Pilgrimage Aftershock

Many have felt the need to express what they were feeling and living once back home...
Why not share it here?


It has been decided to have a chain of prayers every last sunday of the month.
The suggestion was made to use the prayer entitled "You Alone Exist".

Here's the prayer in English, and in French.

Enjoy!

YOU ALONE EXIST

From « THE NOTHING & THE EVERYTHING » BHAU KALCHURI

“The following is Baba’s prayer to the world about the Nothing and the Everything . Meher Baba’s words are italicised” :

Oh priceless treasure of Knowledge !

You are within and without,

and You are the Ocean of Mercy.

You are in all the world ;

You are the Ocean of attributes !

Oh Meher, God-Incarnate, You alone exist!

You are Yezdan. You are Ezad

You are Allah and Ishwar.

You are Ram and You are Buddha.

You are Beloved Lord Krishna

Who with One finger lifted the mountain :

You alone exist !

You are the Beyond God

And the Beyond-Beyond God also,

Oh Ocean of Kindness , You alone exist

You are Mohammed , you are Perfection Personified.

You are Knowledge Itself,

And You alone exist.

You live in everyone.

Oh! Beloved, You are the Enlightened One,

And You alone exist.

You are with attributes and without attributes !

You are the sole player in the divine game.

You alone exist .

You are matchless, the Only One !

You reside in every heart

And You alone exist

You are eternally motionless ,

And immovable is Your abode.

You are the Highest , for You alone exist.

You are the Doer ,

The deed , and the cause of doing !

The sustainer You are ,

And the Master of Masters.

You alone exist.

You are the seeker , the worship

And the Sadhana.

Oh Meher, God-Incarnate,

You alone exist.

You are in front and behind

You are above and below

O Lord You live in every house,

And You alone exist.

You are beyond Beyond ,

Yet You remain within everyone.

You are All-Pervading and You alone exist.

You are in each neighborhood

You are the Sustainer.

You Yourself are all worlds

And You alone exist

Everywhere , whether above or below ,

You are complete ;

You alone exist.

You are unseen , yet seen also.

You live in everyone

Forgiving each his sins. You alone exist.

There is no one without You !

You are manifesting and unmanifest

As You alone exist.

You are man. You are birds.

You are fish and animal,

For You alone exist.

You are bugs and gnats,

You are snakes and scorpions,

You are ants and mosquitoes,

For You alone exist.

You are insects. You are lice.

You are dogs asses and pigs.

You alone exist.

You are deer and elephants ;

You are cats and monkeys

You alone exist

You are the moon and the stars,

The dawn and the night,

And the sun and also the light.

You alone exist.

You are wind and water,

And the animals of the water ;

You alone exist.

You are silver and gold,

You are copper and iron,

You are brass and stone ;

You alone exist.

You are tea and coffee,

And the sugar also;

You alone exist.

You are paper and the book,

You are the school and office ;

You alone exist.

You are pen and ink

And You are the gifted writer ;

You alone exist.

You are the door and the window.

You are the marble floor;

You alone exist.

You are the medicine and the disease

And the doctor also ;

You alone exist.

You are the game and the player,

And the spectator also ;

You alone exist.

You are the flower and the thorn ,

And You are the fragrance ;

You alone exist.

You are the singer.

You are the musical instrument.

You are the sweet tunes

For You alone exist.

You are the prayer and the words of the prayer

You are the forces of evil and the powers of light ;

You alone exist.

You are the soldier, the army,

And the Supreme general;

You alone exist.

You are the sailor, the ship,

And the wide Ocean;

You alone exist.

You are the storm’s turbulence

And the tranquil waters.

You are the Pearl

And you are the shell.

You alone exist.

You are the shore , the ferryman

And the Sea also,

For You alone exist

You are the beggar , the giver,

And the charity ;

You alone exist.

You are the slave and the Lord ;

You are the Beyond God ;

You are God. You alone exist.

You are Mother and Father,

You are Master, brother and friend.

You are family and relatives;

You alone exist.

There is no one beside You !

Eternally You are,

For You alone exist.

You are Pran and You are heart.

You are also the beloved of the heart;

You alone exist.

You are the Beloved and the Lover,

And You are the nectar of Love,

As You alone exist.

You are breath and life itself.

Our minds are enthralled by Your beauty !

For You alone exist.

You are the house

You are the inhabitants

And the bricks and furnishings :

You alone exist.

You are the worshipper ,

His worship

And the One worshipped

As You alone exist.

You are Consciousness

And the Way to Consciousness !

Oh Meher , God-Incarnate

You alone exist !

You are Khwaja, You are Qutub !

You are Pir and Qalandar!

You alone exist.

You are Hafiz, You are Sanai !

You are Dara and Alexander !

You alone exist.

You are Jesus Christ ! You are Elahi !

You are the Ocean, infinite and pure;

You alone exist.

You are the Koran

And the One who prays !

You are Vali,

And you are the Messenger ;

You alone exist.

You are the Beginning,

And You are the End.

You are also beyond the Beginning

And beyond the End;

You alone exist.

You are infinitely beautiful

And infinitely close !

Oh Meher , God-Incarnate;

You alone exist !

You are Brahma and You are Vishnu;

You are the guileless Shankar;

You alone exist !

Bhau says “ Oh Beloved Meher, You are The Word

And You are The Letter !

You alone exist !”





_________________________________________

Toi seul existes Par Meher Baba

Ô inestimable trésor de connaissance!
Tu es dedans et Tu es dehors.
Et Tu es l’Océan de Miséricorde.

Tu es dans tous les mondes.
Tu es l’Océan des attributs!
O Meher, Dieu incarné, Toi seul existes!

Tu es Yezdan, Tu es Izad.
Tu es Allah et Ishwar.

Tu es Ram et Tu es Bouddha.
Tu es le Bien-Aimé Seigneur Krishna
Qui souleva la montagne d’un seul doigt.
Toi seul existes!

Tu es Dieu Au-delà.
Et Dieu Au-delà de l’Au-delà.
O océan de Bonté.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es Mahomet.
Tu es la Perfection Personnifiée.
Tu es la Connaissance elle-même.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu vis dans chacun.
Et tu es chacun.
O Bien-aimé, tu es l’Illuminé.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu es avec attributs
Et sans attributs!
Tu es l’unique joueur du jeu divin.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es sans égal, l’Unique!
Tu résides en chaque cœur.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu es éternellement immobile
Et immuable est ta demeure.
Tu es le Plus Haut
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es Celui qui agit, l’action
Et la cause de l’action!
Tu es Celui qui soutient tout
Et le Maître des Maîtres.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le chercheur, l’adoration
Et la sadhana.
O Meher, Dieu-Incarné, Toi seul existes!

Tu es devant et derrière.
Tu es dessus et dessous.
O Seigneur, tu vis dans chaque maison.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu es au-delà de l’au-delà.
Cependant tu demeures en chacun.
Tu es partout et tu es en tout.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu es là où chacun habite.
Tu es celui qui soutient tout.
Tu es tous les mondes,
Et Toi seul existes.

Partout, au-dessus ou au-dessous.
Tu es complet.
Et Toi seul existes.

Tu es invisible et pourtant visible.
Tu vis en chacun.
Pardonnant à chacun ses péchés.
Toi seul existes.

Il n’y a personne en dehors de Toi.
Tu es manifesté et non manifesté.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es l’homme, tu es les oiseaux.
Tu es les poissons et les animaux.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es les puces et les punaises.
Tu es les serpents et les scorpions.
Tu es les fourmis et les moustiques.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es les insectes, tu es les poux.
Tu es les chiens, les ânes et les cochons.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es les daims et les éléphants.
Tu es les chats et les singes.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es la lune et les étoiles,l' aurore et la nuit
Le soleil et la lumière aussi.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le vent et l’eau,
Et les animaux aquatiques
Toi seul existes.

Tu es l’argent et l’or.
Tu es le cuivre et le fer.
Tu es le laiton et la pierre.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le thé et le café
Et le sucre aussi.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le papier et le livre.
Tu es l’école et le lieu de travail.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le stylo et l’encre.
Et Tu es l’écrivain inspiré.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es la porte et la fenêtre.
Tu es le parterre de marbre.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le médicament et la maladie
Et le docteur aussi.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le jeu et le joueur
Et le spectateur aussi.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es la fleur et l’épine.
Et Tu es la fragrance.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le chanteur.
Tu es l’instrument de musique.
Tu es la douce mélodie.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es la prière
Et les mots de la prière.
Tu es les forces du mal
Et les pouvoirs de la lumière.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le soldat, l’armée
Et le Général Suprême.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le marin, le bateau
Et le vaste Océan.
Toi seul existes!

Tu es la tempête
Et les eaux tranquilles.
Tu es la perle et le coquillage.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le rivage, le capitaine
Et la mer aussi.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es le mendiant, le donateur
Et la charité.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es l’esclave et le Seigneur.
Tu es Dieu Au-delà
Tu es Dieu.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es la Mère et le Père.
Tu es le Maître, le frère et l’ami.
Tu es la famille et les proches.
Toi seul existes.

Il n’y a personne d'autre que Toi!
Eternellement Tu es,
Car Toi seul existes!

Tu es Pran et tu es le cœur.
Et tu es aussi le Bien-Aimé du cœur.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le Bien-Aimé et l’Amant.
Et tu es le nectar de l’Amour.
Car Toi seul existes!

Tu es le souffle.
Et la vie elle-même.
Nos esprits sont charmés par Ta beauté.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es la maison et les habitants
Et les briques et les
meubles.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es l’adorateur, son adoration
Et Celui qui est adoré.
Car Toi seul existes.

Tu es la Conscience
Et le Chemin de la Conscience.
O Meher, Dieu incarné, Toi seul existes.

Tu es Khwaja, tu es
Quoutoub!
Tu es Pir et Qalandar!
Toi seul existes.

Tu es Hafiz, tu es Sanaï.
Tu es Dara et Alexandre!
Toi seul existes.

Tu es Jésus-Christ!
Tu es Elahi!
Tu es l’Océan, infini et pur.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le Coran
Et Celui qui prie!
Tu es Wali et le Messager.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es le Commencement.
Et tu es la Fin.
Tu es aussi au-delà du Commencement.
Et au-delà de la Fin.
Toi seul existes.

Tu es infiniment beau
Et infiniment proche.
O Meher, Dieu incarné, Toi seul existes!

Tu es Brahma.
Tu es Vishnou.
Tu es le loyal Shankar
Toi seul existes!

Bhau dit: "O Meher Bien-Aimé
Tu es Le Mot.
Tu es La Lettre.
Toi seul existes!"

Links

Website: http://www.beadsononestring.com/

Blog: http://www.beadsononestring.com/blog/category/beads-on-one-string-project/

Listserv :
To post to the group, send email to beads-on-one-string@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send email to beads-on-one-string+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Photo Album Links

• Here are pictures of Meher Baba at the sacred sites we visited

• Aurélien's pictures are at BOOS 2009
  

• Yuri's are at yuri's flickr set

• Ralph's Photos are HERE

• Rob's photos are HERE

• Kathryn's photos are HERE

• Martin and Christine's photos are HERE

• Yvonne's photos are HERE

• Les photos de Denise sont ICI

• Doug's photos are HERE

• Ken's photos are HERE

• Armelle's photos are HERE
  
  

Fellow Pilgrims

Pictures of the attendees...

Keith!


Finn!


Rob & Avril!


Anson, member of the film crew!



Micky!



Richard!


Ken!


Jamie!


Cigdem & Hasan!


Ralph!


Marnie!


Brice!


Elsbeth!


Yuri!


Marie!


Dan!



Esra and Alta!



Jill!


Post yours!

January 31st - Meherabad/ Amartithi

Post your stories!

Group singing 'One Love'

This article from the Asian Tribune gave the world an overview of the event!

15-minute silence marks Meher Baba's Amartithi at his tomb shrine

Sun, 2009-02-01 02:41

By M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune

Meherabad (Ahmednagar), India, 01 February (Asiantribune.com): The contrast is difficult to miss, more than 30 thousand followers of Meher Baba have assembled at the His tomb shrine on a low lying hillock here. They have come from all over the globe, from Argentina to New Zealand, United States to Britain and Russia and from Iran and Pakistan to China and Japan. For them, January 31 is an important day. It marks the 40th anniversary of the day Meher Baba dropped his body and the body was interned in the crypt at the tomb. And exactly at 12 noon, almost all of them without an exception stopped talking, singing and bhajans. Wherever they were at the appointed hour, they quietly slipped into silence. For full 15-minutes as a mark of their respect to their Master, who had observed silence and spoke through silence for years!

Meher Baba, 'I am not this body, I am beyond it. For the good of the world I have suffered infinitely and sacrificed my body… I have worshipped the world and especially My lovers and in worship I have left this body'.

Post-Mumbai attacks, India has become paranoid of security. Yet here at Meherabad security is virtually invisible if there is any. There are no handheld metal detectors and metal detector door frames at the entrance to the tomb or anywhere on the hill.

"With divine love overflowing, police have a minimal role", remarked a long time visitor to the place. A small police picket is seen in a corner of the hill but going by the 'mood' their task is basic policing namely preventing thefts since pilgrims leave their tents to roam freely on the Meherabad hill till their turn comes for entering the 'tomb'.

Volunteers are everywhere. They don't appear to know even the rudiments of crowd management. Their given task is regulation of pilgrims progress through a serpentine line that passes through two isolation chambers and some six –seven long rows segregated by bamboo polls tied together with nylon nets.

At a distance from the tomb shrine, music and bhajans sessions are in progress since Friday, January 30. But at the tomb and inside the tomb, there is absolute silence befitting the 'Silent' Avatar, who observed silence for 44 –years - 10th July 1925 to 31st January 1969 – the day He dropped His body.

Said Meher Baba, 'I am not this body, I am beyond it. For the good of the world I have suffered infinitely and sacrificed my body… I have worshipped the world and especially My lovers and in worship I have left this body'.

I asked many 'people' in Meherabad 'If Meher Baba is God and Avatar, why the place is not on a big draw with spiritual seekers'.

Everyone I put the question gave me an identical reply. Every one quoted what Meher Baba had reportedly said in 1958. Taking round the Meherabad hill a group of his devotees, who had come to spend some time with Him, Meher Baba said, 'Meherabad would become an important place of great privilege and pilgrimage after 70 years'.

His devotees appear absolutely convinced that the 'appointed day' is not too far away.

'You see, the period (of 70-years) is not yet over. Today only 50-years have passed. So we will have to wait for a while more. Anyhow already we can see a surge in pilgrim arrivals year after year', said a long time devotee, who said, he has seen firsthand how the crowds have increased in strength since 1969.

Another thing strikes a visitor to the Amartithi celebrations is absence of discourses by 'senior' devotees. In fact the managers of the Meherabad and organisers of the celebrations enjoy no special privileges in matters of visiting the tomb shrine. 'Even on normal days and on these special days', said Jal Dastoor, a trustee himself. The arrangements for the Amartithi are his show, in a manner of speaking. I have seen him a day before the celebrations began standing in the line waiting for his turn.

The only speech heard on the occasion was of Bhau Kalchuri, who lived with Meher Baba and wrote a 20-volume biography, 'Lord Meher'. In his capacity as the Chairman of Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust, he only gave a welcome address. And spoke briefly what the Trust has been doing.

Bhau began saying "Amartithi is also a very sacred time for those who say, 'We just follow our Jesus Christ', and others who say, 'We are Muslims, who follow Hazrat Mohammed', or 'We are Buddhist,' and for all those who follow different religions and different sects'.

And said 'My salutation is to you all, for everyone, because I find God Alone exists and no-one else exists beside God. And He is One and the same and there is no difference. He is the one who has no beginning and no end and will remain there for all time. And therefore, those who have come and those who have not come, for them also our salutations are there, without any distinction.

Touching upon the theme of Oneness with the Creator, Bhau observed, 'Unless and until the mind is annihilated, we cannot experience Oneness. So it goes on and on and different sects, different religions, we find in the world. But the Ancient One does not find any difference. He is always One. He is that first One who realized Himself, and He found that "I am that One who always Is and everyone and everything is existing in non-existence." It will go on and on, because everyone has to find the way to become One'.

He went on to add: 'The duty of everyone is to become One, through annihilation of the mind. And the way, Beloved Avatar Meher Baba has presented to everyone. Not in words, but after annihilation of mind, after achieving Nirvana, immediately, whether you want or don't want it, you get that state of "I am God, I alone exist." The journey is complete'.

Observing that those who have come in contact of 'the Highest of the High, Meher Baba' are fortunate, Bhau Kalchuri said 'when you have bowed down to Him, know well that you have achieved one step of many steps to reach the final stage of annihilation of mind, or you can say "Nirvana." When Nirvana is achieved, mind is annihilated. In the next moment, "Nirvikalp," and you know that I am God'.

Elaborating further, Bhau said 'let us go to Him who is lying in His Samadhi. He is asking something from everyone, and what is that something? That something is the dirt of duality. So whatever dirt we have collected, He wants that dirt! And then if you give that dirt, what He will give you? He will not give you anything, but He will show the way to go to Him: by putting some dirt in His hand. He has come and He always comes, but what does He collect? All of our dirt, and makes us on the way towards Him. And if you succeed in doing this, you will find, "Zoroaster, Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed and Meher Baba, they are just One!" Let us try and try and become the dust of His feet. That dust becomes very, very valuable. It contains all the dirt of duality. So how great our Beloved is! We give Him dust and He gives us purity and feels happy to collect it. So we should say, wholeheartedly, Avatar Meher Baba Ki Jai!'

-Asian Tribune -

January 30th - Meherabad/First departures

Post your stories!

On the 30th, Ralph, Yuri and I were the first ones to leave the group. We took our taxi right after dinner the night before.

Our last supper with the other members was quite intense for many reasons: first, we were rushing; then, we still had our amazing day at the Ellora caves in mind, which only seemed to make time even go faster and finally, we were very sad to leave our companions obviously.

After a few chapattis and hugs, I crossed the door path with a few tears below my eyes, and no, they had nothing to do with the chapatti...

We then proceeded into the taxi. The driver was a Baba-lover residing in Meherabad. He was very nice and most especially, very cautious! He had a brand new Renault/Dacia Logan and I remember how symbolic it was for me to sit in a French car, thinking "one step closer"... We were about to spend 5 hours in it to get to Mumbai, slowly leaving our Baba-oriented world, places and friends behind us...at least we thought so. While most rick-shaws and taxis are usually decorated with goddesses, saints, movie stars and brand logos, this one had a picture of Meher Baba at the center of the dashboard. So it somewhat helped us maintaining our faith as we were going through our last hours on night-time Indian road traffic...

We all started appreciating our driver's cautiousness even more once the road at one point in particular, when he showed us the reason why he decided to slow down, dramatically increasing the distance between us and the truck in front. We did not really understand why he did that until he raised his arm, started unfolding his fingers and as if he was pointing at the stars, said with laughter "look!".
It took me a second or two before I understood what there was to see but as soon as I saw it, I was very grateful that he had much better reflexes than I did! The truck in front of us was randomly dropping pretty big stones which seemed to pop out of nowhere.

He had been stalking that truck for quite some time, ready to overpass it until he realized he was driving behind a pop-corn machine on wheels that was creating many opportunities to squash the car and us with it.

We finally made it to Mumbai, arriving in a luxury hotel...lobby. We decided to stay in the lobby and try to get some sleep there before going to the airport the next morning until we realized that we were allowed the comfy chairs or sofas but just three small chairs right next to the exit. We had the most expensive tea and chai of our journey (and the worst one, to me).

There was a night club in the hotel as well so were seeing people coming in and out. It was a classy place for wealthy people and that's where it became overwhelmingly apparent that money does not bring happiness. Those people had a lot of common characteristics with westerners, but not the best ones. They had absolutely nothing to do with the people we had been seeing for the last 2 weeks and a half. I was no longer in India to me...

We finally got into the Mumbai airport, as Yuri pointed out, it was a sterile, sad place to be in, so instead of enjoying the sight of Indian people, as I had done throughout the entire journey, I decided to read the newspaper. I grabbed the first one I could find, opened it and read on the first page: "Mumbai airport on high terrorist alert". I thought, "Yeah, right". I remembered why I did not miss reading newspapers during our journey...

The inevitable eventually happened, we had to get on our flight and say good-bye to our dear companion Ralph...

This symbolizes the end of my journey in India, but definitely not the end of my experience started by India.

-Aurélien

January 29th - Meherabad/Ellora Caves

On the 29th, I woke up at 7 a.m. in my room in Meherabad very hopeful and peaceful. I knew this was going to be a great last day for me and I felt very comfortable in Meherabad overall. My first hope of the day was to go inside the Samadhi.

Sadly when I got there with Dan and Yuri, the line was already getting big enough for us not to have time to get in there. We were a bit disappointed but still got to get rather close to it.

However, my small miracle of the early morning was the suprise I got when I opened my door.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It looked like a "divine invasion"! The sky was so bright and looked so powerful, I stopped for a moment to stare at it and take a few pictures of the beautiful morning that was starting my day in Meherabad.

It looked like Jamie was very impressed as well!

I took my first and last excellent breakfast in MPR and then I had to check out already to get on the bus.

As we proceeded to Ellora Caves, I looked outside with even more attention than usual to take advantage of the great view we had.

- Aurélien

Ellora Caves


Meher Baba at the Kailash Temple

I was very excited to get to Ellora caves and as soon as we saw the Kailash temple from a distance on the bus, I almost began jumping around on my seat.

As expected, the caves were absolutely mind-blowing. I believe the number of pictures I took in there describes in a way how fascinated I got.





At the core of the Kailash temple, all the forces are concentrated in this room. There is no denying they could be felt easily as they were overwhelming.

-Aurélien