Meher Baba's Silence
It is natural that one of the most common questions asked about Meher Baba is why He kept silent. When He first undertook his Silence, on July 10, 1925, he stated that it was because of the heavy spiritual work which lay ahead for Him, indicating a general increase in chaos and conflict in the world. Through the years that followed, Baba gave scores of further hints and explanations about the meaning of His Silence. Several times He cryptically declared that when He breaks His Silence, He will do so by uttering only “One Word“:
I have come to sow the seed of love in your hearts so that, in spite of all superficial diversity which your life in illusion must experience and endure, the feeling of oneness, through love, is brought about amongst all the nations, creeds, sects and castes of the world.
In order to bring this about, I am preparing to break my Silence. When I break my Silence, it will not be to fill your ears with spiritual lectures. I shall only speak One Word, and this Word will penetrate the hearts of all men and make even the sinner feel that he is meant to be a saint, while the saint will know that God is in the sinner as much as He is in himself.
Meher Baba has indicated that the ‘speaking of the Word’ would in actuality be a release of immense spiritual energy and irresistible love, and that all persons and creatures will benefit from it.
"…because all forms and words are from this Primal Sound or Original Word and are continuously connected with It and have their life from It, when It is uttered by me It will reverberate in all people and creatures, and all will know that I have broken my Silence and have uttered that Sound or Word."
Still, He left a large body of discourses and messages, shared with those near Him and recorded by His close disciples. These are both detailed and expansive, dealing with the practical aspects of the spiritual path while explaining the workings of Creation. Most were communicated in English, and many dictated through the use of an alphabet board, letter by letter. However, in 1954, Baba gave up using the alphabet board, and from then on relied upon a unique language of hand gestures for all verbal communication.
"When the WORD of My Love breaks out of its Silence and speaks in your hearts, telling you who I really am, you will know that that is the Real Word you have always been longing to hear."
Throughout the years Baba indicated that the breaking of his Silence would come in a way and at a time that no one could imagine, and that his “speaking the Word” after the appearance of utter defeat would be his only real miracle in this incarnation as God in human form.
"When I break My Silence, the impact will jolt the world out of its spiritual lethargy... What will happen when I break my Silence is what has never happened before ... The breaking of my Silence will reveal to man the universal Oneness of God, which will bring about the universal brotherhood of man."
…The Word that I will speak will go to the world as from God, not as from a philosopher—it will go straight to its heart.