Symbols of the world's religions

               

TO BECOME A CIRCLE MEMBER

Bhau Kalchuri

 
To become a circle member of either the Avatar or a Perfect Master one must serve the cause of Truth for many lives. There is a difference, though, between the circle of the Avatar and the circle of a Perfect Master. A Perfect Master's circle consists of twelve men and two women appendages, and the Avatar's is of one hundred and twenty men and women, plus two women appendages.

A Perfect Master has one circle, and the Avatar has ten circles. All members of the ten circles attain Realization before the Avatar's next advent, and therefore, when he takes human form again he has to form a new circle of one hundred and twenty-two members in each advent. A Perfect Master gives Realization to his circle either before or after he drops the body, and for each circle member it is their last lifetime. Dedication to the Truth is the only factor considered by either the Avatar or a Perfect Master in the forming of their circles....

The Perfect Master naturally selects those members of his circle from the group which had journeyed with him the farthest. The Master gives the greatest benefit of his love to his circle members, and then through his work, he benefits those who accompanied him along the journey according to the distance they traveled with him.

The Perfect Master bestows Realization to the twelve members of his circle who were those who journeyed the farthest with him, and then he bestows Liberation to those who had accompanied him to great lengths. This bestowal of Realization and Liberation is the first and foremost work of a Perfect Master, and then his secondary work is to benefit that section of humanity for whom he has been given duty. A Perfect Master regains his creation-consciousness to awaken those people with whom he has had past karmic associations, and he awakens that part of the world assigned to him by the Avatar.

The Avatar was the First One to become God. So it is not necessary for him to make the journey through creation. He is the One who comes from the far side of the river where GOD ALONE EXISTS, to the side where creation exists.

The Avatar has no karmic past associations (he descends directly) and therefore he comes into creation for the whole universe. Since it was the Avatar who originally took upon himself the responsibility for all creation from the beginning, he comes for the whole creation, and since he alone has no past karmic association in any sense of the word, he has to form a new circle each time he comes. The Avatar selects members of his circle who are suitable for his work, and those selected are the ones who have been dedicated in the past to the cause of Truth. The Avatar's circle members may be those who have loved him in previous advents, or may be others who were devoted and sincere lovers of the Truth, but never really loved him personally.

The Avatar is always free, and he is bound only by his duty toward the creation by his free will. Therefore the Avatar's association is with the whole creation, while a Perfect Master's association is with those with whom he was once karmically bound. The God-Realized Soul has been freed from all bindings, but if a God-Realized Being comes back to work, then his work is first with those with whom he has past karmic associations, and this work has to do with sanskaric annihilation.

Ordinary human associations are formed out of bindings, and since the Avatar is eternally free, being bound only by his one duty toward the universe, he has no binding association with his circle members before his next advent. The Avatar is not bound by anything at anytime, except his one divine duty to work for all creation. He is eternally free, and therefore, when he comes to perform his divine duty toward the creation he remains free even while he is working.

A Perfect Master remains bound up to the time of his Realization and therefore when he returns he finds his binding association of the past. But when is the Avatar ever bound? Never! He was and is never bound! He was and is eternally free! The avatar does not pass through evolution and involution to reenter creation. He is forever conscious God free from all bindings, and takes human form only to help creation, and he does so by his own free choice.

In the interplay of love there is a connecting link with the Avatar, and this link cannot be broken. Love is the association with the Avatar, and love is associated with sacrifice, selflessness and courage. It is this love that frees one from the bindings of lust, greed, anger, pride and jealousy. So out of his eternal freedom the Avatar selects such circle members who love freedom, and who are prepared to sacrifice anything to achieve this goal.

 

AVATAR OF THE AGE MEHER BABA MANIFESTING, p. 22-24
1985 © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust

               

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