UNTIL THE MIND IS UNDER CONTROL

 
Come and see and bear witness to Meher Baba's perfect knowledge and understanding of all human beings. The Divine Psychologist using Divine Love as His medium of working; see how patiently He works. As there can be no perfect knowing of the True while the false ego obliterates the real "I," He must lead you towards understanding this false ego which exists only in this world of duality.

It is this awakening which gives you freedom — freedom from bindings of convention, bindings of fear, bindings that limit and bindings that inhibit. From all these He will set you free, that the Spirit within may shine forth undimmed. How? By making you conscious first of its nature, and then at every opportunity giving it knock after knock, till you can remain calm in the midst of all, and the false ego thus starved loses its energy until it ceases to exist.

Meher Baba with His Infinite Knowledge leads you to the point where you have to face up to the truth of yourself. There is no escape in a life lived in a group, living at close quarters under one roof, bound in by four walls. Every detail of the life of each is known to the Master. For example: someone insults you, calls you names — calls you a liar. Immediately your ego is hurt. You boil inside, and if this resentment is not controlled, it shows itself in anger and excitement. In this way you feed the ego, and instead of decreasing, it increases.

Meher Baba, who sees all, calls both parties together. He rebukes, He scolds for this lack of control and lack of love, saying: "If you cannot love each other, and it appears that you cannot, then take practical steps to see that you do not fight and can give in to one another. When you begin to feed the ego with the help of the mind and you feel resentment and excitement approaching, start laughing, start dancing, go outside for a moment until the mind is under control. But control at all costs."

How slow all are to learn this lesson of control! No wonder the Master asks for implicit obedience. He knows that without this order, the struggle would be a hundred times greater. It acts as a reminder. It focuses our thoughts on Him and not on our actions. But the closing of the scene makes even the rebuke worthwhile. Baba, looking up and smiling, says: "Now go; forget about it and do not brood. Throw it all over. It no longer exists. Be happy, be cheerful. This is my order." (He knows how difficult it is for us to forget.)

Thus we experience Divine forgiveness that truly forgives and forgets. Meher Baba may withhold the fulfillment of certain statements He may make until His own time; but if He says that He forgives and forgets, you have abundant proof that this is so. He trusts you as before.

There are few things that Meher Baba really dislikes, but one of these is excessive remorse and tears. If He orders you to forget and to stop brooding, you must obey and control the mind. It is lack of control that prevents your doing so. Hence Baba's insistence on obedience, which is always to help you and for the sake of the work.

Says Meher Baba: "If you cannot be cheerful and obey when I tell you, then why stay near Me? You sacrifice all — your home — your friends — your freedom — for the bindings of four walls, and all this for love; yet you spoil what would be a perfect sacrifice by this absolutely disastrous lack of control."