Perfect Master (Meher Baba)
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Perfect Master is an English term that the Indian author Meher Baba used to denote what he syncretizes in his system with sadguru (Vedanta) and qutub (Sufism). A Perfect Master, according to Baba, is a God-realized person (one whose limited individualized consciousness has merged with God) who can use his Divine attributes of Infinite Power, Knowledge and Bliss for the spiritual upliftment of others.[1]
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[edit] States of God-realized souls
Meher Baba stated in his book God Speaks that when a spiritually advanced soul loses its consciousness as a separate being, it merges in God in one of three distinct states:
- The soul becomes conscious of itself as God and enjoys eternally His divine attributes of Infinite Power, Knowledge and Bliss, but remains completely unconscious of Creation.
- The soul becomes conscious of itself as God and retains consciousness of Creation but does not use His divine attributes in it.
- The soul becomes conscious of itself as God and uses His divine attributes for the spiritual advancement of othes.[2]
Meher Baba denotes people who are in the third state "Perfect Masters" or Mukammil. He distinguishes the second state from "Perfect Masters," calling them "Perfect Ones" or Kamil. One of the aspects that he says demarcates the Perfect Master from the Perfect One is that the Perfect Master has disciples, while the Perfect One does not. Also Baba says that a Perfect Master can make like himself any number of souls or even the whole of creation, while the Perfect One can only make one soul like himself. However, Meher Baba makes it clear in his system as outlined in God Speaks that the consciousness of these souls is absolutely One and the same. To explain this apparent contradiction he likens the difference between these two classifications of God realized souls to a difference in the 'office' of the God Realized person.[3]
Meher Baba says that at all times on Earth there are 56 incarnate God-realized souls, but that of these only five are deemed the five Perfect Masters of their era. When one of the five Perfect Masters 'drops' his physical body, Baba says, another God-realized soul among the 56 incarnate at that time replaces him by taking up that office in that moment. Thus, Meher Baba says there are 56 God-realized souls on Earth at all times, but only and exactly five hold the office of Perfect Master.
In addition, Baba says there is one very rare type of God-realized person who has no disciples but who has duties included in his office. These he says are called Most Perfect Ones or Akmal.[4]
[edit] The Avatar
Meher Baba asserts that beyond the five Perfect Masters of the age, (distinguished as those God-realized souls which fulfill the office of Perfect Master temporarily until they drop their physical bodies), there is also the Avatar. The Avatar, according to Meher Baba, is a special Perfect Master who was the original Perfect Master, or the Ancient One, who never ceases to incarnate in spite of his original attainment of God-realization. Baba says that this particular soul personifies the state of God which in Hinduism is called Vishnu and in Sufism is called Parvardigar, i.e. the sustainer or preserver state of God. In Baba's system he syncretizes the concept of Avatar with terms from numerous diverse traditions, e.g. The Rasool, The Messiah, The Christ, The Maitreya, The Savior, The Redeemer, etc. According to Meher Baba the Avatar appears on Earth every 700-1400 years, and is 'brought down' into human form by the five Perfect Masters of that age to aid in the process of moving creation in its never ending journey toward Godhood. He said that in other ages this role was fulfilled by Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Gautama Buddha, Jesus, and lastly by Muhammad.
[edit] References
- ^ God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose, Meher Baba, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1973, Sec. Ed. p. 150
- ^ God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose, Meher Baba, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1973, Sec. Ed. p. 61
- ^ God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose, Meher Baba, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1973, Sec. Ed. pp. 148-149
- ^ God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose, Meher Baba, Dodd, Mead and Company, 1973, Sec. Ed. pp. 148,301
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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