of His Master, Meher Baba, who is the personification of God. Another follows his own desire, which proceeds from his unenlightened mind, to decide the right path for his ultimate good. A Baba-man may fulfill the will of God irrespective of the fact that such a fulfillment makes him lead an apparently worldly life. Another may outwardly lead a religious or a spiritual life of renunciation, prayer or service, but in fact he gratifies his own desire in the guise of such a life.

Leading a normal life, a Baba-lover is sometimes misjudged; but from insufficient and superficial observation. Such observation is invariably based upon a mistaken notion—so common amongst people—of attributing spirituality to feats of physical endurance, intellectual proficiency or learning. The tenderest man can be the strongest in character and the simplest woman most unselfish and chaste in love. An intellectual giant may be a spiritual pigmy. A God-absorbed man may be far removed from learning. Appearances are apt to be delusive. Truth has no appearance to assume, except in the way it expresses itself naturally through the mind and body in which it manifests.

Views about God and spirituality which are shrouded in mystery, unusualness, miracles, mind control, health-maintaining practices and yogic exercises for power and personality, without love of God or adherence to the Perfect Master; or without a chaste, honest and unselfish life, are distortions of Truth. In this category of willful manipulation of spiritualistic showmanship can be included the lives of so-called saints and sadhus who try to feast upon the credulity and good faith of others. Often, a disciple of a former real Saint claims for himself the ownership of sainthood. This is another type of misguided spirituality.

Baba is Truth; and anyone who worships this statue and meditates upon Him and keeps His presence at the back of all he does—his love and his actions will lead him to Truth. The statue acts as an incentive to focus his roving mind and his dissipating heart on the Oneness of God. Where is God, the Almighty of all Love and all Knowledge? Is He within me, above me, around me? I know not, I cannot see Him; I cannot feel Him and cannot unite with Him and He is everywhere. Where is everywhere and where am I and what is God? A poet says:

"O Expected Reality! do appear before me in the cloak or form of a material body; because there are thousands of obeisances pining restlessly in my forehead to make before Thee!”

 

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