Meher Baba (25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian mystic and spiritual master. He declared himself to be the Avatar of the era.
Meher Baba maintained a strict silence and only communicated using hand gestures and an alphabet board. In the 1930s, Paul Brunton visited Meher Baba at the Panchvati cave on Meherabad Hill. Meher Baba said to Brunton (through alphabet)
“I shall change the history of the whole world. As Jesus came to impart spirituality to a materialistic age, so I have come to impart a spiritual push to present-day mankind. … America has a tremendous future and will become a spiritually-minded nation. … America is destined to lead the world spiritually.”
Brunton later wrote he was not impressed with Meher Baba.
In 1931, Meher Baba visited the West and America and he attracted many followers.
From 1949, with selected disciples, he started travelling incognito around India. He called this ‘The New Life’ On 10 February 1954, Meher Baba declared that he was the Avatar of the era (avatar meaning direct incarnation of God). He indicated there would come a time when he would speak directly to every heart:
“When I break My Silence, the impact of My Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of it. It will help every individual to break himself free from his own bondage in his own way. I am the Divine Beloved who loves you more than you can ever love yourself. The breaking of My Silence will help you to help yourself in knowing your real Self.”
Meher Baba was later injured in two car accidents in the US and India. They confined him mostly to a wheelchair. He continued to practise spiritual disciplines of fasting and seclusion until his death on 31 January 1969. His shrine is in Meherabad, India.
Quotes Meher Baba
from God Speaks, Meher Baba
“God cannot be explained, He cannot be argued about, He cannot be theorized, nor can He be discussed and understood. God can only be lived. “
“Therefore, the GOAL is to realize the Reality and attain the “I am God” state in human form.”
From Discourses
“The Avatar awakens contemporary humanity to a realization of its true spiritual nature, gives Liberation to those who are ready, and quickens the life of the spirit in His time. For posterity is left the stimulating power of His divinely human example — of the nobility of a life supremely lived, of a love unmixed with desire, of a power unused except for others, of a peace untroubled by ambition, of a knowledge undimmed by illusion. He has demonstrated the possibility of a divine life for all humanity, of a heavenly life on earth. Those who have the necessary courage and integrity can follow when they will.”
Discourses by Meher Baba, pp. 266-270.
“The negative experience of the “bad”, with all its consequent suffering, ultimately disgusts man and leads him to the positive force of “good”, thus awakening divine love. Hence, the saints of the present are the sinners of the past. In the clarity of the understanding and knowledge they have gained, they show true humility. They do not take pride in their achievements nor condemn the “sinner” whom they know to belong equally to God, but help him to remove the self-created veil of ignorance and perceive his true identity.”
from Life at Its Best by Meher Baba,
“Of all the forces that can best overcome all difficulties, the greatest is the force of love, because the greatest Law of God is Love, which holds the key to all problems. This mighty force not only enables one to put the ideal of selfless service into practice, but also transforms one into God. It has been possible through love for man to become God; and when God becomes man, it is also due to His Love for His beings.”
“The Path of Love” by Meher Baba,