Meher Baba
By Erika Haupt

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Meher Baba was an Indian man who believed that he was the Avatar of his time. Baba acquired a large following of people who believed him to be the human form of God, but Baba stressed that he was not trying to start a new religion. Baba's main teachings were of love and devotion to God. Meher Baba is probably best known for his vow of silence that lasted forty-four years. Baba's teachings made many contributions to America's religious scene and have also posed some challenges. I think that the greatest contribution has been the offering of a new religious perspective that honors all of the established religions. The biggest challenge I see it posing is the issue of the worshipping of another human being. Overall, I have concluded that the Baba and his followers have made more positive contributions to the world's religious scene than any negative affects.

In my pursuit to learn about Meher Baba and the Meher Baba community I have chosen to gather most of my information from Baba lovers themselves. I first began my study by attending a gathering of Baba lovers in Asheville, N.C. At this meeting I had a chance to talk with many of the members and listen to the special guests who had lived with Baba for many years. There are about fifteen to twenty Baba lovers who meet every week to talk about Baba or read his books together. I conducted an interview with an Asheville Baba lover, Tom Riley, who met Baba in the U.S. and visited Baba's ashram in India while Baba was still alive.

I also was able to interview another Baba follower from Pikes Peak, C.O. through e-mail. The other interview that I have quoted is also of a Baba lover, Winnie Barrett who is another member of the Ashville Baba community. With the help of all of these people I have learned a great deal about Meher Baba and his teachings.

Meher Baba was born in 1894 in Poona, India with the birth name of Merwan Sheriarji Irani. Sometime in his late teens Merwan came into contact with an old female guru, Hazrat Babajan. Meher Baba says that it was at this time that he experienced self-realization. After this interaction Merwan spent some time in a trance like state searching for other elightened masters.

Merwan met one such spiritual master, Upasani Maharaj, who supposedly broke Merwan's trance by throwing a stone at Merwan's forehead. Upsani Maharaj taught Merwan for a while until one day Upsani declared Merwan to be "one who has come to full God-realization." At this time the tables were turned and Upsani became a follower of Merwan.

In 1920, Merwan Irani changed his name to Meher Baba, which in English translates to be "Compassionate Father". In 1922 Meher Baba opened his first ashram in Bombay where he accepted followers from all religions and classes.

Meher Baba defined himself as an "avatar," which means the human form of God here on earth. Baba believed he was the reincarnated soul of history's past avatars who have included: Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Christ and Mohammed. According to Bird, a Baba lover, Baba once said, "I was Rama, I was Krishna, I was this One, I was that One, and now I am Meher Baba. In this form of flesh and blood I am that same Ancient One who alone is eternally worshipped and ignored, ever remembered and forgotten." (Bird Interview)

Meher Baba believed that his job on earth was to awaken the human spirit to the realization of God. There are many different ways to sum up the basic teachings of Baba. One Baba lover put it this way: " Meher Baba is love.' and Meher Baba says, 'I have come not to teach, but to awaken.' " (Barrett Interview) Baba believed that all humans are connected through a relationship of "Divine Love". He taught that by loving him, one was God and could also learn to love all others. Baba also believed that "In the highest most intense state of love, Divine Love, the distinction between the lover and the beloved ceases and one attains union with God." (Melton)

Baba asserted that he did not want to start a new religion, and encouraged all of his followers to continue practicing their respective religions. Baba actually hoped that someday all of the religions would be united "like beautiful sparkling beads on one necklace." Baba said that the great religious teachers of the past had given enough teachings and now it was time for people to actually practice their religions. Baba once said," You have asked for and been given enough words-now it is time to live them." (qtd. in Purdom 343)

During my study of Meher Baba I have found his vow of silence particularly interesting. In 1925, Meher Baba vowed to be silent for a year and a half. His silence was not broken after that time however, and his silence lasted 44 years until his death in 1969. Baba communicated with his disciples using an alphabet board and then when he was in his sixties he reduced all communication to hand gestures.

There has been much said about Baba's vow of silence both by him and by his followers, however, it seems that no one has ever been able to explain fully all of the reasons for Baba's silence. Although Baba said we would never fully understand the reasons for his silence, he did offer quite a few reasons before and during his silence.

The night before Baba took his vow of silence he gave one reason. He said, "I must keep silence for some excessive spiritual work." (Baba, Lord Meher 731) He then went on to explain that his silence was related to the future of the world. He said,

There will be religious hostilities, riots, wars and natural disasters. These events will cause the shedding of blood of millions of people throughout the world in general, and throughout India in particular. But, thereafter, peace and brotherhood will come back into the world. (732)

There have been unconfirmed claims that Baba projected specifics of some of these anticipated events, and that none of his specific claims came true, but I haven't encountered any specific quotes from Baba about these predictions.

Baba believed that he is God and that all humans are God (just unrealized). Baba therefore offered one explanation that we have all been given so many empty words that can't begin to really touch our hearts so he decided to stop speaking verbally so that the voice within our hearts could be heard louder. Baba said, " The voice that is heard deep within the heart is my voice."

One Buddhist man, Chris Calder, offered his own explanation for Baba's silence. He suggested that enlightenment knows no words and that truly enlightened people cannot express that part in them which is enlightened. (Calder) Therefore, anything a human says is the human part of them speaking and not the enlightened part. As Lao Tze once said, "He who speaks does not know; he who knows does not speak." Baba believed and his followers believe, however, that Baba was God and everything he conveyed verbally or through his writings was the word of God. Meher Baba's most notorious explanation for his silence was delivered in his writing "The Universal Message." He says,

I have come not to teach but to awaken. Understand therefore that I lay down no precepts. Throughout eternity I have laid down principles and precepts, but mankind has ignored them. Man's inability to live Gods words makes the Avatar's teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged crusades in his name....Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present avataric form I observe Silence....You have asked for and been given enough words--it is now time to live them. When I release the tide of Truth which I have come to give, men's daily lives will be the living precept. The words I have not spoken will come to life in them. (Baba, The God Man 343)

Along with his vow of silence, Meher Baba made a promise to one day "break his silence." Baba joked about when he would do this, but never really revealed when the breaking of the silence would occur. Baba died never having broken the silence, so his followers believe that it is either occurring subtly now or is to come. Baba did promise that great things would result from the breaking of his silence. He said,

When I break my Silence, the impact of my Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of it. It will help every individual to break himself free from his bondage in his own way. I am the Divine Beloved who loves you more than you can ever love yourself. The breaking of my Silence will help you to help yourself in knowing your real self. (Baba, The God Man 344)

Baba told his followers that the reasons for his silence were beyond their understanding and the possible reasons for his silence are infinite. Baba wrote many statements about his silence and many of his followers have speculated reasons, but no one will ever really know all of the reasons for his silence.

Meher Baba's teachings and the example of his life have contributed many things to America's religious scene. I personally think that the biggest contributions have been the statement he made through his silence, his stress on the importance of Love in life, the respect for all religions his emphasis that people begin really to practice their religions, and his teaching and example which set the importance of service to others.

Baba was very dedicated to serving others. He spent much of his life dedicated to serving people called "masts" in India (sometimes considered to be schizophrenic in America). Baba believe that these masts were so enlightened by God that they could not distinguish between Self and Other and therefore were incapable of taking care of them- selves. Baba invited them into his ashram and spent years caring for them and trying to teach them basic living skills and basic hygiene. Baba said, "With the understanding that Baba is in everyone, try to help and serve others." (Baba, The God-Man 320) Also, one of the last things Baba told his disciples before taking his vow of silence was, "You have to live for others and use your bodies for the benefit of others." (Lord Meher 731) Meher Baba's teachings were all based on love and to the best of my knowledge never promoted anything that could be interpreted as harmful to anything or anyone. I do however, think that the following of Meher Baba could present some challenges to the religious scene. The biggest challenge I see is the question of whether or not it is good to follow any human and how to tell if a person is a fake or not.

I think the issue of worshipping another human being could be a challenge to the American religious scene. I have a problem with the power issues of blindly obeying an enlightened person. Although Baba did teach that everyone is God unrealized, he demanded that his followers obey him and love him as they love God. Baba once said, "Love is a gift from Gad to man; obedience is a gift from Master to man; and surrender is a gift from man to Master." (God-Man) I also think that Baba's teaching may present a problem with regard to individual responsibility and self control. In My Wish, Baba asks his followers to accept six statements, one of these is, "When you feel happy, think: 'Baba wants me to be happy.' When you suffer, think: 'Baba wants me to suffer.'" One of the other six statements, "Be resigned to every situation and think honestly and sincerely: 'Baba has placed me in this situation" (God Man 320). It seems to me that if people were to follow these statements to the fullest, they might loose a sense of control over their lives.

One man who has studied under and met many gurus says, "No human being has ever been perfect and without major flaws and limitations. Only myths can give the illusion of perfection and that is why most of society continues to worship invented myths rather than accepting reality as it is, warts and all. Enlightened humans are vastly expanded human beings, not perfect human beings." (Calder I think it is interesting to note that the number of Baba followers in the United States has increased from the time of his death from numbers in the hundreds to numbers in the thousands. Is it possible that Baba is already becoming a myth which is easier to worship than the real thing with warts and all showing?

Studying Meher Baba has raised many questions in my mind. For example if there is God in everyone, including ourselves, why do we need to follow another human being? Why are we not taught to just look within ourselves to see that which is of God in ourselves and worship ourselves? Also, does it really matter if a person is as truly enlightened as they say if they create only a positive affect without hurting anyone? How can one argue with someone who claims that they know a person to be an Avatar simple because of an overwhelming intuition?

While studying Meher Baba and the Baba community I have found many intriguing aspects of Baba and his teachings. I find it particularly fascinating to think that Baba could in fact be an Avatar and we have the privilege of meeting people who have actually met him. We may have the privilege of seeing how the process of great religious teachings get turned into a religion, even when the teacher did not want that to happen. Jesus Christ never intended to start Christianity and Baba has said repeatedly that he does not want to start a new religion, but who knows what might happen?

I would have loved to take a closer look at the similarities between the various avatar's teachings and at Meher Baba's many statements about the intimate knowledge he has of the past avatars. It would also be interesting to look at Baba's work with the mast in India and what he says about the question/issue of God-enlightenment vs. mental illness. Like any topic there are many different interesting components and I would encourage any interested reader to follow up on some of these other issues.

My final impression of the Baba community is that they are a loving community who practice what they preach. The Baba community that I experienced in Asheville, N.C., held true to Baba teaching to try and love everyone and accept people from all classes and religious backgrounds into their group. I think it is important to note the passion and love for Baba that every member with whom I met and/or corresponded emanated. Although I was not personally taken by Baba or his teachings, I have no doubt that even if he was not the human form of God, he was a wonderful man.

I personally believe that although Meher Baba might have been a very enlightened man, he is not the only path to enlightenment. One Buddhist man has compiled a list of other great enlightened people and I would like to end by listing some of these other enlightened people.

Ramana Maharshi Buddha, George Gurdjieff Buddha, Jiddu Krishnamurti Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, Dogen Buddha, Patanjali Buddha, Eisai Buddha, Chuang-tzu Buddha, Shiva Buddha, Rinzai Buddha, Krishna Buddha, Lao-tzu Buddha, Bodhidharma Buddha, Kasyapa Buddha, Rumi Buddha, Tilopa Buddha, Kabir Buddha, Swami Chidananda Bodhisattva, Basho Buddha, Karmapa Bodhisattva, Naropa Buddha, Neem Karoli Baba Bodhisattva, Rajneesh Buddha, Meher Baba Buddha, Shirdi Sai Baba Buddha, Ramakrishna Buddha, Poonjaji Buddha, Milarepa Buddha, Padmasambhava Buddha, Khyentse Rinpoche Bodhisattva, Sri Yukteswar Bodhisattva, Marpa Buddha, the unrecognized, the forgotten, and the yet to come. (Calder)