THE NEXT AVATAR

 
For the first time in recorded history, the Avatar has given us specific information about His return. In 1963, Baba remarked: "My next advent will be after seven hundred years when all five Perfect Masters will be men."(1) Baba reiterated His plan to return in seven hundred years on many occasions. A typical comment, made in 1954, was: "I will come back again after seven hundred years; this much I can say now."(2)

Baba tells us also that the Avatar will be male and will be born in the East. From the advents of Jesus and Muhammad, we can infer that "the East" includes the Middle East as well as the Far East. "The Avatar has always been and will always be born in Asia. This is because of the peculiar situation there in the evolution of the universe and the existence of the gross plane which necessitates the manifestation of the Avatar only on that particular continent."(3)

Baba also said that the next Avatar's mother will be the soul who was Gaimai Irani and that His father will be the soul who was Kharman Masi, both Indians during Baba's life.(4) Of course, the humor is that those individuals are now dead, and we have no way of knowing who they will be in coming incarnations.

The next Avatar will be a scientist, and He will visit Japan.(5) There is no evidence that the Avatar will be born in Japan, however. Interestingly, Baba visited Japan in this advent.

The Avatar usually comes during periods of great turmoil and spiritual ignorance. His next advent will be an exception to the general pattern, however. Baba explained: "When I come again after seven hundred years, the evolution of consciousness will have reached such an apex that materialistic tendencies will be automatically transmuted into spiritual longing, and the feeling of equality in spiritual brotherhood will prevail."(6) Unfortunately, this spiritual state of affairs will not last, and materialistic tendencies will again predominate.(7)

With His characteristic charm and humor, Baba has given us the bare essentials of His next advent. There is enough detail to leave suffering humanity with hope, but part of the humor of the situation is that we cannot control when or where we reincarnate, so that our ability to "plan ahead" is seriously limited.

Although trying to speculate about the future is of little spiritual value, one has to believe that the Avatar will again surprise us all by defying orthodox expectations. Will He observe silence? Will He take birth in India? Will there be orthodox churches of a Baba religion along with priests and clergy of Meherism?

He is not likely to repeat a previous advent in His external behavior. The magnetic quality of the personality will be the same, as will the core message to love God. The style of life and the emphasis of the teachings will probably differ. Buddha, unlike Krishna, did not counsel armies and encourage His followers to fight. Jesus, unlike Buddha, did not "start monastic orders and performed numerous public miracles. Muhammad, unlike Jesus, did not proclaim Himself to be an Avatar, left a book of revealed truth, and founded a religion with specific rituals. Meher Baba, unlike Muhammad, did not establish a religion, clearly proclaimed Himself as an Avatar, and encouraged His followers to enjoy His image in films, paintings, and photos.

So the Avatar will return to us with His love and His humor in seven hundred years. His love for humanity moved Him to tell us when He would return to sustain us during the interim. His humor will return with Him, as it always does. Those who expect to find an Avatar who duplicates the external life of Meher Baba will be disappointed, and those who are rigidly attached to an orthodox religion may miss Him. As always, He will recognize His lovers and will invite them to share in His loving company and spiritual light. To His close ones, He will give the gift of obedience to His orders, and to those who are spiritually ready, He will give the supreme gift of God Realization. To the world, He will give His love, His light, His guidance and His spiritual push.