BABA
SAYS
108
Sayings of Meher Baba
Selected by Kendra Crossen Burroughs
[1]
“The
universe is the outcome of
imagination. Then why try to acquire knowledge of the imaginative
universe
instead of plumbing the depths of your real Self?”
[Meher Baba Journal, June 1941]
[2]
“Merely
to say ‘I want to see God’ or ‘I want to
realize God’ is similar to an ant
saying ‘I want to become an elephant!’ Mere words
have nothing in them. The
heart must thirst to seek God.”
[Lord
Meher 11:4097]
[3]
“Just
a glance from me can give
you all you need — can turn your vision inward. You will be
sitting here
without any outward change, but you will become `what you really
are.´ You have
to wait for that moment. That moment is near, and for that you have to
love me
wholeheartedly, otherwise you will miss it. If I knock at your door and
you are
asleep, I will go away. In Avataric periods, one does not necessarily
have to
make the inward journey by stages. If you have the Grace of the Avatar,
He just
takes you from where you are to where you should be, where God wants
you to be.
[Quoted in
Dr. H. P.
Bharucha, Meher
Baba's Last Sahavas
(1969)]
[4]
"My
work is different. It is
not my work to travel continuously and hold darshan programs simply to
allow
people to bow down at my feet. It is not my work to give long
discourses, to
perform miracles, or to attract crowds to me. I do not come for this. I
come
for all; I come to awaken all!”
[Lord Meher 20:6648]
[5]
“Anything
beyond your capacity will
necessarily change your capacity, because so long as everything is
within your
limits, you don't know what is beyond them. And everything concerning
God and
God-realisation is beyond limit. So in this way great suffering and
being
plagued with terrible problems are beneficial.”
[Told to the mayor of
Karachi,
Jamshed Mehta, 1931. Lord Meher 4:
1374]
[6]
Someone
asked, "Why is there
suffering?" Baba gave this succinct reply: "Suffering is essential
for the elimination of the ego, just as it was necessary for you to
scrub and
scrub in order to wash the stain from my coat."
[Lord Meher 6: 2155]
[7]
“Remain in a good mood and be cheerful,
despite your reeling
brain.”
[Lord Meher 4: 1330]
[8]
“We can never have any vigorous world
culture by merely piling together
certain isolated elements, selected from the present diversity of
culture; that
way, we shall only succeed in getting a patchwork of little vitality. A
hodge-podge of collected ideas can never be a substitute for a direct
and fresh
perception of the Goal. The new world-culture will have to emerge from
an
integral vision of the Truth independent of existing traditions and not
from
the laborious process of selection and compilation of conserved
values.”
[“The Need for
Creative Leadership
in India,” message of 1942]
[9]
“Distance between a drop here
and a drop there in the ocean makes no difference to each drop's
relation to
the ocean.”
[10]
During
the war Calcutta was
threatened by the Japanese and Karachi by the Germans. Baba received
letters
from His lovers in both Calcutta and Karachi, asking if they should
leave their
homes and move elsewhere. Baba told them to stay where they were. Later
He said
to us, “If there is a fire in the East, people will run to
the West, and if
there is a fire in the North, people will run to the South. But if
there is
fire all around, where will people go?” Baba is with us
wherever we are, and
whatever is to happen will happen, no matter where we are.
[Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift
of God,
p. 63]
[11]
“What is the
meaning of God-Realization? It means to become one with
God. By thinking and imagining, one can never become one with God.
Union is
possible only after the death of thoughts and imagination —
the mind must die.
“How does a
person know that he has realized God? It
is automatic. You are a human being. Do you ever think to yourself, `Am I a human
being?´ You do not ask yourself
this because you are a human being. In
the same way, once a man realizes God, he spontaneously knows that he
is God.
He has the full experience of it by personal experience.”
[Lord
Meher 4: 1191]
[12]
“In order to appreciate truth, approach
it through itself,
without any game of hide and seek.”
[Beloved Baba, November 1994]
[13]
“Petty
and lofty, all are nothing, so why give importance to the lofty? ...
never try
to escape, because you cannot escape petty things — because
everything except
God is petty.”
[Quoted in Ivy
O. Duce, How
a Master Works]
[14]
"There
are many who have not seen me
but who are very close to me."
[Lord
Meher 15:
5122]
[15]
“I
want
every lover of mine to repeat my name with every breath. The repetition
should
be continuous and such that even in sound sleep it should continue like
your
breathing. Then there is some possibility of experiencing a glimpse of
me.
Never worry about thoughts while repeating my name. Do not check them,
because
when you repeat my name, the thoughts will not create binding for
you—good or
bad.”
Baba repeated the simile of
one's mind being inside a mosquito net and the mosquitoes (thoughts)
buzzing
outside. Then he stated:
“In the same way, let
thoughts ‘buzz’ in the mind and be within Baba's
‘net’ of nam-jap.
Repeat my name so continuously that if and when you lose
consciousness of your body, the repetition will be there because I then
become
you. You lose yourself completely in me. If you cannot do that, just a
moment
before dying take my name. Even then you will come to me. But how will
you
remember at the last moment unless you start remembering from now
on!”
[Lord Meher 13: 4818-19]
[16]
The
scriptures are like rotten bones rotted and are as food for worms.
Theosophy
and philosophy are like good bones rotted and are as food for vultures.
The
writings of inspired poets are like fresh bones and are as food for
dogs.
The
writings of spiritually advanced saints are like flesh and are as food
for
tigers.
The
writings by living Perfect Masters are
like brain and are as food for men!
Good
bones when rotted have some semblance of bone, but rotten bones when
rotted are
like filth.
So,
you may go through the scriptures superficially — only to
drive away the
barking dogs when necessary; for instance, when you are called upon to
answer
the queries of the priests and the orthodox.
[Lord
Meher 15:
5267]
[17]
With me, no one can live what the world
considers a moral life. Here, we are concerned with spirituality, not
morals. A
spiritual life is not ruled nor bound by any principles. The sanskaras
of each
one are different, and so the behavior and temperament of everyone are
different.
In a virtuous life, evil is
suppressed and good surfaces; but the evil is still there. The bad
sanskaras
remain and have to be worked out, if not in this life then in the next
or the
one after. In the spiritual life, both good and bad sanskaras express
themselves, and both get nullified.
A spiritual life leads one
toward naturalness, whereas a virtuous life, in the guise of humility,
inflates
the ego and perpetuates it! A spiritual life, though, is only led under
the
guidance and orders of the Avatar or Perfect Master, who knows the
pulse of
everyone and treats everyone according to his particular malady.
You do not like Aloba's
behavior, but his behavior was quite natural and necessary for him. How
can you
understand that?
People of the world act
according to moral standards and socially acceptable behavior, but the
Avatar
or Perfect Master deals with everyone according to his or her
sanskaras. Thus
spiritual life is totally different and cannot be judged on the basis
of morality,
ethics or any principle.
[Lord Meher 13: 4591]
[18]
"He
whom I love most will always be a wreck financially, as thereby he
automatically
gets clean. He gets so clean that, with my nazar
[glance], his ego goes and Baba comes!"
[Lord Meher 13: 4532]
[19]
One
day
in 1959, Meher Baba said to me, "There are two kinds of knowledge;
knowledge gained through intelligence (using the mind) and hidden
knowledge
(not using the mind)."
Baba then explained further: "A
four-year-old child has to be shown a picture of a table and chair with
the
word written under the illustration. It is only then that the child can
name
the objects correctly.
"On the other hand, an illiterate
man knows all about tables and chairs, but does not know how to read
and write
the words."
[Eruch Jessawala , The Ancient One, p. 129]
[20]
"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."
[Quoted in
Kitty Davy, Love
Alone Prevails,
pp. 713-714]
[21]
“People
must give and then receive.
First give and then you will have all. But instead, people want to
first have
all and then think of giving. This is not the right way.”
[Lord Meher 6:2207]
[22]
“Nowadays even lust is taken for love.
The subtle difference is missed.
There is a very subtle difference between love and lust, but it is
quite clear.
They are two different things. You love rice and curry; this is lust.
You love
a cigar; lust again. You love curry and eat it, but do not give
anything by the
act. You finish the beloved!”
[Lord Meher 6:2092]
[23]
“As good is necessary, likewise bad is
also necessary — just as
positive and negative. Both are essential for action and evolution. If
only
good were to prevail everywhere, life would end! Both good and bad done
to the
extreme would lead to Self-Realization; for instance, absolute evil
with no
trace of good, or absolute good with no trace of bad at all —
both are equally
conducive to the attainment of the goal of Self-Realization.
“If
this is so, naturally it can be asked,
‘Why is good preferable to bad?’ Both good and bad
are zero, being nonexistent
for those who are God-Realized. Both are terms of duality. But the
Masters and
Avatars give preference and advocate good over bad. This is only
because good
is really, spiritually speaking, easy for reaching the goal; though
apparently,
materially speaking, it is the reverse.
“For
example, bad is apparently easy — difficult, really! But the
underlying
principle in life being spiritual progress — true existence
— comes against the
material progress, which is only apparent and not real. Thus, the
Masters
advocate good, being truly easy for mankind, as the better course to
follow for
true progress in the march of life to the goal of
Realization.”
[Lord Meher 6:2004]
[24]
“Everyone,
no matter how depraved,
can gradually become better and better until he becomes the best
example for
all mankind. There is always hope for everyone; none is utterly lost,
and none
need despair. It remains true, however, that the way to divinity lies
through
the renunciation of evil in favor of good.”
[Discourses (1987), p. 63]
[25]
“The apparent is
not real. Under many of
life’s complicated problems are hidden some of the simplest
truths which the
veil of ignorance obscures from human vision.”
[Lord
Meher 6:2236]
[26]
“...devotees must always lean on Baba,
not on each other. This does not
mean you should not talk to one another, love one another, pass
impressions to
each other, be together or share experiences — but you must
not lean. You must
love, serve and help one another and make each other love me more.
Love, don’t
lean.”
[Lord Meher 7:2300]
[27]
“If you think I know everything, there
is no need to express any want.
If you think I know nothing, no amount of pleading for any ambition is
of
avail.”
[Lord Meher 7:2312]
[28]
“The rain falls on both rocks and the
soil. But the water flows away
down the rock, while the earth soaks it up. The rock does not derive
any
benefit from the rain, while the soil does. Although the rain falls
equally on
both, only the soil takes advantage of it. Similarly, my mercy and
grace are on
all. But only those on the plain deserve it, while those who go about
as if
they are on top of a high mountain do not benefit by it!”
[Lord
Meher
7:2356]
[29]
“Long for what is real. You will then
have no time for worrying over
what may never happen.”
[Lord Meher 7:2366]
[30]
“No ordinary man can tell whether one
man is a mast and another man is
mad without the divine authority of a
Perfect Master. However, the unmistakable quality that masts possess is their
ability to make one happy in their company; whereas in the company of a
mad
person one feels depression and sadness.
[Lord Meher 7:2435]
[31]
“Life is a series of experiences which
need innumerable forms. Death is
an interval in that one long life.”
[Lord Meher 7:2452]
[32]
“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.”
[Lord Meher 7:2457]
[33]
“You can keep only one Beloved in your
hearts, although you can and may
keep many in your mind. So [pointing to himself], keep this one Beloved
in your
hearts and find me in every other heart! You cannot hate this one or
that one
if you try to see me in every heart. Then automatically unity and
harmony will
be established.”
[Lord Meher 7: 2216]
[34]
“To take birth means to suffer. When
suffering leads to real eternal
happiness, we should not attach importance to this suffering. It is to eliminate suffering that suffering has
to be. Most of this suffering is unnecessary and self-inflicted.
Ninety-nine
percent of the world’s suffering is self-inflicted. Yet they
ask, ‘Why must we
suffer?’ Great suffering means great liberation.”
[Lord Meher 7:2317]
[35]
“Let not the dirt of the sanskaras of
your thoughts and deeds touch
you, by surrendering every thought and act at the feet of your Guru. As
a
laundryman washes and cleans clothes, in the same way, I remove all the
dirt
which has stuck to you through your thoughts and actions.”
[Lord Meher 7:2357]
[36]
“Of the three most important things to
be eliminated before attaining
God-Realization—greed, lust, and
backbiting—backbiting is the worst and most
disastrous. One can overcome greed and even lust, though both are very
hard to
get rid of; but by far the worst and most difficult habit of all to
eliminate
is that of speaking ill of and trying to find fault in others.
“And
why must it be eliminated? Because this particular act or vice incurs
the
burden of sins or sanskaras of others, which is spiritually very
derogatory and
reactionary.”
[Lord Meher 7:2359]
[37]
“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.”
[Lord Meher 7:2506]
[38]
“Those who die thinking of me come to
me. They are liberated from the
chain of birth and death and see me perpetually. It is because you
cannot see
that you feel the separation. If you feel sorry, feel not for the dead,
for they
have come to me, but for the living who are in precarious
conditions.”
[Lord Meher 7:2409]
[39]
“If you cannot love, at least have the
courage to give in.”
[Lord Meher 7:2438]
[40]
[In 1937] Shireen said, “Merwan, now you
are worshiped as God on earth.
Since I am your mother, I should also be respected; and I tell you now
that
there is only one thing left I want in this world—you must
get married!”
Baba
silently laughed and then dictated in reply, “What you say is
perfectly true,
mother. You are on the same level with Mary, the mother of Jesus, with
Yashoda,
the mother of Krishna. You must be respected and you too will one day
be
worshiped, as it was through your womb that God has taken birth.
“As
your son, I would never disobey you. Of course, I respect your wishes.
However,
in order to get married, there must be a man and a woman. What am I to
do? God
has put me into such a state that I do not find anyone else in the
world but
me! I experience myself to be in all.
“When
a man goes to a cinema and watches a movie of a beautiful actress on
the
screen, can he marry her? No, because she is only a two-dimensional
image on
the screen. Likewise, I see you all on the screen of maya. How then can
I get
married? ”
Shireen
was sincere in her wish, and Baba’s reply made her weep. She
had nothing else
to say to counter his point.
[Lord
Meher 7:2110-11]
[41]
Answering
the question of the
mandali as to why they always had to suffer through the hardship of
water
scarcity, Baba humorously remarked: “Mohammed’s
greatness was not in Ka’aba but
in Karbala, and this is my Karbala. “ Ka’aba in
Mecca, Arabia, is the sacred
sanctuary where the Prophet Mohammed manifested himself and his
mission,
whereas Karbala in North Arabia is known in history as the place of
martyrdom.
Karbala is not only dry and barren but typifies desolation and
destruction.
Baba’s reference to Karbala’s true greatness
conveyed that the greatness of the
Master is not in manifestation but in suffering in the cause of
humanity.
[Meher Baba Journal, December 1938: 62]
[42]
“Spirit communication is the experience
of the semi-subtle by the
physical senses in the conscious state. It is not a sign of advancement
on the
divine path and has nothing to do with its goal.”
[Meher Baba Journal, July 1942: 479]
[43]
“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]
[44]
“There are many who are on the way, many
who have experience, many who
are yogis, but few who are Perfect.... Never speak ill of saints. They
are the
sign of truth and help to the world. My salutations to all those who
love God,
who are saints, yogis, bhaktas, and my namaskar to Sadgurus. All these
are me
in different forms.”
[Letter
to Ramjoo Abdulla, The Wayfarers, p. 19]
[45]
“To end all starvation of body, mind,
and heart once and for all is the
birthright of every human being. To think and to make others think
about humanity
as divided into the ‘Helpers’ and the
‘Helpless’ is to deny the birthright for
the ‘Helpless’ and to make its enjoyment all the
more difficult for the
‘Helpers.’”
[Glow International, November 1988]
[46]
“The heart of the Perfect One is at once
soft like butter and hard like
steel.”
[Discourses (1987): 80-81]
[47]
“The entire fabric of the universe
serves but one purpose…: the
realization of God.”
[Beams: 17]
[48]
“There is no higher or lower goal. There
is only one goal, Self-Realization.”
[The Answer: 26]
[49]
“[Spiritual] organizations are like the
foam which brings unwanted
things up to the surface of the sea, letting the real substance lie
beneath,
submerged in the depths.”
[March
1938. Lord
Meher 7:2270]
[50]
“As a single object seems to multiply
itself to him who is drunk to
excess, so Unity appears as plurality to those who are intoxicated with
the
wine of egoism.”
[Meher Baba Journal, March 1940:307]
[51]
“When man becomes God, a lineage is
there, but when God becomes man
there is no lineage. As for me, I have to come back again and again.
There is
pleasure in it and a kind of imprisonment, too.”
[Glow International, August 1986:3]
[52]
“Animal
life, from which human
consciousness emerges, is mostly determined by animal lust, animal
greed, and
animal anger — though some animals do at times develop the
good qualities of
self-sacrifice, love, and patience. If all the accumulated animal
sanskaras had
been bad and none good, the appearance of good tendencies in human
consciousness would have been impossible.”
[Discourses,
p. 62]
[53]
“Unless
a snake is killed by a
human being, it remains always a snake. Never leave a snake wounded, as
it
takes so long to die. Once wounded, a snake will always remain near you
to be
killed outright.... In evolution, the snake form is like an entangled
rope
which you cannot undo or unwind. However, if it is killed by a human
being, the
knot untangles itself and the soul is free to continue on its way
through evolution.”
[Lord Meher 7:2269]
[54]
“The objective of spiritual advancement
is not so much ‘works’ but the
quality of life free from ego-consciousness.”
[Discourses
(1987),
pp. 253-54]
[55]
“The way to increase knowledge is to put
into practice that bit of
spiritual wisdom a person may already happen to have.”
[Discourses (1987), pp. 261-62]
[56]
“In the spiritual life it is not
necessary to have a complete map of
the path in order to begin traveling. On the contrary, having such
complete
knowledge may actually hinder rather than help the onward march. The
deeper
secrets of spiritual life are unraveled to those who take risks and who
make
bold experiments with it. They are not meant for the idler who seeks
guarantees
at every step. Those who speculate from the shore about the ocean shall
know
only its surface, but those who would know the depths of the ocean must
be
willing to plunge into it.”
[Discourses (1987), p. 263]
[57]
"Remember
this much: the whole
world is nothing but a zero, and everything connected with it is
without sum
and substance. Mind is the universe, Mind is the man, the woman, the
beast."
[Lord Meher 5:1844]
[58]
"To
gulp down anger is the
most courageous act one can perform. One who does it becomes humble."
[Lord Meher 5:1857]
[59]
“When the Creator, whoever or whatever
He may be, created creation,
there were no temples, no mosques, no churches, no synagogues, no
telling of
beads, no prattle of priests, no chanting of hymns, no offering of
bribes at
altars. When rituals came into existence, God gradually began to fade
out of
it.”
[Beloved Baba (Secunderabad),
November 1994]
[60]
“Sadgurus and Masters never reveal their
way of working. If they do so,
it entails more work for them. The Sufis say: ‘One who has
found the Truth
hides it eternally.’ And it is absolutely so. This means that
one who is
God-Realized never reveals the truth in ordinary words.”
[Lord Meher 7:2617]
[61]
Irene Billo’s father had died at the end
of October [1940]. Discussing
his death, Baba informed her: “You should be happy. Your
father was very lucky.
He died like Vivekananda, without suffering. He is free. All relations
of those
who are with me, whether they know me or not, or even if they do not
believe in
me, get salvation. Krishna has said, “`Seventy-two
generations of such lucky
ones get liberation — mukti.´”
[Lord Meher 7:2643]
[62]
"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.
"You
should really feel and consider yourself as the happiest and most
fortunate
among men that you have renounced the illusion and surrendered to a
Perfect
Master. You should now feel free from worries and quite at ease, like
one who
has his burden lifted off his head and feels light.
"The
great mistake you make is that you lift the burden from your head, but
instead
of placing it on the head of the One who willingly accepts it with all
responsibility, you keep it hanging over you in the air, hesitating to
give it
lest you lose something valuable!
Thus you neither bear the burden nor allow it to rest on the head of
the One
who wants it to be transferred — namely Baba. You keep it
hanging between the two,
and place both under suspense, thereby aggravating your suffering.
Either keep
it yourself or give it up entirely."
[To
the mandali, 1939. Lord Meher 7:2457]
[63]
“To him who suffers in my darbar
[court] without complaint, I will give the greatest benefit.”
[Lord Meher 8:2843]
[64]
“The Master is absolutely necessary for
anyone to arrive at
self-knowledge, but the true significance of the help given by the
Master
consists in the fact that he enables others to come into the full
possession of
their own latent possibilities.”
[Lord Meher 8:2849]
[65]
“When nothing upsets you, you are at the
beginning of the path. When
you desire nothing, you are halfway on the path; when nothing becomes
everything, you are perfected.”
[Lord Meher 8: 2860]
[66]
“Let
love annihilate your lower
self and reveal My Infinite Self.
Let
your ears become deaf to
delusion to enable you to hear My silent message of Divine Love.
Let
your eyes become blind to
illusion to receive Me as I am.
Let
your heart open to receive Me
in full.”
[message of 25
December 1953 at Kakinada, A.P., printed in Sound
of Silence, ed. Dr. T. P. Gandhi]
[67]
“Although occasionally a means may be
found to eliminate some one worry
in life, the final solution to recurring problems remains to be found.
Suppose,
for example, that a man is extremely miserable because others in his
office
seem to be given better treatment than he. Then suppose that he is
suddenly
relieved of all his worries by inducing in himself a studied
indifference to
his surroundings. This may give him a temporary feeling of release from
his
problems, but since his troubles are really caused by lack of
understanding of
himself and environment, his cultivated indifference really leaves the
situation completely unchanged. Sooner or later, when his forced
indifference
cracks and he again becomes emotionally involved, his old worries
return to
disturb him as before. His attitude of detachment fails to effect a
permanent
change in his consciousness because it is not based upon the truth that
there
is but one infinite Self which is the Self of all.”
[The
Secret of Sleep, pp. 22-23]
[68]
“The heart of a Perfect One is at once
soft as butter and hard as
steel. Perfection is not limited in its expression to any one of the opposites and does not
exclude the possibility of
finding expression through the opposite. It can express itself through
either
of the opposites according to the logic implied in the situation. That
is why
Perfection transcends the opposites and is capable of giving a rational
response to all the possible situations in life. It ensures perfect
adaptability without surrendering the standpoint of Truth and secures
an
unshakable peace and sense of harmony in the midst of diverse situations —
which must be baffling to those
who have not achieved all-sided development.”
[Discourses (1987), p.
81]
[69]
“...the Avatar functions from all the
planes of consciousness
simultaneously but sometimes for His universal work stations Himself on
a
particular plane. Therefore it is said, for example, that the Prophet
Muhammad
stationed Himself in the seventh plane, while Lord Buddha stationed
Himself in
the fifth.”
[Discourses (1987), p.
197]
[70]
“Since male and female incarnations are
equally necessary for
Self-knowledge, it is not right to look upon one as being more
important than
the other. Though there are differences between the nature of the
respective facilities
afforded by them, they are both indispensable. The soul must go through
male
incarnations as well as female incarnations if it is to have that
richness of
experience which is a condition of attaining the realization that the
soul, in
itself, is beyond all forms of duality — including the
accentuated duality
based on sex.”
[Discourses (1987), p.
324]
[71]
“The scope of service is not limited to
great gestures like giving big
donations to public institutions. They also serve who express their
love in
little things. A word that gives courage to a drooping heart or a smile
that
brings hope and cheer in the midst of gloom has as much claim to be
regarded as
service as onerous sacrifices and heroic self-denials. A glance that
wipes out
bitterness from the heart and sets it throbbing with a new love is also
service, although there may be no thought of service in it. When taken
by
themselves, all these things seem to be small; but life is made up of
many such
small things. If these small things were ignored, life would be not
only
unbeautiful but unspiritual.”
[Discourses (1987), p.
362]
[72]
“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]
[73]
“Those who are not God-realized can
control their minds through yoga to
such an extent that nothing makes them feel pain or suffering, even if
they are
buried alive or thrown into boiling oil. But though the advanced yogis
can
brave and annul any suffering, they do not experience the happiness of
realizing God. When one becomes God, everything else is zero. The
happiness of
God-realization, therefore, cannot suffer curtailment by anything. The
happiness of God-realization is self-sustained, eternally fresh and
unfading,
boundless, and indescribable. It is for this happiness that the world
has
sprung into existence.”
[Discourses (1987), p.
398]
[74]
“If a person wants to take the pearl
from the bottom of the ocean, then
he should not shout at the pearl to come up while he sits on the beach.
If he
really wants the pearl, he should try his hardest to plunge to the
bottom of
the ocean to get it.”
[Lord Meher 5:1860]
[75]
“Spiritual jealousy leads to
advancement, while material jealousy leads
to ruination and hatred.”
[Lord Meher 5:1597]
[76]
“If you think you are expressing love
through the sex act, you are
sadly mistaken. It is lust which prompts you to engage in it. It is not
possible to express pure love through sexual intercourse; the
impressions
involved therein clash.”
[Lord
Meher 5:1792]
[77]
“...however wicked an action may seem,
it should not be judged on the
basis of the world’s standards of morality, but purely on the
underlying
motives. This is the spiritual point of view or standard of judgment,
however
shocking or absurd it may seem to the worldly-minded.”
[Lord Meher 5:1822]
[78]
“Even
the love which expresses
through physical desire is good to the extent that it frees one from
the
thralldom of personal likes and dislikes and makes one want to serve
the
beloved above all other things.”
[Awakener 18, no. 1
(1978): 29]
[79]
“Only God is real, and everything else
is a mere motion picture!”
[Hollywood,
1932. Lord Meher 5:1656]
[80]
“I am eternally crucified. When the
burden is especially heavy, I
sometimes let my disciples share it, giving to each as much as they can
bear.”
[Lord Meher 5:1702]
[81]
One
of the Westerners asked: “How
do you know who you are — that you are the Source of
all?” Baba replied: “I
knew it before everything. I came from my own Self. One cannot know
Existence
until one exists in that Existence.”
[Lord Meher 5:1771]
[82]
“How will you give up this false self?
How will you give up the shadowy
I-am-ness
and get established in
the I-Alone-Am or God-Alone-Is state? Hafiz has given the answer:
‘O Lover!
Separation and Union Are none of your business. Seek only to resign
yourself to
the Will of the Beloved.’”
[The Everything and the Nothing,
p 8]
[83]
“Kabir has said: ...’The lines
of fate are never erased by Rama; He is
All-powerful and can undo destiny, but He never does so, for He has
given full
thought to what He has planned.’ ... The Avataric whim is
also part of the
divine Destiny [qaza]. Qaza provides
for the absolute necessity of the Avatar’s
‘chance’ intervention, and the very
unpredictability of this intervention is predicted in Qaza —
for His infinite
compassion, because of which His intervention occurs, may not be
denied.”
[The Everything and the Nothing,
p. 107]
[84]
“Tukaram, one of the Perfect Masters,
has said: ...’Without the Grace
of the Perfect Master you cannot find the way to the Goal; / Before and
above
everything else, hold firmly to His feet.’”
[The Everything and the Nothing,
p. 32]
[85]
During the war Calcutta was threatened by the
Japanese and Karachi by
the Germans. Baba received letters from His lovers in both Calcutta and
Karachi, asking if they should leave their homes and move elsewhere.
Baba told
them to stay where they were. Later He said to us, “If there
is a fire in the
East, people will run to the West, and if there is a fire in the North,
people
will run to the South. But if there is fire all around, where will
people go?” Baba
is with us wherever we are, and whatever is to happen will happen, no
matter
where we are.
[Quoted
in Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift of God , p. 63]
[86]
“Neither seek death nor fear it, and
when death comes to you it is
converted into a stepping stone to the higher life.”
[Quoted
in Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift of God, p. 95]
[87]
Baba
often quoted from
the Perfect Masters Kabir and Tukaram. I
particularly remember that Kabir said, “Worry eats everyone.
Worry is the
master of all. But those who swallow worry, they are the ones who
become
fakirs.” He also said, “When the Master gives on
His own, it is like giving
milk. When you ask the Master to give, it is like His giving water. But
when
you force the Master to give, it is like extracting blood from
Him.” Baba also
commented on the importance of obedience and surrender, quoting
Tukaram: “The
inherent nature with which you are born remains with you; it does not
change.” Even
after Tukaram became a Perfect Master, He went on singing bhajans
because that
was His inherent nature. Baba said, “The nature you are born
with remains with
you, but you can modify and change through obedience and surrenderance
to God.”
[Quoted
in Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift of God, p. 115]
[88]
“My accident was no
‘accident,’ and it all comes to one thing; what I
wanted has happened and what I want will happen.”
[Quoted
in Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift of God, p. 143]
[89]
“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 Mohammed.”
[Quoted
in Arnavaz
Dadachanji, Gift of God, p. 72]
[90]
“When love is not at its height, it
always creates a mess.”
[Awakener 5, no. 2
(winter-spring 1958):
30]
[91]
“As you all become more intimate with
Me, with opportunities to come
closer to Me, all that is good and bad within you comes out in sparks,
as it
were . . . all the impressions of the past, the accumulations of past
sanskaras
— of all illusory things, which includes both good and bad
— come out. My
proximity, the intimacy with Me, just changes that mass of sanskaras,
and
sometimes you find sparks of good and bad flying out.”
[Awakener 5, no. 2
(winter-spring 1958):
20]
[92]
“Time is the interval between your very
first impression and your very
last impression.”
[Awakener 18, no. 1
(1978): 68]
[93]
“I
am Truth. No amount of
voluminous praise will raise me higher, nor can any carping criticism
pull me
down. I am what I am and will ever be so. Whatever I do, I do for my
work,
which encompasses and sees to the welfare of all.”
[Statement
to Herbert Davy. Lord Meher 5:1821]
[94]
"You
make the effort and I
will give you the victory. It is a divine struggle with purpose behind
it. Do
not fight against it."
[Written
to Delia DeLeon. Lord Meher 7:2402]
[95]
“Reflection is from the Real, but
reflection is not real.”
[Written
to Jal Kerawalla, 1937. Glow International,
August 1995]
[96]
“It is the work
of Sadgurus,
it is the profession of Sadgurus, and it is the
wish of Sadgurus to keep those of
past
connection near them by giving them false
promises to make them hold to them.”
[Lord Meher 3: 1068]
[97]
"Do
not be after gatekeepers
or watchmen. Catch hold of the Emperor. Never be after his servants. No
minister or secretary will help. A king is, after all, a king, and his
servants
only servants. Once you have approached the king directly, it is of no
benefit
to maintain a friendly attitude with his servants. Your friendship with
the
king might precipitate any situation, but you should stick to him. Even
if you
were about to die, you should never let go of his hand.
"The
Emperor is perfect
knowledge. One should forget everyone and everything in his company.
One should
stop one's previous habits. One should not think of meditating or
repeating
God's name, or any other type of worship. The most that could happen
with any
of these practises is that you would enter samadhi. Such practises can
never
make you one with God.
"Instead,
one should submit
oneself to the Emperor's will, having only this thought: 'O God, when
will you
meet me?' This longing must be present twenty-four
hours a day. If the feeling is intense enough, God will surely
fulfill
it.
"To
help people is good, but
service done under the guidance and according to the instructions of a
Perfect
Master is the best. Service to half-baked gurus and false saints will
throw you
into a gutter. You will be left hanging by those hypocrites. If you are
unlucky
enough to find a false guru, he will accept you and take you into his
service.
However, he will then give you up, and that will cool down your
longing!
Instead of losing, you will accumulate sanskaras, and become
disappointed and
disgusted.
"These
false saints cannot
give you anything, while... Walis and Pirs of the fifth and sixth plane
can
raise you to a higher state with just one look. But that is not the
Perfect
state, as these advanced souls are not Perfect. At times, even Perfect
Masters
cannot help those caught in these nets. Therefore, except for the
Perfect Ones,
do not even be beguiled by the advanced souls of the fifth and sixth
planes.
Stick to the Emperor and don't leave him for any reason.
"I am
in everyone. But if you
catch hold of me, you will have the root of all creation in your hands.
Then
you will not need to go after the branches and leaves. If you are lucky
enough
to catch hold of the Emperor, you should never, never leave
him.”
"Go
on digging until you find
water. Don't keep changing the spot. If you get impatient, by digging
two feet
here and four feet there, you will never strike water. If you only dig
a
shallow well, you will get impure water. Only patient, laborious
digging will
result in your finding crystal-pure water. And for that, you have to
exert
energy and dig deep.
"This
Path is not easy at all, and if you enter it, you will not find joy
here.
Therefore, I warn, think seven times before entering it. If you are
after God,
you will have to give up everything - your father, your mother, the
whole
world. You have to renounce each and every thing. Therefore, ponder
well, and
then take your step. If not, leave this Path and attend to your worldly
duties.
"Once
you fall for the Path, don't be afraid of anything in the world. 'Who
will look
after my parents? How about my job? What will the world think of me?'
All these
thoughts are useless. If you had died, who would have looked after your
near
and dear ones? Those affected will care for themselves. God takes care
of
everyone. He is the true sustainer. Once you have entered the Path, you
should
desist from such thoughts.
"Try
to be a lover of God. If you find out how to love him, you may go mad.
The real
lover is never influenced by the world or what people think of him. He
will not
even care for his life. He will remain what he is — totally
indifferent to the
world, unashamed of anything.
"All
rivers flow in me. I am the ocean. Stop looking elsewhere, and look
only at the
ocean. By concentrating on me, you yourself will become the ocean. To
look at
the ocean means to carry out my wishes at all times."
[September
1929, told to Kaikhushru
Pleader, Lord Meher 4:1215-1216]
[98]
“Mercy is one thing and compassion is
something else. I do not show
mercy in the ordinary, worldly sense, but I do have compassion. For
example,
two people see a man shivering — freezing to death in the
cold. One feels sorry
for him, but walks past. The other feels no pity, but realizes the man
needs
covering. So he takes off his coat and gives it to the man, thereby
exposing
himself to the cold. That is compassion.”
[Lord
Meher 3:1086]
[99]
“This path is extremely difficult for
the outside world, but it will
become easy for you to tread because I myself will work through you.
For
example, suppose you have to go through the Manzil via the road, but
the road
is full of holes and rough, and in some places very narrow. What if you
were
blindfolded — how would you proceed? I hold your hand and
tell you where to put
your foot since I see each and every thing. My eyes are always open.
Despite
all this, if you do not hold my hand, how am I to guide you? To hold my
hand
means to do as I say. Therefore, I am telling you daily to always
listen to me
and to think of me constantly with all your heart. Then see what untold
benefit
you derive.”
[Baba
to ashram boys, 1928: Lord Meher 3:1111]
[100]
“Even in the highest state of
intoxication, one’s head should be on the
feet of the Master. This is the meaning of the Persian couplet:
Kiss even the chair of the Beloved;
then go on crying and wailing
that you are burning from
separation.
Then ask, Oh kind Lord,
listen to our complaint and do
something!
The
couplet reveals that you must first surrender heart and soul to your
Beloved
and then cry from the pain of separation — not before. And
surrender means
giving up your mind and being only guided in life by the
Guru’s word and
direction with absolutely no thinking. Crying, weeping and wailing
without
surrender are no use.”
[Lord Meher 3:1122]
[101]
“Feelings and emotions are only the
creation of mind and energy. Love
is the creation of the soul.”
[Quoted
in Elizabeth
Patterson’s diary of 4/20/33]
[102]
"Suppose
we all loved each
other as deeply as we now love the one whom we love best. The most
natural
desire of love is to share what one has with the beloved. The desire to
share
with everyone would produce a condition in which it would be a
disgrace, rather
than an honor, for anyone to possess more than anyone else."
[Lord Meher 5:1622]
[103]
"If a
man is dissatisfied with
his environment, it is usually because he does not know how to properly
adjust
himself to the environment. Instead of thinking, 'How can I get out of
this?'
and becoming discouraged and depressed, one should think, ' What is the
lesson
that I should learn from this experience?'"
[Lord Meher 5:1622]
[104]
"Poverty,
if cheerfully
endured, and providing one does one's best to find work, develops
humility and
patience, and can greatly assist spiritual progress. It is a test of
character.
I know it is difficult to be cheerful when starving, but all worthwhile
things
are difficult."
[Lord Meher 5:1622]
[105]
"Even
a great soul like Gandhi
worries, because he wants results. One must sincerely try to do his
duties, but
the results must always be left with God. Worrying about the results is
no good
and of no use. If a person wishes to do anything for others, he must do
it
sincerely. And having done it, he should not worry about results, for
results
are not in human hands. It is for humans to do, for God to ordain.
"To
remain aloof from results is not difficult, but men do not try. Because
it is
human nature to think of the results of one's actions, however, it does
not
mean one should worry! Man must think, but he must not worry.
"Try
to attribute all your acts to God and let results be His."
[Lord Meher 5:1866]
[106]
"Working
for and serving
others, and undergoing so much strain, is very good. It wipes out past
karmas,
and even the new sanskaras which are created are very faint. So it is
of
tremendous spiritual benefit to work, serve, and undergo hardships for
others.
Sitting idle and always eating ready-cooked, served meals without
lifting a
finger to help is very bad spiritually. It creates very deep sanskaras
which
are difficult to wipe away."
[Lord Meher 5:1869]
[107]
"Cease
the mental tension.
Train your mind to pass over thoughts. Do not give countenance to them
until
such time that you can surrender the mind itself. No one is doing it.
When the
mind is surrendered, there is no question of happiness or unhappiness.
Because
of the thoughts of the past lives, sanskaras are spent away. They come
and go.
Pay no attention to them. Mind is like a wound-up alarm clock. It will
ring at
the appointed time, but only so long as the winding is there. Let it
ring and
run its course, but take care not to wind it again by indulging in bad
actions."
[Lord Meher 5:1843-44]
[108]
"...if
you want to die, die in
my naad [infatuation] by holding on
to me firmly. There lies salvation. That is real dying. Worldly death
is not
the thing. However, nobody has so far captured me. If one really
catches me, I
try to free myself. On the contrary, it is I who have been trying to
catch hold
of you people."
[Lord
Meher 5:1844]