Meditation 2

MEDITATION

Book Two

"At about seven in the morning, the Master came to the building in which the disciples are staying at present. He seated himself on his charpoy and allowed the disciples to take darshana of him.

"A cup of tea was brought to him. He began sipping it, but as soon as he caught sight of a Parsi disciple entering the room, he put down the cup, and to the surprise of all present, asked him when he had got up.

'Quarter to seven, sir,' was the reply.

"The Master gently rebuked him for getting up so late, and then remarked to all present,

'Spiritual aspirants should get up very early. If you get up so late, there is not much difference between you and the worldly-minded people.

'The early hours of the morning, from three to six, are best for meditation. Five or six hours sleep is quite sufficient for you.

'Those whom I have asked to meditate regularly must go to bed at nine p.m. and get up at 3 a.m.'

Kaikhushru Dastur
14 February 1929, Meherabad
Meher Message 1:3 p25-26 (March 1929)

Baba said about the exercise of 'looking within':

"From now on, one hour's meditation as usual every day, according to individual instructions. And when I am here, half an hour's silence with me in the evening. Also from today, this extra five minutes. It is very, very important for me to help you, and give you what I want to give.'

Kitty Davy wrote, "During the meditation hour Baba wanted complete quiet in the compound."

LA p166, LM6 p2155 (1937?)

"Baba had given us meditation for a specified period each day. No one was exempt. Each one had to see to her chores, including the pets, and be ready when the bell for meditation was rung. We would rush to our places with Baba's photo in front of us. He was to be our meditation."

Mehera Irani, Baba Loved Us Too p72

"Remember me before starting and after finishing any work. Think of me before doing anything. If you have to write something, remember me before starting, and then mentally say 'Baba, it is you, not I, who is writing.'"

Meher Baba, 30 March 1930, Nasik, LM4 p1293

Meher Baba corresponded with some of his Western followers, and answered their questions about meditation. In March, 1936, Baba had a chart prepared for meditation. He explained,

"They must think, 'I am not this body.' The chart will help them to meditate, and they will escape from the rush of thoughts that crowd their minds during meditation."

10 March 1936, Mysore, LM6 p1989

(This may have been the chart that was eventually printed at the end of 'The Perfect Master' by Charles Purdom, which was published in 1937. The chart and reading meditation begin on page 317 of that book. The book includes another meditation for reading, beginning on page 305.)

"Baba would ask each individual about their morning meditation and encourage them to take it seriously. On Sunday, January 17 he remarked,

"'I want you to be lighthearted and enjoy humor, but I also want you to be serious about certain points, especially about meditation. Constant prayer and selfless service are both vital in turning the mind away from worldly things and directing it toward spirituality.'

"Each person would meditate alone in his or her room upon rising in the morning. Once Baba suprised Rano by coming into the room as she was meditating. He caught her dozing back to sleep, and instructed her to keep a photograph of him in front of her and concentrate on it.

"During the meditation hour, Baba directed that there must be absolute quiet in the compound.

"'External silence helps in inner silence, and only in internal silence is Baba found, in profound inner silence.'

"Baba gave each individual instructions in regard to meditation. He directed Malcolm Schloss not to tell anyone but him what he saw or heard during meditation. Malcolm asked if he should interrupt his meditation to write down anything which came to him while meditating. "'No,' Baba replied, 'What you see, once you begin seeing this way, you will never forget. You will know what you are and where you are going. You will be like a rock - you will know where you stand.'"

1937, Nasik, Bhau Kalchuri, LM6 p2084-2085

Garrett Fort: What happens when you establish a direct mental contact with you, Baba, thinking of you?

Baba: Now, this is very important. The difference is so subtle between imagination and contact, yet there is a world of difference. When you imagine, you have no purpose. When you contact, you have a purpose.

Malcom Schloss: It's clear. But even in contact, don't you use the imagination?

Baba: Yes, imagination is in the background.

14 March 1937, Nasik, LM7 p2138

Baba ordered a group of men to observe a particular fast from January 1st to February 15th 1942, and

"1. To read UNDERSTANDINGLY Meher Baba's pamphlet on Meditation once a day. Those who cannot read should have it read by somebody. In this case, the reader need not read it separately for himself.

"2. To repeat in a low voice for half an hour daily one of the following six lines of names of God:

  Parabrahma Paramatma

  Ya Yezdan Ahuramazd

  Nirkar Parvardigar

  Allah ho Akbar Allah Hu

  Hari Narayan Bhagwan

  God Almighty Omnipotent

"3. Immediately after this half an hour of meditation, repeat the name of your Master for five minutes.

"4. No fixed time for observing orders number one and two is enforced. They may be observed simultatneously or separately, according to one's convenience of time."

Meher Baba, 23 October 1941
Panchgani, LM8 p2732

In June 1942 Baba and his group stayed in Rishikesh. The women were in a house on a cliff overlooking the Ganges.

"While there, Baba told us to meditate every evening for half an hour. After washing our clothes, we sat on the river bank and thought of Baba. He had told us,

'Take my name and think of me. Don't worry if thoughts come, just repeat my name. It's like a mosquito net; the thoughts that come won't sting you.'"

Mehera Irani, M p147

In 1943 Meher Baba invited 125 men from all over India to visit him at Meherabad. They arrived May 14th, and stayed till May 19th. Baba gave them a reading meditation entitled 'The Divine Theme,' which included charts to help explain the material. He told them how to deal with disturbing thoughts during the meditation. Some of Baba's explanations to the group are in LM8 p2870-2887.

'The Divine Theme for Meditation' is printed in The Perfect Master, p305-316. Another version is in Discourses (7th edition) p219-227. A third version is in God Speaks (2nd edition) p232-243. Each version includes instructions for the meditation.

Baba summed up his explanations on the Divine Theme to Chagan, who had missed them because he had to cook:

'Now listen to this. In brief: you always live in water, but you have no idea what water is.

'Understood?'

(LM8 p2889)

Nana Kher first met Meher Baba in Ahmednagar in May 1945.

Baba: What do you want?

Nana Kher: Spiritual freedom.

Baba: Would you follow my orders?

Nana: I am fully prepared to do as you say.

Baba: Fast every Sunday, and feed a beggar on that day. Meditate for fifteen minutes daily, and lead a simple, pure life. Is there anything else you want to ask?

Nana: My parents want me to marry. Should I?

Baba: What is the hurry? Wait for two years, and then I will tell you what to do.

LM8 p3044

"We were in Satara. There were five of us and we were playing cards with Baba. It was evening time. I remember that because Baba had called the five of us to be with him at 5 or 5.30, I don't remember the exact time.

"We all came, and Baba suggested a game of cards. We were playing and there was the usual sort of good-natured conversation going on concerning the cards, when Baba suddenly stopped the game and said that he wanted us to meditate. This took us all completely by surprise.

"Baba must have seen how startled we were, because he began to explain how he wanted us to meditate. He said he would clap his hands three times. First we should go out into the compound area, and each of us was to find a suitable spot to sit. When Baba clapped the first time, we were supposed to settle down, relax, quiet ourselves and try to be calm. When we heard a second clap, we were to close our eyes and begin to meditate. And when we heard the third clap, we were supposed to get up and return to Baba.

"But still we didn't have any idea how we should meditate, so Baba came to our rescue. 'How will you meditate?' he asked us. 'To meditate you must think about God. But God is infinite and eternal, so how will you be able to imagine this? You can't, it is beyond the mind.

"'So think of God as all-pervading effulgence. Try to bring before your mind's eye a picture of an ocean of infinite, all-pervading effulgence, which is God. A shoreless, bottomless ocean.'

"Baba looked at us then and asked, 'But if this ocean of effulgence is infinite and all-pervading, where will you be? What will your position be?' We had no answer for this, but Baba went on and said, 'If you imagine this ocean in front of you, then it is not infinite. So try to bring before your mind's eye this infinite ocean of effulgence, and imagine yourself in it. You are in the midst of this infinite ocean of effulgence. Try to picture this when you meditate.'

"So with these instructions we went outside, and we each found a place to sit, and got ourselves comfortable as Baba had said. After a moment or two, I heard Baba's clap. I relaxed and was breathing very evenly when, after some time, I heard Baba's second clap.

"I closed my eyes and began to try to meditate as he had just instructed us. I pictured an infinite ocean of effulgence all around me, with me floating in the middle of it. The image came easily to mind, and I found that quickly I had lost myself in this ocean. I was just beginning to enjoy the feeling of being lost in the ocean. I don't know how much time had elapsed, it seemed like only a minute or two. I was just beginning to really enjoy the sensation when I heard Baba's clap again. So I opened my eyes and got up and rejoined Baba, as did the others.

"Baba told us, 'Don't ever meditate like that again,' and we resumed the card game. That was the first and last time I ever meditated."

Eruch Jessawalla, DH p62-63

Ivy Duce, a student of Rabia Martin, met Meher Baba in 1948 in India. In November 1952 he sent her a charter of instructions for her group, which was to be called Sufism Reoriented. The charter, which Baba signed, included meditation instructions for her students.

In the section 'Duties and Obligations' under the heading, "It shall be the duty of every member:" Baba dictated,

"To necessarily repeat verbally daily one name of God for half an hour at any time of the day or night. This is to be done consecutively, if possible, but may be accomplished in smaller portions if necessary.

To meditate on the Master daily for fifteen minutes in any secluded spot."

Under the heading 'Special Duties' Baba dictated,

"Those who aspire to the final attainment should renounce everything and occupy themselves in prayer and meditation most of the time."

14 November 1952, Meherabad
Chartered Guidance from Meher Baba
for the Reorientation of Sufism as the
Highway to the Ultimate Universalized, p7

For more on meditation, see the chapters on meditation in DISCOURSES (p201-252 in the most recent 7th edition).

Meditation Book One

Index - Book Two