The prayer that God hears is the prayer of the heart, that raising of the heart, that suffering of the heart — that is what God pays attention to. And so it does not matter, and certainly it is foolish to rely upon the usual religious practices and ritual. What matters is your heart, the prayer that arises from your heart. That is the prayer that Baba hears, that God hears.

Baba says Jesus Christ said this exactly when he said: "When you pray, close the door; pray in secret." Therefore, pray from the heart even if you are with 1,000 people. People know it all by heart but they do not grasp it, or God would hear.

Pray from the heart by giving "yourselves." Just saying the words or being still, unless you are giving yourselves, is useless. It is the prayer of your heart, the giving of your heart, that counts. Those prayers are answered. Jesus meant, you do not pray, you do not ask, because you do not really ask with all your being.

If one desires to live eternally, one must die for Baba. If you know what that means, why then you understand. It is the profoundest thing. Dying does not mean physical death; it means dying inwardly.

Charles Purdom read out Baba's message titled "How Does One Work For Baba," the message given in Andhra in 1954. Several people had arrived late, and since Baba was about to retire to his room, it was announced that he would see them there so that no one would be overlooked. One couple who came before Baba then was Minta and her husband, Glynn Barton, who was deeply worried about something. Baba assured Barton, "With my authority I tell you that your desperate situation will clear up if you keep firm, and dedicate all your thoughts and worries to me."

Rubens Hotel, London, 18 July 1956
Mary Backett (left)

The next morning, 19 July 1956, at about 9:00 A.M., Baba met with the members of the Universal Spiritual League to iron out their differences (principally between Will Backett and Delia DeLeon). Baba eventually appointed three chairpersons — namely, Will, Delia and Charles Purdom — to rotate after six months each. If during those periods any dispute arose between the three of them and they could not come to a decision, the chairman at that time was to decide the issue, and everyone was to accept it, as if it had come from Baba himself.