Persian-born Merwan Sheriar Irani became known as Meher Baba, meaning “Compassionate Father,” because of his spiritual teachings. Though he chose to observe silence for nearly 44 years of his life, that didn’t stop Meher Baba from communicating about spirituality with his friends and followers through an alphabet board and elaborate hand gestures.
Quotes and Sayings From the Teachings of Meher Baba
Through a seven-year spiritual journey with the help of a “perfect master,” Baba believed his true identity was that of the avatar (periodic incarnation of God in human form) of his time.
“To the Universe — the Illusion that sustains Reality.” - Dedication from God Speaks, 1955
“The religion that I shall give teaches the Knowledge of the One behind the many. The book that I shall make people read is the book of the heart that holds the key to the mystery of life. I shall bring about a happy blending of the head and the heart. I shall revitalize all religions and cults, and bring them together like beads on one string.” - God Speaks, 1955
“When Knowledge is gained ignorance is banished, but for ignorance to go, Knowledge must be gained.” - God Speaks, 1955
“God alone is real, and as we are permanently lodged in the Divine Beloved, we are all one.” - God Speaks, 1955
“In the long run each one of us is searching for a deep inner sense of satisfaction and peace, a feeling of being contained in some presence which is trustworthy and loving, for a spontaneous understanding and response to our innermost needs. Above all we need to be ourselves and to be accepted completely for ourselves.” - God Speaks, 1955
“He who knows everything displaces nothing. To each one I appear to be what he thinks I am.” - Life at its Best, 1957
“If a gift is to be real, then both the giver and receiver of the gift must forget the transaction completely. To forget completely would mean that the giver should not feel he has given, and the receiver should not know he has received.” - Life at its Best, 1957
“When you realize the Truth as the very core of your being you are free from all fear and helplessness, and all rivalries and conflicts reveal themselves to be meaningless, for you know yourself to be inviolably one with all that has life.” - Life at its Best, 1957
“To love God as He ought to be loved, we must live for God and die for God, knowing that the goal of life is to Love God, and find Him as our own self.” - Messages from Meher Baba
“I have come not to teach but to awaken.” - Messages from Meher Baba
“I see the structure of all the great religions of the world tottering. The West is more inclined toward the material side of things. I intend to bring together all religions and cults like beads on one string and revitalize them for individual and collective needs.” - Interview with Charles Purdom, 1932
“Philosophers, atheists and others may affirm or refute the existence of God. But as long as they do not deny their very existence they continue to testify their belief in God.” - Los Angeles Times interview, 1956
“Consciously or unconsciously, every living creature seeks one thing… The object of the quest is called by many names — happiness, peace, freedom, truth, love, perfection, Self-realization, Godrealization, union with God. Essentially it is a search for all of these, but in a special way.” - Meher Baba Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 1938
“The Avatar awakens contemporary humanity to a realization of its true spiritual nature, gives liberation to those who are ready, and quickens the life of the spirit in his time.” - Meher Baba Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 1938
“But when from the depths of his heart, man desires something more lasting than wealth, something more real than material power, the wave will recede. Then peace will come, joy will come, light will come.” - Meher Baba Journal, vol. 1, no. 1, 1938
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