(Sept. 1931) A man who converted from Christianity to Buddhism named Christmas Humphreys was president of the Buddhist Society of London. Humphreys found out about Meher Baba through Kim Tolhurst. One day, he and some others from his Buddhist group came to see Meher Baba. During their meeting, Baba exchanged ideas with them:
Baba explained: “In Sufi terms, religion has four aspects: shariat, tariqat, marefat and haqiqat. Man has to go beyond shariat – the external aspect. The orthodox Muslims consider it unlawful to go beyond shariat. Yet, a Qutub (Perfect Master) has such powers that if he wishes, he can make a person God-Realized in a minute!”
Baba looked at one of the visitors who after listening to Baba’s statement was deep in thought. Baba asked him what he was thinking. The man questioned, “How is it possible for a person to gain Realization within a minute?”
Baba elaborated, “Even within a second, all actions can be annihilated and the experience of God instantly given. Bondage to Maya (illusion) is always there and karma (bondage) is due to actions. After the actions are destroyed, there is no bondage. Do you think you can obtain Realization in this birth?”
The man replied, “I cannot agree with your statement about karma. How could the effects of actions be done away with in one lifetime?”
“Why not?” Baba smilingly replied. “They can be destroyed by the grace of the Master. If that is not so, of what use is the Guru? What is the value of grace if everyone has to await his turn and time?”
Baba then dictated the story of his youth that changed his life, “I was studying in college and had no idea about Spiritual Truth or Superconsciousness. An ancient woman named Babajan gave that superconsciousness to me in one embrace! Before that, I could not fast for even one day. After her embrace, I remained on only water for eleven months and I was absolutely sleepless. But I did not think that I was fasting or not sleeping. It was all spontaneous and I had no thought of it.”
Baba then emphasized, “I have the Experience and from that Experience, I affirm that it is the work of a moment for the Qutub to root out all past actions. The living Buddha, the Lord and Master, can do it in the twinkling of an eye!
“Do not think about it. You will understand all this gradually and know all this to be true. Come back and be with me for six hours in November.”
Then describing yoga-samadhi, Baba stated: “Real perception and illumination are permanent, and only the grace of the Master makes a person enlightened. There are so many persons who practice yoga and attain samadhi through it. But this state is temporary. No sooner is a yogi out of samadhi than he becomes aware of the world like any ordinary human being. This means that enlightenment is constant and real knowledge is derived from it. Very few can gain enlightenment – seeing God. So what is there to say about the ultimate union with God – Self-Realization?”
Christmas Humphreys was very impressed with Meher Baba and later wrote of his impressions in an article entitled “The Incarnation of Love,” from which the following is an excerpt:
For the first time in my life, and I have not met another like him, I found myself in the aura of a man who literally radiated love. He combined the profundity of mystical experience with the guileless candor of a child, and his smile was as infectious as the words he used were immaterial. And all the while he radiated such a pure affection that one wondered why, when all religions praise the value of pure love, should it be a memorable experience to meet one man who practiced it.
If there were more Meher Babas in the world today, war would end for want of causes. This man of love sets all men an example!
Although Humphreys was deeply moved and touched by Meher Baba, he was too involved with Buddhism to give up that path and follow the Master under his direct guidance.
Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, Original Publication, Vol. 4, pp. 1432 – 1433.