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Man and his Creator by Gloria Faizi

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MAN AND HIS CREATOR

by G. Faizi

Bahá’í Publishing Trust Post Box 19 New Delhi [Page 3] Copyright by the author © G. Faizi 1975

Printed by Arcee Press, New Delhi [Page 4]

MAN AND HIS CREATOR

A great deal has been said and written about the relationship between man and that Supreme Reality which has been called by such names as Brahman or God. Indeed, this subject has been put forward in so many different ways by thinkers and philosophers at different times in history, that most people today are confused about the whole matter.

Some people speak of themselves as God and use expressions such as “self-realization” without stopping to think what they really mean.

The fact that there are conflicting and contradictory interpretations of Sacred Scriptures regarding such matters adds to our confusion, and most people simply accept a traditional interpretation of one school of thought or another for no other reason than that they have been taught to believe in it from their childhood. They cannot be bothered to think about such things for themselves. [Page 5] For those who wish to understand these essential truths, however, the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh¹ are like a fresh breath of wind which blows away the accumulated dust of the ages and reveals to our eyes the essence of what has been given in all the Sacred Scriptures of the world. Bahá’u’lláh, Who is the Avatar and Mouthpiece of God in this age, speaks in a clear language we can understand and throws light on the allusions of the ancient Rishis which have baffled great thinkers.

The Creator

Bahá’u’lláh teaches that there is only one God. He is infinite and unknowable — the Eternal Brahman of the Upanishads :

“Words and mind go to Him, but reach Him not and return.” —Taittiriya Up.

God is uncreated and without beginning, which is in itself something that the mind of man cannot fully grasp. God is the Source of our being and we are His creatures. How can the creature ever understand its creator? The difference between the two is as great as the difference between an artist and the

¹ His name literally means the Glory of God. [Page 6] picture he paints, or the musician and the music he composes.

We cannot understand what God is but, in looking at His creation, we can get a glimpse into His greatness. When we see the majesty of the rising sun or watch a rushing torrent pour down the slope of a high mountain, sustaining life and helping growth, we realize the power of their Creator.

When we hold a delicate flower in our hand and marvel at its colour and perfume, when we hear the song of birds or wonder at the strength of an elephant, we realize the greatness of their Creator. Most of all, when we look into ourselves and think about our ability to love and to sacrifice our comfort for the sake of those we love, when we ponder over our ability to reason and to unravel the mysteries of the universe around us, we are able to catch sight of the beauty and wisdom of the One Who has created us :

"By the Yoga of meditation and contemplation the wise saw the power of God, hidden in His own creation. It is He Who rules over all the sources of this universe, from time to the soul of man."

--Svetasvatara Up. [Page 7] This is how God is evident in all His creation. And when man realizes this point of unity between himself and the rest of the universe, he feels at one with every other created thing.

It is possible for us to understand the attributes of God—such as His power and majesty, His love and wisdom—through the things He has created, but we must not make the mistake of confusing the creation with its Creator. The existence of this vast universe with the eternal laws from which it cannot deviate is proof of the existence of God just as a painting proves the existence of an artist. But whereas the artist is a human being like ourselves, and we can imagine what he is like even without having seen him, there is no way for us to understand what God is like because we have nothing to compare Him with:

“The mind cannot grasp Him above, or below, or in the space between. With whom shall we compare Him Whose glory is the whole universe?” —Svetasvatara Up.

Some people have attempted to give God a material form, saying that the universe is the [Page 8] body of God and we are all His different parts. But Bahá’u’lláh explains that such ideas are born of people's imagination. God is above anything which the human mind can conceive. When we create images and idols which we worship in the name of different gods, we bring the One Infinite God down to the level of creation and lose sight of His true majesty. We become attached to what our own imagination has created; we give our creation the attributes of a super- human being and gradually lose touch with the Illimitable One Who is the source of all beauty, truth and goodness.

Bahá’u’lláh says we should rise above these lower forms of worship and fix our hearts and minds on the Eternal, Uncreated God. In Svetasvatara Upanishad we read : "Those who know Him Who is greater than all, beyond forms...attain immortality: those who know not go to the worlds of sorrow."

The soul of man

God loves us and is close to us at all times. He is prepared to teach us how to [Page 9] communicate with Him if we will ask for His assistance.

That which communicates with God is the soul of man. The human soul is another mystery which has taxed the minds of many thinkers. Some say it is God dwelling in the heart of man, that if we come to realize this we become one with God, we become God. This is confusing. God is our Creator and the Creator of this universe. How can man, a creature himself, become the Uncreated, the Creator? We know of people who have claimed to be God, but we do not know of a single human who has been able to create life in any form.

Bahá’u’lláh teaches that there is a basic difference between the soul of man and that Supreme Reality which we call God. But man’s soul can attain spiritual qualities and reflect the attributes of God such as His love, His mercy and forgiveness. To give an example, the sun which sustains physical life on earth does not descend from its lofty height, but its light is reflected in everything we see. The divine light is likewise reflected in all creation, but the soul of man, which is [Page 10] beyond the world of matter, can reflect this light in a measure far above the capacity of the mineral, vegetable and animal forms of life. This is why man can see a clearer reflection of the divine light if he turns his vision to himself and meditates upon the wonder of his own soul.

When man turns his heart and mind to the material things of this world and craves after earthly possessions, he becomes worse than an animal. When he turns his heart to God and strives towards spiritual perfection, he becomes detached from worldly desires and draws ever nearer to God:

“If men thought of God as much as they think of the world, who would not attain liberation?”

—Maitri Up.

Human limitations

There are, however, certain limitations in this life which God, in His wisdom, has imposed upon man. While living in this world of matter it is impossible for anyone to free himself completely from these limitations. But after leaving the physical body, the soul of man continues its progress through spiritual [Page 11] worlds unknown to us, until it reaches perfection and attains the presence of its Creator.

The progress of the soul in this world depends on the knowledge of God and on obedience to His commands. Even while living on earth, man can become so attracted to God that he is able to subdue his ego, cease to consider his own desires and long to become an instrument in the hands of his Lord.

But how can we know what is the Will of God? People do not agree on how God wishes us to lead our lives. Some say we should each do what we ourselves consider to be good. Others say we should obey our gurus and elders. Still others say we should find out what people did in ancient times and follow their example. There are those who retire from life to mortify the body and concentrate on meditation. And there are those who say you can believe in anything and follow any path you wish for it will ultimately lead you to God.

All these ideas are really various ways of interpreting the Scriptures, which shows that people are not agreed on what the Scriptures [Page 12] teach. “To whom, then, can we turn for true guidance ? Is it possible that God, Who is the source of all love and mercy, can leave us to grope in darkness ?

Divine guidance

Bahá’u’lláh teaches that God guides men through an Avatar or divine Manifestation on earth.

The Manifestation of God appears once in hundreds of years. He is born into this world whenever people forget the true meaning of Dharma, lose their way in the midst of confusing interpretations, and start blindly following the tradition into which they are born. At such times people can be seen performing outward forms of worship while having forsaken the practice of spiritual virtues in their daily lives; and since rituals can never take the place of truth, men’s hearts turn away from God and become attracted to the world of matter which breeds selfishness and greed.

The Avatar comes to show the right way to God and to create in the hearts of men a fresh longing after spiritual qualities. He teaches people how to replace hate with love, [Page 13] and greed with true detachment. Krishna said: “...for the sake of firmly establishing Dharma, I am born from age to age.” —Gita

Bahá’u’lláh, referring to His own Revelation, says : “The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land...The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it ?” —Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Station of the Avatar

Who is the Avatar ? Is He God, the Infinite and Unlimited, Who takes on a human form ? Is He a man who has succeeded, through individual effort, to find the way to deliverance and is guiding others ? Bahá’u’lláh teaches that the Avatar is none of these. Though He speaks with the knowledge and authority of God, He is not our Creator. Though He lives in this world as a human being, His station is far above the station of man.

If we think of God as the sun, the Avatar can be compared to the rays which bring the light of the sun to earth. One can look at the [Page 14] rays and say, “Here is the sun” because this is the only way in which we can receive the light and lifegiving powers of the sun. In the same way the Avatar is our link with God and is the only way in which we can receive God’s guidance.

The Avatar sometimes speaks as though He were God. Krishna said:

“This deluded world knoweth Me not, the unborn, the imperishable.” —Gita

And Bahá’u’lláh says:

“O Son of Man! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.” —The Hidden Words

At other times the Avatar makes a distinction between Himself and the Unknowable God. Krishna made this distinction when He said:

“Now I shall tell thee of the End of wisdom. When a man knows this he goes beyond death. It is Brahman, beginningless, supreme: beyond what is and beyond what is not.... He is invisible: He cannot be seen.” —Gita

And again:

“He, the highest Spirit, O Partha, may be reached by unswerving devotion to Him alone...” —Gita [Page 15]

The way to God

Man cannot reach God without the help of the Avatar just as the earth cannot receive the light of the sun except through its rays. This is the law of God. The Katha Upanishad says about the man who wishes to reach the Supreme Being :

“He cannot be taught by one who has not reached Him, and He cannot be reached by much thinking. The way to Him is through a Teacher who has seen Him.”

But this Teacher, the Avatar, must not be confused with the innumerable sages or gurus whom people respect for their piety or wisdom. These gurus themselves are human beings who derive their inspiration from the teachings of the Avatar, and their own influence in the world is very limited.¹

The reason why the Avatar appears from age to age has already been stated. But the question may still arise as to whether it is not sufficient to follow the teachings of the Avatar Who appeared in ancient times and Who is already familiar to us. Since guidance

¹ For further clarification see the booklet entitled: The Manifestations of God. [Page 16] comes from the one divine Source, we might say, is it not enough for us to obey an Avatar Who guided men on earth centuries ago, such as Krishna? Must we now turn to Bahá’u’lláh for guidance?

There are many answers to this question. Let us look into a few of them with an unprejudiced mind and in the spirit of investigating truth:

1. Krishna was not accepted as an Avatar by everyone in His own time. There were thousands who stood against Him and His friends in battle. They too, no doubt, had ideas of their own about Dharma and saw no reason why they should obey Krishna. Indeed, some of them were considered to be much wiser than He. Yet it is clear to us today that they were misled by their own arrogance and suffered because they refused to obey the new Avatar Who had come to them in the form of Krishna.

2. The Avatar only appears when the necessity arises and the world is in need of a spiritual revival. If we were capable of renewing our own spiritual life and rekindling the flame of love which had died in the world, [Page 17] there would be no necessity for Him to come. The Avatar not only explains to us how we have misinterpreted God’s teachings and strayed away from the right path, but He generates a new spiritual power in us which changes our lives and becomes the means of our progress. To bring the example of the sun once again, we are in need of its rays today even though the same sun shone upon us in days gone by. The rays of yesterday lighted our path and gave us the strength to go forward. But then night set in and we lost the way. Can we find it again by the light that shone yesterday ?

The Avatar lights our spiritual path, though the way He shows may not be easy to follow because it does not conform to all our own cherished ideas. But the Avatar is our only hope of salvation now, as in ancient times.

3. The condition of the world changes with the passage of time. Each age has its own problems and suffers from its own spiritual and social diseases. The Avatar is a divine physician Who brings the prescription men need at different times in their history. [Page 18]

Guidance for today

Which of us, seeing the colossal problems with which we are faced all over the world, and our own utter powerlessness to overcome the prejudice and hatred which have taken hold of men’s hearts and which prevent us from coming together in peace and cooperation, can fail to see that we are once more in need of direct help from God?

One of the most important signs which accompanies the appearance of the Avatar is His ability to bring together in love and unity people of diverse castes and creeds who have been separated for many generations. The followers of the Avatar are not only united in their love for their Lord, but in their love for each other and for the rest of humanity. This new force of love works miracles among them. It brings about a brotherhood which recognizes no barriers in the name of religion, caste or nationality. It overcomes every form of prejudice and builds up a new society based on the love of God and justice for all men.

The followers of Bahá’u’lláh, who are known as Bahá’ís and who come from every religion, caste, colour and nation in the world, [Page 19] are now laying down the foundation of such a society on an international scale. They are guided by the teachings which Bahá’u’lláh has given on every spiritual and social problem with which we are confronted in our age.

This booklet has only briefly touched upon one of the numerous subjects which are to be found in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. There are volumes of literature which give His teachings on all the various problems which concern us today and which we should try to understand if we seek true happiness for ourselves and for our fellowmen. [Page 20]

A FEW SELECTIONS from THE WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH

God

He is indeed a true believer in the unity of God who, in this Day, will regard Him as One immeasurably exalted above all the comparisons and likenesses with which men have compared Him. He hath erred grievously who hath mistaken these comparisons and likenesses for God Himself. Consider the relation between the craftsman and his handiwork, between the painter and his painting. Can it ever be maintained that the work their hands have produced is the same as themselves? By Him Who is the Lord of the Throne above and of earth below! They can be regarded in no other light except as evidences that proclaim the excellence and perfection of their author.

All that the sages and mystics have said [Page 21] or written have never exceeded, nor can they ever hope to exceed, the limitations to which man’s finite mind hath been strictly subjected. To whatever heights the mind of the most exalted of men may soar, however great the depths which the detached and understanding heart can penetrate, such mind and heart can never transcend that which is the creature of their own conceptions and the product of their own thoughts. The meditations of the profoundest thinker, the devotions of the holiest of saints, the highest expressions of praise from either human pen or tongue, are but a reflection of that which hath been created within themselves, through the revelation of the Lord, their God. Whoever pondereth this truth in his heart will readily admit that there are certain limits which no human being can possibly transgress.

Regard thou the one true God as One Who is apart from, and immeasurably exalted above, all created things. The whole universe reflecteth His glory, while He is Himself independent of, and transcendeth His creatures. This is the true meaning of Divine unity. [Page 22]

God’s creation

He is really a believer in the Unity of God who recognizeth in each and every created thing the sign of the revelation of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, and not he who maintaineth that the creature is indistinguishable from the Creator.

Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will, chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.... Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focussed the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favour, so enduring a bounty. [Page 23] The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.

The soul of man

Thou hast asked Me concerning the nature of the soul. Know, verily, that the soul is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him. If it be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually,. return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths.

Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is idependent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul [Page 24] and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.

And now concerning thy question regarding the soul of man and its survival after death, Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power [Page 25] will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty. . . .Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body, is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world....If any man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God, the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and resplendent station.

Union with God in this world.

By self-surrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter nothingness beside His Purpose. Whatsoever the Creator commandeth His creatures to observe, the same must they diligently, and with the utmost joy and eagerness, arise and fulfil. They should in no wise allow their fancy to obscure their judgement, neither should they regard their own imaginings as the voice of the Eternal. [Page 26]

God speaks through His Avatar

The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue forever to be, closed in the face of men. No man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self.

Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them hath disbelieved in God.

The Person of the Manifestation hath ever been the representative and mouthpiece of God. He, in truth, is the Day Spring of God’s most excellent Titles, and the Dawning-Place of His exalted Attributes. [Page 27] Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: "I am God," He, verily, speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation of God, His names and His attributes, are made manifest in the world....And were they to say, "We are the Servants of God," this also is a manifest and indisputable fact. For they have been made manifest in the uttermost state of servitude, a servitude the like of which no man can possibly attain.

Twofold mission of the Avatar

God's purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.

Needs of each age

The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the [Page 28] disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem... The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your deliberations in its exigencies and requirements.

This Day

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy.

He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of behold- [Page 29] ing the entire human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of God’s good grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created Days. How great the felicity that awaiteth the man that forsaketh all he hath in a desire to obtain the things of God! [Page 1]

MAN and his CREATOR

G. Faizi