|
|
|
|
|
Weekly Reflections No. 11
from Meher Baba Books
(Los Angeles, California)
|
Greetings from Los Angeles!
Dear Friends and Companions:
Hello again with a smile from us to you. Wishing you happy times in Baba's Love.
Welcome to the world of this mini-circular, which is now 11 weeks old! May Beloved Baba be pleased with it. The theme for this week is Forgiveness. May He forgive us ever more.
Meher Baba called Himself The Awakener. He said, "I have come not to teach but to awaken." Isn't this true? He has awakened us to Himself within us, and as we know Him to be a pure incarnation of God, we feel glimpses of His eternal presence. When one first gains awareness of Meher Baba through the many routes available (books, internet, social media, YouTube, friends) and feels an interest in Him, that is His call to the individual, without doubt. He is eternally active.To help us, Meher Baba made this suggestion: "Make Me your constant companion." This is such a wonderful directive, leading to many efforts on our part to remember Baba in all that we think, do or say. As you may have noticed, we have begun to reflect on the life of Meher Baba, partly for sake of some of the newcomers who are now coming into His orbit of Love. This week we continue with Part 3.
We hope you enjoy these small occasions for reflecting on the beauty and power of Beloved Baba's words. Enjoy His presence.
In His Love and Service,
Meher Baba Books
|
|
Who is Meher Baba? (Part 3)
|
.... Over the next seven years Merwan held a few jobs, for a time as a manager of a theatrical company, and later watched over his father's teashop. The location of Sheriar's shop changed and they began to serve toddy drinks. Eventually Merwan and his companion Behramji took over the toddy shop, but it was not a very successful business. Merwan did menial work and encouraged his customers to stop drinking. However, because of the Non-Cooperation Movement, they were forced to close the shop. During these seven years, Merwan integrated his consciousness of God with normal human consciousness under the direct guidance of Upasni Maharaj. Upasni and Merwan had many meetings that spiritually prepared Merwan for the task he was to undertake. Finally, at the end of 1921, Upasni Maharaj openly stated to his disciples that Merwan was also a Sadguru, or Perfect Master, while stating to Merwan that Merwan was the Avatar, or first soul. In 1922 Merwan gathered a small number of followers, who started to call him Meher Baba, which means "Compassionate Father." The name stuck, but he did not outwardly state exactly who he was or what his plans were. He was considered to be a Perfect Master by his followers. Other people called him the Messiah, but he was unattached to such claims. Soon people were drawn to him from all over India -- now was the time for the real work to be carried out. The meaning of this work and the influence of the five Perfect Masters was later described by Baba: During the Avataric periods, the five Perfect Masters make God incarnate as man. Sai Baba, Upasni Maharaj, Hazrat Babajan, Tajuddin Baba and Narayan Maharaj are the five Perfect Masters of this Age for me. Of these five, Upasni Maharaj and Babajan directly played the main roles. Babajan made me realize... that I am God - Upasni Maharaj gave me the knowledge that I am the Avatar, the Ancient One... Babajan gave me Divine Bliss. Sai Baba gave me Divine Power. Upasni Maharaj gave me Divine Knowledge. I am Infinite Power, Knowledge and Bliss. I am the Ancient One, come to redeem the modern world.
To Be Continued ... ~~~~~~~ |
|
Meher Baba on Forgiveness
|
Forgive and Forget
Meher Baba
People ask God for forgiveness. But since God is everything and everyone, who is there for Him to forgive? Forgiveness of the created was already there in His act of creation. But still people ask God's forgiveness, and He forgives them. But they, instead of forgetting that for which they asked forgiveness, forget that God has forgiven them, and, instead, remember the things they were forgiven -- and so nourish the seed of wrong-doing, and it bears its fruit again. Again and again they plead for forgiveness, and again and again the Master says, I forgive.
But it is impossible for men to forget their wrong-doings and the wrongs done to them by others. And since they cannot forget, they find it hard to forgive. But forgiveness is the best charity. (It is easy to give the poor money and goods when one has plenty, but to forgive is hard; but it is the best thing if one can do it.)
Instead of men trying to forgive one another they fight. Once they fought with their hands and with clubs. Then with spears and bows and arrow. Then with guns and cannon. Then they invented bombs and carriers for them. Now they have developed missiles that can destroy millions of other men thousands of miles away, and they are prepared to use them. The weapons used change, but the aggressive pattern of man remains the same.
Now men are planning to go to the moon. And the first to get there will plant his nation's flag on it, and that nation will say, It is mine. But another nation will dispute the claim and they will fight here on this earth for possession of that moon. And whoever goes there, what will he find? Nothing but himself. And if people go on to Venus they will still find nothing but themselves. 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.
from Meher Baba, The Everything and The Nothing (pp. 109-110)
Copyright � 1963 Meher House Publications, Beacon Hill, Australia
Copyright � 1989 Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India
|
"I can forgive; I have come to forgive. Forgiveness is the
highest thing for those who are forgiven. It is not a great
thing for me to forgive. In fact, in reality there is
nothing to be forgiven, for there is really nothing like
good and bad. You find them so, and they are there
in duality, due to your own bindings in duality."
from Meher Baba, Listen Humanity, Third Edition (1985), p. 68
Copyright � 1957 by Sufism Reoriented, Inc.
Copyright � 1982 Avatar Meher Baba Trust
|
One in love tastes the glories of life to the full. The blissful heights of joyousness and the buoyant feelings of heavenly delights are the steady steps towards divine oneness.
Love surrenders to the will of the beloved, gives all to the beloved, sacrifices all for the beloved, lives for the beloved, dies for the beloved. This supreme state of love is the God-state, for what is God but love - in
finite, unbounded, eternal love?
Love annihilates the lower self, and expresses the higher self. So, dear soul, long for your divine beloved till you become one with your beloved Meher Baba.
January 1937, Nasik
|
 Painting by Charlie MillsIn fact, in reality, there is nothing to be forgiven,
for there is really nothing like good and bad.
Meher Baba
from Naosherwan Anzar, The Beloved (2003), p. 80
|
1958 -- Mytle Beach Center, Bili is on the far right
THE HARDER TASK
Bili Eaton
This time, Baba was accompanied to the West by Adi Irani Sr., Eruch, Dr. William Donkin and Nariman Dadachanji. Baba was still suffering the effects of a car accident in India in 1956 in which Dr. Nilu Godse had been killed. Baba had sustained injuries to His face, leg and arm. He still had excruciating pain in His hip joint and had to be carried about the Center in a chair manned by four of Margaret Craske's male dancers.
We went to Baba's cabin, where He sat looking as radiant as ever, in spite of the pain He was suffering. The room was crowded. Feeling very unworthy and guilty, I took a seat in the farthest corner of the room away from Baba. It was very difficult to look at Him because of all my guilty feelings. In a few seconds, Baba asked, "And Bili? Where's Bili?" I was pointed out to Him.
"Why do you sit so far away, Bili? Come closer," He said. Mortified almost to tears, I came and sat at His feet. He looked deep into my eyes and said, "Do you love Me as much as ever?"
Inside I was squirming like a worm on a hook while I searched frantically for the right answer. My love for Baba seemed to be scrambled with my love for David. Incredibly, because it could have taken only a second, the following thoughts ran through my mind: How could I love Baba as much as I felt He should be loved when I had done what I had done? But then, why was I here? And why did I leave David in New York?
I wanted to tell Baba what was in my heart, but there were too many people around and, in the conflict of emotions, I didn't know how to answer Him. The hurt inside seemed to blot out almost everything else. Yet I desperately clung to Baba in my thoughts. I thought all I had to do was to make a telephone call to David in New York and everything would have been all right between us, but I couldn't do it. Baba must have known He had won. I'm sure it was to save me embarrassment and to give me an easy "out" that Baba almost immediately added, "Do you love me as much as Anita does?"
I was saved. I looked at Anita Veilliard and said, "Baba, only you know all hearts." How could I possibly have known how much Anita loved Him? My answer seemed to satisfy Baba, because He said no more.
There must have been a great deal of suffering and many guilt feelings among others during this visit because one day Baba sat in the midst of a group of us and said, "I forgive you all of all your sins to this day." Yes, Baba forgives us; the harder task seems to be for us to forgive ourselves.
Bili Eaton, A Love So Amazing: Memories of Meher Baba (1984)
Bili Eaton. 1956
|
By way of conclusion, this week we'd like to highlight
a video on Avatar Meher Baba's Universal Message. This was a message that Meher Baba gave on July 10, 1958, stating it was for all, regardless of whether one believes in Him or not.
It is a message from God to mankind.
 | |
Avatar Meher Baba's Universal Message narrated by Meherwan Jessawala
|
Jai Meher Baba!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meher Baba Books (Los Angeles)
www.meherbababooks.com
Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California
1214 S. Van Ness Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90019
|
|
|
