What is happiness? What is humility?

Following are some thoughts and selected writings pertaining to the spiritual qualities of 1. happiness/comfort, and 2. humility:

1. Happiness/comfort

'Abdu'l-Baha shows us the attitude we should strive for with respect to these two qualities:

"...do ye not seek one moment of rest by day or by night. Nay, rather strive after composure of heart in the heaven of Unity. Do ye not for one moment obey the instinct of the worldly consciousness for ease. Seek ye divine happiness through the hardships and sorrows of this physical world, and behold spiritual well-being in the struggles of this fleeting existence. Distill sugar and honey from the bitter poison of suffering. Recognize the caress of divine favor in the arrows of misfortune. Consider the lowest degree of humiliation in the path of the Blessed Perfection as the highest station of Glory. Know descent to be identical with ascent, and consider death itself the essence of life.”
(#798 - http://bahai-library.com/compilat.../bahai.scriptures/8.html )

2. Humility

a) I find 'Abdu'l-Baha's Prayer of Visitation to be among the most poignant of the writings with regard to humility, that I know of (note the introduction as well, which is essential in reciting it - "Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervor...")
You can read the prayer here: http://bahaiprayers.org/abdulbaha.htm

b) From the following quotation it seems like we are enjoined to feel antipathy and dissatisfaction about all that pertains to our lower self - not the body, of course (which is "the throne of the inner temple" and should "be treated with respect"), but its animalistic/natural impulses and inclinations (desire for comfort and ease, social recognition and praise, fault finding, rivalry/competition etc, which 'Abdu'l-Baha has explained are blameworthy):

"'Do all ye can to become wholly weary of self, and bind yourselves to that Countenance of Splendours; and once ye have reached such heights of servitude, ye will find, gathered within your shadow, all created things. This is boundless grace; this is the highest sovereignty; this is the life that dieth not. All else save this is at the last but manifest perdition and great loss. Praise be to God, the gate of boundless grace is opened wide, the heavenly table is set, the servants of the Merciful and His handmaids are present at the feast. Strive ye to receive your share of this eternal food, so that ye shall be loved and cherished in this world and the next."
(SWA - http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAB/sab-37.html)

c) In a recent blogpost, http://bahaiblog.net/.../05/4-qualities-bahaullah-loved-see/, I read about the four qualities Baha'u'llah liked to see in people. It continues:

"In contrast to these positive qualities, Abu’l-Qasim Faizi (the most distinguished Baha'i scholar who 'Abdu'l-Baha even encouraged the believers to emulate - A.B.) tells us Baha’u’llah also felt sad about the following five negative qualities:

"Those who see themselves as knowledgeable and feel proud of it.
"Those who render a valuable service or initiate a useful innovation, but show pride about their accomplishment.
"Those who feel proud about their lineage.
"Those who are proud of their physical beauty and attraction.
"Those who regard themselves as wealthy and are proud of it.

"We can see here that the key word in all the five sentences is pride."

d) Being humble certainly doesn't mean to be glum; 'Abdu'l-Baha exhorts us to possess a spirit intrinsically enthusiastic and positive:

"[T]hrough meeting the Beauty of Abhá, they should be joyful, active, aglow with zeal and wonderful. This is the station of the sincere. This is the quality of those who are firm. This is the illumination of the faces of those who are near."
(http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-58.html )

e) Baha'u'llah is generally firm and explicit in his requirement to disregard our own ideas and wants -
"We have forbidden men to walk after the imaginations of their hearts..." (Gleanings, #100)
However, if we are to rid ourselves of all desires except those which God has desired for us, we must first undertake the arduous (and perhaps neverending!) task of discovering the difference between what we actually need (what we cannot live without without seriously handicapping ourselves) and what we want (what we've been habituated to like, eat, buy, do, watch, listen to etc). I find the account of 'Abdu'l-Baha's encounter with the Persian prince Zillu's Sultán given in a talk by Hand of the Cause A.Q. Faizi, interesting in this respect (equally, the humility expressed by Faizi himself):

"There were many kind and beautiful regards expressed toward the Hands of the Cause. But dear friends, in the Cause of God we are all the same. This is what we propagate throughout the world: that this is a religion which has no rank or positions. We have all the same responsibility. We should all put our shoulders together and carry the burden of our beloved Faith. The more discharged we are, the better we can discharge our duties....

"I want to tell you something that `Abdu'l-Bahá said in order to make clear what I mean about being empty of self and from all selfish desires, passion and ego. You know `Abdu'l-Bahá traveled in Europe after He had been released from prison, and he traveled in America too, to propagate the Faith of His Father. One of the greatest and cruellest enemies, one of the princes of Persia, was in Europe at the same time as `Abdu'l-Bahá. One day he went to `Abdu'l-Bahá and said, "I have come to ask you one question. Look at me, my hat is covered with diamonds, my garments have all sorts of jewels, and yet when I walk in the streets, nobody looks at me or pays any attention to me. And yet, when you walk in the streets and you have the simplest garment in the world, everyone makes way for you. They come to you. There are always hundreds of people at your door. I want to know why."

"`Abdu'l-Bahá knew him and knew that because of him many of the Bahá'ís had been put to death. Therefore he told him, "Your Highness, will you sit down a little and I will tell you a story." The prince sat down. The name of that prince was Zillu's Sultán, the son of Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. The Master said: "Once a wise man passed the square of a certain town and found one of the richest people of that town gloomy and sad, brooding over his sorrows in the corner of the square. He went to him and asked, `What is the matter with you?' He answered, `I have enough money to be the greatest merchant in this town, but I am not satisfied. I want to be greater than that.' The wise man said, `For instance, what would you like to be?' The merchant replied, `I want to be the governor of this town.' The wise man said, `If I make you the governor of this province, not the town, but the whole province, will you be satisfied? Please search your heart and give me the true answer.' The man pondered and then said: `Honestly, I will not be satisfied. I want to be a minister.' `I will make you a Minister, but give me another honest answer, will you be satisfied?' After that, he wanted to be King of the country, and the wise man said, `I will make you the king, will you then be happy and satisfied? Do you want anything beyond that?' The man replied, `After that there is nothing.' `Abdu'l-Bahá then said to the prince, "Your Highness, I am that nothing."

"This is what I mean. Let us all go out, the last day of the conference, just nothing, and then find the miracles that will be done by everyone of us, with the help of Bahá'u'lláh. Alláh-u-Abhá."
http://bahai-library.com/faizi_australia_1969


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What is happiness? What is humility?

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Pilgrimage to the House of Baha'u'llah in Adrinople/Edirne - the House of Riḍá Big and property of Izzat Áqá

House of Riḍá Big 

(pronounced 'Reza Beg')

**
Further down, find a description of the inside of this House.

**

(Excerpts from God Passes By, by Shoghi Effendi, pages 167-8)

Wishing to allay the fierce animosity that blazed in the bosom of His enemies, and to assure to each one of the exiles a complete freedom to choose between Him and them, Bahá’u’lláh withdrew with His family to the house of Riḍá Big (Shavval 22, 1282 A.H.), which was rented by His order, and refused, for two months, to associate with either friend or stranger, including His own companions. ... 

“That day,” Áqáy-i-Kalím is reported to have informed Nabíl, “witnessed a most great commotion. All the companions lamented in their separation from the Blessed Beauty.” “Those days,” is the written testimony of one of those companions, “were marked by tumult and confusion. We were sore-perplexed, and greatly feared lest we be permanently deprived of the bounty of His presence.”

....

After a stay of about one year in the house of Riḍá Big Bahá’u’lláh returned to the house He had occupied before His withdrawal from His companions, and thence, after three months, He transferred His residence to the house of Izzat Áqá, in which He continued to live until His departure from Adrianople.

Source: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/se/GPB/gpb-11.html
More detailed information can be found here:
http://www.h-net.org/~bahai/bhpapers/vol6/waless/chap4.htm

(Note: It is forbidden to take photos inside the house, hence this description, for the benefit of those who are unable to make this pilgrimage.)

  **

On the basement floor is found the reception room, with historical photographs on the wall and a cabinet with a number of prayer books and writings. The photographs include one of the 1933 visit of Martha Root and Marion Jack to Edirne, at the direction of the beloved Guardian, standing together with 6-8 Turkish government officials (all men). They had approached them with regard to the purchase of the property of Baha'u'llah's House, and evidently succeeded. Other photographs include a mid-19th century drawing/rendering of Edirne, two photos of the present House of Reza Beg in its original, unrenovated state, when purchased, and a picture of the location/foundation of a demolished house where Baha'u'llah had lived for a while, in Edirne (possibly the House of Izzat Pasha?).

The stairs leading to the main floor of this single storey house are decorated with photos of the Baha'i Houses of Worship in chronological order, from Ishqabad to the Mother Temple of the West, up to and including the one for South America (in Chile). Upstairs you enter a large central entrance hall (although its doors aren't in use) flanked by two rooms on one side and a hallway leading to three other rooms on the other side. The hall contains large photographs of 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, facing each other. All the rooms contain a single wall-to-wall bench at the end of the room which is cordoned off to prevent visitors from using them. The floors are covered completely with luxurious Persian carpetry. 

The two rooms flanking the central hall are dedicated to Baha'u'llah on the one hand and 'Abdu'l-Baha and The Purest Branch on the other. Sacred relics of Baha'u'llah are displayed in His room in a cabinet, which is opened for three minutes (to minimize their exposure to light) by the caretaker for viewing, which are an ornate crimson Taj of His and a small clip/bunch of His blessed hair, 6-8 centimeters long. A large calligraphic rendering of the Greatest Name faces the cabinet. On the fourth wall are built-in yellow cabinets/shelves with a small framed photograph (from the Archives building) of three of His abas (coats), a small illumined Tablet in Arabic/Persian, and a small written Tablet, in freehand, probably in His own handwriting (but if so, it is clearly written before He was poisoned because there is no shaking of the hand).  

In the other flanked room the cabinet, which is also opened briefly for viewing, holds a small adorned yet simple and worn wooden pencase kept by 'Abdu'l-Baha in His pocket for, reportedly, 40 years. It is faced by a large photograph, an aerial view of the Shrine of the Bab with a few of the terraces in view. The built-in yellow cabinets/shelves on the fourth wall contain small framed photos of 'Abdu'l-Baha together with His brother the Purest Branch, one full-face photo of 'Abdu'l-Baha, and one of His bedroom, with a white taj on the pillow and a desk with two stacks of three books on each side of a low central mirror. 

The other three rooms are each dedicated to either a pair/group of prominent figures in the Faith, or to a theme. The first room is dedicated to the beloved Guardian and Ruhiyyih Khanum, their portraits facing each other, as are pictures of each of their graves, placed next to their portraits. 

The second room contains a medium-sized full-body portrait of the Greatest Holy Leaf as a young woman, with three smaller photos of each of the four Monument Garden monuments, including Munirih Khanum's monument. 

The last room contains picture-portraits of the Kings and rulers addressed by Baha'u'llah on one wall, faced by some brief exerpts of the Tablet to the Kings (Surih ye Muluuk) in Persian, English and Turkish respectively.The hallway contains two framed calligraphic pieces in English, one of the Hidden Word (P11), "O SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears..."; and one with four exerpts of Baha'u'llah's statements regarding the vastness of the outpouring of His Revelation during His sojourn there.

  **

The House if Izzat Áqá

The property to this house was purchased at the direction of the Universal House of Justice, and is located barely 100 meters down the road from the house of Rida Big. The House of Justice directed to unearth the foundation, which was all that remained of it, except for a spiral-grooved stone and a number of floor tiles.

 

The property was shown to me as part of the pilgrimage-guiding (by the custodian(s)), so lovingly extended to Baha'i pilgrims visiting Edirne (more on that here - http://hp.bahaitr.org/index.php/en/ - remember to contact the custodians advance, and await their directions!)

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  **

Photos by this blogger (Alex B.) - feel free to use.
Searchwords: House of Reza Beg, Pilgrimage to Edirne, House of Izzat Aqa (pronounced /ezzat aqa/

Pilgrimage to the House of Baha'u'llah in Adrinople/Edirne - the House of Riḍá Big and property of Izzat Áqá

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Postcard from Haifa: "A new earth"

Baha'i Holy places and gardens in Haifa, Israel

The blog title used here derives from a biblical verse, and seems appropriate to what I will describe of my experience in Haifa: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth..." (Rev. 21.1)

                                                                                                                                      .

If I said I'd experienced paradise, perhaps you'd like to know what it was like?

To start with, the idea of "paradise", like anything else, is based on a vision. And when it comes to this unique subject, the vision cannot be limited, it must be infinite and eternal; not exclusive, but universal (this is, in fact, the basis of all - true/pure - religion). Life doesn't end at death, it's just a birth into a richer world for which we have prepared ourselves in this life (as the unborn child developed its limbs and organs to be used only after it was born) through the exercise of our free will in following heavenly instructions (what, you say?). Furthermore, conceptions of paradise are relative. To every religionist (or atheist too, for that matter) their conception of it will be different; it may involve certain special beings, physical trappings, an organization, an order etc. But a true paradise clearly involves more subtle realities than this. At the heart of it is probably God's love to man - in the words of Baha'u'llah ("the Glory of God", d.1892), "I loved thy creation, hence I created thee". And from the human side we, in turn, are duly bound to reciprocate this divine love: "O Son of Man! If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee."

 Baha'i Administrative buildings and the Shrine of the Bab

What has been the result of a group of people individually and collectively following this commandment of "seeking His pleasure" over their own? In a word: the Baha'i world community: Its fundamental principle is unity - one human race, one universal Cause, one common Faith under one God. All religions are one, and its ordinances/laws are changed according to the needs of the age by a special Being, a Universal Educator - an Abraham, a Moses, a Christ, Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna and, most recently (1844-1892), the Bab and Baha'u'llah.  

Terrace below the Shrine of the Bab

The principles established by the latter - Baha'u'llah - show themselves in the voluntary/non-dictatorial Baha'i community (there are no paid positions or clergy). Its flower and fruit is seen in the Baha'i World Centre, which is continually developing and expanding around the twin holy Shrines of the Bab and Baha'u'llah (in Haifa/Akka, northern Israel). 700 Baha'is from all countries of the world are contributing there in various forms of service. All are happy because they share the vision of a glorious future for humankind which they are exemplifying among themselves, as well as giving a tangible proof of by creating and maintaining magnificent gardens and administrative buildings surrounding their Holy places. As to the unity of the human race, 'Abdu'l-Baha has said:

The world of existence is like unto an orchard and humanity is like unto the trees. All these trees are planted in the same orchard, reared through the heat of one sun, watered with one rain. We must be the cause of the adornment of this orchard. The world of humanity is like unto a rose garden and the various races, tongues and people are like unto contrasting flowers. The diversity of colors in a rose-garden adds to the charm and beauty of the scene as variety enhances unity. Why should we not look upon the human world with rose-colored vision?  

   

Entrance walkay to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah, Bahji, Israel

The goal of this paradisical vision is to bring the heavenly ideals of Justice, Beauty and Order to this 'lower' world (not that they should only exist in "heaven" above - where we go when we die). In the words of 'Abdu'l-Baha:

Because, in this most momentous of ages, the Sun of Truth hath risen at the highest point of the spring equinox, and cast its rays on every clime, it shall kindle such tremulous excitement, it shall release such vibrations in the world of being, it shall stimulate such growth and development, it shall stream out with such a glory of light, and clouds of grace shall pour down such plentiful waters, and fields and plains shall teem with such a galaxy of sweet-smelling plants and blooms, that this lowly earth will become the Abhá (Heavenly - A.B.) Kingdom, and this nether world the world above. Then will this fleck of dust be as the vast circle of the skies, this human place the palace-court of God, this spot of clay the Dayspring of the endless favours of the Lord of Lords. Wherefore... Make ye a mighty effort till you yourselves betoken this advancement and all these confirmations, and become focal centres of God’s blessings, daysprings of the light of His unity, promoters of the gifts and graces of civilized life. Be ye in that land vanguards of the perfections of humankind; carry forward the various branches of knowledge, be active and progressive in the field of inventions and the arts. Endeavour to rectify the conduct of men, and seek to excel the whole world in moral character.

Gardens surrounding the Shrine of Baha'u'llah 

(the Mansion which He inhabited for the last decade of His life, on the left)

And what about the Paradise I'd been to? It was this: People of every race, class, age and background serving side by side, united in their devotion to their Creator (speaking through Baha'u'llah in this day, just as It spoke through the Universal Manifestations in the past - Christ, Muhammad, the Bab and others), and striving to follow His commandments -  

to nurture

- one's personal spiritual life, through daily individual prayers revealed by Baha'u'llah and meditation over His Writings

- the community's collective functioning, through participation in study groups, prayer meetings, altruistic service projects etc.

Some Baha'i youth serving at the Baha'i World Centre

They are united in striving to realize Baha'u'llah's vision of inner (spiritual) and outer (manifest) beauty, as seen in Baha'i Shrines, Temples and gardens (and in the smiles on Baha'is' faces!). Regarding the effect of the appearance of every new Universal Educator (both in the past and in future), Baha'u'llah has stated:

Is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself, both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions? For if the character of mankind be not changed, the futility of God’s universal Manifestations would be apparent.

 Terraces leading up to the Shrine of the Bab

The Baha'i principles and teachings have indeed proved their efficacy in organizing and transforming the lives of its followers both individually and collectively; who can fail to be touched by this new Spirit and Vision brought into the world?

Click here for a list of Baha'i national communities. 

Photos: With the exception of the photo of Bahai youth serving at the Baha'i World Centre, all photos are by Alex B., 4-6 October 2015. 

Postcard from Haifa: "A new earth"

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The rare qualities of the Greatest Holy Leaf

Bahíyyih Khánum

Sublime observations on the life of the most prominent woman of the Bahá'í Dispensation, Bahíyyih Khánum (also known as the Greatest Holy Leaf), daughter of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá'u'lláh.

"If she found you troubled she would not discuss your difficulties and try to solve your problems. You forgot them. Confusion and complexity were dissolved in her warm clarity."

"When we begged her to tell us of the scenes of tumult and outrage that crowded her childhood or of the long hardship in exile and imprisonment, she would not try to recreate in part that drama too great for any telling, or even to bring to the surface an episode out of the troubled past. She would simply allow to emerge from her still depths some living impression, some poignant detail, and so move you with this glimpse that you felt all the seasons of her grief and the full measure of her pain..."

          (From A Tribute to Bahíyyih Khánum by Marjorie Morten)

Source: http://is.gd/h4PFT
PDF-version: http://www.claricomm.com/Bahiyyih_Khanum_Tribute.pdf
Hat tip to Brent Poirier at http://bahai-storytelling.blogspot.com/2010/10/magnificent-character-greatest-holy.html

A Compilation of writings on the Greatest Holy Leaf is available here and here.

Photo accessed here.

The rare qualities of the Greatest Holy Leaf

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Community building

Welcoming people to a devotional meeting in Tuvalu

The vision: 

To bring together 

men and women eager to improve material and spiritual conditions in their surroundings... [Souls who long] to shed the lethargy imposed on them by society and work alongside one another in their neighbourhoods...to begin a process of collective transformation.

How to achieve it? 

By 

[persisting] in efforts to learn the ways and methods of community building in [such] small [neighborhood] settings", utilizing the "[specific] activities that drive this process...—

• meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; 
• classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; 
• groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth; [and] 
• circles of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the [Baha'i] teachings to their individual and collective lives.

(The Universal House of Justice, Ridván 2010 Message. View here.)

Photo copyright Bahá'í International Community. View here.

Community building

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Remembrance--the application of knowledge

Seeking insights through study

Every experience we have can imbue us with new insights. But what are the purposes of the insights gained? Surely they are given us to be applied - notably, according to Bahá'u'lláh, for the betterment of the society in which we live and for the benefit of all may cross our path.

In order to apply this new knowledge, we need to translate it into modes/schemes of practical action (i.e., to 'operationalize' them). This, I imagine, should ideally become a habit we make ourselves - to ever be on the lookout for creative means by which we can put these insights to the test, so to speak, in real-world situations.

How long can we wait before applying them? Clearly, any delay puts us at risk of forgetting them, allowing these fleeting 'gifts of the spirit' to slip from our minds and become lost in oblivion. 

The best way to grasp an idea and strengthen our knowledge of a thing is, as is known, by teaching and demonstrating it to others. Interestingly enough, however, and well worth noting in this regard, is that our attitude in, and motive for sharing our knowledge influences directly the learning outcome both for ourselves and for our hearers. According to the Holy Books, unless our motive be to serve God, our every endeavor will be without result. The spirit that's required is thus described in the Qur'án: "We nourish your souls for the sake of God; We seek from you neither recompense nor thanks." (76:9)

In the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:--

If one teaches one whom he loves because of his love for him, then he will not teach one whom he loves not; and that is not of God.  If one teaches in order to derive the promised benefit to himself, this too is not from God.   If he teaches because of God's Will that God may be known -- and for that reason only -- he will receive knowledge and wisdom, and his words will have effect -- being made powerful by the Holy Spirit -- and will take root in the souls of those who are in the right condition to receive them.  In such a case the benefit to the teacher in growth is as ninety percent compared to the ten percent of gain to the hearer, because he becomes like a tree bearing fruit through the power of God.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, cited in Star of the West - source is here)

As to the imperative to ourselves study, then apply the knowledge gained, a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi states:--

He urges you to study deeply the teachings, teach others, study with those [believers] who are anxious to do so, the deeper teachings of our Faith, and through example, effort and prayer, bring about a change.

(Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi. #1323 in Living the Life)

'Abdu'l-Bahá's thus appeals to us to let words be followed by action:--

Put into practice the Teaching of Bahá'u'lláh, that of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path. ...

[L]et your manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that you are filled with universal love. When you meet a Persian or any other stranger, speak to him as to a friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help him, give him of your willing service; if he be sad console him, if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery comfort him. In so doing you will manifest that not in words only, but in deed and in truth, you think of all men as your brothers.

What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless.

The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the place of words, the world's misery would very soon be changed into comfort.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 16)

What, then, of remembrance? Couldn't one say, in a sense, that all we experience and do in life is but various means by which we may remember the One True God? Hence the need for action, that we may fulfill the purpose of our lives on this earth.

Now is the time, O ye beloved of the Lord, for ardent endeavor. Struggle ye, and strive. And since the Ancient Beauty was exposed by day and night on the field of martyrdom, let us in our turn labor hard, and hear and ponder the counsels of God; let us fling away our lives, and renounce our brief and numbered days. Let us turn our eyes away from empty fantasies of this world's divergent forms, and serve instead this pre-eminent purpose, this grand design. ...

Let us not consent that the splendors of the Sun of Truth should ever fade and disappear. These are the admonitions of God, as set forth in His Holy Books, His Scriptures, His Tablets that tell out His counsellings to the sincere. ...

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections, p. 276)

Photo Copyright Bahá'í International Community. View here.

Remembrance--the application of knowledge

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Recognizing potential, encouraging it

In 1992, more than 27,000 Bahá'ís from some
170 countries assembled in New York City for the Second
Bahá'í World Congress, which commemorated the
centennial of Bahá'u'lláh's passing.

'Abdu'l-Bahá's hope - for those endowed with capacity. This, to be realized through "the oneness of human world-power, the love of God."

A few days ago I arrived in New York, coming direct from Alexandria. On a former trip I traveled to Europe, visiting Paris and London. Paris is most beautiful in outward appearance. The evidences of material civilization there are very great, but the spiritual civilization is far behind. I found the people of that city submerged and drowning in a sea of materialism. Their conversations and discussions were limited to natural and physical phenomena, without mention of God. I was greatly astonished. Most of the scholars, professors and learned men proved to be materialists. I said to them, "I am surprised and astonished that men of such perceptive caliber and evident knowledge should still be captives of nature, not recognizing the self-evident Reality."

The phenomenal world is entirely subject to the rule and control of natural law. ... but man has proceeded to break this law, free himself from this rule and bring them forth into the realm of the visible. Therefore, he is the ruler and commander of nature. Man has intelligence; nature has not. Man has volition; nature has none. Man has memory; nature is without it. Man has the reasoning faculty; nature is deprived. Man has the perceptive faculty; nature cannot perceive. It is therefore proved and evident that man is nobler than nature.

If we accept the supposition that man is but a part of nature, we are confronted by an illogical statement, for this is equivalent to claiming that a part may be endowed with qualities which are absent in the whole. For man who is a part of nature has perception, intelligence, memory, conscious reflection and susceptibility, while nature itself is quite bereft of them. How is it possible for the part to be possessed of qualities or faculties which are absent in the whole? The truth is that God has given to man certain powers which are supernatural. How then can man be considered a captive of nature? Is he not dominating and controlling nature to his own uses more and more? Is he not the very divinity of nature? Shall we say nature is blind, nature is not perceptive, nature is without volition and not alive, and then relegate man to nature and its limitations? How can we answer this question? How will the materialists and scholastic atheists prove and support such a supposition? As a matter of fact, they themselves make natural laws subservient to their own wish and purpose. The proof is complete that in man there is a power beyond the limitations of nature, and that power is the bestowal of God.

In New York I find the people more endowed with spiritual susceptibilities. They are not mere captives of nature's control; they are rising out of the bonds and burden of captivity. For this reason I am very happy and hopeful that, God willing, in this populous country, in this vast continent of the West, the virtues of the world of humanity shall become resplendent; that the oneness of human world-power, the love of God, may enkindle the hearts, and that international peace may hoist its standards, influencing all other regions and countries from here. This is my hope.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 16-18. Talk delivered 15 April 1912 at Home of Mountfort Mills, New York)

Photo by Paul Saughter. Copyright Bahá'í International Community - view here.

Recognizing potential, encouraging it

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Emerging voices: Target, respond passionately against "politics of division, fear"

This Observer editorial from Guardian.co.uk says it right about what's needed to counter the worldwide trend towards increased religious intolerance and xenophobia (what it calls "the politics of division and fear"):--

Burning the Qur'an: All faiths must fight against the forces of bigotry

We should not tolerate the antics of people such as Pastor Jones
________________________________________

Those who admire [the American] nation's historical commitment to the rights of man find it distressing to see the burning of holy books and the banning of houses of worship creeping into political discourse.

That distress should be a warning against complacency [in] Britain [, which] is not immune to virulent Islamophobia, as the English Defence League and the British National party prove. Elsewhere in Europe, mainstream politics is struggling to accommodate popular unease about a growing and visible Muslim minority. In France and Spain, this manifests itself as illiberal secularism, with bans on Islamic dress; in Switzerland, it shows up as a prohibition on minarets; and across the Continent opposition to Turkish membership of the EU is laced with anxiety about a mass mingling of Muslims and Christians that might ensue.

...What defines [these trends] is an angry, defensive reaction against an imagined threat to identity: national, secular or Christian.
This is the politics of division and fear and it demands a response, equivalent in passion, from the politics of solidarity and hope.

Read the full article here.


Dicta:

The recrudescence of religious intolerance, of racial animosity, and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences of selfishness, of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism, of lawlessness, of drunkenness and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for, and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures; the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control; the lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude towards marriage and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the degeneracy of art and music, the infection of literature, and the corruption of the press... —these appear as the outstanding characteristics of a decadent society, a society that must either be reborn or perish.

(Shoghi Effendi, World Order, 187-88)

Saddened by the continual strife amongst believers of many confessions and wearied of their intolerance towards each other, I discovered in the Bahá'í teaching the real spirit of Christ so often denied and misunderstood: Unity instead of strife, Hope instead of condemnation, Love instead of hate, and a great reassurance for all men.

(Queen Marie of Rumania, Quoted in Shoghi Effendi, World Order, 93)

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Emerging voices: Target, respond passionately against "politics of division, fear"

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Turn of the wheel

Imbibing the moment

Every day is a fresh day
beckoning a new fragrance
to nostrils conditioned to inhale it
from the sundry manifestations
of life's swiftly changing visage.


- A.B.
(On the occasion of a loved one's anniversary)

Dicta:

Verily the most necessary thing is contentment under all circumstances; by this one is preserved from morbid conditions and lassitude.    

(Bahá'u'lláh, quoted in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era 108)

Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility. ...

[T]his earthly world is narrow, dark and frightful, rest cannot be imagined and happiness really is non-existent, everyone is captured in the net of sorrow, and is day and night enslaved by the chain of calamity; there is no one who is at all free or at rest from grief and affliction. Still, as the believers of God are turning to the limitless world, they do not become very depressed and sad by disastrous calamities—there is something to console them; but the others in no way have anything to comfort them at the time of calamity. Whenever a calamity and a hardship occurs, they become sad and disappointed, and hopeless of the bounty and the mercy of the Glorious Lord.    

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets 263-4)

Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God's blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections #178)

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Turn of the wheel

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Life as rhythm

 
Here a video I enjoyed, followed by a commentary on it from the perspective of its being a work of art. It touches on a theme I have been reflecting over recently - that of seeing life as a rhythm that one needs to tune into - the rhythm of success, work and effectiveness in the path of God. On this path there can be no misstep; one will always be guided! All that matters is the effectiveness - essentially the rhythm - of one's actions in service to humanity. "Time does not stop, does not wait," writes the Universal House of Justice,

With every passing hour a fresh affliction strikes at a distracted humanity. Dare we linger? ...

[O]ne thing above all else is necessary: to act, to act now, and to continue to act.

Our heartfelt plea at the Holy Threshold on behalf of us all is that we may be... richly confirmed in whatever we do towards meeting the urgent aim of the... Plan at so fate-laden a moment in human history.

(Ridván message 155 B.E./1998, §§15-17)

Bahá'u'lláh, moreover, states, "[H]esitate not, though it be for less than a moment, in the service of His Cause." (Gleanings 43)


My challenge has been, in part, to view my actions not as disjointed service projects performed in separate chunks of time-periods, but as part of a larger continuum of service where all the different actions are integrated and connected, without the disjunctive pauses (as in excessive/frequent meditation breaks) in between.

It has much to do with having trust (that one is on the right course and is doing the right thing) and letting go (of any fears of inadequacy and of my feelings of unworthiness). Now, let's see where this can lead us! Here the video:--

On the video as Art - some thoughts

Life (and everything in it) is a creation, a work of art so to speak, and can, as art, necessarily only be judged by its own merits, on its own terms. This goes for the video as well. Each person will see something different in it.

Art consists of a constellation of elements, arranged in a particular/inviolable way. If dismembered, if one element of this complex entity is removed, is it any longer the original art?

Art is art. One element cannot be taken from it and analyzed out of context. It's a constellation. Every word in existence carries an infinitude of spiritual meaning. When combined in a certain way, the beauty/meaning of the individual words enhance the beauty/meaning of the others. 'Abdu'l-Bahá says, "All art is a gift from the Holy Spirit." He also says that evil doesn't actually have any independent existence (it is only the absence of goodness/beauty/art, if you will).

Since all creation, every life, every expression and every creative product is a unique piece of art - infrangible - our challenge lies in recognizing each as an independent such existence and finding the beauty/meaning in it, however strange/untrue/gnarled it may appear on the face of it (with certain exceptions, of course, such as hatred, oppression, discrimination, inequality, war, drug-abuse, murder, genocide, etc., or sheer carelessness, for that matter, which are all anathema to the Spirit).

Here are some passages from the Writings that may relate to this theme:

Gazing with the eye of God, [the true seeker] will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the … evidences of an everlasting Manifestation.

(Bahá'u'lláh, Iqan 196)

It is related that His Holiness Christ--May my life be a sacrifice to Him!--one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead animal. One of them said: 'How putrid has this animal become!' The other exclaimed: 'How it is deformed!' A third cried out: 'What a stench! How cadaverous looking!' But His Holiness Christ said: 'Look at its teeth! How white they are!' Consider, that He did not look at all at the defects of that animal; nay, rather, He searched well until He found the beautiful white teeth. He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of its organs and the bad odour.

"This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. This is the conduct and the manner of the real Bahais (Baha'is)..."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablet to Dr. Skinner, in Lights of Guidance #312)

[I]n the world of existence two persons unanimous in all grades [of thought] and all beliefs cannot be found. ‘The ways unto God are as the number of the breaths of [His] creatures’ is a mysterious truth, and ‘To every [people] We have appointed a [separate] rite’ is one of the subtleties of the Qur’án."

('Abdu'l-Bahá, Narrative 91-2)

Eagle sculpture in the gardens outside the Shrine of the Báb

Photo Copyright Bahá'í International Community. View here.

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Life as rhythm

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Let's get real - there is still a LOT we can do to help the world

Children's classes for moral education - a path to building a new and better world

I came across this report that gives a graphic illustration of the sordid condition the world continues remain in, despite the anecdotal treatment that the millions of human tragedies are given in the mainstream press. The latter's influence can cause us to forget so easily the appalling suffering and privations of unnumbered fellow global citizens - our brothers and sisters, fathers, mothers and children (in spirit).

Extreme Weather Starving Chad and Niger

Alanna Shaikh - August 30, 2010

Ten million people are at risk for starvation in Chad and Niger. 400,000 children are at risk in Niger alone. Years of crop-destroying drought are being followed by flash floods. The drought has been causing hunger for years, destroying crops and livestock. Now, the floods have wiped out what's left.

Read the full report here.

Dictum:

[W]e must not allow ourselves to forget the continuing, appalling burden of suffering under which millions of human beings are always groaning—a burden which they have borne for century upon century... The principal cause of this suffering, which one can witness wherever one turns, is the corruption of human morals and the prevalence of prejudice, suspicion, hatred, untrustworthiness, selfishness and tyranny among men. It is not merely material well-being that people need. What they desperately need is to know how to live their lives—they need to know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and how they should act towards one another; and, once they know the answers to these questions they need to be helped to gradually apply these answers to every-day behaviour. It is to the solution of this basic problem of mankind that the greater part of all our energy and resources should be directed…."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Italy, November 19, 1974)
(Source: Lights of Guidance, # 414)

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Let's get real - there is still a LOT we can do to help the world

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Love - to what degree?

Detail of the Shrine of the Báb, Haifa, Israel.

From One who expressed these very qualities throughout His life:--

O ye friends! Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love! Unity, unity!


[S]how the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving-kindness, that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of God and all limitations earthly...

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, BWF 426, 445

Photo by Nancy Wong, Copyright Bahá'í International Community. View here.

Love - to what degree?

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