The more you think of Maya, the more is your anxiety, or your eagerness for its (Maya’s) enjoyment (upabhog), and the greater your anxiety, the greater your fears. What are these fears and anxieties, after all? They are the refuse, the stench, the bad-bu. Penetrating your mind, they stand in the way of Self-realization. So do not let these thoughts and anxieties accumulate, lest they become a hindrance blocking your advance. Do not feel at all anxious about anything. Do not fear anything. For what is it that you are anxious of, what do you feel for or fear? All this that you see is mere bhas or imagination, since the very universe itself is bhas, a creation of imagination.
Take the example of a cinema picture. How anxious do the on-lookers in the audience feel when a rogue harasses and oppresses a poor innocent child or a woman, what great anxiety is caused when that same poor creature is tied down either to be burnt in a fire or crushed under a motorcar or a railway train! And how eagerly do all anticipate the brave hero, the savior turning up and rescuing the unfortunate creature in the nick of time! In this way you are distressed when anything goes wrong and pleased when the result is good; you feel according to what happens in the picture on the screen. But the moment the show is over, you realize, “Oh, all this was nothing but a picture that I was getting so worked up and excited over!” It was a mere drama, a creation of the imagination, bhas.
Think of this life we live and this universe in just the same way. We are all acting our parts on the stage of this world, and only when the play of life finishes do we realize that this was all dream. Therefore, do not throw your heart and mind into this imaginary world! Do not get attached to its Maya. Take the name of God, and seek and surrender to those who have become one with God, that they may safely advise you and guide you aright!
– “Meher Baba’s Tiffin lectures”, p73
05-June-1926; Meherabad