Antiquity
124-704: Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani ; 25 February [O.S. 17 February] 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar , or God in human form, of the age. A spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of hundreds of thousands of people, mostly in India, with a smaller number of followers in North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. Meher Baba 's map of consciousness has been described as "a unique amalgam of Sufi , Vedic , and Yogic terminology". He taught that
248-412: A couplet from one of Hafez's poems reads: Last night, from the cypress branch, the nightingale sang, In Old Persian tones, the lesson of spiritual stations. The cypress tree is a symbol both of the beloved and of a regal presence; the nightingale and birdsong evoke the traditional setting for human love. The "lessons of spiritual stations" suggest, obviously, a mystical undertone as well (though
372-531: A supernatural realm beyond the ordinarily observable world, personal growth , a quest for an ultimate or sacred meaning , religious experience , or an encounter with one's own "inner dimension". The term spirit means "animating or vital principle in man and animals". It is derived from the Old French espirit , which comes from the Latin word spiritus ( soul , ghost, courage, vigor, breath) and
496-447: A few miles outside Ahmednagar that he named Meherabad (Garden of Blessing). This ashram would become the center for his work. During the 1920s, Meher Baba opened a school, hospital, and dispensary at Meherabad, all of which were free and open to all castes and faiths. From 10 July 1925 until the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence. He now communicated first through chalk and slate, then by an alphabet board, and later via
620-589: A fractured pelvis and other severe injuries. Nilu, one of Baba's mandali , was killed. This collision seriously incapacitated Baba. Despite his physicians' predictions, Baba began to walk again, but from that point was in constant pain and had limited mobility. During his trip to the West in 1958, he often needed to be carried from venue to venue. In 1956, during his fifth visit to the United States, Baba stayed at New York's Hotel Delmonico before traveling to
744-467: A handful of centers for information and pilgrimage. He has influenced pop culture creators and introduced the common phrase "Don't worry; be happy". This was used in Bobby McFerrin 's hit 1988 song of the same name . Among his followers were well-known musicians such as Melanie Safka and Pete Townshend , as well as journalists including Sir Tom Hopkinson . In 1971, Meher Baba's following in
868-583: A lack of consciousness of his body. Babajan predicted that he would become a spiritual leader. He then encountered Upasni Maharaj , who he later said helped him to integrate his mystical experiences with ordinary consciousness, thus enabling him to function in the world without diminishing his experience of God-realisation. Over the next several years, he encountered other spiritual figures, namely Tajuddin Baba , Narayan Maharaj , and Sai Baba of Shirdi , who, along with Babajan and Upasni Maharaj, Baba later said were
992-567: A mass meeting in India called the East-West Gathering. At these meetings, at which his Western followers were invited to meet his Indian disciples, Baba gave darshan to many thousands, despite the physical strain this caused him. Despite deteriorating health, he continued what he called his "Universal Work", which included fasting and seclusion , until his death on 31 January 1969. His samadhi in Meherabad , India, has become
1116-680: A minority of twentieth century critics and literary historians have come to challenge. Ralph Waldo Emerson rejected the Sufistic view of wine in Hafez's poems. This confusion stems from the fact that, early in Persian literary history, the poetic vocabulary was usurped by mystics, who believed that the ineffable could be better approached in poetry than in prose. In composing poems of mystic content, they imbued every word and image with mystical undertones, causing mysticism and lyricism to converge into
1240-461: A particularly taxing period of seclusion and noted that his work was "completed 100% to my satisfaction". He was by then using a wheelchair. Within a few months, his condition had worsened and he was bedridden, wracked by muscle spasms without clear medical origin. Despite the care of several physicians, the spasms worsened. On 31 January 1969, Meher Baba woke up in the morning. He had a few pieces of papaya. At 12:15 PM, he died at 74 years of age after
1364-434: A place of international pilgrimage . In the mid-1960s Baba became concerned with the drug culture in the West and began correspondences with several Western academics, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert , in which he discouraged the use of hallucinogenic drugs for spiritual purposes. In 1966, Baba's responses to questions on drugs were published in a pamphlet titled God in a Pill? Meher Baba stated that drug use
SECTION 10
#17328009362861488-640: A positive reception within West Bengal , in India, among some of the most prolific religious leaders and poets in this province, Debendranath Tagore , Rabindranath Tagore 's father, who knew Persian and used to recite from Hafez's Divans and in this line, Gurudev himself, who, during his visit to Persia in 1932, also made a homage visit to Hafez's tomb in Shiraz and Ralph Waldo Emerson (the last referred to him as "a poet's poet"). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has his character Sherlock Holmes state that "there
1612-432: A predominantly vegetarian lifestyle. Parasparopagraho jīvānām (the function of souls is to help one another) is the faith's motto and the Ṇamōkāra mantra is its most common and basic prayer. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twenty-four leaders or Tirthankaras , with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva , whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago;
1736-571: A public darshan program to be held in Pune . His mandali decided to proceed with the arrangements despite the absence of the host. Several thousand attended this "Last Darshan", including many hundreds from the United States, Europe, and Australia. From 10 July 1925, until his death in 1969, Meher Baba was silent. He communicated first by using an alphabet board and later by unique hand gestures which were interpreted and spoken out by one of his mandali, often Eruch Jessawala. Meher Baba said that his silence
1860-461: A pursuit of spiritual union with the divine. At 60, he is said to have begun a chilla-nashini , a 40-day-and-night vigil by sitting in a circle that he had drawn for himself. On the 40th day, he once again met with Zayn al-Attar on what is known to be their fortieth anniversary and was offered a cup of Shirazi wine . It was there where he is said to have attained "Cosmic Consciousness". He hints at this episode in one of his verses in which he advises
1984-433: A rare blend of human and mystic love so balanced... that it is impossible to separate one from the other". For reasons such as that, the history of the translation of Hāfez is fraught with complications, and few translations into western languages have been wholly successful. One of the figurative gestures for which he is most famous (and which is among the most difficult to translate) is īhām or artful punning . Thus,
2108-415: A repertoire of gestures unique to him. On 1 December 1926, he wrote his last message, and began relying on an alphabet board. With his mandali (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings, and engaged in works of charity with lepers and the poor. Beginning in 1931, Meher Baba made the first of many visits to
2232-420: A single tradition. As a result, no fourteenth-century Persian poet could write a lyrical poem without having a flavor of mysticism forced on it by the poetic vocabulary itself. While some poets, such as Ubayd Zakani , attempted to distance themselves from this fused mystical-lyrical tradition by writing satires , Hafez embraced the fusion and thrived on it. Wheeler Thackston has said of this that Hafez "sang
2356-401: A social and psychological meaning. Socially it denoted the territory of the clergy: "the ecclesiastical against the temporary possessions, the ecclesiastical against the secular authority, the clerical class against the secular class". Psychologically, it denoted the realm of the inner life: "the purity of motives, affections, intentions, inner dispositions, the psychology of the spiritual life,
2480-539: A specific time and place when this would occur, but according to all contemporary accounts, Meher Baba remained silent until his death. His failure to break his silence disappointed some of his followers, while others viewed it as a test of their faith. Some of his followers speculate that "the Word" will yet be "spoken" or that Meher Baba broke his silence in a spiritual rather than a physical way. For many years Meher Baba asked his followers to undertake austerities on 10 July,
2604-415: A stage where its previously gathered impressions grow thin or weak enough that it enters a final stage called involution . This stage also requires a series of human births, during which the soul begins an inner journey, by which it realises its true identity as God. Baba breaks this inner journey into seven stages he called "planes". The process culminates, at the seventh plane, with God-realisation, at which
SECTION 20
#17328009362862728-784: A strict set of "conditions of the New Life". These included acceptance of any circumstance and consistent good cheer in the face of any difficulty. Companions who failed to comply were sent away. Concerning the New Life, Meher Baba wrote: This New Life is endless, and even after my physical death it will be kept alive by those who live the life of complete renunciation of falsehood, lies, hatred, anger, greed and lust; and who, to accomplish all this, do no lustful actions, do no harm to anyone, do no backbiting, do not seek material possessions or power, who accept no homage, neither covet honor nor shun disgrace, and fear no one and nothing; by those who rely wholly and solely on God, and who love God purely for
2852-470: A supernatural realm or afterlife, or to make sense of one's own "inner dimension". Bergomi detects "an enlightened form of non-religious spirituality" in late antiquity . Words translatable as "spirituality" first began to arise in the 5th century and only entered common use toward the end of the Middle Ages . In a Biblical context the term means being animated by God. The New Testament offers
2976-430: A violent spasm wracked his body. He conveyed by his last gestures, "Do not forget that I am God." In time, his devotees called the anniversary of his death Amartithi (deathless day). Meher Baba's body was placed at his samadhi at Meherabad, covered with roses and cooled by ice. His body was kept available to the public for one week before its final burial. Prior to his death, Meher Baba had made extensive preparations for
3100-448: A word such as gowhar , which could mean both "essence, truth" and "pearl", would take on both meanings at once as in a phrase such as "a pearl/essential truth outside the shell of superficial existence". Hafez often took advantage of the aforementioned lack of distinction between lyrical, mystical, and panegyric writing by using highly intellectualized, elaborate metaphors and images to suggest multiple possible meanings. For example,
3224-533: Is "festive" with visitors singing and reciting their favorite Hafez poems. Many Iranians use Divan of Hafez for bibliomancy . Iranian families usually have a Divan in their house, and when they get together during the Nowruz or Yaldā Night , they open it to a random page and read the poem on it, which they believe to be an indication of things that will happen in the future. In the genre of Persian traditional music , Hafez, along with Saadi Shirazi , have been
3348-561: Is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions, and Eastern religions. In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live", incorporating personal growth or transformation, usually in a context separate from organized religious institutions. Spirituality can be defined generally as an individual's search for ultimate or sacred meaning, and purpose in life. Additionally it can mean to seek out or search for personal growth, religious experience , belief in
3472-523: Is also derived from Latin spiritualis . There is no single, widely agreed-upon definition of spirituality. Surveys of the definition of the term, as used in scholarly research, show a broad range of definitions with limited overlap. A survey of reviews by McCarroll, each dealing with the topic of spirituality, gave twenty-seven explicit definitions among which "there was little agreement". This causes some difficulty in trying to study spirituality systematically; i.e., it impedes both understanding and
3596-581: Is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought of Judaism. Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an unchanging, eternal and mysterious Ein Sof (no end) and the mortal and finite universe (his creation). Interpretations of Kabbalistic spirituality are found within Hasidic Judaism , a branch of Orthodox Judaism founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov . Hasidism often emphasizes
3720-492: Is an important concept in Buddhist praxis ( Patipatti ). The word bhavana normally appears in conjunction with another word forming a compound phrase such as citta-bhavana (the development or cultivation of the heart/mind) or metta-bhavana (the development/cultivation of loving kindness). When used on its own bhavana signifies 'spiritual cultivation' generally. Various Buddhist paths to liberation developed throughout
3844-414: Is an individual experience, and referred to as ksaitrajña ( Sanskrit : क्षैत्रज्ञ ). It defines spiritual practice as one's journey towards moksha , awareness of self, the discovery of higher truths, Ultimate reality, and a consciousness that is liberated and content. Traditionally, Hinduism identifies three mārga (ways) of spiritual practice, namely Jñāna (ज्ञान), the way of knowledge; Bhakti ,
Meher Baba - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-654: Is as much sense in Hafiz as in Horace , and as much knowledge of the world" (in A Case of Identity ). Friedrich Engels mentioned him in an 1853 letter to Karl Marx . There is no definitive version of his collected works (or Dīvān ); editions vary from 573 to 994 poems. Only since the 1940s has a sustained scholarly attempt (by Mas'ud Farzad , Qasim Ghani and others in Iran ) been made to authenticate his work and to remove errors introduced by later copyists and censors. However,
4092-400: Is best known for his Divān , a collection of his surviving poems probably compiled after his death. His works can be described as " antinomian " and with the medieval use of the term "theosophical"; the term " theosophy " in the 13th and 14th centuries was used to indicate mystical work by "authors only inspired by the holy books " (as distinguished from theology ). Hafez primarily wrote in
4216-480: Is no one to live it. Meher Baba ended the New Life in February 1952 and once again began a round of public appearances throughout India and the West. After being injured as a passenger in two serious automobile accidents, one near Prague, Oklahoma in the United States in 1952, and one in India in 1956, Meher Baba's ability to walk became limited. In the 1950s, Baba established two centers outside of India, namely
4340-534: Is now perhaps the de facto language of Iranian social commentary. A standard modern English edition of Hafez is Faces of Love (2012) translated by Dick Davis for Penguin Classics . Beloved: 81 poems from Hafez ( Bloodaxe Books , 2018) translated by Mario Petrucci , is a recent English selection, noted by Fatemeh Keshavarz (Roshan Institute for Persian studies , University of Maryland ) for preserving "that audacious and multilayered richness one finds in
4464-547: Is referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape of man", oriented at "the image of God " as exemplified by the founders and sacred texts of the religions of the world. The term was used within early Christianity to refer to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit and broadened during the Late Middle Ages to include mental aspects of life. In modern times,
4588-604: Is related to spirare (to breathe). In the Vulgate , the Latin word spiritus is used to translate the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruach . The term "spiritual", meaning "concerning the spirit", is derived from Old French spirituel (12c.), which is derived from Latin spiritualis , which comes by spiritus or "spirit". The term "spirituality" is derived from Middle French spiritualité , from Late Latin spiritualitatem (nominative spiritualitas ), which
4712-469: Is said to have drawn from Sai Baba of Shirdi , whom Meher Baba designated as a Qutb . However, some commentators have asserted that Meher Baba's interpretation of Sufism shared very few similarities with the Sufi Movement apart from universalism and anti-dogmatism. Meher Baba was born to Irani Zoroastrian parents in 1894 in Pune , India (formerly Poona). He was named Merwan Sheriar Irani,
4836-531: Is sometimes associated today with philosophical, social, or political movements such as liberalism , feminist theology , and green politics . Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a pioneer of the idea of spirituality as a distinct field. He was one of the major figures in Transcendentalism , an early 19th-century liberal Protestant movement, which was rooted in English and German Romanticism ,
4960-631: Is stressed by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi , an 11th-century Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the companion of Muhammad , Jabir ibn Abd-Allah : The Prophet ... returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad ;– the striving of a servant (of Allah ) against his desires (holy war)." The best known form of Islamic mystic spirituality
5084-441: Is studied and practiced are varied and range from ecstatic visions of the soul's mystical union with God to simple prayerful contemplation of Holy Scripture (i.e., Lectio Divina ). Progressive Christianity is a contemporary movement which seeks to remove the supernatural claims of the faith and replace them with a post-critical understanding of biblical spirituality based on historical and scientific research. It focuses on
Meher Baba - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-627: Is the Sufi tradition (famous through Rumi and Hafiz ) in which a Sheikh or pir transmits spiritual discipline to students. Sufism or taṣawwuf ( Arabic : تصوّف ) is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam . A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a ṣūfī ( صُوفِيّ ). Sufis believe they are practicing ihsan (perfection of worship) as revealed by Gabriel to Muhammad , Worship and serve Allah as you are seeing Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you. Sufis consider themselves as
5332-464: Is the path of cultivating necessary virtues, self-discipline, tapas (meditation), contemplation and self-reflection sometimes with isolation and renunciation of the world, to a pinnacle state called samādhi . This state of samādhi has been compared to peak experience. Hafez Khājeh Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī ( Persian : خواجه شمسالدین محمد حافظ شیرازی ), known by his pen name Hafez ( حافظ , Ḥāfeẓ , 'the memorizer;
5456-957: Is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". Alternatively, in the words of the Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba , "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine , purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits". Jainism , traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion . The three main pillars of Jainism are ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (non-attachment). Jains take five main vows: ahiṃsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). These principles have affected Jain culture in many ways, such as leading to
5580-533: Is the spiritual practice of living out a personal faith. Pope Francis offers several ways in which the calling of Christian spirituality can be considered: The terminology of the Catholic Church refers to an act of faith ( fides qua creditur ) following the acceptance of faith ( fides quae creditur ). Although all Catholics are expected to pray together at Mass , there are many different forms of spirituality and private prayer which have developed over
5704-409: Is to be interpreted literally, mystically, or both has been a source of contention among western scholars. On the one hand, some of his early readers such as William Jones saw in him a conventional lyricist similar to European love poets such as Petrarch . Others scholars such as Henry Wilberforce Clarke saw him as purely a poet of didactic, ecstatic mysticism in the manner of Rumi , a view that
5828-510: The SS Rajputana , at the same time as Mahatma Gandhi , who was sailing to the second Round Table Conference in London . Baba and Gandhi met three times on board. One of these exchanges lasted for three hours. The British press publicized these meetings, but an aide to Gandhi said, "You may say emphatically that Gandhi never asked Meher Baba for help or for spiritual or other advice." In
5952-576: The Divine Beloved who loves you more than you can ever love yourself. The breaking of My Silence will help you to help yourself in knowing your real Self. Meher Baba asserted that the breaking of his silence would be a defining event in the spiritual evolution of the world. When I speak that Word, I shall lay the foundation for that which is to take place during the next seven hundred years. On many occasions Meher Baba promised to break his silence with an audible word before he died, often stating
6076-543: The Immanent Divine presence and focuses on emotion, fervour , and the figure of the Tzadik . This movement included an elite ideal of nullification to paradoxical Divine Panentheism . The Musar movement is a Jewish spiritual movement that has focused on developing character traits such as faith , humility , and love . The Musar movement, first founded in the 19th century by Israel Salanter and developed in
6200-712: The Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in the United States and Avatar's Abode near Brisbane , Australia. He inaugurated the Meher Spiritual Center in April 1952. On 24 May 1952, en route from the Meher Spiritual Center to Meher Mount in Ojai, California , the car in which he was a passenger was struck head-on near Prague, Oklahoma . He and his companions were thrown from
6324-414: The literary genre of lyric poetry or ghazals , which is the ideal style for expressing the ecstasy of divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems. He was a Sufi . Themes of his ghazals include the beloved, faith and exposing hypocrisy. In his ghazals, he deals with love, wine and taverns, all presenting religious ecstasy and freedom from restraint, whether in actual worldly release or in
SECTION 50
#17328009362866448-510: The spiritual science of Martinus was an influence, especially in Scandinavia. The influence of Asian traditions on Western modern spirituality was also furthered by the perennial philosophy , whose main proponent Aldous Huxley was deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda's Neo-Vedanta and universalism , and the spread of social welfare, education and mass travel after World War II . An important influence on western spirituality
6572-507: The (safe) keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz , was a Persian lyric poet whose collected works are regarded by many Iranians as one of the highest pinnacles of Persian literature . His works are often found in the homes of Persian speakers, who learn his poems by heart and use them as everyday proverbs and sayings. His life and poems have become the subjects of much analysis, commentary, and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other Persian author. Hafez
6696-445: The 21st century by Alan Morinis and Ira F. Stone , has encouraged spiritual practices of Jewish meditation, Jewish prayer, Jewish ethics , tzedakah , teshuvah, and the study of musar (ethical) literature . Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism have often emphasized the spirituality of Jewish ethics and tikkun olam , feminist spirituality , Jewish prayer, Torah study, ritual, and musar. Christian spirituality
6820-594: The Avatar, and those on the various stages of the spiritual path, which he termed involution . God Speaks and Discourses are regarded as among his most important written works. For decades he declined to speak and later refrained from communicating via written language. This practice has remained a topic of discussion among some of his followers. His legacy includes the Avatar Meher Baba Charitable Trust he established in India, and
6944-488: The Biblical criticism of Johann Gottfried Herder and Friedrich Schleiermacher , the skepticism of Hume , and Neoplatonism . The Transcendentalists emphasized an intuitive, experiential approach to religion. Following Schleiermacher, an individual's intuition of truth was taken as the criterion for truth. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the first translations of Hindu texts appeared, which were also read by
7068-542: The Meher Spiritual Center at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . In July he traveled to Washington, D.C. , and received friends and disciples at the home of Ivy Duce, wife of James Terry Duce, the vice-president of the Arabian American Oil Company. He then traveled to Meher Mount at Ojai, California before proceeding to Australia. His final visits to the United States and Australia were made in 1958. In 1962, Baba held one of his last public functions,
7192-481: The New Life. Following a series of questions on their readiness to obey even the most difficult of his requests, Baba selected twenty companions to join him in a life of complete "hopelessness and helplessness". He made provisions for those dependent on him, after which he and his companions otherwise gave up nearly all property and financial responsibilities. They traveled around India incognito while begging for food and carrying out Baba's instructions in accordance with
7316-543: The Second World War, spirituality and theistic religion became increasingly disconnected, and spirituality became more oriented on subjective experience, instead of "attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context". A new discourse developed, in which (humanistic) psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions are being blended, to reach the true self by self-disclosure , free expression, and meditation. The distinction between
7440-470: The Sufi Master . Divan Hafez is a book containing all the remaining poems of Hafez. Most of these poems are in Persian and the most crucial part of this Divan is ghazals . There are poems in other poetic formats such as piece, ode, Masnavi and quatrain in this Divan. There is no evidence that most of Hafez's poems were destroyed. In addition, Hafez was very famous during his lifetime; Therefore,
7564-709: The Transcendentalists, and influenced their thinking. They also endorsed universalist and Unitarianist ideas, leading to Unitarian Universalism , the idea that there must be truth in other religions as well since a loving God would redeem all living beings, not just Christians. A major influence on modern spirituality was the Theosophical Society , which searched for 'secret teachings' in Asian religions. It has been influential on modernist streams in several Asian religions, notably Neo-Vedanta ,
SECTION 60
#17328009362867688-476: The US's fascination with the "long-haired, silky-mustached Parsee named Shri Sadgaru [sic] Meher Baba" four years earlier. In the 1930s and 1940s, Meher Baba worked with masts , or those "intoxicated with God". According to Baba, these individuals are disabled by their enchanting experience of the higher spiritual planes . Although outwardly masts may appear irrational or insane, Baba claimed that their spiritual status
7812-472: The United States again until the early 1950s. In the late 1930s, Meher Baba invited a group of Western women to join him in India, where he arranged a series of trips throughout India and British Ceylon that became known as the Blue Bus Tours. When the tour returned home, many newspapers treated their journey as an occasion for scandal. Time magazine's 1936 review of God Is My Adventure describes
7936-487: The United States was estimated at 7,000. Some commentators have suggested that the size of the movement has been underestimated due to the rarity of proselytising by Meher Baba's followers, and that in 1975, the movement was larger than the more visible Hare Krishna movement . Meher Baba was accepted as the leader of a Sufi organization based in California which he renamed Sufism Reoriented . Meher Baba's Sufi influence
8060-544: The United States, Europe, and Australia initiated an anti-drug campaign during this period. Though some contend that this campaign was mostly futile, it attracted new followers to Meher Baba. Furthermore, some of Baba's views entered into academic debate on the merits and dangers of hallucinogens . From the East-West Gathering of 1962 onward, Meher Baba's health deteriorated. Despite the physical toll it took on his body, he continued to undergo periods of seclusion and fasting. In late July 1968, Baba stated that he had completed
8184-763: The Universe--the Illusion that sustains Reality". In September 1954, Meher Baba gave a men-only sahavas at Meherabad that later became known as the Three Incredible Weeks. During this time Baba issued a declaration, "Meher Baba's Call", wherein he once again affirmed his Avatarhood "irrespective of the doubts and convictions" of others. At the end of this sahavas, Meher Baba gave the completed manuscript of his book God Speaks to two members of Sufism Reoriented, Ludwig H. Dimpfl and Don E. Stevens, for editing and publication in America. The book
8308-421: The West, Meher Baba met with a number of celebrities and artists, including Gary Cooper , Charles Laughton , Tallulah Bankhead , Boris Karloff , Tom Mix , Maurice Chevalier , and Ernst Lubitsch . On 1 June 1932, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. held a reception for Baba at Pickfair at which he delivered a message to Hollywood . As a result, says Robert S. Ellwood , Meher Baba emerged as "one of
8432-537: The West. Throughout that decade, Meher Baba began a period of world travel and took several trips to Europe and the United States. It was during this period that he established contact with his first close group of Western disciples. He traveled on a Persian passport, as he had given up writing, as well as speaking, and would not sign the forms required by the British government of India. Here, he attracted more followers. On his first trip to England in 1931, he traveled on
8556-612: The ages. Best-known is the Noble Eightfold Path , but others include the Bodhisattva Path and Lamrim . Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, henotheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, or atheistic. Within this diffuse and open structure, spirituality in Hindu philosophy
8680-623: The analysis of the feelings". In the 17th and 18th centuries, a distinction was made between higher and lower forms of spirituality: "A spiritual man is one who is Christian 'more abundantly and deeper than others'." The word was also associated with mysticism and quietism , and acquired a negative meaning. Modern notions of spirituality developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, mixing Christian ideas with Western esoteric traditions and elements of Asian, especially Indian, religions. Spirituality became increasingly disconnected from traditional religious organizations and institutions. It
8804-477: The anniversary of the day his silence began, such as keeping silence, fasting, and praying. In his final Silence Day request to his followers in 1968, he asked only that they keep silent. Many followers continue to celebrate Silence Day by keeping silence in his honor. Meher Baba's teachings can be divided into two main categories: his metaphysics on the nature of the soul and the Universe, and practical advice for
8928-711: The capacity to communicate findings in a meaningful fashion. According to Kees Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation that "aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah , in Christianity there is Christ , for Buddhism , Buddha , and in Islam , Muhammad ." Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality
9052-663: The centuries. Each of the major religious orders of the Catholic Church and other lay groupings have their own unique spirituality – its own way of approaching God in prayer and in living out the Gospel . Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity . It has often been connected to mystical theology , especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The attributes and means by which Christian mysticism
9176-641: The comments personally), forcing Hāfez to flee from Shiraz to Isfahan and Yazd , however, no historical evidence is available. Hafez also exchanged letters and poetry with Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah , the Sultan of Bengal , who invited him to Sonargaon though he could not make it. Twenty years after his death, a tomb was erected to honor Hafez in the Musalla Gardens in Shiraz. The current mausoleum
9300-414: The concept of being driven by the Holy Spirit , as opposed to living a life in which one rejects this influence. In the 11th century, this meaning of "Spirituality" changed. Instead, the word began to denote the mental aspect of life, as opposed to the material and sensual aspects of life, "the ecclesiastical sphere of light against the dark world of matter". In the 13th century "spirituality" acquired
9424-569: The enthusiasms of the '30s". In 1934, after announcing that he would break his self-imposed silence in the Hollywood Bowl , Baba changed his plans abruptly, boarded the RMS Empress of Canada , and sailed to Hong Kong without explanation. The Associated Press reported that "Baba had decided to postpone the word-fast-breaking until next February because 'conditions are not yet ripe'." He returned to England in 1936 but did not return to
9548-544: The five "Perfect Masters" of the age. By early 1922, at the age of 27, Baba began gathering his own disciples. They gave him the name Meher Baba , which means "compassionate father". In 1922, Meher Baba and his followers established Manzil-e-Meem (House of the Master) in Mumbai . There, Baba commenced his practice of demanding strict discipline and obedience from his disciples. A year later, Baba and his mandali moved to an area
9672-538: The genre of classical music. Hayedeh performed the song "Padeshah-e Khooban", with music by Farid Zoland . The Ottoman composer Buhurizade Mustafa Itri composed his magnum opus Neva Kâr based upon one of Hafez's poems. The Polish composer Karol Szymanowski composed The Love Songs of Hafiz based upon a German translation of Hafez poems. Many Afghan singers, including Ahmad Zahir and Abdul Rahim Sarban , have composed songs such as "Ay Padeshah-e Khooban", "Gar-Zulfe Parayshanat". The question of whether his work
9796-556: The goal of all beings was to awaken to consciousness of their own divinity , and to realise the absolute oneness of God . At the age of 19, Meher Baba began a seven-year period of spiritual transformation , during which he had encounters with Hazrat Babajan , Upasni Maharaj , Sai Baba of Shirdi , Tajuddin Baba , and Narayan Maharaj . In 1925, he began a 44-year period of silence, during which he communicated first using an alphabet board and by 1954 entirely through hand gestures using an interpreter. Meher Baba died on 31 January 1969 and
9920-450: The goal of life for the soul is reached. The Discourses are a collection of explanations that Meher Baba has given on topics that concern the advancement of the spiritual aspirant. These topics include: sanskaras (mental impressions), Maya (the principle of illusion), the nature of the ego, reincarnation , karma , violence and non-violence, meditation , love, discipleship, and God-realisation. His explanations often include stories from
10044-651: The growth of secularism in the western world have given rise to this broader view of spirituality. The term "spiritual" is now frequently used in contexts in which the term "religious" was formerly employed. Both theists and atheists have criticized this development. Spirituality in Judaism ( Hebrew : רוחניות , romanized : ruhniyut ) may involve practices of Jewish ethics , Jewish prayer , Jewish meditation , Shabbat and holiday observance, Torah study , dietary laws , teshuvah , and other practices. It may involve practices ordained by halakhah or other practices. Kabbalah (literally "receiving")
10168-460: The journey of the soul from its original state of unconscious divinity to the ultimate attainment of conscious divinity. The whole journey is a journey of imagination, in which the original indivisible state of God imagines becoming countless individualised souls which he likens to bubbles within an infinite ocean. Each soul, powered by the desire to become conscious, starts its journey in the most rudimentary form of consciousness. This limitation brings
10292-542: The lived experience of spirituality over historical dogmatic claims, and accepts that the faith is both true and a human construction, and that spiritual experiences are psychologically and neurally real and useful. An inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle are two commonly accepted meanings of the Arabic word jihad : The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties and fight against one's ego . This non-violent meaning
10416-451: The lore of India and the Sufi culture. One such story, the wise man and the ghost, shows the power that superstitious beliefs can have on a person, while another, Majnun and Layla , shows how selfless love, even in human relations, can lead one to discipleship. Meher Baba's suggestions include putting theory into practice, internally renouncing desires, offering selfless service to humanity or
10540-649: The master, spontaneity, and avoiding actions that bind one to illusion. Rather than lay out moral rules, Baba explains why some actions bind the individual whereas others aid emancipation. Several chapters discuss the mechanisms by which consciousness gets caught up between the opposites of experience, such as pleasure and pain, good and evil, and suggest how to transcend these opposites. Spirituality Medieval Early modern Modern Iran India East-Asia The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality
10664-492: The most popular poets in the art of āvāz, non-metered form of singing. Also the form 'Sāqi-Nāmeh' in the radif of Persian music is based on the same title by Hafez. A number of contemporary composers such as Parviz Meshkatian (Sheydaie), Hossein Alizadeh (Ahu-ye Vahshi), Mohammad Reza Lotfi (Golestān), and Siamak Aghaie (Yād Bād) have composed metric songs (tasnif) based on ghazals of Hafez which have become very popular in
10788-521: The need of a more developed form to advance it towards an increasingly conscious state. Consciousness grows in relation to the impressions each form is capable of gathering. According to Meher Baba, each soul pursues conscious divinity by evolving; that is, experiencing itself in a succession of imagined forms through seven "kingdoms" of stone/metal, vegetable, worm, fish, bird, animal, and human. The soul identifies itself with each successive form, becoming thus tied to illusion. During this evolution of forms,
10912-573: The original true proponents of this pure original form of Islam. They are strong adherents to the principal of tolerance, peace and against any form of violence. The Sufi have suffered severe persecution by more rigid and fundamentalist groups such as the Wahhabi and Salafi movement . In 1843 the Senussi Sufi were forced to flee Mecca and Medina and head to Sudan and Libya. Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective
11036-422: The originals". Peter Avery translated a complete edition of Hafez in English, The Collected Lyrics of Hafiz of Shiraz , published in 2007. It was awarded Iran's Farabi prize. Avery's translations are published with notes explaining allusions in the text and filling in what the poets would have expected their readers to know. An abridged version exists, titled Hafiz of Shiraz: Thirty Poems: An Introduction to
11160-409: The power of thought increases, until in human form thought becomes infinite. Although in human form, the soul is capable of conscious divinity, all the impressions that it has gathered during evolution are illusory ones that create a barrier against the soul knowing itself. For this barrier to be overcome, further births in human form are needed in a process known as reincarnation . The soul will reach
11284-507: The principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence. Meher Baba often signaled the moment "that he would 'break' his silence by speaking the 'Word' in every heart, thereby giving a spiritual push forward to all living things". When I break My Silence, the impact of My Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of it. It will help every individual to break himself free from his own bondage in his own way. I am
11408-426: The reader to attain "clarity of wine" by letting it "sit for 40 days". In one tale, Timur angrily summoned Hafez to account for one of his verses: 'agar 'ān Tork-e Šīrāzī * be dast ārad del-ē mā-rā be khāl-ē Hendu-yaš baxšam * Samarqand ō Boxārā-rā If that Shirazi Turk accepts my heart in their hand, for their Indian mole I will give Samarkand and Bukhara. Samarkand was Timur's capital and Bukhara
11532-463: The reliability of such work has been questioned, and in the words of Hāfez scholar Iraj Bashiri , "there remains little hope from there (i.e., Iran) for an authenticated diwan". Hafez is the most popular poet in Iran. His works can be found in almost every Iranian home. In fact, October 12 is celebrated as Hafez Day in Iran . His tomb is "crowded with devotees" who visit the site and the atmosphere
11656-511: The revival of Theravada Buddhism , and Buddhist modernism , which have taken over modern western notions of personal experience and universalism and integrated them in their religious concepts. A second, related influence was Anthroposophy , whose founder, Rudolf Steiner , was particularly interested in developing a genuine Western spirituality, and in the ways that such a spirituality could transform practical institutions such as education , agriculture , and medicine . More independently,
11780-561: The rule of Mubariz al-Din Muhammad , specifically, towards the disintegration of important public and private institutions. His work, particularly his imaginative references to monasteries , convents , Shahneh, and muhtasib , ignored the religious taboos of his period, and he found humor in some of his society's religious doctrines. Employing humor polemically has since become a common practice in Iranian public discourse and satire
11904-435: The sake of loving; who believe in the lovers of God and in the reality of Manifestation, and yet do not expect any spiritual or material reward; who do not let go the hand of Truth, and who, without being upset by calamities, bravely and wholeheartedly face all hardships with one hundred percent cheerfulness, and give no importance to caste, creed and religious ceremonies. This New Life will live by itself eternally, even if there
12028-480: The second son of Sheriar Irani and Shireen Irani. Sheriar Irani was a Persian Zoroastrian from Khorramshahr who had spent years wandering in search of spiritual experiences before settling in Pune . As a boy, Baba formed the Cosmopolitan Club, which was dedicated to remaining informed on world affairs and donating money to charity. He was a multi-instrumentalist and poet. Fluent in several languages, he
12152-512: The small number of poetry in the court indicates that he was not a prolific poet. Hafez's Divan was probably compiled for the first time by Mohammad Glendam after his death. Of course, some unconfirmed reports indicate that Hafez published his court in AH 770 (1368). that is, edited more than twenty years before his death. The year of Hafez's death is AH 791 (1389). Hafez was buried in the prayer hall of Shiraz called hafezieh . In AH 855 (1451), after
12276-629: The spiritual and the religious became more common in the popular mind during the late 20th century with the rise of secularism and the advent of the New Age movement. Authors such as Chris Griscom and Shirley MacLaine explored it in numerous ways in their books. Paul Heelas noted the development within New Age circles of what he called "seminar spirituality": structured offerings complementing consumer choice with spiritual options. Among other factors, declining membership of organized religions and
12400-500: The spiritual aspirant. The two are interrelated. His metaphysics is mostly found in his principal book on the subject, God Speaks . It contains detailed statements on his cosmology , the purpose of life, and the progression of the soul. His teachings on the practical spiritual life are mostly contained in the Discourses , although it also covers many metaphysical areas mirroring or amplifying God Speaks . God Speaks describes
12524-455: The spiritual practice often includes chanting, singing and music – such as in kirtans – in front of idols, or images of one or more deity, or a devotional symbol of the holy. Karma marga is the path of one's work, where diligent practical work or vartta ( Sanskrit : वार्त्ता , profession) becomes in itself a spiritual practice, and work in daily life is perfected as a form of spiritual liberation and not for its material rewards. Rāja marga
12648-452: The task of learning the Quran by heart at an early age (that is the meaning of the word Hafez ). At the same time, he is said to have known by heart the works of Rumi , Saadi , Attar Neyshapuri , and Nizami Ganjavi . According to one tradition, before meeting his self-chosen Sufi master Hajji Zayn al-Attar , Hafez had been working in a bakery, delivering bread to a wealthy quarter of
12772-405: The term both spread to other religious traditions and broadened to refer to a wider range of experiences, including a range of esoteric and religious traditions. Modern usages tend to refer to a subjective experience of a sacred dimension , and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live", often in a context separate from organized religious institutions . This may involve belief in
12896-506: The theme of hypocrisy, widely believed to be a critique of the religious and ruling establishments of the time. Persian satire developed during the 14th century, within the courts of the Mongol Empire . In this period, Hafez and other notable early satirists, such as Ubayd Zakani , produced a body of work that has since become a template for the use of satire as a political device. Many of his critiques are believed to be targeted at
13020-408: The town. There, he first saw Shakh-e Nabat, a woman of great beauty, to whom some of his poems are addressed. Ravished by her beauty but knowing that his love for her would not be requited , he allegedly held his first mystic vigil in his desire to realize this union. Still, he encountered a being of surpassing beauty who identified himself as an angel , and his further attempts at union became mystic;
13144-429: The twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha , whom historians date to 9th century BCE; and the twenty-fourth tirthankara, Mahavira around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered to be an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every time cycle of the cosmology . Buddhist practices are known as Bhavana , which literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing" in the sense of "calling into existence". It
13268-670: The vehicle and injured. Baba's leg was severely broken and he sustained facial injuries including a broken nose. The injured were treated at Prague Memorial Hospital, after which they returned to Myrtle Beach to recuperate. While recuperating at Youpon Dunes, a home owned by Elizabeth Patterson, he worked on the charter for a group of Sufis, which he named Sufism Reoriented . Meher Baba began dictating his major book, God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose , using an alphabet board in Dehradun , in August 1953. He dedicated this book "To
13392-580: The voice of the lover. His influence on Persian speakers appears in divination by his poems (Persian: فال حافظ , romanized: fāl-e hāfez , somewhat similar to the Roman tradition of Sortes Vergilianae ) and in the frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music , visual art and Persian calligraphy . His tomb is located in his birthplace of Shiraz . Adaptations, imitations and translations of his poems exist in all major languages. Hafez
13516-409: The way of devotion; and Karma yoga , the way of selfless action. In the 19th century Vivekananda , in his neo-Vedanta synthesis of Hinduism, added Rāja yoga , the way of contemplation and meditation, as a fourth way, calling all of them "yoga". Jñāna marga is a path often assisted by a guru (teacher) in one's spiritual practice. Bhakti marga is a path of faith and devotion to deity or deities;
13640-450: The western world and Asia, which also influenced western religiosity. Unitarianism, and the idea of Universalism, was brought to India by missionaries, and had a major influence on neo-Hinduism via Ram Mohan Roy 's Brahmo Samaj and Brahmoism . Roy attempted to modernise and reform Hinduism, from the idea of Universalism. This universalism was further popularised, and brought back to the west as neo-Vedanta, by Swami Vivekananda . After
13764-423: The word for "spiritual" could also be translated as "intrinsically meaningful"). Therefore, the words could signify at once a prince addressing his devoted followers, a lover courting a beloved, and the reception of spiritual wisdom. Though Hafez is well known for his poetry, he is less commonly recognized for his intellectual and political contributions. A defining feature of Hafez' poetry is its ironic tone and
13888-424: Was Neo-Vedanta , also called neo-Hinduism and Hindu Universalism , a modern interpretation of Hinduism which developed in response to western colonialism and orientalism . It aims to present Hinduism as a "homogenized ideal of Hinduism" with Advaita Vedanta as its central doctrine. Due to the colonisation of Asia by the western world, since the 19th century an exchange of ideas has been taking place between
14012-533: Was Timur with this response that he dismissed Hafez with handsome gifts. Hafez was acclaimed throughout the Islamic world during his lifetime, with other Persian poets imitating his work, and offers of patronage from Baghdad to India . His work was first translated into English in 1771 by William Jones . It would leave a mark on such Western writers as Thoreau , Goethe , W. B. Yeats , in his prose anthology book of essays, Discoveries , as well as gaining
14136-459: Was born in Shiraz in Persia. Few details of his life are known. Accounts of his early life rely upon traditional anecdotes. Early tazkiras (biographical sketches) mentioning Hafez are generally considered unreliable. At an early age, he memorized the Quran . He was given the title of Hafez , which he later used as his pen name. The preface of his Divān, in which his early life is discussed,
14260-429: Was designed by André Godard , a French archeologist and architect , in the late 1930s, and the tomb is raised on a dais amidst rose gardens, water channels, and orange trees. Inside, Hafez's alabaster sarcophagus bears the inscription of two of his poems. Many semi-miraculous mythical tales were woven around Hafez after his death. It is said that by listening to his father's recitations, Hafez had accomplished
14384-483: Was elevated, and that by meeting with them he helped them to progress spiritually while enlisting their aid in his spiritual work. One of these masts, Mohammed, lived at Meher Baba's encampment at Meherabad until his death in 2003. During his journey in 1946, Meher Baba went to Sehwan Sharif to meet a Sufi saint and descendant of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar , Murshid Nadir Ali Shah , whom Baba referred to as an advanced pilgrim . In 1949, Baba began an period that he called
14508-641: Was entombed at Meherabad . His tomb, or " samadhi ", has become a place of pilgrimage for his followers, often known as "Baba lovers". Meher Baba's teachings concerned the nature and purpose of life. He described the phenomenal world as illusory, and taught that the Universe is imagination. He taught that God alone exists, and each soul is God passing through imagination in order to realise its own divinity. He advised followers wishing to attain God-realisation, emphasizing love and selfless-service. His other teachings included discussion of Perfect Masters ,
14632-457: Was fond of the poetry of Hafez , William Shakespeare , and Percy Bysshe Shelley . His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years. At 19, he met Hazrat Babajan , an elderly Muslim saint. He was cycling past a tree that she had made her abode, when she called to him. When he approached her, she kissed him on the forehead, causing him to enter a nine month-long trance which he described as "divine bliss", with
14756-406: Was not undertaken as a spiritual exercise but solely in connection with his universal work. Man's inability to live God's words makes the Avatar 's teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility , purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred , greed , and violence . Because man has been deaf to
14880-456: Was published by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. On 30 September 1954 Meher Baba gave his Final Declaration message. In October 1954, Meher Baba discarded his alphabet board and began using a unique set of hand gestures to communicate, which he used for the rest of his life. On 2 December 1956, outside Satara , India, the car in which Meher Baba was riding lost control and a second serious automobile accident occurred. Baba suffered
15004-545: Was spiritually damaging and that if enlightenment were possible through drugs then "God is not worthy of being God". Meher Baba instructed his young Western disciples to spread this message; in doing so, they increased awareness of Meher Baba's teachings. In an interview with Frederick Chapman, a Harvard graduate and Fulbright scholar who met Meher Baba during a year of study in India, Baba described LSD as "harmful physically, mentally, and spiritually" and warned that "[its continued use] leads to madness or death". Baba lovers in
15128-539: Was supported by patronage from several successive local regimes: Shah Abu Ishaq, who came to power while Hafez was in his teens; Timur at the end of his life; and even the strict ruler Shah Mubariz ud-Din Muhammad ( Mubariz Muzaffar ). Though his work flourished most under the 27-year rule of Jalal ud-Din Shah Shuja ( Shah Shuja ), it is claimed Hāfez briefly fell out of favor with Shah Shuja for mocking inferior poets (Shah Shuja wrote poetry himself and may have taken
15252-440: Was the kingdom's finest city. "With the blows of my lustrous sword", Timur complained, "I have subjugated most of the habitable globe... to embellish Samarkand and Bokhara, the seats of my government; and you would sell them for the black mole of some girl in Shiraz!" Hafez, the tale goes, bowed deeply and replied, "Alas, O Prince, it is this prodigality which is the cause of the misery in which you find me". So surprised and pleased
15376-433: Was written by an unknown contemporary whose name may have been Moḥammad Golandām. Two of the most highly regarded modern editions of Hafez's Divān are compiled by Allame Mohammad Qazvini and Qāsem Ghani (495 ghazals) and by Parviz Natel-Khanlari (486 ghazals). Hafez was a Sufi Muslim . Modern scholars generally agree that he was born either in 1315 or 1317. According to an account by Jami , Hafez died in 1390. He
#285714