The Old Order of Things

In the early days after Meher Baba died, many of his American followers thought his life would be followed by something excitingly new. This was natural. That was the trend of the time -- the early 1970s -- to expect 'revolution.'

Evolution Revolution, a children's TV show about monkeys being revolutionary (hippies) produced on ABC from September 12, 1970 to January 2, 1971. Those images of Lancelot Chimp from that TV series do a good job of personifying that particular period of cultural revolution.


Anyway, this expectation has little to do with what Baba himself had to say about his advent, and more to do with the times in which people thought them. Here is what Baba himself actually said about what his intentions were in this time. This may surprise people.

• "I have not come to establish anything; I have come to put life into the old.” (Final Declaration)
• "My object in coming to the West is not with the intention of establishing new creeds or spiritual societies and organizations. I see the structure of all the great religions of the world toppling... I intend to bring together all religions and cults like beads on one string and revitalize them for individual and collective needs." (PARAMOUNT NEWSREEL, London, 1932)
• "I have come not to establish any cult, society or organization - nor to establish a new religion. The Religion I shall give teaches the knowledge of the One behind the many. The Book which I shall make people read is the book of the heart, which holds the key to the mystery of life." (UNIVERSAL MESSAGE, 1954)
• "The period of junction of the old and new cycle usually connotes the advent of a Master who rejuvenates and infuses new life and meaning into the old order of things and besides imparting the highest state of spirituality, the state of Oneness with the Infinite Ocean of Bliss, Knowledge and Power, to the select few, a general spiritual push is given to the whole universe." (THE ANSWER, Conversations With Meher Baba, pp. 37-38, ed. Naosherwan Anzar)

Baba's words are self-explanatory.

The following is from an address Baba gave in 1942.

"Since the vision that inspires the new world-culture will be comprehensive, it will not negate the values of diverse traditions, nor will it have merely patronizing tolerance for them. On the contrary, it shall express itself through active appreciation of the essentials of diverse religions and cultures. The vast vision of the Truth cannot be limited by any creed, dogma or sect; however, it helps men to transcend these limitations, not by blind and total denial of any value to the existing creeds, dogmas and sects, but by discovering, accentuating, unfolding and developing such facets of the Truth as might have been hidden in them." – Meher Baba, Lord Meher online, p. 5430, 1942