Meher Baba's Life & Travels
Born :
Died :
Nationality : FRENCH-AMERICAN
July 1952 - New York
Baba told Bili Eaton and Philippe:
Remember, my love and blessings are ever present with you. Your work is my work, and what you do for those who come to you for help is done for me. Selfless service is my motto, and as you know, I teach you all by serving all humanity myself. I have nothing else but love to give and to convey. Do not ever feel disheartened about anything; you have only to try your very best, and leave the rest to me.
The above images were taken in India - 1954 from a film called "3
Incredble Weeks"
Baidul is right of Meher Baba and Frank Eaton is behind Phillipe.
The Westerners learned many lessons during the "three incredible weeks" (as they later called their stay in India), lessons which stayed with them throughout their lives. Asked by Filis Frederick to summarize his trip for The Awakener magazine, Philippe Dupuis wrote: "The main teaching I got from India was that spiritual life is no fun, no adventure, no part-time excitement. It is like the modern wars. It is total!"
September 11th,1954
Meanwhile, some of the Westerners had already arrived in Bombay. On September 11th,1954, Meherjee and Nariman brought them to Ahmednagar at 10:30 P.M. The group consisted of the following individuals, ranging in age from twenty-three to eighty:
Phillippe Dupuis of New York.
September 12th 1954
Philippe Dupuis told how deeply impressed he was with Baba's darshan on the 12th, and said something to the effect that it must have been a great strain on his body.
... The main teaching I got from India… (was)…that spiritual life is no fun, no adventure, no part-time, not excitement! It is like the modern wars. It is total! It is not to be thought only, but lived. The best way to do it is to give up everything—forget everything; be ready and glad to die at the feet of one's Master, if you have the grace to have one. All else seems to me loss of time, compromise. No one can barter with God. This is why I wish I were dead in India, not only to myself but to my body ... if B. asked me to do so. To try to be spiritual in the West seems to me to be a mockery. Nothing is in favor of it—even though one would be a hero, a saint, or a giant of strength. To be spiritual we have to go back to school, to India, very humbly, and learn from the presence of our Master. There is nothing like the physical presence of a Master. We have to be ready to give up everything for the Beloved ... and die. This poor mind of ours is the main obstacle. It seems only the Master can put it aside for us and unlock our heart--which is the secret of all secrets...Let's go back to school, to the Master! He is our only way, our only hope—all depends on His Grace. Without Him ... darkness on top of darkness. And all the books in the world cannot give one-millionth of the bliss that one look of the Master can bestow on you. The trouble is that to follow a Master you must be a real hero …have a terrific strength which only He can give you. All along, it is a matter of Grace…
…He seemed enormously amused to think that we only saw Him for one minute and then Bang! got caught! …He said we were very lucky to be able to recognize an Avatar in such a short time...(Another time) He said: "There are 99 per cent chances that I shall drop My body before the end of next December. If I would not drop it, I would live up to 90 years of age—sitting on top of the chest of the whole universe."
Courtesy of ; The Awakener - Vol.2 No.4 195-
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The Westerners learned many lessons during the "three incredible weeks" (as they later called their stay in India), lessons which stayed with them throughout their lives. Asked by Filis Frederick to summarize his trip for The Awakener magazine ( see above ), Philippe Dupuis wrote: "The main teaching I got from India was that spiritual life is no fun, no adventure, no part-time excitement. It is like the modern wars. It is total!"
Lord Meher Online Edition Page 3643
18th July 1956
On 18 July, starting at 9:30 A.M., Baba granted fourteen individual interviews. Hedi was the first one called. Baba spoke to Anita and Roger about Philippe Dupuis. Philippe had first met Baba in Myrtle Beach in 1952 and was one of the Western men who participated in the "Three Incredible Weeks" program at Meherabad in 1954. Baba asked Roger to phone Dupuis, saying if possible he should come and see Baba for five minutes and then return. Will Backett brought Joffre to see Baba. Keith Secker, the young man from Manchester who had met Baba in Satara, was the next to be given an interview.
1959
ON FEBRUARY 9th, Baba went to Meherabad to give darshan to the Arangaon villagers.
Phillipe Dupuis of Paris, France, had written to Baba for permission to come and see him. Baba granted permission, and Dupuis arrived in Bombay on February 6th. On February 9th, he was brought by Adi ( K.Irani ) directly to Meherabad, arriving at 9:00 A.M. Without obtaining Baba's permission, Dupuis had brought Vilayat Khan, the eldest son of the Sufi teacher Inayat Khan.
Baba saw both in his interview cabin. Adi, Eruch ( Jessawala ) and Francis ( Brabazon ) were present during the interview. Vilayat Khan kissed Baba's hand. Replying to Baba's inquiry, he said that he had come to India a month before Phillipe Dupuis. He planned to sit in meditation for a certain length of time near the shrine of Qutub Mu'inuddin Chishti in Ajmer. Vilayat said, "I have come to Baba prompted by my Murshid to meditate on you in your physical presence."
Meher Baba found Vilayat Khan of good heart, but his understanding was not deep, and he was not of the same spiritual status as his father (mental-conscious). Baba dictated the following six points for him to live by:
"Do not run away from your own lower self.
"Do not renounce the world, renounce your own lower self.
"Do not seek solitude anywhere but within your own self, because you are eternally all alone to your own Self.
"Silently cry out within your own self: 'Beloved One, reveal yourself to me as my own, real, infinite Self.'
"It is you who are obstructing yourself from finding your Self. So try to lose your lower self by continual remembrance of God, Who is your real Self.
"Do not become Master of disciples until you have mastered your own self."
In conclusion, Baba emphasized: "The only proper thing for a genuine seeker to do is to surrender completely to a Perfect Master. A life of obedience and surrenderance is the only solution when one is fortunate to have caught hold of the feet of a Perfect Master.
"Really speaking, love and devotion for Beloved God are all that are necessary on this path. Meditation is neither devotion nor love, but a mental pursuit in pinning down the object of one's thoughts before one's mind's eye."
Lord Meher Volume 16, Page 5530
continued...
Baba asked Vilayat, "Did you listen attentively to what I have told you?" Vilayat replied in the affirmative.
Baba then stated, "Because you have come all this distance to see me, I want you to do one very simple thing. Spare five minutes every night at twelve o'clock and meditate on Baba. Concentrate on my face."
Vilayat said, "This would annoy my Murshid."
Baba replied, "If your Murshid were a Perfect Master, he would never get annoyed. And if your Master were to be annoyed over this, he could never be a Murshid!
When you say you were prompted by your Murshid to meditate on me in my physical presence, it is absurd to say that the Murshid would be annoyed if his mureed were to spare five minutes every night to meditate on me in my physical absence, particularly when I give such an instruction to one who has come all this distance to meditate on me."
Baba ended by instructing Vilayat Khan, "Please yourself, but you should at least do one thing for me. You must read God Speaks from the first to the last page."
Vilayat Khan promised to do so. Baba then sent him out of the cabin. He kissed Baba's hand once again as he left the room. Adi gave him a copy of Eternal Song, an Urdu book of poems on Baba by Saib Asmi of Pakistan, and a copy of Life At Its Best. He was also given a copy of God Speaks.
Baba then met privately with Phillipe Dupuis in his cabin. He warned Dupuis: "Don't get involved, financially or otherwise, in Vilayat Khan's affairs. You ought not to have brought him to see me, for he is not yet ripe to absorb my grace."
Dupuis said, "I brought him in all good faith, thinking that if Vilayat were to accept you, his whole group of Sufis in Europe and America (which was a large group) would then have the blessed fortune to be drawn to you, and thus come directly under your protecting arms."
Baba did not appear to be satisfied with this explanation and repeated his query, asking Dupuis again and again: "But why did you bring him?" With every repetition, Baba indicated much concern for Dupuis.
Baba asked him about his own plan to stay in India. Dupuis said, "I have no plans, but I do not want to return to Europe." Baba asked about his financial condition and was told Dupuis had no debts and could afford his passage to and fro.
Lord Meher Volume 16, Page 5531
continued...
Baba reminded Dupuis about his reply to the latest circular and assured him that his affirmation of love and obedience had made him happy. Dupuis reiterated his affirmation, and Baba embraced him with love.
Baba instructed, "You should return to Europe soon after leaving here and do not get involved in Vilayat Khan's affairs."
Dupuis told Baba that he was bound by the promise to accompany Vilayat Khan to Ajmer and stay with him there as an escort or a sort of protection for him.
In response, Baba stressed, "It is futile to go to Ajmer. I warn you to beware of further entanglements. You should realize that it is far more important for you to accept and hold fast to any instructions given to you by me than to give a second thought to what you had promised to any man."
Baba further explained, "It is childish, when mankind has my living presence, to go to shrines, to sit in meditation in shrines and to visit saints. It is of paramount importance for you to realize the value of my advice to you, rather than to assess the worth of your promise to someone."
Baba assured Dupuis, "Although I have come to Meherabad for three hours today exclusively for the villagers, I have spent a considerable time with you because I love you very much."
Baba called for Vilayat Khan and, as he entered, he heard Baba, through Eruch, instruct Phillipe Dupuis the following five points:
"Phillipe should return to Europe from Bombay as soon as possible.
"Phillipe should now go to Bombay and stay there for some days until Vilayat Khan decides to go to Ajmer.
"Phillipe should go with Vilayat Khan to Ajmer and stay there at the most five to ten days, until Vilayat Khan feels settled in Ajmer.
"Phillipe should then go to Bombay and from there return to Europe.
"Phillipe should note that Baba wants him to go back to Europe as soon as possible."
Baba asked Dupuis whether he had understood his directions clearly. Dupuis nodded his head. Baba embraced him and Vilayat Khan once again and left his cabin to go to the hall to be with the Arangaon villagers who were patiently awaiting his presence.
Lord Meher Volume 16, Page 5532
continued...
After the villagers had embraced Baba, he instructed Phillipe Dupuis and Vilayat Khan to leave Meherabad with Nariman Dadachanji, who was driving back to Bombay that day. Both Dupuis and Vilayat had a farewell embrace from Baba, and Baba reminded Vilayat to read God Speaks and Dupuis to return to Europe as soon as possible after a short stay in Ajmer. Both left Ahmednagar happily; Dupuis went straight to Bombay, and Vilayat Khan was dropped off at the Poona train station to travel to Hyderabad for a short visit.
After he embraced all the villagers who came to Meherabad, Baba returned to Meherazad at about noon. While returning in the car, he expressed his concern for Phillipe Dupuis, remarking to Francis Brabazon: "It is so easy to fall and, with the fall, to get entangled. On the other hand, it is so difficult to get free from entanglements and to rise unfettered."
The next day, Baba sent a telegram to Nariman in Bombay to meet Dupuis at his hotel and remind him, on behalf of Baba, to stick to the instructions given by Baba in Meherabad. The day after, Baba made Francis write a long letter to Dupuis with additional reminders, and even advising Dupuis to leave India if he felt like doing so without going to Ajmer with Vilayat Khan.
Nariman was again sent a message to contact Dupuis and tell him to return to Europe before it was too late. However, Nariman was unable to meet Dupuis as he had already taken a train for Ajmer with Vilayat Khan. Thereupon, Nariman was told to contact Dupuis upon his return to Bombay and remind him of Baba's instructions. But this, too, he was not able to do, since Dupuis stayed in Bombay for only a day and left with no forwarding address. Baba had spent much time and energy concerning Dupuis, because he was trying to protect him and keep him in his fold. But Dupuis followed his own impulses instead, and the unfortunate result was that he was never heard from again.
Lord Meher Volume 16, Page 5534
February 1959
Philippe did not obey any of the instructions Baba had given him and seemed to do just what Baba had told him not to do. For example, Baba had told him not to visit saints and holy men, yet Kishan Singh reported to Baba that Philippe had traveled to Delhi and had an audience with Kirpal Singh. Baba was not pleased about this and was displeased with Kirpal Singh, also, when he heard that Kirpal Singh had referred to Baba as the "head of majzoobs."
( Meher Baba later dictated letters to be delivered to both Kishan & Kirpal. )
Introduction to Zen Buddhism, by DR. T. Z. Suzuki.
This book is the latest in a series of volumes containing the recorded lectures of Dr. Suzuki, foremost authority on Zen Buddhism.
The doctrine of the `Buddha Heart,' more commonly known as Zen, grew up in China and Japan some fourteen centuries ago, through a school claiming to be the only one able to transmit the true essence of Buddhism directly from its Author, and not through documents or ritual.
In the esoteric Buddhist tradition, there are two main modes of initiation, the first, a gradual unfoldment of our spiritual faculties culminating in Illumination; the second, called "the abrupt method," may be given by the Master in the twinkling of an eye. This is what the Zen tradition calls Satori, or Illumination. It is the sudden end to a sort of organized fight between Master and disciple which can last for years. The Master uses a special method called 'Koan"—a series of well-prepared but paradoxical questions or actions, with which he tries to break through the limited consciousness of his disciple and provoke Satori. This mystical intuition cannot be understood through the obscurity of the Zen anecdotes ... Dr. Suzuki takes the precaution of insisting that the Koan exercises are unintelligible to the Western mind and should not be practiced without the help of an experienced teacher; yet he manages to convey the strange spell of its own which pervades Zen ... the full virtues of which can only be appreciated after Satori. Is this identical with God-Realization? Or is it comparable to the Baka which the pilgrim encounters on the various stages of the Path? For the Zen Buddhist there seems to be no half measure, no intermediary degrees between ordinary consciousness and Illumination. To go to this absolute, there are no two ways but only one, the total crushing of the mind, the mind of duality ... doesn 't this remind us of Baba's Man-O-Nash, annihilation of the mind?
The Zen Buddhist refuses any solace, any faith, any belief. He does not worship God, he does not expect any salvation, he does not even pretend to be spiritual. He only pays attention to the conversion of the ordinary human condition through Satori—even after Satori, he remains simple, ordinary, earthly. Yet we gather from Dr. Suzuki 's fascinating book that he, though no longer "with" us, is truly One with us.