Sometimes when suffering is properly understood, one can get addicted to it, wanting to be with Him all the time, for once its true taste is felt, suffering is turned into bliss because God's Compassion is so strongly felt. This is the moment when the soul turns to face Him directly and complete surrender to Him comes most readily.

Of course nobody can suffer in the way Meher Baba suffered because His suffering was not an individual suffering. His suffering was a universal suffering through His Universal form for all of humanity and therefore it cannot be equated with individual suffering. As our Comforter, He drew this suffering upon Himself to lighten our burden by sharing our suffering, and yet in His sacrifice He seemed totally indifferent to suffering, even appearing to be cheerful. In a way, this was an example He left us on how to bear cheerfully and patiently whatever suffering becomes our lot.

Although we do not feel or see Him, Baba is always at our side when we suffer. He also experiences our suffering and although we may be suffering, the major part of that suffering is transferred to Him.

Whenever God appears in our midst as a man, He puts aside His Infinite Bliss and embraces suffering so that He may alleviate humanity's suffering. Thus He gets maltreated, humiliated, involved in bad accidents and crucified. He even goes through wars and battles and suffers physically.

Sometimes we may wonder whether there is really any need for God to incarnate as man when His Compassion is already so fully accessible to us from His discarnate state. Well, Meher Baba told us that the only reason He comes again and again into our midst is because He feels so close to His creation. How much better it is to dispense comfort through another human being! Baba's physical form was therefore an expression of His Compassion, but even though He has left that body, He is still looking after us and His Compassion flows to us with even greater force.
 

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