"These dhuni ashes contain the essence of many of Your sublime messages..."

March 13, 2026Meher Mount

Your Friday photo is in honor of the Darshan Courtyard…

The Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount was born out of fire. And ashes representing Meher Baba’s words symbolically help form the foundation of the courtyard.

The Darshan Courtyard is in the space of the Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing or being with the Divine) to His followers on August 2, 1956.

The guesthouse with the Baba Room burned to the ground on October 14, 1985. All that remained was the stone fireplace and chimney — now known as Baba’s Fireplace.

In 2021, plans were underway to build a courtyard celebrating this space and Meher Baba’s Presence. Meher Mount invited followers from all over the world to send their favorite Meher Baba quote.

Each quote and the person’s name were printed on a special piece of paper. These quotes were read aloud and then placed in a special dhuni (sacred fire)* at the Darshan Dhuni event on June 12, 2021.

In 2024, when it was time to break ground for the actual building of the Darshan Courtyard, the ashes from this Darshan Dhuni were put under the spot where Meher Baba sat during His time in the Baba Room. The groundbreaking ceremony was on dhuni day October 12, 2024.

This photo of a sunset over Baba’s Fireplace was taken by Ray Johnston just before construction began on the Darshan Courtyard in 2024. The following statement from board president Sam Ervin was made during the groundbreaking dedication later in 2024.

“These dhuni ashes contain the essence of many of Your sublime messages that are cherished by Your lovers around the world.

The dhuni fire in which they were burned was fueled by wood from Your tree, Baba’s Tree.

We now offer these ashes carrying that Divine essence expressed by You to mingle with the earth supporting the Darshan Courtyard.

We ask that You accept this, as an expression of the hearts of Your lovers, yearning for Your presence.”

— Sam Ervin, Darshan Courtyard Groundbreaking 2024

Note

*Meher Baba lit the first dhuni in 1925, and later ordered that there be a monthly dhuni event on the 12th of each month in Meherabad, India (home of Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine). At this dhuni, participants throw in a sandalwood stick dipped in ghee into the fire, an act signifying the renunciation of some attachment.

"There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Meher Baba’s name and presence..."

October 15, 2024Meher Mount

Your Friday photo…

Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also called CometA3) as seen from Meher Mount and photographed by Caretaker Ray Johnston. Baba’s Fireplace is in the foreground.

This is the first time in 80,000 years that CometA3 is visible and expected to come within 44 million miles of Earth.

According to NASA, the comet initially appears low on the western horizon in the glow of twilight about 45 minutes after sunset each day starting on October 12, 2024.

Coincidently, the 12th of the month is when the dhuni (sacred fire) is lit near Avatar Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine in Meherabad, India.

An additional coincidence, October 12, 2024, was also the groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard at Meher Mount.

The courtyard, next to Baba’s Fireplace, is to be an intimate space evoking the atmosphere of the Baba Room where Avatar Meher Baba gave darshan (the grace of seeing the Divine) to His followers in 1956.

Board Member Agnes Montano shares her impressions of the groundbreaking ceremony on October 12th.

“There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic.

The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba’s divine love, made it even more auspicious. ”

— Agnes Montano, Board Member

Events at Meher Mount are always special. There’s something so unique that happens when people gather in Avatar Meher Baba’s name and presence, so prevalent at Meher Mount.

Saturday’s groundbreaking for the Darshan Courtyard felt extra special to me. It was intimate, solemn, joyful and even nostalgic. The fact that the ceremony was held on dhuni day, symbol of the fire of Meher Baba's divine love, made it even more auspicious.

After discussing the Darshan Courtyard project for almost four years at board meetings, seeing construction started on the site was very powerful.

The simple ceremony was so heartfelt. It was intimate, somber and so distinct. Even though there were only a handful of us on site, there were another 185 followers of Meher Baba lovers from around the world participating through the ashes from the 2021 Darshan Dhuni.

The love and utter devotion to Meher Baba in the dedication was so profound. My husband Juan Mendez and I were deeply touched. Meher Baba was definitely there giving His darshan to us like He did when He sat in the space in 1956.

~Agnes Montano, Board Member

Darshan Dhuni Ashes

In 2021 there was a special Darshan Dhuni on June 12th (dhuni day). For this dhuni, more than 185 personally meaningful Meher Baba quotes were sent from all over the world. Each quote was placed in a special dhuni (sacred fire).

The fire was started with the dhuni sticks — twigs that were harvested from Baba’s Tree at Meher Mount on another dhuni day, January 12, 2019.

Baba’s Tree had been severely damaged in the 2017 Thomas Fire. The fallen wood from that damaged tree was reclaimed and transformed into new expressions of Meher Baba’s presence and love.

The ashes from the 2021 dhuni — from burned paper with quotes from Meher Baba and the dhuni sticks of Baba’s Tree — are symbolically helping form the foundation for the Darshan Courtyard.

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