Avatar's Abode
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| Founded | 1958 |
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| Location | Queensland, Australia |
| Motto | a stopping place on the road to the Beloved |
| Website | avatarsabode.com.au |
Avatar's Abode is a 99-acre (40 ha) spiritual retreat about 75 miles (121 km) north of Brisbane, Australia dedicated to Meher Baba. It was established by Australian poet and disciple of Meher Baba Francis Brabazon in 1958 on the summit of Kiel Mountain near Woombye on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Brabazon purchased the land, an eighty-two-acre pineapple farm, with money willed to him by the Australian Sufi leader Baron Von Frankenburg. The site has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean to the east and over valleys, farmlands and rolling blue hills to the west. By Meher Baba's wish, Avatar's Abode can never be sold, but must be kept as a place of pilgrimage.[1]
The founder of Avatar's Abode, Francis Brabazon, met Meher Baba on a trip to America in 1952 and later described Baba as "the very personification of truth and the very embodiment of beauty." After returning to Australia, Brabazon and a party of helpers managed to complete a structure called "Beacon Hill house" in time for Baba's first visit to Australia in August 1956. It was later called "Meher House". In 1958 Brabazon established a new building on Kiel Mountain, Woombye, Queensland to host Meher Baba on his next visit. While he was there, Baba named the property "Avatar's Abode" and said it would become a place of world pilgrimage.[2] Francis Brabazon's grave is located there overlooking the ocean.
Bill Le Page is the current chairman of the Avatars Abode Trust. In 1947, aged thirty, he had found out about Meher Baba from the Australian Sufi leader Baron Von Frankenburg, and had met Francis Brabazon a year later.[3]. In 1967 Meher Baba instructed: "Francis Brabazon will transfer Avatar’s Abode to Bill Le Page who will, when the time is ripe, form a trust of which he will be chairman and turn the place over to it. Bill’s objective will be to make Avatar’s Abode universally known, for it is to become one of the great places of pilgrimage in the world. This is a great burden Baba is putting on Bill’s shoulders, and it will be the responsibility of all who love Baba to cooperate fully with him as one heart with many hands".[4].
Le Page had became a successful businessman in the 1970's and 1980's based on imported items from India. He was thus able to fund Avatars Abodes development. Meher Baba had hinted at Bills good fortune in the 1960's saying to Le Page 'If ever you should need money, come to me and I will see to it.”[5]. With this wealth Le Page was also able to generously support a variety of worthwhile projects in India related to Meher Baba. [6].
The development of Avatar's Abode into a place of world pilgrimage was no small task. Anticipating this Meher Baba had made a statement before he passed away in 1969, "Baba wants certain ones to wholeheartedly cooperate with Bill and work under his direction in the development of the place. In so doing, they will be cooperating directly with Baba in his work in Australia.” [7] On another occasion Baba further explained: “There should be no personalities in Baba’s work. Baba alone does his work, but it pleases him to use this person or that person in his work". [8] Despite these clear warnings differences of opinion within the Meher Baba community over how Avatars Abode was managed surfaced in 1979 leading to a petition in 1984 that challenged Le Page's leadership. In 1988 after four years of stalemate the current Trust arrangements were put in place [9] However while Le Page remained chairman of the trust he significantly reduced then stopped his personal funding of Avatars Abode. The timing was inauspicious for Avatars Abode as the worlds economy lurched toward the Early 1990s recession. Today Avatar's Abode is a functioning but modest undertaking that relies on donations for upkeep. Donations are significantly below the running costs of the site. [10] Avatar's Abode has not yet achieved the status Meher Baba tasked Bill Le Page to achieve, [11]: As evidenced by it not being a great place of pilgrimage in the world. In the Pilgrim Quarters there is limited basic accommodation for no more than a dozen pilgrims with share facilities [12]
[edit] References
- ^ Avatar's Abode Main Information Page
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1986, p. 5460
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 4448
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ http://www.avatarsabode.com.au/TrustDeed.htm
- ^ http://www.avatarsabode.com.au/FinancialSupport.htm.
- ^ Lord Meher, Bhau Kalchuri, 1886, p. 6499
- ^ http://www.avatarsabode.com.au/visiting.htm
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 26°39′32″S 153°00′19″E / 26.65889°S 153.00528°E
