations (including the editorial comments in this book). Future books or articles may be helpful in stimulating a deeper appreciation of Meher Baba’s path, or they may confuse and mislead aspirants, but no such interpretive work is « gospel. » If there are scriptures in the Baba movement, they are Baba’s words—not words about Baba’s words.

Ultimately, the future of the Baba movement depends on the validity of Meher Baba’s identity as Avatar. If Baba’s message spreads and more souls are moved by love for him, it will not be the result of spiritual gimmickry, fanatical conversion phenomena, or comfortingly rigid dogma. In the event that Baba was not communicating the truth, there is every likelihood that the Meher Baba movement will fade into historical oblivion as one small tree in a forest of twentieth-century spiritual events.

But if the Avatar has again taken an incarnation, this time as Meher Baba, it is well to remember that his main work is for all those who suffer pangs of spiritual hunger, not merely those souls who know of him or recognize him as the God-Man. According to Baba, it has been his task to revivify the spiritual spark for everyone at every level, whatever his or her spiritual allegiance. God cares about the quality of the heart, not the intellectual structure of belief systems.

To all, Meher Baba offers a special path and method for those receptive to Avataric guidance and constantly repeats his call :

Age after age, when the wick of Righteousness burns low, the Avatar comes yet once again to rekindle the torch of Love and Truth. Age after age, amidst the clamor of disruptions, wars, fear and chaos, rings the Avatar’s call : « COME ALL UNTO ME. »

Although, because of the veil of illusion, this Call of the Ancient One may appear as a voice in the wilderness, its echo and re-echo nevertheless pervades through time and space, to rouse at first a few, and eventually millions, from their deep slumber of ignorance. And in the midst of illusion, as the Voice behind all voices, it awakens humanity to bear witness to the Manifestation of God amidst mankind.

The time is come. I repeat the Call and bid all come unto me.

This time-honoured Call of mine thrills the hearts of those who have patiently endured all in their love for God, loving God only for love of God. There are those who fear and shudder at its reverberations, and would flee or resist. And there are yet others who, baffled, fail to understand why the Highest of the High, who is all-sufficient, need necessarily give this Call to humanity.

Irrespective of doubts and convictions, and for the Infinite Love I bear for one and all, I continue to come as the Avatar, to be judged time and again by humanity in its ignorance, in order to help man distinguish the Real from the false.

Invariably muffled in the cloak of the infinitely true humility of the Ancient One, the Divine Call is at first little heeded, until, in its infinite strength it spreads in volume to reverberate and keep on reverberating in countless hearts as the Voice of Reality...

I give you all my Blessing that the spark of my divine love may implant in your hearts the deep longing for love of God[9].

[modifier] Surrendering To Meher Baba

Another dimension of the Avataric path involves surrender. In one sense surrender is the culmination of loving and obeying the Master :

Love is a gift from God to man, obedience is a gift from master to man, and surrender is a gift from man to master. The one who loves, desires to do the will of the beloved, and seeks union with the beloved. Obedience performs the will of the beloved and seeks the pleasure of the beloved. Surrender resigns to the will of the beloved and seeks nothing.[10]

The easiest and safest way to lose one’s finite ego is by completely surrendering to the Perfect Master. Such complete surrenderance to the Perfect Master is, in itself, Freedom. [11]

A unique surrender to the Master occurs when

the lover surrenders completely to Christ, to the Avatar, to the God-Man. He lives, not for himself, but for the Master. This is the highest type of lover. [12]

The notion of surrender may be disturbing to seekers who value their independence. However, when an aspirant realizes that true liberation is

surrenderance of the false and the inheritance of the Truth,

surrender becomes consistent with independence and real freedom of choice. « To be a disciple of a Perfect One never involves the surrender of the right to think and feel and act by oneself. It does not mean ceasing to be true to the inner voice of the Highest Self within. On the contrary, discipleship of a Perfect One facilitates the pursuit of that Higher Self »[13]

Understandably, Meher Baba invited his lovers to try to surrender to him :

If you seek to live perpetually, then crave for the death of your « deceptive self’ at the hands of « Complete Surrender » to me. This Yoga is the Essence of all yogas in one. To realize this Truth of Unchangeable, indivisible, All-pervading Existence, the simplest way is to surrender to Me completely ; so completely that you are not even conscious of your surrender.[14]

Completely surrender yourselves to me so that my wish becomes your law and my love sustains your being. He who succeeds, ultimately not only finds me, but becomes me and realises the aim of life.[15]

To his lovers, Baba suggested ways of practicing surrender :

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.[16] Be resigned completely to my Will and my Will will be yours.[17] If you do wrong, think Baba is doing wrong. If you get a pain, think it is Baba having a pain. If you do all this sincerely, you will know something and forget yourself and do all for Baba.[18]

There are three interrelated elements in the aspirant’s attempted surrender to Meher Baba. The first includes a resignation to everything as Baba’s will. Such resignation does not imply passivity or apathy—Baba usually encouraged enthusiastic energy in worldly duties. It means being able to leave the results of one’s best efforts to Baba, trying not to get ego-involved in success or failure. It also includes trust in Baba, a confidence that all events, positive or negative, can be helpful for spiritual growth :

I want you to remain undisturbed and unshaken by the force of life’s currents, for whatever the circumstances, they too will be of my own creation. If you endure your lot with patience and contentment, accepting it as His will, you are loving God. [19]

A second facet of the process of surrender involves making Baba the nucleus of one’s activities, creating a « provisional ego »—adopting the attitude of doing things for Baba, not for oneself. The objective is not to enhance the ego, but to give it up :

Seek me not to extricate you from your predicaments, but find me to surrender yourself wholeheartedly to my Will. Do not ask me to bless you with a good job, but desire to serve me more diligently and honestly without expectation of reward. Never beg of me to save your life or the lives of your dear ones, but beg of me to accept you and permit you to lay down your life for me. Never expect me to cure you of your bodily afflictions, but beseech me to cure you of your ignorance.[20]

A third aspect involves realizing the near impossibility of total and complete surrender to Baba while aspiring to surrender, starting to build the creative habit of resignation, fostering internal dependence on Baba as one’s real Self. Surrendering to the Avatar has always been a private, internal process. It need not be affected by Meher Baba’s physical passing.

Taken together, the trinity of love, obedience, and surrender forms a basic unity on the path of the God-Man :

One who loves, is the lover of the beloved. One who obeys is the beloved of the beloved. One who surrenders all—body, mind and all else—has no existence other than that of the beloved, who alone exists in him. Therefore greater than love is obedience, and greater than obedience is surrender. And yet, as words, all three can be summed up in one phrase—love-divine.[21]

DO NOT FORGET TO REMEMBER ME

If taking Baba’s name is useful in ordinary life, it is especially practical in emergency situations. Two incidents that illustrate the power of the Avatar’s name also provoked interesting reactions from Baba.

The first story concerns a fifty-five-year-old mother named Jagranidevi. She lived in northern India and was a devoted Baba lover. While collecting grass for her cattle one morning in May 1960, she was viciously attacked by a robber and immediately began crying out to Baba. Soon after, three cows appeared from nowhere and one began attacking the robber, the other two standing on either side of Jagranidevi as if to protect her. The battle continued until a bullock cart came along and the thief fled. Baba was told of her experience and commented, « God is omnipresent, and the one who calls out sincerely to Him never fails to be heard and receive His help. »

Another time, a young Baba lover was in a severe motorbike accident but repeated Baba’s name as he was flying through the air and miraculously escaped unhurt. The next afternoon he told Baba about what had happened, saying that Baba had saved him. But Baba replied, « Do not attribute the miracle to Me ; the miracle was of My Name. »

Ordinarily, the threat of death seems like the greatest emergency. However, Baba cautioned people not to fear leaving the physical body and also revealed the great significance of taking his name at the last moment of life : « I am God, 100% so ! There is nothing besides Me. Therefore think only of Me and constantly repeat My Name. »

« I say with my Divine Authority to each and all that whosoever takes my name at the time of breathing his last comes to me : so do not forget to remember me in your last moments. »

« If you just take my name at the moment of dropping your body, you will come to me. Yes, anyone. It’s not easy to take my name at the very moment of leaving the body. Then you individually experience infinite bliss... Even spiritual ecstasy cannot be compared with Divine Bliss. Remember this ! »

[modifier] Doorways To The Mastery Of Consciousness

Each moment with which man is confronted can either tighten the grip of the false or deliver him to the Truth.

-MEHER BABA, Life at Its Best

Love, obedience, surrender, remembrance — all in the midst of ordinary life : these are the oldest tenets of practical mysticism. As expounded by Meher Baba, they are the attitudes and practices that can accelerate the mastery of consciousness.

Is it possible to summarize Baba’s approach and still capture the mystical essence of its blend of elements ? Had I such wisdom, I would not hestitate to try. Lacking it, I can think of few persons more qualified to condense Meher Baba’s method than his mandali, that intimate circle of disciples totally committed to Baba for decades.

Several of the mandali living in India patiently responded in 1972 and 1975 to my questions about practical techniques. And they were kind enough to review several of the 1972 transcripts. Although I have taken liberties in editing their statements, their original words and meanings are preserved as carefully as possible.

ADVICE TO NEWCOMERS

When asked how persons just learning about Meher Baba should proceed, several mandali gave similar suggestions.

« They should read more about Baba. People who are approaching Baba intellectually should read about him. If they have a spontaneous love for Baba, then they can rely on their hearts. » [22]

« Go to his centers ; read his books. It depends on the ripeness and readiness of the sanskaras. Baba’s call is an inner call ; when the ground is ready, they will easily come toward Baba. » [23]

« Tell them to read his books. From the books they can find out something about Baba. In the beginning, reading will help, definitely. Then they come into contact with Baba people and they get to talk to them and know more about him. If they are ready, they will get some experience, not in an unusual or supernatural way, but some internal feeling about Baba. If the time is right for such persons, Baba will work with them. » [24]

If a new seeker is urged on by an inner response after becoming familiar with Meher Baba, what can he do next ?

« I would say that a person should make available for himself all the ways and means of reading about Baba — talking to persons who have had long contact with Baba, contemplating about Baba, meditating about Baba, talking about Baba, and trying to make Baba his constant companion... that of course would create love, evoke love for Baba within oneself. And then the understanding comes, after he has love for Baba. To understand is to get closer to him, nearer to him. » [25]

« Just tell that person to think about Baba. I do not mean formal meditation. Think of him more and more. Perhaps, in due course, if he is ready, then he will see something about Baba. » [26]

« Take Baba’s name all the time. Nothing more. He has read the books, so the only thing left is to take Baba’s name during all the times of one’s life... the feeling will come ; Baba will give the feeling. » [27]

« Just do nothing but remember Baba, constantly remember Baba... that would be taking one toward Baba. It is not necessary to go to any other saints or sadhus... Gradually Baba will call the person toward him. » [28]

Then there is the individual who might be interested enough to read Baba’s books and is attracted intellectually, but who gets no feeling or conviction about Baba’s path. What of him ?

« My advice to him is that he should completely forget about becoming a Baba lover or follower. He should try to lead his life and imbibe the feelings that he gets from Baba lovers he likes, and try to put them into practice into his own life. He should completely forget about loving Baba or believing in him. If he loves anybody, if Baba is Who he really is, then he’ll be loving Baba. » [29]

« That’s Baba’s job ; the time has to come. Someone is not convinced through what I say or you say, not through anything Baba has written. If, in spite of themselves, they have recognized Him as the One, it’s really a recognition. That part of it is Baba’s. He has to touch the heart ; then whatever I say or you say has meaning, but before that I could sit and talk to somebody through the night and it wouldn’t make a dent. » [30]

[modifier] In Tune With Meher Baba's Method

Once an aspirant is drawn to Baba and has a sincere desire to follow him, how should he pursue the Avataric path ?

In the early days we had no literature ; we had no books. His discourses and books came at a much later date. So the present generation is very lucky and fortunate to have these things to read, to try to understand. Then the simplest thing for ones who accept Baba as their God is to remember him and try to obey him and try to love him as God.

I don’t think it is good to renounce the world. Baba never asked anyone to leave his responsibilities. Baba always said to be in the world, to do your duty faithfully, honestly, and at the same time remember him and feel everything is being done for Baba... The simplest way to remember him is just to meditate on his name and to try to lead whatever life you lead honestly and sincerely, without shirking your responsibility.[31]

Another of Baba’s intimates, Meherjee Karkaria, who was instructed to live in the ordinary world, echoed this theme and added :

Do your duty. Work. At the same time keep Baba at the back of your mind. And never care for the results. Anything you handle, try your best, honestly, sincerely, putting in hard labor...

I feel that to love Baba is to carry out the message that he has left behind. For all these years he has been giving us discourses and everything. If we just keep up with a small part of it, that is loving him.[32]

The picture is enriched by those who lived with Baba and accompanied him on most of his journeys. Asked what Baba would say to « do, » Manija S. Irani answered :

What Baba says or would say for people, that’s written in books. And if there is such a thing as a method in loving God, then it is written about enough ; Baba has given it in words... When you really come down to it, Baba stresses only love, loving God... The only thing that made him happy was love ; but not that kind of love we interpret as love. Suppose you love Baba, and so you just sit and gaze at him adoringly. Well, this would not have pleased Baba. Therefore, Baba says obedience is higher than love, because obedience goes even beyond the joy of loving and the thought of self...

It doesn’t matter what you take up doing ; you are serving Baba. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling socks or whatever. You love Baba, and somehow that love reaches out through you, brushes onto another. Whatever you are working at, in your heart of hearts you know that you are with him. You’re thinking of Baba, you’re saying his name, you’re loving him... all the time you think of him, not in a forced way but in the natural sense... But you must remember the way Baba would want it done. It’s not what work you do, it’s how you do it that makes all the difference. And the difference is because you love Baba...

Meditating is remembering Baba every minute by doing what we know would please him.

You talk to Baba, and believe me, he always answers. That’s the one thing that makes Baba’s presence most felt. We talk to him just like we used to talk to him. He was silent then, and yet he answered ; now he’s more silent, but he answers more lively and unfailingly each time.[33]

Emerging from these statements is the spiritual paradox of simultaneous effort and resignation. Adi K. Irani expanded that theme :

Completely entrust yourself, read his books, discuss what he has said, argue about it, try to understand, contemplate, meditate. But remember one thing, these things will not give you spiritual position.

It is only your love, it is only your adherence, it is only your understanding, your conviction about him, and your service to him, that will give you a push forward.

All I have to do is submit myself and be the humblest man in the world and say, « Baba, the strings of my life are entirely in your hands, you guide me. Whatever you want me to do I shall do, for the rest of the things, you are responsible. »[34]

Your love can be evoked for him provided you learn to give yourself an opportunity to live in the proper conditions... Create the circumstances and the love comes, slowly and gradually.[35]

The technique of integrating remembrance of God with ordinary duties was illustrated by Bhau Kalchuri :

Baba has given you that meditation which can be put into action. For example, suppose you have a house. You know that this house does not belong to you ; it belongs to the Lord. Why do you take care of it and clean it ? Because it is given to you. It is the property of the Lord. And of course, the Lord is there.

So this is the practical thing he has given to us. Every action, every thing ; just think that it is for the Lord. It becomes so natural.[36]

[modifier] Implementing Meher Baba's Method

At a certain point on the Avataric path, the seeker’s tentative explorations turn into sureness :

« Conviction is something very solid. It is a balance between mind and heart. Whatever the heart feels, the mind backs up and whatever the mind thinks, the heart backs up... And that’s why I say that this conviction is nothing but God-realization in disguise. »[37]

The continuing task for the Baba lover can be expressed ever so directly, as through disciple Sarosh Irani :

« I will give you my own opinion. Baba’s method is very simple — love, obey, and surrender. That is my whole principle. I obey him to the best of my ability. I give my full surrender to him and accept him as my God. »[38]

The mystic path may be simple, but it is not simplistic. Those following the Avatar keep discovering deeper and deeper subtleties in overcoming the veil that separates them from experiencing their unity with God. In discussing the task for aspiring Baba lovers, Eruch Jessawala began to explain such subtleties :

« What Baba wanted was an unadulterated love or remembrance of him. To remember him is to love him, surely. It comes down to that. It brings us so close to him that there comes a point when your remembrances change into glorifying him. Then when you sit down or you’re just conversing, you are glorifying him. And that glorification is raised to such a pitch that words fail you. There you are, just lost in glorifying him ; you are lost and you find him. »[39]

At a certain stage, when the consciousness of God’s presence saturates one’s entire life, even « remembrance » takes on a subtle aspect. Adi Irani told of a man coming into his office and saying,

« Adi, every time I come in I see you doing work in your office. You are supposed to be remembering Baba, but I don’t see you remembering Baba. »

Adi replied, « You are perfectly right. Let me explain. I feel the work that I am doing is Baba’s. When I sleep he makes me sleep ; when I arise it is he who makes me arise. Baba is there in my work, in anything that I do. He is there all the time. I feel Baba in my heart all the time. Do you want me to extract Meher Baba from my heart and throw him at a distance and then start remembering him from there ? »[40]

As Eruch Jessawala observed,

« Our concept of remembering Baba is so topsy-turvy. Remembering him like ‘Baba, Baba, Baba,’ or meditating on him, or concentrating on him — that’s only the first stage. What helps you remember him continually and constantly is remembering yourself less. Ways and means to remember yourself less are equivalent to remembering him more. That’s the real definition... It is he who has lost himself in you. So the more you lose yourself in yourself, the more he shines in you. You see that ? »[41]

In a sense, the natural ability to heed Meher Baba’s invitation to « Keep me as your constant companion » is both a goal for the aspiring Baba lover and the ultimate technique for the advanced disciple. Orienting one’s entire life around God reduces the force of the ego, enabling one better to remember Him and to uncover that divine spark of love which motivates the soul to greater heights of consciousness.

But no matter how clearly the aspirant sees the goal, it always helps to be reminded of practical ways to outfox the ego. On a sun-filled morning atop the hill that overlooks Meherabad, Eruch Jessawala mused about three spiritual « secrets » for the serious seeker.

The first lesson one has to learn is not to hurt the feelings of anyone else. I recite this of Baba : « It’s my abode — if you hurt the heart, you hurt me there, because I am there. » First try to do that, Baba says, and the secret behind that secret is to efface yourself.

There are people in the world who want to find God... but He can never be found. It is foolish to try to find Him. Find One who is all-pervading ? Who is everywhere ? Who is everything ? How could you find that which is never lost ? So what is needed is not to find Him, but to lose yourself.

How will you lose yourself ? There’s no way to lose yourself. You start with trying to efface yourself, that means every little thing should be an act of humility, of love. If you remain natural, Baba says that will help you. Then, if one is really natural, automatically, one remains honest, one remains humble, one remains loving.

How can you really efface yourself ? Only with the grace of the Perfect Master. And how to win the grace of the Perfect Master is to please him... You can’t buy him, you can’t serve him, you can’t do anything like that. All that is needed is that he should be pleased. And Baba has given us a formula for how we can please him.

So the third secret is to please him. Baba says that there are three things that will please him : « Think of things that you will not hesitate to think in my presence ; speak words that you will not hesitate to speak in my presence, and do things that you will not hesitate to do in my presence. » In short, what he means is to keep his constant company, to feel that he is ever present — which is the fact, which is the reality.

If you can all the time keep his presence, and think, speak, and act as if you are in his presence, you are sure to be on the right path. You are sure to please him.[42]

Perhaps, through these informal conversations, Meher Baba’s close disciples have offered a summary of his method. They make clear that to follow the Avatar is to make certain efforts, to adopt certain perspectives, to nurture certain commitments. But the way of the Avatar lies equally in the Beloved’s response to the lover.

Asked about further advice after describing ways to get closer to Baba, Arnavaz Dadachanji replied,

« Yes, if you do this, there will be an unfoldment within you and Baba will do the rest, and you will know your way. It’s in his hands, not in your hands. »[43]

Several of Baba’s mandali reiterated this extremely important principle : God cannot be coerced. On the path of Meher Baba, the Avatar makes the final decisions. Although it seems that the aspirant makes choices (and he must try to do so), only Baba draws him at precisely the right time for his spiritual development, neither a second early nor a second late. In reality only God can help the aspirant to find himself. In reality the seeker is not different from God.

The humour of the divine love-game is that the One who is sought is Himself the seeker. It is the Sought who prompts the seeker to ask, « Where can I find Him whom I seek ? » The seeker asking, « Where is God ? » is really God saying, « Where indeed is the seeker ! »[44]

One of the most difficult realizations on the Avataric path is that all the focus on the Master, all his assistance in awakening consciousness, comes from an unquenchable source of love closer than one’s own breath. Meher Baba’s method is nothing other than a way to experience such a discovery :

The more you love me, the sooner you will discard the falsehood you have chosen to hide under that hoodwinks you into believing you are what you are not. I am in all and love all equally. Your love for me will wear through your falseness and make you realize the self that you truly are.[45]

[modifier] Spiritual Life-Styles: Standards Of Behaviour

More likely than not, spiritual tests will have some relationship to personal decisions and behavior in the world. And, more often than not, leaving Baba involves some form of disobedience. Disobedience creates a block between Master and disciple, reducing the latter's receptivity to inner guidance. But, to be practical, many situations present baffling alternatives, and the disciple finds it hard to interpret Baba's wishes. There is no magic formula or rule book for every personal trial, and a Baba lover must take personal responsibility for his choices. "He has just to apply an understanding about Baba through all the available sources — apply his own mind, his own intuition, his own feeling, and his own logic. If his love for Meher Baba is pure, as much as it should be, I don't think he'll go off the track at all." (1)

Spiritual discrimination becomes especially tricky for some Baba lovers because their ability to obey Baba varies with their maturity on the path. What standards of behavior does Baba expect from his lovers? How does one draw the line between inability to obey and disobedience, between forgiving oneself for natural spiritual weaknesses and rationalizing their expression?

For example, the standards of behavior and aspiration given in the « Discourses » are very high. These discourses were given to totally committed disciples; there was no reason for Baba to compromise his suggestions to them. Still, it would be rather miraculous if a brand-new aspirant could live up to such standards. When Baba suggests ways of living and standards of behavior, they are based on a matter of spiritual efficiency and point to the highest spiritual dangers related to dishonesty, sexual promiscuity, the nonmedical use of drugs, and the search after imperfect gurus. On the whole, however, Baba gave few inflexible "rules" about conduct. Rather, he stressed the motives behind actions, while explaining the spiritual effects of unenlightened behavior.

Although certain principles pertain to everyone for all time, Baba gave many instructions that were tailored to particular individuals or particular groups at certain times. For example, in the « Discourses » Baba explains why mental mastery of one's desires is the spiritually superior method of birth control. Yet Baba never converted this unequivocal fact into rigid dogma. Depending on the situation and spiritual capability of the couple, he sometimes advised the use of contraceptives.

As a Master, Meher Baba is both uncompromising and compassionately reasonable. Perhaps his instructions on general behavior can be summarized as follows: (a) Baba communicated the ideal standards and principles of living; (b) he also acknowledged the spiritual imperfections of aspirants and encouraged them to keep trying even though they continually failed; and (c) he asked his lovers to try their best, apply common sense, and remain sincerely responsive to their deepest intuition.

The aspirant has a considerable task. He must avoid excessive guilt over spiritual inadequacies, convert his failures into learning experiences, and strive to do better in the future. He must be prepared to accept the sufferings that come from selfish actions and yet have confidence in the ultimate success of his journey. On the other hand, he must guard against the careless expression of binding desires, especially when disobedience is rationalized. It is a trick of the ego when the seeker condones unspiritual behavior just because it gains social approval or on the ground that one is spiritually imperfect anyway. Another ruse of the ego is to take refuge in Baba's compassion and forgiveness without trying to grow in love and spiritual reliability. Developing adequate conscience and intuition on Baba's path while fighting off the claims of the limited ego is not simple. But then Baba never implied that his method is easy, just that it is worth every second of the time and energy it requires.

If ever the aspiring Baba lover gets wrapped up in intellectual torment over such issues, he can always try to surrender to Baba and go back to the basic priorities of the Avataric path:

"The Avatar has dropped the body. And how fortunate and blessed we are at this event. He has already told humanity what to do. First and foremost, he said, 'Love me.' And one who obeys him in this respect has nothing left to obey." (2)

But if the task of following the Avatar has become more difficult because of his physical absence, he may have left some compensation. Discussing the phenomenon of current lovers, his close disciple Eruch Jessawala remarked, "They feel His presence without seeing Him, and I can quite believe that, because I too feel that way. Although I miss Him, I feel His presence without seeing Him." (3)

(1) Adi K. Irani, recorded interview, May 1972

(2) Eruch Jessawala, recorded interview, May 1972

(3) Eruch Jessawala, quoted in Hopkinson and Hopkinson, « Much Silence », p.

45

[modifier] The Case Of Drugs

The attachment to illusory and limited experience has a contemporary symptom — the use of consciousness-altering chemical intoxicants. Needless to say, any psychoactive chemical that interferes with physical or mental functioning is no great boon to the spiritually inclined. Cultural experience has shown the inefficiency of using drugs to try to solve nonmedical problems.

Recourse to alcohol for drowning one's sorrows is the perverted form of solace. Solace afforded by things outside of you is synonymous with doping which gives a certain amount of relief or relaxation. Real and unalloyed solace is within you.(1) Any drug when used medically for diseases, under the direct supervision of a medical practitioner, is not impermissible and cannot be classed with individual usage of a drug for what one can get out of it — or hope to get out of it — whether thrills, forgetfulness, or a delusion of spiritual experience.(2)

This latter delusion is especially interesting because of the explosion of drug use for spiritual purposes during the 1960s. Mind-changing, or "psychedelic," substances have been used in other cultures to stimulate religious experiences, and many Westerners, already preconditioned to the drug ethic, saw them as shortcuts to enlightenment. Meher Baba acknowledged that a few sincere seekers had aroused their spiritual longing while using consciousness-altering chemicals. However, he was explicit about the limits of drug-induced spirituality.

All so-called spiritual experiences generated by taking "mind-changing" drugs such as LSD, mescaline and psilocybin are superficial and add enormously to one's addiction to the deceptions of illusion which is but the shadow of Reality.... The experience of a semblance of freedom that these drugs may temporarily give to one is in actuality a millstone round the aspirant's neck in his efforts towards emancipation from the rounds of birth and death.(3)

In personal conversation with a young American in 1967, Baba commented,

Many people in India smoke ganja [marijuana] and hashish — they see colors and forms and lights, and it makes them elated. But this elation is only temporary; it is a false experience. It gives only experiences of illusion and serves to take one farther away from reality. Indulgence in drugs is harmful physically, mentally and spiritually, and people should stop taking them. They bring more harm than good. Tell those ensnared in the drug-net of illusion to abstain.(4)

Aside from the obvious physical, mental, and psychic risks, mind-altering chemicals have a profound ability to confuse the seeker.* It is somewhat like a dreaming man taking a dream capsule and experiencing that he is truly awake. In actuality, he is more deeply asleep than ever, although his illusory experience of wakefulness seems similar to the actual awake state. In other written communications, Baba indicated that the highest of all drug experiences reflect only the shadows of the next higher plane of consciousness. Thus, all considered,

It is absolutely essential for a spiritual aspirant who genuinely longs for union with God — the Reality — to shun experiments with the effects of certain drugs.(5)

* Evidence grows about unusual psychic and "astral" symptoms fom the use of mind-altering chemicals. Apparently, drugs can play havoc with the astral or semi-subtle body, prematurely opening up certain psychic centers and increasing vulnerability to "obsession" or "possession" by disembodied entities (commonly called spirits), some pretending to be spiritual guides. These side effects are parallel with the similar dangers of mediumism, the use of ouija boards, unsupervised practice of kundalini-yoga, and various forced techniques for psychic development. (A collection of such findings is being prepared for publication. Write to Allan care of Harper & Row for details: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 10 East

53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10022.)

(1) Quoted in « The Answer: Conversations with Meher Baba », ed. Naosherwan Anzar (Bombay, 1972), p. 26

(2) Meher Baba, « God in a Pill? Meher Baba on L.S.D. and the High Roads » (San Francisco, 1966), p. 6

(3) Ibid., p. 2

(4) Conversation with Robert Dreyfuss, Fall 1967

(5) « God in a Pill? », pp. 5-6

[modifier] Psychic And Occult Experience

Many persons have normally occurring "psychic experiences" — various forms of extrasensory perception, clairvoyance, precognition, and so forth. Meher Baba explains that these various psychic talents and senses are authentic, but that they have no inherent spiritual value.

Psychic or not, certain "occult" or "mystical" experiences may be expected to occur to most seekers at some point in their development. And since any new element may help or hinder the spiritual emancipation of consciousness, the aspirant not only has to understand the value of such occult experiences as unusual and significant dreams, visions, glimpses of the subtle world and astral journeys, but also has to learn to distinguish such occult realities from hallucinations and delusions.(1)

Baba advises a balanced attitude toward occult experiences. On the one hand, he asks aspirants not to dismiss them as mere mental illness; on the other, he cautions them against the far more common attitude of exaggerating their importance, because the novelty and rarity of occult experiences are the factors which contribute to charging them with overwhelming importance. In fact, the ego of the aspirant tends to become attached to this new field revealed to him, and gives him the sense of being a rare person admitted to an exclusive privilege. The more experiences a person has the greater scope he desires. He also develops the habit of depending upon occult goading for each step on the Path, just as those who take drugs get addicted to them and require stimulation even for doing things which they could formerly do without such stimulation. (2) Getting enamored of such experiences is rawness [immaturity] on the Path.(3)

Exalted experiences that result from intense spiritual practice can also be immensely overvalued. For example, hard work in yogic meditation may bring about a stilling of the mind and attendant peace called "samadhi," an experience held in awe by many spiritual teachers, but which Baba likens to intoxication followed by a headache. If you have a brave heart and you patiently persist, then, in a few cases, the mind is temporarily stilled. Now this results in one of two things — one goes into a state of trance or one gets a sort of samadhi. (4) ... one feels at peace with everything and everyone, and finally finds his mind still; but as soon as this samadhi is over, he is again his own ordinary self. Most yogis, after these samadhi, feel the strain of illusion even more.(5)

(1) « Discourses », 2 :84 (2) Ibid., p. 87 (3) « The Awakener », Vol. 10, No. 1 (1964), p. 34 (4) Ibid, p. 5 (5) Quoted in Purdom, « The God-Man », p. 245

  1. ↑ DISCOURSES, 3 : 81.
  2. ↑ Ibid., 1 : 146 - 147.
  3. ↑ Ibid., p. 144.
  4. ↑ « The Answer : Conversations with Meher Baba », ed. Naosherwan Anzar (Bombay, 1972), p. 2.
  5. ↑ DISCOURSES, 1 : 145.
  6. ↑ Ibid., pp. 145, 149 - 150.
  7. ↑ Ibid., p. 155.
  8. ↑ Quoted in Hopkinson and Hopkinson, MUCH SILENCE, page 57
  9. ↑ MEHER BABA’S CALL, PP. 1, 4.
  10. ↑ The Awakener, vol. 4, no. 3 (1957), p.17.
  11. ↑ Quoted in Purdom, THE GOD-MAN, p. 344.
  12. ↑ Quoted ibid., p. 356.
  13. ↑ Quoted in Irani, FAMILY LETTERS, no. 53, p. 3.
  14. ↑ The Awakener, vol. 2, no. 3,
  15. ↑ Quoted in Irani, FAMILY LETTERS, no. 52, p. 2. (1955), p. 81.
  16. ↑ Quoted in Purdom, THE GOD-MAN, p. 392.
  17. ↑ Quoted ibid., p. 260.
  18. ↑ LISTEN, HUMANITY, p. 224.
  19. ↑ Ibid.
  20. ↑ Divya Vani, vol. 1, no. 8, (1966), p. 42.
  21. ↑ LISTEN, HUMANITY, p. 227.
  22. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Rano Gayley, transcribed interview, May 1972. One of the women mandali, Rano Gayley had been with Baba for over thirty years at the time of the interview. A talented American artist, she is the sole remaining Western mandali at Meherazad. (The Britisher Dr. William Donkin dropped his body soon after Baba did, and Francis Brabazon moved back to his native Australia.)
  23. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Ali Akbar Shapurzaman, transcribed interview, May 1972. « Aloba » is the name Baba gave him, another of the mandali. Of Persian Muslim extraction, Aloba first met Baba in 1926, was in direct contact with him for almost twenty years, and was then called to live permanently with Baba in 1952.
  24. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Arnavaz Dadachanji, transcribed interview, October 1975. Arnavaz Dadachanji and her husband Nariman have been devoted Baba lovers for decades. They were assigned a worldly life by Baba, and Nariman became a successful industrialist and chemical engineer in Bombay. However, Baba drew them back to stay at Meherazad. Nariman dropped his body in 1974.
  25. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Adi K. Irani, Sr., transcribed interview, May 1972. A companion of Baba’s for over forty-five years, Adi K. Irani is well known to Western Baba lovers as Baba’s secretary-disciple and eloquent interpreter, having been responsible for much of the written communication between Baba and his lovers. This intimate mandali has his office and residence in Ahmednagar.
  26. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Arnavaz Dadachanji, October 1975.
  27. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Nariman Dadachanji, May 1972.
  28. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Ali Akbar Shapurzaman, May 1972.
  29. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Eruch Jessawala, transcribed interview, May 1972. Eruch Jessawala lived and journeyed with Meher Baba for decades. Increasingly, he was assigned as Baba’s personal attendant and the primary interpreter of Baba’s gestures. Baba called him « my right hand. » Although Mr. Jessawala requested extensive editing or paraphrasing of his transcribed comments, most of his words are preserved relatively intact.
  30. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Manija Sheriar Irani, transcribed interview, May 1972. « Mani » is the younger sister of Merwan Irani (Baba). She was devoted to her elder brother as her Master while still a girl and was with Baba constantly at his ashrams as an intimate mandali as well as a major communication link to Western Baba lovers.
  31. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : K. S. Sarosh Irani, transcribed interview, May 1972. Sarosh Irani left his physical body eight months after this interview. He was with Baba for forty-five years, having been instructed to live the worldly life in nearby Ahmednagar. A beloved husband and father, he was deeply respected by the townspeople, who elected him mayor and supported several of his successful businesses. The Indian army appointed him an honorary lieutenant colonel. His dedication to Baba was total.
  32. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Meherjee Karkaria, transcribed interview, May 1972. Meherjee Karkaria first met Baba in 1927 and has been under Baba’s direction and instructions for decades. A family man who spent many years in Iran, he followed Baba’s orders to pursue business and eventually built a very successful manufacturing concern in Poona. Baba often called for him, and he has long been considered one of the close mandali.
  33. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Manija Irani, May 1972
  34. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Adi K. Irani, transcribed interview, October 1975
  35. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Ibid.
  36. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Bhau Kalchuri, transcribed interview, October 1975. Bhau is one of the youngest of the male mandali. Besides being a faithful companion of Baba’s for many years, Bhau was instructed by Baba to write a titanic biography constructed entirely in Hindi verse.
  37. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Adi K. Irani, May 1975.
  38. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Sarosh Irani, May 1972.
  39. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Eruch Jessawala, May 1972.
  40. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Adi K. Irani, October 1975.
  41. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Eruch Jessawala, October 1975.
  42. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Ibid.
  43. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Arnavaz Dadachanji, October 1975.
  44. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : The Everything And The Nothing, p. 19, Published by Sheriar, Used by permission.
  45. ↑ Footnotes from 1977 : Ibid., p. 50, Published by Sheriar, Used by permission.

Compiled and edited by Allan Y. Cohen. Published by Harper Colophon Books, Harper & Row, Publishers. © 1977 by Ira G. Deitrick. © 1977 by Adi K. Irani for selected quotations from Meher Baba.

Récupérée de « http://www.simplesilence.org/wiki/Mastery_of_Consciousness »
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