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Meher Baba Dnyana Meher Baba's Gnosis and the Path of Knowledge |
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In karma yoga, one tries to lose one's self in selfless service for others. In dnyan yoga one tries to lose one's self in contemplation and meditation. In raj yoga one tries to lose one's identity with the individual self, and establish identity with the universal self by aiming, through constant mental poise and non-attachment, to be in the world and yet not of it. In bhakti yoga one tries to lose one's self in devotion to God. Even in these yogas, only when the zenith is reached can the individuality of the lower self be lost, yet consciousness remain. But the easiest and safest way to lose one's self is by completely surrendering to the Perfect Master. Then the past, present and future of the one who has surrendered are drowned in the Master, and he is no longer either bound by, or responsible for, any of his actions, whether good or bad, expressed during his implicit obedience to the Master. Thus complete surrenderance to the Perfect Master is, in itself, freedom. (Meher Baba, MD p9-10) |
The Three Paths by Stelios Karavias & Christopher Ott |
| According to Meher Baba, spontaneity is of utmost importance for one treading the spiritual path. Even to his close followers, who were completely surrendered to his wish and followed his instructions unquestioningly, he would often ask them to reconsider their surrender to him and make sure they were into it with their free will and responsibility. Outside of his close circle of disciples (mandali), he was careful to leave the choice of paths open to the aspirant, often quoting the Sufi proverb, "There are as many ways to God as there are souls." (GS 194) Other notable quotes to this effect were, "Every man must work out his own salvation, and must choose his own method," (GS 193) and "With love, one can follow any of the yogas most suitable to his or her temperament." (Messages of Meher Baba, East and West, ed. Adi K. Irani, p. 6,7) In Eastern tradition, three paths to God are distinguished: the Path of Action (Karma yoga), the Path of Knowledge (Dnyana or Jnana yoga) and the Path of Love and Devotion (Bhakti yoga). Meher Baba, avoiding the fixed customs behind each "yoga," used the word Sadhana instead, which literally means "path of attainment." But whereas most human paths of attainment have some limited goal, such as the attainment of a skill, profession or family, in the spiritual sense the goal is no less than transending the mind and experiencing the Self directly, or consciously attaining the state of God. Meher Baba singles out Love as the only Path that is complete in itself. The Path of Action, in order to be spiritually meaningful, involves enlighted action (which involves some understanding on lasting values) undertaken as selfless service (which is not possible without devotion). And the Path of Knowledge, in order to be spiritually fruitful, involves love and devotion for the spiritual master who imparts the knowledge (and represents its divine source) to the aspirant, as well as detatchment from worldly concerns and discrimination put in action. Also Baba noted that the spiritual Path itself is also a part of its Goal. For a more extensive introduction to the three paths, see "The Deeper Aspects of Sadhana" in the online version of the Discourses : here . |