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Chapter 1The Divine ThemeOnce when asked "Have you a scripture, a Bible, a Koran,an inspired book?," Avatar Meher Baba replied: "No, Iawaken. I am an awakener." The true message awaited bythe world, he said, is an inner experience of divine love, notanother explanation given in words:Today the urgent need of mankind is not sects ororganized religions, but Love. Divine love will conquerhate and fear. It will not depend upon otherjustifications, but will justify itself.I have come to awaken in man this divine love. It willrestore to him the unfathomable richness of his owneternal being and will solve all of his problems.1When Meher Baba did give explanations, it was only topoint beyond words to the inner transformation broughtabout through love. As if to underscore the limitations ofwords, he "spoke" from oral silence, reminding us that hisreal "speaking" must be heard by the ears of the heart.Keeping before us this vital distinction between words ofexplanation and the real work of divine love, we explore inthis chapter the divine theme of creation as described byBaba. The understanding gained by this exploration isoffered by Baba only to aid the seeker in stilling the mindand thereby clearing the way for the heart to hear theAvatar's Word of love when he speaks it.[5]

The Story of ConsciousnessFor Meher Baba, the Avatar's work of awakening is alwayspart of the larger story of awakening constantly taking placethroughout the universe. The central theme of the story islove, evolving from very rudimentary beginnings andultimately culminating in universal or divine love. Seen interms of consciousness, the awakening is a movement inUltimate Reality, God, from a state of unconscious divinityto one of conscious divinity. This movement inconsciousness is described by Baba in metaphoricallanguage as a journey through the multifarious experiencesof the illusory universe in which God ultimately awakens toHimself.In telling the story of consciousness Meher Baba "spoke" asone who had absolute knowledge of the workings of theuniverse; he appealed to no scripture or authority otherthan his own experience of God. He did not, however,consider his explanations to be without precedent; he sawhis words as contemporary revelations of ancient truths.Baba's story of how Reality comes to know Itself throughthe experience of the phenomenal universe may be likenedto a "map of consciousness" that serves to guide one'sthinking about the journey of consciousness. Baba'sdescription of the spiritual journey and the ultimate goal ofunion with God, is like a map to a traveler. No matterhow much one memorizes the map, learning the routes andplaces along the way, it is no substitute for the actualjourney. To believe in God and the path to Him cannot inany way replace the actual experiences leading toRealization. Unlike many existing explanations of thespiritual journey, Baba places special emphasis on the"consciousness" acquired during the course of the journeyto Infinite Consciousness.How does God come to know His own Self? We begin theoverview of the journey by noting that, according to MeherBaba, there is only one Reality, God, and all living thingsare ultimately expressions of the Absolute Oneness that isGod. We can, however, speak of differencesof consciousness within[6]

God, represented by all forms in creation and originating inwhat Baba termed the "Beyond the Beyond" state of God.There is only one Reality, which may be called theOversoul (Paramatma), that is only apparently differentiatedin creation. The development of consciousness that resultsfrom this differentiation is what Baba described as thepurpose of the universe:The sole purpose of creation is for the soul to enjoy theinfinite state of the Oversoul consciously. Although thesoul eternally exists in and with the Oversoul in aninviolable unity, it cannot be conscious of thisunity independently of creation, which is within thelimitations of time. It must therefore evolveconsciousness before it can realize its true status andnature as being identical with the infinite Oversoul,which is one without a second. 2According to Baba, what we term the individualized soul(atma) is in relationship with and at the same time identicalto the Oversoul. To elucidate this paradox Baba employedthe ocean-drop metaphor:Before the world of forms and duality came intoexistence, there was nothing but God, i.e., an indivisibleand boundless ocean of Power, Knowledge and Bliss.But this ocean was unconscious of itself. Picture toyourself this ocean as absolutely still and calm,unconscious of its Power, Knowledge and Bliss andunconscious that it is the ocean. The billions of dropswhich are in the ocean do not have any consciousness;they do not know that they are drops nor that they are inthe ocean nor that they are a part of the ocean. 3Here we are asked to imagine God as the infinite ocean, theall-inclusive, all-absorbing Reality. And, in the countlessdrops within the ocean, we can imagine ourselves latentlypresent in the beautiful, mysterious ocean, unconscious ofour true nature.Latent within the Original Ocean, or God, beforeconsciousness sprang into existence, was the Divine Lahar,[7]

defined by Baba as the "so-called whim" of God to knowHimself. At some "point" beyond reason and descriptionbefore the existence of time and space—the Lahar of Godexpressed itself:The unitarian Beyond is an indivisible and indescribableinfinity. It seeks to know itself. It is of no use to ask whyit does so. To attempt to give a reason for this is to beinvolved in further questions and thus to startan unending chain of reasons for reasons, reasons forthese reasons and so on ad infinitum. The plain truthabout this initial urge to know itself is best called awhim (Lahar). A whim is not a whim if it can beexplained or rationalized. And just as no one mayusefully ask why it arises, so no one may ask when itarises. "When" implies a time series with past, presentand future. All these are absent in the eternal Beyond. Solet us call this initial urge to know a "whim." You maycall this an explanation if you like or you may call it anaffirmation of its inherent inexplicability. 4Baba then has us imagine the beginningless beginning,when the Lahar (urge to know) first emerged from God:A puff of wind then stirred the tranquil uniformity of thisocean, and immense waves, countless drops of water,and innumerable bubbles appeared from out of theuniformity of the limitless, infinite ocean. The puff ofwind that set the ocean into commotion may becompared to the impulse of the infinite, original urge-toknow originating with the infinite, original whim ofGod, surging in God to know Himself through Hisinfinite God State.5This "disturbance" stirs the ocean and every drop within theocean. Note that there are no divisions in the ocean, yet theimage of drops presents the idea of latent individuality:Thus Paramatma [Oversoul] in His infinitelyunconscious state . being urged to know Himself,simultaneously bestirs the tranquil poise of everyatma [soul] in[8]

Paramatma [Oversoul] with an urge to know itself.This could only be understood when Paramatma iscompared to an infinite ocean and the atmas to thedrops of that infinite ocean. But it must also be wellnoted that every drop of the ocean, when in theocean, is ocean itself, until the drops inherit6individuality through bubble formationsover thesurface of the ocean.The ocean-drop metaphor is given to help us grasp themeaning of individual existence. Individual drops may beviewed as separate centers of consciousness, eachundertaking a "journey" back to the ocean. But drops in theocean are not unique in themselves; as drops they areidentical to one another, and they are identical to the oceanitself. The ultimate goal is not individuality, but rather theindividual experience of conscious oneness with the ocean.Bestowal of individuality by the Lahar of God creates theillusion of separation:When this urge makes the still water move, thereimmediately spring up numerous bubbles or formsaround the drops; and it is these bubbles whichgive individuality to the drops. The bubbles do not andcannot . separate the drop from the ocean; they merelygive to these drops a feeling of separateness or limitedindividuality.7The drop-bubble experiences itself to be separate from theocean and asserts its separative existence as a drop. Ratherthan identifying itself as the Ocean, the soul (drop-soul)begins its journey in consciousness by identifying withcountless forms, beginning with the stone form, evolvingthrough plant and animal forms, and ultimately attaining thehuman form after eons and eons of time. These formscorrespond to the many levels of ascending consciousness(layers of bubbles). While such identification allows for anever-evolving development of consciousness, it also createsa false notion of separateness, the ego, which eventuallymust be overcome before there is the complete liberation ofthe soul, for in the conscious experience of God there can beno separateness.[9]

Drawing further on the language of the metaphor, Babatermed the false identification of the drop-soul with itsmany forms the "bubble of ignorance." Ignorance, in thisinstance, is not merely a state of unknowing; it is anexperience of separative existence which is inextricablylinked with ever-expanding consciousness. Oncegained, consciousness continues to identify itself with theforms acquired during its development. The drop, so tospeak, believes itself to be a bubble when in reality it is theocean itself. In this sense, ignorance may be said to bea turning away of God from Himself for the sake ofconsciousness. And, as the image of a bubble on the surfaceof the ocean suggests, the separation is only apparent andtemporary.The drop-soul remains in ignorance as long as it identifieswith its separative existence as a bubble ("I am stone," "Iam animal," "I am human," etc.). Only the ocean is real,lasting and unchanging. When the bubble bursts for the lasttime and the drop returns to the ocean, real "knowledge" isgained:A drop in an ocean is not separate from the ocean. It is abubble over the drop that gives it an appearance ofseparateness, but when the bubble bursts the drop is not,and the indivisible ocean is. When the bubble ofignorance bursts the self realizes its oneness with theindivisible Self.8In the beginningless beginning the drop in the ocean did notknow itself to be either a drop or the ocean. Throughapparent separation as a bubble the drop experiences itselfto be an individual drop until consciousness is fully attainedand redirected toward its reality as the Ocean itself. Thenthe drop falls back into the ocean, no longer experiencingseparative existence ("I am a drop"), but knowing itselfto be one with the ocean ("I am the ocean"). Just as theindividual drop in the ocean experiences itself to be onewith the ocean, so the individual soul knows itself to be onewith the Oversoul.The ocean-drop metaphor was used by Baba to direct ourattention to his description of God-realization as a return tothe Source of our being. It is, however, a return witha difference:[ 10 ]

If salvation means reverting to the original state of theOcean, then all the trammels and travails of the bubble(individual soul) through the long and laborious stagesof evolution have been to no purpose.9The difference is that consciousness is gained, and thisachievement gives meaning and value to the entire divinedrama of Self-discovery. Thus the Lahar set in motion whatwe call creation, which is best understood as God's lila, thedivine play of Self-discovery. God initially allows Himselfto be limited in order to ultimately experience Himself asunlimited.The ocean-drop metaphor as used by Baba offers a veryspecific picture of the relationship between God and theindividual. God is One, and our notions of individuality arefalse as long as they are rooted in our separative existence.Nevertheless, the final realization of God, the "I am God"state, is an individual experience which puts an end to allprevious states of false identity:Thus, when each individual drop sheds its falseawareness of being other than the Ocean, it proclaimsitself as the Infinite Indivisible Ocean. At the instant itsfalseness, its very own falseness is removed, the dropasserts its Infinite Individuality.10The Original Question ("Who am I"), according to Baba,continually seeks the "Original Answer" ("I am God"), butin the process the Original Question receives innumerablefalse answers provided by the illusory forms of evolution (Iam stone, I am man, etc.) before the Original Answer isexperienced. Baba said:Due to His own infinite whim God acquires theconsciousness of His reality and realizes His infinite,eternal unlimited Self to experience His unbounded,unlimited and infinite trio-nature [infinite knowledge,power, bliss: sat-chit-ananda].11[ 11 ]

The Journey of ConsciousnessThe process of acquiring consciousness was likened byBaba to a journey which every soul (atma) must undergoand complete. The journey is said to have three basic stages:evolution, reincarnation and involution.Evolution, as explained by Baba, is the first stage of thejourney, the "descent" of the soul from the original soundsleep state of God into creation. In evolution,consciousness gradually evolves through successiveidentification with stone, metal, vegetable, worm, reptile,fish, bird, animal and ultimately human forms. This processparallels in some respects Darwinian theories, though it isa fundamentally different explanation of evolution:evolution in Baba's view is necessitated by the developmentof consciousness. Thus form follows consciousness and not,as in Darwin's theory, the other way around.The full flower of evolution is achieved in the human formwhen full consciousness is attained. Then commences thesecond stage of the journey, reincarnation, during which thesoul lives out the impressions (sanskaras*) gainedin evolution and acquires new impressions by experiencingthe countless varieties of human life. The old and newimpressions, both of which create a veil over consciousness,gradually wear away, revealing an increasinglyclearer experience of God; that is, the soul wearies of theworld and is ready to begin the third phase of the journey,involution, which may be seen as the "ascent" back to God.Let us look at each stage of the journey more closely.In evolution, consciousness expands by associating withincreasingly more complex forms. The impressions gathered in each form push consciousness forward to the nexthigher form:* "Impressions" or "sanskaras" may be defined asaccumulated imprints of experiences acquired by each soulin the journey of consciousness.[ 12 ]

Owing to the arising of the bubble, the drop-soul whichwas completely unconscious is invested withindividuality (or a feeling of separateness) as well aswith very slight consciousness. This consciousness,which has sprung up in the drop-soul, is not of itself norof the ocean; but it is of the bubble or the form, whichin itself is nothing. This imperfect bubble at this stage isrepresented by the form of a stone. After some time, thisbubble or form bursts and there springs up in its placeanother bubble or form. Now, when a bubble bursts, twothings happen: (1) there is an increase in consciousnessand (2) there is a twist or consolidation of impressionsor sanskaras accumulated during the life of the previousbubble.the drop-soul is still conscious only of this newbubble or form and not of itself nor of the ocean.12Form after form arises as consciousness expands and seeksthe next most appropriate form for expression. Theimpressions gathered in the stone form compel theemergence of a higher form, metal, and the impressionsgathered in the metal form compel the emergence of a stillhigher form and so forth.As each individualized soul journeys through evolution itgathers more and more impressions, and these impressionscreate the various forms necessary for the developmentof consciousness. "To view things in their rightperspective," Baba indicated, "we have to see all forms,including human forms, as evolved for the fulfillment of theone eternal divine life." The urge-to-know goes forward asconsciousness moves through the rudimentary stone andmetal forms in which energy is dormant, to the moreadvanced vegetable forms:In the vegetable kingdom, consciousness realizes itselfas half animate and half inanimate. The increasedconsciousness of the vegetable-form asserts its existencein the gross world through an upright or erect stand.The vegetable forms have to take the help of some otherthings such as earth or rock for maintaining an erectposition. They can[ 13 ]

neither stand by themselves nor move voluntarily fromplace to place since they are rooted in one spot.13Not only does the soul experience ever-increasinglycomplex physical impressions, but also impressions havingto do with energy and mind:Emergence of a still more developed form ofconsciousness becomes possible when the Absolute seeksmanifestation through the instinctive life of insects, birdsand animals, which are aware of their bodies andrespective surroundings, which develop a sense of selfprotection, and aim at establishing mastery over theirenvironment. In the higher animals, mind or thoughtappears, but its working is limited by such instincts asthose of self-protection and the care and preservation ofthe young. So even in animals, consciousness has not itsfull development, with the result that it is unable to servethe purpose of the Absolute to attain self-illumination.14These emerging impressions of energy and mind comprisewhat Baba termed the subtle and mental bodies. The subtlebody consists of all impressions having to do with energyand the mental body of all impressions having to do withinstinct, intellect, emotions and desires.The soul is thus said to associate with three bodiessimultaneously: gross, subtle and mental. Though the soulmay associate and disassociate with countless physical orgross forms, it can never separate itself (until Godrealization) from its subtle and mental bodies. It is theselatter two bodies that supply the soul with the continuity ofconsciousness that runs through its entire journey.Consequently, it may be said that there is only one life inthe journey, though there are innumerable births

The sole aim of this book is to aid the listening of the heart by allowing Meher Baba's awakening of love to speak for itself. The reader should know, however, that the perspec-tive I bring to this effort has been shaped by more than thirty years of clos