Can you connect the singer Bobby McFerrin with the mystic Meher Baba?
"about the concept of Perfect Masters, the Avatar, and those on the various stages of the spiritual path that he called involution. His most important teachings are recorded in his principal books ""Discourses"" and ""God Speaks"". His legacy includes the Avatar Meher Baba Charitable Trust he established in India, a handful of centers for information and pilgrimage, as well as an influence on pop-culture artists and the introduction of common expressions such as ""Don't Worry, Be Happy."" Meher Baba's silence has remained a mysterious issue as much among his followers as with the rest of the world. Meher Baba was"
"1967. In the interview Baba explains the difference between God-realization and drug-induced hallucinations and the scene plays a pivotal role in the documentary's narrative. Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, God in human form. Merwan Sheriar Irani was born in 1894 in Pune, India to Irani Zoroastrian parents. His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years. During this time he contacted five spiritual teachers before beginning his own mission and gathering his own"
"as the result of contacts with some celebrities of the time and from the rather disillusioned account of Paul Brunton (""A Search in Secret India"", 1934), he received further attention after his death through various mentions in western pop-culture. Pete Townshend of The Who, who became a follower of Baba, dedicated his 1969 rock-opera ""Tommy"" to Meher Baba in the record's gatefold. The Who's 1971 song ""Baba O'Riley"" was named in part after Meher Baba, and Townshend recorded several Meher Baba tribute albums including ""Happy Birthday"", ""I Am"", ""Who Came First"", and ""With Love"". In 1970 Melanie Safka mentioned Baba"
"Meredith Starr Roland Meredith Starr (born Herbert Close; 29 December 1890 – 13 December 1971) was a British occultist and poet. He is credited with introducing Meher Baba to the West. Starr was born in Prestbury House, Hampton, at Richmond in the County of Middlesex, England to well-to-do land owning parents (""""landed proprietors"""") William Brooks Close and Mary Baker Brooks Close. When Starr was one year old his parents separated and he was raised by his mother. He received his education at Winchester College in Hampshire. Starr was a psychologist, homeopath, occultist and an editorial writer. He was also the"
"and had to be replaced. The trip it made to Meherabad was its last. The stretcher which carried Baba's body is still preserved in his tin seclusion cabin on the hill. During those seven days, in compliance with Meher Baba's wish, Cole Porter's song ""Begin the Beguine"" was played repeatedly on a record player. During this time people came from all over India and a few from the west to take darshan and to see his physical form for one last time. During these seven days Mecca was flooded and closed for this exact period of Meher Baba's darshan after"
"Meher Baba Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, God in human form. Merwan Sheriar Irani was born in 1894 in Pune, India to Irani Zoroastrian parents. His spiritual transformation began when he was 19 years old and lasted for seven years. During this time he contacted five spiritual teachers before beginning his own mission and gathering his own disciples in early 1922, at the age of 27. From 10 July 1925 to the end of his life, Meher Baba maintained silence, communicating"
"mystic Meher Baba, and while he was able to avoid drugs and extramarital sex most of the time, Townshend says he periodically lapsed and indulged in cocaine and alcohol. The book details Townshend's work as an editor at London publisher Faber and Faber, some of the literary personalities he worked with, and some the books he commissioned. It also covers his charity work in rehabilitation programs and establishing a shelter for battered wives. In 2003 Townshend was arrested for allegedly downloading child pornography. In the book he claims that he accessed the images as research for a campaign against the"
"the use of all psychedelic drugs, making him one of the first rock stars with counterculture credibility to turn against their use. His stardom quickly made him the world's most notable follower of Baba. Having missed out on meeting his guru with Baba's death 31 January 1969 (work on ""Tommy"" kept him from making the pilgrimage), Townshend made several trips to visit Baba's tomb in Meherabad in India, as well as becoming a frequent visitor to the Meher Baba Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. At home he recorded and released his most overtly spiritual songs on records assembled,"
"& Patti in San Francisco. Inspired by the expression's charm and simplicity, McFerrin wrote the now famous song, which was included in the soundtrack of the movie ""Cocktail"", and became a hit single the next year. In an interview by Bruce Fessier for ""USA Weekend"" magazine in 1988 McFerrin said, ""Whenever you see a poster of Meher Baba, it usually says 'Don't worry, be happy,' which is a pretty neat philosophy in four words, I think."" Linda Goldstein, the song's producer, said the song gave McFerrin ""the freedom to explore,"" adding, ""He is a man of infinite, unfathomable, boundless voices"
"age, namely Tajuddin Baba, Narayan Maharaj, Sai Baba of Shirdi, and Upasni Maharaj. Upasni Maharaj, he later said, helped him to integrate his mystical experiences with normal consciousness, thus enabling him to function in the world without diminishing his experience of God-realization. In late 1921, at the age of 27, after living for seven years with Upasni, Merwan began to attract a following of his own. His early followers gave him the name Meher Baba (Compassionate Father). In 1922, Meher Baba and his followers established Manzil-e-Meem (House of the Master) in Bombay (now Mumbai). There, Baba commenced his practice of"
"sense of how spiritual conduct should be, thus enforcing strong codes of serious contemplative conduct that made even Meher Baba uncomfortable. Yet he is considered to have played a central role in introducing Meher Baba to the western world. In December 1932, Starr grew irritated with Meher Baba and wrote to him, ""Give me either the 400 pounds you owe me or illumination; otherwise, I will leave you and expose you as a fraud!"" He then did leave Meher Baba. The money he referred to was money he had spent hosting Meher Baba at his retreat in Devon. Starr disbanded"
"and seclusion, until his death on 31 January 1969. His ""samadhi"" (shrine/tomb) in Meherabad, India, has become a place of international pilgrimage. Meher Baba gave numerous teachings on the cause and purpose of life, including teaching reincarnation and that the phenomenal world is an illusion. He taught that the Universe is imagination, that God is what really exists, and that each soul is really God passing through imagination to realize individually His own divinity. In addition he gave practical advice for the aspirant who wishes to attain God-realization and thereby escape the wheel of births and deaths. He also taught"
"to Baba, these individuals are disabled by their enchanting experience of the higher spiritual planes. Although outwardly masts may appear irrational or insane, Baba claimed that their spiritual status was elevated, and that by meeting with them he helped them to move forward spiritually while enlisting their aid in his spiritual work. One of the best known of these masts, known as Mohammed Mast, lived at Meher Baba's encampment at Meherabad until his death in 2003. In 1949 Baba began an enigmatic period that he called the New Life. Following a series of questions on their readiness to obey even"
"later attended Elizabethtown Catholic High School, both of Saint James Parish in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He also attended Elizabethtown High School, where he graduated. Following high school, he studied at the University of Kentucky, Lexington. He majored in architecture and fine art. At the age of 22, Steve first heard of the Indian spiritual master, Avatar Meher Baba, and after having, internal spiritual experiences while visiting Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Steve came to accept Meher Baba as the God incarnate soul known as the Avatar; the reincarnation of Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. This story"
"Meher Baba's name spread throughout the Counterculture of the 1960s, his image appearing in the documentary film ""Woodstock"", on posters and inspiration cards of the era, and on the cover of ""Rolling Stone"". In the mid-1960s Meher Baba became concerned about the rising use of illicit drugs in the West. In correspondence he told several academics, including Richard Alpert, not only to stop using drugs, but to help others to get off drugs. In a November 1970 ""Rolling Stone"" article, Pete Townshend, leader of the rock band The Who and a follower of Baba's, discussed Baba's message on drugs, writing:"
"1950s. In the late 1930s, Meher Baba invited a group of Western women to join him in India, where he arranged a series of trips throughout India and Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) that became known as the Blue Bus Tours. When the tour returned home, many newspapers treated their journey as an occasion for scandal. Time Magazine's 1936 review of ""God is my Adventure"" describes the US's fascination with the ""long-haired, silky-mustached Parsee named Shri Sadgaru [sic] Meher Baba"" four years earlier. In the 1930s and 1940s, Meher Baba worked extensively with masts, persons ""intoxicated with God"". According"
"about the Indian spiritual mentor Meher Baba, and Townshend became fascinated with Baba's values of compassion, love and introspection. The Who's commercial success was on the wane after the single ""Dogs"" failed to make the top 20, and there was a genuine risk of the band breaking up. Live performances remained strong, and the group spent most of the spring and summer touring the US and Canada but their stage act relied on Townshend smashing his guitar or Moon demolishing his drums, which kept the group in debt. Townshend and Lambert realised they needed a larger vehicle for their music"
"for Baba at Pickfair at which he delivered a message to Hollywood. As a result, Meher Baba emerged as ""one of the enthusiasms of the '30s"". In 1934, after announcing that he would break his self-imposed silence in the Hollywood Bowl, Baba changed his plans abruptly and boarded the ""RMS Empress of Canada"" and sailed to Hong Kong without explanation. The Associated Press reported that ""Baba had decided to postpone the word-fast breaking until next February because 'conditions are not yet ripe'."" He returned to England in 1936 but did not return to the United States again until the early"
"painters of the image of Avatar Meher Baba in the world. Hundreds of his paintings are in private collections all over the world. As such, Jameson is listed as one of the best known painters of Meher Baba's image on the web site Meher Baba Travels. Steve has visited Meher Baba's Samadhi (tomb shrine) in Ahmednagar, India three times. On these pilgrimages, he met the last remaining disciples of Meher Baba, including Baba's younger sister, Mani Irani. He became very close friends with Mani and illustrated two of her books; one of her childhood stores of life with her God-brother"
"Durham, North Carolina, after which they returned to Myrtle Beach to recuperate. While recuperating at Youpon Dunes, a home owned by Elizabeth Patterson, in Myrtle Beach, he worked on the charter for a group of Sufis, which he named Sufism Reoriented. Meher Baba began dictating his major book, ""God Speaks, The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose"", using an alphabet board in Dehradun, August 1953. In September of 1954, Meher Baba gave a men-only sahavas at Meherabad that later became known as the Three Incredible Weeks. During this time Baba issued a declaration, ""Meher Baba's Call"", wherein he once again"
"of God and in the reality of Manifestation, and yet do not expect any spiritual or material reward; who do not let go the hand of Truth, and who, without being upset by calamities, bravely and wholeheartedly face all hardships with one hundred percent cheerfulness, and give no importance to caste, creed and religious ceremonies. This New Life will live by itself eternally, even if there is no one to live it. Meher Baba ended the New Life in February 1952 and once again began a round of public appearances throughout India and the West. In the 1950s, Baba established"
"so Mehera is to Meher Baba."" Her accounts of her life with Meher Baba are documented in the three volume chronicle, ""Mehera-Meher: A Divine Romance"", written by David Fenster, based on tape-recordings of Mehera he made during her lifetime. Mehera met Meher Baba for the first time on October 15, 1922 at the age of 15 in the Sakori ashram of Upasni Maharaj during a visit with her mother, but did not come to stay with Baba permanently at Meherabad until 1924. Unique among Meher Baba's women mandali, Mehera was sequestered by Baba from contact with men. It was not"
"was called to India by Meher Baba who confirmed her role as Murshida and announced that he intended to reorient Sufism under his guidance and her leadership in the near future. This was realized in 1952 with the creation of Sufism Reoriented. The members of Sufism Reoriented celebrate Meher Baba as the Avatar, the human incarnation of God and the spiritual authority of this age. This represents a substantial departure from Sufism in either its traditional Islamic form, or in the form taught by Hazrat Inayat Khan. Meher Baba asserted that Sufism pre-dates the Islamic prophet Muhammad, having begun with"
"was an (the) Avatar, credited his Avataric advent to Upasni, Sai Baba, and three other Perfect Masters: Hazrat Babajan, Hazrat Tajuddin Baba, and Narayan Maharaj. He declared Sai Baba to be a ""Qutub-e-Irshad"" (the highest of the five Qutubs, a ""Master of the Universe"" in the spiritual hierarchy). This classification of avatar and satgurus and the associated name is applied within the Meher Baba community alone. Shri Sai tends to be a very common name for establishments in Mumbai in particular and Maharashtra in general. It tends to be popular for a variety of establishments including restaurants, real estate agencies"
"God-realization, drugs, and cinema. The film ends with a much older Van Gasteren returning to India three decades later in a reunion with Eruch Jessawala who originally interpreted Baba's gestures. Meher Baba has long died as the now more mature men exchange words and photos. Also in the final scenes, Louis van Gasteren dons a red turban that Meher Baba had given him during their meeting in 1967 and which he had not worn for 30 years. The turban was later donated to the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach. Beyond Words (1997 film) Beyond Words is a 1997 documentary"
"With Love (Pete Townshend album) With Love is a 1976 album featuring The Who's Pete Townshend and others that is dedicated to their spiritual mentor Meher Baba. Other appearances and backup artists include Billy Nicholls, Steve Humphries, Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood, Bruce Rowland, Lol Benbow, Paul Wyld, Peter Hope-Evans (of Medicine Head), Peter Banks (ex-Yes), Sydney Foxx, among others. Other tribute albums which were produced by Pete Townshend and dedicated to Meher Baba include ""Happy Birthday"", ""I Am"", and ""Avatar"" (a compilation of the previous three albums, later released as ""Jai Baba""). All songs written by Pete Townshend, except where"
"noted. With Love (Pete Townshend album) With Love is a 1976 album featuring The Who's Pete Townshend and others that is dedicated to their spiritual mentor Meher Baba. Other appearances and backup artists include Billy Nicholls, Steve Humphries, Ronnie Lane, Ron Wood, Bruce Rowland, Lol Benbow, Paul Wyld, Peter Hope-Evans (of Medicine Head), Peter Banks (ex-Yes), Sydney Foxx, among others. Other tribute albums which were produced by Pete Townshend and dedicated to Meher Baba include ""Happy Birthday"", ""I Am"", and ""Avatar"" (a compilation of the previous three albums, later released as ""Jai Baba""). All songs written by Pete Townshend, except"
"functions, a series of meetings he called ""The East-West Gathering."" At these meetings, at which his western followers were invited to meet his Indian disciples, Baba gave darshan to many thousands of people despite the physical strain this caused him. In the mid-1960s Baba became concerned with the drug culture in the West and began correspondences with several Western academics, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert, in which he discouraged the use of hallucinogenic drugs for spiritual purposes. In 1966 Baba's responses to questions on drugs were published in a pamphlet titled ""God in a Pill?"" Meher Baba stated that"
"a basis in individual faith and spirituality. Saibaba was revered by prominent Zoroastrians such as Nanabhoy Palkhivala, Farhaad Panthaky and Homi Bhabha, and has been cited as the Zoroastrians' most popular non-Zoroastrian religious figure. Meher Baba, who was born into a Zoroastrian family, met Sai Baba once, during World War I, in December 1915. This event is considered as the most significant in Meher Baba's life. ""Shri Sai Satcharita"" (Sai Baba's life story), makes no mention of Meher Baba but ""Lord Meher"", the life story of Meher Baba, there are numerous references to Sai Baba. Meher Baba, who claimed he"
"the same ship that was carrying Mahatma Gandhi, who was sailing to the second Round Table Conference in London. Baba and Gandhi had three meetings onboard, one of which lasted for three hours. The British press publicized these meetings, but an aide to Gandhi said, ""You may say emphatically that Gandhi never asked Meher Baba for help or for spiritual or other advice."" On 20 May 1932, Baba arrived in New York and provided the press with a 1000 word written statement, which was described by devotee Quentin Tod as his ""Message to America"". In it, Baba proclaimed himself ""one"
"with the infinite source of everything"" and declared his intention to break his silence. ""When I speak, my original message will be delivered to the world and it will have to be accepted."" When asked about the Indo-British political situation he had no comment, but his followers explained that he had told Gandhi to abandon politics. In the West, Meher Baba met with a number of celebrities and artists, amongst them Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, Tallulah Bankhead, Boris Karloff, Tom Mix, Maurice Chevalier, Ernst Lubitsch and others. On 1 June 1932, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. held a reception"
"by muscle spasms that had no clear medical origin. Despite the care of several doctors the spasms worsened. On 31 January 1969, Meher Baba died at his home in Meherazad. He conveyed by his last gestures, ""Do not forget that I am God."" In time, his devotees called the anniversary of his death ""Amartithi"" (deathless day). Meher Baba's body lay in state at his samadhi at Meherabad. Covered with roses, and cooled by ice, his body was kept available to the public for one week before its final burial. Prior to his death, Meher Baba had made extensive preparations for"
"by means of an alphabet board or by unique hand gestures. With his ""mandali"" (circle of disciples), he spent long periods in seclusion, during which time he often fasted. He also traveled widely, held public gatherings and engaged in works of charity with lepers and the poor. In 1931, Meher Baba made the first of many visits to the West, where he attracted followers. Throughout most of the 1940s, Meher Baba worked with a category of spiritual aspirants called ""masts"", whom he said are entranced or spellbound by internal spiritual experiences. Starting in 1949, along with selected ""mandali"", he traveled"