THE DESTINATION IN OUR MIDST

On November 30 and December 3, 1978, sitting with visiting pilgrims in Mandali Hall at Meherazad, Avatar Meher Baba's dose disciple Eruch Jessawala touched on the subjects of "spiritual progress" and "the Path", and their disappearance when the focus and grip are all on the God-Man, as gathered from Baba. The following transcript of Eruch's remarks is assembled from tape recordings.

It's a fantasy. I have been with Him for forty years -- there is no such thing as spiritual progress. Hold onto Him. Him moving about, is the progress. The cardinal things He has said, hold on to them: "Hold on to My daaman; remember that I love you so that you can reflect My love; be loving towards all, be honest, simple, natural, child-like." That's all, that's all we have to do. That is our path, no more than that. That is our spirituality. Everything is in holding on to Him. There's nothing beyond it.

All the big terms, all the philosophies, all theology have no meaning. Does it hold any meaning, brothers? You see, everything is just verbosity. To be practical, to be truthful, I say this. This is the right thing. There are books full of virtues and vices, you know. But Baba has given us the secret: "There is no such thing as virtue and vice. If I tell the world, the world will misconstrue it. I can't say this to the world." But when the time comes, we'll have to speak the truth. It is so, what can we do? It is so.

Should we create vice and virtue? There's no such thing as that; no such thing as "spiritual." True spirituality is in our having to do with Baba.

To use another word, true spirituality is total effacement, without giving a thought that we are treading or that this is my spiritual progress and this is how I take the next step, and this step and that step. But then, how will there be total effacement? The practical way is - hold on to Him, be simple, be natural -- that is effacing yourself. But if just one word is used, "effacement", that doesn't convey anything, you see. "What do you mean, 'effacement'? Should we get ourselves rolled upon by a steamroller or something like that?" No, it's a wearing ourselves out by holding on to Him. It's very difficult. It sounds so simple, mmm, very difficult.

Question to Eruch from one of those present: You said yesterday that we don't follow the Path, that the Path follows us. Does that mean that if we turn 'round and go backwards, the Path turns around?

Eruch: Turns 'round, yes. We have nothing to do with the Path. Wherever we are, that becomes the Path. If you turn away from Him, the Path also follows you there. Then again He gives you another turn towards Him; the Path again follows. He is there. He is the pivot. As long as the concentration on Him is there, there is no such thing as Path.

What happens is that our focus is on the Beloved Himself. We have nothing to do with the Path. If Path is there at all, Path will follow us, because we are heading towards Him. We have no time to see to the Path at all -- we are all the time focusing upon Him. That is the greatness of those who come in the orbit of His love. The Path follows him: whereas, for other wayfarers -- they have to follow the Path.

We don't follow the Path, because we have got the Beloved. We have direct contact with Him, so our energies, our might, our soul, our being, our bodies are all focused upon Him. So that is the difference between the lover of the God-Man and the lover of the Path. But then there will come a stage (for the lover of the Path) when again He will be there; he comes to that place where he focuses on the Beloved only. Then the Path disappears for him. But the spiritual dispensation is there to dispense with the Path; He brings the Destination in our midst! You follow? What need is there for the Path when the Destination is there?

Ah, my language falls short, but this is how it is. I hope I can give you the idea that is behind it.