oneself. This is the feeling the mandali have. They know their own nature and they know it is only Baba who is able to communicate His love through them.

Once I was sitting in the Tomb. Suddenly I became aware of this feeling of love that just seemed to pour out of my heart flowing towards Baba. It became very clear it had nothing to do with me. It was as if Baba was reaching into my heart and pulling Himself out of my heart to Himself in the Tomb. Baba was claiming what belonged to Him. His love in my heart belonged to Him, not to me. The best I could do was try to stay out of the way and not interfere with this flow of love to Love.

I described this to Eruch later on and he said, "Imagine you are in a very small room and there are two people in love and they are being very affectionate with each other. What would your attitude be if you couldn't get out of the room and leave them alone? You would try and get out of the way as best you could. You would at least try not to watch. But if you are forced to watch, you would try to shrink in the corner and allow the love-making to go on and try not to interfere." So the best we can do is to try not to get in the way of Baba loving Himself through us. Then Eruch added. "Of course, it's Baba in us who gets in the way, and it's Baba in us who gets out of the way!"

Baba explained that He is connected to each one of us with a very fine thread from our heart to His, and He doesn't want that thread to break. So when we go on our own way and do what we want, when we disobey Him and follow our own minds, He unreels the thread so it doesn't snap or break. When we stop resisting Him and obey Him He reels us in. So to love Meher Baba, there is nothing we can do but at least we can try not to resist His love. He is always calling to us, pulling us, but our minds and our attention are focused elsewhere, in other directions and towards other interests. If we would just let go of our own selfish desires we could experience His love. The things Baba tells us are only things that keep us from getting further involved in the world, in illusion. By avoiding lust, anger, drugs, other masters etc., He can pull us to Him, He can pull our hearts to His heart. He can pull out of us what belongs to Him. He cuts off our attachments through suffering. If we can accept these difficulties as coming from Him, we will be drawn closer to Him. It isn't easy to wake up from a nightmare if we think that dream is real!

Mani gave an analogy of a potter shaping a pot on his wheel: with one hand he is pounding on the outside of the pot and molding it. But, with his other hand unseen he is supporting the pot on the inside, so the pot won't collapse.

In like manner we are being ground under by life, being shaped by the forces of life. Baba is supporting us unseen in our hearts; if it wasn't for the support He gives us with His love how could we stand the outward grinding? Like the pot, we would collapse if we were not supported within. In this process eventually His two hands clasp together and we are no longer there, only He remains.

This doesn't mean we are not to be concerned about our responsibilities in life. Baba wants us to take care of our families, our careers, etc, but for Him, not for ourselves. As Adi K. Irani often indicated, when we surrender to Baba, we give Him our life, He accepts our life, and then He hands it back to us to take care of for Him, and not for ourself.

How can we experience Baba's love in the midst of all these many distractions, difficulties, and temptations? It is because of the many distractions and temptations that we can experience His love even more, He gives more of His love to us to counterbalance the attractions of maya.

Mehera explained this so beautifully. She indicated that Baba has said that a little bit of effort means a great deal because the temptations are so great in this difficult age we are in. During the so-called Age of Truth, it took a great deal of effort to advance spiritually because it was easy to love God. Generally people were loving and obeying during the Golden Age. But because the temptations are so difficult now during this Kali Yuga, everything we do has so much more significance.

I feel because it is so difficult nowadays to be faithful to one's husband or wife, to be honest, to avoid lust, drugs and other masters etc., that obedience to Baba has so much more significance, so much more meaning now. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, the opportunity of many lifetimes.