A number of teachers from the east claim a status beyond that of a fully enlightened guru; they state that they are Avatars. The usual definition of an Avatar is a divine being who incarnates in human form from a higher order of existence. Each brings a special and unique presence or impulse into the evolution of humanity. Meher Baba indicated this status for himself and defined an Avatar in the following passage:
When man becomes God and retains creation-consciousness, he is called a "Man-God:" but when God becomes a man, He is called the "God-Man", or the Avatar. The God-Man is the foremost Sadguru, who was the first to emerge through evolution and involution; and He helps all souls in bondage through His recurrent advents.
Meher Baba goes on to state that, for most purposes, it is not possible to distinguish the Avatar from the "Man-God" or Sadguru.
Mother Meera also claims this status for herself, but also admits in Answers that each Avatar necessarily incarnates only a part of the Divine. She also suggests that an Avatar's influence is many, many times that of a Guru.
Satya Sai Baba, also a self-proclaimed Avatar, has such an enormous following that he gives darshan via a helicopter! Da Free John has alluded to having this status as well, or at least some of his statements can be interpreted as such. So do many Indian women "saints" when they state that they are an incarnation of Sarawasti, Laksmi, etc. In fact, it's difficult to find anyone coming out of India these days who does not claim this status of Avatar.
Often it is the disciples who assume their teacher has this status. This is the case with both RamaKrishna and Sri Aurobindo. Even the veneration which Buddhists display towards their Boddhisattwas, including the most recent incarnation, the exiled Dalai Lama, does not appear that different from the veneration given to Avatars. Are most of these teachers and/or disciples, merely self-deluded or frauds?
Not necessarily. One possibility is that one or more of these self-proclaimed Avatars is, in fact, genuine; however, we live in an age where it is virtually impossible to authenticate this sublime actuality.. Another possibility is that these special individuals mistake genuine experiences of great intimacy with God for actually being God. A third possibility is that they call themselves Avatars on the rationalization that they will lose ground and followers if they do not and that it is best to simply placate "the ignorant children." Of course, a fourth possibility is that many of these people are just outright frauds.
If gurus have, in recent times, under emphasized the importance of the various paths to God, and the need to find one's own best path, then the self-proclaimed Avatars have actually undermined this profound teaching even more. Mother Meera, for example, suggests that there is no need for any intermediary in our relationship with the Supreme, but if you must have one, use the Avatar. She says: Pray to Him through an Incarnation -- meaning herself.
I'm not suggesting that all self-proclaimed Avatars would support her view; certainly Meher Baba and Sai Baba have honored different approaches to God-Realization in their writings. However, since many of these "God-Beings" admit that an Avatar's writings and pronouncements may not appear to be distinct from any guru's teaching, nor may not even appear to be anything special or unique, the stage is set for a dangerous scenario, the requirement of blind faith on the part of the seeker -- an approach hardly suitable for most modern day western people. The teachings of The Art of Multi-Dimensional Living® suggest that authoritarian based models of religion and spirituality are outmoded. Let the spiritual seeker beware!
At the same time, let us not be closed to the idea that certain people are born as direct Divine agents. Quoting from The Notebooks of Paul Brunton, Vol.#10:
Those who would regard the Buddha as merely
an ethical teacher and religious reformer, or as a sort of Hindu
Martin Luther, have not seen deeply enough into his person and
his teaching. The level of both puts him among those who come
among us invested with special authority and special power. Such
men are called Avatars.