Meher Baba
Meher Baba was an Indian mystic who publicly declared in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age. Although he maintained silence for most of his life, his teachings spread worldwide, notably through his extensive travels and publications.
Sourced
- I tell you all, with my Divine Authority, that you and I are not “WE,” but “ONE.”
- Don't worry, be happy.
- Lord Meher, by Bhau Kalchuri, pp. 2724, 5770, 5970, 6742. The famous Bobby McFerrin song was based on this phrase often used in correspondence by Meher Baba.
- To love God in the most practical way is to love our fellow beings. If we feel for others in the same way as we feel for our own dear ones, we love God.
- How to Love God, by Meher Baba.
- Whether men soar to outer space or dive to the bottom of the deepest ocean they will find themselves as they are, unchanged, because they will not have forgotten themselves nor remembered to exercise the charity of forgiveness.
- The Everything and The Nothing, by Meher Baba, p. 110.
- To penetrate into the essence of all being and significance and to release the fragrance of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing, in the world of forms, truth, love, purity and beauty—this is the sole game which has intrinsic and absolute worth. All other happenings, incidents and attainments in themselves can have no lasting importance.
- Discourses, 6th Edition, Volume II, p. 113
- Live more and more in the Present, which is ever beautiful and stretches away beyond the limits of the past and the future.
- Lord Meher, by Bhau Kalchuri, p. 5809
- These false answers — such as, I am stone, I am bird, I am animal, I am man, I am woman, I am great, I am small — are, in turn, received, tested and discarded until the Question arrives at the right and Final Answer, I AM GOD.
- The Everything and The Nothing, by Meher Baba, p. 78.
- It is better to deny God, than to defy God.
- The Silent Master, by Irwin Luck, p. 15
Avatarhood
- I am the Avatar of this Age!
- Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation, Inc. 1986, by Bhau Kalchuri, p. 6018
- There are always 56 God-realised souls. Now, out of these 56, five are sent out into the world. But in every Avataric period these five become one, thus demonstrating the cycle when the Avatar appears in form. Therefore, the Avatar exists in the heart of these five as one.
- 28 September 1938, Meherabad, LM7 p2324
- Of the 56 God-realised souls on earth, the five Perfect Masters are the most important. And the one who is the highest of all is the Avatar, myself. I come every 700 to 1400 years, and it is undoubtably a very rare and lucky thing for each of you to have the opportunity of loving me individually, since even the Sadgurus long to touch the Avatar physically. When the world is in the grip of pain, misery, suffering and chaos, I manifest myself. Spirituality then reaches its pinnacle, and materialism is at its lowest level. Then again, with the passing of time, spirituality diminishes and materialism increases. From the beginning of time this game has been going on, and it will go on for an eternity.
- 3 June 1927, Meherabad, LM3 p944
- I am the last Avatar in this present cycle of twenty-four, and therefore the greatest and most powerful. I have the attributes of five. I am as pure as Zoroaster, as truthful as Ram, as mischievous as Krishna, as gentle as Jesus, and as fiery as Muhammad.
- To his women Mandali, December 1942, Meherabad, GO p72
- Being the Avatar, I have come to awaken mankind, and would like the entire world to come to me. Real saints are dearest and nearest to my heart. Perfect Ones and lovers of God adorn the world, and will ever do so. The physical presence of the Perfect Masters throughout eternity is not necessarily confined to any particular or special part of the globe. My salutations to all - the past, present and future Perfect Masters, real saints - known and unknown - lovers of God, and to all other beings, in all of whom I reside, whether consciously felt by them or not.
- 20 July 1957, India, LC p77
- The Avatar appears in different forms, under different names, at different times, in different parts of the world. As his appearance always coincides with the spiritual birth of man, so the period immediately preceding his manifestation is always one in which humanity suffers from the pangs of the approaching birth.
- 1938, India, MJ 1:1 p4-7
- You know that you are a human being, and I know that I am the Avatar. It is my whole life!
- To Paul Brunton in 1930, Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, The Biography of the Avatar of the Age, Meher Baba, Manifestation, Inc. 1986, by Bhau Kalchuri, p. 1349
- 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.
- The God-Man: The life, journeys and work of Meher Baba with an interpretation of his silence and spiritual teaching, C.B. Purdom, 1964 p. 171
- For example, you are a man. Is it necessary for you to tell others that you are a man? No. But if you are living among donkeys, you would vehemently declare that you are a man. In the same way, I am God, but I have not to speak of it, because it is quite natural. Yet sometimes, I have to declare it.
- Lord Meher, by Bhau Kalchuri, Volume 16, p. 5729
- Know you all that if I am the Highest of the High my role demands that I strip you of your possessions and wants, consume all your desires and make you desireless rather than satisfy your desires. Sadhus, saints, yogis and walis can give you what you want; but I take away your wants and free you from attachments and liberate you from the bondage of ignorance. I am the one to take, not the one to give, what you want as you want.
God-realization
- The easiest and shortest way to God-realization is through the contact of a Sadguru, which means keeping the company or sahavas of such a Master, obeying him and serving him. This remedy is like a special express train which carries you straight to your destination.
- 31 May 1926, Meherabad, LM3 p806
- True knowledge is that knowledge which makes man after self-realization or union with God assert that his real Self is in everything and everybody.
- Meher Baba Journal, June 1941:480
- 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.
- December 1936, Nasik, LA p157
- The happiness of God-realization is self-sustained, eternally fresh and unfailing, boundless and indescribable. And it is for this happiness that the world has sprung into existence.
- 1955, GS p139
- God is eternally free. To realize God is to attain liberation from the bondage of illusion.
- 1954, Andhra, MD p8
- It is never presumptuous for anyone to hope for realization. It is the goal of creation and the birthright of humanity. Blessed are they who are prepared to assert that right in this very life.
- 1936, India, to Garrett Fort, Tr p194, also A p26
- There is no greater romance in life than this adventure in realization.
- 1 June 1932,Beverly Hills, California, Me p100-101
Silence
- Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence. Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence.
- 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.
Drugs
- If God can be found through the medium of any drug, God is not worthy of being God.
- Love Alone Prevails, page 638, by Kitty Davy
- Tell those who indulge in these drugs (LSD, marijuana, and other types) that it is harmful physically, mentally and spiritually, and that they should stop the taking of these drugs. Your duty is to tell them, regardless of whether they accept what you say, or if they ridicule or humiliate you, to boldly and bravely face these things.
- To Robert Dreyfuss in 1964. Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 6403
- You are to bring my message to those ensnared in the drug-net of illusion that they should abstain, that the drugs will bring more harm than good. I send my love to them.
- To Robert Dreyfuss in 1964. Meher Prabhu: Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Manifestation, Inc. 1986. p. 6403
Miscellaneous
- Happiest is he who expects no happiness from others. Love delights and glorifies in giving, not receiving. So learn to love and give, and not to expect anything from others.
- Meher 7:2457
- One of the most difficult things to learn is to render service without bossing, without making a fuss about it, and without any consciousness of high and low. In the world of spirituality, humility counts at least as much as utility.
- Discourses (1987), p. 364
- Remember that the first step in spirituality is not to speak ill of others. All human beings have weaknesses and faults. Yet they are all God in their being. Until they become Realized, they have their imperfections. Therefore, before trying to find faults in others and speaking ill of them, try to find your own weaknesses and correct those.
- Meher 7:2506
- To gulp down anger is the most courageous act one can perform. One who does it becomes humble.
- Meher 5:1857