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O LORD, my God, my Well-Beloved! These are servants of Thine that have heard Thy Voice, given ear to Thy Word and hearkened to Thy Call. They have believed in Thee, witnessed Thy Wonders, acknowledged Thy Proof and testified to Thine evidence. They have walked in Thy Ways, followed Thy Guidance, discovered Thy Mysteries, comprehended the secrets of Thy Book, the verses of Thy Scrolls and the tidings of Thy Epistles and Tablets. They have clung to the hem of Thy Garment and held fast unto the Robe of Thy Light and Grandeur. Their footsteps have been strengthened in Thy Covenant and their hearts made firm in Thy Testament. Lord! Do Thou kindle in their hearts the flame of Thy Divine Attraction and grant that the Bird of Love and Understanding may sing within their hearts. Grant that they may be even as potent signs, resplendent standards, and perfect as Thy Word. Exalt by them Thy Cause, unfurl Thy Banners and publish far and wide Thy Wonders. Make by them Thy Word triumphant and strengthen the loins of Thy loved ones. Unloose their tongues to laud Thy Name and inspire them to do Thy Holy Will and Pleasure. Illumine their faces in Thy Kingdom of Holiness and perfect their joy by aiding them to arise for the triumph of Thy Cause. Lord! Feeble are we, strengthen us to diffuse the fragrances of Thy Holiness; poor, enrich us from the treasures of Thy Divine Unity; naked, clothe us with the Robe of Thy Bounty; sinful, forgive us our sins by Thy Grace, Thy Favour and Thy Pardon. Thou art verily the Aider, the Helper, the Gracious, the Mighty, the Powerful. The glory of glories rest upon them that are fast and firm.
A Prayer of Abdul Baha. Recently translated by Shoghi Effendi.
--PHOTO--
--PERSIAN TEXT--
Abdul Baha, at the right, and his younger brother, the "Pure Branch," at the left, from a photograph taken during their exile in Adrianople, 1863-1868. The "Pure Branch" ascended into the heavenly world in 1870 in the Most Great Prison at Akka.
| VOL. 14 | MAY, 1923 | No. 2 |
THERE are human sciences and divine sciences. There is human knowledge acquired through a chain of many minds laboriously building up sets of facts, and there is divine knowledge given to humanity at intervals by a great mind which sees with the Inner Sight.
Seventy years on earth, and then countless millions of years in the unseen Kingdom—such is the relation of mortal life to life eternal. One hundred years, even, on earth, is to the life beyond the Gateway as a tick of the clock to an eternal day. For all humanity, therefore, the absorbing question must be; What is the nature of the life in that endless eternity!
Who are the authorities on this subject of life beyond death? The materialists who deny all that cannot be seen and touched? The traditionalists who accept nothing new? The philosophers who adhere to human reason alone as impregnable in all its deductions—deductions which change from century to century, even during the lifetime of the philosopher himself?
The materialistic scientist, the scientific philosopher follows certain immutable laws and works along them for his logical sequences. The searcher for divine truth, equally scientific, asks what is that law of the divine universe by which we may recognize our great, trustworthy authority?
"Blessed are the pure in heart," said Jesus, "for they shall see God." And those who can see God can see His immortal Kingdom. But where is the heart which is absolutely pure?
There are many degrees of existence. As the plant cannot understand the animal, as the animal is powerless to comprehend the glory of the human intellect, so man is unable to comprehend spiritual until he is spiritually reborn. "Except one be born from above," said Jesus to Nicodemus, "he cannot see the Kingdom of God." "Nicodemus had an earthly mind and only understood earthly things. Heavenly things are alone understood by heavenly minds." "As to the worlds whereunto Christ referred—unto whom be great glory—(the many mansions)," writes Abdul Baha, "they are spiritual, divine, heavenly, single, unlocated; neither the imperfect mind can comprehend them nor the sinning soul can know them. But verily the vision of the people of the Kingdom of El-Baha perceives them and the intellects of the people of the Supreme Concourse apprehend them."
In a word, the masters of divine science are those who have divine character.
Knowing themselves, they know their God, because He abides within them. The most pure, perfect and divine of men are the great world prophets. It is through contact with their teachings and their spirits, as Abdul Bahá has so wonderfully explained in the article on education in this present issue, that human beings are spiritually reborn. In fact, the degrees of existence are: first, the mineral; second, the plant; third, the animal; fourth, the rational soul; fifth, the spiritually reborn, and sixth the Divine Prophets. These Divine Prophets are so pure and perfect that we call them the primal mirrors, the Manifestations of God. When they tell us of the many mansions of the Father's house they speak of what they have seen and heard. Their utterances are revelations of eternal verities. "I have yet many thing to say unto you," said Jesus, "but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he shall guide you into all the Truth."
Our age of doubt is divinely blessed in having in its midst such masters, who reveal the fuller truth about immortal life. Baha'Ullah and Abdul Bahá have given the most complete descriptions of life in the unseen worlds of God recorded in spiritual literature,
SOME ANSWERED QUESTIONS
By Abdul Baha
Question: What will become of the soul of man after death?
Abdul Baha: The body goes under the earth. Thence it came and thither it goes. Everything that you see returns to its own place. As the human body came from dust to dust it returns. But the human spirit comes from God and to Him it returns.—Star of the West, Vol. 7, No. 9, p. 77.
It is apparent that the soul has its individuality, even as the body has its own. But if the body undergoes a change, the spirit need not be touched. When you break a glass on which the sun shines, the glass is broken, but the sun still shines. If a cage containing a bird is destroyed, the bird is unharmed. If a lamp is broken, the flame can still burn. The same thing applies to the spirit of man.—Paris Talks.
The spirits of the sons of the Kingdom, after the disintegration of this body ascend to the world of eternal existence; but should you ask the place, know thou that that world of existence is the world of unity, but the grades are different. For instance, the mineral existence has a grade, but the mineral being has no knowledge of the vegetable kingdom. It (the mineral existence) has no information of a higher realm, nay, rather, according to appearances it may deny the higher grade. Likewise, vegetable life has no knowledge of the animal kingdom. It is entirely heedless and unconscious of that kingdom, because the grade of the animal is higher than that of the vegetable. The vegetable, owing to its limited environment, is veiled from knowledge of the animal kingdom and may deny it, although the animal, the vegetable and the mineral live in the world of existence. Likewise the animal cannot comprehend man's faculties of intelligence which generalize concerning the universal and discover the mysteries of being, so that while living in the East he organizes and founds institutions in the West, and he reveals hidden things. Though he abides in Europe he discovers America; though he dwells upon the earth he unravels the realities of the solar system. The animal is entirely unconscious of, nay, rather, is a denier of this intelligent force which penetrates into the unknown and comprehends the general as well as the particular ideas of this illimitable universe.
Likewise the people of the world lack knowledge of the world of the Kingdom, nay, rather, deny it. Do we not hear from their lips words such as these: "Where is the Kingdom? Where is the Lord of the Kingdom?" But these souls are like unto the mineral and vegetable who know nothing of the animal and human kingdoms. They neither see nor search. However, the mineral, the vegetable
table and the animal all live in this world of existence.
The divine trials are in this world, not in the world of the Kingdom.
The human reality in the other world has no physical likeness, nay, rather, it has the likeness of the Kingdom, which consists of the harmonious elements of the realm of the spiritual kingdom.
The center of the Sun of Truth and of the supreme world is the Divine Kingdom. Those souls who are purified and after the disintegration of this tabernacle hasten to the Divine and that realm is in this universe, but the people of this world have no knowledge of it, just as the mineral and vegetable kingdoms have no knowledge of the animal and human kingdoms—From a Tablet to Mr. and Mrs. Ostburg, Boston, Mass.
Question: Do the dead pass entirely away from the earth, losing all consciousness of and interest in the people and affairs of the world?
Abdul Baha: No, the dead retain both interest in and remembrance of those they love.—From Mrs. Aline Devine's notes, taken at Akka, October, 1906.
Question: What is the connection of the spirit with the body?
Abdul Baha: It has the same connection as the sun has with the mirror. Death is the name for the dissolution of this connection.—From Mirza Mahmoud's Diary, July, 1912.
Abdul Baha: Concerning the question of death, know that the spirit is abstracted and sanctified from all things; for entrance and departure, ascent and descent, union and separation are the properties of material beings and not of the spirit. Consequently, the human spirit does not enter into the physical body, nay, rather, it has some "attachment" (to it). This "attachment" is like that of the mirror and the sun. The sun neither enters into nor does it go out of the surface of the mirror, nor does it absolutely identify itself with it, but it (the sun) has some attachment to the mirror and reflects itself therein. However, when this attachment is broken the mirror is deprived of illumination, beauty and effulgence.—From Tablet to Madame D'Astre of Paris, dated May 21, 1908.
Question: What is meant by the Mirror for Divine Reflection?
Abdul Baha: "Mirror" is the whole body, the brain in particular. Body has many elements in its composition and these are continually changed during one's lifetime. At dissolution each element is received back to its original source. The physical body of man is like that of the animal, the only difference being on the level of consciousness. It follows therefore that only consciousness or mind is left after death. Electricity is known by its attributes and effects. The power of consciousness is also thus recognized. After death the condition is one which cannot be clearly explained in words. It is one of comprehension, understanding which involves all other things—feeling, etc.
In beings there are degrees; all are not in the same station. Observe the various characters to be seen and compared, say, among ten children who have received identically the same treatment, training and food. Three degrees will be found, which might be classed as, rapid development, less rapid, and almost stagnant.
Question: Is there any predominant quality which man should develop in order to obtain especial excellence or power after death?
Abdul Baha: No, man should develop all his qualities for each quality has its own use and function.
Question: Is individuality retained by the various individual consciousnesses?
Abdul Baha: Complete individuality belongs only to the station of the Prophet. Those who follow him are under the "shadow" of his station. After death man does not develop through conscious effort, but through the power of Divine Bounty or unfoldment. All good works, loving memories, prayers and help from lesser beings assist the soul to push forward
after death.—Questions asked at Ramleh, May, 1911.
Abdul Baha: You will retain your individuality and will not be swallowed up in one vast spirit. Concerning the condition of the human soul after its ascension from the material world: the essence of the human soul is clarified from material substances and purified from the embodiment of physical things. It is exclusively luminous; it has no body; it is a dazzling pencil of light; it is a celestial orb of brightness.
Those souls who are not vivified and attracted by the Holy Spirit are counted among the dead, because their souls are deprived of the Breath of the Holy Spirit; and these, after physical death, are in a certain condition, having feeling and discernment in their environment; but in comparison with the pure souls who have been vivified by the Holy Spirit they are as dead, and deprived of life.—From an early Tablet, to Mr. E. C. Helbry, Tacoma, Washington.
Thou hast asked concerning the spirits of men. They are not at all annihilated. They are immortal. But the spirits of heavenly souls will find eternal life, that is, they will attain to the highest and most great stations of perfection. But the spirits of the heedless souls although they are immortal yet they are in a world of imperfection, concealment and ignorance. This is a concise answer. Contemplate, and meditate upon it in order that thou mayest comprehend the reality of the mysteries in detail. For instance, no matter how much the mineral has existence and life yet, in comparison with man, it is entirely non-existent and deprived of life. When man is transformed, translated, from life to death, his comparative station will be that of the mineral existence. In such wise, the mineral life typifies the death of man. This is a brief answer.
We cannot realize in this world the bounty of God nor can we appreciate His love. But in the next world we can do so.
THE GLORY OF IMMORTAL LIFE
From the Words of Baha'Ullah
But concerning that which you have asked about the spirit and its everlastingness after its ascension: know that it will ascend at the time of its departure until it enters the presence of God in a form which throughout all centuries and times and throughout all circumstances and events of the world will remain unchanged but will be everlasting as the perpetuity of the Kingdom of God. His sovereignty, His power and His might, and from it will appear the traces of God, His qualities, providences and favors.
The pen cannot move at the mentioning of this station as it is in its supremeness and exaltation. The Hand of Divine Bounty will cause the spirit to enter into a station which cannot be comprehended by expression nor be explained by all the creatures of existence. Blessing be upon the spirit who departed from the body purified from the doubts and superstitions of the nations. Verily it moves in the atmosphere of God's pleasure and enters into the Supreme Paradise. All the angels of the Supreme Paradise attend and surround it; and it will have fellowship with all the prophets of God and His saints and will speak with them and tell them what happened to it in the Cause of God, the Lord of the universe. If anyone could realize what hath been assigned in the Kingdom of God, the Lord of the throne and the dust, he would immediately yearn with a great longing for that immovable, exalted, holy and most glorious station.
O Abdul Wahab, now listen in the Persian language!
As you asked about the immortality of the spirit, this Wronged One beareth witness to its eternality; and as to your question about its form—it cannot be described, and is not needful to be expressed; but only some things need to be known and messengers come only to guide the creatures to the straight path of God and in order that people may be trained. Then at the time of their ascension,
with perfect holiness and separation and having been cut from the things of this world, they will repair to the Supreme Station. By the Self of God, the rays of those spirits are the cause of the development of the people and the station of the nations! These are the leaves of existence and the greatest cause of the appearance of divinity and the works of the universe. By them the clouds will shower and the plants of earth spring up. Not one thing of all existing things is without cause, reason and beginning. The greatest cause is that the spirits were and are forever above us unequal. And the difference between this (earthly) kingdom and the other is as the difference between the embryonic world and this world. After its ascension the spirit will enter into the presence of God in a form suited for eternity and for the Kingdom.
ETERNAL REUNION.
From Tablets of Abdul Baha
O thou spiritual friend! This world is a prison for heavenly souls and this earthly world is but a cage, and not a nest, unto divine birds. A prisoner who is awake and conscious will certainly seek for freedom, and a mindful bird will certainly wish for deliverance from the cage.—p. 109.
Do not grieve on account of the death of thy son, neither sigh nor lament. That nightingale soared up to the divine rose garden; that drop returned to the most great ocean of truth; that foreigner hastened to his native abode and that one who was ill found salvation and life eternal.—p. 99.
Be not grieved at the death of thy dear daughter. That divine bird flew away to the rose garden of the Merciful and that plant of humanity hastened to the garden of the Kingdom of El Abha. That drop returned to the Most Great Sea and that ray betook herself to the Most Great Orb. Be happy and thankful, because thou wilt see her face shining in the Divine Kingdom and wilt find her as a lamp amid an assembly in the spiritual heaven.—p. 179.
Be not sorrowful on account of the departure of thy good son. He hath indeed departed from this narrow and gloomy world, which is darkened by unlimited sorrow, unto the Kingdom which is spacious, illumined, joyous and beautiful. God delivered him from this dark well and promoted him to the Supreme Height. He gave him wings whereby he soared to the heaven of happiness. Verily this is the great mercy, from Him who is Precious and Forgiving.—p. 51.
Mrs. . . . . . . hastened from this mortal world to the divine world and soared from this temporal realm to the expanse of the Kingdom. She abandoned the earthly cage and flew toward the bower of the upper world; so that, like unto nightingale of significances she may in that divine rose garden engage in praising, glorifying and sanctifying the True One with the most marvelous melody. Consequently, do ye not sigh in grief because of her decease and be not dejected on account of her ascension.
To the people of adoration death is an ark of deliverance and to pure souls flight from this world of dust is the means of attaining to the kingdom of spheres. By "spheres" is not meant this infinite space, nay, rather, is meant the divine world and the invisible realm.—p. 443.
O my dear daughter! . . . Indeed the separation from thy dear husband is very hard and difficult for thee. But he obtained the privilege of beholding the beauty of the Almighty. We, and you will also soar to that world, and you will find his shining face visible in the heavenly realm and in the world of the Kingdom, and you will find eternal union with him.
Be thou assured that he has not been lost; he is in existence, that is, in the pure world. And know thou for certain that thou hast not lost him, for thou shalt find him in the end.
Have therefore patience and endurance and be thou firm and at rest, and seek
God's mercy and benevolence in his behalf. I, too, will pray and beg for him everlasting glory. Be patient, so that thou mayest find great reward and see thy respected husband in the Divine Kingdom in the end, and find peace of soul and rest of heart.—From a Tablet of Abdul Bahá to a friend in Cleveland, Ohio.
O thou beloved maidservant of God! Although the loss of a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limit of human endurance, yet the heedful and observing person is assured that the son has not been lost but, instead, has stepped from this world into another, and he will find him in the Divine realms. That meeting shall be eternal; whereas in this world separation is inevitable and this in its turn entails its consuming fire.
Praise be unto God, thou hast faith, art turning thy face toward the everlasting Kingdom and believing in the existence of the heavenly worlds. Therefore be thou not disconsolate; do not languish; do not sigh; and refrain from wailing and bemoaning for agitation and mourning deeply affect his soul in the divine realm. That beloved child addresses thee from the hidden world, thus: O thou kind mother! Thank Divine Providence that I have been freed from the narrow and gloomy cage and, like unto the birds of the meadow, have soared to the divine world, a world spacious, illumined and ever gay and jubilant. Therefore lament not, O mother, and be not grieved. I am not of the lost ones and have not been exterminated and destroyed. I have shaken off the mortal form and have raised the banner in this spiritual world. Following this separation is everlasting association. Thou shalt find me in the heaven of the Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.—Tablet translated by Shoghi Effendi, January 18, 1918.
O thou whose soul is tranquilized by the grace of God and by the Greatest Gift! Verily I inform thee of that by which thy breast will be dilated with joy, thy heart will rejoice and thy soul will be delighted in every time and moment. And it is this, that verily thy honored wife, who journeyed unto God and hastened unto the Blessed Spot, her heart ignited with the fire of the love of God and her sight and gaze extended toward the Kingdom of El Abha, was firm in the Testament, and was overtaken by death in the land of Beirut, is now attracted to "The Living One who shall never die."
Verily, she surrendered her life while she was in a condition wherein she was encompassed with the glad tidings of thy Lord from all directions and her nostrils were perfumed with the fragrances of holiness from the Supreme Concourse. Her soul soared up to the summit of sanctity, under the shelter of the mercy of thy Lord, the Mighty, where the concourse of the chosen ones are assembled around it in the Lofty Paradise, and the angels of mercy are blessing it and are speaking its praise while their faces are smiling because of her ascension to heaven.
By the life of God, wert thou informed of her prosperity and of the bounty with which she is surrounded and of the favors of thy Lord, which were her greatest desire, thou wouldst smile with joy, thy breast would be dilated and thou wouldst thank God for that which He hath poured upon her; that He hath adorned her with the embroidery of sanctity and purity in His Kingdom, the El Abha; and that He hath crowned her with the diadem of the Greatest Gift in the Supreme Concourse.—From an early Tablet to Mr. Percells of Chicago.
PREPARATION FOR THE IMMORTAL DEGREES
O servants! If in these visible days and in this present world conditions contrary to your wish appear from the Realm of Decree be ye not depressed for happy and divine days shall come and spiritual worlds of holiness shall be manifest. In all those days and worlds for you a portion is ordained, a sustenance is determined
and a food is established. Ye shall certainly attain to all these, should ye exchange the garment of mortality for the garment of immortality and enter the station of the paradise of Abha which is the everlasting abode of glorious, sacred souls. All things are a proof of your existence, if ye emerge from the gloomy dust of non-existence. Be not grieved at the hardships of these numbered days and be not dejected if your outward bodies are destroyed in the Path of the Beloved One; for every destruction is followed by a construction and a paradise of rest is concealed in every hardship.—Words of Baha'Ullah.
In the beginning of his life man was in the matrix of the world. There he obtained capacity and preparation for this world. The forces and powers necessary for this world he obtained there. In this world he needed eyes; he received them potentially in the other world. He needed ears; therefore he obtained them in the world of the matrix. Thus was he prepared for this world. When he came to this world he found that all the necessary forces were ready; all his needs for material sustenance were provided.
Likewise, in this world he must also prepare himself and become ready for the life hereafter. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom he must obtain here. Just as man prepared himself for existence in this world by acquiring the necessary forces in the world of the matrix so is it necessary that all the forces needful in the Kingdom be acquired in this world.
After he is transferred from this world to the other world what is man in need of for the life of the Kingdom? In that world there is need of radiance; therefore radiance must be acquired in this world. In that world there is need of spirituality; he must acquire spirituality in this world. In that world faith and assurance, the knowledge of God and the love of God are essential; these he must acquire in this world so that after he ascends from this world to that immortal world he shall find ready for him all that is needful in that life eternal.—From Words of Abdul Baha.
The more difficulties one sees in the world the more perfect one becomes. The more you plough and dig the ground the more fertile it becomes. The more you cut the branches of a tree the higher and stronger it grows. The more you put the gold in the fire the purer it becomes. The more you sharpen the steel by grinding the better it cuts. Therefore, the more sorrows one sees the more perfect one becomes. That is why, in all times, the Prophets of God have had tribulations and difficulties to withstand. The more often the captain of a ship is in the tempest and difficult sailing the greater his knowledge becomes. Therefore I am happy that you have had great tribulations and difficulties. For this I am very happy—that you have had many sorrows. Strange it is that I love you and still I am happy that you have sorrows.—From a Tablet of Abdul Baha, about 1910.
Convey my spiritual greetings to the maidservant of God. . . . and say unto her: "Verily for each one of the Manifestations of the previous cycles there was a certain station in existence, and a particular degree in the creation of man. But the Manifestation of the Greatest Name—may my spirit be a sacrifice for His beloved ones—was an expression of maturity and perfection in the essence of humanity and the world of existence; just as the sun is the center of light, the source of heat and the point of illumination, comprising all the perfections which were manifested to the world from the shining stars. Endeavor, so that thou mayest obtain an abundant portion and a great share from the Manifest Light.
"Verily I say unto thee, if thou arrivest at that station thou shalt behold all the holy people humble and submissive at that station. Make haste in life before death, spring before autumn, healing before sickness. Thus mayest thou become
a spiritual physician, healing all manner of diseases by the breaths of the Holy Spirit in this glorious century and manifest age."—*From a Tablet of Abdul Baha, 1902, to Mrs. I. D. Brittingham.
THE idealistic youth of today long for education as for the fountain of living water. They make countless sacrifices, work day and night to win an education, travel half-way around the world that they may enter a modern scientific and technical university. China, Japan, India, Turkey, Egypt, Persia, in fact almost every country of the world is sending its brightest youth to the great universities and technical colleges of Europe and America. The true leaders in all countries today are realizing that education is the only solution for our social and international problems.
But what kind of an education shall it be? A brilliant technical education, alone, may be used for the destruction of all civilization. Education is what makes modern warfare so terrible. Present day generals and engineers, chemists and airmen are so finely trained in modern science and its technical application that they can destroy human beings with an efficiency undreamed of in all past ages.
Evidently something is lacking in western education. Abdul Bahá strikes the keynote for the future in the following address upon the essential necessity of education. He answers the question which the whole world is asking. This address was given by him in the Unitarian Church at Dublin, New Hampshire, Sunday, August 11, 1912. It was taken down in Persian and given by Abdul Bahá to Dr. Bagdadi who, with two friends, has rendered it into English for this issue of the STAR OF THE WEST.
THAT the world of nature is imperfect and needs education is to the wise beyond question. Consider, man uneducated is in utmost barbarism and distress; through education man becomes a man. Left to himself he will be as other animals. Look at the civilized countries. There man is educated, acquires ideals, becomes civilized, wise and perfect. But in savage countries, such as Central Africa, man, because he receives no education, remains in the state of barbarism. The difference between America and Central Africa is this that in the United States there is education and in Africa there is no education. The people of Africa have remained in their natural state; but among the inhabitants of this country (America) education has great effect and is firmly established.
Education straightens a crooked branch. Education makes the jungle into a rose garden. Education causes the fruitless tree to become fruitful, changes the thorn patch into a cultivated field, makes devastated countries to flourish. Through education the savage become civilized. Through education the ignorant become wise, the imperfect are made perfect. Education informs man of the world of the Kingdom, makes him aware of God. Education endows man with spiritual susceptibilities, enables him to discover the mysteries of nature, makes him aware of the realities of the Kingdom. In short, it is clear to all that the
* These selections are taken from compilations made by Mrs. Brittingham and Mrs. Mary M. Rabb.
world of nature is imperfect, and through education will attain perfection.
But for education man would have remained as other animals, nay, lower than animals for some deeds proceed from man which do not occur among the animals. For instance, the animal to his hunger may devour one animal. But man, devoid of education, and ferocious, kills in a day a hundred thousand people. Consider how those ferocious souls who have come into the world are lower even than wolves, are beneath the carniverous animals. It is evident that if man is not educated he is lower than an animal.
There are two kinds of education: divine and material. The philosophers who have arisen are material teachers, have given the people material training and have been the cause of the progress of the world of nature. But the holy Manifestations of God are divine educators. The philosophers have educated the world of bodies; the divine, holy Manifestations have trained souls. His Holiness Christ—unto him be glory!—was a spiritual educator, the educator of the Kingdom, the Divine Educator. He educated souls, trained the human reason to see the verities of the spirit. But the philosophers have served material civilization, educating from the material standpoint.
Man, in reality, is in need of both material and divine education. If, however, he does not receive heavenly instruction, if he receives material education only he will be as other animals, for animals discover the bodily verities, the facts of nature, the realities which can be sensed. But God has created in man a power which may perceive mental verities and which discover the realities of the Kingdom. That power becomes aware of divine bounties, is the cause of eternal life, bestows ideal perfections. That power distinguishes man from the animal because the animal knows but the nether world while man discovers the verities of Heaven.
Man though he progress materially is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit, of divine education, of the outpourings of the Kingdom. Not until man receives this bounty can he become perfect. Therefore the holy, divine Manifestations have appeared in every cycle and dispensation so that they may give the human souls this divine education, may banish the imperfections of the human world and make manifest ideal perfections. The world of nature is like a jungle. His Holiness the Christ was the divine gardener, He made this jungle to be a rose garden, these fruitless trees fruitful. These lands which according to the laws of nature should bring forth weeds and tares he filled with roses and tulips. This Divine Farmer sowed the earth with seeds; the worthless grass he threw away. The thorn bushes which according to the law of nature should grow he rooted out, and through divine education the thorny place became a rose garden. Had it remained in its original state it would have been either a jungle or bramble patch.
The point is this, that man, however much he may progress materially, however much he may acquire of material perfection belongs, still, to the animal world and is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit, of divine education. If man partakes of the breaths of the Holy Spirit then the divine reality appears in the human world in utmost perfection and man becomes as the image and likeness of God. He that was earthly becomes heavenly; he that was of the nether world lives now in the divine world; he who was materialistic becomes spiritual; he who was dark is illumined. And this is only possible through the breaths of the Holy Spirit. . . .
The holy, divine Manifestations give a new spirit and a new mind to man, are the cause of great progress; they illumine the world. However, a short while after (their appearance) the darkness and gloom of materialism, of nature, again prevail. The heavenly illumination (the light of the Manifestation) passes
away and natural susceptibilities become dominant. It is as though a farmer comes and cultivates land which was full of tares and weeds, and the land brings forth abundant harvest. Then, when left to itself the land once more becomes a thorn patch and a place of weeds.
One time, in Persia, there was a blessed farming land, and through the power of the holy Manifestations that jungle became a rose garden. The darkness of ignorance vanished and heavenly illumination appeared. But soon again the East became entirely dark; no light at all remained; no trace of the divine bounty, nor spiritual education. At such a time as this His Holiness Baha'Ullah appeared; at a time when the Eastern nations were in utmost strife and conflict, when the leaders of religions were drinking one another's blood, when sects were battling with each other, intense hatred was rife among the people and no trace of love or heavenly illumination remained. At such a time His Holiness Baha'Ullah appeared from the horizon of the East. He taught: the oneness of mankind. . . ., universal peace. . . , that reason and religion must conform. . . ., that men and women are equal. . . . The people of the East were very ignorant. Baha'Ullah announced that all people must acquire knowledge, that all children whether in the cities or in the villages must go to school, that it is the duty of all to teach and educate the children. Should the father and mother be unable to educate the children and have not the means therefor, then society must take care of them and educate them so that not one single soul remains in ignorance. Baha'Ullah taught that in all schools and colleges sciences. both divine and material, should be taught, in order that the students may discover material realities and the realities of the Kingdom, for material sciences are as the body and divine sciences are as the spirit. The body must live by the spirit. If the spirit does not exist the body then is dead. Though the body be in utmost beauty, yet, if deprived of the outpourings of the spirit it will be fruitless and of benefit to no one, nay, rather, its non-existence were better than its existence. . . . His Holiness Christ says in the Gospel, the one who is born of the flesh is flesh and the one who is born of the spirit is spirit. The interpretation of this verse is this, that physical things are like the body but the breaths of the Holy Spirit are the spirit (in the body). The body must live by the spirit, and therefore His Holiness Christ spoke of the second birth.
What is the second birth? It is this: Man while in the matrix world is deprived of bounties. When ushered into this world from that of the matrix he finds himself the possessor of eyes, ears, physical powers, of intelligence. Although God gave all these bounties to man, in the matrix world they were not yet apparent. Only when born into this world did these divine bounties become manifest. Man then found that eyes had been given to him, that he was possessed of ears, and that powers which could discover all created things had been granted him. He saw the sun, and beheld the moon; he glanced at the sea, and witnessed the plains. A rose garden he saw, green and verdant. Of all these things he was unaware in the matrix world; of them he had no knowledge.
In like manner must man be born out of this world of nature that he may enter into the world of the Kingdom. Unless he be born from this world he cannot attain to spiritual susceptibilities nor can he discover the mysteries of the Kingdom nor behold the realm of God. When in the matrix world man could receive no tidings of this world, In that world he was, rather, a denier of this world for had anyone said to him that there was a world other than that of the matrix, a world most vast and spacious, where sun was shining everywhere, and a moon, where a rose garden grew in utmost beauty—had this been said to him he would have denied such news, saying: there is no world save this (the matrix) world. But when he is born he sees that
this world is a different world. It is an infinite world, where stars are shining in the heaven and rivers are flowing toward the sea, where rose gardens are adornments and orchards are as embroidery.
Again, the human world is like the animal world. What does it (the animal world) know of the world of the Kingdom! What does it know of God, of spirituality, of divine bounties! When he is born from the world of nature then will man see the world of the Kingdom, then will he behold the lights of the Sun of Reality and will comprehend the manifestations of divine bounty. He will then be submerged in the sea of the lights of mercy and will understand the secrets of second birth.
The holy, divine Manifestations of God have come for this purpose, that man may be informed of the Kingdom of the Lord of Hosts, that he may know divine realities and may attain to the second birth.
WHEN evening twilight falls upon the world, and shadows cast from the western mountains fill the home, then the servant goes from room to room, lighting the lamps, in order that darkness may not oppress the people of the household.
And, in the same way, when the evening of civilization approaches; when the light of custom and tradition dies; when the mind stumbles, the heart fails and the soul is enshrouded with sudden fear; when the works of shadow and darkness are done—by wars, by strife, by confusion; and the prescience of universal ruin flies like a bat of ill omen over the uplifted heads and staring eyes; then the Divine Servant passes silently from room to room of the household of the world, lighting the lamps of hearts with the flame of spirit, whose illumination, for those who are severed from all save spirit, is as the rising of the True Dawn after the overcoming of that besetting inner twilight which the world miscalls truth, misterms reality, misconceives as life.
But when the lamps of the hearts are lighted, then silently, then mysteriously, even as the Divine Servant came, so He departs; and in that departing we know Him by the glory of the illumination whose rays have penetrated the heart; or we know Him not at all.
This is the first solemnity of the hush of that hour when it is realized that Abdul Baha, the Divine Servant, having lighted the lamps throughout the household of the East and West, departs unto that Source of Light whence He came.
The shining of the lamps of hearts lighted by the hand of the Divine Servant is the mystery whose outward manifestation stands visible in the life of the world as Bahai Assemblies, lamps that shone unseen in the last flickering moments of that false illumination of the material age; lamps that shine the more brightly as material daylight ebbs from the life of men.
For the believers, this is the mystery to be considered, the task to be realized, the worthiness to be attained: that from their unity and by their unity the fulfillment of the coming of the Divine Servant may be established in the foundations of the New Age throughout the world. The unity of the believers one with another is as the rays of light from the lamp. If unity does not exist—unity in
the depths of spirit—then the lamp burns only to itself; for the world it would be as though the lamp had not been lighted, and as though the Divine Servant had not come.
For the lamp burns not to itself, but to the world, through the manifold rays which the believers are: each believer a ray, all the believers the visible shining of the lamp. The lamp shines not through one ray, but through the infinity of rays; not upon one object, but upon all objects; not for one horizon, but unto all the horizons. Through the personal unlikeness of the believers, the glory of the lamp is manifested. No believer can be spared, lest the lamp be shorn of its rays.
Therefore, in a Bahai Assembly, all the aspects of personal unlikeness exist. The believers are not of one kind, not of one sort, not of one character, not of one training, not of one capacity; which unlikeness is essential to the full shining of the lamp. But the believers are alike in this, that each is a ray of light shining forth from the lamp, whereby the lamp illumines one particular object, one special horizon, revealing itself to that horizon through that one ray which the believer, by reason of his faithfulness, his devotion, his selfishness, has become. The lamp shines through all its rays, and no ray is more important than any other ray shining from the lamp.
Each of the believers has two aspects and two stations. He has the aspect and station of his personality, which is the aspect and station of difference; and he has the aspect and station of the ray, which is the aspect and station of oneness. The oneness of the believers is the lamp lighted by the hand of the Divine Servant; the difference of the believers is the work of the world of nature and of mankind, in whose activity we evolve and by whose influence we are conditioned.
In the life of mankind there have been many lamps, each lamp shining unto one room, one community, one horizon; and the rays of these lamps could not overcome the darkness beyond the one room where the lamp shone. Now there is but one lamp, the Sun of Truth, whose shining is for all the rooms of the household of humanity, all the horizons of experience, all the objects of thought and activity.
Therefore, that the oneness of the Sun of Truth may be manifested, it has become necessary in this New Age that the rays shall have no confinement; that all the distinctions shall be burned away; that reality shall be perceived by one light and known of one spirit. Wherefore, in every Bahai Assembly, all the conditions of humanity—all the separateness, all the differences, all the degrees, all the capacities, all the kinds, all the influences built up during the evolution that has gone before—must needs, by the providential law of this New Age, be made one gathering, manifesting the oneness of the Sun of Truth even despite the testimony and evidence of all the differences of personality which emanate from the influence of the world.
This is the mystery of a Bahai Assembly: not that its members readily agree, but that they can overcome their differences; not that they are one in personality, in instinctive sympathy, in ambition, in desire, in training, in influence, but that they can penetrate to the foundation of oneness revealed by the glory of the Sun.
Every Bahai Assembly is the world in miniature, containing the differences and personal problems of the world, even intensified to the utmost degree. This is our glory, our privilege, our attainment, our distinction; not our weakness, not our shame. No other power save the power of the Sun of Truth could have revealed the oneness in so much difference. It is the spirit of this oneness overcoming our manifold differences, that makes a Bahai Assembly a divine foundation, a healing for the world, an inspiration for those who turn from darkness and seek light. Elsewhere differences are organized, but here is unity; elsewhere darkness is worshipped, but here the light shines; elsewhere activity is the
pursuit of shadows and reflections, but here activity has one end and aim: that each of the believers may attain to self-lessness, and become a ray emanating from the Sun of Truth.
May the friends of the Divine Servant continually assist one another to arise from the station of personality to the station of selflessness which is the station of the ray. May we become infinitely considerate one of another, having cast out pride, ambition, thought and desire, which are veils of the personal self. May we be ever conscious that the unity of each Bahai Assembly in itself, and the unity of all the Bahai Assemblies one with another, are the preliminary condition to that world unity for which the Divine became Servant in this age. May we be ever conscious that the ray is nothing in itself, but is an emanation from the Sun; that the Sun manifests its power through the ray, and the Sun is all in all.
Then, as the personalities diminish, and the world weakens its secret hold upon the hearts, the Sun will assert its predominant power, having rays unto all the horizons. Then even the consciousness of yielding up self will flee as the ultimate shadow before the Dawn. and the meeting of this selflessness; the community of this faithfulness, will penetrate humanity with a new spirit and a new life.
Now is the work of becoming selfless; but the work of the Sun is at hand.
O God, my God! Thy Call hath attracted me and the Voice of Thy Pen of Glory awakened me. The stream of Thy Holy Utterance hath enraptured me and the Wine of Thy Inspiration entranced me. Thou seest me, O Lord! detached from all things but Thee, clinging to the Cord of Thy Bounty and craving the wonders of Thy Grace. I ask Thee, by the eternal Billows of Thy Lovingkindness and the shining Lights of Thy tender Care and Favour, to grant that which shall draw me nigh unto Thee and make me rich in Thy Wealth. My tongue, my pen, my whole being testify to Thy Power, Thy Might, Thy Grace and Thy Bounty, that Thou art God and there is none other God but Thee, the Powerful, the Mighty.
I bear witness, at this moment, O my God! to my helplessness and Thy Sovereignty, my feebleness and Thy Power. I not that which profiteth me or harms me; Thou art verily the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. Do thou decree for me, O Lord, my God, and my Master, that which will make me feel content with Thy eternal Decree and will prosper me in every world of Thine. Thou art in truth the Gracious, the Bountiful.
Lord! Turn me not away from the Ocean of Thy Wealth and the Heaven of Thy Mercy, and ordain for me the good of this world and hereafter. Verily Thou art the Lord of the Mercy-seat, enthroned in the highest; there is none other God but Thee the One, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
A Prayer by Abdul Baha. Translated by Shoghi Effendi.
--PATTERN--
The beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Asbury Park, N. J.; Augusta, Ga.; Beverly-Salem, Mass.; Bisbee, Ariz.; Buffalo, N. Y.; Eliot, Maine; Cambridge Springs, Penn.; Fernandina, Fla.; Fruitport, Mich.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Geyserville, Cal.; Grand Haven, Mich.; Haverhill, Mass.; Ithaca, N. Y.; Johnstown, N. Y.; Miami, Fla.; Milwaukee, Wis.; New Haven, Conn.; Omaha, Neb.; Okanagan, Wash.; Peoria, Ill.; San Diego, Cal.; Santa Barbara, Cal.; Santa Paula, Cal.; Santa Rosa, Cal.; Springfield, Ill.; St. John, N. B.; St. Louis, Mo.; St. Paul, Minn.; Trenton, N. J.; Worcester, Mass.
Care of the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.
Dearest Fellow-workers in the Vineyard of God:
Though your number in each of these cities be small and limited, yet by virtue of that Celestial Potency bequeathed to every one of you by our departed Master, you are assured that ere long your small company shall expand and wield such power and influence as no earthly power can ever hope for or attain. Who can doubt that he is ever watching from his Station on High over his scattered fold and is guiding and strengthening his faithful lovers who toil and labour for the fulfillment of his Word and the realization of his Purpose for mankind?
As we observe the sad conditions of the world and the complexity of the problems that are besetting humanity, we may at times lose heart and grow forgetful of the promised dawn of the New Day, so repeatedly and emphatically foretold in the Sacred Writings. But we need only refer to some of the earliest writings of our beloved Master to regain that confidence which the vicissitudes of the world, however distressing, can never shake. Are not these words wherein he assures us of the onward march of the Cause—a march which no one can resist and which is sure to lead humanity to its glorious destiny?—
"Now in the world of being, the Hand of Divine Power hath firmly laid the foundations of this all-highest bounty and this wondrous gift. Whatsoever is latent in the innermost of this Holy Cycle shall gradually appear and be made manifest, for now is but the beginning of its growth and the day-spring of the revelation of its signs. Ere the close of this century and of this age it shall be made clear and evident how wondrous was that springtide and how heavenly was that gift!"
And as the outlook grows darker and despondency overtakes the hearts, it is incumbent upon us to arise with greater confidence than ever before, endeavoring to clear the mists of hate and prejudice that have dimmed the vision of mankind and, relying upon these assuring words of his, point out to a weary world the Way of True Salvation.
I very eagerly await the news of the progress of the Movement in your cities and shall be grateful and delighted to hear that you have reinforced your numbers, extended your activities, established a centre and founded a Spiritual Assembly that shall direct and co-ordinate your efforts for the promotion of the Cause.
Awaiting your joyful news and beseeching the blessings of the Almighty upon your efforts,
I am your brother and co-worker,
(Signed) SHOGHI.
Haifa, Palestine
January 8th, 1923.
The Beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in San Francisco, Calif., U. S. A.
Beloved Friends:
The various tidings that have directly and indirectly reached the Holy Land regarding the combined efforts which the friends of the Western States have recently exerted for the promotion of the Cause in those regions, and in which the friends in that city have shared in no small degree, have filled our hearts with a joy that no words can express.
It is indeed gratifying to learn how your flourishing city, so rich and splendid in its material gifts, so similar in its atmosphere and peaceful surroundings to the Holy Land, and potentially endowed with such spiritual capacity, is now taking a leading part in lending a fresh impetus to the onward march of the Movement in regions which, though distant and remote, are yet so near and dear to the Master's heart.
May your patient efforts be crowned with signal success and may the Light of this Divine Revelation so illumine your city as to justify the high hopes which our Beloved had confidently reposed in every one of you.
We all remember you very tenderly during our visits to the Three Holy Shrines and beseech every time with renewed ardour the blessings of the Almighty upon your labours.
Your friend and co-worker,
(Signed) SHOGHI.
December 30, 1922.
To the Beloved of the Lord and the handmaids of the Merciful in Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A.
My Loving Friends:
Whenever I recall the tender affection with which the beloved Master referred to you in His spoken as well as in His written words I feel that the day may not be distant when the friends of that city will as the standard-bearers of the Cause herald to their fellow-countrymen and to the world at large the glad-tidings of this glorious Revelation.
Assured and strengthened by the memories of the many blessings that have been yours in the past, it is now assuredly the time to arise with one accord for the fulfillment of our sacred obligations, the pre-requisites of the speedy realization of such brilliant success in the Cause.
With hearts united, with minds purified and with a determination never to waver or surrender, let us step into the arena of service and armed with the sword of utterance and teaching combat effectively the ills and sicknesses of this distracted world.
We need not feel depressed or overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task for the mighty combatants whom the hands of the Master have raised in every part of the globe shall come to our aid and the Hosts of the Unseen shall reinforce our numbers till the Spirit of Love and Peace even as foretold in the Holy Writ of Baha'u'llah will have filled the world.
I pray constantly on your behalf that your vision may never be dimmed and your courage may never falter in His Path.
I am as ever your co-worker,
December 30th, 1922. (Signed) SHOGHI.
THE history of the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth is the story of God's love for mankind. Rejection of it is the greatest of all tragedies, and the root cause of the trials of men and nations.
Today they need Divine Guidance more than ever, and know not where to find that which meets all the needs of the world. True, they are beginning to turn again to that which in past days was rejected, and this is good; but if they understand it, they will not repeat the tragedy of rejecting the Divine Message in our own day. The voice is One Voice bringing the eternal message, in each era, and in the utterance of the same spirit, courting that which is divine in man. Knowledge of this is the keynote to the revelation of Baha'Ullah. That perception makes unity possible between men and religions and nations. Therefore it is of supreme importance that there should be understanding on this point; because it will put an end to religious, political, racial and industrial warfare. Only lack of understanding makes such tragedy possible, for the beginning and ending of all prophetic aspiration is to promote unity and harmony amongst mankind. This has been God's aim and purpose throughout the ages. It is the Heavenly Father's work, to which Jesus referred when he said: "My father worketh until now, and I work." Yes, and even again, "until now." For is not the spirit of the Father Himself evident in the revelation of Baha'Ullah which has called all the sovereigns of the earth and all men and nations, in the name of God, to the divine banquet of universal peace? How could the Father's heart be content with less than universal peace? Peace for the different followers of different religions, since the founders of each have, through the inspiration of the same spirit, been one with Him, each doing the work of preparation essential to the summing up of all aspiration in the glad work of this Latter Day, when all are now called by the same Lord, the Lord of all these hosts, to recognize Him, and leaving all things contrary to Him to "follow that which tends to harmony." For the fundamental teaching of the Founders of all religions, is one. Therefore, no one is called upon to reject his own religion, but to recognize the same Spirit in all, that all may become one in heart and mind in this new day, looking to the same point of guidance.
Without Divine Guidance the rich values which await mankind cannot come for is there not, as St. Paul pointed out, a spiritual, as well as a natural law? And has it not therefore been promised in the name of God, that if mankind will believe in Him and cooperate with It, seeking first His kingdom before all else "The windows of heaven will open and shower upon him blessings beyond all that he can think or speak?"
Therefore Bahais rejoice in the glad tidings which Baha'Ullah brings to the world today, and invite all the world to rejoice with them, studying the laws which he declares as necessary to the happiness and protection of all nations, and to the fulness of life, which Jesus promised in "abundance," to all men. The universal divine laws have been stated in Bahai writings many times, and will be reiterated throughout the world until they are established in the hearts of mankind beyond all forgetfulness, and their portent evident before all eyes. Therefore, until they are known to all, repetition and remembrance is our "daily bread" in the spiritual world even as the wheaten bread is in the material world. All the world therefore is invited in the
name of Baha'Ullah to cooperate in establishing the bountiful laws of right which the Holy Spirit has promulgated through him. No one can study them without becoming aware that the divine spirit is at work and all can work with It, to bring about the time when warfare will be at an end and all men and nations will live together in harmony, as brothers in the Father's Heavenly Kingdom.
That is what Jesus yearned for; and it has been the travail of the Father's Spirit. "I am the Vine, and My Father is the Husbandman," said Jesus. He finished his appointed work. Today, he whom Jesus promised, has come, telling us those "other things," which he could not tell us then because the world was not ready for them. Now it is so ready that it is longing to hear them. Let us therefore pray and labour to convey the glad tidings understandingly, that there may be no more persecutions through misunderstanding.
Looking back through history, we see there was much work for the Spirit to do after Jesus left the earthly abode. So also is there much work for the disciples of Baha'Ullah. And we are grateful for the Center of his Covenant among the nations, which he has appointed in accordance with divine prophecy. For we are through the living example and precept of Abdul Baha, protected from the errors and misunderstandings to which Christianity was liable in its early days, and which have grown to such a degree that even leaders and teachers of religion are troubled to find so little resemblance in it to the living spirit and example of Jesus. It is above all things necessary therefore, in this important Day of God which is the outcome of previous revelation that we should abide in the Spirit and pray for divine grace to live in accordance with it. That we live and work and pray harmoniously, in Spirit and in Truth; each individual before all else looking to the guidance of the Spirit—and turning not aside for any other guidance. For the Spirit is the life of us all. Without It, there is no life, no love, no harmony or heavenly joy. It is incumbent on us all, now, to manifest these evidences of reality before the world, as the very early disciples did endeavor to do. We are grateful for all the records of our faith, but learning the lessons of the past it would seem well to remember that it is the Spirit which "maketh alive."
Therefore we gird our loins, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit through which many new sciences and arts and wonderful means of travel and unification have been developed, which, without spiritual power, could never have become manifest. It is our charge, and privilege and responsibility, now they are developed through the divine Will for a special purpose, to do our part in establishing those principles of universal righteousness which, although well known to Bahais, are not yet known to the world, lest this increase of human power should be used for destroying the happiness of mankind instead of promoting it.
So we announce to the world continuously those universal principles which Baha'Ullah has declared to be the will of God for this day, that all men and nations may move consciously together under the protection of the Divine toward the haven of peace and rest which is God's design for them and indeed their own heart's desire. They are:
1. The Oneness of Mankind.
2. Independent Investigation of Truth.
3. The Oneness of the Foundation of all Religions.
4. Religion must be the cause of Unity.
5. Religion must be in accord with Science and Reason.
6. Equality between men and women.
7. Prejudices of all kinds must be forgotten.
8. Universal Peace.
9. Universal Education.
10. Solution of the Economic Problem.
11. An International Auxiliary Language.
12. An International Tribunal.
Bahais want all the world to see the light of the Sun of Truth which illumines the path to the most great peace; so we hold up the light, knowing that the "spirit which God has placed within" all men will enable them to see it. Then they will help us to make known the guidance which is so peculiarly necessary to the salvation of men and nations. Without this larger all-embracing aim individual salvation is insecure.
Unity is the order of this new day. All that does not bear its test will be cast aside, and the reason so many in church and state are now anxious to attain unity is that they well know that the world of humanity will no longer accept anything short of reality. It is tired of trusting the blind leaders of the blind who ever prescribe their own conflicting remedies. But when the True Remedy comes to them they will see its all-inclusiveness, and be satisfied.
Unity can never be achieved on the narrowing basis of the minds of men. For some repudiate one religion, and some another, and others seeing this, repudiate religion altogether. It is God's Messenger who brings us the True Remedy in its completeness today. Without it unity cannot be achieved, for it is necessarily the outcome of the aspirations of past ages and the purport of ages to come.
O God, my God! Thou beholdest Thy servants in the abyss of perdition and error; where is Thy Light of Divine Guidance, O Thou the Desire of the world? Thou knowest their helplessness and their feebleness; where is Thy Power, O Thou in whose grasp lay the powers of Heaven and earth?
I ask Thee, O Lord! my God! by the splendour of the Lights of Thy loving-kindness and the Billows of the Ocean of Thy Knowledge and Wisdom and by Thy Word wherewith Thou hast swayed the peoples of Thy Dominion, to grant that I may be one of them that have observed Thy bidding in Thy Book. And do Thou ordain for me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy trusted ones, them that have quaffed the Wine of Divine Inspiration from the chalice of Thy Bounty and hastened to do Thy Pleasure and observe Thy Covenant and Testament. Powerful art Thou to do as Thou willest; there is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Decree for me, by Thy Bounty, O Lord! that which shall prosper me in this world and hereafter and shall draw me nigh unto Thee, O Thou who art the Lord of all men; there is none other God but Thee, the One, the Mighty, the Glorified.
A Prayer by Abdul Baha. Translated by Shoghi Effendi.
"WHERE the League Keeps Peace" is the title of an article in the March Our World in which we are told of some of the accomplished work of the League of Nations during its three years of activity. A war-threatening dispute between Sweden and Finland over the Aaland Islands has been settled and the two countries are in friendly relations. A much harder question, the Upper Silesian dispute between Germany and Poland, has also been successfully settled, a frontier line on an economic basis established, and industry is reported as thriving on both sides of this line. In commenting editorially on the work of the League of Nations, the editor of the same magazine sums up the things the League has accomplished in keeping peace, fighting the opium traffic and the white slave traffic, preventing epidemics, returning war prisoners, establishing a Court and then says, "But these concrete, detailed achievements of the League, immensely valuable as they have been, are only by-products. Its main purpose and its great work has been the development of a 'planetary consciousness.' Just as the first great work of our Congress was to teach Americans—in Hamilton's phrase—to 'think continentally' so the Secretariat of the League. . . the frequent meetings of the Council. . . are training men from all countries to think of the world as a unit; to look beyond their frontiers, to study and begin to understand the problems of others."
The Bahai individual not only rejoices with others over such news of any progress toward world harmony and unity, but also sees therein the first steps in the fulfillment of the words of Abdul Baha: "The Light of the Unity of Mankind is beginning to illumine the world, and soon the banner of Divine Harmony and the solidarity of nations will be flying high in the heavens. Yea, the breezes of the Holy Spirit will inspire the whole world. O peoples and nations! Arise and work and be happy! And gather together under the tent of the Unity of Mankind!"
IN the Century Charles Merz tells us what he has learned at first hand from travel and observation about the Youth Movement in Germany. He finds this a general movement all over Germany, not confined in one single organization but manifesting itself in many different societies of young people of from fifteen to twenty years of age. Some of these organizations are political in purpose, some for finding happiness in nature, some religious and others for various purposes. Mr. Merz suggests that in all cases the fundamental idea is the same: "They made a mess of it. Let's see what youth can do." In summing up his article he says: "What is this quickening of youth's interest in a dozen different latitudes of life if not 'the morning hours' of some sort of renaissance?"
And so we find the thinking people who are most sensitive to the pulse of the times sensing, some in one way and some in another, the dawn of what the Bahais know to be The Day of God.
B. C. H.
THE National Geographic Magazine gives a strong plea for a universal auxiliary language, in an article by A. L. Guerard, entitled "The Battle-Line of Languages in Western Europe." In America the language problem does not exist to any great extent, as only three languages prevail on the Western Continent—English, Spanish and Portuguese.
But in Europe there is a new language every few miles. "Western Europe—by which we mean the whole of Europe minus Russia—is considerably smaller in area than the United States and it rejoices in the possession of some forty languages. Not only are there many languages each confined to a small area, but populations of different speech jostle one another in the same territory. . . Frequently the dominant population belongs to one linguistic group, the common people to another." The European problem is very different from the American, for America is truly a melting pot. "Assimilation is proceeding so fast that in most cases the second generation does not know the language of its forbears." But in Europe even if the linguistic map could be brought into harmony with the political map there would still be some twenty nations with twenty languages. And yet even this process of simplification has been made almost impossible by the provision of the treaties of 1919-1920, by which ethnic groups separated from the main body of their people were guaranteed the free use of their language in school, church, and local administration.
"Such is the situation in Europe; some forty languages having secured, or striving for recognition." The subjugation of all states and languages by one state and language does not seem a practicable solution of the problem. The proper solution would at present seem to be the adoption of a neutral auxiliary language for international relations.
"A universal language." writes Mr. Tong Shik Fan, student in the Canton College, China, "has been set as a course of study in Our colleges, beginning this last autumn. Indeed, many magazines, newspapers and educators have encouraged the teaching of Esperanto in Chinese schools. It presents a good medium for the spreading of the new Spirit of this Age to China, for the universal language may be to the new Spirit of this Age as is the wire to the telegraph or the ether to the wireless."
In Japan Esperanto is rapidly spreading. There are groups of Esperantists in nearly all the higher schools of learning in Tokyo. A leading magazine of Tokyo publishes articles every month on the subject.
At a meeting held in Tokyo this winter, to celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of Dr. Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto, Japan, Finland, the United States, Russia, Great Britain were all represented. The magazine, The Far East, writes: "No one attending the meeting could have failed to be impressed by the lack of reserve, the spontaneous friendliness which characterizes these gatherings. This may be attributed primarily to a common ideal and also to the equality resulting from a non-national language which confers no one-sided advantage."
An interesting experiment in language study has just been conducted at Wellesley College. Three hundred girls studied Esperanto and Danish, in the classroom only, the books being locked up between classes. At the end of six weeks an examination in both languages was given and a partial grading of students who attended all the classes showed that Esperanto was mastered more rapidly than Danish. More ground was gone over in the Esperanto lessons which made the examination in Esperanto the harder. These linguistic experiments are being continued the second semester.
IN The ruin of ancient civilization by the great Italian historian, Guglielmo Ferrero, the author shows that in the third century of the Christian era, the then most brilliant and magnificent Greco-Latin civilization of the West, which it had taken centuries to build, suddenly collapsed and within the space of fifty years became "nothing more than an immense ruin." How can one explain such a change? What, then, had happened during those fifty years?
The author comes to the conclusion that the one principal cause which brought this ancient civilization to a sudden and irreparable collapse was the loss of the principle of authority. "For the principle of authority is the keystone to all civilization." But the author goes on to develop his main thesis. He says: "Europe finds itself, in this twentieth century, in the same situation in which in the third century, the Roman Empire was placed: that is, without any recognized principle of government. The great struggle between the monarchical system of government, which means Kingship by Divine Right, and the democratic system, which means government by the Skill of the People—which began in 1789—seems to have ended in the destruction of both systems. The respect, the admiration, the almost religious faith, which in times past have been accorded to the principle of monarchy, that is kingship by divine right, are dead. The disaster which killed them was terrible. But is the opposite principle—the system of democracy, the principle of the sovereignty of the people—which ought to have benefited by the downfall of kingship by divine right, in a position to replace it? It is doubtful. . . . The World War has produced many ruins, but the others are trifling in comparison with the destruction of all principle of authority. . . . The principle of authority is the key to all civilization; when the political system becomes disintegrated and falls into anarchy, civilization in its turn is rapidly broken up."
Over against this cry for the revival of the principle of authority these words of Baha'Ullah are very striking: "'Verily He hath come from the Heaven of the Unseen, and with Him the Standard of 'He doeth whatsoever He willeth,' and the hosts of Power and Authority. As to all else save Him, it is incumbent upon them to cling unto that which He hath commanded of laws and ordinances; if one departs from them, even to the extent of a hair's breadth, all his deeds will go for naught. . . . No one has a right to depart from the ordinances of God and His precepts, and whosoever departs therefrom is verily of the transgressors, in the Book of God, the Lord of the Great Throne. . . . It is incumbent upon all to hold to His right Path."
A PRACTICAL application of Bahai teaching comes to us from the Manchester Guardian. A child can be taught by the behavior of the grown people around him that a stranger is a person to be welcomed, not to be regarded with distrust and suspicion because he does not happen to be an acquaintance of the family. . . . Eliminate distrust of the outsider, and it soon follows that the command to "love one another" ceases to seem an impossible ideal, and becomes an eminently practical piece of advice to act justly and charitably to those whom we do not know, or whom, temperamentally, we find it difficult to like.
In the final paragraph of Paris Talks Abdul Bahá urges this same teaching and also shows us where to find the power which will enable us to apply it. He says, "When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere. All men are his brothers. Let not conventionality cause you to seem cold and unsympathetic when you meet strange people from other countries. Do not look at them as though you suspected them of being evil-doers, thieves and boors."
M. H. P.
"The Bible and the Gospels are most honored in the estimation of all Bahais. One of the spiritual utterances of His Holiness Christ in his Sermon on the Mount is preferable to me to all the writings of the philosophers. It is the religious duty of every Bahai to read and comprehend the meanings of the Old and New Testament."—Abdul Baha.
SINCE the early days of the great war Miss Agnes Alexander, whose grandparents were pioneer missionaries in the Hawaiian Islands, has been heralding the springtime of universal religion in the gardenland of Japan. She went to Japan with Baha'Ullah's new statement of the spirit of the Eternal Christ. Through Esperanto, Japanese and English she is presenting the Bahai solution for the problems of today. She is meeting with splendid response, especially from the young people and the students of Japan, Korea and China. In their hearts the glory of a new world is shining. Because her heart is pure she can reflect to them the light of the morning of world unity.
On his return to Palestine, December 15, 1922, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahai Cause, sent to the Bahais in Japan, in care of Miss Alexander this Cablegram: "Refreshed and reassured I now stretch to you across the distant seas my hand of brotherly cooperation in the Cause of Baha." Two days later he wrote to the friends in Japan the following beautiful letter:
Dear Friends, the Chosen Ones of Abdul Baha in that Far Eastern land!
Having brought to an end my long hours or retirement and meditation, one of my first thoughts upon my return to these hallowed surroundings has been to inquire after the well-being and spiritual happiness of my far-away fellow-workers who toil and labor in those remote regions of the earth for the blessed Cause of Baha'Ullah. How great was my joy when I learned that you were well, safe and happy, content and determined, untiring in your labors and hopeful of the future!
That my sudden withdrawal from the field of active service would leave you undeterred in activities, would never damp your tender hopes nor shake your resolution to stand firmly for the Cause, I never doubted as I knew well the indelible marks of loyalty and steadfastness which the words of our beloved Master have wrought in your lives. I am equally certain that now when we join hands again in carrying the Cause of God a stage yet further, your assistance, whole-hearted as ever before, will give it a fresh impetus that will lead to the establishment of throbbing centers of spiritual activities in those outlying regions of the world.
Japan, a land so richly endowed, so alert and progressive, so quick in its grasp of the realities of life, is now the recipient of a Divine Bestowal, greater, richer and more enduring than any material gift she has ever enjoyed in modern times. What blissful thought to remember that you are the Chosen Ones that shall establish the Kingdom of God in that land; that you are the pioneers of a work that will endure and supersede all the other achievements, however meritorious and brilliant, of your fellow countrymen for Japan!
I pray that your vision of the vast opportunities that are yours may never be dimmed; that your efforts to realize that vision may never slacken and that the gracious aid of Baha'Ullah may never be withheld from you all through your sacred mission in this world.
And now in conclusion, let us not forget those ringing words of the Beloved, uttered with such force and emphasis: "The Fire of the Love of God shall assuredly set Japan afire!" and let us arise, now at this moment, with increased and renewed confidence in His sayings, that we assure and hasten the advent of so glorious an era in the history of that ancient land.
With my best wishes to every one of you,
I am your brother and fellow worker,
(Signed) Shoghi.
From Mr. E. T. Hall of Manchester
WE HAVE just finished a most remarkable ten days in this city. The lovable and revered teacher, Jenabi Avareh, with Dr. Lotfullah, has spent ten days here in Manchester. They visited the Bahai families in each part of the city, held many meetings, addressed large audiences in schools, on two Sundays, and delivered the message of Abdul Baha in two beautiful churches, before large congregations. Much literature has been distributed and much more is still being asked for.
A remarkable interview took place in the great Linotype Works, where two thousand people are employed. The management showed Jenabi Avareh, Dr. Lotfullah, Mrs. Asgarzade and others over the establishment, and then invited us all to tea in the managers' dining room. All this was most pleasantly done and made us very happy. The directors and two managers were with us and over the tea Jenabi Avareh kept up a wonderful spiritual conversation upon the principles of the Bahai Movement, referring also to employers and employes and the needs of the time and justice—and they were in perfect agreement, both managers and the Bahai teachers. It seemed as if the pure heart of the vast works was pulsating beautifully in that little well-lit room.
On the Sundays it was a joy to hear Jenabi Avareh, through Dr. Lotfullah, call for peace and reconciliation, as they stood in the lovely churches.
It is a wonderful thing to hear Jenabi Avareh's addresses. He often begins with a series of very interesting logical deductions, or with a very beautiful story—his stories, whether humorous or serious are great!—and then, by a few swift and most eloquent sayings, shows the reason for it all; and the listeners are astonished at the clearness of the truth he has given to them. He is master of every point; and he answers questions to everybody's complete satisfaction. It seems to me that he is an incomparable teacher.
LETTERS from India are bringing bright pictures of the appeal and influence of the Third All-lndia Convention. Mr. N. R, Vakil, of Surat, India, writes: "Our Convention this year was very successful. Representatives came from various parts of India and Burmah, and many from Bombay. Monsieur Paul Richard, the French writer, presided one evening. He made a very beautiful speech. At the other sessions the citizens of Karachi presided. The evening sessions were attended by from four to five hundred each evening. We felt the presence of our beloved Master in our midst. The lectures were published in the daily papers of Karachi and the Associated Press sent telegrams to different parts of India. The reports were also published in the daily papers of Bombay. An Executive Committee of nine friends was appointed for the ensuing year."
Our Bahai magazine of India, the Bahai News gives a very comprehensive account of the Convention in its January and February issue with reprints from the newspaper accounts of the various sessions. In the New Times we find a full account of Monsieur Paul Richard's address on the unity of all nations, in which is this beautiful figure: "There is between this land and the Bahai movement a link of deep affinity. They are both points of unity, in which races and religions meet and mingle. Sind—Sindhu, means ocean—the vast oneness in which all rivers mingle their waters. They come from different horizons, from different peaks, but however distant their source they have all the same goal. They merge themselves all in the same unique ocean.
"It is the same with religions. They also come from different peaks, the white peak of divine inspiration and revelation, and at their source they are pure; but when they reach the plains they become polluted and for long they develop their courses ignoring one another. Yet, diverging, they run all toward the same oneness—the ocean of their unity."
MRS. Victoria Bedikian, lover of little children, is with her many other activities for the service of God's little ones in all lands editing two new publications. One is World Fellowship, "a universal Bahai news letter of consultation on service for orphans and education of destitute and helpless children;" the other is The Children's Hour. Both are edited at 31 Valley Road, Montclair, New Jersey. Mrs. Bedikian's high purpose is to establish what she calls "Children's Gardens," classes for the spiritual, practical, universal education of children in many countries. World Fellowship is filled with beautiful letters from these many "Gardens" in many lands. The Children's Hour is a series of leaflets, with selections from the words of Abdul Bahá and Baha'Ullah presented in the form of questions and answers, heavenly little stories, beautiful extracts that can be easily memorized; all arranged so as to capture the hearts and the minds of the children. There is one leaflet for each week. "They can he used by mother, teacher, friend, in home and happy gathering." writes Mrs. Bedikian. "During the children's hour each child can hold a leaflet of its own and share the readings it contains each week. Four little leaflets are sent out each month, in ordered number, to the various Assemblies for distribution. The leaflets can be appropriately read in every meeting of the friends. All those who are not children can be children at heart. Are we not all the children of the One who wrote and spoke for us?
"This is the mission of the children's hour.
This is the message of its hidden power, The Word of God."
Mrs. Bedikian is seeking the help of Bahais in all lands to unite the diverse children of the world, and she is pouring out an especial share of love upon the poor and the homeless. She wishes to educate the children in arts and crafts as well as in universal love and the knowledge of the kingdom of unity. These children, the "Gardens" in many lands, exchange toys and books, greetings and letters, and thus develop the glorious consciousness that they are all one great family.
From Washington, D. C.
WE ARE having meetings almost every evening and the days are filled with many private talks and interviews. During the meetings, large and small, one gathers many significant teachings from Jenabi Fazel. On one occasion he said, in brief:
We all remember perfectly the beautiful teachings of Abdul Baha, which he clothed in the garment of eloquent words; and there is still ringing in our ears the melody of the voice of the beloved Master.
One of Abdul Baha's teachings—expounded in his public addresses, in his private instructions, in his supplications, as though this were the very height of his desire—a teaching given by Abdul Baha by pen and by lip as the remedy for the many diseases of this age, and is now reflected in the minds and the hearts of many thinkers, is that this is the age when the misunderstandings between the East and the West must be removed. They, the East and the West, must come together and know each other, must shake each other's hands like two brothers, embrace each other like long separated lovers and must cooperate like the two hands of the body of humanity. The East is the sunrise of spiritual thought and the West must partake of this bounty. The West is the rising-place of science and invention and the East must share in this material benefit. In brief, the East and West must unite that a new age and a beautiful life may be born.
We always remember these words; they are impressed upon our hearts; we read them again and again in our meetings. We are very sure that the Divine which has brought this teaching for this age will through His unlimited power make it practicable for the
world. The friends in the East and the West throughout the world are always, by day and by night, trying with their whole hearts to promote this teaching.
Our greatest Divine Gift, however, is the beloved Guardian of the Cause. Shoghi Effendi, whom our Master has appointed as a lamp of guidance before our way. In this heavenly being we see before our eyes the beautiful picture of the union of East and West—a Westerner radiant through the illumination of the sunrise of inspiration; an Easterner richly robed in the thought and science of the West. Therefore both East and West will feel themselves near to him and each will believe this fruitful tree has sprung from his own soil. This is the greatest proof of that teaching of our Master and of the fact that this is the age of the practical application of that teaching.
Because it is the will of God in this Greatest Age that this teaching of the union of the East and the West be put into practice, therefore God has made ready the visible and invisible means for its accomplishment. Material means such as steamships, railway trains and aeroplanes, moving swiftly on sea and land, these are but trying to put into practice the will of God. And the electricity of telegraph and telephone, and the wireless, tell us that this is the age of cooperation between East and West.
God made all these material means for strengthening this bond. Therefore our hope is that in this New Year we may manifest a new activity for the service of this divine teaching and that we may put forth an extraordinary effort and become real servants of this Divine Will. Let us call aloud to our Eastern friends telling them that this divine power, which eighty years ago laid in the hearts of thousands and thousands of the people of both continents the foundation of the union of East and West makes us able to stretch out our hands across the miles and place on their heads the rose garland of love and unity.
We all, in both East and West, must fully realize that this is the age of the maturity of this teaching and the time for arising to this service. We must speak, we must write, we must never rest, in order to accomplish this great purpose.
Louise D. Boyle
THE most important event in the annals of the Bahai Movement in America is the convening of the delegates and friends during the blessed Rizwan days. This annual Convention and Congress will be held this year in Chicago, at the Auditorium Hotel, April 28-May 2.
Regarding these Conventions Abdul Baha said: "These gatherings would be to the spiritual body of the world what the inrush of the spirit is to the physical body of man, quickening it to its utmost parts and infusing a new life and power."
This Convention shall acquire a great importance in the future, Abdul Baha said. "Its basis is the oneness of the world of humanity, universal peace, love and harmony among all men, equality in rights among all people, benevolent deeds and the shining forth of the Light of Truth; it shall increase in power."
The revered Primal Branch, Shoghi Effendi, writes that "this noble edifice (the Mashreq'Uul-Azkar) when raised and completed will prove to be the most powerful factor in the promulgation of the Cause in America." For the first time in history the Bahai friends of America will be privileged to enter the walls of a structure being built for Mankind, irrespective of race or religion. "Its doors will be open before the faces of all nations, religions and sects. Whosoever enters therein is welcomed. Baha'Ullah is the Universal Shepherd."
Contributions are coming in from all parts of the world to build the Universal Temple at Wilmette, just north of Chicago. Recently a check, splendid in its generosity, was received from Teheran, Persia. Contributions are coming from Karachi, Bombay and other cities in India; from Japan, the Philippine Islands;
from Egypt, Constantinople, Syria, Palestine; from New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska, as well as from the cities of America and Europe. Some of the contributions have come from groups who, as soon as they heard the Bahai Message, wished to express their joy in its glorious revelation, through a contribution to its first universal house of worship in the Western world.
Jenabi Fazel, with his wife and son, is expected to arrive in Chicago April 24th for the sessions of the Convention. The Feast of Rizwan will be held April 28th, at 6 p. m.
Prof. M. R. Shirazi, Editor of the Bahai News of Karachi, India, left Haifa, March 26 for a visit to America.
A Suggestion for Study Classes
FURTHER "Studies in Immortality", in the writings of Abdul Baha with their revelations of the unseen worlds will be found in the references here given, which make wonderful material for individual reading and for reports in study classes. Each member of a class, for instance, can look up one or more of the references and bring to the class verbal or written reports on the pages studied.
Some Answered Questions: pp. 259-266; Divine Philosophy: pp. 91, 93, 98; Seven Valleys: pp. 41-44; Star of the West: Vol. 7, No. 8, pp. 69, ff; Vol. 11, p. 315; Vol. 5, No. 19, p. 291; Paris Talks: pp. 57-59, pp. 77, ff, p. 166, pp. 80-86.
"IT is a wonderful, priceless boon to be a vessel carrying food from God. It cannot be bought with gold."
"The first condition of a religious teacher is to believe in God; the second to turn his face toward God; the third to be severed from aught else save God. Such teachers will constitute illumined lamps of guidance, the stars of the heaven of mercy, trees of the orchard of Abha, flowers of the garden of mystery and torches of the path of salvation."
"The intention of the teacher must be pure, his heart independent, his spirit attracted, his thoughts at peace, his resolution firm, his magnanimity exalted, and in the love of God a shining torch. Should he become as such his sanctified breath will affect even the rock; otherwise there will be no result whatever. As long as a soul is not perfected how can he efface the defects of others? Unless he is detached from aught else save God how can he teach severance to others?"
"Teaching the cause of God is not only through the tongue; it is through deeds, a good disposition, happiness of nature, kindness, sympathy, good fellowship, trustworthiness, holiness, virtue, purity of ideals and, lastly, speech."
"The greatest bestowal of God is love. That is the origin of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart no other great or divine bounty can be revealed in it."
"The most advisable thing, therefore, is to . . . discuss 'Pure and Sanctified Living,' 'Universal Brotherhood,' and the 'Philosophy of Universal Religion.' As to the promulgation of Truth, verily, it is divine and heavenly character, action in accordance with the Divine and Merciful instructions, and the propagation among men of lordly behests and exhortations."
"The world is wrong just because people talk too much and do not carry
out their ideals. If action took the place of words the world would change very soon. A man who does good and does not talk about it is perfect."
"Normal spiritual joy has a healing effect upon the body. I can conceive of no greater joy than teaching the Cause of God. When an individual forgets himself entirely, is self-sacrificing, loses himself in the sea of the love of the Blessed Perfection, fulfills the conditions of servitude, and has won the good-pleasure of the Lord of Hosts his joy will then be unceasing and his happiness a flowing stream of crystal water. A Bahai who serves others is like unto a candle which burns and sheds light upon all those who circle around it. The highest attainable station of the candle is to burn and brighten the dark room, and the loftiest pinnacle of our progress and perfection is to be confirmed in service to the Holy Threshold. This is indeed the most exalted position. But what do I mean by servitude to the Holy Threshold? I mean this, that with radiant faces, detached hearts, cheerful spirits, sanctified souls, illumined minds and unyielding determination we may arise and teach the Cause of Baha'Ullah. It is well to bear in mind in all our waking hours that he did not educate us for corporeal joy, material comfort nor the physical benefits of this mortal world. He accepted all persecutions and hardships; and chose us for the illumination of the world of humanity, for the moral and religious education of the races, for the spiritual awakening of the people."
"The believers must teach the Cause not only in words but must adorn themselves with the ornaments of deeds in order that all mankind may bear testimony to this, that their aims are universal, their actions disinterested, their purposes inspiring and all-embracing, so that they may witness in their behavior and manner the holiness, purity, sincerity and loving kindness of the prophets of God . . . Tell them to read carefully the Persian and Arabic 'Hidden Words' and to live and behave according to their contents. If a person lives for one day according to those divine exhortations and teachings he will be assisted to move the visible and the invisible world."
"Teach the Cause of God through your deeds and actions. This is God's real benediction and blessing. Live in such a way that when people observe your manners, morals and conduct they may exclaim, 'These are not men and women, but angels of the Lord.' Be ye kind to all mankind. Let mercy be the motive power in your dealings with people. Do not look at their shortcomings. Win the hearts through love and charity; set them aglow with the fire of the love of God. The joy of a soul is indescribable, if the fragrances of spirituality waft from the garden of his being. This divine happiness is not followed by any sorrow nor is this heavenly spring ended by the sultry days of summer."—Abdul Baha: recorded by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab during the great war.
"Praise be to God! your hearts are overflowing with the love of God and you have no great attachment to this world. The thing which is necessary now for you is discourse. It is my hope that you will obtain . . . eloquent, expressive and excellent discourse."
"Rest assured in the fact that the breaths of the Holy Spirit will aid you provided no doubts obtain in your heart."—Abdul Baha: from diary of Juliet Thompson.
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