Since the Westerners were from a Christian background, there would often be questions about Jesus Christ. Since Baba had already explained that Jesus did not die on the cross, there would be questions about the crucifixion and Jesus’ suffering. One of them asked, “Did Christ suffer physically on the cross?”
Spelling out from his alphabet board, Baba answered:
If not, why the body? What need for Jesus if he was not affected? Christ indeed suffered. If not, what would be the meaning of his taking form? Through his universal mind – which the knowledge of Godhood continually gives – Jesus experienced that all is nothing and was sustained by the Godhood’s bliss. He suffered, but was not affected by his suffering. Knowledge means perfect union with God. The Master’s suffering is universal suffering. But his universal suffering has no effect on the Master’s Godhood.
How to explain what happens when you become God-realized? No more body, mind, ego; no more universe, only you as God experiencing bliss. You then experience knowledge too, power too, but you do not use power. You are one with this power, this knowledge, this bliss.
When you come down for the world, you take on a universal mind. Now, as God, you see all souls as your own; you see yourself in everything and your universal mind has all minds in it – as one mind. What every mind suffers comes into your mind. Your mind suffers the suffering of all minds and experiences the happiness of all minds. But as ignorance exists in all minds, the suffering is infinitely more than the happiness of those minds; therefore, you suffer infinitely. However, your soul – which is fully conscious and enjoys God’s bliss continually, and which is also enjoying its infinite state – is not affected by this suffering. Now you, as soul, in your present state are unconscious of God and God’s bliss. Your mind now suffers or is happy according to your impressions. Soul, as it were, is not affected because through ignorance your soul is identified with your mind.
After attaining knowledge, your soul consciously experiences God’s bliss. If you come down, your mind then experiences suffering or happiness but soul is not affected. You are soul. When your mission is complete the universal mind goes and with it universal suffering goes; then soul enjoys God’s bliss eternally. By knowing, I mean you must experience to know.
-www.lordmeher.org, p1945
September, 1938; Meherabad