07 May 2012

The true death

Meher Baba said to Dolly, Adi K. Irani’s sister, when she was depressed:

“…if you want to die, die in my naad [infatuation] by holding on to me firmly. There lies salvation. That is real dying. Worldly death is not the thing. However, nobody has so far captured me. If one really catches me, I try to free myself. But so far, I have had no opportunity of freeing myself. On the contrary, it is I who have been trying to catch hold of you people” (Lord Meher, vol. 5).

This seems very profound. What does Baba mean by saying that if we capture Him, He will try to free Himself? And that no one so far has caught Him, so He has had no chance to free Himself? Instead, He has been trying to catch hold of "you people," His lovers.

I feel that to capture Baba means to make Him your only beloved, establishing Him on the throne of your heart, remembering Him to the extent that you live out of Him as your center instead of from your false ego. “He” means the Avatar, the God-realized master who is one with the Truth and thus an embodiment of your real Self. You are called to play the part of unconscious God loving conscious God, and this way you will merge with the object of your love and discover that it, or He, is in fact your own Self. There was no “you” or “He” all along — only One Infinite Consciousness.

Conscious Divinity, out of the Love that is its essence, made itself visible to you in the form of Avatar Meher Baba, and in that form He caught hold of you. Helpless as you are in the grip of His infatuation (which feels like “your infatuation with Him” but is actually His naad, not “yours”), you know that despite your protests and resistance, you will have to yield to His Will, which is nothing less than the death of this false “you” — and His liberation. That is true death, not the destruction of the physical body that some might choose when depressed, in the mistaken belief that they will thereby free themselves from suffering.

You may experience yourself as an ordinary gross soul, not an advanced aspirant who is ripe for Realization; yet as Avatar, the Savior of all mankind, Meher Baba has chosen to catch hold of you along with countless others whom He attracts to Himself as His lovers. Even if you have not attained union with Him, you will by capturing Him at least identify yourself with Him strongly enough so that that the foundation is laid for Him to free you by freeing Himself in you. As soon as you commit yourself to Him, like the moth succumbing to the attraction of the candle, His flame of Love comes alive and He is enabled to begin the struggle to free Himself from the prison of false self in which you are seemingly bound.

It’s one interpretation.

1 comment:

jimmigdoll said...

Dear Kendra - This is just to confirm the accuracy of your insights in this Blog Posting.

I happen to be one whom He chose to reveal Himself to: By showing Himself - actually manifesting in my inner eye - as The One dwelling within, and animating, my gross body. I could see Him inside of me.

This experience led to what you've written: 'That the foundation is laid for Him to free you by freeing Himself in you'

Alas - that foundation hasn't been finished ...just yet! (*even though I begged Him to free me/Him .. in that momentary experience*)

But with bricks of service, the mortar of self denial, and the water of His Name; this foundation will surely be complete before I breathe my last (if it's His Wish)

Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai,

Jim Migdoll


All quotes of Meher Baba © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust unless otherwise indicated. Writings by Kendra are © Kendra Crossen Burroughs unless otherwise noted.