JULY, 2001

£ov&Street Lamp1?ost

A/1ehcr i3aba in Cqjon. 3animr,j, 1933

I t’s hard to believe we are halfway through2001 already!Our Sahavases this year are not working

out as we had planned:We have become very spoiled as each year

we enjoy the company ofBaba’s night watch-man — the inimitable Bhau Kaichuri. We hadmade our travel plans for 2001, counting onbeing at one or more of the Gatherings to beheld across the countrywhere Bhau was to bethe special Guest of Honor.

But Baba had other plans for him. Readabout it on page 11.

We fervently hope and pray that he willbe well enough to stand the rigors ofworldtravel in 2002.

We had originally planned on making

Ithis July issue a special tribute to Eruch,Baba’s Main Man.

We put out the call for stories — personal‘ stories — ofinterchanges between yourselves

and Eruch, but I guess we should have an-

nounced it in these pages, as the Internetdid not net us many responses. So again Iannounce it, send us your stories, tales ofwhat Eruch means to you; ofthe many wayshe can ‘cut to the chase’ and zero in on whatis really bothering you; how he brought youto realize it was Meher Baba that was thebasis of everything in your life.

If you have any particularly great photos, send them too, but be sure to put yourname and address sticker on the back. Wewould prefer to receive your stories by email,but failing this typewritten — no handwritten stories, please!

People have been very generous in theirdonations to the yearly ‘subscription’ to theLampPost, so we are planning on printing thisnext issue in color, thanks to the generosityand hard work ofour man in India — Balaji!.Ifyou have a photo ofthe Mandali, Meherabad, or Meherabad thatlooks particularly goodand colorfid, please submit it.

Are there any of our readers sharp eyedenough to notice that our lampost on the cover

this month looks different? Congratulationsto you ifyou noticed, sharp eyes indeed.

We used to have a graphic ofthe old stylegas lantern, but now we have the ‘real thing’!

Our logo is actually a photo I took ofone of the lamps that now line the path upto the Samadhi.

How beautifhl they are, designed byJoseEnrique from Argentina. And such an improvement over the neon bars that werethere before. Thank you Jose — we are all soappreciative.

As a fundraiser twice a year the Los An-geles Center holds a Fly to India sweep-stakes, (I was the luckywinner in 1986, handchosen, as we all are, by Baba.) But beingthe new Millennium, we decided to give youall an extra shot at winning and held a thirdSweepstakes. The winning ticket was drawnat our Dinner Auction and the Grand Prizewent to Mary Lou Swartz from Hayward,Northern California.

Congratulations Mary Lou — Baba wantsyou there. Better hurry!

The Board would like to thank all ofyouwho so generously contribute to and helpsupport Meherabode, the home ofthe Me-her Baba Center of Southern California.

[F iFrom the Editor

Dma Snow

Jai Baba folks,

( ii

Decision-Making with BabaNaosherwan

F Eruch

Anzar: How can we bring Baba into our process of decision-making and what role would intuition play in it?

Eruch: Ifyou have given yourself to Baba, all the decisionsthat you make will be His decisions. Once you are His,

whatever decision you make, know that it is what He wants,for once you have determined to be His and act accordingly,

¶ you can rest assured that your decision will reflect His wishHowever, your determination to give yourlf to Him cannot

F be just lip service -- you should feel that you are His and actm suitably Furthermore, you must remain totally resigned to

the results of any decision taken as indicated above, otherwiseit will be tantamount to ycu alone having made the decision.

From The Ancient One, by Eruch Jessawala, Edited by‘.T 1

_

4 ___- F)_ IA I’ II’ aosneiwan i-ijiar, ragc 1’-F, opyrignt I O:

Naosherwan Anzar Published by Beloved Books

L ‘LCampPqst

Dma SnowCherie Plumlee, Pris Haffenden, Traci Auerand Cherri NelsonMichael Franklin and Patricia Adams-SmithBarbara RobertsRay MadaniPris Haffenden, HarryThomas and DmaSnowPris Haffenden 3616-1/2 5. CentinelaAve. Los Angeles CA 90066-3 124310-390-2779 Feel free to call withaddress corrections or questions.

cover: Mcher Baba in Ceylon, 1933 ©AMBCPPT

VApublication ofthe Avatar Meher Baba Center ofSouthern California

£ov&Street Lamp”l?ost

The Markers at Meherabad Dma Snow 4

Meherabad Development Plan Ward Parks 8

When That Time Comes. . . Bhau Kaichuri 10

Bhau the Indefatigable Dma Snow 15

Around—the-World Sam, Margaret and Stephanie 16

Wendy Haynes Connors Memories of East-West Gathering

Kendra Crossen-Burroughs 19

Meher Baba in the Far East LampPost Staff 24

I Want, I Want, but What?! Bal Natu 32

Happenings at Meherabode Various contributors 34

Nan Umrigar and Friends Don Stevens 37

An Unforgettable Musical Journey. . . Mary Pratt 41

Magical Moments with Baba. . . Kendra Crossen-Burroughs 42

welcome...The LoveStreet £ampJ2ost is dedicated with love toAvatar Meher Baba. Its primary purpose is tocontribute to a sense ofcommunity among all Hislovers by providing a place for sharing Hisremembrance. Allthe members ofthe Babafamily areinvited to contribute to thisfiast ofLove.

Your stories, photos, art work, poetry, letters, articles, and humorare all actively solicited. We seek expressions of Baba’s messageofLove and Truth.

Please submit your text on computer disks ifpossible (in any soft-

ware format); typewritten copy on white paper is also acceptable.Be sure to clearly identify all submissions and credit every quoteor reference.

submissions, subscriptions, donations:Love Street LampPost

Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California

1214 South Van Ness Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90019-3520323-731-3737 or

Bababook@pacbell.netdeadlines:

for the January issue: November 8thApril issue: February 8thJulyissue: May 8th

Love Street Bookstore:Dma Snow (at the addresses above)310-837-6419 between 7 and 11pm310-839-BABA (2222) 24 hour fax

email: Bababook@pacbell.net

editor:design and layout:

proofreader:research assistant:

printing:distribution:

mailing list information:

October issue: August 8th

credits:

]E•

( credits

Editor’s Page Dma Snow 2

The LoveStreet Bookstore Dma Snow 20

Book and Music Reviews Various contributors 20

Children’s Page Various contributors 23

Humor for Huma Jay Schauer 38

Announcements Various contributors 39

—---4We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the individuals andorganizations that own the copyrights to the Meher Baba pictures we have used throughout this issue to bring joy and love tothe hearts of all LoveStreet LampPost readers. Photos of theMeher Spiritual Center used bykind permission oftheir Board ofDirectors.

All words, images andgraphics in thispublication areproperty ofthe copyright holdersand/or the contributors. Messages andphotos ofMeher Baba © Avatar Meher BabaPerpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India, and © Lawrence Reiter. Un-authorized duplication isprohibited by law.

1 iI he ove treet .arnp ab1tshed quarterly in January,Aprsl,July andO?4qd 4All contents © 1996”i\vatMeher Baba Center of So?thernCalifornii ‘1$b4nAU quotations photos or books ofAvatar Meher Baba© AMBPPCT India lr

3

Dma Snow

Between upper and lower Meherabad, there are 29 HistoricalPlaques. We can but show a few here. The sites have been

carefully researched and the stone structures built, not just forthe pilgrim’s edification, but also to reinforce to the Indian Government that this is indeed a Spiritual place ofgreat import andhistorical significance.

One of the first to be erected was the one marking the ‘Post.. Office’ which became quarters for Meher Baba and the women

Mandali.It was originally built by the British army as a post office. and

. was the place in Meherabd that Baba first stayed in 1923. It wasthen used as quarters for the women Mandali from late 1924 tothe end of1926, and from the end of’28 to early ‘29. In 1927 itwas used as a girl’s school.

Baba instructed the mandali to dismantle it in 1933 in response to an order by the British Government. The stones werelater used to build Baba’s Tomb-Shrine and other buildings onthe Hill.

Upon seeing this plaque Heather Nadel, (Western residentfor 20 or more years) was moved to write the following piece:

The Post Office PlaqueStanding on the path that goes up Meherabad Hill, I’m look-

, I ing at a plaque marking the site of the old Post Office. Recentlythe government recognized Meherabad as a Sacred Site and as aCentre ofPilgrimage. With the increased public interest this creates, it seemed a fitting time for the Trust to begin marking outthe sacred sites of Meherabad: structures and places associatedwith Beloved Baba’s life and work.

So on this open patch between the road and the railway tracks,there are several simple brick markers with plaques: for HazratBabajan School, Sai Darbar, Makan-e-Khas and the Post Office.I’ve seen the others, but the Post Office marker is alive for me,awakening images of stories the mandali have told:

Of Baba, in 1923, the very beginning, His second night atMeherabad, sleeping in the abandoned Post Office with the menmandali—

OfBaba a little later, young and vital, sitting on the Post Of-fice verandah surrounded by the men, playing a drum with His

long slender fingers,as young Mehera,young Khorshed andthe other womenlooked on—

OfMani, age 6, onvacation and thrilledto be with Baba atMeherabad, wakingin the night on herlittle mat in a cornerofthe Post Office, listening to the watch-men call out to eachother across the fields:“All’s well”—

And, most beautiful, of Mehera, a shy young girl of 16 takingBaba’s darshan for the very first time inside the Post Office, andlater, when she and her mother were staying with the other womenthere, looking out the window and seeing Baba alone just outside,singing and dancing in the light of dawn.

The Post Office plaque gives only simple facts and dates. Howcould anyone understand, let alone describe, the significance ofthis place, or of all this patch of land where Baba worked so in-tensely in the early days, rebuilding the universe?

Still, in my mind, I write a series ofphantom plaques for thePost Office: ‘God Incarnate slept here’; ‘Lord Nataraja dancedhere’; ‘Radha first bowed down to Krishna here’; and my favorite,remembering Mehera’s glowing face as she would speak of thosefirst, glorious days with Baba in the Post Office: ‘TRUE LOVEblossomed here!’

The Markers at Meherabad

7:rue Love 73lossomed 2tere!

QUARTERS FORMEHER 3M3A UNTERMOTENT TN

c9J]H]OOBVSIW)fVCflOMIVRHOVaJ3IaaJd-]H3JdV

As.osKuvNNOWflLLSNlSiftAi1Jfl8,I}4vHSiO1!NVSIO

-(vvvinvv)

‘HVIISfHOTIDJoJNOI

..

j’..

%

V;%%

SZ6Tt6LAVflNVW1

14LNOVfOqNOlfl‘a3ivuKIA1wNosv33oNV

NOOSVv14)Ifl

OVS.

1kT(I

S,O63HNNUOIH3100H38HUMDNIAVcIONVH1h33NSIHJ.3NflNI11ISAS

ALNVfIHJ33dSIHOSAV1dSIGVSVSi3H3W

imiNIE1N

PATHUSED BY MEHER EAEAWHEN DDIND

UP AND DDE/N MEHEPSEAD HILL

1920’sONWARDS

F’

:1k1it t\tS5teb jwA1A/l&1Aiic.

AY.’,JPZNLfi sJcSI.,U) S&N)?{gjL k•

.“

4FOUNDATION STONE FOR

MEMORIALTOWER

LAID fl 1P4$ FDRTDWEPTD CDMMEMDRRTEHENER EREAS DEPARtED DEOPLES

1944CA

Upper Meherabad

>0

S’V[

“€‘-:‘:::

7

Meherabad Development Planis Becoming a Reality

By Ward Parks at Meherabad

ork is afoot at Meherabad in fulfillment ofthe objects givenby Meher Baba Himself in the Trust Deed. The center-

piece ofthis development effort is the Meher Pilgrim Retreat. Twoyears of design work have culminated in groundbreaking and thestart of construction this year. In the meantime additions to theMeher English School and Meher Health Centre have been completed, and the Spiritual Academy meeting hail is finished and fhnctioning. On another front, years ofresearch have resulted in a largeplacement of orders for furnishings and equipment for the newly-constructed Archive Building. Not yet completed but well inprogress is the construction of the expanded Pilgrim EducationSite (that will accommodate 4000 Amartithi pilgrims) and a newinfrastructure capable ofsupporting a quickly-developing Meherabad Estate. All ofthis represents progress under the DevelopmentPlan, inaugurated two years ago.

At the heart ofthe DevelopmentPlan is safeguard-ing the sanctityand divine atmosphere of MeherBaba’s Samadhi.No new facilitieswill be constructedwithin a half-mileradius of Baba’sTomb-Shrine, and

Meher Babac Samadhi a perimeter roadwill demarcate the

boundary of this protected zone. Instead of new building in thisarea, under the Development Plan the Hill is being planted withtrees, both to add greenery and to give shade to pilgrims. To date2600 tree seedlings ofmany species have been planted across a 25-acre plot on the Hill’s southeast slope. In the early stage of growththese trees require each about 20 gallons ofwater per day duringthe summer months, which is provided through a system of dripirrigation. When the trees are full-grown, seven pedestrian viewcorridors (also included in the Development Plan) willlead throughthe forest to the Samadhi.

The design of Meher Pilgrim Retreat results from a two-yeareffort on the part ofTed Judson, the Trust’s resident architect. Itwas Ted who, in the mid-1970s, designed the existing Pilgrim Centre, which accommodates 56. In designing the Retreat, a facility

for 200 pilgrims, Ted drew on the advice and experience of a teamofworkers who for two decades have been providing care for pilgrims who come to Meherabad to bask in Meher Baba’s divineatmosphere there. Amid the hectic pace of a Meherabad work lifeat Meherabad, Ted was forced to retreat into “seclusion” severaltimes to get the design work done! Meher Pilgrim Retreat is beingbuilt on a plateau about 0.6 of a mile west of the Samadhi; one ofthe seven view corridors (which will also, naturally, serve as a walk-way) will run from the Retreat to the Samadhi. Divided into twosides, a men’s and a women’s, each with two floors, the main build-ings of the Retreat will have sleeping quarters and four designatedreading rooms; outside verandas and courtyards will provide fur-ther spaces where pilgrims can read and talk among themselves orenjoy the quiet of this rural and pastoral region in the Meherabadestate. Proper attention to the construction of infrastructure willhopefully assure an adequate water and dependable electricity sup-ply. From the Retreat (situated on its hill top) one will be able toobserve beautiful sunsets as well as sunrise over the Samadhi. Con-struction will take three to four years to complete assuming sufficient availability offirnds.The estimated to cost is $1,023,000.

With construction of the new 15,000 square foot Archives,Museum and Research Building completed a year ago, a major focusof the current archiving effort lies in the furnishing of this newfacility, so as to properly house and preserve the priceless documents,films, photos and personal articles associated with Avatar MeherBaba and His Advent. The costs ofthe building were provided forbefore the current Development Plan had been formulated; butwhat the Development Plan does encompass is the cost of thefurnishing, estimated at $422,750 ofwhich $159,000 will be spentthis year. Thekey item in thefu r n i 5 h i n gprocess is the5 to r agecabinets.Research andbuilding ofprototypes ofcabinets andmuseum articlestorage hasbeen under wayfor two years,

Mehe;Pilgrim Retreat

I

and fortunately an Indian supplier has demonstrated the ability tomeet the demanding specifications that the proper care of MeherBaba’s articles calls for.These archival cabinets will comprise a majorpart of the total cost of the building’s furnishing. In additioncomputers, office furniture, and cold storage facilities for filmpreservation will be required. Meanwhile, while the furnishing ofthe building moves ahead, workers in the archival project have spentthe past three years in sorting and cataloging items to be rehousedin the Archives Building when it is ready. The work has entailedthe development of systems for storing and tracking the archivalmaterial.

Three projects — MeherEnglish School Auditorium,the addition to the MeherHealth Centre, and the Spin-mal Cultural Academy Meet-ing Hall — have been corn-pleted under the Development

‘

Plan and are currently beingfrilly utilized. Each of these

Meher Health Centre projects has added a new di-mension to life and work at the Mehenabad Estate. The Meher En-glish School is a lull ten-standard English-medium elernentany-cumhigh schoolwith a fiiil time teaching staffof2l and a student enrollmentof about 380 students, mostly from the village of Arangaon and thenearby locality The Development Plan financed the completion ofthe school plant by adding an assembly hall, gymnasium, and chernistry and physics laboratories. Seeing the 380 smiling happy faces in thenew assembly hail will touch one’s heart. The addition to the MehenHealth Center has helped in the provision ofrnedical cane to the 100-per-day residents ofthe surrounding area who come for free treatmentfor such ailments as respiratory infections, bacterial and viral infections, parasitic infections, diarrhea, anemia, skin disease, wounds andinjuries. Finally, the Spiritual Cultunal Academy Meeting Hall pro-vides a place for meeting and study for the 50 spiritual trainees fromIndia and abroad, who have given up their life in the world and residefrill-time on the Trust Estate, where they devote themselves to love forGod through various avenues of service.

The Development Plan includes an expansion of the AmantithiSite to accommodate an additional 4000 pilgrims for overnight accommodations at Amantithi and others times ofmela. This expansionis expected to be completed next year. For non-sahavas-time pilgrimaccommodation, after the Meher Pilgrim Retreat is completed, a newDhanamshala wiU be constructed to house 300 pilgrims. In the mean-time, during the next three years the existing Dhararnshala will berenovated.

In summary, the Trust is in the process of meeting its nesponsibilities for today and preparing for the ever-increasing number of pil

gnims who will come to Meherbad in the future to share in its DivineAtmosphere. Over the past three years 250 Meher Baba Lovers havemade contributions ranging from $5 to (in several cases) over $50,000.In total about one million dollars has been contributed to date. In thenext three years almost two millions dollars will be needed to keep theconstruction program on schedule. Expanding the contribution par-ticipation from Meher Baba Lovers is urgently required for the Trustto meet its responsibilities. You can help by sending a tax-deductiblecontribution to Avatar Meher Baba Center of Southern California, doKanji Miyao, Treasurer, 1214 5. Van Ness Avenue, Los Angeles, CA90019-3520 with the request that your contribution be used for theCenter’s grant program to the Trust Development Plan. For thosewho are interested in making a bequest in their will, or designating theTrust as the beneficiary ofan insurance policy, IRA, or charitable trustplease contact Emory and Susan Ayers Email: EAyers88@aol.com ortelephone 860-536-0303.

Meher Baba

road1yspeaking, karma is of two kinds: that which binds and that

which helps toward Emancipation and SeW-realization. Good as wellas bad karma binds aslong as it feeds the ego-mind through wrong under-standing. But karma becomes a power for Emancipation when it springsfrom nightunderstanding andwears out the ego-mind. Right understand-ing in tbis respect is best imparted by the Perfect Masters, who know thesoul in its true nature and destiny, alongwith the complications created bykarrnic laws.

The karma that truly counts comes into existence after a personhas developed a sense of distinction between good and bad. Duringthe first seven years ofchildhood, the impressions that are released forexpression are very faint. They also entail a consciousness ofthe worldconrespondinglyless responsive to the distinctions ofthe world. There-fore the actions ofchildren under seven years do not leave any strongor effective impressions on the ego-mind, and they do not play anyimportant part in shaping their ftiture.True and effective karma, whichmolds the ego-mind and its fliture, begins after the individual develops a sense ofresponsibility This sense ofresponsibility is dependentupon a sense ofdistinction between good and bad, which usually dawnsfrilly after one has passed the first few years of childhood.

Discourses by Meher Baba Copyright 1987 AMBPPCT9

, -,,

AuditoriumI

‘ CulturalAcademy Meeting Hall

The Karma That Truly Counts

“When that Time Comes, Nobody WillKnow What to Do and What Not to Do”

ISince Bhau heartsurgery —see article on nextpage—he has been subjectedto enforcedres1 Asthose ofus who know him can testi5,, mac-tivity does notsit we//with this man!He hasbeen taking wa/ks in the afternoon and during these times ofso/itude it seems Baba hasbeen speaking to him. As soon as Bhau returnshome, he dictates these messages. The one Babagave him on May 15th is extremeiy potent.Read on:]

Tuesday, 15th May 2001

This morning, I was going for walk.Generally, I keep quiet during my

walk, and I don’t talk. When I keep quiet,the Beloved talks to me silently.This hap-pened during my walk today.

After my walk, I sit on the porch. To-day, however, I sat there for a very shorttime and came back to my room to dictate

- the message I received from Baba. Thephone rang, and I went to attend thephone. Then a visitor came for some urgent

. thing, and I was talking to her. Then anothervisitor came. Again, I had to talk. It is now1:00 p.m., and I have started the dictation. Butafter a short time Sheela will come and willurge me, “Take lunch and then rest.”

I don’t know whether I will be able to remember all that which Beloved Baba haspointed out. But I will try to remember asmuch as possible. It is as follows:

When I started walking in the morning,the thought came into my mind that, “Whatchaos there is in the world. Everywhere rest-lessness is there, and I don’t know when peacewill prevail.”

A voice came from my heart. My mindstopped.

“Peace? You are thinking of peace? Howcan peace prevail? See the world — everywheretalk about peace goes on. Big conferences areheld to talk about peace, and why has this talkstarted? Because offear. atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, missiles and poisonous war mate-riel have been made in such quantity that thewhole world can be destroyed. Now fear isthere. So talk about peace continues, yet stillthe preparation of war materiel is going onand on. No country has any confidence in anyother countryThey talk in a friendlyway. Butthis is all an outward thing. Because evil forcesare working everywhere with greater and

Bhau Kaichuri

greater power, destruction cannot be avoided.There is no honestThere is no love.There isno confidence in anyone. Everyone and everycountry is engulfed by evil forces. Until theseevil forces are destroyed, there can be no peace.But where are these evil forces? Evil forces arein everyone. No one is free from these evil forces.

“But spirituality is also there, and I am thehighest authority ofspirimallt I am the An-cient One.Therefore, I am working and work-ing infinitely to make humanity free from evilforces.

“There are two types ofimpressions or san-skaras. One is natural, the other is unnatural.Natural impressions take one towards progressof consciousness, that is, towards the RealltyGod. Unnatural impressions create evil forces,and take everyone away from Realityc Becauseof these unnatural impressions, humanity isunder the grip ofevil forces. Seffishness, greed,corruption, exploitation, lust, anger, wants,jealousy, hypocrisy, slander, backbiting and alllow desires are increasing to any extent. In-stead of love, hatred is taking place. Humanbeings areworse thanviolentanimals.In this situ-ation, no one has any idea what will happen.

“If war takes place, and humanity is destroyed, can that solve the problem?The problem cannot be solved. You just find more andmore population. There is a shortage of food,shortage ofwater, changes in climatic condi

tions, different diseases and different calamities. Population is increasing like anythingbecause people from different planets aretaking birth on this Earth.

“So ifwar takes place, can there be anypeace? No, not at all. Peace will comewhen people are free from unnatural impressions. Their consciousness will thenproceed towards God. All low desires willbe wiped out. Then only can peace reign.So war is not the solution for bringingthis change so that peace may reign.

“I had toldyou about the Universal Ar-row I released at the time ofdropping Mybody. Because it is touching heart afterheart in the universe, all engrained, lowdesires are coming out. That is why thereis chaos and confusion in the world.Theselow desires, which are the evil forces, areto be wiped out. If war takes place, andpeople die, still those who die will comeback with those low desires. Again, therewill be the same thing which we find now.

“It is certain that three-quarters of theworld will be destroyed. It is going to happen.It is a definite thing. But what about thoselow desires? If they are not wiped out, peoplewill take birth with all low desires.

“Now, try to understand properly. Theselow desires create noise. They are unnatural.They are created by unnatural impressions.Natural impressions create sound, whichsound takes one towards the progress of con-sciousness towards God.This sound emanatesfrom the Whim. When there is no impression, there remains the infinite Voice of God.

“Why did I observe silence? Do you know?At the time of destruction of the world, MySilence will be broken. The noise ofthe worldwill be absorbed in the Ocean ofMy Silence,that is, My Infinite Voice. Because I will release the Spiritual Bomb, the Spiritual Bombwill be released from My Silence.That Bombwill make all noise absorbed in My Ocean ofSilence. It will be done in silence, and there-fore it will be sudden. When those who diecome back, theywill have natural impressionswith progressive consciousness.

“If anyone dies, he is not free fromunnatural impressions. But My Silence willmake it possible, that it will absorb the noisein Mylnfinite Voice ofthe Silence.The worldwill see this fact. Then peace will reign. Untilthat time, there will be chaos, confusion,

Bhau with Baba Bear

restlessness — all sorts ofdifficulties.The worldwill go on becoming more and morecomplicated.

When that time comes,nobody willknow what to

do and what not to do.People willstarve. People

will not have water todrink, andthey will nothavepure air to breathe.Pollution will spread everywhere. People willfeelsuffocated, suffiringfrom

different diseases.That will be the time when My Silence

will be broken.People will realize that only God exists.

Beside God, everything which appears asexisting is nothing but Illusion — Maya. TheSpiritual Bomb which I will release will absorb the noise in the Ocean ofMy Silence.Then there will be no talk about peace, butthe world will experience peace. Peace willcome into action. Not remain in words. Thatwill be My Universal Manifestation.

This message I got from the Beloved thismorning, and I am dictating it now. I startedat 1:00p.m., and I completed it at 2:00p.m.,though there was the interruption due tothe phone call. Anyway, whatever I couldremember, I have given out. I cannot saythat I remember the whole thing, but theimpact of this message I feel within me.

With all love and Jai Baba to you,In His Love and Service,Bhau Meherabad May 15, 2001

Ps. This is an addition to the messageabove:

“This is the reason why I have been repeating and repeating to My lovers to holdon fast to My Daaman. I repeat again, holdfast to My Daaman, My dear ones, andknow well, nothing happens in Realityc Everything happens in Illusion. Therefore,have firm faith in Me and love Me moreand more. I am with you. I will never leaveyou. I will never leave anyone in the world,whether he is a saint, or he is a sinner. I ameveryone, and I am everything. So I cannotleave anyone, because all are My children.Though there are a few innocent children,most ofthem are mischievous ones. But after all, they are My children. I am their realFather. I will not ignore anyone at any cost.”

Ifyou knowyourhistoryyou arefamiliar withEric the Rec4 RoberttheBruce, Ethelredthe Un—ready, Alexander the Great and many other suchnamed historical characters. However I think inthe Centuries to come wheneverpeople speak oftheAvatai the nameBhau theIndfatigable willspring to mind1For those ofyou who are not intouch with the day to day happenings in the Babaworlc4 except through thesepages, thefollowinginformation may come as a shock. Bhau Kalchurihas hadheartsurgery. l1’ who hadaccess to emailswerekeptin touch almost daily by Lynwood Saw-yer ofNew York who stayed in Meherabadto actas Bhauc amanuensis. Thefollowing isjust a very

few— andsome edited—ofthe emails we received

Thefirst emailfrom Dr. Anne Moreigne:

Dear friends in our world wide Babafamily, Baba has been unfolding

events very rapidly here in the Pune hospitalwith Bhau. Bhau’s coronary angiography onTuesday morning showed “severe multi-vessel coronary artery disease.” Because ofthe number, type and location of theblockages, the specialists decided that tryingto unblock the vessels with balloon and stent(angioplasty) was not appropriate. Theyrecommended bypass surgery which hasbetter long term results in diabetics. Aspecialist from another top hospital in Punewas consulted for his opinion and gave thesame advice. We had been hoping Bhaujiwould never need surgery again after his twooperations for colon cancer; we know thereare various alternative treatments forcoronary artery disease. But none seemedfeasible or even indicated at such anadvanced stage. Then we met the cardiacsurgeon. Bhauji instantly felt he was theright person. The surgeon said Bhau is a verygood candidate, he said he was “99%confident of a good result, the last 1% wehave to leave in the hands of God.” Bhaujiliked that statement.

So Bhau was scheduled for more preoperative tests and the surgery planned forMonday. To our surprise, Bhau kept pro-testing that “the operation should be ear-her, on Friday.” Well on Wednesday after-noon a patient cancelled his surgery and hisslot was offered to Bhau! Bhauji will havequadruple bypass surgery on Friday 6thApril at2pm. He is visibly totally happy andrelaxed about it, because he feels his surgery is what Baba wants for him.

Many ofyou have been reminding us inyour messages that Beloved Baba is incharge, and this is becoming clear even tomy short sighted eyes. At every step Babahad placed the right person in the rightplace. This cardiac facility is excellent, theirresults and statistics compare with the bestplaces in the West. And our Lord in Hismercy does not even give us time to worry,we have been too busy making all the nec-essary arrangements since this rescheduling.

Bhauji knows all your prayers will be withhim at the time ofsurgery and during the nexttwo days that he will spend in the intensivecare unit. He often says how touched he feelsto be the recipient ofall this love. Bhauji dictated to me this conclusion: He is very happyand cheerfid, knowing filly well that it is Be-loved Baba’s wish. During this week praise ofBeloved Baba in different forms are going oneverywhere in India and around the world asmost religions have a special holiday this week.At this special time, let our thoughts be focused on Him, the All Compassionate One,who holds His Bhauji and the rest ofthe worldin His hands.

On the eve ofhis surgery, Bhauji asked thatthis message be sent out to all his dear ones:Beloved Baba would always say, “Births anddeaths are illusory phenomena.” Though Iwould accept what He would say, in fact, Ihad no experience. But how great is theCompassionate One, that now I realize thisfact. I’m becoming more and more strong.Death does not scare me, but it is giving memore strength. I feel closer and closer to Be-loved Baba’s wish.

I have received so many emails and somany phone calls from all the dear ones fromevery corner ofthe world, and I feel not onlytouched, but their wishes and their prayersgive me more strength, and bring me stillcloser to the Beloved.

What can I express through words? I nowlong to be united in His love with one andall so that I may enjoy His glory more andmore and more. The DivineSun, eternallysilent, but our darkness of ignorance keepsit hidden.

Tomorrow (April 6, 2001), I will passthrough quadruple bypass surgery, and I willplunge into this surgery to enjoy the plea-sure of the Beloved. He has given

11

Bhau the IndefatigableDma Snow

unimaginably more than I deserve. He ismaking me free from all the rubbish I’mloaded with. What a nectar He is makingme drink, which makes my faith in Himstronger and stronger. He is the only oneworthy of worship.

Bhau, N. M. Wadia Institute of Cardiology Poona, Maharashtra, India April 5, 2001.

As we all held him in our hearts and mindsandaskedBaba to keep His nazarfirmly on Hismost active Mandali membei we then receivedthis happy updatefrom Di Anne:

Bhauc Succesfiul SurgeryBy Beloved Baba’s grace Bhau’s bypass surgery in the Pune hospital yesterday, 6thApril, went smoothly, lasting two hoursand 45 minutes. The surgeons performeda triple bypass, and were able to do it withthe beautifhilynamed “beating heart tech-nique,”which means without stopping theheart. The cardiologist and the anesthesiologist havejust examined Bhau and theysay that his recovery is progressing nor-mally. He will remain in the ICU for twodays. Only 45 minutes ago we were way-ing to him through the windowofthe ICU

.of the Pune hospital and he was wavingback to us! We will keep Baba-lovers in-formed ofhis progress.

Bhau will be discharged from thehospital on Monday. He will again begoing to Aurora Towers for a week. Buthe is still under restriction. After oneweek medical tests are there, and thenonly can he decide about his movementsfor the trip. The staffis very good, very by-ing, and they’ve all become friends. Bhau’splans are not fixed, and the doctors will onlybe able to decide next week. Nowadays hemakes friendships with all the doctors andnurses, and he’s bargaining with them aboutthe trip. Bhau thinks he be will strongenough to visit the West, and it is thedoctor’s courtesy to allow him. But today,one doctor said, “I know what you are go-ing to ask, but for the present, keep quiet.You are still not out of the cage.”

And when Bhau asked the chief surgeonwhen he could make his trip, the chief surgeon replied, “We’ll think about it afterwards.Not now. How long will you be my guest?”

“As long as you want, but you must cometo conclusion for bargaining,” Bhau replied.

On the l3thApril we received thefoiowing:

Bhau is still under restriction not to exertor dictate.

He mentioned that “Now another phasehas begun, and another phase is bargainingwith the doctors. They come and examine me

twice a day. Ifthey say I am progressing verywell, then immediatelyl ask them, ‘When willI be able to make my trip to the West?”

Last night the cardiologist said, “Don’task this question now. You’ll be released onMonday, but don’t move about here andthere. After a week, come to the hospital,and I will give you the tests and decide. After then we can give you a definite answer.”

Another doctor said “Up to the end ofJuly, you should not fly. Ifyou insist, I thensay that you just go to one place. Don’t go

on moving, and don’t go talking.”“He will not talk, but I will give talk,”

Sheela said.See how Bhau is waiting, but he is waiting

very anxiously to see all dear ones. He goes onbargaining with the doctors every day.

Today (Saturday, April 14) the vascularsurgeon said, “I see the problem isn’t get-ting you recovered. The problem is keepingyou tied down.”

Andjust before lunch the entire operating team came to see Bhau—chief surgeon,vascular surgeon, the third surgeon (whoseprecise duties I don’t quite know), and theanesthesiobogists. The chiefsurgeon said, “Isee you’re progressing quite well.”

“When can we start bargaining?”Bhauasked.

“Come to my office,” the chief surgeonreplied.

Addressing everyone else in the room,Bhau indicated the chief surgeon and toldthe others “You’re a very good doctor.”

“I see you’re bargaining already,” the chiefsurgeon replied.

Fastforward to Mayj2th, with Bhau recovering very nicely. He dictated thefollowing:

Bhauc Dhuni Day 4wakening’May 12,Meherabad “Burn the Distance in the

Fire ofLove”

B eloved Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!Today [12th May], the morning was

very pleasant. As soon as I woke up, I remembered that I had to attend theDhuni that evening. I went for a walkaround Sheela’s house, and I forgot allthoughts of the Dhuni. I walked about25 minutes today. I felt Baba was speak-ing in my heart. Though it was in silence, I could understand it. He said tome, “Do you know why I lighted theDhuni in 1925? It was not just for therain. The villagers came. They wantedrain. I asked them to go back, and I willsee what God can do. They left. I lit theDhuni along with my Mandali membersat 11:00 at night.Just after that, it startedraining.

“After one year, in order to celebratethe anniversary of the Dhuni, again itrained. I was in Toka. Again villagerscame to me for rain. I lit the Dhuni, andit rained. Afterwards, because I startedtraveling all over India and the West, theDhuni was not lit. Then, in December1941, when I was in strict Seclusion,working onlywith the Masts, the preparation for war was going on fttriously.

On 12th December, 1941, I informed theMandali that I would light the Dhuni. As Iwas in Seclusion, I never wanted anyone tosee Me. So I was brought down the hill inan enclosure of bed sheets. There was anenclosure all around the Dhuni on the samespot where I lit the Dhuni in 1925. I wasthere, along with the Mandali. I said tothem, ‘I have made all preparations for thewar.Just like you have put the fuel here, andit now requires only to strike the match stickand to light the fire. So also My preparation is complete. It requires only to strikethe match stick.’

“Then I said to the Mandali, ‘Pleader,you will get God Realization.’ The otherMandali members looked at Me, amazed. Isaid to them, ‘All of my Mandali will getGod Realization.’

“Dhuni was lighted, and I announced,‘My seat will be here for 1,200 years.’

“Again,just after one month, in memoryofUpasni Maharaj, I lit the Dhuni on 12th

January 1942. A grand feast was arrangedfor the villagers that day, and I announcedthat the Dhuni is to be lit every month onthe 12th. Since then, it has. I also took partin the Dhuni in 1954, when the Declaration Meeting was there. Also in 1955, during the Sahavas period, and again in 1958.

“But what is the secret ofthe Dhuni? Youdon’t understand. It is not any ritual or ceremony. It is the medium of My UniversalWork.

“Bhau, today you are going to offer thegreeting cards, emalls, letters, and phone voicesto the Dhuni, with a prayer that I should lightthe Fire ofLove in the hearts ofMy dear ones.I am happy you are doing this. I am in every-one, but do you find Me in everyone? Eventhough I am thousands of times closer thanthe breath ofeveryone, and am the very life ofeveryone, do you find Me?

“You don’t find me. You find distance.Your own self creates this distance, whichself contains ego, anger, lust, temptations,wants, jealousy, backbiting and all sorts oflow desires. You find distance from Me be-cause of all these desires, wants and temptations created by the self. I am not awayfrom anyone, and I cannot remain away.Even ifyou try to drive Me out, I cannot goaway from anyone, because only I exist.Whatever you find existing is nothing butthe creation ofthe self, and the selfmust goin order to find Me. There should not beany distance. Therefore, you have to burnthe distance in the Fire ofLove.That is whythis Dhuni is lighted. When you offer thisdistance out of love, you will find that thedistance goes on minimizing gradually andgradually.

“You are taking all these greeting cards,emails, letters and phone voices to Me wherethe Dhuni will be lit. Know well you arebringing My dear ones near Me, and for amoment they forget the distance, becauseyou are forgetting the distance. I am very,very happy that you are doing so. I feeltouched with your action. I am the Doer,and you are offering their love and wish toMe, and you have no idea how happy I willbe. All My dear ones will be here with Me,and though you are offering the flowers andthe sticks for them, I know their love is do-ing this for Me. They are indeed blessed.”

When the voice stopped, I looked at mywatch. I started at 7:55 a.m. and it was 8:20am. It was the longest walk today after mysurgery, and I was not feeling tired. I wasfeeling fresh.

I came to the porch, and I was sitting

there. I asked Max to read the LampPost,and he was reading. Then Freeman came.So I asked Max to go for breakfast, and Free-man was reading the LampPost. I thought,that Baba was telling me about the Dhunifire, and here is the LampPost.

May He light the lamp of love in yourhearts, 0 Beloved Baba’s dear ones!

Bhaucfirst 4wakening’ ofMay 14th Me-herabad:

YourHelplessness WillMake You Laughand FewActors Can Follow The

Directorc Instructions

B eloved Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!This morning [May 14th], I took a

walk for 20 minutes. Then I was sitting onthe porch, where I had my breakfast. Themorning was very fresh. A breeze was there,and I was very happywith the morning walkaround Sheela’s house.

Then I went to my room. Freemanbrought the emails, and I dictated replies.Then Sheela asked me to take a bath.

Freeman and Max were making arrange-ments to change my colostomy. I was lyingin bed, and all of a sudden, a thought camein my mind, “Oh Baba, how helpless I havebecome! I depend upon others for every-thing. Day by day, this dependence goes onincreasing.”

A voice came in my heart, as if BabaHimselfwere speaking, “Helpless? You havenot yet become completely helpless. Whenyou become completely helpless, you will notfeel sorry. You will not feel sad. On the con-trary, your helplessness will make you laugh.That is helplessness. You have no idea whatyou gain through your helplessness. You getinner strength. Physicallyyou are ruined, butinternally you are strong. Still you have tobecome more and more strong. The timehas come for that.

“You are My trusted one. My Mandalimembers are My trusted ones. I can trustthem, because if anything happens, theirfaith in Me will not shake. They have rock-like faith in Me, and therefore I rely onthem. They are My asset. They are themedium of My Universal Work. I torturethem to any extent, but their love remainsjust the same. On the contrary, theylove Memore and more. I am their strength, and Iam the only One on Whom they rely. Suchpersons now I will have after 700 years,when I come back. No one can replace them.

“Then there is another category who loveMe. But their love and faith are not as strongas My Mandali members, whom I use for

My Universal Work. They also are real by-ers. The category ofthese lovers is separate.

“For example, Perfect Master Ramdashad a disciple named Kalyan, who was notin his circle. The circle members were different, but Kalyan loved Ramdas very much.

“One day, Swami Ramdas came to hismandali. Kalyan was there. Ramdas had abandage on his leg, and he said, “I have gota terrible wound on my leg. The pain isunbearable. The pus is there in the wound,and the only way to relieve me from the painis to suck the pus.”

No circle member came forward, soKalyan started sucking the pus. But theswelling was actually a mango which SwamiRamdas had tied within the bandage.

“The difference between the circle members and lovers is that circle members areused for Universal Work, while lovers arenot. But such lovers are rare.

“There is another category. They are inthe first stage of love, called “Emotion.”They appear as if they love Me more andmore, and there is no equal to them. So theyexhibit show. For that purpose they will goto any extent. They may act as if they loveMe more than My circle members, but they -

do not hesitate to torture them.“Then there are other categories who do

not know Me. They remain busy with theirown religions as they become orthodox.They remain very, very rigid. If they cometo know about Me, they abuse Me and criticize Me.

“The other category is atheist. They havenothing to do with God. They don’t carefor God. They don’t believe in the existenceof God. Yet the responsibility of all thesepeople I have taken on. I am responsible foreveryone. I am the director, producer andactor of the film of Creation. Therefore Ihave to play these three roles for everyoneand everything.

“Everyone is an actor in Creation, andhe or she acts according to his or her impressions or sanskaras. These sanskaras arethe bindings, so he or she remains boundby these sanskaras. As I am responsible forall this, it is My duty to release them. So Ihave to play the robe of director, producerand actor in everyone.

“But there are a few actors who can follow the instruction of the director. So thedirector relies upon them. He gives themany instruction without any hesitation, sothat they may act to help others. I take uponthe burden oftheir sanskaras by giving themvidyanic sanskaras. These vidyanic sanskaras

13

can wipe out their binding sanskaras. ThenI use these few actors for My UniversalWork. They are My trusted ones.

“The real lovers who do not expect any-thing from Me, remain dedicated to Me, andsurrender to Me, they are also My trustedones. But for others I have to work, and workand work, and suffer and suffer and sufferto make them the best actors so that theymay not remain bound by their acting, butto remain bound with My pleasure. I sufferinfinitely for them. I have to act very, verycarefully with them, because they have a lotofburden from their own sanskaras.

“The emotional ones exhibit their emotion, but then they do not hesitate to torture My lovers and circle members in orderto show their love. I have to put up with allof them because they are My children. SoMy circle members not only are tortured bythose who criticize and abuse Me, but theyare also tortured by the emotional ones. StillI have to put up with them, because theyare My children.

“Therefore Bhau, I tell you, you are pass-ing through different things because you aretortured. Don’t worry, you are My trusted

- one. I know how you have established theTrust. How after I dropped My body, inorder to fulfill My instructions, you wrotemany books, working continuously day andnight. Then you took up the Trust work. Iknow how difficult it was to establish theTrust under the law, but you did it. Howdid you do it? Because I did it Myselfthrough you. You are My medium, and nowyou are spending all your energy for thedevelopment of the Trust.

“You are also careftul, like My other Man-dali Members, who never have any distinction of race, religion, caste, creed, sex or nationallt You realize that I am in them, and Ionly exist. Because you work for Me, in orderto serve My cause, you keep all these distinctions away and never think ofduality You always think about Unity, because you, like allMy Mandall Members, are My trusted ones.

“So do not lose heart and go on servingMe in a way which you think is under MyWish. I am with you, and I will never fail you.You may be proved a complete failure by theworld. But I tell you, you are winning in Mylove. I trust you. What more do you want?”

This happened here, when Freeman andMax were changing my colostomy. Then I wastaking a bath.Just after mybath, I started dictating, first to Freeman and then to Max.

One thing Beloved Baba also told Methrough His silent voice in my heart, “Howmuch care I take for you. Have you any idea?

You got heart trouble. Immediately, Anne,Freeman, Max, and your Shiva came to helpyou. There were others also to help you.Next, Sheela and David came from America.They all have been helping you. So I do notneglect you. Though I am making you help-less, at the same time I provide help to you.

“You just see. A wave has become verystrong in My Ocean, and all My lovers havebecome one. Because oftheir love for Me, theyhave become your strength. I am really very,very happy that you are offering their love toMe at My Samadhi and at the Dhuni. I feelproud of you. Know well, I am extremelypleased with you, because you salute and bowdown to thelove ofMylovers which they havefor me. So no knowing frilly well that I amyour strength, and your helplessness is suchthat it is giving you more and more strength,you be happy and cheerfril.

“Again, I feel extremely happy to see thatyou offer flowers for my lovers in the Dhuni.I heard your prayer for them. I feel touched,and I feel happy.”

Bhaui second 4wakening” ofMay 14th

Eruch Is My PeterBhau Is MyJohn

Again, today [Monday, 14th May, 2001],something happened in the afternoon whenI was taking rest.

Because I could not sleep last night, I fellasleep for some time. I was very, very restless.

But today I’m really very happy. BelovedBaba appeared in my dream, smiling. Heasked me, “Do you remember what I saidto you early in the night on 30th January,1969? Did I not ask Goher to bring thephoto ofJohn [the disciple ofJesus]?

“When she brought that photo, I askedher to hang it on the wall. I said to you,‘You are My John.’

“You were amazed. You did not say anyword, because you could see how I was suffering infinitely. That was the day when Ihad completed My Universal Work. I wasat rest from 7:00 pm to 9:00 p.m., and youwere very happy to see Me take rest.”

“I asked you to sit on the night watchman’schair for the first time after months, becausealways you would sit on My bed while givingMe massage. And then you saw yourself inthe Trust Compound, and you felt amazed. . .atypist, staff, scores of people were workingunder you. You also saw My body being takenfrom Meherazad to Meherabad, and you feltextremely terrified. You saw different thingsat Meherabad, including press reporters. Yousaw many people there. They would comeweeping. But when they would see My body,

they would feel as happy as ifl were alive.All this I [Bhau] saw in the vision as I sat

in the chair in His room.“And then after 9:00 p.m., I started having

spasm after spasm. At the time, I told you thatyou are myJohn.

“I suffered and suffered. At 10:00 p.m., Itold you, ‘Remember this: I am not this body.’

“Then again at 11:00 p.m., I told you,‘Remember this: I am not this body.’

“And then again at 12:00 midnight, I toldyou that ‘I am not this body.’

“I suffered and suffered tremendously,spasm after spasm. I was feeling that mybones were breaking. At 4:00 am., I calledall the Mandali. They were holding Mybody, because I would get spasm after spasm.

“After months, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.the night of30thJanuary 1969 was the firsttime I took complete rest, because on thatday I completed My universal work.

“Still, I had to release that work. In or-der to release it, I was facing infinite difficulties. Maya was opposing My work. Itdid not want Me to release it, because whatwas that work? It was that work, whichwould make the power ofMaya weak. That’swhy Maya was resisting. 31st January, at12:15 p.m.,was the daywhen I released thatwork. And then I was completely free. Thework was released.

“Before that, at about 10:00 am., when allthe Mandall members were with Me, I pointedout the picture ofPeter [the disciple ofJesus],which was hanging in My room. I said, ‘Emchis my Peter.’ I pointed out My picture ofJohnand said that, ‘Bhau is myJohn.’

“There was complete silence for 10 mm-utes. Again the spasms started.

“So Bhau, don’t forget that you are My

John. When I was Jesus, I loved John verymuch. I trusted him so much that I gaveMy mother, Mary, to be under his care.Never forget that you are myJohn, and howmuch trust I have in you.

“So do not lose heart. Serve Me till yourlast breath. I know that you will do so, inspite of the difficulties you are facing. Justbe for Me. You are Mine. All the Mandalimembers are Mine. No one has any idea inthe world what Gift My Mandali membershave received from Me. Even my Mandalimembers do not know now. But they willknow. Why have I selected them? Why haveI kept them with Me to serve Me? No onecan imagine. Only I know. They are all Myjewels and pearls. They will always be withMe and one with Me. When the workwhich I had released manifests fully, thenthe world will realize the worth ofMy Man-

dali members. Then the world will remember Me, and shed tears to know how I suffered for the world, and how My Mandalimembers served Me at that time.

“Never think that I am consoling you,but this is the Truth I am telling you today.My Mehera is with Me. My Mani is withMe. My Kaka is with Me. My Baidul is withMe. My Naja is with Me. My Pendu is withMe. All the Mandali Members who havedeparted, they are with Me, and they aremy joy. You all left-out Mandali Membersare also My joy. You are still in the bodybecause you have to fulfill certain duties to-wards the world, and then you will have yourplace in the Ocean ofMy Infinite Heart.

When I woke up, I was very quiet and silent,and thinking how compassionate my Beloved is.He is always with me. was thinking this whenMax opened the door of my room. I was quiteawake, and dictated this to him.

So as we go to press, no one is certain forwhen Bhauji willcontinue on his world tray-els. It is all in the hands ofthe Beloyed.

Garlic—FacedKittyDavy

ith Baba there was frequent change,never routine for long. He wanted one

to be fluid and adaptable, to accept the easyand the difficult, unattached to either, withequal poise and cheerffilness. Not only didBaba plan the work ofeach, but He also madeone feel He was the worker too by His in-tense interest in a1l one did. For example, whenHe came up the hill from lower Meherabad,or before He left in the morning, He wouldcome to the kitchen to inspect what we werecooking. Naja, one ofthe earliest ofthe East-em group told ofa day when she was cookingfor the 200 Prem Ashram boys and Baba cameinto the kitchen to inspect the rice. Baba foundthe rice not too well cooked, each grain notseparate as it should be and He had new ricefreshly cooked. As Naja explained to us, it wasnot that Baba was concerned that the boysshould have perfectly cooked rice, but Hewanted to bring home a lesson to all: that allwork, whether done for Him directly or mdirectly, from the cooking of a simple dish to thewriting ofa book, must not be carelessly done.

From the kitchen Baba would go to thegarden where the plants were being wateredor seeds sown, or go to the office room todiscuss the Meher Baba Journal, and go tothe sewing room to take an interest in what

was being made. Baba, through His example, is contagious. It is a divine art to always lookshowed that the life of the spirit is unified, cheerful. It is a divine quallty It helps others.though made up of so many particles; a wid- When you are garlic-faced, it makes othersening ofinterest, not a cutting down. unhappy.” Baba emphasized that no one must

One felt Baba’s personal interest served a expect to get happiness from others, but bedouble purpose, for it also constituted a point happy in oneselfof contact with the doer. It seemed that So we would try to be gay, not lookthrough such activityone came closer to Baba. moody or bored. And Baba, calling theHe overlooked no one. No one knew when group together, would tell us what a tiringBaba would be day He had hadjust around the with the God-corner.This kept mad or the menup a certain mandali, thusstimulating and preparing us totense feeling of feel sympaexpectancy, thetic. “I wantwhich one im- to relax. I wantmediatelymissed to laugh,” Hewhen Baba was would begin.away.To one and “You,” pointingall, Baba had a to one of thewelcoming smile, group, “sing Mea touch on the a song.” To an-shoulder, an un- other, “Tell Mespoken gesture a story, a funnysignifying, “Are joke.” If thisyou happy? Are brought no reyouwell?”Andin sponse, “Tella strange way, one’s frown or negative mood Me something amusing about your schoolwould disappear. days; act something; dance.” There we sat,

No one can realize how much we did glued to our seats, frustrated, getting red-have of Baba’s personal supervision, inter- der and hotter. Says one, “I have never sung.”est and care in the early years of training in Another, “I have never danced. I am no goodMeherabad Ashram. Surely He was day by at storytelling. I remember no jokes.” Babaday giving us the example by which we were goes on hammering, “What, you tell Me youto remold our own lives: an example ofLove love Me and want to please Me and when Iin daily action. We, too, must find time for ask, you say ‘no.’ What kind oflove is this?”apparent trifles—show the kindly interest, Some ofthe group responded spontaneously.speak the helpful word, be ever ready to But to Rano and me these times were a trialadapt to changing circumstances, our own beyond description.and others—and not be so busy or preoccu- Sometimes on special occasions Babapied that we could not attend to our wouldaskallofustodressupinfancydress,neighbor’s need; to put them offwith, “Oh, and this afforded much amusement and exdon’t bother me now. Really I have not the citement, for we made our own costumestime and what’s more I don’t know. Find out ofwhatever the Ashram possessed andout from someone else.” And with a frus- were thus kept busy for days ahead. Babatrated and annoyed look add, “So sorry, ask would be ready at the given hour, and whenme another time.” we would all appear before Him, He would

All Baba asked from each was a happy face select the winner. On one occasion, Ranoand work done cheerftully.To Baba, this cheer- and I dressed as Laurel and Hardy. Anotherftilness was a goal most worth striving for, a time I won with a home-made chicken cosgoal ofparamount importance. Baba told us, tume—although I later had a bad reaction“Ifyou don’t want to be old before you really to the feathers and became quite ill!ought to be old, be cheerful in thought, word, From LoveAlone Preyails, by Kitty Davydeed and appearance—most ofall in appear- © 1981 by Avatar Meher Baba Perpetualance. Maybe you are not happy inside—per- Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar In-haps gas in your stomach! But you must look dia Published by Sheriar Presshappy. I always find half ofyou garlic-faced.When you eat garlic it is a smell passed on toa1l; so when you appear garlic-faced, that too

15

An Around-the—Worid Piigrimageto the Beloved

hen the Avatar Meher Baba Centerof Southern California was inspired

to offer an around-the-world sweepstakes toseven places visited by Meher Baba — Meherazad, Meherabad, Avatar’s Abode (KielMountain Australia), Meher Mount (Ojai,California), Meher Spiritual Center (MyrtleBeach, South Carolina), St. Francis’ Cave(Assisi, Italy), and the retreat at EastChaflacombe (near Combe Martin, England)— they put in place a wonderffil year for win-ner Sam Ervin, his wife Margaret Magnus,and their daughter Stephanie Ervin.

When Margaret wrote the check and filledout the sweepstakes tickets, she wrote in thename “SamErvin” be-cause it wasthe shortestin the family.It turned out

that Babaknew whatHe was do-ing.ret wouldhave deemedthe trip impossible andnot acceptedit. Stephaniedid not have the resources to support the trip.Sam, on the other hand, accepted winning asboth a gift and a message from Meher Baba.Thus, Sam set the goal to visit all seven placeswithin one year.

Winning also turned out to be a gift to therest of the family. Margaret likes to travel extensively and is always balancing that with visiting Beloved Baba’s Tomb Shrine. Stephanielikes adventure and s new places. And

By Sam Ervin, Margaret Magnus and

Stephanie Ervin, Los Angeles

the entire familyloves traveling, being togetherand creating shared memories.

Due to work and school schedules, thearound-the-world trip could not be accomplished in “one” trip. Instead, several individualtrips were scheduled around school holidays.

Meher Baba had anticipated this win, forby the time the winner was announced, theErvin family already had plans to visit Australia. Stephanie, then a sophomore in highschool, had always wanted to go

Aus traliasince she haddone a reporton the country in elementary school. In1999, shehadasked if shecould go withEarthwatchto study dolphins in Australia nearBrisbane( about onehours drive

from Avatar’s Abode).Thus, Baba had alreadyplanned the first leg ofthe pilgrimage.

Francis Brabazon wrote about Avatar’sAbode, a 99-acre property on the summit oflUel Mountain on Queensland’s SunshineCoast: “Avatar’s Abode is a stopping place onthe road to the Beloved, for He stopped hereon the road to our hearts and took over thelives of those who came and gave themselves

to Him.” Meher Baba visitedAvatar’s Abode in 1958, and Hishouse and room are preserved andavailable for all pilgrims.

The Ervin family then spent thefollowing Christmas (1999) inMyrtle Beach. Meher Baba calledthe Meher Spiritual Center His“Home in the West.” Kitty Davy inher book, LoveAlone Prevails, quotesMani (Baba’s sister): “The MeherSpiritual Center at Myrtle Beach isthe sweet fruit of ElizabethPatterson’s love for Baba. The seed

was sown by Baba and it grew under His directguidance. The Beloved denies performing

miracles but theMeher SpiritualCenter is undeniablya miracle ofHis love.” ::

In February2000, Sam, whoworried that thewhole family wouldnot get to Indiawithin his self-specifled timeframe, wenton his own.

Spring vacation2000 was spent in Italy. According to the bookLordMehei Baba wished to stay in seclusionfor 24 hours somewhere in Italy and choseAssisi because it was the home ofSt. Francis,who was a God-Conscious Perfect Master. After His seclusion, Baba told his followers, “A

The Boathouse, Meher Spiritual Centeer

:1iI1

. . 4

t

Avatarc Abode, Australia

Bazc chair in the Barn

I

Francis Brabazon gravesite, Australia The Cave atAssisi

big meeting ofspiritual personages tookplacehere the likes ofwhich has never before beenheld.”

In May 2000, Sam and Stephanie alongwith Kacy Cook (a resident at Meherazad visiting Southern California) went to MeherMount. On Thursday, August 2, 1956, Me-her Baba visited the hilltop center called Me-her Mount, which had been established byAgnes Baron. “I love Meher Mount very muchand feelhappy here,” Meher Baba gestured toAgnes, according to accounts in Lord Meher.“Next to Myrtle Beach, I love this place best.”

In the summer of 2000, the entire familywent to East Challacombe on the way toMeherazad and Meherabad. Meher Baba visited East Challacombe in 1931 and 1932. AtEast Challacombe, “Baba candidly disclosedto his followers in England that he was theAvatai the Messiah, the Christ for whom theworld had long been waiting. Although Godfirst appeared in physical form in the East,He first revealed Himseifto be the Avatar inthe West.” (Lord Meher)

Meher Baba’s visits to these places of pilgrimage are chronicled in several books, in-cluding them u 1 ti - v olu m eLord Mehei

“Places ofpilgrimage are sanctified because ofthe Lord’s Presence” EruchJessawala, one ofMeher Baba’sMandali, isquoted as sayingin Bill Le Page’sbook, The Turn-ing ofthe Key.

“Hearts do get drawn towards His placeswhere He stayed, and which have His atmosphere. So places like Avatar’s Abode, Meherabad, Meherazad, and Myrtle Beach, becomethe centre offocus ofhumanity, and naturallypeople from all parts ofthe world wish to con-

verge on these places, andso they become places ofpilgrimage.”

The Ervinfamilyimpressions ofthe trip:

Meher Baba used thispilgrimage opportunity todraw our hearts towardHim. Eruch says, “Peopledo get drawn by His love,by His universal workwhich means to shower

His love upon His creatures and creation, andwhich helps eventually draw hearts towardshim.” Meher Baba gave our entire family agift ofHis presence by providing us with theopportunity to visit places he sanctified withHis visits.

Meher Baba also drewus closer to him throughthe people we met in eachplace. Sharing their stories,the love of Meher Babaand our mutual focus onHim provided nourish-ment on thejourney to theAvatar. So, while thesightseeing, food and travelwere fun, seeing Babafriends and meeting newones created an opportunity to celebrate our common bond with the Be-loved and some of ourmost cherished memories.

The world-wide Meher Baba communityis still small. Thus, meeting and sharing with

other lovers issometimes rareand always atreat. It’s clearthat throughoutthe world, Hehas connected usall through HisLove.

Thus, wherever our familywent, Baba by-ers opened theirhomes andhearts, helped usfind the special

places associated with Baba’s work, and sharedtheir Baba stories with us.

In Australia, we connected with friends wehad met previously in India. Bill and DianaLe Page gave us a tour ofAvatar’s Abode, in-

vited us to their home for lunch, and took usto the coast to have dinner at their favoritefish and chips shop. We also caught up withthe Bowling family (Gusi, David, Morgan,Margaret, Owen, Lizzie) who celebratedStephanie’s birthday with us. Later we joinedthem for a Baba meeting at their home.

In Myrtle Beach, we ran into old friends,such as Will David who had just publishedhis book, UniversalPrayei He signed a dozencopies for us to give to friends and family forChristmas presents. Kendra CrossenBurroughs and husband Jonathan had justmoved from Meher Mount in Ojai back toMyrtle Beach — and they had been delayedand missed their own farewell meeting at theLos Angeles Center — so it was great to say“goodbye” in Myrtle Beach. Sam caught upwithbong-time friend AndreaWinzimer and

we had a chance to meet new friends, including Charlie Mills who did a wonderifil Me-her Baba painting commissioned by us.

In Assisi, Valeria Violati showed us the cavewhere Meher Baba said He had the 1932meetingwith the spiritual hierarchy— and thenfixed a wonderfrd lunch for us. We sat outsideat her farmhouse, with the rolling green hillsand her white horses in the background, andshared our Baba stories. We also met CansArkin and his family.

At Mehen Mount in Ojai, a place wherewe had been many times, it was great to takeKacy for the first time, and visit with Billy,Pamela and Anabelle Goodrum.

In England, Frank and Lynne Kidston gaveus directions — otherwise we might never havemade a few obscure turns to get to the retreatat East Challacombe. And the Leggs, Angelaand David, who live in the restored dairy“bann.”They fed us the true British ‘High Tea’with fresh baked scones, strawberry preserves,thick rich clotted cream, and copious cups oftea.While we ate, they shared their scrapbooks

17

East Challacombe

Vrranda at Meherazad

..

P•

-‘: r

••

I L1’:Sam, Meheru, Margaret and Stephanie

ofvisits and clippings about Meher Baba.In East Challacombe, we had not realized

that Bhau Kaichuri’s exhausting itinerary forthe year 2000 would have taken him there theweek before we arrived. Angela Legg recalledhis visit fondly and mentioned he had calledher his “angel.” We also had the impressionthat some ofthe local Baba people were still abitfatigued form keeping up with Bhau’s challenging schedule.

We wrapped up the year-long pilgrimageby going straight from East Challacombe toMeherazad and Meherabad, near Ahmednagar India. There we offered this pilgrimageto the Eternal Beloved, Avatar Meher Baba.We celebrated the end ofthis particular jour-neywith our Baba family in India — the Man-dali, residents and fellow pilgrims.

Visiting Meherabad and Meherazad is likecoming home to Baba, His Samadhi. It didnot feel like the end of the pilgrimage, per-haps because in a small way ourjourney symbolized the pilgrimage we all must make, inour hearts, to Him.

Audio TapeLending Library

Do you ever find yourselfin a ‘dry spell’ spin-tually?Wouldyou rather have something inspininig to listen to than negative news, weather andtraffic reports during youn travels? Do you needan interesting theme foryoun Baba meetings?Theaudio library has many interesting and intellectually stimulating discounses on life with Baba.

We have over 150 titles just waiting to bedelved into byinquiringminds.Whatunsuspecting treasures to behold! Don’t waste your timeon this tined old world any longer. Make younchoice to move into the cosmic Baba linkup.

For catalog or info write to Lynne Berry 267Hanover Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Sheis ready to assist you.

During the week of the anniversary ofthe East-West Gathering, Wendy

Haynes Connor spoke with characteristiccharm and humor to a packed audience atMeher Center, recalling her attendance atthe Gathering at age 11, along with hermother, Jane Barry Haynes, and brothersCharles andJohn. Several other people whohad been there too were in the audience, in-cluding Nancy Merwan from L.A. andIrwin Luck. About 150 Westerners attendedthe East-West Gathering, along with some15,000 Indians, much more than the 3,000Easterners that had been expected.

Wendy began by saying what a joy it isto share stories ofBaba. Elizabeth Pattersonused to say that Baba is the one subject thatnever gets boring-which makes sense, sincethe subject is Infinite Love itself.

The Gathering took place at Guruprasadin Pune from November 1 to 4, 1962, thoughthere was one extra, private session on themorning of November 5 when Baba metwith the Westerners. Wendy felt that Babagave the Westerners that extra time because“we needed it.” He also allowed the West-erners to sit in the front of the audience,the women on one side and the men on theother. (At one point He had the men andwomen switch sides, which may have hadsome deep meaning.) Baba also met privately with Wendy’s brother John on oneday when He was not seeing anyone else-because it was John’s birthday.

Wendy had first met Baba in MyrtleBeach in 1958. Shortly after Baba left theU.S., the Haynes family, with Baba’s per-mission, moved to New York City for several years so that Jane could study actingwith Lee Strassburg. From their first meet-ing with Baba the family received cablesfrom Baba (or from Mani and Mehera whenBaba was in seclusion). Baba always remembered to send love to their pets too-Wendy’scat, Puff, and Charles’ dog, Buff. Their livesrevolved around Baba and the excitementofgetting messages from Him. Baba wouldsend messages to Jane like, “Don’t worry,don’t be nervous, don’t be afraid, I am withyou.”

Wendy described her experience uponarrival in India as like being on anotherplanet. It was so totally different from any-

thing she had known. She remembered theheat physically assaulting them as theydeplaned. Meherjee met them, and Babahad arranged for a team of tireless Indianvolunteers to see to their every needthroughout the trip. (Those of us who at-tended the 1969 Darshan had a similar experience with the wonderful Bombay volunteers, who were at the airport to greet uson arrival in the wee hours of the morningand took us everywhere so that we did nothave to worry about any of the details andcouldjust focus on Baba.This kind ofcourtesy was, and still is, a hallmark of Baba’slove for His lovers.)

Wendy made some interesting commentsabout how Baba appeared to her in 1962compared with 1958. In 1958 she had per-ceived Baba as an American-Hejust seemednatural and familiar; in 1962 the sense ofBaba as an Easterner struck her for the firsttime. She also noticed that Baba’s eyesdarted constantly from one place to thenext-whereas in 1958 He would more of-ten look straight at you, and you would feelHis glance like a thunderclap. The only timeshe recalled Him looking directly at themwas when He held up the hem ofHis sadraand told them very seriously to hold on toHis daaman. Baba looked older and moretired in 1962, yet He also looked radiant.He told them, “I look all right on the out-side, but inside I am like a volcano.” Per-haps world events were weighing on Him,as this was during a dangerous time of con-flict between India and China.

When she first met Baba as a six-year-old,Wendywas drawn to Baba naturally andspontaneously, without really knowing whoHe was. But in 1962 she had begun to understand that He was the Christ, and thismade her a bit nervous and self-conscious.Yet when she first saw Baba at Guruprasad(that magnificent palace, which the Indiansinexplicably referred to as a “bungalow”), sheforgot her nervousness and ran straight toHim. Throughout the Gathering, she andCharles were quite aggressive about gettingclose to Baba (John, being older-I think hewas 13-was a bit more reserved). In Baba’sembrace time seemed to stop, though laterEruch would tell her it had only been seconds.

Wendy Haynes Connor’s Memoriesof the East-West Gathering

Kendra Crossen BurroughsMyrtle Beach, South Carolina

Mohammed and Gabe

Baba’s first questions were always aboutpeople’s health. Wendy showed how Hewould gesture in a simple way that she couldeasily understand: How is your health? Didyou sleep? Did you eat well? Later she feltthat Baba was saying: do your best to keepwell; we should take care ofourselves so thatHe can work on us, because illness can bevery distracting. When you’ve done yourpart to keep well, then if you do get sick,that’s His will.

Another question Baba often asked, usually all of a sudden, was “What are youthinking?” What ajoy when you could honestly say, “Of you, Baba!” With this question Baba was reminding us that thinkingof Him is the number one priority. Therewas one day when the women mandali, as asurprise, dressed Wendy in a beautiful yellow sari with a blue blouse. She came out toshow the others, and Baba admired it. Thena little while later Baba suddenly asked her,“Who do you love more, Mommy or Baba?”At that momentWendy happened to be try-ing to get her mother’s eye and wonderingwhether her mother liked her in the sari, soshe began to answer Baba, “Mo—,” and thencaught herselfand said, “You, Baba!”

When Baba first came out onto the platform, Wendy described how thousands ofpeople roared, “Avatar Meher Baba ki Jai!”notjust three times but over and over again.Baba raised His hands straight up and joinedHis palms together over His head in a salute to His lovers. An unforgettable image,evenjust hearing about it second hand.

On the first day ofthe Gathering, Wendyrecalled Baba asking Leonard Willoughby,a black Baba-lover from New York, to singthe Negro spiritual “He’s Got the WholeWorld in His Hands” just as he had donefor Baba in Myrtle Beach. Wendy saidLenny’s voice wasn’t really that good, but itdidn’t matter, he belted out the song withenthusiasm, and he was struck when Babaheld out His palm and commented on theworld being like a tiny speck in His hand.(I wonder what ever happened to Lenny.After Baba dropped the body, he became aHare Krishna and really felt Baba wantedhim to chant the name ofKrishna. He madea striking figure, tall and graying, in his yellow Hare Krishna garb.)

A recurring theme throughout the Gathering was Baba’s teasing Ben Hayman fromTexas, “Are you awake, Ben?” Ben had narcolepsy and would frequently nod ofl but whenBaba asked ifhe was awake, he’d always snapup and sayyes. (Some years ago-does anyoneremember?-we heard briefly from a nephew

of Ben Hayman’s, asking the Meher BabaListserv to tell him about Baba.)

Quite naturally, it was the more humorousand light-hearted events that attractedWendy’s attention at age 11; she didn’tderstand the discourses (but she added, “Iwasn’t the only one!”)-but she did recall Babasaying, “It’s not your love for me that broughtyou to me-it’s My love for you that broughtyou to me.” Wendy herself had trouble stay-ing awake on one occasion when qawwali sing-ers were performing, as the music was verystrange to her and it was also very hot (up to110 degrees). She happened to be sitting rightbyBaba’s chair, and He awakened herby nudging her with His elbow.

At one point Baba remarked on the heatand said casually, “It may rain”-then aminute later it absolutely poured, causingthe pandal (awning) to break and everyoneto get soaked. Baba sent the Western womeninside, where the women mandali looked fordry clothes for them to change into. Theyended up looking like quite a motley crew.Elizabeth, who was large (Wendy showedBaba’s gesture signifring a chunky person),had a hard time finding something thatwould fit, until Rano dug out Elizabeth’sown bathrobe, which she had left in Indiaafter her stay in the Nasik ashram in the1930s. Elizabeth was delighted, and it fitperfectly. (Wendy pulled the silk robe outofher bag and showed it to us.) When shecame out in her robe, Baba introduced herto the ocher-garbed yogi sitting next to Him(Yogi Bharati), a fifth-plane saint. Baba toldhim that Elizabeth was “the head of Mycenter in America,” and Elizabeth later remarked, “I’m sure he thought that was mypresidential robe!”

One ofBaba’s discourses was on the fourjourneys to Infinite God. It was difficult tofollow but afterward Baba said that this discourse would be useful for posterity and thatBaba’s lovers, those who receive His grace,have nothing to do with these journeys.“Where you go on the journey is not important ifyou hold on to My daaman.”

Wendy vividly described the image ofseven women, each in a different-coloredsari, like Baba’s flag, performing Arti at dusk,waving trays with flaming camphor beforea majestic-looking Baba and singing theHindi arti that goes, “Meher mana aratisweekaaro — I offer my mind to Thee; accept it, 0 Meher, as my arti”.

A message that stayed with Wendy overthe years was when Baba told her, “Be cheer-ftil in My love” It took her years to under-stand the importance to Baba of cheerffil

ness. Wendy feels it means we must not allow ourselves to be dragged under by all thethings that Baba brings up in us. It’s an in-ner acceptance ofHis will.

Wendy’s last glimpse ofBaba at the endofthe Gathering was when Baba was in thecar and she was struggling to break throughthe crowd to get near Him and catch sightof Him. Tears began rolling down hercheeks, as she sensed (like many others) thatthis would be the last time she would eversee Baba. Finally she did get near the driver’sside ofthe car and Baba gestured to her, notto cry, that He was with her. What did thatmean? Certainly over the years she has notalways felt He was with her. But later sheunderstood the deeper significance that Hehas given us His precious form to focus on,so that we don’t have to focus on ourselvesand can put Him first.

19

I

kA Note froOi•if.ii . •

# - Trust-walL.r

..ynne erry

_

.

I you ye been thi9k1....ng that some time

you’d like to make a love-donation to theiTrust, today maybe the perfect time.

.

TheAvatarMeherBabaTrustruns athst-Airate school, provides medical care for vifiagers and maintains Babas tombshrine andTrust ro erties.Theare also beneficiariesof the trust whose liiii expenses are coy-ered by donations from Baba-lovers. All oftheseworthyprojectswere specified byBaba

Himself m the Trust Deed Miny of the.:[‘ru$: 5 charitable projects and outieach

projects are carried outbyEastern andWest-em volunteers. 4 -

Some projects, however, require the as-sistance ofpaid Indian workers, and as Indiaraises its standard ofliving, the cost ofmatedais and labor is on the rise also.

More love-donations are also needed forthe ongoing archives project; preservation ofthe precious articles used and touched byBaba that mean so much to all ofus.Ifthis appeals to you, please make your. payable to Frinds of Meher Babarust, and send it to: Lynne Berry; 267Hanover Drive, Costa iVIesa, CA 92626 •:.•‘V

Siep 3nside...

This is the month that Lawrence(Hermes) Reiter can heave a huge sigh

ofrelief! The project he started way back in1985 (it must seem like lifetimes to him!) isfinally complete. In ‘85 Hermes and BhauKalchuri sat down to work out the detailsof bringing to print the mighty Lord Me-her biography that Bhau had written, originally in Hindi, from 1971 to 1973. From1973 to 1974 Feram Workingboxwala as-sisted Bhau with the English translation.Then it fell to Bhau’s son-in-law DavidFenster to touch up the English (!) and compile a veritable mountain ofpapers. This jobalone took five years! Then Hermes startedon the editing of it and the placement ofmany hundreds ofwonderful photos.

Twenty volumes in all—with costs escalating way beyond their original calculations—have finally been published. We are nowstocking volumes 19/20. Up to volume five,Hermes was printing them separately, butfound with rising prices, it was more economical to bind two together. So starting with six,they have always been in twos. So much hadbeen written about the period 1937-1941 thatvolume seven had to be broken up into twoparts, so we have 6/7 part one and 7 (part two)and 8. The call for the first two volumes wasso great that Hermes had those reprinted as adouble set, and he tells me in the future threeand four will be similarly handled. Volumethree is sold out but we do have some of fourand fiveleft ifyouwish to start—or fill in yourcollection. The double volumes are $80 eachand the singles, $45. As I was placing the newbooks on the shelfat the Bookstore I noticedwhat I felt was a very nice touch: on the backcover ofthis finalvolume is Baba’s signature—M S Irani— in gold, right across the cover. Sobeautifril and so very fitting!

Hermes was pretty familiar with Baba’s lifeeven before he started editing and publishingthe biography,because in 1975 he started tray-eling the world seeking out photos ofthe Avatar. He bought up as many negatives as hecould. These negatives that he so diligentlycollected were carefully preserved and stored.He then set up his darkroom and started print-ing thousands ofwonderftil never before seenphotos and made them available for sale.Hermes tells me he will probably go back toprinting these photos—after a well-deservedrest. Thank you Hermes!

Danny Ladinsky’s three books on his renderings ofHafiz into today’s English continue20

to place in the Best Sellers list around theworld.

The last to be published, The Gjft, toppedthe best seffing lists ofpoetrybooks for 1999.Now we hear that in Ireland I Heard GodLaughing is number 12 on the list. What is sowonderful about this is that no one can seriously read IHeard GodLaughing and not askwho is Meher Baba, for it talks so directly ofBaba, God Speaks and the Discourses.Danny’s next book, to be released by Penguin,will be titled Love Poemsfor God. It has in thelineup 12 ofthe heaviest hitters around, bothEast and West, which includes four women:Rabia, Mira, St. Teresa and St. Catherine. Toadd to his good fortune, Penguin are buyingthe original book ofHafiz’ poems that he selfpublished—The Subject Tonight Is Love.

When he is not at home asking Baba formore inspiration on the translations of further Hafiz, Danny gives readings ofhis worksaround the country. At the continued urgingofhis fans, Danny has released a recording ofone of these readings. See the review sectionfor Kendra’s take on The Giving.

Talking of Kendra, that sounds a very in-teresting edition ofthe Bhagavad Gita she hasworked on. I bought the particular version weusually sell because the Vedanta Society toldme it was the best. But I think from now on Iwill be stocking the one you can read about inthe review section, with annotations and explanations by our own Kendra CrossenBurroughs. Paperback $16

Wendell Brustman is doing wonderfulwork for us all in his ongoing work with TheWitness Series. The latest release are four videotalks with Lud Dimpfl, each of which givesyou a very up close and personal view ofwhatit was like being under the Avatar’s thumb.Each video runs about an hour. $40

Here’s an exciting piece ofnews. Manyof you have been treated to Katie Irani’scooking when she was in the States. I remember one time in Los Angeles she evengave cooking classes! Well the recipe bookshe has been promising to write for yearsis becoming a reality It has lots ofher recipes (it’s about 300 pages), paperback, spiral binding (very helpful in a cookbook),printed in Pune, with a Baba cover (apainting by Wodin) a number of BabaKatie stories, and a few ofHis special favorite foods. As soon as it comes off thepress—be assured the Love Street Book-store will be stocking it. All proceeds goto the Trust—of course! Watch thesepages or check our new website:www.lovestreetbookstore.com.

As a child, I was sure that fairies existed,but I never actually saw any. Well in JimPeterson’s book The SecretLjfè ofKids the children definitely see them, and a whole lot ofother things too. A fascinating read for thosewith children or who work with children.

You often hear of quite psychic childrenwho lose the ability as they get older. Usuallyit’s the parents and other adults who quashthat abilityby ridiculing it. How fortunate areour children to be able to see Baba—to haveHim as a playmate! Let’s encourage them.Paperback, $16

The

Dma Snow

The Giving:Poems ofHafiz, Rumi, Mira, Kabir

andSt.John ofthe CrossDanielLadinsky and Kathleen Barker

by Kendra Crossen-Burroughs

I used to joke to friends that my idea ofhell is being trapped in a room while some-one is reading their poems. Well, now I have

to modify that statement, because you canlock me in a room with Daniel Ladinskyand Kathy Barker anytime. Danny, as manyofyou know, is the author ofthree volumesofrenderings ofHafiz. Kathy is his partnerin life and in performance, and I have always found their poetry recitals at MeherCenter to be utterly charming. The next bestthing to hearing them in person is to put onthis CD, dim the lights, and use their softwords as a cushion for your head (to borrowa phrase from one ofthe poems).

This recording is an informal, uneditedpresentation, not a polished commercial prod-uct but certainly not a shabby homemade oneeither. The recitations are accompanied byKathy’s light-as-a-feather playing ofdulcimerand guitar and punctuated with Danny’s joy-ous laughter and asides ranging from the per-sonal (“Doesn’t Kathy sound cute?”) to theexplanatory (“Ofcourse, Hafiz never used theword spitballs”). A couple ofminuscule flubsdo not detract from the recording; for me theyadd to its immediacy and good humor, a feel-ing of being right there having flin at a liveperformance piece.

At onepoint thereis even anallusion tosales fig-ures, whichmade mechuckle,but I has-ten to addthat the success of Danny’s work is a welcome thing, notonly because a talented person deserves recognition, but also because his contribution isimportant. In the debate, sometimes angry,over the value ofpoetic “renderings” and “versions” versus “translations” by native speakersor Ph.D.s, we may fall to notice that a uniqueEnglish-language art form is emerging—ghazal-inspired devotional poetry that singsinto our own ears and speaks to our own experience and culture, awakening feelings andunderstandings that we never felt or under-stood before. Artists such as the poet ThomasRain Crowe and Raine Eastman Gannett(singing Francis Brabazon’s ghazals, amongother wonderful things) are also makingtheir mark in this new territory. And at thesame time, other talented people, such asShahriar Shahriari, help us to appreciatewhat Hafiz means and sounds like to thePersian culture. It’s all one big wild party,and I say the more people who collapsedrunk at it, the better.

But back to those two drunken beauties,Danny and Kathy. I enjoy their highly original style of reciting, a leisurely, rhythmicintonation that transports you into a sacredspace, an altered consciousness, a placewhere the normal world doesn’t make a bitof sense. You have entered a crazy gardenwhere a guy who calls himselfHafiz cavortswith Rumi, Kabir, Mirabai, and Saint Johnof the Cross, of all people. It is a place ofromance, mystery, seductiveness, humor,surprise, and a touch ofmelancholy. Dannyand Kathy take turns reciting the samepoem, or sometimes she will repeat the linehe just delivered, or maybe he will say ittwice just because he likes it so much, ormaybe she or he will do a poem alone. To-gether or individually, they do well in thecontest of madness.

I like the very intimate quality of thisCD. Hafiz’s poems themselves are knownfor their uncanny tendency to speak directlyto the reader’s concerns. Something ratherbizarre like that occurred when I listened tothe poems. I had written down the first twosentences of this review and then settleddown to play the CD. Somewhere in themidst of it, I was stunned to hear HafizDanny intone: “May I speak to you like weare close and locked away together?” Weird!60 minutes. Recordedpri’vately at Windy Hill,Sc, 2001. 12

This is another gernfrom one of ourfavorite musicians. The following is from

his press release:

Recording artist James R. Newell hasskillfully adapted the lyric poetry of 14thcentury Persian Sufi Poet Hafiz of Shirazto American folk music idioms. The resultis the powerful new CD entitled The SongsofHafiz.James has set the classic images of

the Sufi ghazals in an eclectic blend ofworldand folk melodies which effectively makethe classic beauty of Hafiz’s lyrics availableto the modern, English speaking listener. Inparticular, his feel for American blues mu-sic evokes the ambiance of the traditionalSufi tavern, adding a sense of mystery tothe classic Persian themes oflover and be-loved, the wine ofDivine intoxication, andthe tortuous path of love. James is an accomplished blues singer who has performedwith many ofthe all-time great blues artistsincluding John Lee Hooker, Jr. Wells, theFabulous Thunderbirds and original Kansas City blues shouter ‘Big’ Joe Turner.James’ treatment of the poetry of Hafizbrings a solid barroom feel to the Sufi tavem ofHafiz. $16.95

L Book Reviews J

Jim Peterson

I was delighted when Dma told me she’dlike to carry my book, The Secret Lift ofKids,in the Love Street Bookstore. Although certainly it’s not a ‘Baba book,’ it is based onmy understanding of Meher Baba’s teach-ings. It also features interesting anecdotesfrom many Baba lovers, including Charmianand Mary Knowles, Sonja Lawson, PauliWarren and Leatrice Johnston’s daughter,Sheri—and my own son, Blake. There areeven a couple ofBaba stories!

One should not be worried about the word‘psychic’ in the subtitle. The book is about thegrowth processes ofchildren, and it discusseshow more children than you might think haveoccasional glimpses and experiences of the

21

The SecretLfe ofKids

The Songs ofHafiz

James R. Newell

inner planes. All through the book, how-ever, I put ‘psychic experiences’ into the wide,spiritual perspective we know from Baba’steachings, and do everything I can to discourage the use and expansion ofsuch faculties. The other half dozen books on thissubject all encourage parents to have children develop these sensory abilities. Onereason I had for writing The Secret Life ofKids was to help get Meher Baba’s perspective on this topic out into the world.

Perhaps I might give some backgroundabout how this book came into being. Tm-mediately after attending the Great Darshanin Pune in 1969, I got a summer job as acamp counselor. The camp for underprivileged children was near Philadelphia, so local east coast Baba lovers often came overto visit. Bob Brown was a regular, and hewrote songs about our camp and sang to thechildren while they were in their bunks.

I was workingwith six to nine year old boysand T had set up my bed area (a corner of anarmy-style bunkhouse) with a dresser, a chairand several Baba photos. During my one houroffl would always sit in the chair and silentlyrepeat Baba’s name—my ‘mantra.’ One day thekids came back early from swimming and twoboys, Drew and Eric, immediately ran over tomy chair and whispered to each other, “Doyou see what I see?” “Yeah,” Drew said, “ Thereare colors coming out ofJim’s stomach!” Thetwo boys then started describing rainbow colors emanating from my stomach, chest andhead.

Later I discovered the boys could notonly see the colors in the aura, but they alsosaw nature spirits in the woods—fairies andelves. We would frequently go on fairyhunts behind the bunkhouse and see howclose we could get to the fairies.

One morning Drew told me that at nighthe saw white light coming out of the picture of “that man” on the wall. The lightwent all the way across the 15 foot widebunkhouse and disappeared through theopposite wall. T asked Drew which pictureofMeher Baba was emanating the light andhe pointed to the tiny 5X7 picture of Babaplaying a drum that was mounted over thehead ofmy bed. ft was interesting that Drewdid not point to the two huge poster photosofBaba T also had up on the wall. No, it wasthe small photo that was given to me atDarshan by Jal-Bhai and was blessed byMeher Baba.

After three summers at camp and morechildren with paranormal experiences, I be-gan my teaching career in a second grade pub-lic school classroom in Walnut Creek, CA.

There T found several more kids who saw myaura and related phenomena. My professorsat U.C. Berkeley, where T was working on mymaster’s degree, suggested I expand my inter-views ofthese kids and present the data as mymaster’s degree thesis.

Over the years T kept collecting more andmore data about these odd, but not so uncommon, childhood glimpses into the in-ner planes. T developed theories ofhow theseexperiences fit in with normal patterns ofchildhood growth, and most importantly,why these psychic experiences stop as thechildren mature.

Finally, in 1985 the editor of QuestBooks asked me to write up my material asa book. Since Quest is a theosophical pub-lisher, they were not happy with some ofmy Meher Baba vocabulary. In discussionsof metaphysics, for example, T had to usethe term “kama-manas” when I referred tothe subtle body. They also cut a few refer-ences to Meher Baba.

But T think any Baba lover, particularly onewho has children or who works with children,will enjoy The Secret Ljfè ofKids. These kindsofchildhood experiences may even have a con-nection to the coming New Humanity Myown son, Blake, for instance, had the follow-ing experience while visiting the Pune Babacenter. This is quoted from the “Research inthe 90’s” chapter of this second edition of mybook: “In 1996 while on a pilgrimage to Tn-dia, we stopped at the Pune Center. K.K.Ramakrishnan showed us the room whereBaba would rest before or after darshan pro-grams. Blake bowed down to Baba’s pillowthere and almostjumped back. He said, “Dad,do you know what T just felt? Tt felt like boltsoflightning were flashing through my brain!Tt was so strong.”

T think these sorts of experiences mayhelp children to grow up taking the realityofthe spiritual world for granted. And thatgives them a nice head start on the Path weolder folks hold so dear.

The Annotated Bhagavad GitaTranslated by Shri Purohit Swami

Annotated by Kendra Crossen Burroughs

!‘

“In the BhagavadGita, those who long toknow how to fightwisely for the futurewill find a handbook ofspiritual warrior-hoodand divine realizationthat will constantly in-spire and ennoblethem. . .The message of

the Gita is one ofperfect spiritual balance.”-from the foreword by Andrew Harvey.

“This simple, beautiful translation byShri Purohit Swami and the wonderful an-notations by Kendra Crossen Burroughsmake this site the very best Gita for first-time readers as well as any who want to absorb its extraordinary message: taste the di-vine wars herein, and you might never thirstagain.” -Ken Wilbur, author ofA Theory ofEverything

What doyou thinkwill happen ?“

Ghazal 838

ifyou can’t go to sleepmy dear soulfor tonightwhat do you think will happen

ifyou pass your nightand merge it with dawn

for the sake of heartwhat do you think will happen

ifthe entire worldis covered with the blossoms

you have labored to plantwhat do you think will happen

if the elixir of lifethat has been hidden in the darkfills the desert and towns

what do you think will happen

ifbecause of

your generosity and love

a few humans find their liveswhat do you think will happen

ifyou pour an entire jar

filled with joyous wine

on the head ofthose already drunkwhat do you think will happen

go my friendbestow your love

even on your enemiesifyou touch their hearts

what do you think will happen

Translation by Nader Khalili Rumi,Fountain ofFire, Burning Gate Press, 1992

22

kN Children’s CornerThe kindergarten teacher was showing

her class an encyclopedia page pictur—ing several national flags. She pointed to theAmerican flag and asked, “What flag isthis?” A little girl called out, “That’s the flagof our country. “ “Very good,” the teachersaid. “And what is the name of our country?” “Tis of thee,” the girl said confidently.

After putting her children to bed, amother changed into old slacks and a droopyblouse and proceeded to wash her hair. Asshe heard the children getting more andmore rambunctious, her patience grew thin.At last she threw a towel around her headand stormed into their room, putting themback to bed with stern warnings. As she leftthe room, she heard her three-year-old saywith a trembling voice, “Who was that?”

Two little boys were visiting their grand-father, and he took them to a restaurant forlunch. They couldn’t make up their mindsabout what they wanted to eat. Finally thegrandfather grinned at the server and said,“Just bring them bread and water.” One ofthe little boys looked up and quavered, “CanI have ketchup on it?”

A new neighbor asked the little girl nextdoor ifshe had any brothers and sisters. Shereplied, “No, I’m the lonely child.”

A mother was telling her little girl whather own childhood was like: “We used toskate outside on a pond. I had a swing madefrom a tire; it hung from a tree in our frontyard. We rode our pony. We picked wildraspberries in the woods.” The little girl waswide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said,“I sure wish I’d gotten to knowyou sooner!”

My grandson was visiting one day whenhe asked, “Grandma, do you know how youand God are alike?” I mentally polished myhalo while I asked, “No, how are we alike?”“You’re both old,” he replied.

A little girlwas diligently pounding awayon her father’s word processor. She told himshe was writing a story. “What’s it about?”he asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’tread.”

I didn’t know if my granddaughter hadlearned her colors yet, so I decided to testher. I would point out something and askwhat color it was. She would tell me, andalways she was correct. But it was fhn forme, so I continued. At last she headed forthe door, saying sagely, “Grandma, I thinkyou should try to figure out some of theseyourselfi”

A 10 old, under the tutelage ofher grand-mother, was becoming quite knowledgeableabout the Bible. Then one day she flooredher grandmother by asking, “Which Virginwas the mother ofJesus: the Virgin Maryor the King James Virgin?”

A Sunday school class was studying theTen Commandments. They were ready todiscuss the last one. The teacher asked ifanyone could tell her what it was. Susieraised her hand, stood tall, and quoted,“Thou shall not take the covers off thyneighbor’s wife.”

A kindergarten teacher was observing herclassroom of children while they drew, occasionally walking around to see each child’sartwork. As she got to one little girl, whowas working diligently, she asked what thedrawing was.

The girl casually replied, “I’m drawingGod.”The teacher paused and said,”But noone knows what God looks like.”

Without missing a beat, or looking upfrom her drawing, the girl replied, “Theywill in a minute.”

A first grader was sitting in class as theteacher was reading the story of the ThreeLittle Pigs. She came to the part ofthe storywhere the first pig was trying to acquirebuilding materials for his home. She said“. . And so the pig went up to the man with

a wheelbarrow frill of straw and said ‘Par-don me sir, but might I have some of thatstraw to build my house with?’

Then the teacher asked the class, “Andwhat do you think that man said?” Myfriend’s son raised his hand and said “I know!I know!, he said ‘Holy smokes! A talk-ing pig!”

A Sunday school teacher was discussingthe Ten Commandments with her five andsix year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and thymother,” she asked “Is there a command-ment that teaches us how to treat our broth-ers and sisters?”

Without missing a beat one little boy (theoldest of a family) answered, “Thou shallnot kill.”

One day, a little girl is sitting and watch-ing her mother do the dishes at the kitchensink. She suddenly notices that her motherhas several strands ofwhite hair sticking outin contrast on her brunette head. She looksat her mother and inquisitively asks, “Whyare some ofyour hairs white, Mom?” Hermother replied, “Well, every time that youdo something wrong and make me cry orunhappy, one of my hairs turns white.”

The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, “So, Momma,how come ALL of grandma’s hairs arewhite?”

Submitted byAlexandra Cons

S ince my daughter Rabia (now seven) wasquite young, we have had the tradition

of my singing her one of Baba’s artis as afinal goodnight. When she got old enough,I began to allow her to choose which oneshe wanted to hear: Bujawe, Adi Sachetena(the Hindi arti) or the Australian. Her favorite choice has varied over the years and,for a time she added The Seven Names ofGod to the selection.

Today, as Rabia sat on my lap, moaningwith a fever of 103.8, she said, “Mommy, Ihave ajoke for you. Which arti did the littleghost ask her mother to sing?” The answer,in case you haven’t guessed, is BOO-Jave.

II

23

--------

‘I

‘•‘‘

\EC

on

i*J •1

71otLo1iLI11 Ir—rIUlHottd.0119

7—fcuLI:5k

‘71!$?!t 0

“

)f:!hihlHncs?( tit l?U

1(•)ft:1n

1) jCitHI‘‘

**%(

‘

_tilaihi*c(I%)Uth‘.

;. ClllLtn)&ha ) : :

(19321940)

,,4var

2tciwctii* •: .,

HonoluluJune 9, 1932 — stayed at the Moana Hotel Visited the Royal Hawaiian Hotel next to the Moana and enjoyed a performance in the coconut grove there Drove outside city to the pineapple groves Went to the Empire Cinema June 10th—drove through Honolulu to the Huimalu Hotel. Visited a large fish aquarium. Went to the theatre in the evening. ;::June 11th — drove to La Pietra villa on a hill near Diamond Head. Left Honolulu enroute to China from Honolulu harbor.January, 1935 Baba mailedletters from Honolulu to His lovers. No other information available regarding this trip.

3ctpcin sYokohama •

:.June l9th,1932 — the Empress ofJapan docked in Yokohama Harbor. Went on a tour ofthe city and walked through thecrowded streets

KobeJune 20th, 1932 — landed and strolled throughout the city

China %

Shanghai. ::

June 22, 1932 — tea at the Palace Hotel which overlooked the Huangpu River. Baba asked to be taken to the slums ofShanghai and He walked the area on foot for three hours. June 23rd — Baba visited the restaurant ofMr. Chung. Thatevening all saw a movie at the Cathay Movie Theater then boarded the train for NankingJune 28th, 1932 — arrived at the train station and left that afternoon for Bombay 4Nanking

“‘

June 24th, 1932 — arrived at the train station. Stayed at Herbert’s house two miles from the station. Went to the Great Wallin Nanking and walked along a nearby lake for quite a distance. Drove up the Purple Mountain to Sun Yat-Sen’s memorial.Later walked in the poor sections of town. June 26th — visited a temple of Confucius.Visited the National cinema.

Hong KongJuly 1, 1932 — arrived at Hong Kong Harbor. Visited the home ofRustom E. Desai. Toured the city Went to the QueenTheater to see a film. Returned to their ship.February 2, 1935 — visited homes of Rustom E. Desai and Mr. S. Pestonji in Kowloon. Left the next day.

SingaporeJuly 6th, 1932 — drove around the city in a taxi, saw a film at the Capital Cinema. Had dinner at the Madras Cafe. Spentthe next day in Singapore, leaving for Colombo on July 8th.February 7th, 1935—docked in Singapore harbor. Visited local Chinese dentist. No other information available.

J4lalctysiaJuly 9, 1932—Visited the Buddha and Snake Temples in Penang.

Ceylon (&iJ.anka).

ColomboJuly 13, 1932 — disembarked at the harbor, sent a telegram then drove around Columbo in a taxi.January 15, 1933 — stayed at the Villa Valencia on a hill between the towns ofBandarawela and Dyatalawa. January 19 —

visited a Buddhist Temple in Bandarawela. January 27th — returned to Columbo remaining in seclusion there until January30th, then left for India.February 13, 1935—Ship docked at 2:00 p.m. leaving at 8:00 p.m. No information that Baba disembarked.

Thlaimannar (Mannar) - 1yangodaNovember 3, 1940 — traveled by train from the ferry at Talaimannar to Veyangoda, by car to Hickgalla Estate.

KandyNovember 16, 1940 — arrived at Primrose Hill Estate on Hololuwa Road. November 21— went to nearby BotanicalGardens. November 24 — went to Dambulla and Anuradhapura. December 5th — left for Calicut, India.*Dr Meredith Moon has a list ofallkno’wn Baba lovers in Hawaii. P0 Box 1269, Makawao, H196768 Phone 808-573-1188

Fax: 808-573-1189 email drmoon@maui.net...

: :

25

Honolulu, Hawaii, 1932 Baba and the Mandali went for another drive in the afternoon

During his visit to Hollywood, Meher Baba’s disciples found of the 10th through Honolulu to the Huimalu Hotel and later to

a suitable boy to travel with Him to the East. Baba claimed view a large fish aquarium. In the evening, they went to the theater

that this boy wouldand saw the play, “A Church Mouse.”

“link the West with Baba with Chanji and Todd arrived at Mrs. Walter Dillinham’s

the East.” Out ofvilla, La Pietra, on a hill near the area called Diamond Head on the

many youngsters that 11th ofJune at 7:45 a.m. where theybreakfasted. At 9:00 they took

were brought beforeCarl Phillips to his ship and Todd had to travel back with him to

and interviewed by Los Angeles. Carl appeared sad at leaving Baba, but it was later

Baba, Carl Phillips learned that he did speak out against Baba when he returned, just

was chosen. However, as He had predicted.

as his passport did notSoon after, Baba, Kaka, Chanji, Beheram and Adi Jr. boarded

arrive in time, he the Empress ofJapan enroute to China. Nearly all the staff on

could only travel with board wereJapanese. As the ship left Honolulu harbor, ajazz band

Baba as far as Hono- played as native Hawaiian women sang and danced, waved hand-

lulu, an American ter- kerchiefs and threw flowers.

ritory. Qientin Todd In His cabin, Baba asked that Kimco’s letters be read many times.

would take care of As He listened to their words oflove, tears came to His eyes.

Carl, and travel with Japan, 1932Baba and the Mandali.

Baba left California n Sunday, June 19th, the boat landed at 6:00 a.m. in

June 4th, 1932, at Yokohama. Baba got offthe ship with the Mandali and they

1 1 :00 p.m. on the refreshed themselves, then went on a tour of the city had a snack

maiden voyage of the and walked through the crowded streets. At noon they returned to

Monterey. the ship and set sail at 2:00.

Carl Phillips stayed Their next destination was Kobe, Japan where they landed at

•in Baba’s cabin, Todd 800 a.m. onJune 20th. Once again Baba and the Mandali got off

was in a cabin alone Baba in China, 1932 the ship and strolled throughout the cityTheyreturned to the ship

across from Baba, and at 1:00 p.m. and sailed two hours later.- Chanji, Kaka, Adi Jr. and Beheram had another

cabin nearby. Carl proved a nuisance as he was verymischievous and Baba decided to send him backhome as soon as they landed in Hawaii. The youngboy proved a handful for Quentin as he had to servehim night and day. Such was the case with what-ever “ideal boy” was cared for by the Mandali.

Many people came to see Baba on the ship andHe met them all. They arrived in Honolulu on June9th at 8:00 a.m. and stayed at the Moana Hotel fortwo days. Rustom met them at the dock, havingrived from China to be with Baba. Rustom was thensent to Australia and New Zealand that same dayto forge further links with the West. A number ofyears later manyAustralians came into Meher Baba’sfold, perhaps due to Rustom’s travels there.

After resting at the hotel, Baba and the groupwent to a coconut grove in the gardens ofthe RoyalHawaiian Hotel next to the Moana and enjoyed aperformance of Hawaiian dancers and singers. AS-ter the entertainment they drove outside the city topineapple groves where they drank large amountsofpineapple juice.

Back at the hotel Baba instructed Quentin, “Carl Meher Baba traveling with His Mandali in China, June 1932.Phillips’ behavior is getting worse. I am sending him Gustadji, Beheram, Meher Baba, Charji, Adiji:, Kaka Baria, Pendu andback to Los Angeles on Saturday. He will returnand speak against us!”

That evening after Rustom left for Australia aboard the China, 1932Monterey, Baba and the Mandali had dinner. They then went to a }\t 2:30 p.m. on June 22nd they arrived in Shanghai, China.movie at the Empire Cinema. There theywere met by Herbert Davy and Baba’s brother Jal.

I

26

Baba was dressed in a stylish suit and Panama hat. They were thendriven a few miles to the Palace Hotel which overlooked theHuangpu River. There they had tea and Baba indicated to Herbertthat He wanted to go out and mix with the Chinese. He wanted tobe taken “to a place where there were thick crowds.”

Herbert took Baba to a few places but they were not crowdedenough to suit Baba’s purpose. Baba then was taken to the slums ofShanghai in a hand-pulled ricksha but the narrowness ofthe lanesprevented it from entering and Baba walked the area on foot forthree hours. “Hestrode rapidly upand down thesqualid alleyways,causing thehumble dwellersto stare at Himwith fascinationas He passed by.”

on the eveningofJune 23rd Babaand the Mandaliwent to eat at therestaurant of Mr.Chung at his invitation. Baba had aftm time as they alltried to eat withchopsticks for thefirst time. Afterdinner they saw“Beast ofthe City”at the CathayMovie Theater.

At 11:00 p.m.they drove to thetrain station andboarded the trainfor Nanking.Baba, Herbertand Kaka traveled in first class, and Beheram,Jal, AdiJr. and Chanjiwere in second class.

They reached Nanking the next morning at 7:00. Pendu andGustadji were waiting at the station for Baba. They all went to stayat Herbert’s house two miles from the station. Pendu, Gustadjiand Jal had been staying in China for three months according toBaba’s order. They had been expecting Baba to call them back toAmerica to join Him.

After refreshments, Herbert took Baba to see the Great Wall inNanking. Baba walked along a nearby lake for quite a distance.Nanking, a pleasant city reminded Baba and the Mandali of Pune.Baba was driven up the Purple Mountain in the afternoon to seeSun Yat-Sen’s memorial. The roads were rough but Baba enjoyedthe surroundings.

Many Chinese students and older men and women came to meetBaba in Nanking, and Baba again walked through the dirty lanesof the poor sections where the peasants gazed at Him in wonder.

Baba visited the National cinema on Sunday, June 26th, anddrove through the swarming lanes of the city and visited a templeof Confucius. Baba entrained for Shanghai at 11:00 that evening,

arriving at 8:00 a.m., and left for Bombay at 4:00 p.m. on the S. S.Kaiser-i-Hind on June 28th.

On July 1st at 7:00 a.m. Baba landed in Hong Kong and wasmet by a Parsi named Rustom E. Desai. Desai and his wife hadprepared Indian dishes for Baba and the Mandali in their home.Afterwards they all went to see the city. At the Qieen Theater thatevening they saw the film “Skin Deep” after which Baba and theMandali returned to their ship.

Singapore

They arrived in Singapore at 7:00 a.m. on July 6th and drovearound the city in a taxi. At the Capital cinema they saw the

movie Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde then had dinner at the MadrasCafe returning to the ship at 11:00 p.m.

The Madras Coffee House is a still-popular, much-frequentedIndian restaurant in the ‘Little India’ district of Singapore - quiteclose to the Capitol Theatre Baba visited. They ate at the MadrasCoffee House. There is a Hindu temple just opposite, which Babamust have noticed. The Capitol Theatre Baba visited in Singaporeis a well-known spot, with an Art Deco facade.

They spent the next day in Singapore as well leaving for Colombo in Sri Lanka on July 8th.

Penang, 1932

In Penang on July 9th, Baba got off the ship and visited twoshrines — the Buddha and Snake temples.The Wat Chayamangkalaram Buddhist Temple seems to be the

temple Baba visited in Penang. It was begun in 1845, donated to theThai community ofPenang by Queen Victoria through the East IndiaCompany, so it has interesting connections with Buddhism, the BritishRaj and India. It is ofThai design, elaborately decorated with scenesofBuddha’s life and contains manyurns ofashes ofdeceased Buddhists.Its exterior has been reworked and therefore is not as Baba would haveseen it, but the interior and Pagoda are much as they were in His time.Intriguingly, in July 1958 — a month after Baba flew over Penangback to India (concluding His last trip outside India) — a hugeReclining Buddha figure was dedicated, to mark the 25th Century ofBuddha’s Birth.

The Snake TempleBaba visited is uniqueand famous. It was be-gun in 1873. A miracle-working monk fromChina lived in the vicinity. He had brought overthe image of Chor SooKong (a Chinese deity)and successfully healedmany people (and be-came famous) by usingthis “healing” statue.Mr. David Brown, oneof those miraculouslyhealed by the monk, do-nated the land for thetemple. Upon thetemple’s completion,snakes mysteriously appeared and made the

I

Baba in China, 1932

Puoto by Sean ReevesBuddhist Temple, Penang

27

place their refuge, theirnumbers increasing onholy days — especiallyChor Soo Kong’sbirthday. Now thespot is a bit of a placeof pilgrimage, especially for Malaysia’sChinese community

Colombo,Ceylon, 1932

Baba and the Mandali arrived in Colombo, the capital of CeylonJuly 13th at 8:00 a.m.. There they disembarked and sent a tele

gram to Adi K. Irani and Naoroji Dadachanji in Mumbai. Theythen drove around Colombo in a taxi. After two days at sea, Babaand the Mandali landed in India in Bombai, July 15th.

Ceylon, 1933

OnJanuary 2nd, Baba left for Port Said, at 4:00 p.m. on the S.S. Baloeran bound for Ceylon.

As they approached Ceylon,Baba indicated that He wanted torest there for a month in solitudeand after return to India. Baba, Kakaand Todd arrived in Colombo the12th and stayed three days at theWhite Horse Hotel.

Baba traveled to the interior ofCeylon onjanuary 15th, and stayedat the Villa Valencia on a hill be-tween the towns of Bandarawelaand Diyatalawa. It was beautiful,and a roaring torrential river ranthrough a deep ravine behind Baba’sbungalow

After Baba settled in, He toldKaka to find a spot where He couldsit in seclusion for 24 hours, as Hehad done in Assisi. Todd and Kakafound a Buddhist temple at the endofa narrow lane in Bandarawela onthe 19th. It looked suitable perBaba’s request so they showed it toHim. A priestwould not allow them

entry to the temple, but they descended a few steps and came upon anopen courtyard.

A door ofan adjoining house opened and an old man, who lookedat least a hundred years old, came out. He seemed to recognize Babaimmediately and he started talking to Him through hand signs. Babagestured back to him, “I want a room where I can be in seclusionwithout being disturbed for twenty-four hours.” The old man under-stood and asked the Buddhist priest to open the temple and make aroom in it available to Him. Baba, however, changed his mind. LaterBaba remarked, “That old man was on the fourth plane. I will pushhim to the fifth plane when I leave Ceylon.” Baba’s wish to sit in seclusion was seemingly only a pretext for contacting this advanced soul.

Meanwhile onJanuary 19th, Adi K. Irani came to Ceylon and returnedto India after spending two days with Baba. OnJanuary26th, Baba met areporterfrom the Ceylon Observerin Bandarawela. The reporter questionedHim aboutMahatma Gandhi and India, religion, the reason for His silence,and why He had visited America. Baba replied:

By January 27th, Baba, Kaka and Todd returned to Colombo.Baba fasted and remained in seclusion there on January 29th andthe next day left for India.

kept in the animal quarters, but Baba visited him every morning andafternoon.

Baba asked Todd ifhe had noticed anything unusual about aDutch girl who was traveling with her family aboard the ship.Todd observed that she walked with a limp. Baba explained,“Many, many years ago in India, she was a yogi. She was then ina male form. While attempting to attain a highest state of con-sciousness through fasting and meditation he had a stroke anddied. In every incarnation since, he or she has limped. In order tofree her from this afffiction, it will be necessary for me to win heraffection.”

Baba proceeded to gradually draw the girl toward him. Shespent more and more time with him each day, playing ping-pong and draughts. By the end ofthe voyage, a marked improve-ment in her health was noted.

“Look at Gandhi’s passive resistance movement. From thespiritual point ofview it is wonderful because it embraces sin-cerity truth and nonviolence. Don’t ask me its value as a political weapon. I have nothing to do with politics ...

As for the Untouchabiiityissue, hove the Untouchables.Theyare close to my heart. Recently, I summoned their leader Dr.Ambedkar and advised him what to do. I consider the orthodoxHindu attitude foolish, but there I leave it as I condemn no oneand hate no one.

My religion? I belong to no religion and yet to every religion.Love is my principal agent. The Infinite One can be attainedonly through love and sincerity I do not believe in dogmas andceremonies. God can be realized in every phase of life — art,science, nature and beauty That is my religion.

I have been silent for eight years. It is not a vow but it hasbeen undertaken for spiritual reasons. Shortly, my mission ofpreaching will begin. My reason for starting in America is thatAmerica, being the most deeply engrossed in material thingsand suffering the most in consequence, is the soil on which anew spiritual rebirth will first take place. America requires onlythe guiding hand of a Master to redirect its material powers tothe heights of spiritua1ity

Your Ceylon is a most beautiful country. I shall visit it again.”

Hawaii, 1935

B aba, accompanied byChanji, Kaka,Jal, Adi Sr.

and Chummy, left for Hawaiiand the Orient on the steamerEmpress of Canada at 10:00a.m. on January 12th.Chummy was a tan cockerspaniel puppy found in akennelin Hollywood by Ranoand acquired by Baba to takeback to India. Chummy was

;\ tL:;\.

&

.“

_$ S.”

‘L ‘

‘ . \....Baba with Chummy

Meher Baba in Ceylon, 1933

That winter was the coldest in 36 years and Baba’s health continued to deterioriate. He exercised in the gym but could not take Hiswalks on deck. His health continued to decline as He became veryweak. He arose every few minutes during the night to spit out bloodand saliva collecting in His mouth due to pyorrhea and bleeding gums.This also prevented Him from eating or sleeping much. Baba’s healthcontinued to deteriorate as he became weaker and weaker. He also hadpersistent chest pains and heart cramps. During the voyage He explained to the men Mandali that He must reach India as soon as possible as His condition might develop into paralysis.

Baba mailed letters from Honolulu, Hawaii, to His lovers in Americaon January 17th.

After they left Honolulu, Baba told Chanji that “There is onesoul I want to contact on this ship.”The next daywhen Chanji wasdown in the laundry room ironing Baba’s pants, he met a womannamed Margaret Scott. She talked to Chanji about her life andhow she had contemplated suicide. Chanji talked to her for a fewminutes each evening and hearing about Baba she became eager tomeet Him in person to seek His blessing.

Baba saw her on deck when He disembarked in Shanghai and shehad a few precious moments with Baba, who consoled her and blessedher by making the sign ofthe cross on her forehead. Rustom met withBaba in Shanghai onjanuary 31st; he hadjust arrived from India.

Hong Kongon February 2nd Baba arrived in Hong Kong where two Parses,

Rustom E. Desai and Mr. S. Pestonji, welcomed Him. They tookBaba and the Mandali to their homes in Kowloon where Bababreakfasted. He met the families of both men, then boarded theFushimi Maru scheduled to leave the next day. Baba’s health wasstill unstable.

SingaporeOn February 7th, when the ship docked in Singapore, Baba’s

pain became so severe, He decided to have a local Chinese dentistremove one loose and aching tooth. From that day, He stoppedeating much solid food and drank only bottled milk that theMandali purchased in Singapore and Penang and had to be keptrefrigerated. Baba drank the milk three times a day with digestivebiscuits.

On February 13th at 2:00 p.m. the ship reached Columbo andleft at 8:00 p.m. for India.

Ceylon, 1940

Every day during the last week of October Baba saw the womenand discussed the journey they would go on in November. He

teased them and told them, “When we go down south, keep smilingand look like ripe tomatoes; otherwise I will send you back to Me-herabad. You will have the ffin ofyour life in Ceylon. Wait and see.”

On November 1, 1940, Baba and companyboarded the Bombay-Madras Express at the Ahmednagar railway station at 2:00 p.m.With Him was the mast Chatti Baba, Baidul, Dr. Donkin, Gustadji,Krishna, Dr. Nilu, Venkoba Rao, Vishnu, and the women — 33 inall — plus some ofthe children. They traveled second class for thefirst time. Tukaram drove the Blue Bus loaded with all the luggageand a few ofthe women. Baba was still in seclusion and did not saygood-bye to the Mandali left behind in Meherabad.

They arrived in Dhanushkodi on Sunday, November 3, at 5:00p.m. where they boarded a boat and were ferried to Talaimannarat 7:30 p.m. They went by train to Veyangoda from there, and

arrived at 5:15 a.m the next day. Traveling was especially difficult because Baba did not want His name disclosed and as aresult, He and the women had to be present during the customsand medical examinations at the border crossings at Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar while entering Ceylon. This was againstHis wish.

After they arrived in Veyangoda they traveled by cars to the bungalo Hickgalla Estate, which Rustomji Ratanshah had placed at Baba’sdisposal. Rustomji and his family had come to the town to receiveBaba. With Kaka’s and Chanji’s help, they did everything to see toBaba’s and the group’s comfort.

November 7th after breakfast Baba looked somewhat disappointed.He called everyone and asked, “Why are you staying with me?”

Rano replied, “To love you.”Elizabeth answered, “Because I love you, I don’t know why, but

I do.”Baba smiled and spelled out from the alphabet board:

It had been raining constantly since their arrival in Ceylon andall, including Baba, felt depressed. One night, Norma had a baddream. The next morning, she was irritated and in a bad mood.Baba looked at her sharply, critically remarking, “She is upset be-cause of a dream. What a fool! A dream may be good or bad, but init sanskaras are spent. In the awake state when sanskaras are spent,new ones are accumulated. But when they are spent in a dream,new ones are not created.”

On November 8th, Baba asked Norma, “Which would you ratherbe, my hat or my sandals?”

Norma said, “Your sandals.”“Why?”“Because the sandals are your companions over good roads and

bad. They pass through dirt, rain and mud and are always withyou.”

Baba nodded in agreement, spelling out, “This is the reason whypeople in India worship the chappals (sandals) of the Master andnot His hat.”

The Ratanshah family were devoted to Baba, however, for Hisown reasons, Baba did not want to stay at their home in Ceylonwhen He arrived there. Baba indicated He needed a house on theseashore or on a hill with a lake or a stream nearby for His “specialwork” and the search for another bungalow began. Even Kaka, who

29

But what a way of loving! Yes you do love me; otherwise,why should you leave all — your families, homes, comforts,et cetera — to be with me.

This year of my working is very important. You all are solucky to be with me now. The universe is now in such chaos.That is why I gave the list of orders to my disciples. If not,the reaction would have been such that even the closest ofmy lovers would have left me.

But why do you always want to do what you want? Youmust do what Iwant! You must either do only what you want,or only what I want! But what is this in-between thing toplease both yourselves and me? That’s impossible.

Ifyou love me, you must be happy in my happiness. But I tryto make it easier for you too, for I also let you do what you want.IfI ask you to do only what I want, you would not staywith mefor a minute! I tell you not to fight, not to criticize, but you dowhat you want. Therefore, try your best to obey these ordersduring this important period ofmy work. For nine months, youall must stay with me during my important work.

was busy looking for masts in Ceylon, helped Chanji and Vishnusearch for the bungalow for Baba.

Baba went into the town, Kandy, with Elizabeth, Rano and Kittyto choose a bungalow from the four selected by the men. Theyreturned in the evening having found all unsuitable. The searchcontinued. Baba expressed His wish to return to Bandarawela whereHe had stayed injanuary, 1933. He liked the Viceroy House there,but the owner’s mother had died unexpectedly, and Norma wasunable to contact the man who rented the place.

After breakfast on November 11th Norma asked Baba, “Whyshould everything apparently go wrong when you wish to work inCeylon? The weather is awful, we cannot find a place to stay, thepress interview you gave was not successful. And now some of thelocal Christians and Buddhists are stirring up things against you.”

Baba explained:

That day, later in the afternoon, Baba decided to move to a housein Kandy. He remarked, “In Ceylon everything hopeful is hopeless,and everything hopeless is hopeful! At least in this new bungalowthere are no ghosts!” Some ofthe women looked relieved and Babaexplained ghosts.

While in Ceylon, Meher Baba was giving Chatti Baba a batheach day, but on Monday, November 11th, Chatti Baba gave Babaa bath! When Baba went to him, Chatti Baba picked up a pail ofwater and poured it over Baba.

The mast was so happy he took another full pail and asked Baba,“Shall I pour more?”

Baba nodded, and Chatti Baba was laughing and laughing whileBaba allowed him to pour 10 to 12 more buckets over him.

“I knew it made him very happy,” Baba later informed the Man-dali. Although it was rainy, chilly weather at the time in Ceylonand Baba was highly susceptible to catching colds, He allowed themast to indulge himselfin this manner.

Baba was busy with mast work and would sometimes leave Colombo to contact different masts. There is no significant detailedinformation available of the masts whom Baba contacted but Histrip to Ceylon was primarily to contact these sweet beings. It issignificant that He traveled with such a large group of both menand women during wartime. Although the women could not moveabout freely, each had their duties assigned by Baba.

People began arriving at the bungalow for Meher Baba’s Darshan as news of Him residing near Colombo spread. Newspaperreporters appeared wanting interviews. But Baba did not allowDarshan, because He was in seclusion. He had declared publiclythat His seclusion would last from August 1940 to August 1941.

Baba went to see a new bungalow in Kandy with Kitty, Rano,Donkin, Vishu, Baidul and Chanji on November 13th, and Heapproved ofit. On November 16th at 8:30 a.m., Baba and the groupleft Veyangoda for Kandy in two buses, a car and one luggage truck.After a two hour drive they arrived at Primrose Hill Estate onHololuwa Road and found the bungalow and surrounds very beau-tiful. Baba stayed up the hill with the men Mandali and ChattiBaba. The women stayed at the foot of the hill.

On Sunday, November 21st, four carloads ofpeople came to seeBaba but Norma talked to them as He wished to remain in seclusion. At 10:00 a.m. He went with the women in Elizabeth’s car tothe Botanical Gardens.

November 22nd Babastayed with the men Man-dali the entire dayfasting onwater and honey. The nextday the Blue Bus that hadbeen sent from Meherabadarrived in Kandy in the afternoon. On the 24th Babatook the women to severalplaces connected with Bud-dha. Leaving at 7:30 a.m.,they reached Dambullathree hours later. AtAnuradhapura they saw asapling from the originalBodhi tree in India underwhich the Buddha attainedGod-Realization.

On November 29th,when Baba left ChattiBaba’s hut, the mast got soexcited he smashed thepanes ofglass in the doorwith his fists! When theboy came to clear away theglass, Chatti Baba said,“No, leave it as it is!” Babareturned to see him, and the mast was quite happy. Baba said thatChatti Baba’s outburstwas related to England being heavily bombedby the Germans at that time.

There were many lizards in Kandy. Because there was adanger they would urinate or defecate in the food, and theirurine and excreta are extremely poisonous, Katie would brushthem off the wall, and Baidul’s daughter, Dowla, would killthem. On Sunday, November 17th, Dowla reported to Babathat she had killed seven lizards in only 15 minutes. Babawas not happy...

Baba instructed them, “Don’t kill lizards. Any animal thatdirectly injures should be killed, but not lizards. Catch themand throw them outside. They eat flies and are useful.”

He added in a teasing manner, “Ifyou kill them, you willbe a lizard in your next birth!”

I have come here for work, and only work matters to me.What is praise or insult to me? Opposition is a help, not ahindrance in my work. The sun shines daily, shedding lighton all. It is not concerned with whether people praise it orspeak ill of it. It sheds light equally on those who praise it

and those who curse it.

But when the clouds appear, the sun is hidden.Then peoplelong for its light and warmth. When the clouds disperse andthe sun shines with flu splendor, only then do people knowits true value. Were it not for the clouds, people would notappreciate the sun. In this way, opposition is like the clouds— to appreciate the value ofthe sun’s light, clouds are necessary...

This reporter who recently interviewed me, poor man, hasa limited conception and is more interested in my throat notbeing impaired by not speaking than the value of Truth.Chimpi (Chanji) said it was all a bad sign. I said, on the con-trary, it is a good sign! Now it is definite. I will stay here formy work, for opposition helps the work.

Baba in Ceylon, 1940

30

Chatti Baba’sstrange behavior inCeylon was also related to events whichwould occur nearly50 years into the fbture in Ceylon.Whenever movinginto a new bungaloBaba always selectedrooms for each oftheMandali and forHimself. In Kandy,Chatti Baba’s roomwas a few doorsdown from Baba’s.One night at mid-night the mast beganyelling and scream-ing. He picked up the metal bath buckets and chairs and threw themacross the room. He then tore up his bed sheets.

Baba spelled out, “After many years there will be a civil war inCeylon. I have done this work through Chatti Baba. I have brought

him to Ceylon for that pur—pose. . . “ In the late 1980’s,as Baba foretold, civilwar didbreak out between the Tamilseparatists and the Sinhalesedominated government innorthern Ceylon. Thousandswere massacred.

Rustomji Ratanshah, hiswife and daughter-in-lawcame to see Baba in Kandyon December 2nd. Baba metthem in the men’s quartersand then took the two

women to meet the women Mandali. As He brought them in, alove song was playing on the radio entitled, “What do You KnowofLove?” Baba repeated the refrain and asked the women:

Although Baba had rented the Primrose Hill bungalow for aperiod of three months, Baba left for Calicut on December 5thafter finishing his mast work in Kandy. They drove in the Blue Busand cars to Mannar and from there to Dhanushkodi, except the

men Mandali who traveled by train. Traveling by boat to India,they reached Ramnad by train on December 6th at 3:00 p.m. wherethey stayed in a dak bungalow.

The following is an excerpt from Kitty Davey’s book “Love AlonePrevails” regarding the groups’ stay in Ceylon:

In the fall of 1940 the group went again on tour. Beforeleaving, Margaret wrote to Delia:

“We have all been vaccinated ready for our departure forCeylon on 1st November. A gang of 40 of us are movingthere for several months but write here, no address there atpresent. . . Two months all our letters take. I always feel thatI don’t know which letter I am answering, and in any case,you will probably have forgotten what you wrote four monthsbefore, so where are we?..

“Everyone is very thin and very exhausted with the fast,and I think, in spite ofaiways packing and unpacking, will beglad to be off. On the 18th we have two meals a day. One at6 a.m. and one at 6 p.m. I think it will be better. I think theregime has been healthy but it has been exhausting as well.Baba comes every other day at the moment to give instructions about the journey.”

At Ceylon we had a nice bungalow two miles from Colombo. Then we moved to Kandy up in the hills. This was atea-growing district and all around us on the slopes grew smallbushes offine tea leaves. Here, as Margaret had mentioned,we were on a partial fast — bread and butter with breakfastand no more food till evening. I remember a crisis, for I ashousekeeper had ordered special whole wheat bread. Thisturned out to be about three times as expensive as the otherkind and the baker had much difficulty in supplying so largean amount. Baba heard of this indirectly and was much an-noyed that I had not first consulted Him about it. I was soslow in learning that all details, even of the household, hadto go to Baba for His sanction.

We all got even thinner at Kandy and all were makingtucks in their skirts. Baba was the same as ever, very lovingand beautiful but stricter than at Nasik, still always fill offun and mischief in His dealings with us. Notes from mydiary give further details:

“Baba comes to see us quite a lot here. He arrives about 2p.m. and stays until 7 o’clock. Ofcourse we don’t see Him allthat time but He is in the house and sits with us for quite atime. Baba never wears His hair loose now, only in a plait.Baba is always giving us fresh definitions oflove. The otherday it was ‘self control and spontaneous happiness for theBeloved.’ Another time He said ‘It is the same God playingdifferent parts at one and the same time! He plays the part ofthe Universal God who is beyond everything that is con-scious. He plays the part ofbeing falsely conscious of beingthis body. He plays the part ofthe Creator. He plays the partofbeing Himselfconsciously in creation. Kabir has sung, ‘OneGod is the Avatar; One God is the Soul ofevery being; OneGod creates all; and One God is Everything.”

The information about the Madras Cafe and the Capitol Theater inSingapore and the Temples Baba visited in Panang was kindly provided

by Ray Kerkhove, Australia. Other information in this feature wasgathered from volumes 5, 6, 7 and 8 ofLordMeher by Bhau Kaichuri.

31

Meher Baba giving Chatti Baba a bath.

Chatti Baba the Mast

What do you know oflove?This love on the radio is Broad-way love, but what do you know ofreal love?

Here is a story of an example of that love. There was agreat saint named Zikaria. He would always do what pleasedGod. Once in a dream, God ordered him to sit under a certam tree. When he awakened, he went and sat there and nevermoved for five years, in spite of tears and pleading from hisfamily and friends. Hearing about this, the king of the placesent his men, ordering Zikaria to come to him, but the saintwould not budge. The king then ordered his men to saw himin half if he did not obey, and Zikaria let himself be sawedwithout moving!

This is an instance ofgreat, real love, obeying God’s orderin a dream. And here you have God in person, who asks youto do such little things, and you cannot do it.

I Want, I Want...But What?![Ba/gave us this topub/ishfrom what may

yet become thefourth in his verypopu/ar seriesofConversations with theAwakener —perhapsto be called F/owing Conversations.]

The evening sky was gathering clouds,and I wondered ifit was going to storm.

I was feeling unwell, tense, and depressed.Gazing out the window at the darkening skyI wondered if my inner turmoil was a reflec—tion of the unsettled weather, or if the impending storm was mirroring my mood.

The wind picked up, and raindrops beganto pelt the roof I closed my eyes and sankdeeper into grim reflections.

Then suddenly to my astonishment, I heardthe sound offamillarfootsteps. I opened my eyesjust as You came through the door. You hungYour raincoat on a hook and turned to me as Irose to greetYou.Without awordYou came intothe room and sat on the sofa. Looking very relaxed, You closed Your eyes as I had just done.Were You joking with me, or just showing methatYou knew the state I was in?

I had rarely seenYou with eyes closed, withsuch a perfectly restftil expression. You exudedan exquisite elegance in that silent repose, anda feeling ofenchantment came over me. I hadthe feeling that You were pervading every-where, knowing everything. I did not wish tobreak the spell of that moment, so I did notexpress my greeting.

However, after a short time You slowlyopened Your eyes, as though You hadjust comedown from Your Abode of Infinity

Then with a twinkle in Your eye You asked,“Why are you looking so grumpy and sullen?I’m in the mood to give you anything you want.

I gaped, “Seriously?” I asked.“of course,” You smiled. “Don’t you be-

lieve Me?”“Yes! Certainly!” But I was too stunned by

Your arrival, and by the novelty of the situation, to know what to say. I tried to searchwithin myself to think ofwhat it was that Iwanted the most. “Hundreds of wants cometo mind,” I confessed.

“I can grant all ofyour wants,” You assuredme. “But are you certain that the friffihimentofyour wants will really make you happy?”

I had to think about that. “I’m not sure,” Ifinally concluded.

The fact was, I recognized that my chronichealth problems and mental restlessness couldnot account for the unhappiness I felt at thecore of my heart. As I tried to come up withan answer, instead I came up with a question.32

Bal Natu - Meherabad

“How is it that happiness seems so elusive mostof the time?”

You replied, “Happiness remains elusiveunless and until you are willing to love life asit is in and around you, without reservationsand without exercising special rights overpeople and surroundings. This requires asimple heart and trust in Me. AndYou added,“Would you like to hear a story?”

“Yes, very much.”“All right, listen: Long ago there was a

simple farmer who loved God and had deeptrust in His wish. He had a pet horse, auburncolored, with a white star on his forehead. Hisname, not surprisingly, was Star. One morn-ing, when the farmer went to the stable, hefound that Star was missing. He searched forhim high and lo but in the end returned tothe empty stable and started to sing.”

“Started to sing? I don’t understand!”“Wait,wait,listentowhathappened next.The

refrain ofthe song was, ‘God is great He knowsbest.’ And it so happened that a friend of thefarmer was passing by just then, and hearing ajoyous song coming from the stable, came andasked, ‘Why are you so happy today? ‘My horsehas been stolen,’ came the answer. ‘So you’re celebrating the theft? the friend asked incredulously.‘In a way’ the farmer replied with perfect composure. ‘Because if I’d been on the horse, I toowould have been stolen!

“Shortly after this, another ofthe farmer’sfriends appeared, leading Star into the stable.‘I was working in the field,’ he explained, ‘whenI saw a man come riding by on your horseStar. I asked him a few questions and he wasevasive, so I realized he’d stolen him. We hada tussle and the rascal ran off Anyway, here’syour horse back.”

“The old farmer ran his fingers lovinglythrough Star’s mane, kissed him on the fore-head and patted him. Star whinnied andmoved his head up and down happily. Andthen the farmer began to sing once more, ‘Godis great, He knows best.”

“The first friend could not help but remarkat this. ‘You are singing the same song. Areyou happier now?’ Not exactly. But now theoats and the grass won’t go to waste.”

“Then all three began to laugh, but eachone, perhaps, for a different reason.”

You shot me a playfril, expectant glance.“So that’s the story. Did you get the meaningof it?”

“Well, maybe not entirely,” I said. “But theold man’s s attitude was really marvelous. Hehad such trust in God.”

“Right,”Youagreed.”He accepted life as God’swish, no matter what happened to him. This isdetachment from wants. Have you everwatchedthe topmost part ofa tall, leafy tree moving joy-frilly side to side with the slightest breeze?”

“Many times,” I answered readily. And thenI added, “In one ofYour earlier visits You hadalready shared the simile with me ofthe leavesdancing without resistance.”

Not showing the slightest expression ofadmonishment, You said, “Yes, but you haveforgotten the message that the leaves singthrough their rustling.You remember only thewords, but have failed to integrate their mean-ing into your life.”

Without rebuking or chiding me, Youpoignantly helped me to see my folly. I felthumbled and chastened.

You smiled with Your infinite kindness.“Simply quoting sublime words is like offer-ing someone a scentless flower made ofplastic. But ifthe words have become alive in yourown life, releasing their significance, then theyhave meaning. Your memory of the move-ments of the leaves does not wake you to express their heart-moving music--the song ofresignation to My wish.”

I murmured that I was sorry and wouldhave said more, but You gestured that I wasnot to worry. “Remember,” You concluded,“any assertion of ‘I want this or that blocksthe natural flow oflife’s energy expressing Mywish. Now tell Me, do you want to respondwholeheartedly to My wish or yours?

You gazedlovinglyatmewithYour sparklingeyes, as ifYou were requesting something ofme.I was so moved by the intimacy ofthatlook thattears began to flow from the comers ofmy eyes,and I felt a rapture come over me, as though awave had electrified the room.

“I want to respond to Your wish the best Ican,” I said earnestly. I felt so blessed that Icould not look upon the radiance ofYour faceany more, and reverently closed my eyes.

A moment later I heard the sound of thedoor closing. I opened my eyes and saw thatYour raincoat was gone. But to my delight apleasant breeze flowed through the room.Outside the sky was clear and translucent, andthe stars twinkled joyously. Upon seeing thisclarity I immediately realized that the storminess, just like my mood, was a passing phenomenon. That indeed, behind my everymood or want, this tranquil clarity exists--the

tranquil clarity ofYour presence. I was jubilant, as I no longer had aspirations for the liii-filiment of my personal seffish wants. I onlydesired to feel Your presence more and morein my life.

As naturally as the birds sing to welcome themorn,

As intimately as the dew-drenchedbudssmile at the sky,

So, let my heart beat in unison, longingfirYourpresence,

With the simple innocence ofa babe newly born!

Going to India?Pilgrim Reservations

To make reservations at the Meher Pugrim Centre Meherabad by email, pleasenotify us no more than 6 weeks in advanceat: pimco@ambppct.org. Please send yourreservation requests no more than six weeks inadvance. It may take a few days for us to reply toyou by email. Please include your snail mail ad-dress. Pilgrims will be asked to reimburse us forany expense connected with receiving/sendingthese emails, once theyreachAhmednagar. Thisemail address is for Pilgrim Reservations Officework only. To make reservations by post:

Pilgrim Reservation OfficeAvatar Meher Baba TrustPost Bag 31 - Kings RoadAhmednagar, MS 414001 INDIA(91)-241-341821 phone and fax

January 11, 2001Dear Friends,Recently a pilgrim had to bear through

a very serious medical emergency here atMeherabad and did it with poise and wentthrough all the difficulties without corn-plaint. This person’s behavior brought tomind a letter that Eruch wrote regardingpilgrimage. I share it here so that it may helpothers to bear some of the difficulties en-countered on trips to Meherabad and forthose who may not be familiar with it.

In Beloved Baba’s Service,Dr. Gus Degreef

Regarding PilgrimageEruch Jessawala, 1994

We His lovers, must not forget why wecome to Meherabad in the first

place. Meherabad is a place of Holy

Pilgrimage. It is not a vacation spot, resortor retreat. It behooves each pilgrim blessedto cross His Threshold, to accept allconditions oftheir pilgrimage as the prasadgiven to them by their Beloved Lord. Tohave one’s pilgrimage accepted by the Lordis no easy task, for it means more than tomerely bow down at His Samadhi. We mustaccept wholeheartedly any and all trials andtribulations that may beset us during ourpilgrimage, knowing full well, that thesevery difficulties when happily acceptedwithout reservation or expectation mark Hisacceptance of our pilgrimage. Doublyblessed is the pilgrim who, in spite of allhardships, remains cheerftilly resigned to theconditions of his pilgrimage.

And yet, Beloved Avatar Meher Baba,in His Infinite Compassion and Benevolence, has made our pilgrimage so comfort-able and easy that we have forgotten all thatHe Himself as Man amongst men, sufferedthroughout His Ministry to awaken His lovein our hearts.

Dear brothers and sisters, we have beenblessed to receive His gift oflove, now it istime for us to return that love by dissolvingall expectations, reservations and desires intotal gratitude and resignation to His Will.

With warm regards in Love and Serviceof our Beloved Lord Avatar Meher Baba.

Yours lovingly, Eruch

Heres a check listforyou.First the obvious things:

Flashlight (torch) small and large extra bat-teries. Hair dryer (ifyou simply have to haveone) that is 240 volts make sure you havean adapter that will fit the Indian sockets.Insect repellant (Avon has some great nonstinky moisturizing lotion). Hat — a must,Sunscreen — a must, Toilet paper (availablein ‘Nager but scratchy) —likewise bath toweland face cloth. Rubber thongs, no bare feet— germs and worms! Plenty ofifim for yourcamera (minimum film--Kodak 100 avail-able at “Laser Photo” downtown ‘Nager) -

extra batteries. Modest clothes — no shortsfor women, long ones for men. Teen girlsplease note, no bare midriffs, low cutblouses or tight tank tops. Loose pants —

no tight clothing of any kind. Rememberyou are here to commune with God — notdrive the local guys crazy!Some not so obvious ones:

Liquid soap for the few things you maywish to hand wash (mostly cold water wash-ing). Clothes pins (pegs) or plastic coatedwire clothes hangers come in handy for

hanging a few special items for drying or inclosets — also lightweight for packing.

Alcohol wipes and/or alcohol gel orother antibacterial hand gel to clean handswithout water. Alcohol wipes also excellentfor cleaning silverware in questionablehotels or restaurants on the way toMeherabad.

Soft pillow or neck roll. Nail brush andmanicure kit. Calculator (for those Bazaarforays) Aloe Vera Gel or Tea Tree oillointment is great for insect bites, sunburn, andother itches. Also email address list for useat the Cyber Cafe in Nager ifyou’re into it.

Eating Outside the Pilgrim CenterEven at some ofthe best restaurants in fourand five star hotels, unless the food is zappedwith ultraviolet rays you shouldn’t eat anyuncooked fruits or vegetables. Fruits suchas bananas and oranges are fine as you canpeel thern.You should drink only boiled orbottled water.

News Flash!Pune-Mumbai-Pune bus service -

For those of you interested in alternative travel arrangements from the Mumbaiairport to Pune, MAA Travels and Toursoperates a Sahar Airport-Pune-SaharAiport A/C bus service for a one way fareof Rs. 450 per seat. It drops you anywherein Pune and the departures from Sahar Air-port are at Midnight, 2.30 am and 6 am.(This means you don’t have to spend an ago-nizing four hours sitting bolt upright at theLeila Hotel when all you want to do is sleepon their comfy couches!). You can buy theticketsjust as you come out ofcustoms. Theyhave a booth near the prepaid taxi booth.For information on how to go from Puneto Mumbai, the Pune contact is MAATravels and Tours Pvt. Ltd., Mittal Court, 3rd.Fl., Rasta Peth, Opp. Sai Service, Pune 411-011. Ph. 612 4877, 611 9043/53, Fax: 020-613-7518, Email: rnaatravels@yahoo.com.They also have a website at www.maatravels.com

The SuperExpress train leaves about 5a.m. from VT Station in South Mumbai,but the bus is much more convenient andyou probably won’t get a seat on the train.You can also ask the bus to drop you at ahotel in Pune for breakfast or go straight tothe Nagar taxi stand at Shivaji Nagar BusStation. This could be less expensive thanbooking a Trust Office taxi for a single per-son, and you may arrive in Nagar sooner.

33

Happenings at MeherabodePratap Ahir’s Story

Pratap has been travelling around theUnited States with one ofhis sons, Swaroop,speaking, playing and singing at many oftheBaba Centers. fl’ were lucky enough to have areturn engagement. Asyou can read in thefollowing bio he wrotefor us, he hadspent muchtime with the Beloved, so it is really wonderfulto hear him tell ofthese times. Also to hear himsing/And Swaroopplays a mean tabla, so theharmonium, tabla and voices were a real treat

for us. Even better that he has made a so wecan continue listening to him after he has returnedto India—Ed

I was born and brought up in Pune in afamily with a spiritual background. I had myeducation at Pune. My upbringing hadaroused in me a sincere desire to lead a lifededicated to God and a life that is based onmoral values.

I lost my parents when I was very young.This had a deep psychological impact on me.It also affected me financially. I had tostruggle a lot for stability in life. The eventsthat unfolded in mylife since my childhoodprove that it was an unconscious strugglefor ultimate stability in Beloved’s arms.During this period, I came in contact withone Mr. L.B. Thade at Pune who was in-strumental in getting me admittance to aGovernment run hostel. Mr. Thade had hadBaba’s darshan. My association with him ledme to the thing that has mattered most inmy life ever since then. I was drawn into

Beloved Meher Baba’s fold. I started par-ticipating in Baba related activities that weregaining momentum in Pune.

16th October 1950 turned out to be thebiggest day in my life. I met Meher Baba atMahabaleshwar in India. He had stepped backfor a few hours into His ‘old life’ from the ‘NewLife’ that He was leading with some of Hisdisciples. My love for Baba was given realimpetus that day. Thereafter it only grew andso did my urge to be near Him as much aspossible.

The Pune group that was in its formativestage under the watchful eyes and lovingencouragement of Dr. Ghani was reallyfortunate. It was given and I grabbed manyopportunities to sit at Baba’s feet. I was anactive member of this group. It wasimportant that I came in Baba’s fold but amore significant thing for me was Babaentering the shell of my personal life andtouching the lives of me, my wife and mychildren with His abundant love.

I have been married for over 38 yearsnow. My wife has also been following Me-her Baba since her younger days. I have fourchildren and I am glad that all of them arestrongly connected with Meher Baba. Babahas been generous with them in grantingthem talent in the performing arts like sing-ing, accompaniment on musical instruments, drama and dancing. I am glad thatBaba has also ensured that they are able to

use this talent for His work. On this trip,my youngest son, Swaroop has traveled withme to give me accompaniment on Tabla—the Indian rhythm instrument.

I live in Mumbai now and I am activelyassociated with governing the Baba Centers at Pune and Mumbai. I have also beenoffering my services in translating Englishliterature on Baba in the vernacular lan-guage.

In the true sense of the word, 1 am notan orator or speaker. I am not a ‘qualified’singer but I have chosen these media toshare all that I could, from my heart thatBaba has filled with His love.

[Note also that Pratap Ahir’s early en-counters with Baba are covered in LordMeher, October and December 1950.]

Ifyou make Meyourreal Father, all differ—ences and contentionsbetween you and all

Pratap (r.) & his son Swaroop (taken at the Auction)

personalproblems inconnection withyourlives willbecome dis—solvedin the Ocean of

My Love...

34

of the 21cart”5ilent &: J.ive Auction—April 28, 2001

Choosing the winner of the Sweepstakes

Luscious Indian cuisine enjoyed by all

Elegant place settings, beautifuldecorations

Musicfor the “silent” auction

The tireless Auction committee

35

Gift Food Bags for the HomelessO

ne of our Sunday meetings was devoted to those less fortunate—the homeless living on Los Angeles’ SkidRow. We made sandwiches and added other goodies, creating gift food bags, and finally adding one of our

favorite Baba cards before packaging them for delivery

Morgan Rowling,frornBrisbane, Australia helpedus with thepackaging...hehad traveled thefarthest ofanyone to take his date to

theprom: 8,000 miles!Stephanie Ervin ofLongBeach CA was his date.

\

At the other enc4 Shani Vèrchick, Golrzaz and ShawdiManozichehrpour bag the goodies

the Provider ofthefeast

Nan Umrigar and Friends

O the afternoon of September 22ndin the Pune Turf Club, where so many

Westerners had stayed during the East-WestGathering, Nan Umrigar gathered over 250ofher friends, nowbecoming for the most part,devotees of the Avatar, to share their storiesand express their devotion to Meher Baba.

I had first met Nan at the Sun ‘n Sandsome years before, when she had just writ-ten the account ofthe death and the incredible story of her refinding her younger sonKarl, who had met with a fatal horse accident in his late teens. Nan had her two closefriends and literary associates, Amie andFreny, with her, and I was returning fromAhmednagar after introducing MagesticFoundation’s Book Committee to the Pub-lications Committee of the Trust. Nanwanted an independent evaluation of thenow almost completed book before venturing to publish it. I read it with keen interestsome days later. I found it deeply touching,as well as clearly being a favored accountdesigned to show the way to the Avatar’sdoorstep for perhaps a goodly number ofthose chosen by the Avatar himself to bedevoted directly to him.

Shortly thereafter the book was pub-lished as Sounds OfSilence and enjoyed atonce a considerable success both in Indiaand beyond. In the course of the followingmonths, Nan was literally besieged by per-sons who had suffered similar bereavements.Nan fulfilled the considerable demands onher time and energies this entailed, and soonstarted arranging transportation by thebusloads to Ahmednagar and the sites of theBeloved’s home. Now, only a fewyears later,as Gary Kleiner pointed out in his addressdelivered that Tuesday night in September,Nan has physically brought to Meherabadand the Tomb of the Avatar more personsthan any other one else except probably forEruch, the hero oflove for the One. I wouldnot be able to vouch for the accuracy of thestatistics but as Gary fills a key spot in theoperation of the Pilgrim Centre, I am in-dined to trust his summation.

All this however, is simply the externalside of Nan’s unique and endless devotionto Meher Baba. Although she now hasconcerns at home with the serious illness ofher husband, who took a turn for the worseon the very evening ofNan’s annual gala oflove for the Beloved, Nan fulfills totally the

by Don Stevens, France

unflinching duties of a key intermediary inHis work and organizes with Leila Captainand several ofher close Pune associates, anevening in constant praise and devotion toBaba’s love and ministry. Here is a beautifulinstance of the balance between the headand the heart of which Baba speaks sodecisively in his Discourse on Love. Nanknows how to organize. She also knows howto appear before a group and be master ofceremonies in a manner that is outstandinglyhuman. Her simplicity and good will reachto one’s inner being.

During the course of three hours thatevening in Pune, a succession of intelligentand articulate individuals recounted deeplysincere and touching stories of their ownexperiences in facing disastrously upsettingcrises in life. Often, as in Nan’s case, thisinvolved the loss ofa beloved child, and themanner that Baba reached through to themand gave them their own personal experience of the truly living reality of the con-tinuation of that supposedly lost loved one.As is always true in the finding of the pathto Baba, no two stories were even similar intheir major happenings, but the end was always identical: the indescribable relief tohave unquestioning evidence ofthe continued being and well-being of the loved onethought to be lost. And inevitably, the accompanying flood of love and reassurancethat they knew instinctively came from Babadirect to their hearts.

Gary Kleiner, with his great gift offinding clear and vivid words, talked forsome minutes on the complete assurance ofmeaning which his twenty years inMeherabad has given him, regardless ofvibes not sensed and independent of anydirect physical touch from the Master.Gary’s at times almost iconoclastic manner,contrasted but totally complimented thegeneral tenor ofother accounts being giventhat warm evening of early fall in thepresence of the beloved Avatar. LeilaCaptain, who assisted Nan in chairing theoccasion, beamed through her rimlessglasses, and Arnie Rabadi added her incisivesuggestions and realism which is socharacteristic ofher nature. We caught sightofSuraiya and Mas Masters, who had givena superb buffet supper the evening before,

as well as several stalwarts fromAhmednagar. Don added his classic accountofhis first meeting with Baba in New Yorkin August 1952, and Baba’s uncannyrecognition ofDon’s three signs ofthe circleofPerfection made to Baba. Read all aboutit in the introduction to God Speaks or inDon’s new biography of Baba written forthe Spanish publisher ofDios Habla.

Nan, as do so many people, we salute andlove you for your complete love for and devotion to the Beloved who is our BelovedMeher Baba as well. Bless you and yourwonderful co-workers for the opportunityto be with you and share in the feast of theheart and mind you provide.

. . The Power ofHis‘ Nameby Bhau Kaichuri and Meher Baba

The group arrived in Bangalore onI\’Iarch 4th, and .\rcflt on to I\/Iysore

the next da’c On ]\‘Iarch 6th, the group’sconversation topic turned to wild ani—mals, for there were tigers, lions and bearsroaming the jungles surroundingfVlvsore. l\’Ieher Baba advised:

“Ifyou ever come across any such say—age animals, or if you find yourselves in aperilous situation, cry out my name loudlyI will then save )ro1 Even if you die, youshould know that I have saved you, becausemy protection is real protection. I alwaysprotect iiy lover.

There is a difference betveen remembering my name and actually saying it outloud. In the eventuality of your body be—ing overcome vith fear in the presence ofany wild animal or other creature (such asa snake, at such moments of danger youshould loudly cry out rnxr name, so loudthat the sound of my name fitils on thecreature’s ears which will immediatelymake it as meek as a lamb!

But before inanimate objects, duringany serious mishap or accident — suchas a car crash or train wreck — you willbe saved by remembering me with fullfaith from the bottom ofyour heart.

From Lord J’Ieher T2/11fl7L’ II’ 1929—1932, ©1973 Bhau Kaichuri

37

2lumor for:iium

‘My bliss and my infinitesense ofhumor sustain me

in my suffering. The amusing incidents that arise atthe expense ofnone lighten

my burden.”— Meher Baba

[Recently I came across this little ditty thatJay Schauer ofCalfornia wrotefor a skitforKittyc birthday about l2years ago. Itc sung tothe tune of 7 am the very model ofa modernmajor general’ a songfrom Gilbert andSuiivanc Pirates ofPenzance. Whatfun itwould be to see this performed at one of theGatherings!]

Edmund:

I am the very essence of a modernBaba Lover,

I love my fellow creatures like a sister or a brother,

I know the center pathways and Ihike them with impunity,

I never say “off-center” when I mean“nearby community”,

At the Meher Center meetings every weekend you will find me,

And you’ll find I never fail to lockthe Center gate behind me.

I never call up Kitty on her “please-don’t-make-a-phone-call” day,

And I can quote verbatim the an-nouncements made by Marshall Hay.

All:

And he can quote verbatim theannouncements made by Marshall Hay.

And he can quote verbatim theannouncements made by Marshall Hay.

And he can quote verbatim theannouncements made by Marshall-Marshall Hay.

Edmund:

I’ve got a Lyn Ott painting and thelatest Baba video,

I’ve got a little Baba picture stuck onmy car radio,

I love my fellow creatures like a sisteror a brother,

And I am the very essence of theModern Baba Lover.

All:

He loves his fellow Creatures like asister or a brother,

And he is the very essence of a Mod-em Baba Lover.

Edmund:

I keep my body pure and My bioticsare all macro

I keep away from meat and drugs andliquor and tobacco.

I’m sure in some past life I must havebeen a holy brahmin

For I never, never, never would let goofBaba’s Damaan.

I’m chaste and I am careful, I donothing for the hell of it,

I go to wild parties but always stay acelibate,

And when I date a girl you may besure I do not fondle her—

I’d rather be out sailing in the MeherCenter gondola.

All:

He’d rather be out sailing in the Me-her Center gondola.

He’d rather be out sailing in the

Meher Center gondola.He’d rather be out sailing in the

Meher Center gon-do-gon-do-la.

Edmund:

For I’ve been on walking tour ofNasik and Rahuri

And know by heart the latest ghazalbook by Bhau Kalchuri.

I love my fellow creatures like a sisteror a brother

And I am the very essence of theModern Baba Lover.

All:

He loves his fellow Creatures like asister or a brother

And he is the very essence ofa Mod-em Baba Lover.

Edmund:

I know the names of all of Baba’smonkeys, dogs, and horses.

I’ve got the first editions of GodSpeaks and the Discourses.

I’m at the peak of fitness, I’m adancer and a jogger.

I know the cheapest fare fromMyrtle Beach to Ahmednagar.

I’m always on the waiting list forCenter Reservations.

My mail is jammed by Baba loverswriting for donations.

I never worry, for the world is justillusion to me.

My less than perfect attributes haveburned up in the Dhuni.

All:

His less than perfect attributes haveburned up in the Dhuni.

His less than perfect attributes haveburned up in the Dhuni.

His less than perfect attributes haveburned up in the Dhu-u-u-ni.

Edmund:

The truth is that I live a life that’ssaintly and courageous,

And I never pass beyond theCenter’s seventeen-mile radius.

I love my fellow creatures like a sister or a brother

And I am the very essence of themodern Baba lover.

38

Announcements

T of our dear friends from theCenter here in LA surprised us re—

cently by announcing their engagement!Glenn Russ and Payam Arjang tell theirstory below.

All four parents are long time membersof our Center too.

“Our coming together has truly been aBaba blessing. As we look back, it is soamazingly clear how Baba had arrangedevery detail. There are so many events beau-tiftilly orchestrated by Baba that we couldspend hours sharing them with you all.Although we had known each other formanyyears, Baba did not wish for our pathsto cross until this past December when wewere separately drawn to go to Meherabadfor Amartithi. We should note that Alobahad a significant role in all ofthis as well (‘along story to be shared at another time!).Miracles definitely had to take place for usto take time off from work and make lastminute arrangements (our passports andtickets were federal expressed to us only 2or 3 days before our departure). Needless tosay, Baba ignited a beautiful romance andabout six months later, on May 12th 2001,atop the mountains at Ojai near Baba’s tree,I gave her an engagement ring and we committed to being spiritual partners for life andtook a stand for our love for God and ourshared walkwith Meher Baba. He truly doeswatch over every single one ofus. How for-tunate we are to know Him. Avatar MeherBaba KiJai!

— Glenn and Payam

Songwriters“lam the song,

its words and its melodyandlam the Singer!”

— Meher Baba

Meher Baba’s poet Bhau Kalchuri hasgiven inspiration to many ofyou with hispoems, songs, ghazals and other writings.A collection of songs with words by Bhau- composed by Baba-lovers from around theworld - will be published by Ann and ScottO’Neil (who also published Sun Rays). Ifyou have set Bhau’s words to music andwould like to have these songs or ghazalsincluded in the songbook, please contactJanice Rieman atjriemann@webster.edu, or129 E. Lockwood Ave., Apt. 2A, St. Louis,MO 63119.

Baba’s FlagOn May the 11th, Baba’s Flag, a Mo-

bile, was unfurled in a Public Exhibition ofMobile art in Asheville, North Carolina.Marvin and Michelle Shafer, two ChicagoBaba Lover Artists are the creators of theMobile, made from anodized aluminum,over 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It can beviewed at http://www.technobaba.com/g3art.html.

Avatar Meher BabaSearchable CD Update

The fabled and long-awaited AvatarMeher Baba Searchable CD is slowly butsurely grinding toward being available tointerested Baba-lovers and scholars of theteachings ofMeher Baba. As many of youknow, this project was begun by membersofthe Baba Listserv on the Internet somefour years ago and has been carried out almost exclusively through the efforts ofvolunteer Baba-lovers.

Currently, the 11 books and one book-let which comprise the first edition havebeen completed and cast into a presentation software package called Authorwarewhich allows for a common text format andthe ability to search either a single book or

all of the books at once. Art work for theCD itself has been completed and the art-work for the jewel box is in progress.

The content ofthe first version CD is asfollows:

1. God Speaks, 2. The Discourses, 3. TheEverything and the Nothing, 4. BeamsfromMeher Baba on the Spiritual Path, 5. Lift atIts Best, 6. Listen Humanity, 7. The first 2chapters of The Wayfarers, 8. The Path ofLove, 9. MeherBaba theAwakener(Haynes),10. Sparks (booklet), 11. Sparks ofthe Truth,12. The God-Man (Purdom).

There is also a section entitled MajorMessages ofAvatar Meher Baba. Three of thebooks will be in Adobe PDF format whichwill require the Adobe Reader software.This software will be included on the CD.

It is anticipated that we will have ater of the CD by the end ofJune, 2001.Then, barring any significant problems fromthe reviews of the Trust, Sheriar Foundation and Sufism Reoriented, copies of theCD will be printed and distributed for saleat the main outlets for Baba-related literature. The CD may be available as soon asAugust, 2001, at a prospective sale price of$30. Stay tuned.

— Michael Ivey

“Love courses through everything,No, Love *is* everything.

How can you say ‘There is no love’when nothing but Love exists

4ll thatyou see has appeared because ofLove.All shinesfrom Love,Allpulses with Love,

Allflowsfrom Love—No, once again all *s* Love!

‘1—us Light rose,Ifound it in my own heart—

It is now my Lightyou see shining!”

—Araqi

From The Inner TreasureAn Introduction to the World’s Sacred andMystical Writings ©1999 byjonathan Star,

Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam

39

[Ed We are ailfamiliar with thefact thatBhau Kaichuri was Babac nzht watchmanformanyyears, andwe have readcontinuously howBaba would insist on complete silence when Heslept, but did He actually sleep Here,from theLordMeherbiography, is an excellent explanation./

/Jay5th 1932, in Lugano, Switzerlandwhen Baba was 38:

“Whenever the Master was in his roomresting, any noise whatsoever was forbidden.From the very beginning when Meher Babaestablished himself as a Perfect Master andgathered disciples, a watchman would alwaysbe at Baba’s side at night to see that there wasnot the slightest disturbance. His uncle Masjihad this duty in India at first, and thereafterChhagan was the night watchman.

During Baba’s many journeys, any of themandali would be appointed as night watch-man, and this duty was now being done byKaka Baria. Some of Baba’s Western follow-ers were wondering whether or not the Mas

- ter slept at all at night. On May 5th, Babasuddenly called all ofthem into his room. He

-

appeared to be in a dazed condition and stated:“I do not sleep, but I rest on a certain point.

This point is between the sixth and seventhplanes, and at times it is very difficult to comedown from that eternal state. While restingon this point, there should not be the slightestnoise, as it would be harmftil. In Meherabadonce, I had to suffer badly due to some disturbance. My eyes were fill of tears and I wasrolling on the ground, overcome by so muchanguish.

“From the Nirvikaip Samadhi state—”IAm God” state—I have to undergo great an—guish coming down to normal human con-sciousness.To attain Sahaj Samadhi—the In-finite Consciousness of everything, GodConsciousness plus all of the creation’s con-sciousness—in itselfis infinite anguish. Thereis no desire to come down at all, but it is nec-essary to come down for universal dutyc

“My mind is connected with every mind.Through my universal mind, I undergo infinite suffering, and due to the infinite bliss, Iam at infinite rest. The meaning of undergo-ing suffering is to work for the salvation ofmankind and to come down for that duty—from Nirvikaip Samadhi to normal conscious-ness. My descent is for this purpose.

“This play is going on from eternity butthe effect ofmyinfinite suffering is minimizedby the infinite bliss in the background; though,

in spite of this infinite bliss, I have to sufferinfinitely. I am above and beyond both.”

Continuing, Baba narrated details of theexperience he had when he was five years oldand saw before him circles within circles ofshining light and various brilliant colors. Hewas dazed and fainted at the time. He con-cluded: “I have the actual experience of it alltoday, and feel the universe and creation emanating and projecting out of me. I feel all to-day that which I had a mere sight of then.Creation involves only to re-evolve again. It isa never-ending game!

“I have explained it all in detail in my book.Even scientists will be astonished to learn thesecrets I have explained there. For these willnot be vague talks but facts that are substantiated and supported by scientific arguments. Itwill be the future Bible, not in the literal sense,but a book ofunderstanding for people of allreligions.”

In reference to that missing book, Baba hadtaken his book with him to the West in 1931and allowed Mahatma Gandhi to read a fewpages ofit. Before returning to India that year,Baba left the book with someone in Americawhere it remained for the next five years.

Lord Meher Vol. 5, Bhau Kaichuri©AMBPPCT

Stages of DevelopmentMeher Baba

Baba then touched on the various stagesof development:

A person has to pass through three stagesbefore Realization — evolution, reincarnationand advancement on the path. From stone toanimal to human form is evolution; this is thefirst stage. With the human form, evolutionends and the cycle of rebirth begins; this isthe second stage.The third stage is involutionthrough the spiritual planes.

In Africa there is a fill swing of evolution,as all types of animals, plants and metals arefound there. In Europe and America, rein-carnation is intensified with numerous peopletaking birth after birth entangled together. InAsia there is spiritual progress and advance-ment on the path. That is why saints andMasters are found in the East, particularlyIndia.

From LordMeher frlumeIT 1929-1932 ©1973Bhau Kaichuri

IIhave often wondered, - in my ignorance— why Baba wouldsay to washyourse(f,’ ‘toper-formyour ablutions’before sayingprayers. This

ftom Rumiprovides a very enlightening an-swer to my query.]

True AblutionsAs revealed by Jellaludin Rumi andBawa Muhaiyaddeen

hen you are performing your ablutions, it is not merely washing your

hands and feet. That is not the real point,washing eyes, ears — the purpose ofwashingeach ofthese parts ofyour body is that it givesyou time, bit by bit, part by part, to move yourawareness away from the world and towardGod.

Time to stay within your heart, I am nowgoing to establish a connection with God. Iam going to turn toward God. I am goingto hand over my responsibilities, my love,to God.

The blessed Prophet, may God’s peacebe upon him, said;

“While doing your ablutions, you mustbe aware only of your love for God. Makeyour heart steadfast in that state.”

This determination must become strongthrough the process of your ablutions. Bythe time you have finished, you must havethe intent and the aim ofseeing God. Nothing else.

It doesn’t matter, then, whether your eyesare opened or ifyour eyes are closed. God isall you will see whether they are opened orclosed.

This is the point when you can really callprayer surrender.

The day you succeed in these ablutions,your prayer becomes fruitful! Then it is ftilfilled. Then it is what we can call TruePrayer.

If you can make this state steadfast inyourself then not one second ofyour prayerwill be wasted. Then your prayer will be ThePrayer of completeness.

When you have that prayer, when such aprayer is made, every part ofit is a contractwith God. Then your eyes won’t draw youaway. Your ears won’t draw you away.

Only He will be drawing you, and youwill be drawing Him. This is the connection you will have.

This is the true prayer.

From The Illuminated Prayer, by Coleman Barksand Michael Green, Page 66, © 2000 by

Coleman Barks and Michael Green, Publishedby The Ballantine Publishing Group

How Baba Sleepsby Bhau Kaichuri

40

An Unforgettable Musical Journey withI the early hours of May 20th the usual

chorus of dawn birds coaxed our dearBaba friends and family in India to wake-frilness, on this day heralding the 12th anniversary of Mehera’s joining herBeloved Baba to be forever to-gether.

I think the Lovers there musthave noticed an unusual beauty inthe birdsong on that morning. Ifthey had listened closely theywould surely have heard a haunt-ing descant, the echo of a sweetvoice carried across oceans andplanes, that wafted from a spar-kling shore-cliffin New England.It was the evening of May 19th

there, and Mehera’s most precioussongbird, Raine Eastman-Gannett, had raised her clear, purelove melodies in concert, thor-oughly delighting a most fortunate gathering of 37 New En-gland Baba-lovers, their familiesand friends, and a small collectionofunsuspecting local neighbors atDolliver’s Neck in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Boston-area Baba lovers had been in-spired to invite her for a concert on this special date.

Set on a rocky promontory overlooking thesea, the beautiful Gloucester residence ofAnnie and Mac Bell was the perfect venuefor such a love-fest of song and stories. Al-though their place has the appearance of anestate, it is one so tendered with their lovingcare and the nurturance ofMeher Baba’s by-ing presence that visitors universally experience it to be a warm and welcoming “home”,just as Annie herselfwould describe it. Evenso, there is something astonishingly beautiffilabout the landscape, an indescribable perfec

the BelovedMary Pratt, Boston

Meher Baba Information Center

tion, its divine origins only thinly veiled. It isso stunning that it inspired in Raine a newsong about glittering waves, sparkling cliffs,ancient green trees and ocean loving birds, thereflections and shadows ofthe Divine Belovedin the Cliffs of Gloucester.

In concert, in recordings, or even in casualconversations, Raine is like a dear long-timefriend who has come at last for a visit,presenting her songs and stories as the giftsshe would bring to share and to catch up.Naturally friendly, genuine, outgoing, earthysweet and candidlygood-humored, she talkedbetween songs about the close relationship thathad grown between her and Mehera overmany years of India visits. From their first

meeting her eyes weremagnetically drawn togaze constantly at “TheDivine Rememberer”, asMehera is described inone song. It is notpossible to hear her sing“Mehera I Miss You” or“I Hear Your Footfall”without weeping. And asFrancis Brabazon’s “chaiwalla” and musicalinterpreter for ten years,she had many stories to

tell about life with Francis in Australia. Hermusical settings of Francis’ poems,personally fine-tuned by the poet himself,uniquely express the power, immediacy and

humor of his work.Raine’s explorations into

spiritual music do not stop inIndia and Australia. She has alsoaccessed the African-Americanspiritual traditions. It is impos—sible to describe in words her aCapella renditions of theLeadbelly traditional tune,“Four Day Week” and the gospel standard, “0 What a Child”.Her strong, authentic rhythms,grown from years ofgospel choirsinging, irresistibly promptedthe audience to clap and swayin time. Just as irresistibly weresmiles evoked by the uniqueAussie edge she lends to thesetunes.

Regardless ofform or genre,Raine reaches deeply into thehearts and souls ofher listeners.

As one Baba-lover remarked, Raine’s voicecarries us to what Francis described as the“pearl” deep within, and for those few mm-utes of song we can hold that pearl in ourhearts and in some way “remember and Un-derstand”. Perhaps Mehera’s essence issuesfrom a deep reservoir inside Raine, accumulated from so manyyears ofmutual gazrng into one another’s eyes. Perhaps thiscould explain a listener’s response to thesong/chant, “Gazing”. The mesmerizingmelody transports each one to times andplaces where Baba was most strongly felt inhis or her life. Or perhaps it is the earthyclarity ofFrancis’ poetic vision absorbed intoher being that projects out to us throughher voice evoking a hint of as Francis recites, “The infinitely beautifhl one. . .whenthe pouring of wine begins, [and] we arelost to all but Love. . . “ Whatever the reasons may be the experience of RaineEastman-Gannett in concert, as Babagroups such as Boston and also recentlyPortland, Oregon are beginning to discover,is a sweet and unforgettable journey withthe Beloved.

Mehera with Raine, Meherazad, 1978

41

Magical Moments with BabaHighlights of a Talk by Franey and Shirêen Irani at Meher Center

Franey’s Talk

O December 30, 2000, we were treatedto a talkby Franeylrani and her daugh

ter, Shireen Bonner, at Meher Center. Eachtold her storyin turn, and it was interesting tonotice some parallel experiences shared bymother and daughter.

But first, some familybackground. Franey’sfather was the brother ofSarosh K. Irani, oneofBaba’s close ones. The brothers were cousins ofMeher Baba’s secretary Adi K. Irani (referred to as Adi Sr., to distinguish him fromBaba’s youngest brother, Adi S. Irani, who iscalled Adi.Jr.).The three families lived in thecompound that is now the Avatar Meher BabaTrust office. Baba frequentlyvisited, to see AdiSr.’s mother, Gulmai, who He said was His“spiritual mother.” It was Franey’s grand-mother who first took Gulmai (her sister-in-law) to meet Upasni Maharaj, which led toGulmai’s meeting Baba.

Franey married Baba’s brother Adijr., andShireen is their daughter. Adi Jr. also had ason, Dara, whose mother (Adi’s firstwife) haddied and who was largely raised by Sarosh andhis wife, Villoo.

Well, enough of trying to get the kinshipsystems straight! Let’s just say that when theAvatar comes, He seems to conveniently placemany ofHis close lovers into related families.

Franey told the story of a life livedcompletelyin the loving nazar ofMeher Baba.She began by teffing us about growing up inthe family compound, which at that time wasknown as Khushru Quarters. She felt that shehad been with Baba from the beginning oflife, because ofthe circumstances ofher birth:Her mother, who had suffered a previousmiscarriage, was worried about the pregnancy,and so Sarosh offered to ask Baba about it.Baba conveyed the reassurance that she wouldhave a girl and the baby would be fine. As atoddler Franey recalled seeing Baba visit thecompound. In awe she watched Him float byin His white sadra, His feet never touchingthe ground, and she thought to herself thatHe must be a magician.

When, at the age ofil or 12, she was goingto be formally introduced to Baba for the firsttime, she was nervous and eager to be at herbest. Wanting to be pretty for Him, she spenta tortured nightwith her hair in metal curlers.Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and her hairfizzed up. She tried wetting it down, but

by Kendra Crossen-Burroughs

nothing helped. It looked awftil and she feltterribly self-conscious. So when she first metBaba, she was shy and preoccupied. She fearedBaba would say something about her hair, butthankfrdly He didn’t—yet one ofthe Westernwomen touched her hair and commented onit, much to her dismay.

By the time Freny was 13, she was quitetall for her age, and her mother complainedabout it to Baba, saying she couldn’t keep buy-ing Franey new clothes. So Baba put his handon Franey’s head. Franey said, “Electricitywentdown me, and I knew I wouldn’t grow afterthat.”

Now let’s skip some years to the weddingof Franey and Adi, which took place atKhushru Quarters in 1947. The evening be-fore, they got the message that Baba wantedher and Adi to see Him in the morning. Hesaw Franey first, alone, and helped her relaxby playing childlike games with her such asasking her if she could rub her tummy andpat her head at the same time. He held herhand and told her not to be nervous. ThenAdA was called in, and Babajoined their hands.He said never to worry and that He wouldalways be with her. Franey felt that the meet-ing with Baba that morning was her real wed-ding; the ceremonythat followed wasjust a ritual.

The couple didn’t have a honeymoon, butwhen Babawas going to America in 1952 withsome of the mandali, He suggested that Adiand Franey go to England and then meet upwith them in Europe. This didn’t work out asplanned, because ofBaba’s accident. They received a cable to return home immediately, andthey were able to accomplish this directivedespite the fact that the shipping companieswere all booked and they were assured theywould never get a berth. But they did—firstclass at that. They had a chance to have acouple of days in Paris beforehand, so theydid have a honeymoon after all.

Later on, Franeybegan to feeltired oflivingin India and wanted to see the world. Thepossibility arose of going to America underthe sponsorship ofDon Stevens, but Baba saidno, go to England. Franey was happy at this,as she had liked England on their visit there.But in August 1955, a week before they wereto leave, they received a cable from Baba tellingthem to cancel everything and to stayin India.They forfeited the money spent on tickets,

their ffirniture was in storage, they had to finda place to stay—nonetheless they willinglyobeyed Baba. Finally, in December, He toldthem they could go in February. It turned outthat London had undergone its worst winterin years, so apparently Baba had wanted tospare them that. They moved in time tocelebrate Baba’s birthday at a meeting inLondon.

Franey found it hard to find work in London. She was trained as a beautician but wastold that without experience they could nothire her. When she notified Baba ofher difficulties, He said that ifshe found nothing by acertain time, they could leave London. He alsoasked her if she wanted a child, and she replied, “IfYou want me to have one, Baba.” Hesaid, “We’ll see.”

At that time Freny and Adi were stayingwith Minta (Delia DeLeon’s sister), who suggested that Franey should cut her long hairand wear Western clothes instead of a sariwhen job hunting. This she did, and at hernext interview, the long queue of applicantsmade her feel discouraged, yet miraculouslyshe was given the job.

But not long after starting work, Franeystarted feeling ill. Adi took her to the doctorand they discovered she was pregnant. Wheninformed, Baba told Mani she would have agirl. “And I had this wonderful daughter,”Freny said, gesturing toward Shireen.

Shireen’s TalkShireen’s first contact with Baba was when

she was brought to India as an infant. She grewup in London seeing photos of her uncle allover the house. When she reached the age ofseven, her grandfather—Franey’s father, whowas a devout Zoroastrian—wanted her to havethe traditional navjote, the Zoroastrian counterpart to the confirmation ceremony. Babagave permission, since it would make thegrandfather happy. And so they were to go toIndia for the ceremony—and to see Baba, ofcourse. To prepare Shireen, her father sat herdown and explained to her that her uncle wasGod. This seemed quite natural, and she accepted it. He said that just as Christians be-lieve in Christ, we believe in Baba, and He isChrist come again.

In India, Shireen was terriblyexcited aboutmeeting Baba. She was all dressed up in a

42

pretty frock, and Baba’s big American car wassent to pick them up. She brought presentsfor Baba that she had made herself and herfavorite toys to show Him.When they arrivedat Meherazad, Shireen recalls the warm greet-ings, the hugs, and the women mandali dressedup in saris. They proceeded to Mandali Hall,where Babawas waiting for them. AdiJr. hadcarefully instructed Shireen on how to behave:she was not tojump on Baba or ask questions.She should garland Him, salute Him with herjoined palms, and step away to let the nextperson approach. As a well-brought-up En-glish child, Shireen tried hard to be obedient.But the moment she saw Babawith His beam-ing face and outstretched arms, she forgot everything (“I think I threw the garland aside!”)and ran into His embrace.

Shireen had prepared a number of questions for her visit to Baba, some of them remarkably “metaphysical.” She was convincedthat Baba was a magician who knew every-thing and could answer anything. Mani describes some ofShireen’s questions in her Family Letter of 29 January 1965. For example,“Baba, I know we are born again and again,but You are God, so how is it that You getborn?” And Baba replied, “Once in a whileGod takes birth because of His love for Hiscreation. I am born in human form so thatyou may see Me as you are, and ifyou are for-tunate to know Me and love Me, then some-day you will see Me as I really am.” And thenthere was the famous question about why Godcreated bad things like snakes and scorpions.But since these questions are documented, letme recount some that Shireen told whicharen’t in Mani’s letter.

One question was planned in collaborationwith one of Shireen’s friends back home inLondon, to whom she had confided about thetrip to see her uncle who was God. Their question was: “Which is higher in the sky—thesun, moon, stars, or clouds?” Baba answered,“I am the Highest of the High.”

Shireen was quite worried about witchesand asked Baba whether they were real. Hetook a moment to think and then said, yes,they were real. This unexpected answer wasdisturbing to Shireen until Baba explained thatwitches were just bad people, not supernatural beings, and that satisfied her.

She also asked Baba why she could see ahalo on Him in His photos but not in person.He replied that when she loved Him as Heshould be loved, she would see the halo. LaterShireen told Mehera and Mani that shewanted a magic wand, and when they askedwhat she would do with it, she said, “I wouldsee Baba with His halo.”

The familyspent three months in India andit was an intimate time with Baba, with allthe attention and affection a child could want.Babawanted Shireen to make friends with Hisbeloved pet Mastan, and even though she wasfrightened of the large dog, she eventuallypetted, hugged, and fed him at Baba’s urging.She enjoyed sitting with Baba in his prettypink bedroom, showing Him her toys andplaying games. She would ride Goher’s bicyclein the garden, and one day she found whatshe thought was a “secret” path that went tothe side door to Baba’s bedroom. Baba wasresting, but she peeked in the window and sawHim lying on His bed. He saw her too andbeckoned her in with a loving twinkle.

At meals Shireen would eatwith Baba andthe women, and Mani let her take her ownseat at Baba’s left (Mehera was seated to Hisright). Shireenloved eatingwith Baba, thoughshe did not care for the Indian dishes, as she’dbeen brought up on Western food. She wasstruggling with how to deal with her servingof rice and dal, torn between her good man-ners and hating the food. Baba asked herwhether she liked the food, and to be politeshe said yes. He then caught her offguard andpopped a large amount of rice and dal intoher mouth. Though Shireen was very startledby this, it turned out to taste good, and afterthat she had no trouble eating rice and dal.

On another occasion she was served aspecial treat, some tinned fruit salad thatsomeone had sent. The best part of the fruitsalad was the cherries, and Baba had Katy giveShireen several ofthem. Baba asked whethershe’d enjoyed the cherries, and Shireen saidyes, so Baba gestured for Katy to give her more.Katy said she wasn’t sure there were any more,since each tin only had a few But sure enough,she found a few more. Again Baba askedShireen if she wanted some more, and thiswas repeated several times, and each time Katymiraculously discovered a few more in thebowl. Shireen told us that she’d been hopingBaba would do something magical, andapparently this was His playftil way ofgrantingthat wish. In later years Shireen asked Maniabout it, and Mani humorously agreed that itwas “a never-ending production of cherries.”

To prepare for her navjote, Shireen wasmade to memorize prayers, which was difficult for her. By “coincidence,” Baba at thatsame time asked that Shireen learn theMaster’s Prayer, and the date by which hewanted her to learn it was the morning ofhernavjote. She succeeded in learning Baba’sprayer, and after she recited it for Him, Hegave her a sadra and kusti, so that this waswhat she regarded as her real confirmation,

1not the formal navjote ceremony—a grandaffair at which she got all the Zoroastrianprayers wrong in front of the many distinguished guests.

After the familyreturned to England, theycontinued to be in close contact with Babathrough letters and telegrams, and He was in-volved in every detail oftheir lives.

When Shireen was about eight or nine, shewished to cut her hair, which was down toabout her knees. Since Baba had liked Shireen’slong hair Franey said they would have to askHis permission. Shireen wanted short hair, tolook more like an English girl. But Baba saidno at that time, so she could not cut it. (Maniin later years remarked that maybe peoplewould be better off sometimes if they didn’task Baba for permission, because often theywere not prepared to have Him deny their request.)

Shireen saw Baba one more time when thefamily went to India in 1968 for Dara andAmrit’s wedding. This trip was ofcourse verydifferent. Baba was frail and ill, and it was abrief stay. At age 1 1 , Shireen was much moreself-conscious. She was asked to perform forMehera, who loved ballet. Shireen had beenstudying only since age eight and was not veryaccomplished. Although she wanted to pleaseBaba and Mehera, she felt awkward and ungainly. Since Baba was not well, she was askedto dance in His bedroom, where there wasn’tmuch room. To top it off the cassette she hadbrought to accompany her tarantella didn’twork. But no matter—Baba said that Meherawould clap to keep time! So Shireen thuddedabout in her gypsy costume and somehow gotthrough it, and Baba applauded warmly at theend. She was happy when she later got achance to treat Baba to some entertainmentof her own choosing—by telling jokes takenfrom a popular Irish comedian on television,Dave Allen, whose humor was aimed at theChurch as well as the drinking habits of theIrish. Baba laughed at the jokes and wantedto hear them several times.

After this marvelous talk, it struck me thatthere had been several parallels in the storiestold bymother and daughter. Both Franey andShireen had a strong sense of Baba as an all-knowing magician. Franey felt that her realmarriage was performed by Baba, whileShireen felt that He conducted her realnavjote. Both Franey and Shireen had experiences offeeling awkward and clumsy in Baba’spresence. And finally, we might say that eachwoman at a young age had a “bad hair day”with the Beloved!

43

J44eherctbctd(All These Things)

AU these things that You have hadbuilt

brought me here, at the right timeA1I the seeming chaos that You have

Willedindelibly persevere, to rid my mind

of preconceptiongeographical directionsocietal imperfectionas children skip school in ‘Nagar’s

bazaarand as some truly slave to gain Your

Nazar;

And all these shadows in cloisteredcorridors

and all these heart-centered,wrought iron gates

Illumine my mind to show YourPurpose

that Your Love is truly Manifest ineach tin plate;

And as each fine arch connects theother

and where each stone seems exquisite and sublime

You have proffered the True Loveof pilgrimage

so one can pass by shariat this time;

So all these loving winding pathsand all these mornings where air

hangs with dewand all the Vibrancy in each moment

is Sweet Nectarfor those who’ve come to fall in

Love with You...

by Bridget Robinson, California

/1di’s ¶Prayer

by Adi K. Irani,Baba’s longtime disciple and secretary

Call yourself a lover

ofAvatar Meher Baba,

but you must be willing

for love ofBaba to

suffer labors and sorrows,

vexations and anxieties

and lack of necessities,

sickness, injuries, reproof

disgrace, humiliations,

shame, correction and

contempt. “Jai Baba”

will then be yours.

AVATAR MEHER BABA CENTEROF SOUTHERN CALJFORNIA

1214 SOUTH VAN NE5S AVENUE

LOS ANGELES, CA 9OO19352O

Address Service Requested

N 0 N PROFITuS.. POSTAGE

PAIDLOS ANGELES CA

PERMIT #31394

IIIIIIIIaIIIIt’IaIIIIlIaIIIIIltaIIIlI’I..’I.IIIuIIIIIaHhtI,I

i\i1 ifiALj-ri

44