“I bow to the Beloved within, invoking His mercy”—Robert Dreyfuss

Dear Community,

 Our dearest Robert passed into the arms of His Beloved on Oct 31st around 1
 am Asheville time.  He had slipped into a coma and was in his bed with no
 pain or discomfort when he slipped away.  His main caregiver Veronica was
 with him and his beloved nurse Lisa.  Veronica was the main caregiver that
 Robert was very fond of.  She had accompanied him to the Southeast Gathering
 this past year.  She informed me that she was by his bedside reading him
 Baba's words from the Everything and the Nothing.
 
 He is free at last.  Baba was with him till the end!
 
 Jai Beloved Meher Baba to our beloved brother and friend.  He was a mighty
 soul indeed!

 Alisa

( L-R ) Dolly & Adi Kavas, Arjani left of Jaco Carako, Robert Dreyfus, Janet Luck, Andrea, Arthur Kimbal, Janet, Amrit's mother in front of Steve Edelman, Amrit, Felix Schmit, Rich Damato, Steve Eseley with hat and Theus Malmberg crouching far right.

In the spring of 1965, a 22-year-old senior at Boston University named Robert Dreyfuss visited Allan Cohen at Harvard, and noticed a quote by Meher Baba on Allan's office door:

To penetrate into the essence of all being and significance, and to release the fragrance of that inner attainment for the guidance and benefit of others, by expressing, in the world of forms, truth, love, purity and beauty--this is the sole game which has any intrinsic and absolute worth. All other happenings, incidents and attainments can, in themselves, have no lasting importance.

Robert had been planning a trip to India for some years, and when he learned of a "sahavas" (gathering) to be held in December, and not having money to travel with the group that was going over, he decided to fly one-way to London, and then hitch-hike across Europe, Turkey and Iran to India. His trip included such adventures as riding deck class on a boat from Kuwait, because the border between Pakistan and India was closed due to the war at that time.

Robert arrived in Bombay on November 14th, not knowing that the sahavas had been cancelled on September 4th, and that Meher Baba was in seclusion. Baba did, however, make an exception and allowed Robert to see him. Robert, who like many spiritual seekers of the time used drugs, described LSD to Baba's "mandali" (close disciples) in conversation before meeting Baba, and they shared with him Allan Cohen's letter. At about 3:00 pm they brought Robert to Baba's room:

Suddenly, there he was! Sitting on his bed, unclothed from the waist up, beaming--the Emperor of emperors. What occurred then I shall never forget--a great loosening, a shaking from within. I am not given to visions, or 'seeing things,' or hallucinations, but on beholding his form, what I saw was his resplendent face at the center of an effulgence so brilliant, of a light so complete in its all-encompassing radiance, that tears blurred my vision in rivers of delight. There was no way I could stop it. The light was so brilliant, it was like looking into the sun, and so tears naturally had to flow. Here he was, the One who in his compassion had granted this speck of his imagination a glimpse of the Sun!

Baba instructed Robert to take a hot bath after his long trip, and to read certain sections of God Speaks before the sun set, to get a good dinner and a good night's sleep, and that he would see Robert in the morning.

The next day Baba asked to see the route that Robert had taken. He then asked Robert if many people in America were taking drugs like LSD. Robert said they were, and Baba answered, "Tell those that are, that if drugs could make one realize God, then God is not worthy of being God." Baba instructed Robert:

Tell those who indulge in these drugs that it is harmful physically, mentally and spiritually, and that they should stop the taking of these drugs. Your duty is to tell them, regardless of whether they accept what you say, or if they ridicule or humiliate you, to boldly and bravely face these things. Leave the results to me, I will help you in my work.

In 1975, while pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work, one of my many volunteer jobs found me trying to start a conversation with a young man who had taken too many doses of LSD. I asked him, "Do you play any musical instruments?" There was no response for about two minutes, and I had given up all hope of conversing with him, when he finally answered, "Drums".

By Baba's expressed wish, Allan Cohen, Robert Dreyfus and Rick Chapman became the three principle spokespersons to spread Baba's message via articles, talks and appearances on radio and television shows, that drugs are "harmful physically, mentally and spiritually" to the West, and they continue in this work today.

By Steve S.

http://www.ial.goldthread.com/Meher_Baba.html