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THERE ARE TWO influences tending toward prosperity and progress which emanate from the forefront of advancement of the world of humanity. They remind the negligent and awaken them that sleep, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, power of utterance to the mutes and life to the dead.
ONE IS THE INFLUENCE OF CIVILIZATION, that development of the world of nature that concerns the material life of man. It promotes physical advancement and cultivates the social virtues. The laws and deductions of science, so indispensable to progress, are the product of lofty thoughts of sound minds, the accumulated results of the efforts of ancient and modern scholars. The most effective power for the promotion and dissemination of this influence is just government.
THE OTHER IS THE DIVINE INFLUENCE, the holy and spiritual revelations which insure eternal glory, everlasting happiness, the illumination of the world, the appearance of merciful phenomena in the world of humanity and perpetual life. The fundamental basis thereof is the teachings and the precepts of the Prophets, the dictates and attraction of the conscience which belong to the realm of morality. Like unto the lamp they illuminate and brighten the depths and recesses of human realities. The effective power of this is the Word of God!
--PHOTO--
An interesting group of Bahá'ís recently photographed at Haifa, Palestine. From left to right: A Persian Bahá’í who lived in China many years; Soheil Effendi; Mrs. Jean Bolles, Montreal Canada; a brother of Shoghi Effendi; a Persian student at the American University at Beirut; Mrs. Emogene Hoagg, San Francisco, Calif.; more recently of Florence, Italy; another Persian student;
| VOL. 17 | FEBRUARY, 1927 | No. 11 |
The past war has given rise to a wonderful capacity among men, for the underlying foundation of the teachings of God rests upon the comfort and the well-being of the denizens of the world
and upon the establishment of Universal Peace.—’Abdu’l-Bahá.“WHEN I HEAR words based upon justice and brotherly love, it makes me hope that true relations may at some time be established among peoples.” Such were the words of President Calles of Mexico in response to the sympathetic message which Hubert C. Herring brought him from the Social Relations Department of the Congregational Churches of the United States.
Mr. Herring explained that the group who had called on him sought to understand Mexico in human terms, and had spoken of the advantage that would accrue to the people of North America “if the exploitation gives way to a new spirit of willingness to share life and culture.”
The President, so the Associated Press reports, was visibly moved as he replied. The grim lines about his mouth relaxed; his stern features softened into a smile, as he told his visitors that it was a novelty to him to hear kind words, to hear anything except threats.
“I rarely hear words of any spirituality,” he said. “As a rule I always hear a discussion in the brutal form of material interests and menacing words about those interests.
“So, when I hear words based upon justice and brotherly love, it makes me hope that true relations may at some time be established among peoples, makes me think that there are still people in the world working for international harmony upon the basis of justice. . . . So long as nations fight only for material things and neglect spiritual things, the peace of the world will be a lie.”
These are inspiring words to come from one of the world’s rulers whose vision of a day when justice and brotherly love shall reign between nations, is, as Bahá’ís know, not fantastic. For Bahá’u’lláh has said, with words of creative power, that universal brotherhood and peace shall come, and within this very century.
WAR IS UNAVOIDABLE so long as the vendetta is the custom between nations, and the trial of right is by combat, not by jury. It was not until the twelfth century that in Europe the custom of establishing one’s innocence by combat began to yield to courts of jurisdiction. How ridiculous, nay, how tragic, seems to us now the spectacle of two men meeting in deadly combat to prove with spear and sword each the justice of his cause.
The doctrine that might makes right is no longer deemed consonant with justice as between individuals within the state. The day is at hand when it will no longer be practiced as between nations.
Just as there can be no stable civilization in a country where private feuds reign, so there can be no stable world civilization so long as nation bursts out into war against nation whenever pride or self-interest is at stake; and seeks to prove by ordeal of fire and sword the righteousness of its cause.
THREE GREAT AND important factors, according to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, will bring war to an end.
The first cause to change man’s will to war, already partly operative, is the dread fact that modern weapons of offense cause vastly greater destruction of life than heretofore, and that wars are no longer confined to the battlefield, but menace wholesale destructions of non-combatants and of the edifices of civilization constructed by them.
The second cause will be an even more powerful one, not a mere negative cause due to fear, but the positive cause of religious conviction. Bahá’u’lláh taught the principles of universal peace as foremost in His Cause, and He gave forth a plan for an international parliament and court which would settle peaceably all difficulties between nations; force, if necessary, to be applied by an international police organization. Thus the religious conscience of humanity—as the world more and more turns toward God and accepts His revelation for today—will outlaw war, and will establish in its place international justice.
The third factor which will act to preserve the world from future wars will be even more efficacious than those above mentioned. It is a factor which cannot become operative however until a great and universal religion binds together the hearts of all humanity. It is the brotherhood of man, the development of mutual love between the nations and races of the world, that will serve in the future to make war utterly impossible.
IT SEEMS A FAR cry from the prejudices, the selfish competitions, the hatreds between nations that obsess humanity even in this day of high average intelligence and culture, to an epoch when these blind emotions will no longer exist.
Yet the day is not far distant, we are assured. All prejudices shall melt away in the light and heat of a great human love that sees all nations as one, and seeks the welfare of humanity as a whole rather than the selfish gain of individuals or groups.
This new world consciousness it is the chief aim of the Bahá’í Cause to help establish. If this can only be accomplished before another war comes to purify the human slag as in a blast furnace, so much the better for the world. But come it will, in one way or another, within this very century. The Kingdom of God is to be established. And the time has come when the frailty, the aggressiveness, the non-spirituality of individual humans can no longer prevail to stay this destined and glorious maturing of mankind.
IN THE nineteenth century there was ignorance of the utmost degree in the Orient. There was continuous warfare and strife. The apathy and ignorance of the eastern nations or peoples had reached the lowest pitch. They were indeed gloomy and dark, utterly negligent of God and completely captives of the baser feelings and passions. The struggle for existence had been in full exercise amongst them.
At such a time as this His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh appeared amongst them, even like unto the sun. He flooded the east with light. He expounded new teachings to them. He laid a basis for new institutions which are the very spirit of modernism, the very light of the world, the cause of the development of the body politic and of eternal honor. The souls who harkened to these teachings amongst the various Oriental nations immediately let go of that spirit of strife and sedition, and began to exercise the utmost of good-will and good-fellowship. From the extremity of animosity they were transformed into the acme of love and amity. They had been warring and quarreling, now they began to be loving and to live together in amity, until today in the Orient such people—the Bahá’ís—live in the utmost state of love and good-fellowship. Among them you will find no expression of religious prejudice, no political prejudice, no patriotic prejudice; nay rather, they associate together with utmost fellowship and love, and their joy is exceedingly great. The warfare which takes place in the east is not at all connected with them. They do not participate in it. Nay rather, their attitude towards all is one of good-will and good-fellowship. It is a standard of peace which is unfurled amongst them. It is the Light of Guidance which has flooded all their souls with its radiance. It is love upon love. It is light upon light. This is the education of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh. This is the training He has given them. He has led these souls to this standard. He has given them such teachings as to ensure eternal illumination amongst them. Anyone who becomes well versed in these teachings will say: “Verily, I declare that these teachings constitute the illumination of humanity, that this is the spirit of modernism; that this is the honor everlasting; that these are heavenly teachings, and the cause of life never-ending amongst men.” (Star of the West, Vol. 6, p. 220).
Prejudices of all kinds, whether religious, racial, patriotic or political are destructive of divine foundations in main.–’Abdu’l-Bahá.
OF LATE YEARS, since the system of comparative study has been coming more and more into favor, investigators in all fields have been absorbed in estimating the relative value of things. It thus seems only logical that before judging of any subject one should first establish a standard—a sort of straight stick, or imaginary North Pole—set up in the midst of the world of opinion. On the one side, deficiency, on the other, excess; the perfect quality itself being the middle line—the straight and narrow path again–a thing that confronts us in all our human wanderings.
Tolerance has been defined as the allowance of freedom of action or judgment to other people; the patient and unprejudiced endurance of dissent from one’s own, or the generally received, course or view. What else but freedom have we been striving for since the world began? Men have longed from time immemorial to cast off all shackles and let the soul pierce through its covering–to soar above conditions.
But tolerance means not freedom for one’s self,—rather allowing other people freedom–an unselfish, a heavenly thing! It has been called the newest, therefore the least understood of the cardinal virtues, for though through the ages men have wanted freedom for themselves, they have not always been anxious to give it to others.
A pitiable creature is man, truly, one considers the handicaps with which he comes into the world, but with divine possibilities given him to
--PHOTO-- Miss Lilian Rea
rise to heights of grandeur and character. He is born neither free nor tolerant. When he first sees the light, he is like the cocoon wrapped around and muffled in veils. These wrappings are prejudices, inherited instincts, pre-natal characteristics brought with him from some obscure state. Like the cocoon, though, he may gradually slough off all his coverings, until at last spreading his wings and free to flit from flower to flower in the Garden of Humanity, he may soar a butterfly into the empyrean.
We are told by the psycho-analysts that there are three great links in the
chain that holds the human mind a prisoner: his heritage from his past experience; his unconscious recollection of experiences gathered in his upward climb from chaos; and the link of environment. These are strong drawbacks to real freedom, and make tolerance the most difficult thing in the world. To realize the true meaning of the word, one should have not only the “Candle of the Lord”—reason—not only the vision of a Blake—that of mystic and poet combined—but they must have a wisdom born of the spirit and which is acquired through the creative teachings of the great Prophets and Messengers of God.
’Abdu’l-Bahá with His divine inspiration, tells us that there are four criterions or standards of judgment by which the human mind reaches its conclusions: “first, sense perception; second, reason; third, traditions; fourth, inspiration.” He then analyzes these four criterions, showing that “all of them are faulty and unreliable.” Continuing He says, “What then remains? How shall we attain the reality of knowledge? By the breaths and promptings of the Holy Spirit which is light and knowledge itself. Through it the human mind is quickened and fortified into true conclusions and perfect knowledge.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace, Vol. 1, pp. 18, 19, 20).
John Locke, the English logician, spent most of his life in the seventeenth century analyzing the question of tolerance, his mind being drawn to the subject by the religious intolerance everywhere about him. In his youth he found, he says, that what was called general freedom was general bondage, and that the popular assertors of liberty were the greatest engrossers of it, too, and not inaptly called its “keepers.” Thus, after holding informal reunions in his own home among his intimates to discuss debatable questions in science and theology, Locke became convinced that the real cause of intolerance was the limits of the human understanding—in fact, a constant sense of the limits of the human understanding was at the bottom of his arguments for tolerance in his four “Letters of Toleration” which in 1644 achieved for England a measure of religious freedom.
Some time ago an editorial in the Los Angeles Times pointed out that–“While ‘tolerance’ is being preached in so many avenues, political, religious and social, it is well to recall that there is a subtle line beyond which tolerance must not be allowed to encroach. Intolerance, bigotry, snobbery are one thing, but a wide and inclusive tolerance that degenerates into universal license is quite another, and stern moral vigilance and public opinion must take the place of force, in international and social affairs.”
From a too wide and inclusive tolerance, arose what was called in ethics Libertarianism–a doctrine which maintains the freedom of the will, and in its extreme form, it holds that the individual is absolutely free to choose this or that action indifferently. This leads to Latitudinarianism, or indifference to any particular standard of belief or opinion, especially in religion. Finally, when a person goes a step further still and sets the rules or standards of morality at defiance, he is called a Libertine. These are some of the many labels put on human tendencies.
Tolerance is on the side of freedom, with license and bigotry as the two extremes of liberty in religion. Such is the contradiction in human nature, that Milton who sang of freedom himself committed a fault against toleration in the license of his prose pamphlets—“Their measureless ferocity, their boundless license in personal scurrility.”
How shall man come to perceive the higher nature of tolerance in affairs of every-day life, and in the deeper questions of religion, morals and ethics? Life in our modern world is so full of action—of mere doing—that the discussion of purely abstract things has become of less importance. Now as in Locke’s day, intolerance may be attributed very largely to the “limits of human understanding.” Bahá’u’lláh, the divine Law-giver of today, diagnosed the condition when He said: “The contradictions of people and their controversies have resulted wholly from their lack of knowledge and understanding.”
In many of his speeches President Coolidge has warned us against intolerance in international affairs, advocating better understanding among nations as leading to disarmament and universal peace. The cure for lawlessness and misunderstanding seemed to him to lie in religion, and he said: “If we are to preserve what we already have and provide for further reformation, we must become partakers of the spirit of the Great Master. This way is outside the government: it is the realm of religion.” In this pronouncement, Mr. Coolidge has struck at the root of the matter, for it is to the Divine Teachers after all that we must look for help not only in our personal affairs, but in national affairs as well.
Tolerance is after all a matter of sympathy, it must come from the heart and can be best acquired through prayer,—prayer that the standard may be set up so firmly in our hearts that we may be able to live with all the religions, all the clashing opinions, tastes and idiosyncracies of mankind, in joy and fragrance.
“Tolerance,” says Coleridge, is only possible when indifference has made it so.” This dictum may be true to a certain extent with people who are not awakened to the spirit of the New Age, but not to those who are. What is this spirit? ’Abdu’l-Bahá tells us. He asks: “What is the spirit of this age and its focal point? It is the establishment of Universal Peace, the establishment of the knowledge that humanity is one family.”
That the Bahá’í Faith represents this spirit pre-eminently is proved by the Principles laid down by Bahá’u’lláh at a time when the rest of the world had not even arrived at the will to stop war and discord, had not yet dreamed of unity in the modern sense at all. These Principles together with His comprehensive inner teachings are inclusive and all-embracing: they form a perfect standard of tolerance.
The history of the Bahá’í Cause–a Movement toward the unification of all religions into one glorious faith in the One God–reads like a romance, heralded as it was by a radiant youth who wrote His name in red ink at the age of twenty-six, and left behind Him an inspiration toward courage and spirituality which will never die. This wonderful youth, the Báb by name (Báb meaning the “Gate” or “Door”) was the John the Baptist of this Cause. He was martyred for His teachings. The One proclaimed by Him, Bahá’u’lláh (meaning “The Glory of God”) arose to lead the Movement. He, too, was cruelly persecuted, sent from pillar to post, and finally imprisoned in the Turkish prison at ’Akká, Syria, for forty years. Yet while enduring this imprisonment with all its attendant unspeakable indignities, the power of His Word was so great that it went forth to spread His Cause throughout all Persia, reaching even unto the Occident.
The following is an outline of the
Principles for the new humanity which He laid down: it must be remembered, however, that these are only a few of His teachings. For the further all-inclusive and comprehensive spiritual teachings, the reader is referred to the many printed writings in books and pamphlets.
First. We have the Oneness of the World of humanity: Bahá’u’lláh addresses himself to the world of man, saying: “Ye are all the leaves of one tree and fruits of one arbor.”
Second. The independent investigation of Truth: “No man should follow blindly his ancestors and fore-fathers.”
Third. The foundation of all religions is one: Religion is one and not multiple.
Fourth. Religion must be the cause of Unity among mankind. “Religion is not for enmity or hatred. It is not for tyranny or injustice. It is for cure and healing.”
Fifth. Religion must be in accord with science and reason. “It must agree perfectly with science, so that science shall sanction religion and religion sanction science.”
Sixth. Equality between men and women. “This is peculiar to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, for all former religious systems placed men above women.”
Seventh. Abandonment of all prejudices, racial, patriotic, religious and political. Unity of the human race.”
Eighth. Universal Peace. “The realization of this principle is the crying need of the time.”
Ninth. Universal Education. “Partaking of knowledge and of education is one of the necessities of religion.”
Tenth. Solution of the Economic question. “All are equal in the estimation of God; their rights are one, and there is no distinction for any soul; all are protected beneath the justice of God.”
Eleventh. A Universal Language. “Everyone shall need but two languages, his national tongue, and the universal language—a means of international communication and understanding.”
Twelfth. An International Tribunal. Fifty years ago Bahá’u’lláh summoned all the nations to the “divine banquet of international arbitration” so that questions mightibe decided by an arbitral court of justice.
It seems logical that we cannot be without standards in our thought and action: we must possess some measuring line by which our minds may judge of good and evil—otherwise our tolerance will become laxity, severity, scepticism or bigotry. Not being born free, man must achieve freedom by study and education both in mundane and spiritual things. Toleration means the employment of the highest qualities of the human mind. Like all the wondrous gifts of God, the abuse or exercise of this quality is left to man’s inner consciousness.
As a man is tolerant, he may be said to be wise, and the search after wisdom is called philosophy. It is a divining rod which those philosophers whose lessons are not merely words used as an aid toward teaching the moral virtues, among which is the acquirement of tolerance.
Three hundred years ago, Locke said: “Belief is legitimately formed only by discernment of sufficient evidence; apart from evidence, man has no right to control the understanding; he cannot determine arbitrarily what his neighbors must believe.” With a standard for tolerance such as the Bahá’í Faith presents, however, a man, instead of determining what his neighbor must believe, may
at least feel that he has a right to his own belief, and that by education and advance in spirituality he may progress to a real understanding of true religion, as well as to a practice of the two great commandments of God: “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and mind, and thy neighbor as thyself.”
To be a good Bahá’í, one of the first requisites is to practice tolerance in every act of life. How may one be enabled to do this? Bahá’u’lláh answers directly: “The fear of God is the real guardian and the Ideal Protector. Man must adhere and hold fast unto that which is conducive to the appearance of this great gift. . . . The people’s dread of the law withholds them only outwardly from committing base and unseemly deeds. But that which prevents and guards man both outwardly and inwardly (from base deeds) is the Fear of God.”
But, after all, is it not ignorance which most induces to intolerance? The more we mingle with our fellow men, the more we see that human beings of all faiths, races, and dispositions are really alike. Travel is one of the greatest means of preparing men for a habit of tolerance. In its translation as endurance, tolerance is one of the key-notes of this earthly journey of ours. To him that overcometh shall be given: “not to be hurt of the Second Death; to eat of the hidden manna; to be clothed in white raiment; to be made a pillar in the Temple of my God; to be granted to sit with me on my throne; to inherit all things.”
In 1916, in His Tablet to the Hague, ’Abdu’l-Bahá said: “To-day nothing but the power of the Word of God which encompasses the realities of things can bring the thoughts, minds, hearts and spirits under the the shade of One Tree. He is the Potent in all things, the Vivifier of souls, the Preserver and the Controller of the world of mankind.”
If only when we hear opinions that differ from our own we could remember ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s words: “The differences in manners, in customs, in habits, in thoughts, opinions and temperaments is the cause of the adornment of the world of mankind;” and that “if in a garden of flowers and fragrant herbs the blossoms and fruits, the leaves, branches and trees are of one kind, of one form, of one color, and of one arrangement, there is no beauty or charm; but when there is variety in the world of oneness, they will appear and be displayed in the most perfect glory, beauty, exaltation and perfection;” we should then realize that we owe to the person who utters opinions different from our own a distinct debt of gratitude for making the world a less monotonous, less dull place in which to live.
In this wonderful age, the many attempts which are being made to bring about better understanding between nations and races, are an evidence of the presence in the world of a new Revelation, a new ideal–one which came when Bahá’u’lláh enunciated His Principles,–our Standard of Tolerance. Let us then, following the command of ’Abdu’l-Bahá: “Raise the melody of the Kingdom, and spread abroad the teachings and ordinances of the loving Lord so that the world may become another world, the darkened earth may become illumined and the dead body of the people may obtain new life. Every soul may seek everlasting life through the breath of the Merciful.”
“Today the distinguished leaders of nations must sing such a song in the ears of the people that the heart of the world of humanity may be stirred into cheerfulness and brought into a comprehensive plan of universal union, the reflection of which may be cast upon the mirror of the world of existence and become no other than the real prototype and portrait of the Realm on High.”–’Abdu’l-Bahá.
FROM EVERY viewpoint the World Unity Conference held in Boston, December 11, 12, 13, 1926, was a signal success.* It was evident from the beginning of the Conference that the speakers and audiences maintained a very friendly and sympathetic relationship. A deep and sustained interest in the brilliant addresses was apparent. During past seasons Bahá’í teachers have been asked from time to time to give the panacea for the righting of world conditions to many thousands of people in Boston, therefore large groups representing varied interests were prepared to welcome a World Unity Conference with full realization that “the world must be seen as a new world and all men must live as brothers.” The Local Committee felt it was very important to emphasize that only through the Bahá’í Teachings could this unity be attained.
The first meeting on December 11th was held in Steinert Hall. Mr. Allen McDaniel of Washington, D. C., was the chairman. The speakers for the evening were Professor Kirtley F. Mather of Harvard University, and Dr. John Herman Randall of New York City.
Professor Mather spoke with enthusiasm and eloquence on his subject, “Science and Religion; Are they Friends or Enemies?” He brought out the fact that men are coming in
* The seventh in the series of World Unity Conferences arranged by a Committee of the National Spiritual Assembly of American Bahá’ís. Its keynote was the oneness of mankind and unity as the vital need of our time.—Editor.
ever increasing numbers to look for truth in things, and not in words. What someone said in years past from a pulpit does not matter nearly so much as the facts of today. Boys and girls are told they must choose between science and religion. Foolish words; they might as well be told to choose between grammar and arithmetic. Because science and religion are two different ways for discovering facts; they overlap. The nature of the world as revealed by keen observers has much to do with the philosophy of life. In man there are certain characteristics we have come to group around the human soul, and we say man has spiritual qualities. Going farther we see they must be in response to spiritual waves pulsing through the universe, therefore we have the human soul. Let psychologists prove that personality is a dream if they can, and that there is no freedom of will! It is evident that all religion, to be vital, ought to slough of the theology of the ages. Religion must look forward and fit the world of science, not magic. Is this not the noontide of science? We are hemmed in by laws, and science reveals the consistency of these laws and their orderliness. The real difficulties are not at God’s end of the avenue but at our end. He is limited, but not by natural laws; he is limited by me—by man. As man places himself at the disposal of the Will of the Universe, he is free to work God’s will. The best trained intellects, or all the prayers of loving hearts will not save the world,—with the trained intellects must be coupled the loving
hearts. With these men may draw from the strength of the Supreme Personality permeating the Universe, always anxious to express Himself.
Dr. Randall is well known to Boston audiences. He treated his subject, “The Next Step Forward in Religion” in his usual interesting and inspirational style. He referred at the beginning of his address to the visit of ’Abdu’l-Bahá in this country; a seer who came from the land of ancient Judaic teachings, from the land where Jesus dwelt and taught, that He came to translate religion into terms of life.
“The living dogmas of the dead,” Dr. Randall said, “have become the dead dogmas of the living,” and that while every religion has succeeded in saving some individual souls, not all the religions put together have succeeded in touching the morality of society. That in this day a great universal religion had been revealed to translate religion into social rather than individualistic terms; to save the world and not merely an individual, and to translate religion into spiritual rather than theological terms.
THE SECOND MEETING of the Conference was held in the Second Unitarian Church. The Rector, Reverend Eugene R. Shippen was the chairman. After calling our attention to the fact that he and his congregation felt only the warmest and most cordial feelings towards all races and religions, he opened the conference by reading the following words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá: “This is a new cycle of human power. All the horizons of the world are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a garden and a paradise. It is the hour of unity of the sons of men and of the drawing together of all races and all classes.
“The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers.”
The first speaker was Professor William E. Hocking of Harvard University. In his quiet yet dramatic way, he drew vividly for his audience a word picture of his subject, “The Great Religions and the Universal Religion.” Professor Hocking called attention to the fact that we cannot have a universal religion until the expression of each religion is allowed. Religion recognizes that truth is energy. The passion for righteousness and for the spread of right is felt as a cosmic demand. The philosophic effort has overlooked the fact that all religions are historical and personal, and the effort to drive these fundamental factors out is doomed to failure. Professor Hocking spoke of a dream which had filled his heart for many years, when the day would come that there would be a Universal Religion with its chapels in all parts of the world, libraries, places to speak and converse, where representatives of all religions would be invited to speak and commune together.
He pointed out very clearly that the most influential of men are those in whom happiness dwells,–those who have attained. The triumphant world religion, will be the one that is already triumphant in its devotees, and the one which demands success and accomplishment. Its adherents must have faith and be at home in suffering and defeat. Such inner happiness speaks for itself. The necessity for a world religion lies in the association of men.
The second speaker, Mr. Alfred W. Martin, of New York City, treated with great spiritual clarity his subject, “The Oneness of all Religions.” He stated that religions today are broken into parts losing sight of the overshadowing whole, but that there is one movement—the Bahá’í Movement—which is devoting itself to bringing about a realization of the oneness of all religions. It acts as a leaven. To the Christian it says, “Remain a Christian”; to the Jew, “Remain a Jew”; accepting the Bahá’í Movement as the great unifier of all religions.
Just as fast as men and women everywhere come to care more and more for spiritual freedom than they do for allegiance to tradition, or creed; as fast as people everywhere learn to care more for the triumph of truth than they care for the victory of their sect,—so fast will the world be lifted above all differences of caste, creed, color, race, into that sublime religious fellowship which has been the dream of every age and race.
THE THIRD MEETING was held in the Church of the Redemption. Mr. William H. Randall was chairman, opening the meeting by telling the audience the true meaning and hoped-for result of the World Unity Conferences.
The first speaker Rabbi Harry Levi needed no introduction as he is so widely known through the radio and his expansive work in the community. His subject, “Because We Are One,” was aptly chosen and treated in his usual sympathetic method of approach.
Rabbi Levi in opening his address paid a beautiful tribute to the noble life of ’Abdu’l-Bahá and to the sincere and selfless success of the Bahá’í Movement in promoting World Unity. He said, “We are one from the cradle to the grave.” God is one. His creation proceeds from oneness, and harmony in diversity is the miracle of His Infinity. We are physiologically one. Our needs are in common, humanity is the possession of all, and we all seek the one eternal bounty. Our antagonisms reflect the meaning of our fears, our love translates the meaning of our unity. Uniformity is undesirable and would be slavery to the finite; but variety of thought and affection is in oneness with the Infinite Truth. We are one and always will be, for God has so made us; it is for us to search His will and in so doing we find ourselves in the Kingdom of Unity.
The second speaker, Dr. Augustus Thomas of Portland, Maine, was unexpectedly absent, making it necessary for the chairman to close the conference. Mr. Randall outlined the universal teachings of Bahá’u’1láh as the source of World Unity—the spiritual consciousness of this new cycle of human power. History and tradition have turned men’s minds away from religious unity, but religion rests not upon history or myth, but upon truth. Truth being indivisible, Reality is one. Unity issues from love and where men love they unite. Universal religion is finding God and bringing Him to men; finding heaven and bringing it to earth. This is the mission of Bahá’u’lláh; this is the standard of the life of ’Abdu’l-Bahá.
All the meetings of the Conference were well attended. The music at each meeting was an inspiration, creating a beautiful atmosphere for the speakers.
In conclusion it might well be said that this was an epoch making Conference, a harbinger of the New Day.
“This is the Day,” ’Abdu’l-Bahá has stated in His writings, “in which the inhabitants of all the world shall
enter under the shelter of the Word of God. This is the Day whose real sovereign is His Highness the Almighty. . . This is the Day in which war and contention shall be forgotten. This is the Day in which nations and governments will enter into an eternal bond of amity and conciliation. This century is the fulfillment of the promised century. . . The Principles of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, like unto the spirit, shall penetrate the dead body of the world, and the love of God, like unto an artery, shall beat through the heart of the five continents.”
“IN THE investigation of a subject the right method of approach is to carefully examine its premises. Therefore we must go back to the foundation upon which human solidarity rests, namely: that all are the progeny of Adam, the creatures and servants of one God; that God is the protector and provider; that all are submerged in the sea of divine mercy and grace and God is loving toward all.
Humanity shares in common the intellectual and spiritual faculties of a created endowment. All are equally subject to the various exigencies of human life and are similarly occupied in acquiring the means of earthly subsistence. From the viewpoint of creation human beings stand upon the same footing in every respect, subject to the same requirements and seeking the enjoyment and comfort of earthly conditions. Therefore the things humanity shares in common are numerous and manifest. This equal participation in the physical, intellectual and spiritual problems of human existence is a valid basis for the unification of mankind.”—’Abdu’l-Bahá.
“Only by the agency of true religion is it possible for men to close their eyes to their own personal advantages and to sacrifice their own personal benefit for the general well-being.”—’Abdu’l-Bahá.
THE BAHÁ’Í ideal of religion is not a series of doctrines and dogmas to be believed and rituals to be observed, the results of former civilizations and ages past. However good these ideals were for the people of former times, the world now lives in a new age faced by new and varied problems.
The principles and doctrines of the Bahá’í Teaching are intended to meet the needs of this day and age, directing the energy of mankind constructively toward the advancement and general weal of the entire world of humanity. This is an undertaking of such magnitude and immeasureable importance that but few people—and no thinking ones at that–can fail to see its significance.
In these days of religious confusion a right understanding of the moral, spiritual and psychological laws which govern mankind is indispensable in the religious world. If we are looking toward religion to solve the difficulties of the present age, religion must not only reveal to mankind the higher laws which govern human behavior, but must also give humanity the power to live in accord with the higher life.
It is very easy to slide through life either accepting or rejecting beliefs regardless of the truth and the error they may contain. But Bahá’u’lláh urges His followers to search out truth for themselves, accepting nothing upon hearsay but proving the value to humanity of religious doctrines before they are accepted.
As Newton, Galileo, and other scientists have explained the laws of the material kingdom to the world, the Manifestations of God have explained the natural laws of the Spiritual Kingdom; and more than this, they have quickened mankind with the life powers of the Divine Realm, that through this new knowledge and new life humanity be raised from the lowest condition of savagery to the higher state of civilization and enlightenment.
Religious dogmas as divorced from Science could exist only in the absence of scientific thought and its practice. But now in this scientific age, among thinking people these archaic religious forms have ceased to exist and are being replaced by sound spiritual doctrines, the value of which to humanity is evident to those who think and weigh such matters. Superstitions produce no lasting benefit to humanity.
In these days thinking people are realizing that no one should prefer his own peace to the general peace of the world. Humanity is a whole, no individual thereof can have peace of soul while humanity is in turmoil, therefore the individualist finds that his own salvation lies in the salvation of the world. Religion in this day is no longer confined to the individual but is for all humanity. The salvation of the individual depends upon his merging his interests and his service with others for the weal common to all.
To live according to the exhortations of the Bahá’í religion is to live righteously and ethically in accord with the laws both material and spiritual which govern creation. It is
evident that true freedom lies in scrupulous obedience to the immutable laws of creation, material and spiritual. From these none can escape. Through knowledge of these immutable laws man rises in civilization and prosperity, and through ignorance he falls.
A certain balance is needed between man’s material and spiritual development. At this present time of the advancement of all material phases of creation, the social and economic problems of the world are becoming more acute every day, clearly showing that man’s spiritual development is not keeping pace with his material progress.
Bahá’u’lláh pointed out this condition of the world and gave the spiritual remedy necessary to maintain the balance. Unless this be applied a great readjustment is inevitable.
Before the world war ’Abdu’l-Bahá warned the nations of this condition, saying that if it were not remedied the great war would come. It came, and the people suffered. Now it is apparently over, yet those who are studying the conditions which caused the great war, realize that these conditions—lack of adjustment of the political, economic and social questions—are still unsolved, and that unless a speedy balance be arrived at, the time will come when there will be another and a greater cataclysmic world upheaval,—nature’s way of clearing the ground for an adjustment when her laws have not been obeyed.
To understand the Bahá’í Revelation with its principles, it is not necessary to be a trained specialist in thought. The only necesary qualifications are fairness and an open mind, freedom from prejudice, and a desire to know the Truth.
“High aims and pure motives, however laudable in themselves, will surely not suffice if unsupported by measures that are practicable and methods that are sound. Wealth of sentiment, abundance of good will and effort, will prove of little avail if we should fail to exercise discrimination and restraint and neglect to direct their flow along the most profitable channels. The unfettered freedom of the individual should be tempered with mutual consultation and sacrifice, and the spirit of initiative and enterprise should be reinforced by a deeper realization of the supreme necessity for concerted action and a fuller devotion to the common weal.” (Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Cause).
MANY volumes have been written by many writers of different schools of thought, upon the subject of cosmic consciousness, and how to attain thereto; the ultimate of which is conscious at-one-ment with God.
Methods and systems have been evolved whereby the student is instructed in how to develop spiritual powers and thereby build up his spiritual body, gain dominion over all the elements and material laws and acquire “self-mastery,” upon all of which, they are taught, cosmic consciousness depends. Daily exercises are given, rules for breathing, for physical endurance, for concentration of will power, many of which are long and laborious.
There has been a mantle of mystery, of mystical fantasy thrown about “spiritual attainment.” It has been a sort of “will-o’-the-wisp” that the devotee has followed, has wooed in solitary places, for which he has worn sack-cloth and ashes to crucify his body, has fasted for long periods, and endured great physical torture that this Light of Divine Illumination might be encaged within the soul. So diverse have been the ways and means prescribed by the occultists and esoteric teachers that we welcome with joy the direct, practical and simple method which Abdu’l-Bahá has given to the true seekers along this line—a way so simple that a “wayfaring man though a fool may not err therein.”
This “Shining Pathway” pointed out by ’Abdu’l-Bahá,—who ever walked therein Himself, and of whom David Starr Jordan has said, “’Abdu’l-Bahá will unite the East and the West, for He travels the Mystic Path with practical feet”–is not a broad highway of swift advancement, but a straight and narrow trail and few there be who walk therein. In the following words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá we have the sure foundation upon which to build the temple of cosmic consciousness. He says, “Cosmic reality (or consciousness) unfolds in a life to the degree that a life functions in service. The power of the Holy Spirit only comes through serving others.” And again He says, “The only way to approach God is to characterize yourselves with the attributes of Divinity,—this is the path of intimate approach.” This method is stripped of all material glamor, of all limelight, publicity, and worldly fame and reduced to the one practical term,—loving service to others.
Every created thing, and every circumstance owes its existence to the working out of a three-fold force, a creative trinity; and the creative trinity of spiritual attainment of cosmic consciousness, we are told by ’Abdu’l-Bahá, is through “meditation, supplication, and service—this is the upper chamber within the soul wherein the disciples met with Christ.” This triangle forms the door which leads into the “holy of holies” within man’s soul, this “upper chamber” wherein the Holy Grail is hidden, that Grail which has been the quest of all who have longed for communion with the Heavenly Beloved One, the At-One-ment with God, whereby man attains to cosmic consciousness, or all-consciousness, one with the Divine Whole. Through ’Abdu’l-Bahá’s teachings we find that
only through meditation, prayer, and service is the glory within unveiled to the spiritual vision–this is the “Shining Pathway” which leads to God.
If we take the line of meditation alone of this triangle of attainment, unsupported by the other side line of prayer, and the basic line of service, it produces no form, it is a detached line with beginning and end; so is it with the detached line of prayer, it alone without meditation and service is useless, a mere repetition of words unaccompanied with deeds; so with the basic line of service, if it is not spiritualized through meditation and prayer, illumined and inspired by these two uprising lines, forming the triangle—the symbol of perfection—then the line of service becomes a straight, hard line of joyless duty, and the mystical triangle, or upper chamber within the soul wherein the disciple meets with Christ, the Beloved One, is not built up. All three are inter-dependent and absolutely necessary to this trinity of attainment–or cosmic consciousness.
Let us briefly consider each line. Of meditation ’Abdu’l-Bahá has said:
“Praise be to God that He has endowed you with a power through which you can penetrate mysteries. Verily as you reflect deeply, ponder carefully, think minutely, the doors of Knowledge will open unto you.”
“Love suplies the impulse to that intense and unceasing meditation which reveals the hidden mysteries of the universe.”
“Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself; in that state man withdraws himself from all outside objects. In that subjective condition he is immersed in the ocean of Spiritual Life and can unfold the secrets of things in themselves. The meditative faculty is akin to a mirror; if you put it before earthly things it will reflect earthly things; but if you turn the mirror of your spirit heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of Reality will be reflected in your hearts and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained. Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed, turning it to the Divine Sun and not to earthly objects. May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the Divine Realities and may we become so pure as to reflect the stars of heaven.”
Bahá’u’lláh has said of meditation, “O! People of Bahá! The faculty of meditation is the depository of crafts, arts and sciences. Exert yourselves so that the gems of knowledge and wisdom may proceed from this ideal mine and be conducive to the tranquility and union of the different nations of the world.”
“O! Son of Dust! Close not thine eye to the peerless wine of the Eternal Beloved, and open not thine eye to the turbid and mortal wine. Take immortal Cups from the hand of the Cup-Bearer of Oneness and thou shalt become all consciousness and hear the invisible utterances of Reality.”
“The Fire which ignites the flame of meditation proceeds from the Word of God, for the Word is the Storehouse of all knowledge and wisdom. Through the Word is man lifted into the Court of Nearness.”
’Abdu’l-Bahá emphasizes this vital point—i. e., that the dynamic power which ignites the faculty of meditation lies in the Word of God—in these His words—“The Word of God is the storehouse of all good, all power and all wisdom. The illiterate fishermen and savage Arabs through it were enabled to solve such problems as were puzzles to eminent sages. It awakens within us that brilliant intuition which makes us independent of all tuition and endows us with an
all-embracing power of spiritual understanding. . . . When man is associated with that transcendent power emanating from the Word of God, the tree of his existence becomes so well rooted in the soil of assurance that it laughs at the hurricanes of scepticism violently attempting its destruction. For this association of the part with the Whole endows him with the Whole; and this union of the particular with the Universal makes him all-in-all!” This is Cosmic Consciousness.
Meditation, we find, is reflective, a receptive attitude of the soul and the opposite to concentration, which is a positive force of self-will. The latter acquires mental dominion, while meditation opens the portal of the mind to incoming thoughts and impressions. The necessity of meditation is paramount. Clinton Scollard has written, “Let us put by some hour of every day for holy things. whether it be when dawn peers through the window pane, or when the noon flames like a burnished topaz in the vault, or when the thrush pours in the ear of eve its plaintive monody,—some little hour from sordidness and self; a sanctuary, swept by the winnowing of unseen wings and touched by the White Light, Ineffable.”
Of prayer, or supplication, Bahá’u’lláh and ’Abdu’l-Bahá have written much, especially of the necessity of prayer as a means of spiritual unfoldment. The following words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá declare the fundamental need and the effect of prayer upon the soul of man.
“Prayer and supplication are the two wings whereby man soars towards the heavenly mansion of the True One. However, verbal repetition of prayer does not suffice. One must live in a perennial attitude of prayer. When man is spiritually free his mind becomes the altar and his heart the sanctuary of prayer. Then the meaning of the verse, ‘He will lift up from before his eyes the veil,’ will become fulfilled in man.”
“The wisdom of prayer is this; that it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that state man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion. The greatest happiness of a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal to His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity.”
“Know thou verily, it is becoming a weak one to supplicate to the Strong One, and it behooveth a seeker of bounty to beseech the Glorious, Bountiful One. When one supplicates to his Lord, turns to Him and seeks bounty from His ocean, this supplication brings light to his heart, illumination to his sight, life to his soul and exaltation to his being.”
“Prayer is conversation with God. We should speak in the language of the Spirit, for there is a language of the Spirit and heart. . . . It is the language of the Spirit which speaks to God. When in prayer we are freed from all outward things and turn to God, then it is as if in our hearts we hear the voice of God. Without words we speak, we communicate, we converse with God and hear the answer. All of us, when we attain to truly spiritual conditions, can hear the voice of God.”
Bahá’u’lláh has said, “Chant the Tablets of God in such manner that ye be not overtaken with fatigue and depression. Burden not the soul so
as to cause exhaustion and languor, but rather refresh it that thus it may soar on the wings of Revelation to the Dawning-place of Proofs. This brings you nearer to God, were ye of those who understand.”
We have considered the line of meditation and supplication: let us now take up the basic line of service. We are told by ’Abdu’l-Bahá that the very essence of service is self-forgetting or sacrifice. He has said, “Today the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abhá are with those who renounce themselves, forget their own opinions, cast aside personalities and are thinking of the welfare of others. Whosoever has lost himself has found the universe and the inhabitants thereof. Whosoever is occupied With himself is wandering in the desert of heedlesness and regret. The ‘master-key’ to self-mastery is self-forgetting. The road to the palace of life is through the path of renunciation.”
That “self-forgetting” is the key which unlocks the door to the inner chamber of the soul wherein the Holy Grail is hidden, is beautifully illustrated in “The Quest of the Holy Grail,” by Kenneth Bruce. The many sought the “conquest first” that they might glory in having attained; the one forgetful of self, praying for God’s mercy and guidance for others, in that moment of meditation—prayer—and service, of “self-forgetting”—“won the Grail alone.”
In speaking of the great sacrifice made by Christ ’Abdu’l-Bahá said, “He realized that His blood would be shed and His body rent in violence. Notwithstanding this knowledge of what would befall Him, He arose to proclaim His message, suffered tribulation and hardships from the people and finally offered His life in sacrifice in order to illumine humanity; gave His blood in order to guide men to Truth. Had He desired to save His own life and were He without wish to offer Himself in sacrifice, "He would not have been able to guide a single soul. There was no doubt that His blood would be shed and His body broken, nevertheless that Holy soul accepted calamity and death in His love for mankind.”
A story which illustrates in a homely way the principle underlying our subject is told of two brothers, whose father divided a fortune between them and told them to go forth and see how they could best use their share. The brothers agreed that after a certain number of years they would meet and see who had used his fortune to the best advantage.
One brother went to the West. He started in with the true community spirit in a small village, invested his money wisely, turned it over and over, all the while helping to build up the town. Schools, factories, parks, libraries, all these he built, and a community church, non-sectarian and non-denominational, wherein the pure spiritual teachings of Christ, the Great Master of love and brotherhood, were alone put forth. He became an inventor and his inventions were a God-send to humanity and reached to far-off countries, even to India. His factories were all run on the co-operative plan, and each employee became a part of the whole, therefore strikes were unknown. He established a ferry across the river, and railroads running from the city. Co-operation, consultation and brotherly love constituted the foundation upon which he built up this progressive city, and far and wide did his influence reach and he was known as one of the greatest benefactors to humanity and loved and honored by all. He learned the joy of giving and the mystery of sacrifice that, in reality, there is no sacrifice, for nothing can be given away. The Law of Love is to return
in full measure, pressed down and running over, all that is sent forth; that to lose one’s life is to find it, and that over the Shining Pathway of service to God through service to humanity, doth the soul gain the high station of conscious oneness with God.
The other brother went to the Orient in quest of spiritual power and unfoldment, traveling far and wide. Adeptship—Mastership—this was his goal. To be able to control his breath, to be buried alive, to fast for long periods, to endure physical torture, to gain dominion over the elements, to overcome the laws of nature, and walk upon the water. At the appointed time he came forth from his long seclusion, his hours daily of meditation and concentration, his life of a hermit in the mountains of India, and returned to America to meet his brother in the progressive city named after him in the “golden West.” They met. The mystical brother beheld in amazement all that this practical humanitarian brother had achieved. Then in turn his brother asked him to tell of his experiences. “Tell me,” he said, how did you invest your fortune, to what use have you put it?” The mystic replied, “I have spent all these years and my fortune in search of spiritual development; I am now able to control the elements, to leave my body, bury it and then take it up again, and I have overcome the laws of nature to such a degree that I can walk upon the water. All my money is gone, but I have attained.” The practical brother listened attentively, then answered, “All these precious years of your life, and your fortune spent merely to be able to walk upon the water, for your own gratification, when for five cents you could cross the river in one of my boats and use the rest of your money to help your brother-man. What a waste of time and money has indeed been yours, and how much happier is the world for your having lived?” This angered the mystic greatly, and the solitary years of practice to attain self-control were undone, for he was overcome by the spirit of anger. His brother, beholding this sudden outbreak, added, “and see! you have not even gained self-control, how doubly useless has been your training!”
In the light of this story we see illustrated the divine principle of service,-that the “master-key to self-mastery is self-forgetting,” and that “cosmic consciousness unfolds in a life to the degree that life functions in service to others,” and that true spirituality is alone gained by “characterizing oneself with the attributes of Divinity”—which are love, mercy, justice, selflessness, helpfulness, service—for God is the Supreme Server of His creatures. Also, that to dwell in seclusion concentrating upon the self,–how to develop physical, mental, or spiritual power as a means of gratifying the ego,—leads away, far away from the “Shining Pathway of Illumination.”
The great need of the time is for those who understand this great Spiritual Law which leads to cosmic consciousness, and who, can work with it. Now is the hour of golden opportunity for the development of that divine principle of “self-forgetting,” and the training of the people in the helping and uplifting of the world. ’Abdu’l-Bahá has said, “In this century of illumination hearts are inclined towards amity and fellowship and minds are thoughtful upon the question of the unification of mankind. There is an emanation of Universal Consciousness today which clearly indicates the dawn of great Unity.”
It is only as one desiring to attain to this great goal of Oneness, is willing to relinquish all in service to
God through service to his children, and holds back naught, that true liberation is achieved, and the mortal self transmuted into the spiritual Reality.
It is the loving service performed perfectly each day with no thought of reward or calculation about the future that brings one to the station of the perfect servant. The great Buddha said, “Thy business is with the action only, never with the fruit, so let not the fruit of action be thy motive, nor be thou to inaction attached.” All fear and anxiety is based primarily upon the thought of self. One fears future pain, he shrinks from future sorrowful experiences, from disappointments and from giving up personal comforts. It is not over this pathway that the Goal is reached, it is reached only by the Pathway of Renunciation—or better still, “Radiant Acquiescence”—which ’Abdu’l-Bahá has said is the “Shining Pathway out of the prison of self.”
A disciple on this Shining Pathway must prove his one desire is to be a benefactor to mankind and to serve all alike. His purpose must be to give and not acquire, or possess; He then is in tune with the Infinite and close to the Master’s heart. “To be near in body,” ’Abdu’l-Bahá tells us, “is of no account; to be near in spirit is essential. Seek that from God! when thou hast attained that, thou art always with Me.”
By “meditation, supplication, and service,” the seeker purifies his heart and gradually develops a universal consciousness, and ever thinks in terms of service. That is the great secret of true harmony, finding one’s place in service.
In this trinity of attainment, as defined by ’Abdu’l-Bahá, we find the inner life of meditation and prayer and the outer life of practical deeds; the inner ability to contact the higher spiritual realms, the outer ability to express the vision gained in terms of holy living and loving service to humanity; the inner irradiation from the Spirit, the outer shining forth before men.
A paramount necessity is that one remembers on this “quest” that a material gain of knowledge for self alone causes stagnation and obstruction, if not passed on with wise discrimination. Much knowledge is given unto man in these great days of illumination, but it is for the use of a needy world and not for one’s exclusive enjoyment and benefit.
“Meditation, supplication and service,-this is the upper chamber within the soul wherein the disciples met with Christ”—and, “cosmic consciousness unfolds in a life to the degree that life functions in service. The power of the Holy Spirit only comes through serving others.” Let us dwell upon these illumined words of ’Abdu’l-Bahá and through them approach a deeper understanding of the Reality of cosmic consciousness–or oneness with God. Let us leave with you also these, His words, of enlightenment:
“If a person become informed of the Reality of this Cause, he will believe in it, for these teachings are the spirit of this age. . . .
“The Bahá’í Movement bestows upon man a new spirit, a new light and a new motion. It enlarges the sphere of thought. It illumines the horizon of the intellect. It expands the arena of comprehension. This is the ultimate Goal of human life. This is the fruit of existence. This is the pearl of cosmic consciousness. This is the shining star of spiritual destiny.”
O YE MEN! His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has, fifty years ago, laid the foundation of universal peace. He even addressed epistles to the kings wherein he declared that war destroys the foundation of the world of humanity, that peace is the cause of everlasting life and that a great danger awaiteth the world of mankind. Likewise, ’Abdu’l-Bahá, prior to this world war and three years before its outbreak traveled throughout Europe and America and raised His call at all gatherings, temples and churches saying: ‘O ye who are present! The continent of Europe has become a huge arsenal abounding with combustible material and below which are stored inflammable materials which only a spark will set aflame and will shake the world to its very foundation. O ye who are wise! Strive perchance these inflammable materials will not be set aflame.” But the appeal was not heeded and therefore this great carnage has come to pass.
At present all the peoples have realized what a great calamity war is, that war turns man into a rapacious animal, razes to the ground flourishing cities and towns and causes the foundation of mankind to totter. As all men have been awakened and are harkening to the call, it is time for the promulgation of universal peace—a peace which has for its basis right and justice; so that mankind will not be exposed to danger. At present it is the dawn of universal peace, we hope that its sun will soon shine and flood the East and the West with its light. The establishment of universal peace is not possible save through the power of the Word of God and hence one must endeavor to promote the Word of God and thereby establish universal peace. Strive at present as much as possible to raise the call of the divine Kingdom for this call bestows the Spirit of Life.”—Translated by Shoghi Effendi, ’Akká, Palestine, July 20, 1919.
- WHEN Moses walked in Egypt long ago,
- Men passed him daily on the desert paths
- Unknowing that beneath his alien cloak
- The heart of an immortal dripped with blood
- For the burdens and the bondage of his race.
- Though blind–still blind, after five thousand years,
- Can we behold a prophet of the Lord
- Pass by, and take no heed? Under your cloak,
- ’Abdu’l-Bahá, the heart of God drips red
- For a wider world than Moses could have seen
- Even from Nebo’s mountain. Your strange eyes—
- Clear with the prison-sight of longer years
- Than I have passed in the freedom of the sun—
- Behold invisible meanings in men’s souls,
- And on the red horizon of this world
- That dove of peace, which on the Jordan side
- Was named the Holy Spirit.
- Will it come
- Back to the earth, lured by your presence here?
- Eagles of conquest thrill the hearts of men
- More than the doves of heaven. Will men heed
- You. and that other One, Whose Voice I hear
- Behind your voice? The mystery that your friends
- Proclaim not, to my ear proclaims itself.
- “Servant of God,” your dedicated breath
- Is vibrant with that Flame which gave you breath,
- So it may light the world a longer time
- Than chain-racked flesh could hold his torch aloft
- In the human darkness. Are these hidden things
- Too bright for unbelievers to behold?
- But I believe in God, and in His sons—
- The first and last word of divine belief—
- And I believe in you, ’Abdu’l-Bahá.
- Your soul will sing, they told me, seeing him.
- Ah, yes . . . sang through its tears, a prisoned bird
- Seeing the sun, beating its wings for freedom
- Against earth-bars. Shepherds who watched by night
- The Star in the East, were humanly afraid
- When the great Angel of the Lord came down,
- Lighting the hills with glory and white wonder.
- Servant of God, always behind your smile
- I feel the man of sorrows, kind with pity,
- Deep learned beyond imaginable pain.
- Your smile is like the sun; but in your shadow
- I see unnumbered martyrs, and their eyes
- Follow me round this London. I can feel
- In all my bones the cold of prisoned years,
- The ache of days without bread, the fevered nights—
- A hunted, homeless grief, that even the joy
- Of all this love could never ease for you.
- I hear the sobs of mothers, long, long silenced,
- That echo in your ears, day-long, night-long.
- I did not know my heart could hurt me so
- Until I knew the joy of knowing you.
- For you have caught my soul up as a flame
- Catches a grass-blade, and my life’s prairies
- Are all afire with God, and the love of God.
- I hear the patter, and the tramp, of feet—
- The whir of wings—all that is mortal in me
- Fleeing before the onrush. Thus I know
- One greater far than Moses, maybe One
- Coeval with that Star in the East, calls now,
- ’Abdu’l-Bahá—the Voice behind your voice.
(These lines were written after a first interview with ’Abdu’l-Bahá in London, a year or two before the World War.)
- A mirror dim and shabby hung on a castle wall,
- Its frame was old and dingy, the glass was warped and tall,
- The silver was spott’d and peeling, its sheen was grey and dimmed
- And no one saw within it as it should have shown to him,
- And no one used this mirror for it was grey and old
- Its reflections were all distorted, the truth it never told.
- One day a kind hand placed it where sunshine gleamed and played,
- The light swept o’er its surface and into its depths was rayed.
- Gone were its false reflections, its dim and dusty air,
- It shone with glow supernal and glowed with light so fair;
- ’Twas like my heart so saddened, too long a darkened shrine
- But now my heart is glowing and radiant with light divine.
St. Augustine, Fla.
“No one has ever loved Christ as I do.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
“Should a servant desire to make the words, deeds and actions of other servants, learned or ignorant, the standard for knowing God and His chosen ones, he shall never enter the Rizwan of the knowledge of the Lord of Might."–Bahá’u’lláh.
HUNDREDS of thousands of our Eastern brothers, both Jews and Moslems, have learned, through the teaching of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that His Holiness Christ is the Spirit, the divine Son of God.
Some young Jewish men came from Persia on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; after saluting ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and being blessed by Him, they said: “Now we go to Jerusalem, to pray for pardon, and to weep for the blindness of our forefathers in that they rejected and crucified our Messiah. Our parents also laid this charge upon us: ‘that we should convey their lamentation, and for them implore forgiveness.’”
Again a young Jewish soldier came to ‘Abdu’l-Baha saying: “I cannot acknowledge their supposed Messiah, whom they call Jesus Christ, but I can understand and accept Bahá’u’lláh as our Messiah.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to him: “You cannot become a disciple of Bahá’u’lláh until you believe that His Holiness Christ is the Spirit, the divine Son of God.”
A doctor, who had been in Alexandria, where he saw ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and witnessed His Christ-like life, told me that for the first time he was able to understand what the Lord Christ must have been like. “Now I am able to believe,” he said.
The Bahá’í Teaching has the universality of the Lord Christ’s commands.
Bahá’u’lláh did not counsel us, any of us, to change our religion, but to obey the Law of God found at the core
--PHOTO-- Lady Blomfield
of each religion, in order that our religion might change us; a very different proposition!
No person touched by the spirit of Christianity can fail, after due investigation and consideration, to recognize that the Bahá'í revelation is truly the perfection of Christianity.
For to be a real Christian in Spirit and in Truth is to be a Bahá’í–a follower of the Light–and to be a true Bahá’í is to be a Christian: for he puts into practice the laws of Christianity, translating the beautiful words into action.
The precepts of Bahá’u’lláh make the same appeal to the institution as Christianity makes to the individual: forasmuch as a Golden Brotherhood cannot be formed out of leaden individuals—the work perforce had to begin with individuals. We cannot have
a brotherhood without brothers. This teaching does not merely say, “Teach men to be brothers,” but “Go ye out into all the world, to the East and the West, to the North and to the South, wherever your calling may take you–and be brothers to all men–whether of your own nation, color or creed, or of any other people or race or religion. Be brothers of help and comfort, of sympathy and understanding, showing loving kindness to all without limit.” It will help us to attain to this vitalizing Truth, i. e., that the perfection in the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is of the same nature as the teaching of the Lord Christ—brought to the needs of the present day of this world, which is “wet with tears.”
It will help us to understand this sublime Truth if we consider some of the utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, given in explanation of this connection, and published in the “Wisdom Talks in Paris and London.”
“When you meet a stranger be unto him a friend. If he seems to be lonely, try to help him; give him of your willing service; if he be sad, console him, if poor, succour him, if oppressed, rescue him, if in misery, comfort him. In so doing you will manifest (to the world) that, not in words only, but in deed and in truth you think of all men as your brothers.
“What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the Human Race as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action they are useless.
“The wrong in the world continues to exist, because people only talk of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the place of (these) words, the world’s misery Would very soon be changed into comfort.
“In the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East. On the Eastern horizon arose the Lord Christ. Bahá’u’lláh lived and taught in the East. Although the Sun of Christ dawned in the East, the Radiance thereof was apparent in the West, where the effulgence of its glory was more clearly seen. The divine light of His teaching shone with a greater force in the Western world, where it has made a more rapid headway than in the land of its birth.
“The perfect man is a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth; manifesting the attributes of God. The Lord Christ said: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father”—God manifested in man. In the Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished mirror, appear the qualities of the Divine, in a form that man is capable of comprehending.
“In the early days the civilization of Christianity was the best and most enlightened in the world.
“The Christian Teaching was illlumined by the Divine Sun of Truth, therefore its followers were taught to love all men as brothers, to fear nothing, not even death; to love their neighbors as themselves, and to forget their own selfish interests in striving for the greatest good of humanity. The grand aim of the Religion of Christ was to draw the hearts of all men nearer to God’s effulgent Truth.
“If the followers of the Lord Christ had continued to carry out these principles with steadfast faithfulness, there would have been no need for (this) the renewal of the Christian Message, no necessity for a reawakening of His people! For a great and glorious civilization would now be ruling the world, and the Kingdom of Heaven would have come on earth. But instead of this. what has taken place? Men turned away their faces from following the divinely illuminated precepts of their Master, and winter fell upon the hearts of men. For, as the body of man depends
for life upon the rays of the Sun, so the celestial virtues cannot grow in the soul without the radiance of the Sun of Truth.
“God leaves not His children comfortless, but, when the darkness of winter overshadows them, then again He sends His Messengers with a renewal of the Blessed Spring. The Sun of Truth appears again on the horizon of the world, shining into the eyes of those who sleep, awakening them to behold the glory of a new Dawn.
“Then again the Tree of Humanity blossoms anew and brings forth the fruit of righteousness for the healing of the nations.
“Because man has stopped his ears to the voice of Truth, and shut his eyes to the sacred light, for this reason has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery, desolated the earth.
“May every child of God be brought into the radiance of the Sun of Truth, that the darkness (of evil) may be dissipated by the penetrating rays of Its glory, and the winter’s hardness and cold be melted away by the merciful warmth of its shining.
“The sound of the Song of Christ once echoed over all the lands of the Western world, and entered the hearts of its people. . . . It is a long time since the Sun of Truth, mirrored forth by the Lord Christ, has shed its radiance upon the West, for the Face of God has become veiled by the sin and forgetfulness of Man. But now again, praise be unto God, the Holy Spirit speaks anew unto the world! The constellation of love and wisdom and power is once more shining from the Divine Horizons to give joy to all who turn their faces to the Light of God.
“Bahá’u’lláh has rent the veil of prejudice and superstition which was stifling the souls of men! May heart and soul be vivified in every man; so will they all rejoice in a ‘New Birth.’ Then shall humanity put on a new garment in the Light of the Love of God, and it shall be the Dawn of a New Creation. May you all be faithful and loving workers in the Building of the New Spiritual Civilization, the elect of God, in willing, joyful obedience, carrying out His supreme design.
“No worldly power can achieve the Universal Love.”
As the Lord Christ “came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill the Law,” so Bahá’u’lláh came to usher in that Kingdom, for which Christ Jesus taught us to pray nigh two thousand years ago. Not anti-Christian, but extra-Christian! is this teaching. And again the following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to help us to a better understanding.
“His enemies placed upon the head of the Lord Christ a crown of thorns, but before it earthly crowns of gold and jewels have bowed down, humbling their majesty, and might, and power, before the meek and lowly Lord.
“Christ is ever in the world of existence. He has never disappeared from it. . . Rest assured that Christ is present. The spiritual beauty we see around us in this day is from the breathings of Christ.
“The brilliant star of Christ Jesus rose from the Eastern horizon upon the Israelites, brightening the world, until all sects and creeds and nations were taught the beauty of unity. There cannot be any stronger proof than this that He was the Word of God. As Christ brought His message to the people, so Bahá’u’lláh brings the same Message, renewing and reiterating the commands that Deeds may take the place of Words.” Each time God sends a Great One to us, we are given new life, but the truth each manifestation brings is the same, and from the same source. The truth never changes, but man’s
vision changes. It is dulled and confused by the complication of outward forms. What are forms? The truth is easy to understand, although the outward forms in which it is expressed (often) bewilder the intelligence. As men grow ( in spirit) they see the unimportance of man-made forms and sometimes despise them. Therefore many leave the churches, because the latter often emphasize the external only.
“Truth is one, though its manifestations may be very different. The notes in the flute are many, the Musician is One!”
Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed that the truth for this age was the realization of the spiritual brotherhood of man. Accordingly at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s table were gathered men of all nations, classes, creeds, and languages of the world. It is the only place on earth where Christians, Jews, Moslems, Zoroastrians, Hindus, Buddhists met and ate together in perfect harmony and friendly understanding. “But your caste?”
The Hindu pilgrim replied, “But there is no caste, in the presence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.”
“Bahá’u’lláh taught the oneness of humanity; that is to say, all the children of men are under the mercy of the Great God. He has placed the crown of humanity on the head of every one of the servants of God. Therefore all nations and peoples must consider themselves brethren. They are the branches, leaves, blossoms, and fruits of One Tree.
“To establish this (Kingdom of God on earth), Bahá’u’lláh underwent great difficulties, hardships, imprisonments and great persecution! But in the prison fortress (of ‘Akká) He reared a Spiritual Palace, and from the darkness of His prison He sent out a great Light to the world.”
Professor Michael Sadler speaking in this connection said: “Though we all, in our devotional allegiance have our own individual loyalties, to all of us ‘Abdu’l-Bahá brings a message of Unity of Sympathy and of Peace.
He bids us all be real and true in what we profess to believe; and to treasure above everything the Spirit behind the form. With Him we bow before the Hidden Name; before that which is of every life the Inner Life! He bids us worship in perfect loyalty to our own faith, but with ever stronger yearning after union, brotherhood, and love, so turning ourselves in spirit, and with our whole heart, that we may enter more into the mind of God, which is above class, above race, and beyond time.”
I could, if time permitted, cite many instances of great thinkers and workers for the human race, who see in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh the great remedy for the evil diseases which afflict the sick body of Humanity, indeed a Dynamic Christianity. Dr. David Starr Jordan, of Leland Stanford University, California, U. S. A., said: “There is One who is able to unite the East and the West: those two, the spiritual and material civilization; and that one is ’Abdu’l-Bahá, for He walks the Mystic Way with practical feet.” He tells us what is needed now, in this day.
One morning a number of people, members of various sects awaited an audience to argue their various faiths and usefulness of their respective societies. ’Abdu’l-Bahá said: “I respect all who work for the good of mankind, of whatever religion they call themselves. You should learn to recognize truth from whatever point in the horizon it is shining. People think religion is confined in a temple to be worshipped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude to divinity which is reflected through life.”
The call of Bahá’u’lláh is to the waiting servants of God, the “ten thousand times ten thousand” who are not in one church only, or in one country, or in one race, or in one
class! But who are everywhere in every country, in every religion, in every race, in every class, constituting the spiritual leaven of the whole human family, and who in their various spheres, are working for the good of mankind. The call is especially to those servants to arise in this Great Day of God and serve the oneness of the whole of humanity by being first of all themselves united. When united, said ’Abdu’l-Bahá, those of you who have been ants will now become eagles, those who have been drops of water will, when flowing together, make a mighty river, carrying the waters of life into the desert, barren places of the earth!
ABOUT twenty-one years ago the Bahá’í Cause was brought to Germany. The honor of this pioneer service belongs to Doctor Edwin Fisher, dentist, of New York. He was the first who gave the Bahá’í teachings to Frau Consul Schwarz, Herr W. Herrigel, and others, who today are shining lights on the radiant pathway of service in Stuttgart. Miss Alma Knobloch of Washington, D. C. also spent several years there and taught many souls. It is perhaps not generally known that the Bahá'ís of Stuttgart obtained their deep knowledge and comprehension of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh by their translations of the American Bahá’í literature. With indefatigable zeal they set themselves to the difficult task of translating. In this way they became familiar with the writings from the smallest pamphlet to the largest book.
For many years the spread of the Bahá’í Cause in Germany was confined to Stuttgart and its environs. It was not until April, 1922, that the first Bahá’í lecture was given in Berlin by Herr Herrigel of Stuttgart. The circumstances which led to his being invited to Berlin to speak on the Teachings of the Bahá’í Cause are so unusually interesting, that they merit narration.
There had been living in Berlin a Jewish gentleman, Russian by birth and German by name, John Wassertrager (meaning, translated, “Water-carrier”). Mr. Wassentrager had during the earlier part of his life in Russia, associated with some of the Persian Bahá’ís who were residing in the city of ’Ishqábád. He had, as he related to us, assisted them at times with the carrying of building stones to the grounds where they were building the Bahá’í Temple. However he had never familiarized himself with the Bahá’í religion. He was satisfied with the faith of his ancestors and thought he had no need of investigating further. But he always remembered those Persian Bahá’ís even after all connection between them had been severed and he had gone to another country to live.
As time went by he gradually realized that he felt less satisfaction in the religion of his forefathers. He
often thought of the Persians at ’Ishqábád and wondered what their religion might have been, what it taught them. He tried to call to mind something of their belief, but through the lapse of time all but the word “Bahá” had escaped his memory. At last with that word in mind, he began to inquire from different people, and later on at libraries and book stores, but, alas! no one had heard of such a name!
It was after several years of search singly and alone, that he was made happy in meeting a youth, a youth of only eighteen summers. This youth, an orphan and of humble circumstances, employed in a printing shop at East Berlin, was an industrious boy with an alert mind, progressive, altruistic, a seeker after knowledge, and keenly interested in the betterment of suffering mankind. His name was Max Kunz. This young man told Mr. Wassertrager that he would like to organize a club, or union, to which he could give the name “Truth Seekers and Investigators’ League.” Mr. Wassertrager related to him the story of his life and among other things told him of his experiences with the Persians in ’Ishqábád and of his present search for their religion. This aroused the young man’s interest. Soon he evinced a desire that surpassed even that of Mr. Wassertrager to find the religion of those people. A club was formed. The ties of friendship soon bound those two souls of differing age, and they together awaited the coming of the things in store for them. They did not have long to wait.
One day about four months before the event of the first Bahá’í lecture in Berlin, Mr. Wassertrager happened to pass a book store and noticed in it the title of a book, “The Sects of the Present Day.” Hoping that it might contain something in relation to the subject so long sought after, he entered the store and requested to see the book. Looking over the index, he found it actually contained an article on the Bahá’í Cause. With palpitating heart he bought the book and hastened with it to his young friend. Their joy was great. Together they now read the book with its interesting chapter on the Bahá’í Cause. Despite the opposition displayed in the criticism appended to the chapter (and which put the author of it clearly in the wrong) it furnished the two delighted readers with the address of the German Bahá’í Unity of Stuttgart. The two friends read and re—read the book. Only by the criticism in it did the truth become apparent to them. The older one retained doubts; he could not so readily share the conviction of the younger one. However, that criticism had revealed the spark of truth. Together they now composed a letter to the Bahá’í Unity of Stuttgart, mentioning the Persian Bahá’ís of ’Ishqábád, and expressed their pleasure and delight at having found their address.
The Bahá’í friends in Stuttgart were deeply moved by the letter. It showed them the long-enduring effect of the spirit and influence of those first Bahá’í believers in Russia. The Stuttgart Unity then forwarded, through Herr Herrigel, a reply and a package of Bahá’í literature. The door of communication was opened.
The two friends forthwith began to read and study the Bahá’í literature. Especially was this true of Max Kunz. In the measure that he understood it, he taught it to the other members of the little club. Again they wrote to Stuttgart, and at last persuaded Herr Herrigel to come to Berlin to deliver a lecture on the Bahá’í teachings. At just that time a Bahá’í of Chicago was on business in Berlin and wrote to Stuttgart inquiring if any Bahá’í meetings were held in Berlin. He was informed that no Bahá’í lectures had
thus far been given there. As a result, a short time afterward means were provided and plans were made for Herr Herrigel to lecture in Berlin.
The two friends there became very busy. In different ways they advertised the coming lecture. Dates were set, a hall was rented, advertisements and posters were printed, and the hour came when Mr. Wassertrager went forth to meet the train that brought the Bahá’í lecturer to Berlin. It was a great day for Berlin. Those who attended the meeting were very much enthused over the result of the lecture. It was indeed inspiring to note the large attendance of intelligent people. At the end of the lecture a well known German poet and author, Dr. Bruno Wille, rose and indorsed all that the lecturer had said.
Mr. Herrigel gave three lectures at that time in Berlin and then returned to Stuttgart. Soon after his return he received letters from Berlin the contents of which caused him to realize that Berlin would shortly take its place in the rank and file of the Bahá’í Spiritual Assemblies of the world. Subsequent events have confirmed and strengthened this interest in the Bahá’í Movement among the people of Berlin and an active Assembly has been formed. Berlin has become a center of the Bahá’í Movement radiating its influence to other parts of northern Germany.
Peace. All the nations and peoples will come under the shadow of the tent of the great peace and harmony, that is to say, by general election a great board of arbitration shall be established to settle all differences and quarrels between the powers, so that disputes shall not end in war.
Bahá’u’lláh taught that hearts must receive the bounty of the Holy Spirit, so that spiritual civilization may be established. For material civilization is not adequate for the needs of mankind and cannot be the cause of its happiness. Material civilization is like the body and spiritual civilization is like the soul. Body without soul cannot live. (Wisdom
Talks in London, pp. 17, 18).—’Abdu’l-Bahá.