Meher Baba's Silence
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The 95th Anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba's Silence Meher Baba's Silence & A Story from Meher Mount Meher Baba's Silence Started July 10, 1925 Meher Baba's Silence Started on July 10, 1925 “In this present Avataric form, I observe silence.” — Avatar Meher Baba AVATAR MEHER BABA using the alphabet board as His principle means of communication for the last time in 1954. He observed silence from July 10, 1925, until He dropped His physical form on January 31, 1969. mehermount.org Meher Baba's Silence Started July 10, 1925 On July 10, 1925, Avatar Meher Baba began His silence that lasted for 44 years until He dropped His body on January 31, 1969. After Meher Baba started His silence, He communicated by writing on a slate board. After that, He pointed to letters on an alphabet board to spell out words. Later, he used a series of hand gestures that were interpreted by His close disciples ( mandali). Meher Baba said that His silence was not undertaken as a spiritual exercise, but solely in connection with His universal work. About His silence, Meher Baba said: “Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion he taught, man has waged wars in his name. Instead of living the humility, purity, and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed, and violence. ”Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form, I observe silence. You have asked for and been given enough words - it is now time to live them.” — Avatar Meher Baba, "The Universal Message" [1] mehermount.org Meher Baba's Silence Started July 10, 1925 AVATAR MEHER BABA came out of this jhopdi (hut) in Meherabad, India, at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, July 10, 1925, marking the start of His silence. Asked how He would teach in silence, Meher Baba replied, "I have come not to teach, but to awaken." (Photo: Sam Ervin) mehermount.org Meher Baba's Silence Started July 10, 1925 Followers of Meher Baba Observe Silen ce on July 10 Avatar Meher Baba asked His followers to keep silence from midnight July 9th to midnight July 10th. Eruch Jessawala - one of Meher Baba's close mandali - stated the following about Silence Day [2]: "It was Baba's order for all His lovers and applies even to this day. One can say - it was one of His few orders for posterity. In fact, there are very few orders He has left for His lovers in the world... "If someone accidentally speaks up -- it's okay, but on realizing his mistake, he should keep silence again and be more alert. Use gestures or write on a notepad... "All those who consider themselves Baba lovers are expected to do this." Sources: [1] Avatar Meher Baba, "The Universal Message", (c) Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, Ahmednagar, India. [2] Rustom B. Falahati, "Observing Silence Day," The Real Treasure - V: Life of a Resident with Avatar Meher Babas Mandali, (India: Joy Meher, 2013). (c) Rustom B. Falahati. mehermount.org Why Avatar Meher Baba Observed Silence Why Meher Baba Observed Silence AVATAR MEHER BABA communicating only with hand gestures after He stopped using the alphabet board in 1954. He was silent from July 10, 1925 until He dropped His body on January 31, 1969. mehermount.org Why Avatar Meher Baba Observed Silence By Eruch Jessawala We would often question Meher Baba about His long silence, asking Him when He intended to break it and one day in 1954 in answer, He just dropped His alphabet board and said, "From now on I will not use the board." We thought this was a hint that He might be about to break His silence but the days passed without incident except that He then started to communicate by using nger gestures. All He would say, referring to His silence, was, "What a binding it is" but it was a binding with a purpose — for our sake. However, one lasting benet which developed out of this, came one day when He asked us this question: "Why do people shout at one another when they are angry?" We said, "They shout because they are angry and they want to express their anger," and Baba responded, "Yes, they can express their anger that way, but even if someone is seated at their side they will shout at that person. Could they not speak softly?" We volunteered dierent explanations, saying dierent things which came to mind at the time, but our answers did not satisfy Baba. So He gave us the answer. "When a person is angry with another person," He said, "that person is far removed from his heart and distance is created between them. That's why the physical reaction is to shout, and the greater the distance, the greater is the shouting. Love disappears and one goes on shouting at the other who in turn barks back at him. Then he barks and so it goes on and on." mehermount.org Why Avatar Meher Baba Observed Silence AVATAR MEHER BABA communicating with a series of hand gestures that are interpreted by His followers. (Photo: Los Angeles Times, 1956) mehermount.org Why Avatar Meher Baba Observed Silence But Baba did not stop there as He doubtlessly wanted us to see the same thing from a dierent angle. So He continued, "Now take the other case of two people in love. When two individuals are in love with each other, how do they speak?" "They speak softly," we answered. "Yes," Baba agreed, "they do speak softly and the greater the love between them, the softer is their tone of speech. And when they are still further in love, no words are needed and they just look at each other, and eventually there is not even the need to look — no need at all." Well, that is the reason why Meher Baba observed silence. There was no need for an exchange of words. It was very good to hear that, to be reminded that He was so very close to us; as He has said, "I am closer to you than your very breath." Whether the world accepted His closeness or not was immaterial to Him for whom there was no need to speak, and it was so true that whenever people came in contact with Him, although there was an exchange of signs or words through interpretations, Meher Baba always spoke directly to the hearts of people. There is no doubt at all about that, He simply reached deep into their hearts. Source: Anzar, Naosherwan, The Ancient One: A Disciple’s Memoirs of Meher Baba (Hamilton, New Jersey: Beloved Books, 1985), pp. 101-102. (c)Naosherwan Anzar. Used with permission. About: Eruch Jessawala was a primary interpreter of Meher Baba’s alphabet board and then His signs and gestures. He was well known for his deep understanding of Meher Baba’s Life and work. mehermount.org How Silence Day Started How Silence Day Started In 1979, just 10 years after Avatar Meher Baba dropped His physical form, The Glow magazine published this account by Eruch Jessawala regarding the observance of Silence Day. Eruch was a close disciple of Meher Baba's and often interpreted Meher Baba's hand gestures. From 1969 until Eruch's passing in 2001, Eruch would sit in Mandali Hall in Meherazad, India, and answer pilgrims' questions about life with Meher Baba and share his insights regarding the meaning of Meher Baba's words and actions. In the excerpt below, Eruch is answering questions about Silence Day which is observed every July 10th. By Eruch Jessawala The tenth of July is Silence Day. We all know that Baba observed silence for 44 years, and we talk about His Silence and about the breaking of His Silence. A number of Baba-lovers are asking us [His close disciples] whether we should continue to observe silence on Silence Day or not. Well, it is left to each individual whether one wants to observe silence or not. But there will come a time, I feel, when the world will observe Silence Day, just as we observe Christmas and New Year's Day. There will come a time when the observance of Meher Baba's Silence Day will spread all over the world. mehermount.org How Silence Day Started In order to commemorate the day Meher Baba began His Silence, it is natural that all those who love him observe silence on July 10th. Those who are close to him would obviously want to commemorate this day. To our wanting or not wanting to observe the day, there is a guideline from Meher Baba himself. In the beginning, we never made it a special day. There came a time, after several years when somebody drew Baba's attention to the fact that July 10 was the day when He began his silence. Baba casually instructed that it should be remembered by observing a fast. Adi [Adi K. Irani, Meher Baba’s secretary] would send out circulars in advance with a reminder to Baba-lovers that July 10 is the day of Silence, and that they should observe fast on that day. “Fast” meant 24 hours of fast, only tea was permitted. Then there came an option. Either one observed fast for 24 hours or silence for 24 hours. Baba-lovers were happy; they said, "Let us try observing silence." Many people who were close to Baba began to observe silence on that day.