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"Do you know why I descend on earth? I descend on earth in order to worship the love of my lovers -- and this is a way in which I worship. They worship me, and I worship them. They remember me, and I remember them."
Lord Meher (revised online edition),
p. 4474
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Weekly Reflections No. 20
from Meher Baba Books
(Los Angeles, California)
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Greetings from Los Angeles and Happy Spring to All!
Welcome to the world of this mini-circular which is now 20 weeks old. Thank you Baba. We welcome spring as an opportunity to take part in nature's rebirth and rejuvenation in His Love.
"Oh, my dear nightingales, don't be disappointed with the old age of spring but keep on singing, and while singing become so thirsty that you drown in My Ocean of Silence. Then you will find My eternally new Song. When you sing this Song you will find that spring has become young once again.
I want to hear your song. Don't feel disappointed with the old age of spring and don't make Me disappointed in you. Drink the cup of My pleasure, and, having derived strength from it, continue singing. Allow others to hear your song too. You will be able to revive the youthfulness of spring; but to accomplish this you have to drown in My Silence and find My Song."
Meher Baba,
Letters From The Mandali, Vol. II (1983), p. 110
This week's circular is inspired by the Love and obedience that the Choi family have shown over the past 10 days. It is truly inspiring to see them embracing these challenging times and taking what happens as God's will in a very compassionate way. Hence, this week's theme is "
Meher Baba on Obedience". Baba said "It is impossible to obey me one hundred per cent unless you have one hundred per cent love for me." So we aim to love Him more and more and still yet more till No more, as Eruch said.
We hope you enjoy these small occasions for reflecting on the power and beauty of Beloved Baba's words. Enjoy His presence, knowing He is the only doer.
In His Love and Service,
Meher Baba Books.
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Meher Baba on Obedience
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Responsibility is Placed upon the Human Soul
Obedience as the free devotion of the will has nothing in common with authoritarian subservience, the subjection to exterior orders or to an external absolute. Indeed, it contains the essence of intellectual independence, for full obedience is possible only to the intellectually courageous.
Such obedience is the seat of love, which is purity of heart, the capacity to reflect God's love without distortion. Such love is far from mere sentimental feeling, a pleasant sensation, and because obedience involves the mind and will, when the heart reflects, it receives and gives. That receiving and giving love is a disposition of the will.
Recognition of the factor of will is of the highest importance; for, as I have pointed out, the progress of the soul is not inevitable, and the sleeping soul cannot will: it is subject so long as it sleeps to natural development, which is decay. Without will, that is to say, a turning or disposition, what is called "repentance", there is no awakening.
Thus responsibility is placed upon the human soul, which is the ground for the dignity and worth of man. Alone in creation he has responsibility, which is his greatness and uniqueness.
Meher Baba
from Bal Natu, Glimpses of the God-Man, Vol. 5, p. 104
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Obedience It is impossible to obey me one hundred per cent unless you have one hundred per cent love for me and accept me one hundred per cent as God incarnate. - Meher Baba
from C. B. Purdom,
The God-Man (1971), p. 298
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Unless You Have One Hundred Per Cent Love For Me
There are four general headings of obedience:
- patriotic obedience, that of a soldier ready to lay down his life and die for his country;
- paid obedience, that of a servant;
- the obedience of a slave, the compulsory obedience of one who has no choice of his own;
- the willing obedience of love.
There are four kinds of obedience in love:
(a) literal, word-for-word obedience;
(b) discriminatory, or the obedience of common sense;
(c) complete obedience without pleasure;
(d) complete obedience with pleasure.
There is a fifth obedience which is very rare, absolute obedience, in which light becomes dark and dark becomes light because the Master says so.
It is impossible to obey me one hundred per cent unless you have one hundred per cent love for me and accept me one hundred per cent as God incarnate.
Meher Baba
from C. B. Purdom,
The God-Man
(1971), p. 298
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Have One Heart If you want to stick to Me, you must have a clean heart. There is no use in sometimes having faith and sometimes having doubt.
It is best then to leave Me,
then you can lead your life in the world and be free.
If you want to leave Me, you should not try to create
confusion among your selves. You will be loving Me,
best by loving each other. If one has to say
sometimes behind the others back,
how can you tell the world about My Love?
If you all cannot Love Me as I want you to love Me,
it is best not to speak to the world about Me.
Let us put an end to all hypocrisy.
Let hypocrisy be completely wiped out from your hearts.
You should all have one heart,
a clean heart. We are one family.
I would love to see that.
~ Avatar Meher Baba
from
Meher Baba Calling
(1964, 1989) p. 39
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~~ Three Types of Obedience ~~
Baba gave a specific discourse during that Sahavas about obedience and faith in which He explained three types of obedience. Using as an example a man named Gadekar, who was seated in front of Him, Baba said, "You all have seen Gadekar sitting here. Suppose I were to tell you that he is not sitting in front of Me. "The first type of obedience would be simply to agree that he is not there. "The second type of obedience would be to agree, thinking there must be some special meaning attached to My statement. "The third, and rarest, type of obedience would be not to see Gadekar sitting there."
from Arnavaz Dadachanji,
Gift of God
(1996), p. 160
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~~ Prayer Corner ~~
Great Seclusion Prayer
May God,
whom the Muslims call Allah,
whom the Zoroastrians call Ahurmazd,
whom the Hindus call Ishwar Paramatma,
and whom many others call by many other names,
may he whose union the lovers seek in self-annihilation,
whom the seers see as the only reality,
and whom the knowers know as their own real self,
may this supreme conscious being,
this conscious soul of souls,
who eternally manifests as Avatar and Perfect Masters,
may he through his all-merciful act bestow on us his grace,
and may he solve all our difficulties by the end of this year,
and may he decide everything for us by the end of this year,
and may he, according to Baba's circular of 1949,
finish everything by the end of this year,
to enable Baba to break his silence in the beginning of next year,
to speak the one and the last word of all-embracing divinity.
Amen
Aamin
Tathastu
Meher Baba
(July 1949, Meherazad)
* Amen, Aamin, Tathastu = So be it.
from Ramjoo Abdulla,
Meher Baba in the Great Seclusion (1949), p. 17
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On Obedience
In the afternoon Baba brought up the topic again of obedience and explained:
We are all on an equal footing from now on. For us all, henceforth, there is no spirituality, no Master, no disciple, no miracles, no key-turning business, no hopes, no thoughts of benefits or of privations. Look upon me as a friend who will help and advise you until the end of December. By words and deeds, you should sincerely and seriously avoid giving the impression that Baba is God, Master, Sadguru or the Avatar. I will be Master in one respect alone - in demanding implicit obedience. In all other respects treat me as a friend; you should be quite free in your behavior with me. But the treatment should not smack of rudeness or impudence. Barring this, indulge in fun, be merry, crack jokes, laugh - nothing will please me more. The most important thing that will carry you safely through with me is not to be moody. Try to be happy and cheerful. If at times your mood is spoiled and you get angry, try never to express it, directly or indirectly. All this is the play of the mind, and conscientious efforts will make it adapt itself.
Lord Meher (revised online),
p. 2787
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~~On Obedience~~
So many Baba lovers have asked me that same question. How do we know what Baba wants? I tell them to read the books, to obey Baba's orders. When people ask me how to love Baba, I ask, 'What is love?' Most people think of love as something we feel, that flows from the heart. But that is not Real Love. Love is there, of course, but there is also attachment. To love Baba is to try to please Baba. And what pleases Baba? Obedience, faith and surrenderance.
So I say that even though Baba is not in the physical body, you know what Baba wants, and Baba is guiding you all the time. It is often difficult to obey Baba. But if we keep trying, gradually it becomes easier. If you fail, try again. And again. Never give up. And when you fail, ask Baba to forgive you -- even if you don't mean it. It makes a difference. Also, Baba will let you know when you are displeasing Him. There is a saying in Gujarati that a goldsmith takes a hundred strokes with the hammer to make a small piece of jewelry, but the hammering is very very light because the work is so delicate. The blacksmith, on the other hand, gives one hard blow. The gold is malleable -- it learns. But the iron is hard and requires a firm blow.
In the same way Baba has said I forgive you once, I forgive you twice, but I don't forgive you a third time. Of course, He always forgives - even ten times -- but what He means is that the third time He has to give a hard blow, like the blacksmith, and it is difficult to bear. But this is not to say that Baba punishes us -- that is a very important point that I have discussed in the book
[Gift of God].
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Obedience, His Wish, and His Will
Eruch Jessawala
Obedience to Meher Baba's wishes and orders was the most important requirement for living with Him, and in connection with this, He cited four types of obedience.
The obedience of a soldier which is patriotic obedience.
The obedience of a servant which is paid obedience.
The obedience of a slave which is compulsory obedience.
The obedience of a lover which is willing obedience without expectation of reward.
Meher Baba said that even in willing obedience there were the following four stages:
The lover follows orders literally without using common sense.
The lover uses common sense and discrimination.
The lover exhibits complete obedience for the Beloved's pleasure.
The lover exhibits absolute obedience.
Baba added that the last-named kind of obedience was rarely seen, and found only in those who were spiritually advanced.
When one of the mandali requested a clarification regarding His wish and His will as they pertained to the mandali, Baba replied: "When I say to the mandali, 'I want you to do this', it means I would like you to do this if you can. It equals a request on My part.
"When I say 'I wish you to do this', it means I want you to obey, whether you can or cannot. It is an order and the chance of My wish being thwarted is by your disobedience.
"When I say 'I will you to do this', it means you are to do it definitely and automatically, and you are able to do it because I make it possible."
from Eruch Jessawala,
The Ancient One
, p. 130
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Honk if you love Meher Baba !
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Video Corner
A New and Unique Video. Enjoy!
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| Imaginary Landscapes with Meher Baba |
Keep Happy in His Love.
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Meher Baba Books (Los Angeles)
www.meherbababooks.com
Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California
1214 S. Van Ness Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90019
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