"Fixing" Lord Meher

Lord Meher, old and new.

ORIGINAL VERSION:

Truth has nothing to do with religion. Truth is far away and far beyond the tenets and principles of religion. Truth is naked and unrestrained and can only be experienced by cutting loose Maya's limbs – lust, anger and greed.

Muslims say that experience can only be gained through the Islamic religion, arguing for circumcision and other rituals. How ludicrous! Do any of you know why Muslims practice circumcision? Muhammad told them to cut down and annihilate their minds; meaning to cut through Maya and cut away their sanskaras. This means keeping one's own mind under control and away from worldly thoughts. But failing to understand the true meaning of the Prophet's teaching, some theologians concentrate upon the custom of circumcising children – a custom which people, without thinking, accepted and started to follow. (Lord Meher, Print edition, 1986, p. 817)

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NEW VERSION:

Truth has nothing in the least to do1 with religion. It is far, far beyond the limited and bare dictates and doctrines of a religion. Truth is bare and simple in its requirement that you give up maya2 — particularly lust, anger and greed. Anybody can aspire and attain to the Truth. There are no caste distinctions or prejudices there.

Muslims say that Realization can only be obtained through the Mohammedan religion [Islam], and they bring forth the silly arguments of shariat,3 insisting on circumcision and so forth. How ridiculous! Do any of you know why Muslims practice circumcision? Their great Prophet Muhammad propagated the divine doctrine of "cutting their mind, maya and sanskaras," that is, keeping their minds, which are ever wandering in worldly maya, in check. He told them to be aloof and away from the clutches of maya and to destroy their sanskaras as much as possible. But since they were unable to grasp the deep meaning of this divine doctrine given by their Prophet, they or some fine theologians4 invented and preached "cutting of the foreskin" and so forth. And the people blindly accepted and followed these doctrines5 as if they had been given by their own Prophet, and they lay particular stress on the same. How ridiculously reverse from the real and original doctrine taught by their great Prophet! (New Revised Lord Meher, p. 680: Retrieved July 25, 2016)

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COMMENTARY

1 In the original version, it says Truth has nothing to do with religion. But in the revised one it not only has nothing to do with it, it has nothing "in the least" to do with it, which is an overstatement, and even adds an air of hostility by its redundancy.

2 In the original, we "cut loose Maya's limbs – lust, greed, and anger." In the revised we "give up Maya," which shows no understanding at all of what Baba means by Maya.

3 In the original, there is no mention of Shariat. In the revised Baba speaks of the "silly arguments of shariat." Shariat has no arguments. See arguments of shariat.

4 In the original, it says Muslims argue for circumcision and other rituals. In the revised version, the Muslims and "some fine theologians" invented circumcision. The latter is simply factually untrue. Circumcision had existed in Northern Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years.

David Fenster

5 Finally, in the new version there were once "real and original doctrines" of Islam, a concept missing from the original version, and not at all like something Baba would say.

David Fenster revises Lord Meher on a continual basis, almost three years after the death of the book's author. It's most recent revision was stamped July 3, 2016.

It's ironic that David Fenster speaks sarcastically of "some fine theologians" inventing and bending the words of past prophets, when he himself has made himself into a paragon of one of those people he envisions.