Self, which is God. He was acknowledged by his
followers to be the avatar of the age.
In 1959, when he was 65 years old, Meher
Baba established the Avatar Meher Baba Trust to
provide for disciples who were dependent on him
and to care for his tomb and property. The trust
oversees charitable activities in India and the
United States and has created a development plan
for Meherabad, the site of Meher Baba’s tomb.
Meher Baba traveled to the United States six
times between 1931 and 1958. His center in the
West is located at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
He left his body on July 31, 1969.
Further reading: Meher Baba, The Everything and the
Nothing (Berkeley: Beguine Library, 1963); ———, God
Speaks (New York: Dodd, Mead, 1973); ———, The
Path of Love (Ahmed Nagar: Awakener Press, 1986); C.
B. Purdom, The God-Man: The Life, Journeys and Work
of Meher Baba with an Interpretation of His Silence and
Spiritual Teaching (Crescent Beach, S.C.: Sheriar Press,
1964); Kevin Shepherd, Meher Baba, an Iranian Liberal
(Cambridge: Anthropographia, 1986).
Meru, Mount
In ancient Indian cosmology Mount Meru is a
golden mountain, supporting the heavens, located
at the center of the known universe. Its location is
at the center of the continent of Jambudvipa (the
island of the rose-apple tree). The part of Jambud-
vipa south of the mountain is called Bharatavarsha,
which is identified with historical India. BRAHMA,
SHIVA, and VISHNU are understood to reside on the
summit of Mount Meru, accompanied by sages
praising the gods, apsarases (celestial dancers),
and GANDHARVAS (celestial musicians). The pole
star is seen to shine directly over the summit of
Meru.
The GANGES falls from heaven to the peak of
Meru, where it is channeled to the four regions
below. There are numerous mythological stories
associated with this mountain. One says that
Mount Meru and the god of the wind (VAY U) were
good friends. However, the mischievous sage
Narada approached Vayu and instigated him to
humble the mountain. Vayu blew with full force
for one full year, but Meru did not yield. However,
after a year Meru relaxed for a while, and taking
advantage of this opportunity, Vayu increased in
intensity. The top of the mountain was broken off
and it fell into the sea. Thus was the island of Sri
Lanka born.Further reading: Cornelia Dimitt and J. A. van Buite-
nen, eds. and trans., Classical Hindu Mythology: A
Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas (Philadelphia: Temple
University Press, 1978); E. Washburn Hopkins, Epic
Mythology (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1986).Metamorphosis League for Monastic
Studies (est. 1987)
The Metamorphosis League for Monastic Studies
was founded by Kailasa Chandra Das (born Mark
Goodwin) in 1987, in response to disputes within
the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CON-
SCIOUSNESS (ISKCON) between the leadership and
some other disciples who had been trained and
initiated by the founder, Swami A. C. Prabhupada
BHAKTIVEDANTA. The stated goal of the league is to
help define norms for a valid devotional Vaish-
navite organization. These norms suggest that a
GURU, teacher; YOGI, or spiritual guide must be a
self-realized Vaishnavite, that is, a devotee of
VISHNU who has traveled the spiritual path to
enlightenment and God. This person also must
have realized the supreme personality of the god-
head, KRISHNA.
Those who seek help from the league are
advised to leave any guru who attracts disciples
by charisma only. The charismatic personality, the
league believes, may not always follow spiritual
rules and may succumb to the illusion of power
and self-aggrandizement, which would mislead
disciples on the path to SELF-REALIZATION. On the
other hand, there is a danger that an institutional
guru, with a following of disciples who haveMetamorphosis League for Monastic Studies 287 J