Seekers came from California and from North and South Carolina and from Massachusetts and New Hampshire and from New York and New Jersey for the first of a series of Intensives, sponsored by Beloved Archives in New Jersey.

Participants traveled to the House of the Beloved on the weekend of September 15-16, for a two-day intensive on "Secrets of the Spiritual Path," conducted by Dr. Ward Parks.

Ward Parks prepares for the 2-day Intensive with charts as an educational tool. Photo by Jackie Kaplan

The intensive focused on the "three perennial paths to God" as recognized in most of the world's great spiritual traditions and explained in considerable detail by Avatar Meher Baba himself. These three pathways, described in the Hindu tradition, are: the Path of Action, or Karma Marg; the Path of Knowledge, or Jnan Marg; and the Path of Devotion, or Bhakti Marg.

Meher Baba lays out a penetrating blueprint of these paths or "margs" in his Discourses, in Infinite Intelligence. In Hindu tradition one finds developed treatment in the Bhagavad Gita. Yet the topic of the three paths is indeed applicable to all of the world's great religions and spiritual traditions; it offers one important avenue for bringing them into interrelation and dialogue, as Meher Baba, Avatar of the Age, draws them together as "beads on a string."

The most important "secret" that the intensive summoned into view was a fresh revelation from Meher Baba, recently discovered in the "Tiffin Lectures." Students of Meher Baba's God Speaks will recollect that Divine Knowledge, Divine Power, and Divine Bliss comprise what Baba calls the trio-nature of God. God's trio-nature, Baba says, is responsible for the unfolding and expansion of creation through the Om Point in the aftermath of God's original Whim to know Himself. The new revelation derives from a recently discovered chart in "Tiffin Lectures," that spells out a relationship between God's trio-nature and the three paths. Specifically, Jnan Marg is rooted in God's nature as Knowledge; Karma Marg is rooted in God's nature as Power; and Bhakti Marg finds its basis in God's nature as Bliss. Thus the Avatar of the Age has revealed the divine foundation, in the very  nature of God, for these three ancient and perennial paths.

The opening session on Saturday laid out this conceptual framework that was developed upon in the next three meetings. That afternoon the group delved into Karma Marg or the Path of Action. The essence of this path consists in acting according to duty or the spiritual requirements of the situation while renouncing attachment to the fruits of action. Through such selfless service, as Meher Baba often calls it, one acts out and spends old sanskaras without acquiring new ones. By acting without any trace of desire, the seeker frees himself or herself from karmic bondage and advances on the path to God.

A section of the audience at the Intensive. Photo by Philip Ludwig

Bhakti Marg or the Path of Devotion - the subject of the final session - enjoys a special relationship to love, since bhakti centres on the relationship between the lover and the Beloved. Yet bhakti in its earlier manifestations appears in the world as ritualistic religion and conventional worship. Meher Baba distinguishes between bhakti with desire (sahakam bhakti) and bhakti without desire (nishkam bhakti); between bhakti devoted to God with attributes (Ishwar), to God without attributes (Parameshwar), and to God as the Sadguru; and between the various degrees of bhakti - the high, the higher, and the highest. The task and challenge for the lover of God on the Path of Bhakti is to transform the lower devotion of the first stages into the higher love of those who long and yearn for God, a longing consummated, through the grace of the Beloved, in Divine Union. Though each path enjoys a special orientation towards one of the three natures of God, all three arrive at the same ultimate destination, and all three transpire under the overarching canopy of God as Divine Love.

Ward refers to Meher Baba's Messages to the West to make a point during the presentation. Photo by Philip Ludwig

 

 

 

Christian classics by Francis of Assisi, John Wesley and Teresa of Avila, provide rich insights to these pathways. At the intensive, irrespective of the religious traditions; participants represented Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Zorastrianism, came to a common understanding that we are not alone in our journey of spiritual growth - God is with us, here and now and that we can feel His presence in our hearts.

 

Philip Ludwig filming the presentation. Prakash Dheram handled the second camera. Photo by Jackie Kaplan

These themes were developed and explored by Ward in an interactive audience participation through the medium of several talks, visual presentation through slides, questions and comments throughout the progress of the two days, and a closing discussion. While lively engagement helped to illuminate many of the concepts and subtleties of the topic, all of it was directly based on the words and teachings of Avatar Meher Baba himself, with a non-religious and non-denominational comparative flavour.

 

Ward Parks is a longtime student and researcher of Meher Baba's words, and he has served as one of the editors of several of Meher Baba's books and messages, notably Infinite Intelligence. Beloved Archives plans further such intensives delving into other aspects of Meher Baba's "teachings" and "philosophy," as well as the practices and illuminations of other world's great spiritual and mystical traditions.

 

Naosherwan Anzar welcomes the Intensive participants to the House of the Beloved and explains a few details. Photo by Philip Ludwig

A FEW PARTICIPANT COMMENTS:

From an Environmental Professional

Thank you for facilitating this wonderful Spiritual Intensive. I met many amazing people at the Intensive and would like to know them all better. Listening to Baba's words on love and Divine Love helped put things in perspective.

From a Professor of Public Health

The entire two days was truly wonderful! We enjoyed Ward's talks, the food, the people and the feelings of love in the room. The ARCHIVE is fantastic.

From a Child Psychiatrist

I found the Intensive to have met my needs and expectations well. My primary wish was to experience other Baba lovers and this was most enriching. [In the future] a seminar might be offered on "The Spirituality of Everyday Life." A few panel members might describe practical applications from the Discourses to various, ordinary, life problems. The method would include shared experience of the group.

From a Christian Minister

Ward's analysis and organization of Meher Baba's metaphysical foundations and its correspondence within so much of what Baba taught about the spiritual journey was very helpful and has given me much to think about, particularly his opinion that Baba integrates the two understandings of the god/human problem: i.e. the problem is ignorance, the problem is separation/alienation.   It seems to me that most of what followed was related to the problem of ignorance and I appreciated Ward's bringing in the connections with Buddhism and Hinduism. Christianity and Judaism draw heavily on images of relationship and belonging. There certainly is and always has been a gnostic strain within Christianity, but it is not dominant.   In this respect I tend to agree with evangelicals that the essential core decision for Christians is a personal response/decision regarding Jesus. How is this reflected in Baba's teachings, or is it only reflected in his life? I would also have liked to hear more about the connection between Baba's thought and Zoroastrianism.

The early Christian movement had many more "sacred texts" than have finally been accepted as "authoritative" within the established religions that have grown out of the original movement. What will become the authoritative texts for the Baba community and why and how? Would inter-faith dialogue during this critical formative stage make a difference?

From an architect

Let me just say that we have had nothing but positive things to say about the great program. Ward has such a thoughtful, sensitive, and inclusive presentation style that I can't imagine anyone coming away from the seminar not feeling refreshed.