I AM THAT ONE
Meher Baba
Why and how can I suffer when I am the Ocean of Power, Knowledge and Bliss? God has infinite Power, infinite Knowledge and infinite Bliss. The Avatar is God Himself incarnate on earth as Man. During His ministry as Avatar, He uses only infinite Knowledge. He does not make use of His infinite Power and infinite Bliss. This is because God incarnates as Man and goes through universal suffering and helplessness in order to emancipate mankind from its ignorance of suffering and helplessness.
If the Avatar were to use His infinite Power, how could He experience helplessness? If the Avatar were to use His infinite Bliss, how could He suffer? He therefore does not use either His infinite Bliss or His infinite Power. Such is His infinite Love and Compassion for His creation!
Jesus Christ Who had infinite Power, let Himself become helpless and suffered the humiliation of letting the people spit on Him and jeer at Him. He suffered crucifixion, but even while on the Cross did not help Himself from the Power and Bliss that were His. Instead He cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" He said it to Himself of course, for He and the Father are One.
Again and again, God takes human form to suffer for His Creation. I am that One. Like you I have a body and mind and so I feel hunger and thirst, etc. But I also have Universal Body and Universal Mind and therefore your individual suffering is as nothing compared to My eternal, universal suffering! I have infinite Knowledge. I do not have to use My mind in order to know -- I just know. I use My infinite Knowledge. But although I have infinite Bliss and infinite Power, I do not make use of them. If I were to make use of the Bliss that is at My beck and call, how could My suffering be "suffering"? And of what benefit would it be to mankind? I also do not use My infinite Power. If I were to use it, how would I remain helpless? I remain infinitely helpless because while having infinite Power at My command, I do not use it! I shall use it only when I break My Silence to give a universal spiritual Awakening; and when I drop this Body I shall use My Bliss for 700 years till My next advent.
Hold fast to Me so that I will take you where I go, otherwise you will be lost. I am the Emperor. If you belong to Me you will have access to the Infinite Treasure that is Mine. But if, instead, you go after the guards and servants of the palace (the Sants and Sadhus) it is sheer folly on your part!
I suffer physically and mentally. My physical suffering can be seen. My mental suffering is much more intense that the physical, and is due to the anti-God element that is at its height, and the universal prevalence of hypocrisy -- specially of those who profess themselves to be saints and spiritual personalities. I suffer spiritually because although in Me I am Free, in you I see and feel Myself bound by your ignorance; and so I suffer infinitely. In no previous Avataric period have I disclosed these secrets, because the time was not ripe for it then. At present science has advanced by leaps and bounds; and anti-God element is at its maximum; why then should not spirituality also be at its maximum! Blessed is he who holds fast to My daaman.*
*daaman (literal meaning "hem of the garment") is pronounced to rhyme with salmon.
82 FAMILY LETTERS, pp. 158-159, Mani Irani
Copyright 1976 AMBPPCT
