The Worlds of God/Text

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. I I BASIC CLASSIFICATIONS OF EXISTENCE AS DEFINED IN THE BAHAH WRITINGS: A COMPILATION

Prepared by The National Reference Library Committee of The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United Sta‘tes

[Page -2]THE WORLDS OF GOD

CO I0

The references used herein were compiled some time ago after a two-year research to determine the’B sic Classifications of existence that the Baha' Revelation establishes. Subsequently the National Spiritual Assembly approved these Classifications as Basic Subjects to be used in preparing a Master Indexand other referenca material for the future National Reference Library. This Compilation is offered now as Authority and aid in that method of indexing. Therefore the words representing the BASIC CLASSIFICATIONS are capitalized and the Subheading words are underlined, making them different, In this respect, from the book texts from which they were chosen. These liberties were taken, and references were placed in this arrangement, with syMbol=pictures added. in the effort to present, as simply, systematically and graphically as possible, the realit or over-all view of existence that Baha'u'IIaE has unveiled 39d made available to man,with emphasis on how Baha'u'llah classifies ad explains everything in existence. But obviously the value of such Enlightenment is not limited to those participating in the indexing project.

Prepared by

THE NATIONAL REFERENCE LIBRARY COMMITTEE of The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States 1965-66

[Page -1]I.

II.

III.

IV.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

CONTENTS

Introduction: realitz may now be seen for the first time

Two views of LIFE, two ways of seeing things: the over—all and personal

A reality is the sum total of the "phases" of its being

The over-all picture of existence begins with its Eurpose and origin

The three basic conditions of existence (DEITY, Prophethood ServitudeS

The only connection between the three basic conditions of existence is REVELATION

We should KNOW what elements of the Greater Wbrld affect us, for they are real

Let's face the reality of God's MANIFESTATION, part of the KINGDOM MANIFESTED

Let's face the realitz of our world, CREATION, the condition of servitude

A close-up of CREATION as a reality, the realm of HUMAN SOULS

We must see the SOUL as a reality, for YOU are really a SOUL

The first phase of the SOUL we must view is its Bower, which is called SB rit

we need a closer view of the Bower of your being, whose symbol is electricity

The next phases of the SOUL we must view are its origin, pattern

and obgectfve

The last phase of the SOUL to be viewed is its immediate acts and attributes

we need a closer view of your make-up, to understand ynur different natures

The HUMAN being, personality or "Ego" must be viewed as a reality in itself

The "mind," mental being or RATIONAL—man is part of 8 HUMAN; a separate reality

The body, physical being or MATERIAmean is part of YOU, also a

separate reality

Here we insert a few pages from experts on the HUMAN body and physical make-up

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Page

2-5

6-7

8—11

12-15

16-19

20-25

26-29

30-31 32-33 3h-37

38—39

hO-hl

h2-h7

h8-h9

50-§1

52-56

57

58

59-63

[Page 0]XIII.

XXIII. XXIV.

XXV.

XIVII.

XXVIII.

XXIII. XXXIII.

XXXIV.

Page

By viewing the part of YOU that's not MATERIAL, RATIONAL or HUMAN, we see the SOUL The MATERIAL-man (body) 6h The RATIONAL—man (body plus RATIONAL power) 65-67 The HUMAN being (body plus RATIONAL bower plus negative emotions) 68-69 MANKIND combines HUMAN imperfections and what shows of the divine nature NOW 70-71 The level of your SOUL development is shown in your feelings 72-73 Every reaction is a step in LIVING, activates some degree of power or soirit 7h-77 Now a close-up of the SOUL's growth pattern. 78—79 Different realms of being are generated by different degrees of SPIRIT: The "Greater world" is generated by God's own SPIRIT (the HOLY SPIRIT) 80 The "Lesser World" is generated by lesser degrees of SPIRIT 80 The MATERIAL world is the beginning stage of CREATION 80 The RATIONAL world 81 The world of HUMANness 82 The spiritual KINGDOM REVEALED 83-85 The WORLD ORDER OF BAHK'U'LLAH fl! spiritual,part of the KINGDOM

REVEALED 86-87

The ultimate in CREATION is the KINGDOM OF DEPARTED SOULS, once called heaven 38-89

we can look forward to an infinitude of glorious WORLDS beyond this one 90

TIME is a phase of reality to be coped with in MATERIAL and HUMAN existence 91-93

Revealed RELIGION is what man accepts of REVELATION, part of the KINGDOM REVEALED 9b~96

Each RELIGION and its REVELATION have in TIME become 3 HUMAN Religion with SCRIPTURES 97

I t BAHA'U'LLAH comes to renew RELIGION; His REVELATION,,a9cepted, is the BAHA'I FAITH 98-101

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating"; God invites us to taste and KNOW 102-10h

Two-way communication with God may now be ours; He calls - do we respond? 105

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INTRODUCTION: REALITY MAY NOW BE "FACED" FOR THE FIRST TIME

Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus Christ spoke to US:

(a) "These things have I told you, that when the TIME shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.... I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.... And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

NQW the "Spirit of truth” HAS come. and we mav face reality and be "free”

(b) ”Praise be to God: the mediaeval ages of darkness have passed away and this century of radiance has dawned - this century wherein the ggglitx of things is becoming evident."

(c) "This is clearly the century offnew LIFE, the century of the REVELATION ofi¥eality, and therefore the greatest of all centuries."

(d) “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."

(e) "O friends of God! Strive ye so that this darkness may be utterly dispelled and the Hidden Mystery may be revealed and the Egalitigs of things made evident and manifest."

(f) "For, in the existing KNOWLEEGE of the reality of things there is

MATERIAL advantage, and through it outward civilization progresses; but the KNOWLEDGE of God is the cause of sgiritua; progress and attraction, and through it the perception of truth, the exaltation of humanity, divine civilization, rightness of morals and illumination, are obtained."

(9) "Heavenly teachings applicable to the advancement in HUMAN conditions have been revealed in this merciful age."

(h) "It is incumbent upon every man of insight and undexstanding to strive to translate that which hath been written, into ggélitx and 35;;23. r 1 w

N

[Page 2](a) "Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyes of all them that have sought Thee, that we may recognize Thee with Thine own eyes. This is Thy bidding given us in the Book sent down by Thee" '

II. TWO VIEWS OF LIFE

.————‘

l J

God's-Eye vigy that encompasses all P on 'v

[Page 3]11.,IWO VIEWS-OF LIFE, TWO WAYS OF VIEWLNS THINGS: THE OVER-ALL AND PERSONAL

e two ki s of " e' " o KNOWING: I nd MA

(b) "KNOW that there are two kinds of KNOWLEDGE: the KNOWLEDGE of the essence of a thing (its 'reglitx‘?), and the KNOWLEDGE of its qualities. The essence of a thing is known through its qualities, otherwise it is unknown and hidden.... Our KNOWLEDGE of things, even of created and limited things, is KNOWLEDGE of their qualities and not of their essence.... The substance of the essence of man is unknown and not evident, but by its qualities it is characterized and KNOWN.... Then...as things can only be KNOWN by their qualities and not by their essence, it is certain that the Digigg_flg§;itx is unknown with regard to its essence, and is KNOWN with regard to its attgibutes. Besides, how can the phenomenal rgglitv embrace the Pre-existent Begiity? For comprehension is the result of encompassing, .;.and the Essence of Unity surrounds all, and is not surrounded."

(c) "KNOW verily that KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic.

The one welleth out from the fountain of divine gaggiggtign; the other is but a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive—force of the latter the whisperings of selfish

desire." Qgg's MANIFESTATION, with superhuman vision, sees Reality and a God's-eye view

of LIFE (d) "The universal mind which is beyond nature, is the bounty of the Preexistent Power. This universal mind is divine; it embraces existing realiltieg, and it receives the light of the mysteries of God. It is a conscious ggwga, not a gower of investigation and of research. The intellectual oowe; of the world of nature is a power of investigation, and by its researches it discovers the realities of beings, and the properties of existences; but the heavenly intellectual gower which is beyond nature, embraces things and is cognizant of things, KNOWS them, understands them, is aware of mysteries, Egalitigg and divine significations, and is the discoverer of the concealed verities of the KINGDOM. This divine intellectual power is the special ate txiggtg of the Holy MANIFESTATIONS and the Dawning-places of prophethood; a ray of this light falls upon the mirrors of the hearts of the righteous, and a portion and share of this Qower comes to them through the Holy MANIFESTATIONS.

(e) "'No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision.'" HQMAN vision is eqocentric. limited to what the senses and rational mowers oerceive

(f) "All that the sages and mystics have said or written have never exceedeq nor can they ever hepe to exceed, the limitations to which man's finite mind hath been strictly subjected.... The meditations of the profoundest thinker ...are but areflection of that which hath been created within themselves, through the REVELATION of the Lord, their God. Whoever pondereth this truth in his heart will readily admit that there are certain limits which no HUMAN being can possibly transgress.“ '

(9) "Ih§_flQMAfl_§Qigit which distinguishes man from the animal is the RA TICNAL SOUL; and these two names - the HUMAN sgirit and the RATIONAL SOUL

~ designate one thing.... The RATIONAL SOUL...discovers the realities of

things.... But the HUMAN spiritndoes not become vauainted with the divine

secrets and heavenly realitiespunless assisted by the seizit of faith." -3 [Page 4]e i e e fe ' n 1 ns

(h) '"The outward ggwegg (of the RATIONAL SOUL) are five: the powe; of sight, of hearing, of taste, of smell, and of feeling. The inner gowers

are also five: the common faculty, and the ggwggg of imagination, thogght, comprehension, and memory.“

(1) "lglg_jangig§ have debarred men from the Horizon of Certitude, and xain_imagining_ withheld them from the Choice Sealed Wine."

(j) "8 .great is the folly and perversity of the people, that they have turned their face toward their own thoughts and desires, and have turned their back upon the KNONLEIISE and WILL of God....!"

(k) "Because man has stopped his ears to the Voice of Truth and shut his eyes to the Sacred Light, neglecting the LAW of God, for this reason has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery, desolated the earth.“

(1) Leaders"have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices.... They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.”

(m) "The bestowals of God which are manifest in all phenomenal LIFE are sometimes hidden by intervening veils of mental and mortal vision which render man spiritually blind and incapable, but when those scales are removed and the veils rent asunder, then the great signs of God will become visible and he will witness the eternal light filling the world. The bestowals of God are all and always manifest....but should the conscious eye of the SOUL of man remain veiled and darkened, he will be led to deny these universal signs and remain deprived of these manifestations of divine bounty.“ 15 s f ' s i 1 ion w'th'

(n) I“'Shouldst thou rend asunder the grievous veil that blindeth thy vision, thou wouldst behold such a bounty as naught...can either resemble or equal."

(0) "Turn your faces away from the contemplation of your own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting Radiance; then will your SOULS receive in full measure the Divine Pgwe; of the SPIRIT....This is the meaning of the 293g; of the HOLY SPIRIT."

(p) 'It is incumbent upon thee, by the permission of God, to cleanse the eye of thine heart from the things of the world, that thou mayest realize the infinitude of divine KNOWLEDGE, and mayest behold Truth so clearly that thou wilt need no proof to demonstrate His reality, nor any evidence to bear witness unto His testimony."

he (q) "Well is it with him who, aided by the living waters othutterance of Him Who is the Desire of all men, hath purified himself from idle fancies and vain imaginings.'

(r) "God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance.... To express his gratitude for the favors of God, man must show forth praiseworthy agtions. ... Whatsoever he wishes to do must be in harmony with the good-pleasure of God. He mustmsee what is the WILL of God, and a9; accordingly;

_4 [Page 5]m‘ggg gm faith. us can sgg [“155 jg mg light 2f guigg REVELAIION and face 39“”!

(s) "The...LOVE that flows from man to God...is faith ...receiving the bounties of God, illumination with the lights of the K NGDOA.“

(t) "Arise and, armed with the p_we; of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imagining; ”

(u) "KNOW thou that he...who hath acknowledged My REVELATION, and drunk from the Ocean of My KNOWLEDGE....is even as an eye unto MANKIND.“

(v) "The essenCe of these words is this: they that tread the path of iaith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly - their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginingg, their hearts from worldly affections,their eyes from that which perisheth..... Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine KNOWLEDGE and understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen.”

5 ti 0 he 0 's- e v' of LIF b ras in what BAHA'U'LLAE reveal;

(w) "Is there any man of insight, O my God, that can behold Thee with Thine own eye...?"

(x) "I entreat Thee, O Thou Who art my Companion and my Best Beloved, to lift the veil that hath come in between Thee and Thy servants, that they

may recognize Thee with Thine gwn eye."

(y) "Behold Me, not with your eyes but with Mine. Thus admonisheth you He Who is the Gracious, the All-Knowing."

(2) "Enter thou My presence, that thou mayest behold what the eye of the universe hath never beheld, and hear that which the ear of the whole CREATION hath never heard, that haply thou mayest free thyself from the mire of vague fancies, and set thyface towards the Most Sublime Station."

(aa) 'After passing through the Valley of KNGNLEDGE, which is the last plane of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to the Valley of Unity and... filth 1h: eye gfi go g3he beholdeth the mysteries of divine CREATION.’

(bb) 'Were you to ponder,...you would surely find the portals of understanding unlocked before your face, and would behold all KNOWLEDGE and the mysteries thereof unveiled before your eyes.”

(cc) ”Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the HOLY and everlasting SPIRIT confer such new LIFE upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind.

He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the SOUL. Gazing with the egg of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth to the stations of absolute certitude.‘

(dd) With fixed and steady gaze, born of the ungrring eve of Gog, scan for a while the horizon of divine KNOWLEDGE, and contemplate those words

of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory..., may be made manifest unto you."

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[Page 6]III. A REALITY IS THE SUM,IOTAL OF THE "PHASE§" OF IT§ EEINQ

T_i r sent tiog includes symbol-pigturgs 10 ezglggn "sensibly” giving realigigg

(a) "HUMAN KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds. One is KNOWLEDGE of things perceptible to the senses - that is to say, things which the eye, or ear, or smell, or taste, or touch can perceive, which are called objective or sensible. ...The other kind of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE is intellectual - that is to say, it

is a xgglitx of the intellect, it has no outward form and no place, and is not perceptible to the senses....(Even) nature...in its essence is an intellectual ggalitx, and is not sensible; the HUMAN spirit is an intellectual, not sensible reality. In explaining these intellectual regiitigs, one is obliged to express them by sensible figures....Therefore to explain the ggglitx of the snirit, its condition, its station, one is obliged to give explanations under the forms of sensible things.

“For example...you say, 'such an individual made great progress,‘ though he is remaining in the same place; or again, ‘such an one's position was exalted,‘ although, like everyone else, he walks upon the earth. This exaltation and this progress are sgiritug; states and intellectual realities; but to explain them you are obliged to have recourse to sensible figures.

I'So the symbol of KNOWLEDGE is light, and of ignorance, darkness.... row that light of KNOWLEDGE, and that darkness of ignorance, are intellectual realities, not sensible ones; but when we seek for explanations in the external world, we are obliged to give them sensible form."

In “sensible form." this is what constitutes a reality - the real x-O—U, for ggamglg;

R E A L 1 T x

Perceived by Egrnose, motive pgwer view in REALITY FAITH and animating principle, ”sgirit‘ (t e TIMEless, INIUITION via 1 piratio .. Spaceless

(“eyes of th heart" (explains.re1gtion or

in the ligh of " ' "

Divine REVEHATION to other existence) World) 4' .

Perceived by beginnin Qgtterns of> fachieved v1ewed REASON and . in TIME IMflGINATION or origin \\ action, ‘ gbjective (HUMAN

(RATIONAL Thought faculties) ~ehavior or bei.u World)

Perceived by viewed NOW SENSES and in Space MEMORY (MATERIAL

(body mess.) world)

ine ords in b ks above indicate PHASES of e it nex o b 6

[Page 7]EURPOSEI MOTIVE POWER and SPIRIT are like a 5th dimension that everv REALITY has

(b) "As we...ref1ect...upon this infinite universe, we observe that motioh without a motive force, and an effect without a cause are both impossible.’

(c)‘ "All things must needs have a cause, a motive Qower, an animating principle."

To view REALITY we must see_the ORIGIN and OBJECTIVETOI each life PATTERN

(d) 'The wise and reflecting SOUL will know of a certainty that this finite universe with all its grandeur and order could not have come to exist by itself."

(e) "Magnified be the name of Him Who hath created, and is the Cause of, these causes, Who hath ordained that every change and variation in the world of being be made dependent upon them.“

(f) “The wisdom and policy“ (Patterns) "of God are realitv and truth, whereas HUMAN policy is accidental and limited to Our finite understanding."

(9) "All things are subject to re—formation." (h) ‘In this Day, the Beginning is reflected in the End.“

(i) "The TIME is at hand when whatsoever lieth hid in the SOULS and hearts of men will be disclosed."

figging aggarent ACTS and ATTRIBUTES we should see the PATTERNS, PURPOSE end SPIRII

(j) ”For results depend upon means.“

(k) “Absolute repose does not e ist in nature. All things either make progress or lose ground.... ThusAis evident that movement is essential to all existence."

(1) And "outward conduct is but a reflection of...inward LIFE.“

(m) ‘If a man reflects he will understand the soiritual significance of the LAW of progress;...all moves from the inferior to the superior degree."

(n) "Behold the disturbances which, for many a long year, have afflicted the earth.... Though the world is encompassed with misery and distress, yet no man hath paused to reflect what the CAUSE or source of that may be.“

(0) 0Do not allow your minds to dwell on the present, but with ' eyes of faith look into the future, for in truth the SPIRIT of God is working in your midst.“

Ihg FUREQSE and nature of a REALITY define its RELATION to the rest of existence

(p) "By nature is meant those inherent properties and necessary relations derived from the realities of things. And these realities of things, though in the utmost diversity, are yet intimately connected one with the other.... An all-unifying agency is needed (too) that shall LINK themefll one to the other.“ Each :galitx, though "utterly unconscious of that all-unifying agency...yet acteth with regularity and discharges its functions according to its WILL" (that is, the will of the unifying agency).

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[Page 8]~IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH.“

"Ibe beginning: indicgtes the SOURCE. and not the TIME of CREATION

(a) 'KNOW that it is one of the most abstruse soiritual truths that the world of existence, that is to say this endless universe, has no beginning."

(b) "There are two kinds of priorities: one is essential...not preceded by a cause.."As, for example, the sun has light in itself...; therefore the sun, with regard to light, is the cause...the precedent, the antecedent...“ (Thus “in the beginning" was the sun; it ”created" the light) "The second sort of pre-existence is the pre-existence of TIME, and that has no beginning.... The past, the present, the future, all, in relation to God, are equal. Yesterday, today, tomorrow do not exist in the sun."

(c) "For God the end is the same thing as the beginning." —8 [Page 9]IV. THE OVER‘ALL PICTURE OF EXISTENCE BEGINS WITH ITS PURPOSE AND ORIGIN §Q§_i§_§ingle and alone: the only Absolute Reality; Divine: beyond nersonal KNQflIfl;

(d) "On the throne of eternity, from the inaccessible heights of His station, His tongue proclaimeth that there is none other God but Him."

(e) "Absolute existence is strictly confined to God.”

(f) "Immeasurably exalted is He above the strivings of HUMAN mind to grasp His Essence?”of HUMAN tongue to describe His Mystery.... He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His own exalted and indivisible Essence, and will everlastingly continue to remain concealed in His inaccessible majesty and glory."

(9) “To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every HUMAN attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egressand regress. Far be it from His glory that HUMAN tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that HUMAN heart comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is, and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden

from the sight of man. No vision taketh in Him, but He taketh in all vision; He is the Subtile, the All-perceiving."

(h) "KNOW thou of a certainty that the Unseen DEITY can in no wise incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been immensely exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived."

(i) "The attempt of the evanescent to conceive the signs of the Uncreated is as the stirring of the drop before the tumult of Thy billowing oceans..,O my God."

(j) "That ideal King hath, throughout eternity, been in His Essence independent of the comprehension of all beings, and will continue, for ever, in His own Being to be exalted above the adoration of every SOUL."

(k) "Having recognized thy powerlessness to attain to an adequate understanding of that Reality which abideth within thee, thotx wilt readily admit the futility of such efforts as may be attempted by thee, or by any of the created things, to fathom the mystery of the Living God, the Day Star of unfading glory, the Ancient of everlasting days. This confession of helplessness which mature contemplation must eventually impel every mind to make is in itself the acme of HUMAN understanding, and marketh the culmination of man's development."

(1) “Thou hast ordained that the utmost limit to which they who lift

their hearts to Thee can rise is the confession of their powerlessness

to enter the realms of Thy holy and transcendent unity, and that the highest station which they who aspire to KNOW Thee can reach is the acknowledgement of their impotence to attain the retreats of Thy sublime KNOWLEDGE....This very powerlessness...is beloved of Thee, and...Thou hast decreed (it) as the goal of them that have reached and attained Thy court."

(m) "All that man is able to understand are the attributes of Divinity, the radiance of which appears and is visible in worlds and SOULS."

-9 [Page 10]Ihe personal view of God. formed bv imaqination. feelinq and environment- is untrue

(n) "That Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy above imaaingtign and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It."

(0) “The mystery of Divinity is sanctified and purified from the comprehension of the beings, for all that comes to the imggingtign is that which man understands, and the ng§; of the understanding of man does not embrace the Reality of the Divine Essence."

(p) NThat which we imagine, is not the Reglity of God; He, the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception of man.“

(q) "Some worship the product of their own imagination: they make for themselves an imaginary God and adore this."

(r) "They that are the worshippers of the idol which their laggiggtiggg have carved, and who call it Inner Regiity, such men are in truth accounted among the heathen."

Wit un ru 0 LI ' I e e l't we 5 oth' s i 's i R AL TY

(5) "Thus hath He (Muhammed) revealed: '...Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee..... No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived God within it, God before it, or God after it.'”.

(t) "The source of error is to disbelieve in the one true God, rely upon aught else but Him! and flee from His decree."

(u) 'KNOW thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth-in God is neither trustworthy nor truthful....Nothing whatever can deter_such a man from evil..., nothing can induce him to walk uprightly."

(v) I'If you should ask a thousand persons, 'What are the proofs of the Egality of Divinity?‘ perhaps not one would be able to answer. If you should ask further, 'What proofs have you regarding the essence of God?’ 'How do you explain inspiration and REVELATION?'...you would receive very little real KNOWLEDGE and enlightenment upon these questions... This is in ggglity the science of Divinity. Divinity is not what is set forth in dogmas and sermons of the church. Ordinarily when the word divinity is mentioned it.is associated in the minds of the hearers with certain formulae and doctrines, whereas it essentially means the wisdom and KNOWLEDGE of God,...the REVELATION of :eglity."

(w) .The creator of man must be more perfect and powerful than man. If the creative cause of man be simply on the same level with man, then man himself should be able to create....Therefore the creator of man must be endowed with superlative intelligence and pgwer. In other words...all virtues have a center and source. That source is C30d."

(x) “Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your backs the precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and others."

(y) “With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine KNOWLEDGE, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory and treasured wflhin the tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest unto you.“

—10 [Page 11]Existence emanates from DEIIY eternallv - without God nothinq,cou1d exist

(2) ”Lauded be Thy name, 0 Lord my God: I testify that Thou wast a hidden Treasure wrapped within Thine immemorial Being and an impenetrable Mystery enshrined in Thine own Essence. Wishing to reveal Thyself, Thou didst call into being the Greater and'me Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man above all Thy creatures, and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, O Thou Who art our Lord, the Most Compassionate!"

Wo ‘ ' N FESTED b DEITY hic '5 hi ue oces

(aa) “KNOW that proceeding (lit. dependence) is of two kinds:... through emanation, and...through mggifgstatiog. The proceeding... through manifestation is the manifestation of the reality of a thing" (in this case,of DEITY) ”in other forms: like the coming forth of this tree from the seed of the tree, or the coming forth of the flower from the seed of the flower; for it is the seed itself which appears in the form of the branches,leaves and flowers. This is called the proceeding

through mgnifestgtiog." Qur Lesser World emanates from DEITY as a CREATION. reflectina a Divine Purcese

(bb) This"proceeding...is like the coming forthmof the writing from the writer. Now the writing emanates from the writer,...and in the same way the HUMAN sgigit emanates from God. It is not that itInanifests God.“

(cc) "The dependence through the creatures upon God is a dependence of emanation; that is to say, creatures emanate from God, they do not magi fgst Him.“

(dd) "KNOW thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

(ee) “Out of every manifestation of His invincible QOffer oceans of eternal light have outpoured.‘

(ff) Cne realm of being is called “The Absolute,...the worlds of authority and command...the sea of the sgi;it..the holy air of light."

(99) The highest plane of the MANIFEETATION of God "is...the splendor of the Pre-existent Beauty, and the radiance of the light of the Almighty."

(hh) “Consider the endless phenomena of His creation. They are infinite; the universe is infinite. Who shall declare its height, its depth and length? It is absolutely infinite."

(ii) “KNOW thou that every fixed star hath its own planets, and every planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute."

(jj) “How great, O my God is this Thy most excellent handiwork, and how consummate Thy CREATION, which hath caused every understanding heart and mind to marveli"

(kk) “The Kingdoms of earth and heaven are Thine, O Lord of the worlds .,.Who holdest in Thy grasp the empire of whatever hath been created in heaven and on earth!" - 11 [Page 12]!, IHE IHBEE E§§LC QQNDIIIONS OF EXISTENCE

(a) 'DEITY is 'the 'Beginning’ and the 'End,‘ the 'First' and the 'Last,‘ ...the Innermost SPIRIT of 53131;; and Eternal Essence of Essences."

t c — e of 1 ein e INNER EA I an ST ' “In ” d “u ward“ b t 1 di te earness o E .

E? ”.1 _<

D

G r e a t e r W o r 1 d

mam oiT mmmm

Lesser Worlg CREATION

H n e 91 i 1 es sho

- 12 [Page 13]With the INNER REALITY as the firsti,we see three distinct conditions or worlds

(b) “KNEW that the conditions of existence are limited to the conditions of servitude, of Prophethood, and of DEITY.”

b a of EITY thouth this is a world or condi ion forever be 0nd gs (c) "The habitation wherein the Divine Being dwelleth is far above the reach and ken of any one besides Him."

(d) "Han all over the world is seeking for God. All that exists is

God; but the Realitv of Divinity is holy above all understanding. The pictures of Divinity that come to our mind are the product of our fancy; they exist in the realm of our imagingtion. They are not adequate to the Truth; truth in its essence cannot be put into words. Divinity cannot be comprehenggg because it is comprehending. Man, who has alSO a real existence, is comprehended by God; therefore.the DiVinity which man can understand is partial...not complete. Divinity is actual Truth...not

any representation of it...contains A11, and is not contained.”

(9) "Within the capacity of comprehension of a produced reality that Ancient Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it there is no information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto is prohibited and inaccessible. This much is KNOWN: It exists and Its existence is certain and proven - but the condition is unknown."

(f) ”All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the inferior; how therefor could it be possible that the creature, man, should understand the almighty Creator ofi all?”

(9) Yet "Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a

direct evidence of the REVELATION within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eIOquent testimony to the REVELATION of that Most Great Light."

(h) “The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal, Immortal and Invisible.....It is beyond the understanding of man, and cannot be described in terms which apply to the phenomenal sphere of the created world.I

(i) "All that man is able to understand are the attributes of Divinity, the radiance of which appears and is visible in worlds and SOULS."

(j) “Wishing to reveal Thyself, Thou didst call into being the Greater and the Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man above all Thy ;reatures, and didst make Him a sign of both of these Worlds.... Thou didst raise Him“ (capital letter, indicating the Perfect or Divine Man) to occupy Thy throne before all the people' (small letter, indicating man, the interfect creature) ”of Thy CREATIONo Thou didst enable Him to unravel Thy mxétggigg, and to shine with the lights of Thine inspiration and Thy REVELATION, and to manifest Thy names and Thine attribgtgs. Through

Him Thou didst adorn the preamble of the book of Thy CREATION, O Thou Who art the Ruler of the universe Thou hast fashioned.”

This explains the two lower “conditions" of existenceA seen in the cver-all

gicturg

-13 [Page 14]The condition of PIQphethOOd is the Greater World. the KINGDOM of hMNIFESTATION

(k9 “The first thing which emanated from God is that universal geglity, which the ancient philosophers termed 'First Mind'.... This emanation...

is not limited by TIME or place; it is without beginning or end..... Though the ‘First Mind' is without beginning, it does not become a sharer in the pre—existence of God, for the existence of the universal :eglity in relation to the existence of God is nothingness, and it has not the oowe; to become an associate of God and like unto Him in pre—existence.”

(1) "'Before all else, God created the mind.’ From the dawn of CREATION, it was made to be revealed in the temple of man.”

(m) "The :eglitx of Prophethood which is the WORD of God and the perfect state of MANIFESTATION, did not have any beginning...; its rising‘ @rigin, beginning?) 'is different from all others, and is like that of the sun.“

(n) “The Holy Reality...has neither beginning nor end. When beginning" (or ‘First’ or ’before’?)"is spoken of, it signifies the state of manifestingJ‘

Ihe 'siqn" Of the Greater World is the Perfect or Divine Manl,God's NMNIFESTATICN

(0) ”Man is the sum of CREATION, and the Perfect Man is the expression of the complete thought of the Creator ~ the WORD of God.’l

(p) ”The Perfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth, manifesting the attributescf God."

(q) “In the MANIFESTATION of God, the perfectly polished mirror, appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is capable of comprehending 'IO

Onlv the Sun of Truth can brine out MANKIND'S — YOUR - divine potentialities

(r) "The function of the sun is the revelation of the mysteries and creative nggoses hidden within the phenomenal world. The outer sun is the sign or symbol of the inner and ideal Sun of Truth, the WORD of God.“

(5) As 'the sun is the center of lights, and the cause of the LIFE of the beings of the solar system,..(e» the Holy MANIFESTATIONS of God are the centers of the light of Reglitx, of the source of Mysteries, and of the bounties of LOVE.”

(t) As “the sun is the LIFE-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon earth...so do the SOULS of men need the Sun of Truth to shed its

rays upon their SOULS, to develop them, to educate and encourage them.

As the sun is to the body of man so is the Sun of Truth to his SOUL.”

But the Condition of Proohethood or the Perfect Man can never attain thatcf:DEITY

(u) ITen thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of Their search at His forbidding voice, 'Thou shalt never behold Mel's whilst a myriad Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon Their heavenly thrones by the interdiction, ’Mine Essence Thou shalt never apprehendi‘ From TIME immemorial He (God) hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of His unknowable Essence."

_ 14 a

[Page 15]Ihe iendition,cf aervitude to PEIIX is all and moreithan we can gossiblv desire.

(v) ”The tie of servitude established between the worshipper and the Adored One, between the creature and the Creator, should in itself be regarded as a token of His gracious favor unto men, and not as an indication of any merit they may possess." .

(w) "I KNOW not what is in their hearts, O my God, nor can tell the thoughts they think of Thee. Methinks that they imagine that Thy ggzzggu; in calling them to Thine all-highest horizon is to heighten the glory

of Thy majesty and ggwgz. For had they been satisfied that Thou summonest them to that which will recreate their hearts and immortalize their SOULS, they would never have fled from Thy governance.“

(x) “'Servitude is a"(spiritual?) "eubstance, the essence of which is Divinity.” '

(y) 'This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal

in the future. Let him that seeketh, attain it; and as to him that hath refused to seek it - verily, God is Self-Sufficient, above any need of

His creatures."

(2) May the friends of God ”be assisted to become servants of the heavenly KINGDOM, captives in the servise of the WILL of God. This captivity is freedom, this sacrifice is glorification, this labor is reward, this need bestowal. For service in LOVE for MANKIND is unity with God. He who serves has already entered the KINGDOM and is seated at the right hand of his Lord.“

ng gag why is the Lgsge; Wogig o; CREALION cgncegneg with the Gaggte; WOELQ?

(aa) “And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind the one true God with His CREATION, and no resemblance whatever can exist between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute, He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless SOUL be made manifest in the Kingdoms of earth and heaven."

m b ' '5 de G e W f i ver LIFE be' 0

(bb) "The Holy MANIFESTATIONS of God are the centers of the light of Realijy, of the source of Mysteries, and of the bounties of LOVE. They are resplendent in the worlds of hearts and thoughts, and shower eternal graces upon the world of spirits; they give sgigitual LIFE, and are shining with the light of :ealities and meanings. The enlightenment cf the world of thought comes from these centers of light and sources of mysteries. Without the bounty of the splendor, and the instructions of these Holy Beings, the world of SOULS and thoughts would be Opaque darkness. Without the irrefutable teachings of those Sources of mysteries, the HUMAN world would become the pasture of animal appetites and qualities, the exidence of everything would be unreal, and there would be

no true LIFE.’

(cc) For ”the world of CREATION is bound by natural LAW, finite and mortal.... Man, then, is in extreme need of the only agug; by which he is able to receive help from the divine Reality, that ngmg; alone bringing him into contact with the source of all LIFE."

[Page 16][L‘Ifl§_gugx_gguuggjlon BETWEEN THE THREE BASIC CONDITIONS OF BEING IS REVELATIQN lbig i5 cg; ggeagog'g gggggqgt gift to His creatures: and it igveternal, ever-reneugg

Mb

0

(b)

O. . o a

1

m REVELATRION

E TION

(a) "KNOW thou that, according to what thy Lord...hath decreed;.., the favors vouchsafed by Him unto MANKIND have been, and will ever remain, limitless in their range. First and foremost among these favors...is the gift of understanding. His ourgg§e in conferring such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to KNOW and recognize the one true God.... This gift giveth man the gower to discern the truth in all things....That which is preeminent above all other gifts, is incorruptible in nature, and pertaineth to God Himself, is the gift of Divine REVELATION. Every bounty conferred by the Creator upon man, be it MATERIAL or sgiritugl, is subservient unto this. It is, in its essence, and will ever 50 remain, the Bread which cometh down from Heaven. It is God's supreme testimony, the clearest evidence of His truth...the proof of His most loving providence."

“Thou hast inspired the Pen with the mysteries of Thine eternity, and hidden it teach man that which he KNOWETH not, and caused him to partake of the living waters of truth from the cup of Thy REVELATION and Thine inspiration."

(c) ”Thou art surely aware of the... idle contention, that all REVELATION is ended, that the portals of Divine mercy are closed, that from the daysprings of eternal holiness no Sun shall rise again, that the Ocean of everlasting bounty is forever stilled, and that out of the Tabernacle of ' ancient glory the Messengers of God; have ceased to be made manifest. Such is the measure of the understanding of...sma11-minded contemptible people.“

(d) I‘From the beginning that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open to the face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth will continue to the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human capacity, zealitx and personality,their favors and bounties. Such hath been God's method continued from everlasting to everlasting."

- 16 [Page 17]

‘reveals (e) "Thou didst call into being the Greater and the Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man (the Perfect Man or MANIFESTATION) above all Thy creatures, and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, O Thou Who art our Lord ...: Thou didst raise Him up to occupy Thy throne before all the people of Thy CREATION. Thou didst enable Him to unravel Thy mysteries, and to shine with the lights of Thine insgigation and Thy REVELATION....I testify, O my God, that through Him...the hearts of men were set towards the scene of Thy most transcendent glory."

(f) "Divine intellectual power is the special attribute of the Holy MANIFESTATIONS and the Dawning-places of Prophethood; a ray of this light falls upon the mirrors of the hearts of the righteous, and a portion and a share of this nge; comes to them through the Holy MANIFESTATIONS.“

(9) "Man then is the perfect mirror facing the Sun of Truth, and is the center of radiation: the Sun of Truth shines in this mirror."

(h) "The Perfect Man, the Prophet, is One...Who has the purity and clearness of a perfect mirror — One Who reflects the Sun of Truth. Of such a One we can say that the Light of Divinity with the heavenly Perfections dwells in Him."

REMELAIION is food and drink to the SOUL. so man becomes spiritually ill without

. ii; (i) "The existence of the world may be compared to that of man, and the Prophets and Messengers of God to skillful doctors."

(5) NOW for instance, "the vitality of men's belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the Vitals of HUMAN society; what else but the Elixir of His potent REVELATION can cleanse and revive it?...The WORD of (30d, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change."

(k) 'The Prophets of God, the universal MANIFESTATIONS, are like skilled physicians, and the contingent world is like the body of man: the divine LAWS are the remedy and treatment. Consequently the doctor must be aware of, and KNOW, all the members and parts, as well as the constitutions and state ofihe patient, so that he can prescribe a medicine which will be beneficial against thewpoison of the disease...; and as the universal MANIFESTATIONS of God are aware of the mysteries of beings, therefore They...by this KNOWLEDGE establish the LAW of God."

(1) 'In every instance They have voiced an utterance that would conform to the requirements of the occasion.“

(m) “They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of order in the world and the security of its peoples. He that turneth away from them, is accounted among the abject and foolish.”

(n) "The Divine Food is descending from heaven, but...only those can enjoy it who are endowed with a sound taste.... Every diseased SOUL disliketh the delicious and merciful food and this is because of the sickness which hath seized him."

-17..

[Page 18]How do we KNOW there is a ‘Greater World' or “condition of Prophethood?’

(o) "The MANIFESTATIONS of universal Prophethood....are, for example9 Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb and BAHA'U'LLAH....for the independent Prophets are Founders; They establish a new RELIGION and make new creatures of men; They change the general morals, promote new customs and rules, renew the cycle and the LAW. Their appearance is like the season of Spring, which arrays all earthly beings in a new garment, and gives themfnew LIFE."

(p) ‘The proof of the sun is the light thereof, which shineth and envelopeth all things."

Eagh_ngu_flEMELAIlQM_L§_a_gixine_flgggggigtion: it renews map's spiritual vitality, _ and lIFE (q) “The object of every Revelation is to effect a transformation in the whole character of MANKIND, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner LIFE and external conditions."

(r) "Furthermore...the Bearers of the trust of God are made manifest unto the peoples of the earth as the Exponents of a gem CAUSE and the Bearers of a new Mgesage...(but) all are sent down from the heaven of the WILL of God, and...a11 arise to proclaim His irresistible Faith."

(5) They are sent periodically. “'And when the hour at which Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest did strike, Thou didst breathe a breath of Thy SPIRIT into Thy Pen, and lo, the entire CREATION shock to its very

foundations, unveiling to MANKIND such mysteries as lay hidden within the

treasuries of Him...the Possessor of all created things.'“

T e es m's 0 m ke is o ce t one RE ELATION a re ec all other;

(t) "He, Who is the Object of all KNQMLEDSE, shineth as the sun. They see the sun with their own eyes, and yet question that brilliant Orb as to the proof of its light. They behold the vernal showers descending upon them and yet seek an evidence of that bounty."

(u) "'No distinction do We make between any of His Messengersl' For They

one and all summon the people of the earth to acknowledgeihe Unity of God.

...They are all invested with the robe of Prophethood, and honored with the mantle of glory."

(v) ”All Their utterances are in realit but the expression of one Truth.“ ______M

(w) "Truth is a sunthat rises from different points on the horizon.... Truth is one, although its manifestations may be very different.... We must adore the sun itself and not merely the place of its appearance.”

(x) But "people have rejected the immaculate Essence of KNOWLEDGE and of holy utterance, and have turned unto the exponents of rebellion and error. ...And should the Essence of Truth reveal that which is contrary to their inclinations and desires, they will straightway denounce Him as an infidel.“

(y) “I have,...with the hand of divine ngu§;,unsealed the choice wine 0?

My REVELATICN, and have wafted its holy, its hidden, and musk-laden fragrance

upon all created things. Who else but yourselves is to be blamed if ye choose

to remain unendowed with so great an outpouring of God's transcendent aha

all—encompassing grace, with so bright a REVELATION of His resplendent mercy?" -18 [Page 19]a r it h o 1 ‘s MANIFESTATI - His R V A ION s ers ou e

. emxi (2) “God still assists and confirms us.u.Divine wisdom and providence nave encircled all and spread the heavenly table before us. We must take a bountiful share of this generous favor.“

(as) “Consider the mercy of God and His gifts. He enjoineth upon you that which shall profit you.’

(bb) “For all that has flowed from the Supreme Pen has been and is conducive to the elevation, exaltation and training of all the people of the world, and is the greatest antidote for all diseases.“

(cc) ‘Whoso hath tasted of this Fountain hath attained unto everlasting LIFE, and whoso hath refused to drink therefrom is even as the dead.“

(dd) "Weigh not the Book of God with such standards...as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring balance established amongst men.“

(99) 'The Prophets of God have been the servants of gggligx; Their teachings constitute the science of Egality.‘ (science: ”systematic and formulated KNOWLEDGE" - Oxford Dictionary)

(ff) ‘All the holy MANIFESTATIONS of God have proclaimed and promulgated the same gealitx. They have summoned MANKIND to geglity itself and reality is one.“

(99) "It can be truly declared of Him Who is the Last and of Him Who was the First that They are one and the same, inasmuch as both are the Exponents of one and the same CAUSE.’

(hh) "The xsalitx is always the same, and one. The Realitx_is the Truth, and...Truth is God's guidance, it is the light of the world, it is LOVE, it

is mercy. These (are) the attgibutes of truth."

(ii) “The constellation of LOVE and wisdom and power is once more shining from the Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces to the Light of God."

(jj) "Let all strive to grow in the‘light of the Sun of Truth.”

(kk) “Come out of doubt into certitude, and turn from the darkness of illusion to the guiding light of the fear of God.” (11) For “the essence of wisdom is the fear of God."

(mm) "The KNOWLEDGE of the Egalitx of the Divinity is impossible and unattainable, but the KNOWLEDGE of the MANIFESTATIONS of God is the KNCWLEDSE of God....Blessed are those who receive the light of the divine bounties from the enlightened Dawning-points!“

(nn) 'Praise be to God, the Eternal..., the Everlasting..., the Self—Subsisting....He...is manifest through His signs, and is hidden through His mysteries. He it is at Whose bidding the standard of the Most exalted ”OED hath been lifted up in the world of CREATION.... He it is Who hath revealed His CAUSE for the guidance of His creatures, and sent down His verses to demonstrate His Proof and His Testimony."

1, . ' f Go ' st - 19 [Page 20]God's

CAUSE

D

'EITY

HDLY

SPIRIT

GOd's

MANIFEs TATION

God’s

God's

WILL WORD

[Page 21]Gog's CAQ§LNG is diyine end metre its result. part of His heavenly CAUSE for

. QBEAILQE (a) ”For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.‘ (b) "Ponder in thine heart the REVELATION of the SOUL of God that pervadeth all His LAWS, and contrast it with that base and appetitive nature (of man).'

(c) “The domain of His decree is too vast for the tongue of mortals to describe, or for the birds of the HUMAN mind to traverse; and the dispensations of His providence are too mysterious for the mind of man to comprehend.“

(d) "Couldst thou but know the things sent downby My Pen, and discover the treasures of My CAUSE, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My WORDS, thou wouldst for longing after His glorious and sublime KINGDOM, lay down thy LIFE in the path of God.”

(9) "Thus We reveal unto thee the mysteries of the CAUSE of God, and bestow upon thee the gems of divine wisdom, that haply thou mayest soar on the wings of renunciation to those heights that are veiled from the eyes of men."

(f) I‘Recite: 'O 601, my God, and my Desire, and my Adored One, and my Master...and my supreme Aspirationl... Thou didst call me into being...to manifest Thy CAUSE. My heedlessness, however, hath deterred me."

(9) “'O God, my God! Thou hast lighted the lamp of Thy CAUSE with the oil of wisdom; protect it from contrary winds. The lamp is Thine, and the glass is Thine, and all things in the heavens and on earth are in the grasp of . Thy gower...Thou art the All-Powerful, Who, through the motion of Thy Pen, hast aided Thine irresistible CAUSE, and guided aright Thy loved ones.'“

(h) "People (who)have imagined that the flow of God's all encompassing grace...has been halted...have been deprived of the recognition of the essential szgosg and the KNONLEDGE of the Mystery and Substance of the CAUSE of God.”

(i) 'Divines...are still oblivious of the fact that all the signs foretold have come to pass, that the way of God's CAUSE hath been revealed.“

(j) "Peace be upon him whom the light of truth guideth unto all truth, and who, in the name of God, standeth in the path of His CAUSE, upon the shore of true understanding."

(k) ”The CAUSE of God is like unto a college. The believers are like unto the students....The students must show the results of their study in their deportment and deeds; otherwise they have wasted their LIVES.... To them the CAUSE of God must be a dynamic force transforming the LIVES of men."

(1) “There is a gower in this CAUSE, a mysterious gower, far, farfigway from the ken of men and angels. That invisible Qowe; is the cause of all these outward activities. It moves the hearts. It rends the mountains.

It administers the complicated affairs of the CAUSE. It inspires the friends. It dashes into a thousand pieces all the forces of opposition.

It creates new sgigitugl worlds. This is a mystery of the KINGDOM of Abhá.“

is Da it is ou r s ' ile a ' o unders d and wo k for is

CAQSE -21..

[Page 22]I I '5 Go ' SPIRI d ' t m M IFES T O

(m) "And when...Thy resistless Faith was to be made manifest..., Thou didst breathe a breath of Thy SPIRIT into Thy Pen...unveiling to MANKIND such mysteries as lay hidden:

(n) “An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes in relation with each other (phenomenal existence and the Source of all LIFE).... The HOLY SPIRIT... brings the created earth into relation with the 'Unthinkable One,‘ the Divine Reality. The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the HOLY SPIRIT to the rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the light and warmth of the sun to the earth, giving LIFE to all created beings, so do the MANIFESTATIONS bring the powg; of the HOLY SPIRIT from the Divine Sun of Reality to give light and LIFE to the SOULS of men.... The HOLY SPIRIT is the Light

from the Sun of Truth bringing, by its infinite gower, LIFE and illumination to all MANKIND, flooding all SOULS with Divine Radiance, conveying the blessings of God's Mercy to the whole world.“

(0) "The HOLY SPIRIT is the Bounty of God, and luminous rays which emanate from the MANIFESTATION."

The HOLX SPIRIT has a dynamig effect on humgnityl indiyiduglly and gollectively

(p) "Just as the HUMAN sgirit is the cause of coordination among the various parts of the HUMAN organism, the HOLY SPIRIT is the controlling CAUSE of the unity and coordination of MANKIND.... The world of humanity is a composite body and the HOLY SPIRIT is the animating principle of its LIFE." (q) "The HOLY SPIRIT...teaches spirituglvirtues to man and... quickens the SOULS of men.“

(r) ”Without the HOLY SPIRIT he (man) would have no intellect, he would be unable to acquire his scientific KNOWLEDGE.... The illumination of the HOLY SPIRIT gives to man the power of thought, and, through the mediation of the Prophets of God, teaches sgiritugl virtues to man."

(s) “The Dower of the HOLY SPIRIT, enlightening man's intelligence, has enabled him to discover means of bending many natural LAWS to his will. He flies through the air, floats on the sea, and even moves under the waters. ...The HOLY SPIRIT will give to man greater powers than these, if only he will strive after the things of the Spirit and endeavor to attune his heart to the Divine ' infinite LOVE."

(t) "'lOVE is the breath of the HOLY SPIRIT in man.'" (u) “It is only

by the breath of the HOLY SPIRIT (LOVE) that Spiritual development can come

about." (v) "Divine virtues are the breathings of the HOLY SPIRIT itselffl (w) "By the bone; of the HOLY SPIRIT, working through his SOUL, man is able to perceive the Divine reality of things."

(x) ”If the soigitual qualities of the SOUL, open to the breath of the Divine SPIRIT, are never used, they become atrophied, enfeebled, and at last incapable; whilst the SOUL's MATERIAchalities alone being exercised, they become terribly powerful - and the unhappy, misguided man becomes more savage,... than the lower animals.“ (y) ”Man cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the HOLY SPIRIT.“ (2) "By the EQHE; of the HOLY SPIRIT alone is man able to progress,“ so limited and dependent

is he.

_22_

[Page 23]G ‘5 he LAW of a ‘ it' reflecte to u t ou h the vine

(aa) "The first thing which emanated from God is that universal L&QILEX which the ancient philosophers tefimed the 'First Mind' and which the people of Bahá call the 'First WILL.‘ This emanation....is not limited by TIME or place; it is without beginning or end." (bb) "For the WILL of God can in no wise be revealed except through His WILL, nor His wish be manifested save through His wish."

(cc) "Powerful is He (God) to manifest His CAUSE, and to exalt His testimony, and to establish whatsoever is His WILL, and to elevate it to so eminent a position that neither thine own hands, nor the hands of them that have turned away from Him can ever touch or harm it."

(dd) I‘Be ye assured...that the works and acts of each and every one of these MANIFESTATIONS of God...are all ordained by God and are a reflection of His WILL and Pgrggse." (ee) These "Well Springs of wisdom have themIselves been generated through the operation of Thy WILL."

(ff) ”Their WILL is absolutely submissive." Lisen, as One affirms:

(gg) "Thou art He, O my God, Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, and bidden me...to summon all men to the court of Thy mercy.... Thou...hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst destine for them in...

Thy decree." (hh) "Thou KNOWEST, O my God, that I have wished only what Thou hast wished, and desire what Thou dost desire."

Ihgggb man is free to cboogg, his qlorv is in accentinq God’s WILL, denying big om

(ii) “The beginning of all things is the KNOWLEDGE of God, and the end of all things is strict observance of whatsoever hath been sent down from the empyrean of the Divine WILL that pervadeth all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth." (jj) "All the wondrous works ye behold in this world have been manifested through the operation of His supreme and most exalted WILL, His wondrous and inflexible Purgose."

(kk) "The gagggsg of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all MANKIND...to resignation and submissiveness to the WILL of God."

(ll) "None can escape the snares He setteth, and no SOUL can find release except through submission to His WILL." (mm) "The source of all good is trust in God, submission unto His command and contentment in His holy WILL.' (nn) "The essence of understanding is to testify to one's poverty and submit to the WILL of the Lord, the Sovereign, the Gracious, the All-Powerful."

(oo) "O.ye peoples of the world! Know asSuredly that My commahdments are the lamps of My loving providence‘émong My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures...sent down from the heaven of the WILL of your Lord, the Lord of REVELATIO ."

(pp) “Recognize God as 'Him that doeth whatsoever He pleaseth‘."

(qq) "Blessed is the man that hath acknowledged his belief in God and in His signs, and recognized that.’He shall not be asked of His doings.'...Such is the teaching which God bestoweth on you, a teaching that will deliver

you from all manner of doubt and perplexity."

_23 [Page 24]figd'fi WORD 15 an out—pressinq*of infinite meanings: we can never qraso it direct

(rr) “How could there be conceived any existing relationship or possible connection between His WORD and they that are created of it?"

(ss) "Praise be to God...at Whose bidding the standard of the Most Exalted WORD hath been lifted up in the world of CREATION.“

(tt) "Behold how, in this Day,...out of Stillness Motion hath been engendered. This motion hath been generated by the potent energies which the WORDS of the Almighty have released throughout the entire CREATION."

(uu) "Every WORD that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new LIFE into every HUMAN frame."

(vv) "Every single letter proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a mother letter, and every WORD uttered by Him Who is the Well—Spring of Divine REVELATION is a mother WORD, and His Tablet a Mother Tablet."

(ww) |'O my friend,....the penetration of the WORD of God in...a11 the regions is similar to the pervasion of the SOUL in a sound body.” (xx) “The WORD of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flamei"

MANIFE§TATION is the WORD "mega fleshe" God'sayoice with an inexorable imbact

(yy) “'In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God'; then the HOLY SPIRIT and the WORD are the appearance of God. The SPIRIT and the WORD mean the divine perfections that appeared in the flggiity of Christ." (22) The MANIFESTATION of God “incarnateth in Himself the kingdom of utterance.“

(aaa) "Thus...the accents of God Himself have been heard uttered by these MANIFESTATIONS of the Divine Being.“

(bbb) “The Book of God is wide open, and His WORD is summoning MANKIND unto Him..... The Divine Elixir...can,alone,transmute into purest gold the dross of the world.” (ccc) Through"Thy WORD...they who have believed ...have soared up into the atmosphere of Thy KNOWLEDGE." (ddd) Through “Thy most exalted WORD...the heavens of men's idle fancies and vain imagr iniflgs have been split asunder." (eee) "The...task of converting satanic strength into heavenly newer is one that We have been empowered to accomplish..... The WORD of God, alone, can claim thé distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change."

(fff) May“we avoid the land of denial, and advance into the ocean of acceptance, so that we may...wing our flight unto the highest and innermost sanctuary of the inner meaning of the WORD of God." (999) "Number me not with them who read Thy WORDS and fail to find Thy hidden gift which...

- quickeneth the SOULS of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy servants."

(hhh) "Open your ears that ye may hearken unto the WORD of God." iiii) "Thine ear is a sign of My bounty, let not the tumult of unseemly motives turn it away from My WORD that encompasseth all CREATION."

(jjj) 'KNOW ye from what heights your Lord, the All-Glorious is calling?.... ; Nay, by My LIFE! Did ye but KNOW it,...your soiritg would be so transported

by His WORD as to throw into commotion the Greater World - how much more

this small and petty one! Thus have the showers of My bounty been Boured

down from the heaven of My loving-kindness, as a token of My grace.

[Page 25]

(kkk) “And when Thou didst purpose to unveil Thy sovereignty, and to glorify Thy WORD, and to reveal Thy bounteousness and mercy, Thou didst raise up

one of Thy servants, and didst choose Him above all Thy creatures...and

didst bid Him to cry out before all that are in heaven and on earth, and summon the multitudes to the MANIFESTATION of Thy Self and the Revealer

of Thy signs.”

(111) "Thou hast inspired the Pen with the mysteries of Thine eternity, and hidden it teach man that which he KNOWETH not, and caused him to partake

of the living waters of truth from the cup of Thy REVELATION and Thine inspiration.“

(mmm) ”Thou art He Who by a WORD of His mouth hath revolutionized the entire CREATION, and by a stroke of His pen hath divided Thy servants one from another.... Thou hast caused them to be born again, by reason of the living waters which have flowed down out of the mouth of Thy WILL."

(nnn) "The WORD of God and all the potentialitiesihereof shall be manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been fore-ordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the A11—Wise.... No sooner had MANKIND attained the stage of maturity, than the WORD revealed to men's eyes the latent energies with which it had been endowed.“

(000) ”The mysteries of the WORD of God...have been unveiled and made manifest, that haply thou mayest apprehend the morning light of divine guidance,...and maYest kindle, in the inmost chamber of thine heart, the new-born light of divine KNOWLEDSE and certitude.”

Hg should see, react to these givine Forces that alone can activate us spiritually

(ppp) "Behold how the generality of MANKIND hath been endued |~ith the capacity to hearken unto God's most exalted WORD — the WORD upon which must depend the gathering together and sgigitgg; resurrection of all men.”

(qqq) “The understanding of His (God's) WORDS and the comprehension of the utterances of the Birds of Heaven are in no wise dependent upon HUMAN learning. They depend solely upon purity of heart, chastity of SOUL, and freedom of spirit.“

(PT?) "By 'oppression' (mentioned in Bible prophecies) is meant the want of capacity to acquire apigitygg KNOWLEDGE and apprehend the W030 of God." (333) "Such a condition as this is witnessed in this day when the reins of every community have falleninothe grasp of foolish leaders, who leéd after their own whims and desire. On their tongue the mention of God hath become an empty.namg; in their midst His holy'WORD a dead letter."

(ttt) "When the channel of the HUMAN SOUL is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the Beloved"(HOLY SPIRIT?)"across the immeasurable distance, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude.... Once in about a thousand years shall this City be renewed and re-adorned...That City is none other than the WORD of God revealed in every age and dispensation.”

(uuu) "Thank God for...manifesting unto thee the Evident Light.... Thou

shalt advance unto the Lofty Station, acquire heavenly qualities and attain

KNOWLEDGE of the significances of the WORDS of God in this glorious day." _25 [Page 26]

GREATER WORLD

divine awareness

LESSEQ WORLD

ggiritual

awareness

-... .‘. _,..__._.. v————-—-—-—-—-.-~ - ..

awareness

L

(men) PROPHET (man)

E O 8 TO THE KINGDOM MANIFESTEQ n e m ir r IFE A I N o

(a) I'O my God, the God of bounty and mercy! Thou art that King by Whose commanding WORD the whole CREATION hath been called into being; and Thou art that AllBountiful One the doings of Whose servants have never ...frustrated the REVELATIONS of His bounty."

(b) "How supreme is Thy grandeur - a grandeur which He Who is Thy MANIFESTATION hath made known and wherewith Thou hast invested Him.“

(c) "The Divine Nature is seen in the MANIFESTATIONS and its Light and Splendor are visible....“(d) 'They are like the glass globe which receives light from the lamp. Although the light appears to emanate from the glass, in :gg;it¥ it is shining from the lamp."

(e) "The proceeding through MANIFESTATION...is the proceeding and the appearance of the HOLY SPIRIT and the WORD which is from God.”

(f) “These Countenances are the recipients of the

Divine Command, and the day-springs of His REVELATION. ...Inasmuch as the CAUSE is one and the same, the Exponents thereof also must needs be one and the same.“

(9) ”He Who is everlastingly hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His MANIFESTATIONS.”

(h) ”Were They to say, 'We are the Servants of God,‘ this...1s a manifest and indisputable fact....In this state, They have considered Themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the face of Him Who is the All-Pervading, the Incorruptible....They have regarded Themselves as utter nothingness, and deemed Their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy."

Ibex :gan§;§tg amgggnggg of ininitx igto HUMAN exngrignce

(1) "Their WORD is the WORD of God, Their commandment is the commandment of God, Their prohibition is the prohibition of God.....Their movement and repose come from divine inspiration, not from HUMAN passions."

(j) ”In all the Divine Books the promise of the Divine Presence hath been explicitly recorded. By this Presence is meant the Presence of Him Who is...the MANIFESTATION of...God.... God in His Essence and in His own Self hath ever been unseen, inaccessible, and UNKNOWABLE. By Presence, therefore, is meant-Presence of the One Who is

His Viceregent."

(k) "The Lord Christ said, 'He that hath seen ME hath seen the Father' - God NMNIFESTED in man.“

- 26 [Page 27]

n'eniable,inesgagable

(1) "At the time of the appearance of each MANIFESTATION of God, extraordinary progress has occurred in the world of minds, thoughts and sgirits. For example, in this divine age see what development has been attained in the world of minds and thoughts, and it is now only the beginning of its deWn."

(m) "Through His potency the Trees of Divine REVELATION have yielded their fruits, every one of which hath been sent down in the form of a PROPHET, bearing a Message to God's creatures in each of the worlds whose number God, alone, in His a11~encompassing KNOWLEDGE, can reckon. This He hath accomplished through the agency of but one Letter of His WORD, revealed by His Pen - a Pen moved by His directing Finger ~ His Finger itself sustained by the RRWfl: of God's Truth."

(n) "The solar system is dark and obscure, and in it the sun is the center of light, and all-the planets of the system revolve around its might and are partakers of its bounty. The sun is the cause of LIFE and illumination, and the means of the growth and development of all the beings of the solar system....In like manner, the Holy MANIFESTATIONS of God are the centers of the light of gegliix..o. They are splendent in the world of hearts and thoughts, and shower eternal graces upon the world...; they give spiritual LIFE, and are shining with the light of gggliiigg and meanings. The enlightenment of the world of thought comes from these centers of LIGHT.... Without the bounty of the splendor and the instructions of these Holy Beings, the world of SOULS and thoughts would be opaque darkness. Without the irrefutable teachings of those Sources of mysteries, the HUMAN world would become the pasture of animal appetites and qualities, the existence of everything would be unreal, and there would be no true LIFE."

[fig HOL! SPIflIT. WILL, WQEQ, §§U§E 9f god, embogied in each MANIFESTATICN: effective!

(0) "The Realit of Christ, that is to say the WORD of God, is the CAUSE of seiritual LIFg. It is a quickening sgiri_JS

(p) "If we look into the mirror we see the sun, and we say: it is the

sun. Therefore the WORD and the HOLY SPIRIT, which signify the perfec tions of God, are the divine appearance. This is the meaning of the verse

in the Gospel which says: 'The WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.'... The perfections of Christuhave the gower of the WORD, because a complete meaning can be inferred from a WORD. As the Reality of Christ was the MANIFESTATION of the divine perfections, therefore it was like the WORD. Why? Because He is the sum of perfect meanings. This is why He is called the WORD."

(q) ”Wert thou to say that this sun is the former sun, thou speakest the truth, and if thou sayest that this sun is the Mreturn of that sun, thou also Speakest the truth."

(r) "Unlock, O people, the gates of the hearts of men with the keys of the remembrance of Him Who is...the Source of wisdom amongst you."

(5) "Let your ears be attentive unto His WORD9 so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from thenwaters of constancy, and become as steadfast and unmovable as the mountain in His CAUSE."

[Page 28]To a e he 1' f F A . s ee is Pur ee n

(t) "God has purposed that the darkness of the world of nature shall be dispelled and the imperfect attributes of the natal self be effaced in the effulgent reflection of the Sun.n.The mission of the Prophets of God has been to train the SOULS...and free them from the thraldom of natural instincts and physical tendencies." (u) He"hath caused those luminous Gems...to appear...that They may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of H15...Essence."

(v) 'God has sent forth the Prophets for the Burgose of quickening the SCUL of man into higher and divine recognitions."

(w) "It was in order to bring this spiritual LIFE‘and light into the world that all the great Teachers have appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth might be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men."

(x) "He must...impart sgiritual education; so that intelligence and comprehension may penetrate the metaphysical world, and may receive benefit from the sanctifying breeze of the HOLY SPIRIT, and may enter into relationship with the Supreme Concourse"(Greater World). '

(y) "Single-handed and alone They faced the world and all its peoples, and promulgated the LAN of God!"

(2) "We (MANIFESTATIONS) had no other purpose except to edify the SOULS

of men, and to exalt the blessed WORD." (aa) "Through that WORD the Eggilfilgg of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing...entities of a new CREATION. '

(bb) "These Essences of Detachment, these resplendent Realities are the channels of God's all-pervasive grace. Led by the light of unfailing guidance, and invested with supreme sovereignty, They are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their WORDS...and the sanctifying breeze of Their REVELATION for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptive sgirit

from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitations."

(cc) "How great, O my God, is this Thy most excellent handiwork...! Thou didst unloose His tongue...to lay bare Thy mysteries before all Thy CREATION...! Through Him all created things were made to glorify Thee,...and every SOUL was directed towards the KINGDOM of Thy REVELATION.

Thgs Thei; Purpgse is ng's szggse in relation to man; Thei; Dower: Divine visign

(dd) "None of the Prophets of God were famous men, but They were unique

in Spiritual Bower. LOVE is the eternal sovereignty. LOVE is the gixing 90w 1." (ea) "The Holy MANIFESTATIONS are the sources of miracles.... For through a gynerngtura; gowe; wonders appear from Them, and by .his 9 , which is beyond nature, They influence the world of nature."

(ff) "These visible arts and present implements are from the results of His KNOWLEDGE and wisdom, which have been revealed from the Supreme Pen."

(99) "Would that ye had the Bower to perceive the things your Lord...doth see...l" (hh) "Whatever emanates from Them is identical with the truth."

-28 [Page 29]

IDQ ergig, life-nattegn, gpjggtige gng natuzg 9f Lbfl MAN1F§§TATION are now clear

Qrgain: From the KINGDOM MANIFESTED or §rgat§; flogig ("heaven“): (ii) God

"has caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of sgirit, in the noble form of the HUMAN temple." (jj) "Christ... came from heaven, though apparently from the womb; in the same way also, at His second coming, He will come from heaven, though apparently from the womb."

Liig_ngttg;n: (kk) "Every one of Them...connecteth this world with the realms

above." (11) "He brings down into the world of action His spiritual conception and ideals." (mm) He radiates "the light.. (that is)responsib1e for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples." He

has "provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse

in the world of being." (nn) "Out of every manifestation of His invincible power oceans of eternal light have outpoured."

(00) "Jesus Christ...accepted every calamity and suffering in order to guide men to the truth. " (pp) BAHA' U' LLAH "consented to be bound with chains that MANKIND may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted

to be made a prisoner...that the whole woxld may attain unto true liberty."

Objectggg: Theirs is God's Purgose for Them. (qq) "They have no aim except

the exaltation of the WORD of God,uthe improvement of the masses, soiritg3; progress, the promulgation of universal peace, goodwill...and kindness.

'0

Nature of the MANIFESTATION: "We KNOW Him as the Perfect or Divine Man, (rr) in

Look

the condition of a clear mirror, in which the Sun of Reality becomes visible and manifest with all its qualities and perfections. So the Reality of Christ was a clear and polished mirror of the greatest purity and fineness." ($5) The Perfect Man, the Prophet, is One Who is transfigured... One Who reflects the Sun of Truth (DEITY).... If we claim that the sun is seen in the mirror, we do not mean that the sun itself has descended from the holy heights of his heaven and entered the mirror! This is impossible. The Divine Nature is seen in the MANIFESTATIONS...."

(tt) "He hath ordained that in every age...a pure and stainless SOUL be manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature: the physical, pertaining to the world of MATTER, and the s iritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself.n.The first..., which is related

to His inmost realit , representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself.... The second station is the HUMAN station, exemplified by...: ‘I am but a man like you.'"

at the picture on p.26, noting that (uu) "The MANIFESTATIONS have three planesvr First, the physica; realitx, which depends upon the body; secondly, the indivigug; (HUMAN) reality,....the RATIONAL SOUL; thirdly, the divine appearance, which is the divine perfections, the cause of His LIFE of existence and the education of SOULS, of the guidance of people, and of the enlightenment of the contingent world."

(vv) "All that HUMAN reality KNOWS, discovers, and understands of the names, the attributes, and the perfections of God, refer to these Holy MANIFESTATICNS. There is no access to anything else: 'the way is closed.'"

NIFESTATIC Whose KINGDOM is the Gre e o b W 0 takes the fggm e i 1 of e tu e we fa e 11 e O of ivinit and DEI

-29..

[Page 30]' F W0 D T CO DITION OF SER ITUD

WM to o ne able esti adee a1

(a) "KNOW that the conditions of existence are limited to the conditions of servitude, of Prophethood, and of DEITY." Please reread page 15 here.

(b) ‘Glory be to Thee, O my God! The gower of Thy might beareth me witness! I can have no doubt that should the holy breaths of Thy lovingkindness and the breeze of Thy bountiful favor cease, for less than the twinkling of an eye, to breathe over all created things, the entire CREATION would perish, and all that are in heaven and on earth would be reduced to utter nothingness." (c) "Thou didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore Thou didst, through a WORD of Thy mouth, bring CREATION into being and fashion the universe."

(d) "Bear thou witness...that there is none other God but Him, that all

else besides Him have been created by His behest, have been fashioned by

His leave, are subject to His LAW, are as a thing forgotten when compared to the glorious evidences of His oneness, and are as nothing when brought face to face with the mighty REVELATICNS of His unity."

s on as e sun's r s demand on he s n: m t

(e) "The connection between God and the creatures is that of the creator

to the CREATION; it is like the connection between the sun and the dark bodies of contingent beings, and is the connection between the maker and

the thingsmhe has made." (f) "Such an existence is a ggntinaegt and fig; aij¢§9131g_33;§$gngg, inasmuch as...(it) is preceeded by a gaggg." (g) "The dependence...is a dependence of emanation.... The relation is that of emanation.... The light of the sun emanates from the sun,...the globe of the sun does not become divided and does not descend to the earth....(Ihus) all creatures emanate from God;...it is by God that all things are realized" (made REAL), "and by Him that all beings have attainedfihxistence.“ (h) Through Him all things live, move, and have their being!

e so d o o o

-—--— 4. I , (1) "Dost thou belieVe thou hast the gower to frustrate His WILL, to hinder Him from executing H15 judgr—- ment, or to deter Him from exercising His sovereignty? ...Nothing whatsoever in the whole of CREATION can

thwart His Purges . Cast away, therefore, the mere conceits thou dost follow, for mere conceit can

r . I never take the place of truth."

.e..__._ ._..‘

vealer of the Supreme Being holdeth, for all TIME, undisputed sovereignty over all that is in heaven and on earth, though no man be found on earth to obey

., \ w {\\J (j) "Verily He Who is the Day-Star of Truth and Re

Hlm." (k) He "holdeth in His grasp the KINGDOM of the entire CREATION." (l) "Divine WILL pervad

c a 5 "A T p o N eth all that is in the heavens and...on the earth." . ' ' g I i . i ' l q ' E g - (m & n) "O God of Mercy, Thou Whose power pervadeth I t { 1 l' h ‘ ‘ all created things,...in Thy grasp are the reins of ampere p cture p.12 ' all that.arein heaven and on earth."

-30..

[Page 31]mu se er 5 ts bein

Eyzgg§g_agg_ggggnx (o) 'God...hath called into being His creatures that they may KNOW Him....He hath sent His Messengers, Whom He hath commissioned to announce unto men tidings of the Paradise of His good pleasure, and to draw them nigh unto the Haven of abiding security, the Seat of eternal holiness and transcendent glory." (p) "By a word of His command all that are in heaven and on earth have come to exist, and by His wish, which is the Primal WILL itself, all have stepped out of utter nothinghess intO'the realm of being, the'world of the visible." (q) "Say: the essence of all none; is God's, the highest and the last End of all CREATICN."

Dziafl1= (r) W30d...out of utter nothingness, hath created the gealitx of all things...and...rescuing His creatures from the abasement of remoteness and the perils of ultimate extinction, hath received them into His KINGDOM of incorruptible glory." (s) "From Him is derived the source of the

systenangg of all things."

thggiixg: (t) "Divine unity and understanding - the essential and highest nagggsg in CREATION.“ (u) "The process of His CREATION hath had no beginning, and can have no end." But (v) "'I swear by My LIFE! Nothing save that which profiteth them can befall My loved ones.'"

at e = (w) ”A11 beings...were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees....Not one of the beings ...at its coming into existence has reached the limit of perfection. No, they gradually grow and develop, and then attain the degree of perfection."

(x) “All divine philosophers and men of wisdom and understanding, when observing these endless beings, have considered that in this great and infinite universe all things end in the mineral kingdom, that the outcome of the mineral kingdom is the vegetable kingdom, the outcome of the vegetable kingdom is the animal kingdom and the outcome of the animal kingdom the world of man. The consummation of this limitless universe with all its grandeur and glory hath been man himself."

But earthly life, man's existence in "this Great Workshop with all its gower, its bewildering magnificence and endless perfections, cannbt" eventually come to naught. That still another LIFE should exist is thus certain, and, just as the vegetable kingdom is unaware of the world of man, so we, too, KNOW not of the Great LIFE hereafter that followeth the LIFE of man here below. Our non—comprehension of that LIFE, however, is no proof of its non-existence....Numerous and conclusive proofs exist... that this infinite world cannot end with this HUMAN LIFE."

Egtuge: (y) "The wonders of His boundless grace...have pervaded the whole of CREATION. Such is their virtue that not a single atom in the entire universe can be found which doth not declare the evidences of His might. ...50 perfect and comprehensive is His CREATION that no mind nor heart, however keen, or pure, can ever grasp the nature of the most insignificant

of His creatures." (2) His "image is reflected in the mirror of...CREATION."

(3a) "Consider the relation between the craftsman and his handiwork, between the painter and his painting. Can it ever be maintained that the work their hands have produced is the same as themselves?...They can be regarded in no other light except as evidences that proclaim the excellence and perfection of their author." (bb) "However perfect the picture may be, in comparison with the painter it is in the utmost degree of imperfection."

-31 [Page 32]X. A'CQSE-Uj’ OF CREATION AS A REALLI!

935mm 1,; mg KINGDOM . mg Kiggciom of mm m rggugy is me reality

(a) "Man...is the Book of CREATION because all the mysteries of beings exist in him." (b) "The xgaliti of man is the collective

xgalitx, the general Lgalltx, and ismwhere the glory of all the perfections of God shine

forth." (c) "He has chosen the zsaLLgx of man and has honored it with the intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world."

(d) "Man becomes the collective center of ir'tual as well as MATERIAL forces, so thatfifiivine s irit may manifest itself in his being:‘ e) "God has opened the doors of ideal virtues and attainments before the face of man. He has created in his being the mysteries of the divine kingdom. He has bestowed upon him the Eower of intellect so that through the attribute of _ reason, when fortified by the HOLY SPIRIT, he may penetrate and discover ideal zealiiisa."

(f) "Man is the highest species because he is the possessor of the perfections of all the classes....As well as having the perfections of the mineral, of the vegetable, and of the i- animal, he also possesses an especial ex\XV cellence which the other beings are without; that is, the intellectual perfections. Therefore mah is the most noble of beings."

(g) "The All-loving God created man to radiate the Divine Light and to illumine the world by his words, action and LIFE." (h) "Only the zealiix of man can become the mirror wherein the lights of God are revealed.“

9 o o R an b vi w'n e c hase of their bein

ur e e z (i) "Wishing to reveal Thyself, Thou didst call into being the Greater and the Lesser Worlds, and didst choose Man above all Thy creatures, and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, O Thou Who art our Lord, the Most Compassionate!“

(j) "Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He... chose to confer upon mantheunique distinction and capacity to KNOW Him and

to LOVE Him - a capacity that must needs be regarded as...the primary 92;: Ease underlying the whole of CREATION....Upon the inmost zeality of each

and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and

made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the nglitx of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of his...attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self."

o E is bo the Purnose and ower of CRE TIO an of ma

~32 [Page 33]M i k' IO ' o f w eness of 'v' i

Qxigin of man and of CREATION is DEITY: (k) “He hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His KNOWLEDGE, so that none of His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its capacity and rank, this KNOWLEDGE. This sign is the mirror of His beauty in the world of CREAB TION." (1) "Consequently the Divinity of God, which is the sum of all perfactions, reflects itself in the reality of man....Man then is the perfect mirror facing the Sun of Truth, and is the center of radiation: the Sun of

. Truth shines in this mirror."

wer, pattern and objective of man and of CREATION are seen to be: to KNOW and to LOVE Divinity. (m) "T ese energies with which...(He) hath endowed the reaiitx of man lie, howeve ?tVEthin him...(and) may be obscured by worldly desires even as the light of the sun can be concealed beneath the dust...which covers the mirror.... Unlessufihe dust)is blotted out from the face of the mirror, it can never represent the image of the sun nor reflect its light and glory.“

This brings us to the activity and attributes of man and of CREATION: (n) “Every created thing in the whole'universe is but a door leading into His KNOWLEDGE, a sign of His sovereignty, a REVELATION of His names, a symbol of His majesty, a token of His QQEQL, a means of admittance into His straight Path." (0) "All things,'in their inmost LEELLEXa testify to the REVELATION bf‘the‘names and-attgibutes éf4God within them." (P) "If there were no man, the perfections of the soigit would not appear, and the light of the mind would not be resplendent in this world."

divine CR TION kin o f e ven ori ' and b'ec 'v how can evil

(q) “Briefly, the intellectual zealitigs, such as all the'quaiities and admirable perfections of man, are purely good, and exist. Evil is simply their non-existence.... In the same way, the sensible Realities are absolutely good, and evil is due to theiern-existence.... Nevertheless,... it is possible that one thing in relation to another may be evil, and at the same TIME within the limits of its proper being it may not be evil.“

(r) "In CREATION there is no evil; all is good.... In CREATION and nature evil does not exist at all; but when the natural qualities of man are

used in an unlawful way,they are blameworthy." (s) "Man...is at the last degree of darkness, and at the beginning of light.... He has the animal side as well as the angelic side."

(t)"0 SON OF DESIREI... Wings have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy. The comb, too, have I given thee that thou mayest dress....My hair, and not lacerate (or cut) My throat.’ (u) "Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves."*

kin s o

the (v) "HUMAN KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds. One isAKNOWLEDGE of things perceptible to the senses.... The other kind of HUMAN KNOWLEDGE is intellectua1;... A xgalitx of the intellect...is not perceptible to the senses." (w) KNOW that beings are of two kinds: MATERIAL and spigitugl; those perceptible to the senses and those intellectual." (x) "Man is in the highest degree of MATERIALITY, and at the beginning of spigituality."

33

[Page 34]x1 J I Y. F -O- E SOU e f o o r l o r f KNOW DGE of t is 5 10 5 re i a SOU

(a) "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over...a11 the earth.... So God created man in His own image.“

(b) "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,and breathed into his nostrils the breath of LIFE; and man became a living SOUL."

We can only picture the SOUL as being composed of:

£3éigitual Substggcg, which includes KNOWINQ oowe; that shows in what goes on in

the head, whose symbol is:

(:k and LQVE ggweg. These together generate the gegligy, following a LIFE

gaitgzn that originates and moves 0g; oi Lugs wgglg, symbolized by (_). These 0 e , which we learn,constitute sglglt, show perceptibly

as dynamic 141:5 gng Loyg.

Isn't the shape of a heart the most suitable form for cembining these elements? A OW we a uc w‘L n this fascin 'n r all 0

(d) "Man - the true man - is SOUL, not body; though physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his SOUL lifts him above the rest of CREATION. ... The SOUL it is which makes the HUMAN creature a celestial entity."

(e) "Verily I say, the HUMAN SOUL is, in its essence, one of the signs

of God, a mystery among His mysteries. It is one of the mighty signs of the Almighty, the harbinger that proclaimeth the Ee§;itx of all the worlds of God. Within it liéWconcealed that which the world is NOW utterly incapable of apprehending."

(f) ‘KNOW, verily, that the SOUL is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose Lgalitx the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel. It is the first among "all created things to declare the excellence of its Creator, the first

to recognize His glory, to cleave to His truth, and to bow down in adoration before Him."

(9) "The superiority of man over the rest of the created world is seen ...in this, that man has a SOUL in which dwells the divine sgigit; the SOULS of the lower creatures are inferior in theh'essence. There is no doubt then, that of all created beings man is the nearest to the nature of God, and therefore receives a greater gift of the Divine Bounty.”

34

[Page 35]e is no doub th t YOU are much more than 'us h i r a ism or a 1 a1

(h) "In man there is a reality which is not the physical body....This

other and inner reality is called the heavenly body.,“This is the

conscious rea;ity....the inner reality which comprehends things, throws light upon the mysteries of LIFE and being, discovers the heavenly KINGDOM unseals the mysteries of God, and differentiates man from the brute."

On the oooosite oaqe is the svmbol-realitv of this "heavenlv bodv" - the SOUL. The fact that it is your "inner reality" means that it is closer in toward DEITY, or "above" the body. If you will turn to p.32 and draw, in pencil, this symbol in such a position in the picture there, you will see the relative position of the SOUL in CREATION. How high up should it be placed? No one can answer that. The important point is that the SOUL i§_£;egtgg in higher (inner) condition of being.

A ENOWING Qower higher than the animal's sets the SOUL aboye the MATERIAL world

(i) "The lowest degree of intelligence is that of the animals.., the

natural feeling which appears through the powers of the senses, and which

is called sensation. In this, men and animals are sharers....."

(j) "Man is like the animal in physical structure, but otherwise immeasurably separated and superior.” (k) "Just as the animal is more noble than the vegetable and mineral so man is superior to the animal."

(1) "What difference is there between the animal and man? The difference is this: that the animal is not capable of apprehending the divine teachings, whereas man is worthy of them and possesses the capacity to understand. In the animal kingdom there is no such bestowal."

Bx what goes on gboyg your ears, YOU enter the "ggiritual" goggition of existence

(m) "First and foremost among...favors which the Almighty hath conferred upon man, is the gift of understanding. His gurpose in conferring such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to KNOW and recognize the one true God." (n) With "the RATIONAL faculty...God hath endowed the essence of man." (0) "God's greatest gift to man is that of intellect, or understanding(“funderstanding is the power by which man acquires his KNOWLEDGE of the several kingdoms of CREATION, and of various stages of existence, as well as of much which is invisible."

We've learned that (p) "beings are of two kinds: MATERIAL and s iritua , those perceptible to the senses and those intellectual," so we see that your body is a MATERIAL being whereas your SOUL is got perceptible to the sense ; and we see where the line is drawn between the two levels of existence.

e 80 L s NOWI owe h m k 5 us e o m re 9 sen es erceive

(q) ” Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty

I have willed to entrust your SOULS, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true KNOWLEDGE of your own selves.‘ 35

4"‘

[Page 36]ggg ggngg have created U§ KNOWING and LOVING Him; but that was NOT His purpose

,(r) “‘If God had pleased He had surely made all men one people.‘ His ngggggg, however, is to enable the pure in sgirit and the detached in heart to ascend, by virture of their own innate gowe;s,...that thereby they who seek the Beauty of the All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward and perverse.”

He aives m hoi resnonsibi 1 about fulfillina His Purgose (5) ”Some things are subject to the free will of man...(and) there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled; such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of Qower, injuries and misfortunes....But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will....Also the inaction, or the movement of man, depends upon the assistance of God....but the choice of good or evil belongs to man himself.‘

XQQB §QUL'S Pgrgose WILL be fulfilled, but when ang to what degree is up 19 YOQ

(t) “Can ye imagine that...the potency of My WILL and gggggge hath been deterred from direCting the destinies of MANKIND?"

(u) "The essence of LOVE is for man to turn his heart to the Beloved One, and sever himself from all else but God, and desire naught save that which

is the desire of his Lord.... The essence of understanding is to testify to one's poverty, and submit to the WILL of the Lord, the Sovereign... Ehe source of all learning is the KNOWLEDGE of God.”

[hoggb man was createg to have "domigion ove; the garthg‘he has to gain it himself

(v) "A11 created things except man are captives of nature and the seas; world, but in man there has been created an ideal Qowe; by which he may

perceive intellectual or spiritual :eglities."

(w) “The animal CREATION is captive to MATTER: God has given freedom to man. The animal cannot escape the LAW of nature, whereas man may control it, for he, containing nature, can rise above it. The ngg; of the HOLY SPIRIT, enlightening man's intelligence, has enabled him to discover means of bending many natural LAWS to his will. He flies through the air, floats on the sea, and even moves under the waters. All this proves how man's intelligence has been enabled to free him from the limitations of nature, and...to a certain extent, (he) has broken the chains of MATTER." (x) l'Man alone, by this sgigitugl power, has been able to free himself, to soar above the world of MATTER and to make it his servant."

59 109 be mggt build his own KNOWLEDGE ggd LOME and "imaoe of God” within himsgli

(y) "While possessing physical LIFE, he should lay hold of the LIFE gpigitugl, and together with bodily comforts and happiness, he should enjoy divine pleasures and content. Then is man worthy of the title man; then will he be 'after the image and likeness of God,’ for the image of the Merciful consists of the attxibgtgs of the heavenly KINGDOM."

(z) ”0 SON OF SPIRIT: Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created....Thou art

even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of its sheath and its value hidden.... Wherefore come forth drom the sheath of self."

36

[Page 37]CREATION is thg §INGQQM of §OULS, pg; incl des sub~HU existence too: "natugg"

(aa) "The servant of His threshold ruleth over all created things!"

(bb) "All phenomenal beings - the plants

in their kingdom, even the animals with {,_‘x

their intelligence - are nature's subjects

and captives. All live within the bounds "NATURE" of natural LAW, and nature is the ruler

of all except man. Man is not the captive

of nature...he has overcome natural LAW

and made it subservient to his wishes....

Man has intelligence; nature has not. Man

has volition; nature is minus. Man has '

memory;unature is deprived. Man has the

perceptive faculty; nature cannot perceive.

It is therefore proved and evident that

man is nobler than nature." , [“T} (\QD. I I __

11EUEUILJJLJlELEMJEBIALhwprld" (cc). nhvsical realm. t e' - - w s 0 er 8 ULS learn to LIVE. and to KNOW agd LOVE gag

(dd) ”Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee to appear, and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence and the essence of all created things."

" " as ' s o ' ~ 5 P r ose oowe and ori in re divine See . (ee) "Thou didst, through a WORD of Thy mouth, bring CREATION into being and fashion the universe."

(ff) "Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom cg names and attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the Egg ?fDivine WILL, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and general is this REVELATION that nothing whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His splendor....Were the Hand of Divine Qower to divest of this high endowment all created things, the entire universe would become desolate and void."

(99) "Every created thing in the whole universe is but a door leading into His KNOWLEDGE, a sign of His sovereignty, a REVELATION of His names, a symbol of His majesty, a token of His Qower, a means of admittance into His straight Path.“

t ur NOW ack i man reflects- is limited re ative im erfec

(hh) "As to thy question whether the physical world is subject to any .limitations, KNOW that the comprehension of this matter dependeth upon the observer himself. In one sense, it is limited; in another, it is exalted __,Beyond all limitations.... . His CREATION, likewise, hath had no beginning, and will have no end."

(ii) "The world of things As the world of imperfection.... When imperfections reach the station of perfection, they become eternal."

[Page 38]WST PHASE OF THE SOUL WE MUST VIEW IS ITS POWER WHICJi IS CALLED 5191311

.reat t e SOUL Ts tie Burgose of its beige, defines its Qowegg

POWER SOURCE (a) ”He (God)...chose to confer...the unique Powgr Hoggg ...papacitv to KNOW Him and to LOVE Him — a

gagagitv that must needs be regarded as the

Generating impulse and primary gurgose underlying the whole of CREATION.”

Thus the power of CREATION ~ 1L5 SPIRIT - is he ual ow r to KNOW a o LOV ivini .

MANIFESTATION Soirii; defined (Oxford Dictionary): TRMSFORMEP'animating principle or influence" 1

The MANIFESTATION has the hiahest decree_9f 0 sgirit: (b) “The greatest gower...the HOLY SPIRIT, exists in the Divine MANIFESTATIONS."

“a ”—n .

begins (c) "The greatest Egye; in the realm and range

of HUMAN existence is SPIRIT - the divine breath ll " l! '! ! which animates and pervades all things." i - (d) "The phenomena of the universe find realization through the one gower animating and dominating all things; and all things are but manifesta tions of its energy and bounty.“

m.

“'LCVE is the breath Of the HOLY SPIRIT in thfi hear; of man” (e) Immortality

b§222§ SPIRIT ”is manifested tbrouqhout CREATIQfl_in differ- TION ent degrees" (as electricity is) "or kingdoms." (f)

~— . __‘.—_

lNSTI-f" " . i ?

H ‘F‘

_ u LA“

(g) "The HQMAN soirit which distinguishes man from the animal is the RATIONAL SOUL; and these two names - the HUMAN geixit and the RATIONAL SOUL - designate

«-ov.

' l

' one thing." (h) "Man is the sum of every previous tjfljfj;g CREATION, for he contains them all. To man is giveq LARGE‘:tfi~ :‘

the special gift of the intellect." ”TOR ‘nw ;«1'rn

d} (i) "The animal sgirit is the oowe; ofAthe senses, [ which is realized from the composition and mingling g of elements; when this composition decomposes, the ; gower also perishes and becomes annihilated.” EELECTRIC

(j) ”The vegetable sgigit is the Qower of growth which is brought about in the seed through the in- . fluence of other existences.“ (k)- Thus "the plant '

‘ aome °.. I

has the power of existing and growing.” . D U . CO G (1) "Certain atoms are bound together by chemical (:Efl affinity...." (m) W here "there is the ggwg; of [1] LIFE growth...that pgnmg;;finggwth is the §913it." BQ££L L] (fig) (m) "Minerals are endowed with a spigit and LIFE . g; ' according to the requirements of that stage." 71 MP

- 38 [Page 39]SPIRIT is a REALITY: its origin and Punpose are YOUR origin and Purngse, invinciblb

(n) "When it is said in the Bible that God breathed His SPIRIT into man, this SPIRIT is that which, like the discourse, emanates from the Real Speaker, taking effect in the reality of man."

(0) "The spirit of man must vauire its bounties from the KINGDOM of God in order that it may become the mirror and manifestation of lights and the dawning-point of divine traces."

Ih§AHOLY SPIRIT; the MANIFESTATICNS'Syis absolute KNOWLEDGE. selfless LOVE. of God

(p) 'Theirs is the "sort of KNOWLEDGE which is the KNOWLEDGE of being,... intuitive,...like the cognizance and consciousness that man has of himself ... The universal MANIFESTATIONS of God..,understand all things, therefore Their KNOWLEDGE is divine KNONLEDGE, and not acquired...it is a holy bounty, it is a divine REVELATION."

(q) "The greatest bestowal of God is LOVE. LOVE is the source of all the bestowals of God.”

flIhe HOLY SPIRIT is the eneraizing factor in the LIFE of man.” (I)

(s) "The HOLY SPIRIT is the Bounty of God, and the luminous rays which emanate from the MANIFESTATIONS." (t) "The SPIRIT of Christ is a heavenly grace which descends from heaven; whosoever receives light from that SPIRIT,...the heavenly Teachings, finds everlasting LIFE."

(u) "As the sun is to the body of a man, so is the Sun of Truth to his SCUL." (v) "The LOVE of God...means LIFE to our SOULS.... There is nothing greater or more blessed than the LOVE of God!"

3:39! the HOLY SPIRIT is the deqree called faith. the spirit of an immortal SOUL.

(w) “The fifth" (highest) degree of “spirit is the HOLY SPIRIT...(whiCh) is the Mediator between God and His creatures." (x) "The fourth degree of sgirit isnthe sgirit of faith...; it comes from the breath of the HOLY SPIRIT, and by the divine gower it becomes the cause of eternal LIFE.

It is the Bower which makes the earthly man heavenly, and the imperfect man perfect;...it makes the ignorant wise.” (Y) "The HUMAN irit, unless assisted by the s irit of faith, does not become vauainted with

the divine secrets and the heavenly realities."

(2) “When we speak of the SOUL we mean the motive Eower ofufihé physical body.... If the SOUL identifies itself with the MATERIAL world it remains dark...; but if it becomes the recipient of the graces of the world of mind, its darkness will be transformed into iight,...its ignorance into wisdom, its aggression into loving kindness.”

(aa) "§Qigit cannot be perceived by the MATERIAL senses of the physical body, excepting as it is expressed in outward signs and works. The HUMAN body is visible, the SOUL is invisible. It is the SOUL nevertheless that directs a man's faculties, that governs his humanity."

(bb) I‘In the world of existence there is nothing so important as snizii;

nothing so essential as the sgirit of man. The sgirit.of man is the most

noble of phenomena. The spirit of man is the meeting between man and God.

The sgirit of man is the animus of HUMAN LIFE and the collective center

of all HUMAN virtues. The sgirit of man is the illuminationnpf'this world." - 39 _

[Page 40]WWW L S E

9 v n: v I u.‘ =|= e . ., .9‘_- “n. I! t‘ o...‘t71 1e 9 5 of bein (a) ”It has been before explained that 5911;; is universally divided into five categories: the vegetable ggigit, the animal 5 irit, the

HUMAN s irit, the spirit of faith, and the HOLY SPIRIT." (b) The HOLY SPIRIT is the bounty of God, and the luminous rays which emanate from the MANIFESTATIONS."

‘ e S b e s e e s of

(c) "Whoso hath been quickened by its vitalizing power, will find himself impelled to attain the court of the Beloved; and whose hath deprived himself therefrom, will sink into irretrievable despondency."

hearing (d) "A man sees, hears or speaks - seeinguand speaking being the different functions of the same powg; or reaiitx that animates him....The one invisible primal essence had various names."

(e) "There is still another DQWQL which is differentiated from that of the SQJL and mind" (th ough the SOUL has access to it). "This...pgwe; is the spirit which is an emanation from the divine Bestower...., the spigit 2§_£aith, the sgirit...Christ refers to when He says, 'Those that are born of the flesh are flesh, and those that are born of the ggirit are sgirit.'" Faith "is the axis round which the eternal LIFE revolves."

(f) "The iSilill of man is the collective reality, the general reali v, and is the center where the glory of all the perfections of God shine forth."

5 like e tric't is a °~line ci cu't whose positive ener is LOVE, limited by its KNOHING power (9) "O SON OF THE WONDROUS VISION! I have breathed within thee a breath of My own SPIRIT, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me?"

(h) “The breeze of holiness, laden with the LOVE of Thy Lord, (hath) stirred thy sgigit within thee, and the waters of understanding have washed from thee the stains of remoteness and ungodliness."

(i) ”The first sign of faith is ILNE."

(j) "The LIFE of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the LIFE of the spigit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of feign and partaken of the fruit of certitude."

(k) "The sgirit in the SOUL is the very essence of LIFE."

(1) "When the gowe; of attraction (LINKING), which holds...atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases to exist."

(m) "This limitless universe is like the HUMAN body, all the members of which are connected and LINKED with one another with the greatest strength ..., and influence one another 5 iritua l and MATERIALLY€"

_ 4o [Page 41]In soace NOW. acts and attributes show the snirit of "Nature": LINKING as God wills

(n) "'God...hath reared the heavens without pillars thou canst behold; ...and imposed LAWS on the sun and moon: each traveleth to its appointed goal. He ordereth all things. He maketh His signs clear.”'

(0) “Nature is subjected to an absolute organization, to determined LAWS, to a complete order and finished design, from which it will never depart. ,..Thus it is clear that the natural movements of all things are compelled. ...Nature...is in the grasp of Almighty God Who is the Ruler of the world of Nature: vwhatever He wishes He causes Nature to manifest.“

(p) "The animal possesses no 92mg; of ideation or conscious intelligence; it is a captive of the sgqggs....But that which is beyond the range of the senses, that realm of phenomena through which the conscious pathway to the KINGDOM of God leads, the world of spiritual susceptibilities and divine RELIGION - of these the animal is completely unaware.“

Feeling and KNOWING begin to show as two powers in animals; and continue toA in SOULS

(q) “The physical sensibilities and instincts are common to animal and man.“ in degree

(I) "The Qower of the understanding (fifigfllflg_pgflgg) differs in the war ious kingdoms of CREATION. The mineral, vegetable, and animal raalws are

each incapable of understanding eny CREATION beyond their own.n.The animal

cannot realize the intelligence of the HUMAN being, he only KN W5 that

which is perceived by his animal senses, he cannot imagine anything in the

abstract....All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the inferior.“

(5) "Man is not man simply because of bodily attributes. The standard of divine measure and judgment is his intelligence and spirit." (t) “To

- man is given the special gift of the intellect by which he is able to receive a larger share of the light Divine. The Perfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth, manifesting the gttgibutes of God."

(u) ”The animalnis a captive of the senses and deprived of that which lies beyond them. It is subject to what the eye sees, the ear hears, the nostrils sense, the taste detects and touch reveals. These sensations are acceptable and sufficient for the animal." (v) But in man "mind is the perfection of the sgirit, and is its essential quality.

KNOWING power shows in each kinqdom as the intelligence to he and do as God wills

(w) "Yea, these mentionings that have been made of the grades of KNOWLEDGE relate to the KNOWLEDGE of the MANIFESTATIONS of that Sun of BealityP

which casteth Its light upon the Mirrors. And the splendor of that light is in the hearts, yet it is hidden under the veilings of sense and the conditions of this earth, even as a candle within a lantern of iron, and only when the lantern is removed doth the light of the candle shine out."

(x) "Every one who partakes of this bounty and receives these perfections...will be freed from the darkness of error, and will be illuminated by the light of His guidance.“ (y) “The foundation of success and salvation is the KNOWLEDGE of God, and...the results of the KNOWLEDGE of God are the good actions which are the fruits of faith. If man has not this KNOWLEUSE, he will be separated from God, and when this separation exists, good actions have not complete effect."

- 41 _

[Page 42]XIVl THE NEXT PHASES 9f [HE SOUL WE MUST VIEW ARE ITS ORIGIN. PATTERN AND OBJECTIVE The REAL veg, the SOULa has a divine oriqin. not a MATERIAL one; God created YOU

_ DEITY _ _ (a) "The Creator of all is One God. From this same God all CREATION sprang into existence."

(b) “Interaction, cooperation and interrelation amongst beings are under the direction and WILL of a motive Power which is the ori in, the motive force and pivot of all interractions in

the universe."

(c) "Such forces as have their g;ig;g in this world of dust are, by their very nature, un~ worthy of consideration."

d l i” m 59 I o I W Ill! iri ual substance of the SOUL is intelligence and

// LOVE ,/ (d) "Out of the essence of KNOWLEDGE I gave thee

being....0ut of the clay of LOVE I molded thee.”

(e) "The incomparable Creator hath created all men from one substance, and hath exalted their ’ 13g}i$x,above the rest of His creatures."

Soiritual ’ Condition (f) "Unto each one hath been prescribed a preof CREATION ordained measure, as decreed in God's...Tablets."

(9) "Difference in capacity in HUMAN individuals is fundamental."

(h) "Some think that the body is the substance and exists by itself, and that the sgirit is accidental and depends upon the substance of the body...0n the contrary, the RATIONAL SOUL is the substance, and the body depends upon it. If...the body be destroyed, the substance, the snirit remains."

lag essence of a SOUL is snirit: in English the twp words are used interchanoeablv: (i) "Sgirit, n. Intelligent or immaterial part of man, soul”(0xford Dict'ry)

(j) “These two names - the HUMAN sgirit and the RATIONAL SOUL — designate

one thing." §PECIAL NOTE: Bahá’í Writings define SOUl.as the entity God creates, the HUMAN reality; whereas spirit is the Qggg; that activates a being or entity. We shall put SOUL in parentheses therefore to make the meaning elear.as in (k) "Beloved, believe not every sgirit (SOUL); and (1) "Descent and ascent are characteristics of bodies not of soiri§§ (SOULS)."

The SOUL, being created 9f spigitua; sub§tancg, lives in the sgiritual world

(m) "Man - the true man - is SOUL, not body; though physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his SOUL lifts him above the rest of CREATION. ...The SOUL...makes the HUMAN creature a celestial entity." (n) "The SOUL can live without a body, but the body without a SOUL dies."

- 42 _

[Page 43]

ID: sgyL, pging ggeatgg Q: sgigjtgal $UQSI§DC§I LIVES ig the spiritual worldLgont'd)

(0) Part of YOU "is...not subject to sensations;...the sgigit (SOUL, see §PECIAL NOIE p.42) of man is not affected by the change or condition of the body. Even though the MATERIAL body should die, the sgigii (SOUL) continues eternally alive.... (It) exists and functions in the inert body in the realm of dreams," also.

(p) "If the sgirit (SOUL) of man belonged to the elemental existence, the eye could see it, the ear hear it, the hand touch. As long as these five senses cannot perceive it, the proof is unquestioned that it does not belong to the elemental (MATERIAL) world."

(q) "The whole physical CREATICN is perishable.... The composition of atoms, which constitutes the body or mortal element of any created being, is temporary. When the gower of attraction, which holds these atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases to exist. With the SOUL it is different. The SOUL is not a combination of elements,

it is not composed of many atoms, it is of one indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It isnout of the order of the physical CREATICN;

it is immortal!”

Ihe SOUL comes into existence at the TIME of conception: it has a beoinninal no end

(I) "‘Abdu’l-Bahá (when asked) in what state the SOUL exists before it enters the body...answered: 'In a state of potentiality. It has no CONSCIOUSNESS in the sense in which we comprehend this term. Individual CONSCIOUSNESS is not born until conception takes place...The WILL of God is the determining factor. When God wills it, the SOUL steps into the arena of HUMAN LIFE.... Yes, every SOUL has a beginning, but once created,is eternal!"

(s) "The physical condition will certainly become decomposed, but the condition of the RATIONAL SOUL, though it has a beginning, has no end."

(t) “KNOW that although the HUMAN SOUL has existed on the earth for pr0* longed TIMESand ages, yet it is phenomenal (at its birth). As it is a divine sign, when once it has come into existence it is eternal. The sgigit of man has a beginning, but it has no end; it continues eternally."

(u) "As the sgirit (SOUL) of man is not composed of MATERIAL elements, it is not subject to decomposition and therefore has no death."

e SOUL is created in seed form° its

(v) "All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees. ...For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist from the beginning, but not visibly; afterwards little by little they appear.... In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all perfections such as the sgirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste...but they are not visible, and become so only by degrees."

(w) "In the physical CREATION, evolution is from one degree of perfection to another.... (But) the SOUL does not evolve from degree to degree as a LAW - it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of God."

(x) The journey of the SOUL is necessary. The pathway of LIFE is the road which leads to divine KNOWLEDGE and attainment."

-43...

[Page 44]Th

atte n of U - ts u b0 0 i K OWLEDGE ang_LOV§

(y) "Man...has a body which grows and which feels."

(2) "At the beginning of the amalgamation of the elements and natures in the womb, the pgwgg of the sgirit begins... to appear in the body gradually and successively according to the preparation and capacity to receive that everlasting abundance."

@

(aa) "The wisdom of the appearance of the saggit in the body is this: the HUMAN soirit is a Divine Trust, ana it (the SOUL, seeNOTE p.42) must traverse all conditions; for its passage and movement through the conditions of existence will be the means of its vauiring perfections.... When the HUMAN sgirit (SOUL) passes through the conditions of existence...it will become the possessor of each degree and station. Even in the condition of the body it will surely vauire perfections."

~.———._The SOUL has a mxgtggigug ggnnggtign with the bodv, and has complete control over it

(bb) "The connection of the spirit (SOUL, seeNOTEp.42) with the body is like that of the sun with the mirror.... The ggigit (SOUL) with the utmost greatness rules in the world of the body, and its gower and influence, like the bounty of the sun in the mirror, are apparent and visible."

(cc) "This physical body...lives under its entire control"(the SOUL's) and "in accordance with its dictates. If the SOUL identifies itself with the MATERIAL world...(and) remains in this station...it (the'SOUL) will be the recipient of this darkness; but if it (the SOUL) becomes the recipient of the graces of the world of the mind, its darkness will be transformed into 1ight...until it reach the apex."

Y?UR earthly LIEE-IIME 15 the Tim: gt xgu; SQUL's embryonic develogmggt_end forming

(dd) "In the beginning of his HUMAN LIFE man was embryonic in the world of the matrix. There he received capacity and endowment for the reality of HUMAN existence. The forces and QOW€I§ necessary for this world were hestowed upon him in that limited condition. In this world he needed eyes; he received them potentially in the other. He needed ears; he obtained them there in readiness for his new existence. The gowerg requisite in this world were conferred upon him in the world of the matrix, so that when he entered this realm of Egg; existence he not only possessed all necessary functions and gowers but found provision for his MATERIAL sustenance awaiting him. Therefore in this world he must prepare himself for the LIFE beyond. That which he needs in the world of the KINGDOM must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this Sphere of existence, so likewise the indispensable forces of the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world."

(ee) "Had the LIFE of man...been only confined to his LIFE in this world,

the creation would have proved useless,...abortive.... Had the LIFE and

growth of the child in the womb been confined to that condition, then the existence of the child in the womb would have proved utterly...unintelligible; as would the LIFE of this world, were its deeds, actions and their results not to appear in the world to come."

-44 [Page 45]L F - a e - . T s ir' - n i s n

(ff) "If ye be seekers after this LIFE and the vanities thereof, ye should have sought them while ye were stillnin your mothers' wombs, for at that TIME ye were continually approaching tnem... Ye have, on the other hand, ever since ye were born and attained maturity, been all the while receding from the world and drawing closer to dust.“

Doggh eggs the SCUL's prenatal LIFE, but its LIFE-gattgrn ages on gloriously foggxe;

(gg)."Both before and after putting off...MATERIAL form, there is progress in perfection.... Hence as the perfections of humanity are endless, man can also make progress in perfections after leaving this world."

(hh) "As to the SOUL of man after death, it remains in the degree of purity to which it has evolved during LIFE 1n the physical body, and after it is freed from the body...its evolution is sgigitual, and that evolution is:

Ihg aggroaching unto God."

AL_§he TIME of death YOU are still Y-O-U - whatever YOU have ggyg;gpgg and Qeggme ,%

/' (ii) "ALL the SOULS /////' are created according to

the nature of God and all are ’///2rin the state of purity at the TIME

of their births. But afterwards

they differ from one another insofar

as they acquire excellencies or defects."

(jj) “Movement is essential to all

existence. All MATERIAL things progress to a certain point, then V begin to decline. This is the LAW

1 which governs the whole physical

CREATION.... Nothing that has LIFE

1 is without motion. ALL CREATION,

. whether of the mineral, vegetable

or animal kingdom, is compelled to

//—* h sical ...either ascend or descend. But 5 P—a—t—‘Efl \ with the HUMAN SOUL, there is no decline. Its only movement is \\ towards perfection; growth and pro\ gress alone constitute the motion

of the SOUL."

(kk) "If his morals become sglgitgal in character, his aspirations heavenly and his actions conformable to the WILL of God, man has attained the imaqe and likeness of his Creator; otherwise he is the image and likeness of satan.“

(11) "Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto Thy servants, that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is dependent upon Thy bidding and Thy WORD, and the virtue of every get is conditioned by Thy

leave and the good-pleasure of Thy WILL, and may recognize that the reins

of men's doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy commandment."

-45 [Page 46]a thl LIFE-TIME- advanta e of it!

(mm) Man's station is great...were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the CAUSE.

(on) "The progress of man's finizit (SOUL, see §PECIAL NQIE p.42) in the divine world, after the severance of its connection with the body of dust, is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through the intercession and the sincere prayers of other HUMAN SOULS, or through the charities and important good works which are performed in its name."

At t LI 0 u ower n rth

(00) "The SOUL of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind.... The SOUL itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man...preventeth the SOUL from manifesting its inherent might and gowe . When it leaveth the body...it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal."

(pp) "In the next world man will find himself freed from many of the disabilities under which he now suffers. Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours: their work of the KINGDOM is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call TIME and place.... Those who have ascended have different attribgtes (conditions) from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation."

The SCUL'S relation Lg the body gagglg be clearly understood. and can be NOW

(qq) "In the TIME of sleep this body is as though dead;...but the sgirit (SOUL, see SPEC;AL NQIE p.42) lives and subsists. Nay, its penetration is increased, its flight is higher, and its intelligence is greater.... Our body is like the.cage, and the 59111; (SOUL) is like the bird. We see that without the cage this bird flies in the world of sleep; therefore if the

cage becomes broken, the bird will continue and exist: its feelings will

be even more powerful, its perceptions greater, and its happiness increased.“

(rr) ”it is the SOUL that animates the body; the body alone has no real significance. Deprived of the blessings of the HOLY SPIRIT, the MATERIAL

body would be inert."

(ss) Speaking "of the SOUL.... this physical body...lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates."

(tt) "The SOUL of man should be likened unto this sun, and all things on earth should be regarded as his body. So long as no external impediment interveneth between them, the body will...continue to reflect the light

of the SOUL, and to be sustained by its EQWEL- As soon as, however a veil interposeth itself between them, the brightness of that light seemeth to

lessen."

(uu) "The £21211 is changeless, indestructible. The progress and development of the SOUL, the joy and sorrow of the SOUL, are independent of the physical body...(though) the grief or trouble of the SOUL may react on the body.

- 46 [Page 47]Xou; god! is a nerfiect creation and a divine Gift: use it wisely and as intended

(vv) "The body of man, which is composed from the elements, is combined and mingled in the most perfect form; it is...the noblest combination,

the most perfect existence." (ww) "Moreover, these members, these elements, this composition, which are found in the organism of man, are an attraction and magnet for the sgi:it.... Under these conditions...when

the elements are arranged and combined in the most ghorious system, organization and manner, the HUMAN Spirit will appear and/hEnifest in them. This is the decree of the Powerful, the Wise.“

(xx) "Immeasurably exalted is the Almighty Who hath created these gggers, and revealed them in the body of man.“

But you; SOUL lives egg develops in its own KINGDOM independentlv of your bodveltoo

(yy) "The gower and comprehension of the HUMAN soirit...perceive and act in two different modes. One/giythrough instruments and organs..“The other ...is without instruments and organs."

(22) "The SOUL has two main faculties: (a) As outer circumstances are communicated to the SOUL by the eyes, ears, and brain of a man, so does the SOUL communicate its desires and purposes through the brain to the hands and tongue of the physical body, thereby expressing itselfn" (b) The second faculty of the SOUL expresses itself...and functions without the help of the MATERIAL bodily senses...This proves...the superiority

of the SOUL of man over his body, the superiority of sgirit over MATTER."

(aaa) "In wakefulness the eye of man sees at the utmost...about four miles,

because through the instrumentality of the body, the gower of the spirit

is thus determined; but with the inner sight and the mental eye it sees

America, and it can perceive that which is there, and discover the con ditions of things.... Therefore it is evident that this sgirit (SOUL) is

different from the body, and that the bird is different from the cage, and ‘ that the mower and penetration of the spirit (SOUL) is stronger without

the intermediary of the body." (See SPECIAL NOTE p.42)

(bbb) "The spirit (SOUL) may be likened to the light within the lantern. The body is simply the outer lantern... The HUMAN SOUL by means of this body can perform 1 erations, and without the body it can likewise have its control.... Thégygfidy is purely animal in type and, like the animal, it is subject only to the grosser sensibilities." (ccc) "It is divinely intended that the spiritual susceptibilities of man should gain precedence and over-rule his physical forces. In this way he becomes fitted

to dominate the HUMAN world by his nobility and stand forth fearless and free, endowed with the attributes of eternal LIFE."

Li b0 '0 r re litv or SOUL is a divine creationt,perfect for its PURPOSE

(ddd) The SCUL is “an attractable body, to be drawn to the Magnet of the KINGDOM of God."

(eee) "If it (the SCUL) be faithful to God, it will reflect His light, and will, eventually, return unto Him. If it fail, however, in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to self and passion, and will, in the end, sink in their depths."

- 47 _

[Page 48]XV, THE LAST PHA§§ OE 1H5 sguL 19 BE ylfiflfip I§ 1E§ LMMEQIAlg AQIS AEQ ATTRIflYflgi Body and SOUL: these azg 1993 2 natgrg§ ugw; ihgi; acts and attributes NOW are YOURS

(a) "In man there are two natures: his sgiritual or higher nature and his MATERIAL or lower nature. In one he approaches God; in the other he lives for the world alone."

(b) "Man has the animal side as well as the angelic side; and the tim of an Educator is to so train HUMAN SOULS, that their angelic aspect may (ver come their animal side." (c) Signs of both of these natures are to be

found in men. In his MATERIAL aspect he expresses untruth, cruelty Ind injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature. The attnipgges of his divine nature are shown forth in LOVE, mercy, kindness, truth and justice .... If a man's divine nature dominates his HUMAN nature, we have a saint."

(d) "Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his MATERIAL nature. If a man‘s divine nature dominates his HUMAN nature, we have a saint.... But if, on the contrary, he rejects the things of God and allows his evil passions to conquer him, then he is no better than a mere animal.

Thegg natures of man gag activateg by different degzges of ggirit: HUMAN & animal (see page 38)

(e) "Man being the culmination of all that went before and thus superior to all previous evolutions, contains all the lower world within himself."

éége But "man has a gift which the animal does not possess.... The animal Aecaptive of the senses and bound by them; all that is beyond the senses, ...the animal can never understand.... Hence...in man there is a 2_E_E of discovery by which he is distinguished from the animals, and this is the snirit of man."

(g) "Illumined by the ggirit through the instrumentality of the SOUL, man‘s radiant intelligenCe makes him the crowning-point of CREATION."

Thjg means man has 2 Kinds of ggwggg spigitgal gag MAEEBLAL; they show in his LIVING

(h) "Man has two ggwggs, and his development two aspects. One power is connected with the MATERIAL world and by it he is capable of MATERIAL advancement. The other ggwer is §oigitual and through its development his inner, potential nature is awakened. These powers are like two wings, both must be developed, for flight is impossible with one wing. Praise be to God! MATERIAL advancement has been evident in the world; but there is need of égigitgal advancement in like proportion. We must strive unceasingly... to accomplish the development of the sgiritual nature in man."

The power or s i it use CW determines the kind of BEING YOU are becoming

(i) "The spirit of man has two aspects: one divine, one satanic;...it is capable of the utmost perfection, or it is capable of thgi tmost imperfection. If it vauires virtues, it is the most noble 0 ”existing beings; and if it vauires vices, it becomes the most degraded existence.“

(j) "Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's sgiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his

MATERIAL nature. -48 [Page 49]

(k) "The animal is a captive of nature.... It has no consideration or CONSCICUSNESS of good and evil. It simply follows its Qgty;§;_in§tin§1 and inclination. The Prophets of God have come to show man the way of righteousness in order that he may not follow his own natural impulse, but govern his actions by the light of Their precept and example."

(1) "That which is pre—eminent above all other gifts...is the gift of Divine REVELATION.... It is God's supreme testimony,..the token of His all-encompassing mercy, the proof of His most loving providence, the symbol of His most perfect grace. He hath, indeed, partaken of this highest gift of God who hath recognized His MANIFESTATION in this Day."

MED_EH§L_§¢E both Divinitv and the evils of what's "naturél‘:_ghgg§g_§g;flggn_3hgm

(m) "The heart which receives a portion of the bounty of the SPIRIT becomes... purified and sanctified'from the impurities of the world of ngtggg. These natural impurities are evil qualities: anger, passion, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud, self-love, etc. Man cannot free himself from

the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the HOLY SPIRIT."

(n) "An humble man without learning, but filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, is more powerful than the most nobly-bornuscholar without that inspiration.

He who is educated by the Divine SPIRIT, can, in his TIME, lead others to receive the same SPIRIT." (o) 'Verily, I say unto thee, every SOUL which ariseth today to guide others..., the HOLY SPIRIT will inSpire...with evidences, proofs and facts, and the lights will shine upon...from the KINGDOM of God."

(p) "But on the other hand, when man does not open his mind and heart to

the blessing of the SPIRIT...all his aspirations and desires being strengthened by the lower side of the SOUL's nature, he becomes more and more brutal, until his whole being is in no way superior to that of the beasts that perish."

\q) "To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man." (I) "They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations have erred and dissipated their efforts. They are indeed of the lost." (5) "The pursuit of passion and desire will wrap the eyes in a thousand veils that rise out of the heart to blind the sight anduihsight as well."

(t) "This physical world of man is subject to the pong; of the lusts, and sin is the consequence of this ggwer of the lusts..o. The body of man is a captive of ngture; it will act in accordance with whatever natgzg orders ....A man who has not had a sgiritual education is a brute."

figg. tbgoggh RELIGION and His MANIFE§1ATION, eniightggs, wggns gs to chgg§e giggly

(u) "o mms FORM OF DUST3.,,The sword of thy rebellion hath felled the tree of thy hope.... Imperishable glory I have chosen for thee, yet boundless shame thou hast chosen for thyself.”

(v) "Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His peeple. They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations, have erred and dissipated their efforts. They, indeed, are of the lost."_

(w) "Let God b3}%fifficient for thee. Commune intimately with His SPIRIT."

-49-'

[Page 50]

X‘JI. we NEED A CLOSFIE yxgw QE vgya M&KEeUE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR DIEEEEEQLN‘AILJBQE Ihg_fiflflfifl_§gl;fi£;gegg;gtgg fiuMAN IDQHQDSE agg_j§elinqs. a cumulative CONSCIQHSMFSS

(a) "The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man

is part of the animal CREATION" (in body), "he possesses a EQNe; of thought superior to all other created beings. If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards heavenly subjects, then does he become saintly; if, on

the other hand, his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to center itself upon the things offifis world, he grows moreuMATERIAL until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.“

SYMBOL PICTURE (fl‘ of different levels of HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS (What goes on above the ears develops HUMAN thoughts and feelings) m

/

Thus YOU aze ngt onlx 99g! and SOUL, but a HUMAN §eing_mith a HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS

(b) "It is evident that the HUMAN personality appears in two aSpects the image and likeness of‘God and the aspect of satan. The HUMAN REALITY stands between these two.‘I (c) ”He has CONSCIOUSNESS, volition, memory, intelligent 2933;, divine attgibutgs and virtues of which nature is completely deprived, bereft."

§o in addition to you; animal nature and sairitual nature YOU have a_HUMAN Qngge

(d) "Therefore we say that man is a reality which stands between light and darkness. From this standpoint...his nature is threefold:

The animal nature is darkness; the heavenly, is light in light."

The HUMAN gieatgrg min§§ mg am he ngture is an educated animal; djgg mm 1.1m had;

(e) "It is the SCUL...that directs a man's faculties, that governs his hpmanity" or HUMAN nature. (See Oxford Dictionary, humanity) ‘

\

(f) Speaking of the "decomposition ofl.6ha body...how can any one imagiflg that man‘s CONSCIOUSNESS and peraanality will be maintained,when the very instruments necessary to their existence and function will have completely disin tegrated?" is asked. Answer is that "if the instrument is abandoned, the possessor

of the instrument continues to act." (g7

50

[Page 51]I ' ' e n 5 th s r t of HUMAN na re (See page 3. g) (9) "The HUMAN snH;.. @nd)the RATIONAL SOUL...designate one thing. This sgirit,...as far as HUMAN ability permits, discovers the reelities of things and becomes cognizant of their peculiarities and effects, and of the properties of beings."

(h) 'Consider the RATIONAL faculty with which God has endowed the essence of men. Examine thine own self, and behold how thy motion and stillness, thy will and ur ose, thy sight and hearing, thy sense of smell and 993g: of speech, and whatever else is related to, or transcendeth thy physical senses or sgiritual perceptions, all proceed from, and owe their existence to, this same faculty."

(1) 'God has created man and endowed him with the gene; of reason whereby he may arrive at valid conclusions. Therefore man must endeavor in all things to investigate the fundamental REALITY. If he does not independently investigate, he has failed to utilize the talent God has bestowed upon him."

T ONA ' e " " a d i t c ' f

(j) "In the HUMAN organism there is a center of intellection, a ngygg of intellectual operation which is the discoverer of the :ggligieg of things. This Qower can unravel the mysteries of phenomena. It can comprehend that which is KNOWable; not alone the gggsible. All the inventions are its products.... All the sciences which we now utilize are the

products of that wondrous :eglitz." (k) ”Assuredly one may learn to the end of one‘s LIFE!“ he HUh 'r t o e s a to e

(1) "Man makes nature his servant, harnesses.electricity." (m) "Man although in body a part of ngtgae. nevertheless in 52;;11 possesses a Qower transcending nature.... God has conferred upon and added to man a distinctive power, the faculty of intellectual investigation into the secrets of CREATION, the vauisition of higher KNOWLEDGE."

(n) "Man..., by his understanding or intellect, has been able to gain control of and adapt some...natura1 LAWS to his own needs. By the gggg; of his intellect he has discovered means by which he not only traverses great continents in express trains and crosses vast oceans in ships, but, like the fish, he travels under water in submarines, and, imitating the birds, he flies through the air in airships."

(o) "For, in the existing KNOWLEDGE of the reality of things there is MATERIAL advantage, and through it outward civilization progresses.f

And (p) "All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization." We must remember, though, that.(q)- "Although MATERIAL civilization is one of the means for the progress of the world of MANKIND, yet until it becomes combined with Divine civilization, the desired result, which is the felicity of MANKIND, will not be attained."

- 51 [Page 52]

(a) "As we have before indicated, this HUMAN gealitx stands between the higher and lower in man, between the world of the animal and the world of divinity. When the animal proclivity in man becomes predominant, he sinks lower than the brute. When the heavenly gaugzg are triumphant in his nature, he becomes the noblest and most superior being in the world."

(b) “If the SOUL identifies itself with the MATERIAL world it remains dark, for in the natural world there is corruption, aggression, struggles for existence, greed, darkness, transgression and vice.... There is, however, a faculty in man which unfolds to his vision the secrets of existence ...the pgug; of the mind;...and still another ngg; which is differentiated from that of the SOUL and mind...“ This sgirit of fgi;h...inspires man to attain the virtues and perfections of the divine world."

4 ' a emotio a1 LOVE 0 ers o

(c) "Now concerning mental faculties, they are in truth of the inherent properties of the SOUL, even as the radiation of light is the essential property of the sun.... It is through the gower of the SOUL that the mind comprehendeth, imagineth and exerteth its influence.... The mind comprehendeth the abstract by the aid of the concrete, but the SOUL hath limitless manifestations of its own. The mind is circumscribed, the SOUL limitless. It ishthe aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth, whereas the SOUL is free

from all agencies."

AJu N vision is limited. can' see G '

(d) "All the people have formed a god in the world of thought, and that form of their own imaginatign they worship; when the fact is that the imagined form is finite....All the sects and peoples worship their own thought; they create a god in their own minds and acknowledge him to be the creator of all things, when that form is superstition - thus people adore and worship

(9) “It may be that a man who has every MATERIAL benefit, and who lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization can give him, is denied the all im/ portant gift of the l-DLY SPIRIT" (divine KNOWLEDGE and move; see p.27 (n)).

lectual, RATIONAL faculties

CONSCIOUSNESS ‘

(f) "Unless.. man is released fromflthe

r—~—’ captivity of MATERIALism, and receiving WORLD a portion of the bounties of the sgiritug;

, . world...the utmost we can say of him is that he is a perfect animal. No one can rightly call him a man.§

-52..

[Page 53]In a Hyman, the §QyL-§ augulug pgflg: shows as his senses, intgLLect, pgzsoggl ideas

(9) "The senses of hearing...and the like, are...to be reckoned among the gifts with which the HUMAN body is endowed." (h) "The (HUMAN)

mind, moreover, understandeth not whilst the sense; have ceased to function, and in the embryonic stage and in early infancy the reasoning ggwg;

is totally absent."

m' ht (1) "God gave this pm (the intellect) to man that itjfiae used for the advancement of civilization, for the good of humanity, to increase LOVE and concord and peace. But man prefers to use this gift to destroy instead of to build, for injustice and oppression, for hatred and discord and devastation, for the destruction of his fellow-creatures."

' o " e ' 'ou " bu o s i i u l- the lie on what is RAIIONAL 0 them nd r 'ect what it takes FAITH a hi her SOUL owe to see

(j) ”Though immersed in the ocean of misbelief, yet with your lips ye profess the one true faith of God."

(k) "Inasmuch as HUMAN interpretations and blind imitations differ widely,...the light of true RELIGION has been extinguished....A man is

a Jew because his father was a Jew. The Muhammadan follows implicitly the footsteps of his ancestors in belief.... That is to say they profess religious belief blindly and without investigation."

(1) "Therefore the realm of the RELIGIONist has gradually narrowed and darkened, and the sphere of t e MATERIAList has widened and advanced; for the RELIGIONist has held Oe imitation and counterfeit, neglecting and discarding holiness and he sacred REALITY of RELIGTON.5

(RO "Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts and kept them from the path of God."

(n) 'The sgiritual and divine world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but in the HUMAN world light and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite conditions.... When the SOUL and spigi; of Adam entered the HUMAN world, he came out from the paradise of freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and absolute goodness, he entered into the world of good and evil."

(0) "This physical world of man is subject to the gowe; of the lusts, and sin is the consequence of this ngg; of the lusts, for it is not subject to the LAWS of justice and holiness.’l (p) "Without the help of God, man is even as the beasts that perish.”

(q) "The imperfect eye beholds imperfections."

re ' E b on K o the

(r) "All the trials and troubles come from this world of illusion. For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and depression ensues. A workman is dismissed and starvation stares him in the face. A farmer has a bad harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway homeless, ruined, and in despair."

- 53 _

[Page 54]

(5) "God has given man a heart and the heart must have some attachment. We have proved that nothing is completely worthy of our heart's devotions save Egalijyg for all else is destined to perish. Therefore the heart is never at rest and never finds real Joy and happiness until it attaches itself to the eternal....Man must attach himself to an Infinite Baaliix so that his glory, his joy, and his pgogress may be infinite."

(t) "§§l£;lgxg is a strange trait and the means of destruction of many important SOULS in the world. If man be imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse."

(u) "Wherefore must the veils of the satanic (HUMAN) sgL§ be burned away at the fire of LOVE, that the ggigii (SOUL, see SPEQLAL NQTE p 42) may be purified and cleansed and thus may KNOW the station of the Lord of the Worlds." (v) "If it fail...in its allegiance to its Creator, it will become a victim to £311 and passion."

(w) "If our chalice (CONSCIOUSNESS?) is full of self, there is no room in it for the water of LIFE (REVELATION?)E

It's imggztgnt to 539W 9g; gun dixiuitx; but the flQMAN self and gesigg§ agen't gixing

(x) "Alas! Alas! O lovers of worldly desire! Even as the swiftness of lightning ye passed by the Beloved One, and have set your hearts on satanic fancies. Ye bow the knee before your vain imagining, and call it truth."

(y) "The natural emotions are blameworthy and are like rust, and deprive the heart from the bounties of God.‘ (2) "Thou seest, O my Lord, how Thy servants are held captive by their ownuselves and desires.”

(aa) "Desige and passion, like two unmanageable horses, have wrested the reins of control from him and are galloping madly in the wilderness. This is the cause of the degradation of the world of humanity. This is the cause of its retrogression into the appetites and passions of the animal kingdom.... By devotion to the carnal mortal world, HUMAN susceptibilities sink to the level of animalism." (bb) "Despair, both here and hereafter, is all YCU will gain from self-indulgence.”

(cc) ”Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desjzes, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men."

(dd) ”See how nations have come and gone.... Some were mere captives of salt and desige, engulfed in the passions of the lower nature.... And what was the final outcome? Utter evanescence and oblivion."

(ee) "God grant that your deglges and unmortified passions may not hinder you from that which hath been ordained for you."

(ff) "Enrapture my SOUL, O my Lord, with Thy most mighty signs, and draw me out of the depths of my corrupt and evil gg§12e5,'

_54 [Page 55]

(gg) "Consider how difficult for man is the attainment of pleasures and happiness in this mortal world. How easy it is for the animal....Therefore consider how base a nature it reveals in man that...he should lower himself into the animal sphere....How debased the SOUL which can find enjoyment in this darkness, occupied with itself, captive of se;f and passion, wallowing in the mire of the MATERIAL world.... What ignorance this is!”

(hh) "O REBELLIOUS ONES! My forbearance hath emboldened you and My longsuffering hath made you negligent, in such wise that ye have spurred on the fiery charger of passion into perilous ways that lead unto destruction. Have ye thought Me heedless or that I was unaware?" (ii) "How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire? Wings have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy."

The SOUL LOVES: but the pattern of HUMAN LIFE is a strucole with what we see as bad

(jj) "Evil is imperfection. Sin is the state of man in the world of

the baser nature, for in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny, hatred, hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower plane of natugg. These are the sins of the world.... Through education we must free ourselves from these imperfections."

The HUMAN creature lives iniimnerfection: in his own1,and in the evil that he sees

(kk) “The REALITY underlying this question is that the gyjl sgirit, satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower nature in man. This baser nature is symbolized in various ways. In man there are two expressions, one is the expression of flfitUTE, the other the expression of the spiritual realm. The world of natuge is defective. God has never

created an evil spinit; all such ideas and nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere HUMAN or earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of gaturg."

(11) "The majority of people are captives in the matrix of nature, submerged in the sea of MATERIALITY.... Today the world of humanity is walk ing in darkness because it is out of touch with the world of God...The power of the HOLY SPIRIT has no influence." (mm) "0 SON OF SPIRIT! There is

no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and turning unto Me."

(nn) "All over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled and noble precepts admired.... But...we see very few of them carried into the world of action."

(00) "The wrong in the world continues to exist just because peeple talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practise."

(pp) "Delight not yourselves in the things of the world and its vain ornaments, neither set your hopes on them. Let your reliance be on

the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great. He will, erelong, bring to naught all the things ye possess.... Forget not His covenant with you, and be not...shut out as by a veil from Him."

-55 [Page 56]A_EHMAN uses UFVEinwnr_neqativnlv: his actions ingluge flyggjggi. Efihglling. hating

(pp) "KNCW thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in God is neither

trustworthy nor truthful.... He that acteth treacherously towards God .will, also, act treacherously towards his king. Nothing whatever can

deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his

neighbor, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly." (qq) "Alas! we

see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and unjust is man, and how slow

he is to believe in God and follow His commandments....why is man so

hard of heart? It is because he does not yet KNOW God....If he were

sgiritually minded such a line of conduct would not be possible to him."

Another HUMAN pattern is choosina: by it YOQ "make g9" you; mind, grow as xgu flILL

(rr) "The choice of good and evil belongs to man." (55) "We have shown thee two ways; walk thou the way thou choosest.” (tt) "Whosoever desireth, let him choose the path to his Lord."

(uu) "Man...is the sum of all the degrees of imperfection,...(but) possesses the degrees of perfection.... Then, if the divine power in man which is his essential perfection, overcomes the satanic Qower which is absolute imperfection, he becomes the most excellent among the creatures; but if the satanic power overcomes the divine goweg, he becomes the lowest of the creatures.“

And only through usinq your God-aiven volition can YOU brinq out your own divinity

(vv) "All that which ye potentially possess can...be manifested only as a reSult of your own volition." (ww) “9 SON OF_SEIRIT! noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created."

But so-calleggevil and YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS of it have a,divine Purpose in BEALI[Y

(xx) “Limitation itself proveth the existence of the Unlimited,... Without wealth there would be no poverty, without KNOWLEDGE no ignorance, without light n0 darkness. Darkness itself is a proof of the existence

of light, for darkness is the absence of light."

(yy) “He...(God) is, no doubt, fully capable of rescuing from remoteness wayward SOULS, and of causing them to draw nigh unto His court and attain His Presence....His purpose, however, is...that they who seek the Beauty of the All-Glorious may be distinguished and separated from the wayward end perverse."

(22) “If none be found to stray from Thy path, how, then, can the ensign of Thy mercy be unfurled, or the banner of Thy bountiful favor be hoisted? And if iniquity be not committed, what is it that can proclaim Thee to be the Concealer of men's sins, the Ever-Forgiving, the Cmniscient...?"

(aaa) "Through suffering he will attain to eternal happiness which nothing can take from him.... To attain eternal happiness one must suffer."

SUMMING UP: YOUR HUMAN "self" or nature ("Ego") is your MATERIAL being (body), PLUS the "mind" YOU have "made up" (RATICNAL being) PLUS your negative emotional attitudes that reacting to "evil" has formed., Your attributeg and ggtions of positive LOVE are all part of your sniritual being or SOUL.

- 56 [Page 57]I

"M " ' 0 TI NA I P 0 RE LI

Its DOWEI is the KNONING power of the SOUL: its purpose. to create a,HUMAfl_QQN§§1§Q§r

MESS: note from 9. GO. picture. that this SOUL power is sle-Qpexatinq

(a) ”Mental faculties...are in truth of the inherent properties of the SOUL, even as the radiation of light is the essential preperty of the sun.”

lst

(b) "'KNOWLEUEE is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomso ever He willeth.‘ It is this kind of KNOWLEDGE which is and hath ever been praiseworthy, and not the limited KNOWLEDGE that hath sprung forth from veiled and obscured minds.... Would that the hearts of men could be cleansed from these man-made limitations and obscure thoughts imposed upon them!"

(c) "The mind is the (KNOWING?) gnwer of the HUMAN sEirit (or RATIONAL SOUL). Sgirit (SOUL, see N0TE;3.42) is the lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp.... Mind is the perfection of the spirit (SOUL), and its essential quality, as the sun's rays are the essential necessity of the sun."

A,2nd meaninq of "mind" is the outer CONSCIOUSNESS. Generated bv KNOWING faculties

(d) "In man five outer powers exist, which are the agents of perception, that is to say, through these five gowers man perceives MATERIAL beings. These are sight, which perceives visible forms; hearina,which perceives audible sounds; smell, which perceives odors; taste, which perceives foods; and feelin , which is in all parts of the body, and perceives tangible things. These five powers perceive outward existences.“

(e) "The mind, moreover, understandeth not whilst the senses have ceased function, and in the embryonic stage and in early infancy the reasoning ower is totally absent." (This ”mind" YOU ”make up” reaction by reaction.)

JIELfiQMAN CONSCIOUSNESS results from a faculty common to body and SOUL

Eflnd

(f) "The intermediary between the five outward...and inward powers is the sense which they possess in common, that is to say, the sense which acts between the

outer and inner mowers, conveys to the igwg;g_pgwg;g whatever the outer

powers discern. It is termed the common faculty, because it communicates

between the outward and inward powers, and thus is common to...(them)."

(9) "Man also has Spiritual powers: imaqination. which conceives things; thought" (or ”faculty of reason," see Oxford Dictionary) “which reflects upon realities: comprehension which comprehends (KNOWS?) realities;

memor , which retains whatever man imagines, thinks and comprehends." {These are all "inward powers" which YOU use in 'makingfipn your mind."

action helns the SOUL to OTOWA and to deal intelligently with MATERIAL things

(h) I"l‘he Qurgose and object of schools, colleges and universities is to educate man and thereby rescue and redeem him from the exigencies and defects of nature and to awaken within him the capability of controlling and appropriating nature's bounties." (i) "Societies...interested in commerce, science and politics...are for MATERIAL service, their desire being for the progress and enlightenment of the world of MATTER."

_ 57 [Page 58]xxx; me Bonn PHYSICAL BEING OR MAIERIAL-Mm IS A PART OF YOU. ALSO A 55%me Its power is the animalidearee,of SOUL power: its purpose is to aid in §§HL:ngu1h

(a) "Physically man belongs to the animal kingdom." (b) "The body is the physical or animal degree of man.... The bodies alike of men and animals are composed of elements held together by the LAH'of attraction. Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the senses, is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc." (c) "The fact of having a pure and Spotless body...exerciseth an influence upon the sgirit of man."

The_body is of MATERIAL assistance in,deve10pinq the SOUL's understanding and LOVE

(d) "Next in rank (to the gift of understanding conferred upon man), is the Down; of vision, the chief instrument whereby his understanding can function. The senses of hearing, of the heart, and the like, are similarly to be reckoned among the gifts with which the HUMAN body is endowed. Immeasurably exalted is the Almighty Who hath created these gowezg, and revealed

them in the body of man.”

(e) "0 SON OF BOUNTY! Out of the wastes of nothingness, with the clay of My command I made thee t appear, and have ordained for thy training every atom in existence andAéEsence of all created things."

(f) “These MATERIAL bodies are composed of atoms; when these atoms begin to separate decomposition sets in, then comes what we call death. This composition of atoms which constitutes the body or mortal element of any created being, is temporary. When the power of attraction, which holds these atoms together, is withdrawn, the body, as such, Ceases to exist."

"yonkey see, mgggey do": imitation and habits out "marks” in the heart and braini

(g) “It is incumbent...(to) cleanse the heart- whichis the wellspring of divine treasures-from every marking, and...turn away from imitation."

(h) 'Cod has not intended man to blindly imitate.... He has endowed him with the faculty of reasoning...to investigate and discover truth; and that which he finds £22} and true, he must accept. He must not be an imitator or blind follower."

The brain and neryog§ gystem are a SOUL'S communication system with outer existenge

(i) "As outer circumstances are communicated to the SCUL by the eyes, ears, and brain of a man, so does the SOUL communicate its desires and guzggses through the brain to the hands and tongue of the physical body, thereby expressing itself."

(j) "The ggwg;§_of the sympathetic nerve are neither entirely physical

nor egiritual, but are between the two. The nerve is connected with both.

Its phenomena shall be perfect when its spiritual and physical relations

are normal." Reread page 44. Note especially what "normal relations" are: that the SOUL control the_bodv: otherwise there's inner conflict. nervous tension;

fle are to learn that "thinking" and even emoting can be a Qurelx ohygicgl actiyity

(k) "Among other HUMAN forces, the Qower of ideation or faculty of intellection is MATERIAL." 50 science can enlighten us here. See next pages.

_58_

[Page 59]XX. HERE WE INSERI A FEW PAGES FROM EXPERTS OHAIHE HUMAN BODY AND PHYSICAL MAKE‘UP

Remember: a HUMAN bgina NOW is a gompromige between his animal and divine natures

(a) "People try to relieve nervous trnsion by adopting some form of compromise behavior to render the unpleasant situation endurable. Often these compromises are invented in Childhood, and, of course, they are childish. ...The child‘s compromise adjustment of today becomes his everyday habitual response, preventing adequate adjustments to adult situations.... ‘These compromise habits of adjustment that do not adjust we call neurotic trends....They are not emotional tensions, but the result of attempting

to adjust to emotional tensions....(So) for man to function well,phis underlying emotional tensions must be released."

BQMANihabits or "conditioned reflexes" are physical. so can be studied in animals

(b) "Pavlov...discovered that glandular responses, an automatic function

of the body not under the control of the will, could be trained to respond to an artificial stimulus. He called this response a conditioned reflex.... The conditioned reflex is at the root of all your habit patterns, good or bad. It is this reflex that makes you go to work, punch the clock, lunch at noon, dine heavily at night, and wish that you hadn't by bedtime."

A "conditioned reflex“ is a habit pattern built into the brain and_m§rvous system

(c) "What would happen if...reflexes,...opposite in their nature, were evoked at the same TIME? This experiment was made.

"A dog was conditioned to react to a bell, a hell with a low musical note, just as he would react to food.... Next, his fear reflexes were conditioned to respond to a bell with a high musical note. An electric wire was attached to a storage battery, and every time the high note was sounded the dog received a slight shock. The dog, of course, was frightened....

His whole body, from the tip of his nose to the ultimate hairs on his tail, was conditioned to react to the high-pitched bell.

“Then the bells were changed gradually.u.Two antagonistic conditioned reflexes were set off by an intermediate bell.

"What did the dog do? Just what a HUMAN being would do under like circumstances. He deve10ped a neurosis. He crept into a corner,trembled all over.... Conflicting conditioned reflexes had made the poor animal neuroticu..

”The experimental neurosis produced in dogs by conditioning in conflicting responses is just what happens by accident to us HUMANS. Our bodies are conditioned to react in a fear response to a certain stimulus;nthen our bodies are conditioned to react in a LOVE response to the very same stimulus. A father will slap his son for no good reason; and the next day will give him candy for the same reason. The child never KNOWS where he stands. Father has become the stimulus that stands for a piece of candy and a sock on the jaw.

"When we cannot distinguish between stimuli, we become confused. Conflict occurs within ourselves. There develops a tug of war between nerve cells in the brain. We feel that we must do two contradictory things at the same TIME. This conflict does not occur at a level of brain activity that is under our conscious control. The conflict involves our glands, our stomachs, intestines, blood vessels. All we KNOW is that we feel nervous, that we have abdominal cramps, or that our feet are cold and clammy....

“OUr bodies and our minds are taught thousands of behavior patterns many of which are in complete conflict with each other."

-59..

[Page 60]

(d) "Your own habit patterns... are tied up not so much with your mind as with the behavior of your heart and intestines and glands. You become aware simply of nervousness when such habit patterns are frustrated, or when the behavior that they command can no longer be continued. Then there arises a sense of strain, of lack of fulfillment.”

(e) "Fear is a compound of physical and mental processes. To an awareness of danger, something more must be added. That something more is contributed by your physical reactions in preparation for running away. Danger, plus the muscle tensions that make the knees quake and the back shiver, is fear..., something that we do in five stages. First: we perceive danger. Second: we desire to escape.... Thirdzbodily responses follow the first two intellectual factors. Fourth: some of the bodily responses stir up disagreeable sensations and feelings which we would be rid of and which create—-E}£th; a secondary motive to find relief in safety. If safety is impossible, these secondary feelings may become so intense as to produce paralyzing terror. "You end your fear when you stop the process in any one of these five activities."

(f) "Nerves control all of our organs. These nerves are grouped chiefly in one part of the nervous system.... This nervous center of our emotional life is called the interbrain....

"So let me introduce you to your master of ceremonies, the interbrain. Here is the seat of your emotions. LOVE, hate, fear, rage, jealousy, with their various groups of organic behavior, all take their start from this point. Even sex is located in this part of your nervous system....

"The interbrain sits just above the base of the skull. Stick your fingers in your ears, and you will be pointing right at it....

"The purpose of the interbrain is to co-ordinate all of the activities of the body. It makes the body and mind work together as a unit.”

Ngzxg§_§;gfigitallv involved in emotions. but these too are part of the anatomy

(9) "When your organs are going through the motions of a fear reaction, you're going to feel the emotion of fear. Will power...has nothing to do with it. Your nerves, physical things having length, breadth, thickness, weight, are kicking up a row; and nature has placed the nerves of your interbrain just out of the reach of conscious control....

"When the interbrain gets confused messages..., so that the same situation sets off the behavior of conflicting emotional reactions, the old interbrain loses its power of producing perfect auto atic co-ordination between all parts of the body. Signals go to organs to doh_hings that hinder rather than help... Instead of cemmunity effort, it's civil war. Instead of man against environment, it‘s man against himself."

(h) "You NOW KNOW that conflict between emotional habit patterns leads to interbrain misbehavior, gives you the jitters....

"You KNOW that emotion is behavior, something that you do with your entire body. Tensing your muscles is a part of emotional behavior....You cannot feel an emotion when your muscles are completely relaxed....

“Mental troubles make you sick, literally. That is because mental trouble, in itself, is a physical disease, brought on by collision between opposing types of organ behavior, or, as we said previously, by collision between conflicting emotions."

_ 6O [Page 61]e 53 bad emo ion nd ment 5 asc: Iare ca d t e b d

(i) "Nervousness is a physical disease located in the interbrain....

"That the body talks to the mind, puts thoughts into our heads, is not

...a new and revolutionary idea.... At least seven-eighths of our thinking

consists of RATIONALization of organ needs and desires. The mind does the

dancing while the body pulls the strings.... Never forget that anger is...

a way of physical activity.... When emotion rules, the body controls the mind. "Nervousness...can paralyze your creative activities,...control your

thinking. Interbrain misbehavior is hypnotic.... Your body dictates to

your mind, and...this dictation is essentially a hypnotic process."

(j) "Conditioned reflexes or emotional habit'patterns send wave after wave of suggestions to the interbrain and to the centers of inhibition and stimulation in the forebrain. Nerve impulses spread from one center of inhibition to another, producing a condition of partial hypnosis.... The result is loss of physical and mental balance, self-control. It is the fact of partial self-hypnosis that makes nervousness a mental disease.

"We have a vicious cfible. Emotional conflicts upset the proper functioning of the body, including the nervous system. The nervous system ceases to function properly, interferes with thinking that might set the nervous sufferer back upon the right road...

"In readjusting our lives so that we may live more abundantly,...we must begin by learning the technique and habit patterns of muscular relaxation. This is always the first step."

Muscular relaxation breaks the vicious cycle. can even stop bad emotions and habits

(k) "You can learn to relax while you sleep....Your mental attitude while falling asleep is going to decide the quality of sleep you will enjoy.... Neurotics...wake up more tired than they were when they went to bed. Of course they are tired. Their muscles have been working all night, one muscle group against its opposite group.... No wonder, then, when they wake, that they feel muscle-weary and exhausted....

"Giving yourself last-minute directions before going to sleep is called 'controlled sleep.'... Controlled sleep can give you waking self—control."

(1) "The smoking habit, like all other habits, is a form of self—hypnosis. Conscious suggestion while completely relaxed dehypnotizes, and breaks the habit.... Remember to use controlled sleep - last-minute directions to do tomorrow what you wish you had done today....By using controlled sleep, you will be able to make yourself do the things that you know will make you happy. You knock out nervousness before it gets a chance to hurt you. "When you are returning to ways of creative living, you are breaking another wheel in the machine of self—destructive emotional behavior. Your daily adjustments become more and more satisfactory.... The vicious circle of nervousness, maladjustment, and more nervousness is out,"

lt,isn3t bad to have habits — "thev heln to maintain the inteoritv of the‘gegsgnglitx”

(m) "It is only when conflict between emotional habit patterns of withdrawal and expansion - flight and approach - disturb the interbrain that we have trouble. Then...a few nerve cells dominate the entire brain. Instead of a democracy ruled by the many, we have a dictatorship by a part of the organism. Freedom of thought is abolished by self-induced partial hypnosis. Suggestions that normally should call forth positive responses induce apathy or Opposition."

-61 [Page 62]rs o s wa o a d o v'n h

(n) "'Keep your mind occupied...and you won't have TIME to be nervous. ....Doing things is one road to freedom, to mental and physical health. But work may be health-sapping, when done in the wrong manner.... You must carry your habits of relaxation over into your work.... Nearly any kind of work is fun when one relaxes, works easily and efficiently, and comes to see in one's work possibilities and opportunities for self—development. ...Do anything in which you are or used to be interested.

“Constructive activity does free the brain...breaks the network of inhibitions that prevent the entire brain from functioning as an organ.

ca ou e ' o r ctions an b h i s?

(o) "1. The morbid need for affection 2. The morbid need for power and domination 3. The morbid need for personal admiration 4. The morbid dread of criticism 5. The morbid fear of failure

"These neurotic trends and others...may determine a person's character by forcing him to develop those attitudes, feelings and ideas that are consistent with his neurotic trends."

To find out vour neurotic trends. analyze your actions: and DON'T RATIONALize them

(p) "Why do you do them? Don't answer this question by explaining the immediate situation involving each one.” (This is RATIONALIZING them) "That will only confuse you and throw you off the scent. Remember that you are looking for neurotic trends, not for excuses for behaving in your own worst interests."

"m e are ess of neurotic ends is not enough." You mustlgysometbigg NEW

(9) "Simply refuse to react in your adult situation in a manner appropriate to childhood fantasy.... Have your neurotic trends compelled you to do certain things? It's good to KNOW that. NOW do exactly the opposite."

G es s ro c 'n o e's ow h ements from a d da tin to e v'ro

(r) "Adjustments to society direct the growth of personality....Adjustment to your social situations gives meaning to your life....Happy is the man

who lives in his social environment as easily and unconsciously as a fish

in water....But whether we are aware of it or not, it is through adjustment to social situations" (32; from the WORD of God) "that we get our motivations ....It is the interaction between your prior purposes and needs and your social pressures that make you do the way you do."

Ihe oarents' childishness. failure to "qrow up.” is passed on to their offsprinq

(s) "The unwaxed and unpolished truth is that many parents are jealous

of their children, resent their presence and their needs, hate the responsibility that children bring, and even hate the children. This sounds harsh, but it is true. Many parents are childish. They have failed to grow up emotionally, and are in competition with their own children. So they hand down their nervousness to their children by failing to give their children an even break.... Adult animosity and cruelty take many forms. They often hide behind a mask of good will and kindness."

- 62 _

[Page 63]mmwwmvxwwwm

(t)

M "Frustration at any level of development stops growth, sending the child back to a level of adjustment suitable only to a lower age group. This process of seeking satisfaction in more infantile activities is called regression.... But in childhood, regression is not temporary and may be a serious block to the growing-up process.... Childhood regressions persist into adult life....

"So NOW... you should be able... to interpret any compulsions and obsessions that prevent your enjoying your life...(and) when you seek to track down your neurotic trends, you will help yourself by writing a little autobiography." Try this!

DQ_!QU really want to be a soiritual beinq? - if so, be consistent! - act like one!

(U)

(V)

(W)

"Once you have made your decision, act the part of the person whom you have decided to become.... Every attitude must reinforce your purpose.... "Let a man do what he really wants to do, and he will have all the 'will power' that he requires. Activities that appeared attractive and seductive become boring and stupid, once they interfere with the main gurgoses of his life. What people call will power is simply the organization of habits around some central Qurgos . "Excessive use of alcohol is easy to stop the minute you have a reason for eliminating drink.... When a man finds himself, he loses his way to the liquor store."

"Act servile, and you'll be a slave, and what is Worse, you'll like it, and you will start to invent reasons to justify your master's superiorityu Act like a queen, and you will feel like one. You will believe -in yourself and, acting on your belief, you will do the things that lead to success.

"Your attitudes are the higher-ups, the big shots, in your mental life," ilife of the RATIONAL man, that is). "They are the habits that sit in the driver's seat. They control your lesser habit patterns. When YOU can boss them,YOU are in control of your own LIFE. You become invulnerable, and nothing can hurt YOU....

"Anything to which you attach your interests becomes a part of your personality..., an extension of yourself. By adjusting to...group life, you build up your larger concepts of right and wrong, of purpose in life and the meaning that life holds for you. Through social living and identification, you create habitual responses in group life. Let us agree to call these general habitual responses your attitudes....

"Your attitudes, then, are not only an organization of habits acquired in previous adjustments. They are springs of action. They decide what YOU pay attention to or even notice.... Your attitudes are YOU."

4"

dvo e 5 al w at Ba ' is osed t ex erie ce

Patient cited "recovered from this nervous condition only after he had experienced something like a religious conversion, during which he created a new set of values... "A normal man or woman" (true Bahá’í?)"feels at home in this jumbled and confused and disorderly world. He is like an architect who, amidst the piles of lumber, the groaning of the cement mixer, the pounding of hammers, the confusion of each trade intent on its job, still has before him the blueprint and has in his mind a picture" of what he is trying to bUildv

.. 63 ..

[Page 64]S INS T U ’8 OT MATERIAL ATI N L 0 HUMAN SOU

T I -MA b

WW ca .1191“ t_W 01' a u

(a) ‘The retina of outer vision though sensitive and delicate may nevertheless be a hindrance to the inner eye which alone can perceive. The bestowals of God which are manifest in all phenomenal LIFE are sometimes hidden by intervening veils of mental and mortal vision which render man spiritually, blind and incapable, but when those scales are removed and the veils rent asunder, then the great signs of God will become visible and he will witness the eternal light filling the world. The bestowals of God are...a1ways manifest."

ER 0 a. it is not vil but makes YOU sggjgg; :9 §1n

(b) "It is possible that one thing in relation to another may be evil, and at the same TIME within the limits of its proper being it may not be evil. ...All that God created, He created good.... All evils return to nonexistence. Good exists, evil is non-existent."

(c) "In man...imperfections and sinful actions are born of his MATERIAL nature....If...he rejects the things_of God and allows his evil passions to conquer him, then he is no better than‘a mere animall'

(d) "If the animals are savage and ferocious it is simply a means for their subsistence and preservation. They are deprived of that degree of intellect which can reason and discriminate between right and wrong, justice and injustice; they are justified in their ggtions and not responsible. When man is ferocious and cruel toward his fellowman it is not for subsistence or safety. His motive is selfish advantage and -Wi1ful wrong.... There is no lower degree or greater debasement for man than this natal condition of animalism."

L mu t become a i i er to KNOW ivi it n to

(e) "Things are often KNOWN by their opposites. Were it not for darkness, light could not be sensed. Were it not for death, LIFE could not be KNOWN. If ignorance did not exist KNOWLEDGE would not be a reality. It is necessary that each should exist, in order that the other should have gegligx. ...Unless night was a realitz there could not be day.... Things are KNOWN by their opposites."

iv

(f) 'It is the old case of rider and the horse. It is a wonderful feeling to be mounted on a high-spirited animal and have a good gallop. It is most dangerous to be mounted on one over which you have barely any control. Of all the many things people seem to have lost control over today, nothing stands out so sharply as their complete lack of command of their sex LIFE. They seem to think that the gratification of their extremely over-developed sex instinct is their sovereign right; their one road to happiness, and the greatest pleasure LIFE can afford them. Everything about Western civilization tends to put sex in the 1imelight:...The slogan appears to be, 'you were born to seek satisfaction in sex, this is your basic freedom, 90 to it,‘ and people, unquestioningiy, seem to accept this devastating advice; and the result is disease, depravity and divorce, on an ever-increasing scale."

[Page 65]RATIONAL MANAjbodv plus RATIONAL power - reasont‘imaqination)

Reasggigg gerformed bx hggin action leads to truth ogly when based on true gagmises

3

the mindwYafi "make up“:

I

(9) From Oxford Dictionary, "reason, verb, form or try to reach conclusions by connected thought...(from premises)“

(h) "If a man's thought...does not soar, but is directed downwards to center itself upon the things of this world, he grows more and more MATERIAL until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal."

imagining can Give us vain illusions. make us believe in unrealitv - beware!

(1) "Rid thyself of all attachment to the vain allusions of men and cast behind thy back the idle and subtle disputations of them that are veiled from God."

(j) One "kind of sgigitugl discoveries is made up of pure imaoinat1gn5; but these imaginatigns become embodied in such a way that many simple-hearted people believe that they have a Eggiifiz."

(k) "The pictures of Divinity that come to our mind are the product of our fancy; they exist in the realm of our imagination. They are not adequate to the Truth; truth in its essence cannot be put into words." (1) "Just as...mists and vapors conceal the phenomenal sun, so HUMAN imaginations obscure the Sun of Truth."

(m) ”In this day, whosoever rendeth not asunder the veil of his idle imaglgiggg will assuredly fail to hear the Voice of ch. Well is it with them that, with the aid of the ggmgg of God, have shattered the idols of their fancies and, with ears attentive to His call, have risen from the dead."

Thouqht and intellect Give man hioh potentialities. develon a limited understanding

(n) "The minds of the wise and learned are impotent to fathom the secrets

of Thy handiwork." (o) "The learned, one and all, stand aghast before the signs and tokens of Thy handiwork, while the wise find themselves, without

exception, impotent to unravel the mystery of...the MANIFESTATIONS."

(p) "RELIGION and science are the two wings upon which man can soar into the heights, with which the HUMAN SOUL can progress.... With the wing of science alone he would...make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of MATERIALism."

Intellectualizino about religion is valueless in develooino the SOUL or spirituality

(q) “O ye seeming fair yet inwardly foul! Ye are like clear but bitter water, which to outward seeming is crystal pure but which, when tested by the divine Assayer, not a drop is accepted. Yea, the sun beam falls alike upon the dust and the mirror, yet differ they in reflection even as doth the star from the earth: nay, immeasurable is the difference!"

(r) "We should, therefore, detach ourselves from the external forms and practices of religion. We must realize that these forms and practices, however beautiful, are but garments clothing the warm heart and living

, limbs of Divine truth."

_ 65 [Page 66]R IO L N - con 'd ) O ' '. ' ~ .r kin serv. e M E IAL LI

(5) "Thoughts may be divided into two classes: Thought that belongs to the world of thought alone; Thought that expresses itself in action. "Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but if these thoughts never reach the plane of action, they remain useless: the Eggs; of thought is dependent on its manifestation in deeds."

(t) "If a man is successful in his business, art or profession, he is thereby enabled to increase his physical wellbeing and to give his body the amount of ease and comfort in which it delights.... But...MATERIAL advantages do

not elevate the spirit (SOUL) of man. Perfection in worldly things is a

joy to the body of a man but in no wise does it glorify his SOUL."

(u) "Societies...interested in commerce, science and politics...are for MATERIAL service, their desire being for the progress and enlightenment of the world of MATTER. But rarely does a breath from the sgirit world breathe upon them. They seem unconscious of the Divine Voice."

Qt; mgghiggtx gegetgtgg tbg flQMAN KNOWLEDGE. but Truth can only come from God

(v) 'KNOW verily that KNOWLEDGE is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but

a reflection of vain and obscure thoughts. The source of the former is God Himself; the motive force of the latter the whisperings of selfish desire....The former bringeth forth the fruit of patience, of longing desire, of true understanding, and LOVE; whilst the latter can yield naught but arrogance, vainglory and conceit."

(w) "Wouldst thou that the mind should not entrap thee? Teach it the science of the lDVE of God?"

(x) "A true seeker...must, before all else, cleanse his heart...from the obscuring dust of all acquired KNOWLEDGE, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy.”

0mg gf gut worst misgsgs of the intellect is RATIONALization of what is really wrong (particularly in relation to our own bad habits and emotions; see p. 62(p) (y) From Oxford Dictionary, "rationalize, v. Explain, explain 3&3}?

1t gag be as wtonu to gvgt-ingulge the intellectual aonetites as the bodv anoetites

(Z) If ”a man has a keen sense of taste and smell, a.fine ear for music, and eye that delights in symmetry and colour;...it does not follow he is sunk in sensuality or a rank MATERIAList... But the moment he becomes a gourmand, the moment he lives only for the joy of satisfying some or all of his senses, be they sexual, intellectual, or otherwise, he is abusing his gifts and hindering the unfoldment of his SOUL. Just as asceticism is unnatural and fundamentally false in principle, so licence is equally false and even more injurious to HUMAN nature, for bad as abstinence may be, over-indulgence in anything is worse in its effects."

In: RAIIOEAL man, like the MAIERIAL man, must serve the SOUL to fulfill its purpose.

And now let's listen to some scientific comments on RATIONAL activity. -66..

[Page 67]o i~ a b' a u RATIO AL LIF _take some advice about words (References on this page are from RELEASE FROM NERVOUS TENSION by David H. Fink) flhgn,we learn how important thev are. we'll appreciate BWHA'U'LLAH'S defigigigng

(aa) "Words begin as directions for adjustment to environment. You may think of words as maps, but they are directive maps. They direct traffic as a policeman does.... "If you must use a tool that you do not understand, you are apt to misuse it, whether it be a surgeon's scalpel or your vocabulary.... "We can describe four more or less distinct periods of verbal progress.... 1. The Age of Magic Word Maps 2. The Age of Theological Word Maps 3. The Age of Philosophical Word Maps 4. The Age of Scientific Word Maps.... "The self—starter of...destructive emotional behavior is misunderstanding that begins with the misuse of words, the tools of...thinking.... "Words...are triggers to action.... Habit patterns spring into motion at the stimulus of a word.... "The right word releases...energy, directs it into productive channels. But if you use words badly, you use yourself badly. The wrong word can get you all muddled up, confused, give you paralysis of will, interbrain misbehavior, and the jitters. The right word puts you back on the right track.... Words expressing ,judgments block further thought. "We are now living in an era of new mapmakers - the age of science. ....Learn to detect in your own thinking the words that confuse rather than clarify...KNOW that meaningless maps are warping your understanding and directing your behavior. This KNOWLEDGE should lead you back into the the world of reality." (Bahá’ís would define the new era differently.)

A xita; function of the MANIFESIAILON of God is to clagify meanings of vital words

(bb) "If you want to get along with your fellows, please remember that your private vocabulary is singular to yourself, and the other people's vocabularies often express meanings known only to them.... From the world of our private meanings, there is no communication with the out' side.... No two people talk an identical language. No recipient of messages has shared the same experiences as the sender....

"For purposes of helping your nerves, this analysis of words - tools of thought - can be useful to you.... (Do so) the next time your son makes you angry or worries you. Thus, you may be able to stall your emotional machinery before the engine starts and backfires.

“Words are indeed triggers to action. The gun is always loaded. You ...(should be) able to identify your target before you press the trigger."

To live intellioentlv.we must speak understandinqlv and honestlv. even to ourselves

(cc) “All of us have...habit patterns of irrational behavior that limit our possibilities for adaptation to our immediate problems.... Complexes distort clear thinking....

”Most emotional habits are unverbalized, but they control nearly all of our conscious LIFE.

"Unverbalized habits are dynamic. They demand expression...can be a heavy drag. To prevent such habit gatterns from directing YOU...bring them into consciousness. You can verbalize them and so bring them under control."

_ 67 [Page 68]MJMAN BEING (body plus RATIONAL nower Dlus badeneqative emotiog§1 'n of th SEL orEG -m rio tou

(dd) "These HUMAN conditions may be likened to the matrix of the mother from which a child is to be born into the spacious outer world."

(ee) "If we do not strive and sanctify ourselves from the defects and évil qualities of HUMAN nature we will not partake of the bestowals of 0d."

(ff) "Self-desire...is the dust which prevents reflection of the rays of the Sun of Reality.... The natural emotions are blameworthy and are like rust which deprives the heart of the bounties of God."

(99) "If the heart turns away from the blessings God offers, how can it hope for happiness?"

(hh) “Just as HUMAN intellects have revealed the secrets of MATTER...may minds and ggigits (SOULS) likewise come into the KNOWLEDGE of the verities of God, and the realities of the KINGDOM be made manifest in...hearts."

(ii) "For the LIFE of the flesh is common to both men and animals, whereas the LIFE of the soirit (SOULS?) is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude.“

HUMANNESS is a state we escaoe only through denial of self and of what‘s ”Qatgrgl"

(jj) “The third element of the utterance under discussion is, 'opposes his passions.‘ How wonderful are the implications of this deceptively easy, all-inclusive phrase....

“For desire is a flame that has reduced to ashes uncounted lifetime harvests of the learned, a devouring fire that even the vast sea of their accumulated KNCWLEUSE could never quench. How often has it happened that an individual who was graced with every attribute of humanity and wore the jewel of true understanding, nevertheless followed after his passions until his excellent qualities passed beyond moderation and he was forced into excess. His pure intentions changed to evil ones, his ttr butes were no longer put to uses worthy of them and the mower of his desires turned him aside from righteousness and its rewards into ways that were dangerous and dark."

HUMANNESS is a relativelv miserable condition which it is NOW possible to outgrow

(kk) "All HUMAN attainment moveth upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across space.'" (11) "The end of every (HUMAN?) work is without result because it is perishable and inconstant."

(mm) "A MATERIAL man lets himself be worried and harassed by little things, but a sgiritual man is always calm and serene under all circumstances."

(nn) "Let your vision be world-embracing rather than confined to your own self.”

(00) "Arise, O people, and, by the Qowgr of God's might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies."

_ 68 [Page 69]be in his LIP ‘m' e a c i e to “ ature" but mus out ro this conditio

(pp) "MATERIAL LIFE is a load which must be carried on while we are on earth, but the cares of the lower things of LIFE should not be allowed to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a HUMAN being. The heart's ambitions should ascend to a more glorious goal, mental activity should rise to higher levels. Men should hold in their SOULS the vision of celestial perfection...a heavenly civilization!“

I L h' s n 59 u e 5 00d b h HU 501 t- d'vin realities c '

(qq) “The HUMAN sgi;it...(or) RATIONAL SOUL...embraces all beings, and as

far as HUMAN ability permits discovers the realities of things.... But the

HUNhN sgigit (SOUL),unless assisted by the spirit of jéith, does not become vauainted with...the heavenly realities."

e e in ‘ MA b ' is E I LIS m n e c usiv of s iri u ' (Reread p. 50) the (rr) "MATERIALists...do not use that great gift of God, the ng§; of/understanding, by which they might see with the eyes of the sgigit (SOUL); hear with ggigitgg; ears and also comprehend with a Divinely enlightened heart. .... The comprehension of that other LIFE depends on our spigitug; birth."

n s is a 150 s e o 1 t rou h d ial of se f and of what's "na 1“

(55) 'when man does not open his mind and heart to the blessing of the SPIRIT..., man is in a sorry plight!...All his aspirations and desires being strengthened by the lower side of the SOUL's nature, he becomes more and more brutal, until his whole being is in no way superior to that of the beasts that perish. Men such as this, plan to work evil, to hurt and to destroy."

‘deas and at itudes ased on h sical and TIONAL oerce tion aren't valid

(tt) "Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born of your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation.... Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected‘ in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men."

A definite relationship with DEITY and the HOLY §PIRIT are essential to SOUL growih

(uu) ”The point is this, that...to bring spirits (SOULS) within the bonds of serenity is a most arduous undertaking.... It necessitates a divine and holy potency, the potency of inspiration, the Qower of the HOLY SPIRIT."

(vv) “The body of man is in need of physical and mental energy, but his sgirit (SOUL?) requires the LIFE and fortification of the HOLY SPIRIT."

hmv) "Afflictions and troubles are due to the state of not being content with what God has ordained for you. If one submits himself to God he is

happy." 5 r d fin t b n ' ma ' es ion of the lo r a u us n r r- h - ' we '4 . c 'o R IO L f cu t

a ‘69..

[Page 70]XXII. MANKLND COMBINES HUMAN_1MEERFEQIJON§VANQAWHAT SHOWS OF THE DIVINE NAIURE now MANKIHD is peonle‘ and in them we see both the qoqd and eyil of the eagthlv LIFE

(a) ”A man may have attained to a high degree of MATERIAL progress, but without the light of truth his SOUL is stunted and starved. Another man may have no MATERIAL gifts, may be at the bottom of the social ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of Truth, his SOUL is great and his sgiritual understanding is enlightened.“

Thus in MANKIND or arouos we see a decree of spirituality,and of divine perfection;

(b) "If the perfections of the sgirit (SOUL) did not appear in this world (in MANKIND), this world would be unenlightened and absolutely brutal. By the appearance of the soirit in the physical form, this world is enlightened. As the Spirit (SOUL) of man is the cause of the LIFE of the body, so the world is in the condition of the body, and man is in the condition of the 521311 (SOUL). If there were no man, the perfections of the sgirit (SOUL) would not appear, and the light of the mind would not be resplendent in this world. This world would be like a body without a SOUL.“

ac o .. ‘Ar‘

‘ . . ' - O -1- 11. ¢- 5. Q .,~ _ n "n- ”s‘- o n ; am» e r” rg’ttmwe-e. wee," @‘th: 'ev"~e'«"°~n«sé’%°l'~'<“ . m w Hi 0 H

l , r V _ God planned "000d“ nualities to show in MANKIND even where thére is n9_§giritualit¥

(c) A question was asked about "those who are blessed with good_§g$ign§ ,and universal benevolence, who have praiseworthy characteristics, who... care for the poor, and who strive to establish universal peace" without any acknowledgment of "divine teachings.“

"Answer ~ Know that such actions, such efforts, and such words are praiseworthy and approved, and are the glory of humanity (MANKIND). But these actions alone are not sufficient; they are a body of greatest lOVeliness, but without sgirit" (the distinctive Qower of the SOUL).... (d) It may be that a man performs an action which in appearance is righteous, but which is dictated by covetousness.... But the good will is sanctified."

(e) "HUMAN brotherhood and dependence exist because mutual helpfulness and cooperation are the two necessary principles underlying HUMAN welfare.

This is the physical (MATERIAL) relationship of MANKIND. There is another brotherhood, the sniritual, which is higher, holier and superior to all others. It is heavenly; it emanates from the breaths of the HOLY SPIRIT...; it is founded upon spiritual susceptibilities. This brotherhood is established by the manifestations of the HOLY ONE"(in the realm of sgiritl.

Peoole's soiritualitv, idealism and morality are the result of MANKIND'S education

(f) "Unless the moral character of a nation is educated, as well as its brain and its talents, civilization has no sure basis.

"As RELIGION inculcates morality, it is therefore the truest philosophy, and on it is built the only lasting civilization.... Because man has stepped his ears to the Voice of Truth and shut his eyes to the Sacred Light, neglecting the LAW of God, for this reason has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery, desolated the earth."

_ 7o _

[Page 71]IZgJMANIFESTATION of God aives the education that

I IND's moralitv and virtue

{ I / (9) "HUMAN education signifies civili‘ ' zation and progress: that is to say, government, administration, charitable works, trades, arts and handicrafts, sciences, great inventions and discoveries of physical LAWS, which are the activities essential to man as distinguished from the animal.

"Divine education is that of the KINGDOM of God: it consists in acquiring divine perfections, and this is true education."

(h) In the "realm of intelligence and idealism there must be a center of

C b Nap I T I O N F illumination, and that center is the k) {i everlasting, ever-shining Sun, the S \ I R I T U A L I Y WORD of God. Its lights are the lights

\ ! ~ of reality which have shown upon hu\ manity, illumining the realm of 3 I thought and morals, conferring the X ‘ bounties of the divine world upon man.... ‘ ' The moral and ethical world and the world of seiritual regeneration are dependent for their progressive being upon that heavenly center of illumination. It gives forth the light of .RELIGION and...imbues humanity with archetypal virtues.“

SOUL Cohsciousdess

n (i) "The Prophets of God have come to

r V ' _ show man the way of righteousness in KATICNALITY \ . . order that he may not follow his own natural impulse, but govern his actions by the light of Their precept and example. According to Their teachings he should do that which is found to be praiseworthy..., even though it be opposed to his natural HUMAN inclination; and he should not do that which is found to be unworthy...though it be in the direction of his natural impulse and desire."

(j) "The fundamental Burgose animating

'“TERIALITY the Faith of God and His RELIGION is ‘ to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the HUMAN raCe." C'vi 1: io ' n o d ' of KIND's e on irit 1 Guidance firom Gog

(k) In "true civilization...the spiritual ismcarried out in the MATERIAL."

M NKI D we ..

e f i o o ' a i tues e 0 ed to date.

[Page 72]X III T EV O O V OP IS W OUR EELINGS LOVE 9; LINKING, gositivg gng ggggtige, is the basic action of spirit at all level;

MANIFESTATION f(a) "LOVE is...the MANIFESTATION of the All-Merciful, the ifountain of sEiritual outpourings. "LOVE is heaven 5 kindly light, the HOLY SPIRIT's eternal breath that vivifies the HUMAN SOUL. "LOVE is the cause of God's REVELATION unto man. the vital bond inherent...in the geaiities of things. "Next A ' "LOVE is the one means that insures true felicity both in World" E? this world and the next. ' "LOVE is the light that guideth in darkness, the living KINGDOM ' . LINK that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of Revealed Q9 every illumined SOUL.... , "LOVE revealeth with unfailing and limitless qugg the mysj teries.1atent in the universe. I "IOVE is the Sgirit of LIFE unto.the adorned body of MANKIND, HUMAN ! the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and World the shedder of imperishable'gléry upon every high-aiming race.... ”DOVE is the most great LAW that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique eggs; that bindeth together the divers elements of the MATERIAL world, the supremenforce that directs the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms."

In the animal condition YOU LOME sense-pleasure¢,anoetite satisfaction and hodx

comfort: and hate pain. ggsgtisfied gesires and body discomfort

(b) "Considennthe attainment of pleasures and happiness in this mortal world. How easy it is for the animal.... They have no labor for their livelihood and happiness because everything is provided...for them."

RATIONAL thouoht and HUMAN emotions gften intensifv these feelinqsL donft chance them

(0) "Although man is part of the animal CREATION, he possesses a nggg

of thought superior to all other created beings.... (But) if...his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to center itself upon the things of this world, he grows more and more MATERIAL until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.M

(d) ”A thankful person is thankful under all circumstances. A complaining SOUL complains even if he lives in paradise."

5 level TIONA en ‘ ‘o doe ‘trchanQe,these feelings

(e) "Inasmuch as HUMAN intefpretations and blind imitations differ widely, religious strife and disagreement have arisen...the light of true RELIGION has been extinguished."

As the soy; dgvglggg, 39“ find feelings beina reversed and becominq heavenly. NEW

(f) "Man is he who forgets his own interests for the sake of others.... Consider how the greatest men in the world...have forfeited their own comfort, have sacrificed their own pleasure for the well—being of humanity."

(g) "The LIFE of man isudivine, eternal, not mortal and sensual.... His LIFE is intended to be a LIFE of sgixitgal enjoyment to which the animal can never attain.... The happiness of man is in the fragrance of the iDVE of God."

- 72 [Page 73]What you SeeAQT are aware ofiactiyates 19g: LQyE ggwg;,_MAK§§ ygu fige] as yog g9

(h) "For those who believe in God, who have LOVE of God, and jaith, LIFE is excellent ~ that is, it is eternal; but to those SOULS who are veiled from God, although they have LIFE, it is daxk, and in comparison with the LIFE of believers it is non-existent."

Any BATIONAL Qeing gag cnggisb high iggalsg pg: this glone gan'; make g §QUL Lgyxug

W e

(i) "What profit is there in agreeing that universahgg*endship is good, and talking of the solidarity of the HUMAN race as agg1.eal? Unless these thoughts are translated into the world of action,they are useless."

w 'r aw re of od dis-e r o it- but w bou SOUL aingnzgz

(j) "A cure of physical disease is very easy, but the cure of 59151335; disease is very difficult. If one has a fever and you give him medicine, the fever will vanish; but if the sgiri; (SOUL) is afflicted with the disease of ignorance, it is difficult to remove that disease. For example, if the gpizitual health is afflicted with the LOVE of the world, snirigggl medicine must be given. These medicines are the advices and commands of God, which will have effect upon it."

f—co c

(k) "Nothing save that which profiteth them can befall My loved ones," God tells us; we have but to accept this statement as fact or truth.

(1) "What is needed is divine joyousness. The star of happiness is in every heart. We must remove the clouds so that it may twinkle radiantly.“

SUMMARY (of the HUMAN geality with its various conditions):

Aware of the divine Purpose, Origin, Objective and potentialities of

KI”3DOM existence, through viewing it in the light of divine REVELATION and Revealed with the eyes of the heart (faith and intuition), the enlightened <$§> SCUL feels only a Selfless LOVE, a radiant acquiescence and ever I

increasing delight and joy. It is from these feelings that £2131: $Ualit¥ grows - that_is, all of the heavénly attribfit§S‘such'hs mercy, kindness, forgiveness, patience, understanding, etc. For each

figigitual qmality that grows out of LOVE to eliminate that fault.

1//, HUMAN character-deficiency that "bad" emotions generate, there is a ~§ :/

HUMAN

World '

F Q

A11 HUMAN emotions develop from the animal and RATIONAL view of LIFE. They are merely an enlargement of the animal's views and feelings.

When RATIONAL vision is added to animal awareness, man begins to see things in the light of TIME, and to graSp a degree of abstract truth. He recognizes himself as a self-determining creature with definite needs and objectives; and evaluates things and people as acceptable or revolting according as they serve his pg;gg§g_. He uses his intellect both to gain more facts_about what he deals with, and to RATIONALIZE what he sees‘and feels. The animal view of LIFE is greatly enlarged. '

MAT world

Aware only of his own sgflsgtiggs, appetites and body condition, the animal feels a LIKING for his_own pleasure, satisfactions and comfort, and DIS- IKE o i hu ‘ d C i

[Page 74]XXIV. EVERY REACTION IS A STEP IN LIVING. ACTIVATES SOME DEGREE OF POWER OR SPIRIT

T " “‘ o 1 .~ 2 fee e. do 9 (a) "It is first 'to KNOW,‘ and then 'to do.'" <%;) (b) "The §§i;i§_of man (SOUL) can manifest itself in all forms

\\\ (all degrees of snixit?) at the same TIME."

%‘ " ' " s e d o e r ' 0 11 ’L ha: ' (c) "MATERIALists...depend upon the five sgggeg only,...(their)

. *5 criterion of KNOWLEDGE is limited to that which can be perceived \\\ by the senses" ("low gear" seeing). 4‘

V.‘

(d) "The image of the object perceived (is delivered) to the

' mgmg;1...(which) keeps it in its repository" to be reactivated

1L, ;.. %wain a rgactign. (Reactivation is one kind of "low gear" seeing). a

s “3

(e) "It is by the aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth"(2nd gear"), “m“whereas the SOUL is free from all agencies" Ohigh gear" seeing).

ngple'g "mingg" BAIIONALize their own errors.or think that what thev imaaine i§_;§£l

(f) "They should in no wise allow their fancy to obscure their judgment, neither should they regard their own imgginings as the voice of the Eternal."

s n a hoose w at he ‘ s tten ion to and what "eves“ he "sees” with

(9) "For example...he can pass his TIME in praising God, or he can be occupied with other thoughts...and engrossed with MATERIAL things.... These ggtigng are subject to the control of the will of man himself, consequently he is responsible for them."

(h) KNOWLEDGE is like unto wings for the being, and is as a ladder for ascending" (to various levels of consciousness).

(1) "Just as the outer sense of sight is necessary to him, he should also possess insight and conscious perception."

(j) "0 SON OF DUST! Blind thine eyes...to all save My beauty; stop thine ears to all save My WORD; empty thyself of all learning save the KNOWLEDGE of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart and an attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness."

(k) “The honor of man is through the attainment of the KNOWLEDGE of God; his happiness is from the LOVE of God; his joy is in the glad-tidings of God; his greatness is dependent upon his servitude to God."

(1) NOW "the fingers of divine gene; have unlocked the portals of the KNOWLEDGE of God, and the light of divine KNOWLEDGE and heavenly grace hath illumined and inspired the essence of all created things, in such wise that in each and every thing a door of KNOWLEDGE hath been opened, and within every atom traces of the sun hath been made manifest."

-74..

[Page 75]Ihg_bodv "sees" with SENSES and MEMORY ~ this makes a low qear animal reaction; " mind,“seee" with REASON and IMAGINATION (RATIONAL Dower); HUMAN‘ 9nd gear " SOUL "sees“ with FAITH and INTUITION,i"eves of the heart") in “hinh Gear" inv what the SOUL sees in the liqht of divine REVELATION is ereiKNOWLEDGE - what ib§_gg§t of us see is onlv nart-truth. imperfect. often totally untrue: and imperfect vision causes imoerfect or ”bad“ feelinqs and wronq reactions.

(m) "The foundation of success and salvation is the KNOWLEDGE of God, and...the results of the KNOWLEDGE of God are the good actions which are the fruits of faith."

ngglx ghysica; transactions are often carried on successfull b the bod a one ("low gear" reacting) (n) "All parts (of the body) function under certain LAWS that are essential to existence...; and though that all-unifying agency in the temple of man be not sensed or seen and the realitv thereof be unKNOWN, yet by its effectsit manifesteth itself with the greatest gower."(“Agency" is the SOUL.)

(0) "Man..., thpugh in body the captive of nature is yet free in his mind and SOUL, and hathfimastery over nature."

Qggiingisuccessfullv with more complex matters requires a hiaher decree of soirit

(p) "The spirit (SOUL) possasseth various grades and stations....In the

animal world there is the sense of feeling, but in the HUMAN world there

is an all-embracing oower.... The reasoning gower of the mind proveth the existence" of the SOUL. (Using this Bower gives a "2nd gear‘" or HUMAN reaction.)

Positive feelinqs brinq70ut and connect us with the Greatest Dower on earth: LOVE

(q) "The wonderful LAW of Attraction, Harmony and Unity, holds together this marvelous CREATION.”

(r) "LOVE is the very cause of LIFE; on the other hand, separation brings death." (5) "LOVE and affinity are the cause of LIFE, and discord and separation are the cause of death."

(t) “LOVE is the fundamental principle of God's purpose for man, and He has commanded us to LOVE each other even as He LOVES us."

(u) "What a Qower is LOVE! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living 22wg;5.... In the world of existence there is indeed no greater 29mg; than the power of LOVE. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of LOVE, he is ready to sacrifice all - even his LIFE."

flhgn LOVE is activated. the SOUL participates. and this is a "hioh qear“ reaction

(v) "The leviathan of LOVE swalloweth the master of reason and destroyeth the Lord of KNOWLEDGE.... LOVE...hath bound a myriad victims in his fetters."

§§§5;§gg_hgtg_§tifle the LIFE of the SOUL: LOVE is its purpose, fulfillmentqreality

(w) “BAHA'U'LLAH has rent the veil of prejudice and superstition which was stifling the SOULS of men."

(x) Those who are Spiritually receptive are called "the very incarnations of longing,...the embodiments of vehement desire."

_ 75 _

[Page 76]Feelings gag gesires are the impetus to all action - both its motive and objective

(y) "Every cause is followed by an effect and vice versa.... Motion without a mover or cause of motion is inconceivable."

(2) "LOVE manifests its reality in deeds, not only in words." E is a a i t'on from he h aven rea ms whic SOULS ar destined to - ct

(aa) "LOVE is the conscious bestowal of God,fimabond of affiliation in all phenomena.... A11 composite beings or existing phenomena are made up primarily of single elements bound together by a gower of attraction.... The power of gohesion expressed in the mineral kingdom is in reality LOVE or affinity manifested in a low degree.... In the vegetable kingdom...wev find an increased ggwer of attraction has become manifest among the com-' posing elements.... We enter the animal kingdom...(and) observe that the animals are susceptible to certain affiliation and fellowshig, and that they exercise natural selection. This elemental attraction, this admixture and selective affinity is LOVE manifest in the degree of the animal. ...Finally...the kingdom of man...is the superior kingdom, the light of LOVE is more resplendent. In man...beyond and above all these lower gowers we discover...the attgagtigg of heart, the susceptibilities and aiiinltigg which bind men together, enabling them to live and associate in jgiengshig and solidarity. It is therefore evident that in the world of humanity the greates king and sovereign is LOVE."

HUMAN feelings and spiritual ones are differentiated as self-LOVE and selfless LOVE

(bb) "Beware...1est ye estrange yourselves from the servants of God. You must consider all His servants as your own family.... God has created men to LOVE each other.“

(cc) "You must LOVE your friend better than yourself, yes, be willing to sacrifice yourself." (dd) “Be most Loying one to another. Burn away, wholly for the sake of the Well-Beloved, the veil of self with the flame of the undying Fire, and with faces joyous and beaming with light, associate with your neighbor."

(ee) "Cleanse from your hearts the LOVE of worldly things,...from your entire being whatsoever...may tempt you to follow the promptings of your evil and corrupt inclinations. Let God be your fear, O people."

(ff) "The essence of LOVE is for man to turn his heart to the Beloved One, and sever himself from all else but God, and desire naught save that which is the desire of his Lord.“

(99) “The true seeker hunteth naught but the object of his quest, and the lover hath no desire save union with his beloved. Nor shall the seeker reach his goal unless he sacrifice all things."

Where our hiqhest SOUL powers are used we exoerienoe 3 LIFE that is out of this world

(hh) At TIMES “there is an immediate and vivid perception by the SOUL. Exhilaration is experienced. The SCUL (in the world of dreams) journeys, perceives, senses. It often happens that a man in a state of wakefulness has not been able to accomplish the solution of a problem, and when he goes to sleep he will reach that solution in a dream."

- 76 [Page 77]LOVE,of Divinity is gyr qoal; rewards and promises of nt_ainment ar m s or'o 5

(ii) "LOVE is the foundation of every thing.... These waves from our minds go forth and create movement and thought in other minds. From one strong thought of LOVE what great results may be produced!"

(jj) "O SON OF LOVE! Thou art but one step away from the glorious heights above and from the celestial tree of LOVE. Take thou one pace and with the next advance into the immortal realm and enter the pavilion of eternity."

(kk) "Among sgiritual SOULS there are spigitual understandings, discoveries, a communion which is purified from imagination and fancy, an association which is sanctified from TIME and place."

(11) "And shouldst thou recognize thy powerlessness, do thou rein in thy passions, and return unto thy LORD, that perchance He may forgive thee thy sins."

(mm) "When you call on the Mercy of God waiting to reinforce you, your strength will be threefold.” (nn) "If ye follow in His way, His incalculable and imperishable blessings will be showered upon you."

(00) “The beloved of God (believers?) have, in the days of the MANIFESTATION...been exalted above and made independent of all HUMAN learning. Nay, from their hearts and the Springs of their innate powers hath gushed out unceasingly the inmost essence of HUMAN learning and wisdom.... In those days, no man shall ever stand in need of his neighbor."

(pp) ”BAHA'U'LLAH has appeared and so resuscitated soirits (SCULS) that they have manifested mowers more than HUMAN.... Such resuscitation is impossible except through...the divine gower of the HOLY SPIRIT."

(qq) "The potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his geelitx, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God."

(rr) “Try with all your hearts to be willing channels for God's bounty. For...He has chosen you to be His messengers of LOVE throughout the world, to be His bearers of sgiritua] gifts to man, to be the means of spreading unity and concord on the earth. Thank God...(for) such a privilege."

Awakenina to the KNOWLEDGE of God which Generates selfless LCVE‘ is “second birth"

(55) ”The disciples (of Jesus Christ)...were delivered from the animal characteristics and qualities which are the characteristics of HUMAN nature, and they become qualified with the divine characteristics, which

are the bounty of God; this is the meaning of the second birth." (tt)“Then they received the help of God, and the gower of the HOLY SPIRIT became manifested; the spirituality of Christ triumphed, and the LOVE of God reigned.... Through the sgirit of the LOVE of God, they gained a new LIFE."

(uu) "Therefore rebirth means...release from the captivity of nature, freedom from attachment to this mortal and MATERIAL LIFE. This is the

second or sgzgitual birth."

(vv) "The resuscitatiogyurebirth of the sgiri§og¥0man is through the science of the LOVE of God." §cience — systematic and formulated KNOWLEDGE (Oxford Dictionary). 77

[Page 78]XXV. NOW A CLOSE-UP OF THE S L'§ QROWTH PA!“§E§

15§_svmbpl is a treezand YOU were Created in seed-form

(a) "The HUMAN reality may be compared to a seed. If we sow t?Eeed, a mighty tree appears from it. ...Through education and culture,...virtues deposited by the loving God will become apparent

in the HUMAN reality even as the unfoldment of

the tree from within the germinating seed."

(b) "I am, O my God, but a tiny seed which Thou hast sown in the soil of Thy LOVE, and caused to I spring forth by the hand of Thy bounty."

u -LIF is ' the TERIAL or] "of i 1 s “ ‘ (See (r) p.53) (c) “All our senses are doors which can lead us not only to a fuller expression of LIFE but to a better understanding of it and a higher state of inner development. But like everything else, they must be kept in their proper place, fulfilling their proper function."

(d) "Some men's lives are solely occupied with the things of this world; their minds are so circumscribed by exterior manners and traditional interests that they are blind to any other realm of existence, to the sgiri 33} significance of all things: They think and dream of earthly fame,

of MATERIAL progress. Sensuous delights and comfortable surroundings

bound their horizon, their highest ambitions center in successes of worldly conditions and circumstancessn.Like the animal, they have no thought beyond their own physical well-being." These live at the lowest level.

oub o T I L IFE s i u a e o r SOUL- row h like Qloughing the eagfib

(e) "The mind and $9151: of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the harvest will be. Just as the plough furroughs the earth deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly LIFE until he arrives at a state of complete detachment.u.Man is, so to Speak, unripe; the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him... The greatest men have suffered most." (f) "Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned... is thatone which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit."

E§§gnti§1 :9 you; Qgigg §§ foliage ig to a tree. are your thouahts, words and deeds (Reread p. 51)

(9) "For example, if this tree were entirely fruit, the vegetable perfections could not be attained; for leaves, blossoms, and fruits are all necessary, so that the tree may be adorned with utmost beauty and perfection."

our I is 11 maior part of a tree: out of it comes your spirituality

(h) "The SOUL (in earthly LIFETIME?) is the intermediary between the body and the sgirit (developed SOUL? or HOLY SPIRIT?)...(as) this tree is the intermediary between the seed and the fruit. When the fruit appears and becomes ripe, then we KNOW that the tree is perfect; if the tree bore no fruit it would be merely a useless growth, serving no purpose.”

- 78 - ,

[Page 79]The fxuit7Of the SOULfs earthly livino is its Spirituality,_the eternal part of YOU

(1) “The fruits of the HUMAN world...are the sEiritual attributes which appear in man. If man is bereft of those attributes he is like a fruitless tree." (j) "No one Can destroy his sgiritual qualities; they are , from God."

(k) "The fruit of the HUMAN tree...is the LOVE of God; it is the LOVE of humankind; it is to wish good for all the people of the earth; it is service to humanity; it is truthfulness and honesty; it is virtues and good morals;...such are the fruits of the HUMAN tree. Otherwise it is only wood."

(1) "The fruit of man's earthly existence...is the recognition of the one true God." (m) "If a tree bear no fruit it had better be cut down....1t is better a thousand times for a man to die than to continuemwithout virtue.“

XQQ ghangg, sacrifiging 10wer conditions and expressions for hiohor spiritual ones

(n) "If you plant a seed in the ground, a tree will become manifest from that seed. The seed sacrifices itself to the tree that will come from it. The seed is outwardly lost, destroyed, but the same seed which is sacrificed will be absorbed and embodied in the tree, its blossoms, fruit and branches. If the identity of that seed had not been sacrifiCed to the tree which became manifest from it, no branches, blossoms or fruits

would have been forthcoming.“

YOU can ggow mentallv and soirituallv as lonq as YOU live

(0) "New fruits must be forthcoming; for that is the provision and intention of sgiritual re-formation. The renewal of the leaf is fruitless. From the re-formation of bark or branch no fruit will come forth. The renewal of verdure produces nothing. If there be no renewal of fruit from the tree,

of what avail is the re-formation of bark, blossom, branch and trunk?“

EHLAYCU develoo as YOU should. only if YOU GTOW in the light of DivinityfiREVELATIQfl

(p) "A11 creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine Bounty. Di vine Mercy gives LIFE itself. As the light of the sun shines on the whole world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed on all creatures. As the

sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and gives LIFE and warmth to all living beings, so shines the SUN of Truth on all SOULS, filling them with

the fire of Divine LOVE and understanding." (q) "God...is like the sun."

(r) "Be well watered with the abundant rain falling from the clouds of the Testament of God, that thou mayest bring forth fresh and ripe fruits which are beneficial to the hearts and SOULS.“

(s) "The heart must of necessity be sgiritual. A tree figs; be fruitful; it may be very tall, very verdant, but yield no fruits. The fruits of

the tree ofi HUMAN LIFE are the LOVE of God, magnetic, sgiritugl susceptibilities, heavenly illumination, the KNOWLEDGE of God, praiseworthy attributes, good morals and conduct. A person whose tree of LIFE produces such fruits is a Bahá’í; otherwise he is of the earth, earthy, self—occupied, and following the dictates of his own desires, and is man only by name. As...Christ says: 'Ye shall KNOW the tree by its fruits.'"

(t) "All those who seek truth in the Heavenly KINGDOM shine like stars; they are like fruit trees laden with choice fruit." -79..

[Page 80]DIFFERENT REALMS OF BEING ARE GENERATED BY DIFFERENT DEGREES OF SPIRIT (Re-read p. 38-41)

XXVI.

The "Greater World" is Generated by God's own SPIRIT (the HOLY SPIRII) (See p. 25)

The "Lesser World" is ggnegated bv lesser deqrees of SPLRLT: "All the variations in the stages...in the realms of being proceed from...(man's) own vision."(a)

The different “stages" or realms of being:

KINGDOM OF THE MANIFESTATION ' OF GOD, or

f",.G_,;.g_a;§eg Worgg"

t

generated by SPIRIT consisting of:

his ENOWIEG gamer; plus

fibsolute KNOWLEDGE, and Divine LOVE,

divine, innate; complete awareness

of eseiitx

this Lgxfigeemua:

selfless, infinite

Degree of SPIRIT:

HOLY SPIRIT

WW

CREATION,"Lesser Woglg"

KINGDOM OF Divine KNOWLEDGE and Selfless LOVE "spirit" E?” "Departed SOULS" added by God's mercy to that gained . WorLQ,"hereafter" on earth

KINGDOM

, REVEALED intuitige gnd sgiritual Selfless LOVE "spirit" gp World of KNOWING developed by of Divinity (characteristic . Epizfiieeliix inspiration and ieith (seiziteel) or full eswe; I in divine REVELATION and of what is of the SOUL)

seen as qoog

u HUMANNESS Revulsion against

World of HUMAN what is Dis! ___2m2£ign§___ RATIONAL faculties, LIKED; nega- HUMAN

RATIONALITY intellect tive or bad sgirit

I World of HUMAN emotions

intellect

ALH ‘7: MATERIALITY world of Matter Instincttsenses.memorv Sensations animal soirit

The MA ERIAL

1d is the beuinnin

st me of CREATION

SENSES and MEMORY acquaint us with MATTER and the MATERIAL world that we call nature

(b)

often the more powerful.

"In the Qowegg which animals and men have in common, the animal is For example,...the gower of memory: if you carry

a pigeon from here to a distant country, and there set it free, it will return, for it remembers the way."

The MATERIAL world, thgggh pggfect in itself. is inadequate as man's realm of being (6) "The bod is limited to a place, and does not KNOW that which is bev yond it." (d "Man is in the highest degree of MATERIALITY, and at the beginning of Sgizitgalitxg...he is the end of imperfection and the beginning of perfection."

But in thg_MATFRIAL wozlg mg gag see likenesses and svmbols of the realms of sgigig (e) "The physical universe is...in perfect correspondence with the snirig gal or divine realm.

simile of the inner KINGDOM of sgiri ."

- 80 The world of MATTER is an outer expression or fac [Page 81]fiAILQNAL_flQBLD

(f) "KNOWLEDGE...is a state attained to by the intelligence, (and) is an intellectual condition.“

(9) “ALL CREATION is made subject to the laws of nature, but man has

been able to conquer these laws." (h) "When we are not captives of nature, when we possess the Qower to control ourselves, shall we become captives of nature and act according to its exigencies?" (i) "The lower appetites of nature are like kings over men; one must defeat their forces, otherwise he will be defeated by them."

But the RAIIONAL world is not dependable; HUMANgthouqhts are often wronQ. untrue

(j) "I am astonished that certain phiIOSOphers of America and Europe are content to gradually approach the animal world, and so to go backwards; for the tendency of existence must be towards exaltation."

(k) "The conception of annihilation is a factor in HUMAN degradation, a cause of HUMAN debasement and lowliness, a source of HUMAN fear and abjection...; therefore it behooves man to abandon thoughts of non-existence

and death which are absolutely imaginary and see himself ever living, everlasting in the divine purpose of his creation.

(1) “Among those matters which require thorough revision and reform is the method of studying the various branches of KNOWLEDGE and the Organization of the academic curriculum. From lack of organization, education has become haphazard and confused. Trifling subjects which should not call for elaboration receive undue attention.

(m) "Many things come to the mind of man which are like the waves of the sea of imaginations; they have no fruit, and no result comes from them."

(n) “No system of philosophy has ever been able to change the manners and customs of a people for the better."

(0) "All over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled... But all these sayings are but words and we see very few of them carried into the world of action. On the contrary, we perceive that men are carried away by passion and selfishness, each man thinking only of what will benefit himself even if it means the ruin of his brother.“

The migg of man i§ intended to asgire to a higher world than the RATIONAL one

(p) "My hope for you is that you will progress in the world of s irit, as well as in the world of MATTER; that your intelligence will develop, your KNOWLEDGE will augment, and your understanding be widened."

(q) "Just as HUMAN intellects have revealed the secrets of MATTER...may minds and spirits (SOULS) likewise come into the KNOWLEWSE of the verities of God, and the realities of the KENGDOM be made manifest in HUMAN hearts."

~81. [Page 82]woagg OE figMAflNEfiS REVELATION accented is what distinquishes the KINGDOM REVEALED from the HUMAN.£2£1§

(r) "As long as man is in the matrix of the HUMAN world, as long as he is the captive of ngture, he is out of touch with and without KNOWLEDSE of the universe of the KINGDOM. If he attains rebirth while in the world of nature, he will become informed of the divine world. He will observe that another higher world exists."

There is a clear line between the HUMAN world and the so-called world of 59221!

(s) In the HUMAN world and in the earthly consciousness "trials...beset our every step; all our sorrow, pain, shame and grief, are born in the world of MATTER; whereas the soiritugI KINGDOM never causes sadness. A man living with his thoughts in this KINGDOM KNOWS perpetual joy. The ills

all flesh is heir to, do not pass him by, but they only touch the surface of his LIFE; the depths are calm and serene."

HUMAN Wills and selfish desires rule in the HUMAN realm: LOVE is out of this world (t) "O SON OF DESIRE! How long wilt thou soar in the realms of desire?

Wings have I bestowed upon thee, that thou mayest fly to the realms of mystic holiness and not the regions of satanic fancy."

l

(u) "What ‘oppression' is more grievous that than a SOUL seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the KNOWLEDGE of God, should KNOW not where to go for it and from whom to seek it?.... By 'Oppression' is meant the want of capacity to vauire soirituel KNOWLEDGE and apprehend the WORD of God."

(v) "Truth may be likened to the sun! The sun is the luminous body that disperses all shadows; in the same way does truth scatter the shadows of

our imagination. As the sun gives LIFE to the body of humanity, so does truth give LIFE to their SOULS."

(w) "My gurgose...was that thou mightest attain My everlasting dominion. ...And yet heedless thou didst remain, and...didst neglect all My bounties and occupied thyself with thine idle imgginingg, in such wise that thou didst become wholly forgetful, and, turning away from the portals of the Friend didst abide within the courts of My enemy."

Most peonle NOW live in the HUMAN world. but BAHA'U’LLAH offers freedom from it

(x) "Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble..., no one escapes; ... but thank God, the remedy is at our doors. Let us turn our hearts away from the world of MATTER and live in the spiritual world!"

(y) "Our greatest efforts must be directed towards detachment from the things of the world; we must strive to become more sgiritua ."

(z) "The wayfarer in this Valley (Valley of KNOWLEDGE)...breaketh the cage of the body and the passions, and consorteth with the people of the immortal realm." 82

[Page 83]IHE SPIRITUAL KINGDOM REVEALED

'BAHA'U'LI‘;

(an) "The outer expression used for the KINGDOM is heaven; but this is a comparison and similitude, not a {gglity or fact, for the KINGDOM is not

3 MATERIAL place, it is sanctified from TIME and place. It is a sgigitggl world, a divine world, and the center of the Sovereignty of God; for it

is freed from body and that which is corporeal, and it is purified and sahctified from'the'imggingtigns of the HUMAN world."

(bb) As ”LOVE has no place, but is connected with the heart; so the KINGDOM has no place, but is connected with man. Entrance into the KINGDOM is... through detachment, through holiness and chastity, through truthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness, and the sacrifice of LIFE." Since these are the attributes of the KINGDOM, he who possesses them "belongs"

to this KINGDOM.

(cc) "When they (people) are delivered through the light of $5133 from the darkness of...vices, and become illuminated with the radiance of the Sun of Reality....they esteem this the greatest reward, and they KNOW

it to be the true paradise.”

(dd) "0 SON OF SPIRIT! With the joyful tidings of light I hail thee: rejoice! To the court of holiness I summon thee; abide therein that thou

mayest live in peace for evermore." Ihg_filfl§DOM Revealed or "heaven" on earth is a condition to which we mav all attain

(ee) Although"we are imprisoned in the MATERIAL world, our soirit (SOUL) can soar into the Heavens and we shall be free indeed!"

Ihe_§§fl§29fl_flg¥g§lgg_i§ a realm of eterna1,LOVE. iov and spiritual blessinos

(ff) "The 52131393; world...is the KINDGOM of complete attraction and affinity. It is the KINGDOM of the one divine soirit, the KINGDOM of God. Therefore the affinity and LOVE manifest."

(99) "In the spiritual world, the divine bestowals are infinite, for in that realm there 15 neither separation nor disintegration which characterize the world of MATERIAL existence. SEiritual existence is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable being.“

(hh) "In the world of spirit there is no retrogression.”

(ii) "Seiritual blessings are...endless: s i it, consciousness, thought, memorx, perception, ideation and other endowments. By these He (God)

has guided us and we enter His KINGDOM. He has opened the doors of all good before our faces.... He has summoned us to the KINGDOM of heaven. He has enriched us by the bestowals of God."

(jj) "If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to the KINGDOM, and heavenly consolation will be outpoured."

(kk) "If we are born from the matrix of this physical and phenomal environment into the freedom and loftiness and vision 5 iritual, we shall" consider this mortal existence and its blessings as worthless by comparison."

83

[Page 84]25aA;y;;i£¢LgE§ggi_glga;_How each SOUL can enter this heavenly world here and NOW

(11) "0 MY SERVANT! Purge thy heart from malice and, innocent of envy, enter the divine court of holiness."

(mm) "0 YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR!...Abide not but in the rose-garden of the §§H1....dwell not save on the mount of faithfulness. Therein is thy habitation, if on the wings of thy SOUL thou soarest to the realm of the infinite and aeekest to attain thy goal."

(nn) "0 SON OF GLORY! Be swift in the path of holiness, and enter the heaven of communion with Me. Cleanse thy heart with the burnish of the Vsoigit, and hasten to the court of the Most High."

Shiftinq from the dominion of self to control by the divine WILL is a refiuirement

(00) If "SOULS...sacrifice self, become detached from the perfections of the realm of man and free from the shackles of this ephemeral world, assuredly the splendors of the rays of the divine union shall shine in their hearts, and in the eternal paradise they shall find ideal relationship, union and happiness."

(pp) “0 SON OF SPIRIT! Burst they cage asunder, and even as the phoenix of LOVE soar into the firmament of holiness. Renounce thyself and, filled with the spirit of mercy, abide in the realm of celestial sanctity."

(qq) “The station of absolute self-surrender transcendeth, and will ever remain exalted above, every other station."

(rr) “Become servants of the heavenly kingdom, captives in the service of the HILL of God. This captivity is freedom, this sacrifice is glorification.... For service... is unity with God."

(55) “Deliver your SOULS, O people, from the bondage of sglfi, and purify them from all attachment to anything besides Me." (tt) "When one is released from the ggisgh of self, that is indeed freedom! For self is the great est prison.“

Bahá’u’lláh has unveiled the world of Divinity. revealed God's KINGDOM "on earth?

'(uu) ”O SON OF MAN! The light hath shone on thee from the horizon of the sacred Mount and the snigit of enlightenment hath breathed in the Sinai of thy heart. Wherefore, free thyself from the veils of idle fancies and enter into My court, that thou mayest be fit for everlasting LIFE and worthy to meet Me. Thus may death not come upon thee, neither weariness nor trouble."

The cominq 9f the KINGDOM was lona promised: we‘re NOW called to develoo its REALIIY

(vv) "OFFSPRING OF DUST!...Barter not the garden of eternal delight for the dust-heap of a mortal world. Up from thy prison ascend unto the glorious meads above, and from thy mortal cage wing thy flight unto the paradise of the Placeless."

(WW) "0 SON OF WORLDLINESS! Pleasant is the realm of being, wert thou to attain thereto; glorious is the domain of eternity, shouldst thou pass beyond the world of mortality...8houldst thou attain this station, thou wouldst be freed from destruction and death, from toil and sin.‘

84

[Page 85]lhg_att;ihutes of the KINGDOM RFVEALFD are God's attributes reflected in SCULS

(xx) "Entranro into the KINGDOM is through the LOVE of God,through detachment,through holiness and chastity, through truthfulness, purity and...sacrifice."

GREATER WORLD

7 // ‘\\,/

divine V \ awareif5>t&\\hess

. \ [WQQLDK

(yy) “What is true greatness in man?....His apiritgal attributes. No one can destroy his seizitga; qualities; they are from God."

(22) "Man is like unto the glass (in a lamp); but sgiritgal splendors are like unto the light within the glass. No matter how translucent the glass may be, as long as there is no light within, it remains dark. Likewise man, no matter how much he advances in MATERIAL accomplishments,...will remain like the glass without light if he is deprived of the virtues spiritual."

Divine motives, stirred bv the HOLY SPIRIT.4produce these qualities

(aaa) ”Man's supreme honor and real happiness lie in self respect. in high resolves and noble purposes, in integrity and moral quality, in immaculacy of mind."

(bbb) MANIFESTATIONS "are commissioned to use the inspiration of Their words...for the cleansing of every longing heart and receptivfhsgiri; from the dross and dust of earthly cares and limitationgfiand only then, will the Trust of God, latent in the reality of man, emerge, as resplendent as the rising Orb of Divine REVELATION, from behind the veil of concealment." (ccc) "HUMAN virtues (are) inspired by the HOLY SPIRIT."

(ddd) "What is the purpose of our 1ives?...To vauire virtues!“

To d v 10 nd manifest these our ti our hi h a u filmgnL (eee) "The LIFE of man is useful if he attains the perfections of man."

(fff) “True happiness depends on sgiritual good and having the heart ever open to receive the Divine Bounty."

(999) ”No matter how much man may acquire MATERIAL virtues, he will not be able to realize and express the highest possibilities of LIFE without spiritual graces."

(hhh) “Happy are the righteous that have attained unto the most great truth; happy are the wise that have recognized the straight path of God and turned unto His KINGDOM; happy are the glad and sincere, the lamps of whose hearts burn with the KNOWLEDGE of . the All-Merciful and are protected from the rough winds of tests and sorrows; happy are the brave whose hearts the power of the oppressor cannot daunt; happy are the clear-sighted that have learned to distinguish the transitory from the eternal, that have

’turned their faces to the Imperishable and are named among the

Immortals in the realm of ggwg; and glory.“

(iii) “Strive, O people, to gain admittance into this vast Immensity for which God ordained neither beginning nor end, in which His voice hath been raised, and over which have been wafted

AVThan) PROPHET (man; the sweet savors of holiness and glory."

85

[Page 86]XXVIIIIHE flQELQ QBQEB QE BAHA‘Q'LLAH 1§ §PIBIEQAL, BART OF TEE KINGDOM REVEALED Ina; a D2! flQBLQ QBQEB 15 being pgpn is obvious; BAHA'U'LLAH gxolgigs what 1; i5

(a) ”The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new WOBLQ OBQEB. MANKIND's ordered LIFE hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed."

(b) "Soon will the present-day ORDER be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead." (c) "The day is approaching when We will have rolled up the world and all that is therein, and spread out a new ORDER in its stead. He verily, is powerful over all things."

(d) "The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can NOW be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing orde; appeareth to be lamentably defective."

(e) "The world of spirit needs new LIFE, the world of mind necessitates new animus and development, the world of SOULS a new bounty, the world of morality a re-formationJ'

‘MA

(f) ”Motion hath been generated by the potent energies which the hORDS of the Almighty have released throughout the entire CREATION."

(g) "The precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of ORDER in the world and the security of its peoples."

(h) ”Whenever My LAWS appear like the sun in the heaven of Mine utterance, they must be faithfully obeyed by all, though My decree be such as to cause the heaven of every religion to be cleft asunder."

(1) "Just as you were physically born from the mother into this world, ye must be born again from the mother-world of nature into the LIFE of the divine KINGDOM....May you all be born again from this mortal world into the realm

of the KINGDOM. May you clearly witness the signs of God, sense the vir tues of the divine, attain the eternal bounties and perceive the Igglitx

of LIFE everlasting."

As ' e e he LAW f the Ne O R i - s fis ne ative emotions are bg;;ed out

(j) "Real lOVE is the LOVE which exists between God and His servants, the LOVE which binds together holy SOULS. This is the LOVE of the spiritual world, not the L£NE of physical bodies and organisms." (k) "BAHA'U‘LLAH has proclaimed and provided the way by which hostility and dissention may be removed from the HUMAN world.”

(1) "He is indeed a captive who hath not recognized the Supreme Redeemer, but hath suffered his SOUL to be bound, distressed and helpless, in the fetters of his desires." (m) "He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá who followeth his mundane desires...."

(n) "Leave all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and submissive to the WILL of God. In this way only shall we become citizens of the KINGDOM of God."

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[Page 87]§piritual governmenttAadmiantration of affairs by selfless leaders. is God's decree

(0) “Tho...House of Justice, if it be established under the necessary conditions,...will be under the protection and guardianship of God. If that House of Justice shall decide unanimously, or by a majority, upon

any question not mentioned in the Book, that decision,will be guarded

from mistake... The members of the House of Justice have not, individually, essential sinlessness; but the body of the House of Justice is under the protection of God: this is called conferred infallibility."

(p) "O ye the elected representatives of the people of every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth MANKIND, and bettereth the condition thereof." (q) "If five people meet together to seek for truth, they must begin by cutting themselves free from all their own special conditions and renouncing all preconceived ideas."

(r) "The gift of God to this enlightened age is the KNOWLEDGE of the oneness of LMNKIND and of 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."

(5) “Then every nation on earth will reign in honor, and every people will be cradled in tranquility and content."

(t) ”Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts way be tranquillized. Heal the dissentions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demandeth."

We must "see." LIVE bv. God's Puroose in order to be part of the new divine Order

(u) "Behold how contrary are the ways of the MANIFESTATIONS of‘God, a5 ordained by the King of CREATION, to the ways and desires of men! As thou comest to comprehend the essence of these divine mysteries, thou wilt grasp the Quroose of God, the divine Charmer, the Best-Beloved."

(v) "The only difference (in people) lies in the degree of faithfulness, of obedience to the LAWS of God. There are some who are as lighted torches, there are others who shine as stars in the sky of humanity."

The egiritUEI WORLD ORDER won't deteriorate: it will evolve towards more perfection (w) "In the world of sgigit there is no retrogression.“

(x) "O ye Cohorts of God!...this community of the 'Most Great Name is...striving... to live in accordance with the divine Teachings in order that...the HUMAN race attain to higher morals, conduct and manners."

(y) "If we confess verbally that BAHA’U'LLAH'S principles are the cause

of eternal salvation and the means of nearness unto the throne of God and yet do not live according to their instructions, we are not Bahá’ís. Therefore day and night we must pray for each other, so that we be assisted to express in our lives the universal soigit of BAHA‘U'LLAH."

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[Page 88]XXVIIIJ THE ULTIMATE INACREATION IS THE KINGDOM OF DEPARTED SOULS ONCE CALLED HEAVEN We ‘ ha 0 ' b b e OU ill stil be — -U

(a) "Total annihilation is an impossibility.... As existence can never become non-existence, there is no death for man.... Death is therefore applicable to a change or transformation from one degree to another."

(b) “As to the SOUL of man after death, it remains in the degree of purity to which it has evolved during life in the physical body, and after it is freed from the body it remains plunged in the ocean of God's mercy...(and) evolves nearer to God, by the mercy and bounty of God."

Ibe "next LIFE“ ig g continuation of this, minus earth. 11 limitgtions

(c) "There is no other being higher than a perfect man. But man when he has reached this state ban still make progress in perfections but not in state, because there is no state higher than that of'a perfect man to which he can transfer himself. He only progresses in the state of humanity, for the HUMAN perfections are infinite. Thus, however learned a man may be, we can imagine one more learned. Hence, as the perfections of humanity are endless, man can also make progress in perfections after leaving this world."

fiag&_g;wg¥§7oart of CREATION. develons endless oerfections eternallv after death

(d) "In the world of existence man has traversed successive degrees until he has attained the HUMAN kingdom. In each degree of his progression he has developed capacity for advancement to the next station and condition. ...Therefore in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond.... That world beyond is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore it is necessary that in this world he should acquire these divine attributes....By what means can man vauire these things?....First, through the KNOWLEDGE of God. Second, through the LOVE of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthIOpic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness.”

(e) "As the sgigit (SOUL) continues to exist after death, it necessarily progresses, or declines; and in the other world, to cease to progress is the same as to decline; but it never leaves its own condition, in which it continues to develop."

(f) "From the moment the SOUL leaves the body and arrives in the Heavenly World, its evolution is Sgiritual, and that evolution is: the agorogchina unto God.n.The SOUL does not evolve from degree to degree as a LAW - it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of God."

(9) "The progress of man's £91311 (SOUL) in the divine world, after the severance of its connection with the body of dust, is throug the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through the intercession andA ?ncere prayers of other HUMAN SOULS or through the charities and important good works which are performed in its name."

88

[Page 89]

(h) “figlritual existence is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable e ng."

(i) "LIFE in this mortal world will quickly come to an end, and this earthly glory, wealth, comfort and happiness will soon vanish and be no more. Summon ye the people to God and..to the manners and conduct of the Supreme Concoursafi

(3) "Death proffereth unto every confident believer the cup that is LIFE indeed. It bestoweth joy, and is the bearer of gladness. It conferreth the gift of everlasting LIFE."

(k) ”The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the SOUL attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation."

(l) "A friend asked: 'How should one look forward to death? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered: 'How does one look forward to the end of any journey? With hope and expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey. In the next world man will find himself freed from many of the disabilities under which he now suffers. Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours: their work of the KINSDOM, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call TIME and place. Those who have ascended have different attributes (conditions) from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation. In prayer there is a mingling of stations, a mingling of condition."I

”1g ggnishmgnts and rewards in this KINGIQM are of our own making here on earth (m) "All men shall, after their physical death, estimate the worth of

their deeds, and realize all that their hands have wrought....They that

are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they depart out

of this LIFE, experience such joy and gladness as would be impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can exceed.”

(n) “The punishments of the other world...consist in being deprived of the special divine blessings and the absolute bounties, and falling into

the lowest degrees of existence. He who is deprived of these divine favors, although he continues after death, is considered as dead by the people of truth.”

(0) "LikewiSe the rewards of the other world are the eternal LIFE which

is clearly mentioned in all the Holy Books, the divine perfections, the eternal bounties, and everlasting felicity. The rewards of the other world are the perfections and the peace obtained in the spiritual worlds after leaving this world.“

(p) "'0n the Day of Judgment, when men stand before their Lord, they will not be questioned as to their education and the degree of their culture rather will they be examined as to their good deeds.'"

(q) "The loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat."

89

[Page 90]gggg. flE_QAN LOOK FORWARD TO AN INFINITUDE OF GLQfij§y§_flQRLQS BEXQED [HE EflESEfll fig §QQL ig so ggigitgally dead as to enter . " ext LIFE" without hoge 9f nggzggg

(a) "It is possible that the condition of those who have died in sin and unbelief may become changed; that is to say, they may become the object of pardon through the bounty of God, not through His justice, for bounty is giving without desert, and justice is giving what is deserved.”

(b) "The very fact that our sgiritual instinct, surely never given in vain, prompts us to pray for the welfare of those, our loved ones, who have passed out of the MATERIAL world: does it not bear witness to the continuance of their existence?"

(c) "If the SOUL of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly, return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved.... It shall attain a station such as no pen can depict, or tongue describe. The SOUL that hath remained faithful to the CAUSE of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, after his ascension, be possessed of such ngwg; that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a SOUL provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the 29mg; through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest.... Those SOULS that are the Symbols of detachment are the leaven of the world.”

(d) "As to the question whether the SOULS will recognize each other in the égiritual world: This fact is certain; for the KINGDOM is the world of vision where all the concealed realities will become disclosed. How much more the well KNOWN SOULS will become manifest! The mysteries of which man is heedlese i this earthly world, these he will discover in the heavenly world, and th%}t,;geinformed of the secret of truth: how much more will he recognize or discover persons with whom he hath been associated."

(e) ”The SOULS of the people of Bahá, who have entered and been established within the Crimson Ark, shall associate and commune intimately one with another, and shall be so closely associated in their lives, their aspirations, their aims and strivings as to be even as one SOUL....

"The people of Bahá...are, one and all, well aware of one another's state and condition, and are united in the bonds of intimacy and fellowship. Such a state, however, must depend upon their faith and their conduct. They that are of the same grade and station are fully aware of one another's capacity, character, accomplishments and merits. They that are of a lower grade, however, are incapable of comprehending adequately the station, or of estimating the merits, of those that rank above them.“

flhéfl God has destined for us is bevong all imaginina - Divine

(f) ”The worlds of God are countless iaihfimber, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing.’

(9) “Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain."

90

[Page 91]E s P 3 OF EALI TO BE COPED WIT IN MATERIAL AND HUMANigzISTENgg

IIME 1g dimgnfiign measuning ages, staggg, gygieg o; Lengths of activity or oroqress

(a) "Place and TIME surround the body."

(b) "Development and progression imply gradual stages or degrees....NOW is the beginning of the manifestation of the power spiritual, and inevitably its potency of LIFE forces will assume greater and greater proportions.... It will reach such a degree that Spiritual effulgences will overcome the physical, so that divine susceptibilities will overpower MATERIAL intelligence, and the heavenly light dispel and banish earthly darkness."

(c) "We are in the cycle which began with Adam and its universal MANIFESTATION is BAHA u LLAH "

(d) "There were many universal cycles preceding this one in which we are living. They were consummated, completed, and their traces obliterated." (e) "Every age hath its own problems.”

[hggg's a BIGflI TIME (God's TIME) for evervthinq - especially to reconnize DEITY

(f) "We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!"

(9) "It is NOW the TIME ihaiistory of the world for us to...arise to service in the world of morality, for HUMAN morals are in need of readjustment." (h) "Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its...requirements.“ (i) "Ye are the shepherds of MANKIND; liberate ye your flocks from the wolves of evil pa5r sions and desires, and adorn them with the ornament of the fear of God."

h c c BAHA'U'L e ‘5 h TIME MANKIND is to enter the egigitgal condition

(j) “The REVELATION which, from TIME immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purgose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath NOW, by virtue of the pervasive WILL of the A1mighty...been revealed unto men. The advent of such a REVELATION hath been heralded in all the sacred SCRIPTURES. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, MANKIND hath strayed from its path and shut itself from its glory."

(k) ”Consider this present century of radiance and compare it with past centuries. What a vast difference exists between them! How minds have developed! How perceptions have deepened! How discoveries have increased!

What great projects have been accomplished! How many Egalities have be come manifest! How many mysteries of CREATION have been probed and penetrated! What is the CAUSE of this? It is through the efficacy of sniritual springtime in which we are 1iving.‘I

(l) ”He...hath come to build anew the whole world." (m) "Today the light of Truth is shining upon the world in its abundance."

(n) At the TIME when “lights of KNOWLEDGE and certitude envelop" the seeker4s being, the MANIFESTATION"will awaken the heart, the SOUL and the fipizit."

91

[Page 92]‘s T ~ ' - so t i 'ne I M

(0) "LIFE is of two kinds: that of the body, and that of the spirit. The LIFE of the body is MATERIAL LIFE, but the LIFE of the spigit (SOUL) expresses the existence of the KINGDOM, which consists in receiving the SPIRIT of God, and becoming vivified by the breath

of the HOLY SPIRIT."

(p) ‘Because they (atoms) have affinity for each other, the Qower 0 LIFE is

able to manifest itself an ganisms

of the phenomenal world become possible.... It is so likewise in the sgiritual

world. That world is the KINGDOM of complete attraction and affinity. It

is the KINGDOM of the one divine sgirit, the KINGDOM of God."

(q) ”By...perpetua1 union with God is meant that men should'merge their will wholly in the WILL OF GOD; and regard their desires as utter nothingness."

(t3 "Perish that lover who discerneth between the pleasant and p nous in his LOVE for his beloved!“

O L n for his 0 di io at a TIM§§

(5) "Man is always turned towards the heights, and his aspiration is lofty; he always desires to reach a greater world than the world in which he is, and to mount to a higher sphere than that in which he is. The LOVE of exaltation is one of the characteristics of man."

and thus realit

(t) "If the lover could have looked ahead, he would have blessed the watchman at the start,....and he would have seen that (watchman's apparent) tyranny as justice....Those who jdurney in the garden-land of KNOWLEDGE,...people of the Valleys above this (Valley of KNOWLEDGE,) see the end and the beginning

as one.... For these have passed over the worlds of names and...attributes."

(u) 'The light of the intellect enables us to understand and realize all

that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can give us sight for the invisible things, and which enables us to see truths that will only be visible

to the world thousands of years hence. It was the Divine Light which enabled the Prophets to see two thousand years in advance what was going to take place.... Thus it is this Light which we must strive to seek."

v Go OW ' ' ' ' a d n- h mus b vea ed 92

[Page 93]In TIME thinos chance; and in the liqht of TIME. RATIONAL men see action patterns

(v) “In every age and dispensation all divine ordinances are changed and transformed according to the requirements of the TIME, except the LAW of LOVE, which, like a fountain, always flows and is never overtaken by change."

(w) "Development and progression imply gradual stages or degrees....NOW is the beginning of the manifestation of the ower spiritual, and in evitably its potency of LIFE forces will assume greater and greater proportions.... It will reach such a degree that sniritual effulgences will overcome the physical, so that divine susceptibilities will overpower

MATERIAL intelligence, and the heavenly light dispel and banish earthly darkness.“ (x) "There is a day and fnight in the world ofs sgirituality.“

(y) ”Though in infancy the signs of the mind and sgirit appear in man, they do not reach the degree of perfection, they are imperfect. Only when man attains maturity do the mind and the soirit appear and become evident in utmost perfection.”

(2) "Man is a child of God; most noble, lofty and beloved by God, his Creator. Therefore he must ever strive that the divine bounties and virtues bestowed upon him may prevail and control him. Just NOW the soil of HUMAN hearts seems like black earth, but in the inmost substance of this dark soil there are thousands of fragrant flowers latent. We must endeavor to cultivate and awaken these potentialities...bring forth these resplendent Qowers long hidden in HUMAN hearts."

RATICNAL man can see thinqs in the liqht of TIME but only God can unveil the future

(aa) "The light of the intellect enables us to understand and realize all that exists, but it is only the Divine Light that can give us sight for

the invisible things,n\%hich enables us to see truths that will only be visible to the world thousands of years hence. It was the Divine Light which enabled the Prophets to see two thousand years in advance what was going to take place.... Thus it is this Light which we must strive to seek."

(bb) “If your days on earth are numbered, you (can) KNOW that everlasting LIFE awaits you.”

(cc) "Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes of faith into the future!"

We have new Lioht NOW on the Divine Purpose and Potentialitv of LIFE: seekerse,note!

(dd) ”Changes brought about in every Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that intervene between.~man's understandingxthe Divine Luminary."‘

(ee) "Cur attention is\directed toward the heavenly KINGDOM unto which we must render faithful serVioe;..Praise be'to God: we.are living in a century of light.... Praise be to god! we are alive in this TIME of the manifestation of divine LOVE."

(ff) "”hen...the lights of KNOWLEDGE envelop his (seeker's) being...at that hour. ..the Mystic Herald...will awaken the heart, the soul and the sgirit from the slumber of heedlessness." (99) "This is the day when pure hearts have a portion of the everlasting bounties.“

93

[Page 94]XXXI. REVEALED RELIGION Is WHAT MAN ACCEPTS OF A REVELATIONL PART OF THE KINGDOM REVEALEU RELIGION isn't a creation of man; it's awareness and LOVE of DIVINITY that GOD offers (a) "RELIGION is the outer expression of the divine reality."

(b) "The essence of all RELIGIONS is the LOVE of God, and it is the foundation of all the sacred teachings."

(c) "The essence of RELIGION is to testify unto that which the Lord hath revealed, and follow that which he hath ordained in His mighty Book."

True RELIGION is based on the WORD of God, as brought to us by His MANIFESTATION

(d) "Content thyself with that which He, Himself, hath revealed: '15 it not enough...that We have sent down unto thee a Book?" This is the testimony which He Himself hath ordained; greater proof than this there is none, nor ever will be: 'This proof is His WORD, His own Self, the testimony

of His truth.'"

(e) "KNOW thou, that I have ...fully revealed to thee My WORD.... Be then content with My pleasure and thankful unto Me."

Since Revealed RELIGION is Truth from God, it is one; but Truth is unveiled gradually

(f) ”Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and forever one."

(9) "The Sun has sent forth many rays to illumine HUMAN intelligence; the light is always the same.” (h) "The RELIGION of God is one, for all REVELATIONS of it are based upon reality."

(1) "REVELATION may be likened unto the light of the moon that sheddeth its radiance upon the earth....every TIME it appeareth, it revealeth a fresh measure of its brightness."

RELIGION, the Ultimate in KNOWLEDGEL must aggee with, include RATIONALITYz science

(j) "God made RELIGION and science to be the measure, as it were, of our understanding. Take heed that you neglect not such a wonderful Eowe_.”

(k) ”Weigh carefully in the balance of reasog and science everything that is presented to you as RELIGION. If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth! If, however, it does not so conform, then reject it for

it is ignoranceS... There are individuals (however) who have weak intellects and their Bowers of reasoning have not developed...The strength and Bower

of RELIGION must not be doubted because of the incapacity of these persons to understand.”

(1) "RELIGION must be in harmony with science and reason. If it does not conform to science and reconcile with reason it is superstition. Down to the present day it has been customary for man to accept a religious teaching

even though it were not in accord with HUMAN reason and jud ment. the harmony of religious belief with reason is a new vista which BAHA'U‘LLAH has Opened for the SOUL of man."

(m) "The religion which does not walk hand in hand with science is itself in the darkness of superstition and ignorance."

- 94 [Page 95]EELEilONS eroqressively qive spiritual insiqht. moral education. views of_thg_ing;g

(n) “Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as fundamentally the same as the REVELATION of every other Prephet gone before Him.... The measure of the REVELATIO‘ILa

of the Prophets of God in this world, however, must dif—KINS M 0 Fr. fer. Each and every one of Them hath been the Bearer of flANI EST TIO a distinct Message, and hath been commissioned to reveal Himself through specific acts."

G O D

1 i (o) "‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: 'The Message of Krishna is the ’ message of LOVE. All God's prophets have brought the message of LOVE.'" (p) “Buddha...established a new RE- ' LIGION." (q) "There is no difference...between the I Teachings of Zoraster, Jesus and BAHA'U'LLAH.“ I l l

(r) "Moses...proceeding from the Parén of the LOVE of God,...shone forth from the Sinai of light upon the

world. He summoned all the peoples and kindreds of the earth to the KINGDOM of eternity, and invited them to partake of the fruit of the tree of faithfulness.‘I CR h

(s) 'Jesus,founded the sacred Law (of LOVE) on a basis fi' of moral character and complete sgirituality and...delineated a special way of LIFE which constitutes the highest type of action on earth." fa},

(t) "Abraham...made a covenant concerning Moses and gave the glad tidings of His coming....Moses made a covenant concerning...Christ, and announced the good news of His MANIFESTATION to the world....Christ made a covenant concerning the Paraclete and gave the tidings of His coming. ...Muhammad made a covenant concerning the Báb and the

Báb was the One promised by Muhammad.... The géb made a

covenant concerning the Blessed Beauty of BQHA'U'tLAH and gave the glad tidings of His coming.... BAHA'U'LLAH made 3 -covenant concerning a Promised One Who will become manifest after one thousand or thousands of years."

(u) ”The ideal safeguard, namely, the RELIGION of God, prevents both the manifest and the concealed crime, trains man, educates morals, compels the adoption of virtues and is the all—inclusive Qower which guarantees the felicity of the world of MANKIND. But by RELIGION is meant that which is ascertained by investigation and not that which is based on mere imitation, the foundation of Divine RELIGIONS and not HUMAN imitations."

(v) "RELIGION is a manifest light and strong fortress for the protection and tranquillity of the people of the world. For the fear of God commands peeple to do that which is just and forbids them that which is evil.‘

(w) "The’RELIGICN.of God and the creed of God hath been REVEALED and made manifest from the heaven of the WILL of...(God) for the sake of union and harmony among the people of the world." (x) “As RELIGION inculcates morality, it is therefore the truest philosophy, and on it is built the only lasting civilization."

_95 [Page 96]Man's onlv "salvation‘ from animalism results from acceptinquEVELATlON. RELIGION

East

(y) "From the TIME of Adam to this day there have been two pathways in

the world of humanity; one the natural or MATERIAListic, the other the geligjgps or sgjgitual. The pathway of nature is the pathway of the animal realm.... The seCOnd pathway is that of RELIGION, the road of the divine KINGDOM. It involves the acquisition of praiseworthy attributes, heavenly illumination and righteous gctjgns in the world of humanity. This pathway

is conducive to the progress and uplift of the world. It is the source of HUMAN enlightenment, training and ethical improvement; the magnet which attracts the LOVE of God because of the KNOWLEDGE of God it bestows. This is the road of the Holy MANIFESTATIONS of God for They are in realitv the foundation of the divine RELIGION of oneness. There is no change or transformation in this pathway. It is the cause of HUMAN betterment, the vauisition of heavenly virtues and the illumination of MANKIND."

(z) "The greatest bestowal of God in the world of humanity is RELIGION; for assuredly the divine teachings of RELIGION are above all other sources of inv struction and development of man. RELIGION confers upon man eternal life,

and guides his footsteps in the world of morality. It opens the doors of unending happiness and bestows everlasting honor upon the HUMAN kingdom. It has been the basis of all civilization and progress in the history of MANKIND."

is where the Sun of Truth rises, RELIGIONS start; then they7develoo in the West

(83) "In the past as in the present, the spiritual Sun of Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East.”

(bb) "The West has always received spiritual enlightenment from the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East, but in the West the greater volume of sound bursts upon the listening ears...Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern sky, but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West.... The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all the lands of the Western World and entered the hearts of its people.“

Inner Truth is one. but outer expressions varv in TIME: 50 each RELIGION is different

(cc) "Each of the divine RELIGIONS embodies two kinds of ordinances. The first are those which concern spiritual susceptibilities, the development

of moral principles and the quickening of the conscience of man. These are essential or fundamental, one and the same in all RELIGIONS, changeless and eternal, reality not subject to transformation.... The second kind of ordinances...are those which relate to the MATERIAL affairs of HUMANkind.

These are the MATERIAL or accidental LAWS which are subject to change in each day of manifestation, according to...conditions."

(dd) "Every age hath its own problem,and every SOUL its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require.“

(ee) "All these divisions we see on all sides, all these diSputes and opposition, are caused because men cling to ritual and outward Observances, and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is the outward practices of RELIGION that are so different, and it is they that cause diSputes and enmity - while ggaiitx is always the same, and one. The Realitx is the Truth, and truth

has no division. Truth is God's guidance, it is the light of the world, it

is LOVE, it is mercy."

_ 96 [Page 97]XXXII. EACH RELIGION AND ITS REVELATION HAS IN TIME BECOME HUMAN religion AND SCRIPTURE As its Light dims, Revealed RELIGION changes into something HUMAN called religion

(a) "0 MY FRIENDS! Call ye to mind that covenant ye have entered into with Me upon Mount Paran.... NOW none do I find faithful unto the covenant. Of a certainty pride and rebellion have effaced it from the hearts, in such wise that no trace thereof remaineth." (b) "Man has Opposed the WILL of God and acted in opposition to the plan of God. Therefore from the beginnihg_of history to the present TIME the world of humanity has had no lasting rest.... In the nineteenth century...the darkness of imitations and forms had enveloped religious belief. The people of religions were in constant warfare, f'lled with enmity, hatred and bitterness." (c) 'When the sun sets, it isA IME for bats to fly.... When the lights of RELIGION become darkened, the MATERIALists appear."

Each religion, like everythinngUMAN, dies; that's why God sends another REVELATION

(d) "The sgirituality of people has been overcome by MATERIALism.... Although some attend churches and temples of worship and devotion, it is in accordance with the traditions and imitations of their fathers and not for the investigation of reality. For it is evident that they have not found the reality and are not engaged in its adoration." (e) MATERIAL forces gain the ascendancy. The divine signs are becoming less and less, and HUMAN evidences grow stronger. They have reached a degree that MATERIALists are advancing and aggressive while divine forces are waning and vanishing. Irreligion has conquered RELIGION."

(f) As in TIME a tree withers and decays,"so it is with RELIGIONS: through the passing of TIME they change from their original foundation, the truth of the RELIGION of God entirely departs...; heresies appear, and it becomes a body without a SOUL. That is why it is renewed."

(q) 'We should, therefore, detach ourselves from the external forms and practices of RELIGION. he must reaIize that these forms and practices, however beautiful, are but garments clothing the warm heart and living limbs of Divine Truth."

. v and BAHA'U'LLAH urges abandoning past REVELATIONS: these He has restatedA man has changed if

(h) Of "that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power...and revealed unto the Prophets of old, We have taken the inner essence...and clothed it in the garment of brevity."

(i) "Moses...brought tidings of joy unto the people of Israel. To this testify the records of the sacred books.... (But) it is not Our wish to relate the stories of the days that are past. God is Our witness that what we even NOW mention is - solely....that the ignorant be led unto the ocean of divine KNOWLEDGE.... Otherwise, this servant regardeth the consideration of such records a grave mistake and grievous transgression."

(j) "By corruption of the text is meant that in which all Muslim divines are engaged today, that is the interpretation of God's holy Book in accordance with their idle imaginings and their vain desires. And as the Jews, in the TIME of Muhammad, interpreted those verses of the Pentateuch, that referred to His MANIFESTATION, after their own fanCy...the charge of 'perverting‘ the text was therefore pronounced against them."

-97 [Page 98]WWWQMW S ' ' W BA " £331.§nl29h1flflmfiutJEELJEEflLJEHEJALlflfi$_flfld_2aEIl1_lQIéSxaE2é.in12.fiQMAN_BAIlQHALIIX

(a) "Every nation is holding to its traditional religious forms. The light of Egality is obscured. Were the various nations to investigate the ggaiigg, there is no doubt they would attain.to it. As gggiitx is one, all nations would then become as one natinn."

(b) "The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the Vitals of HUMAN society; what else but the Elixir of His potent REVELATION can cleanse and revive it?... Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the...task of converting satanic strength into heavenly gowg; is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The WORD of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change."

(c) "That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples

in one universal CAUSE, one common Faith.” (d) "The divine teachings are the heavenly grace and the showers of the mercy of God, which purify the hearts

of men."

(e) "It is our duty in this radiant century to investigate the essentials of divine RELIGION, seek the :ealitieg underlying the oneness of the world."

(f) “Just as in the world of politics there is need for free throught, like wise in the world of RELIGION there should be the right of unrestricted individual belief."

finisiiafiaLJeia2aii2n_heé_tEsuiJznexigeg_an£axisit_le“eis_:e£1:sdstizt_fl!flumLJ:uissiien TIME of divine REVELATION — (Man has developed from the ”ground" up; read thus)

BAHA'U'LLAH 1863 A.D. Guidance into ALL TRUTH

BAB 1844 A.D. End of preparation, start of maturity MOHAMMAD 622 A.D. Maturity(spiritual)training("college") JESUS CHRIST I A.D. Senior ”high” education

BUDDHA 566 B.C. Junior "high" education

ZOROASTER 1000 B.C. (7) Upper "grades"

moses 1330 B.C. (7) Elementary "grades"

KRISHNA 2000 B.C. (7) Kindergarten

ABRAHAM 7 First or

ADAM ? "home" training

TIME of intellectual evolution: Language and mentality developed in HUMAN World

TIME of thsical evolution: body took shape in MATERIAL World

-98...

[Page 99]BflflA'U'LLAH has unveiled divine rea it rovin He's ivfn eve (to Glght; Fougge;

(9) "When the darkness of ignorance and heedlessness concerning the realm of eternity...had encircled the universe, then the resplendent Luminary dawned and the brilliant Light illumined the horizon of the East. Hence, the Sun of Reality shone forth, scattering the sparkling lights of the KINGDOM to the East and to the West. Those who had seeing eyes...have beheld the reality of things in themselves, have discovered the mysteries of the KINGDOM, were released from superstition and doubts, perceived the lights of Truth, and became...intoxicated with the cup of the LOVE of God... sacrificing their minds and their lives upon the altar of LOVE.".

(h) "No sooner had the First WORD proceeded, through the potency of Thy WILL and gurnose, out of His mouth, and the First Call gone forth from His lips than the whole CREATION was revolutionized, and all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths. Through that WORD the realities of all created things were shaken, were divided, separated, scattered, combined and reunited, disclosing, in both the contingent world and the heavenly KINGDOM, entities of a new CREATION, and revealing, in the unseen realms, the signs and tokens of Thy unity and oneness. Through that Call Thou didst announce unto all Thy Servants the advent of Thy most great REVELATION and the appearance of Thy most perfect CAUSE.”

'U'L [H's SPIRIT is the HOLY SPIRIT. His WORD is God's WORD; fully manifested

(i) "The glorious Sun of Truth has once again risen in the East... The

light of the unity of MANKIND is beginning to illumine the world:and soon

the banner of Divine harmony...will be flying high in the Heavens.mBreezes~of1he HOLY SPIRIT, will inspire the whole world.”

(j) "The WORD of God has assuredly been explained and has become an evident sign and a strong and solid proof, and its traces shall be spread

in the East and West, and to these all heads shall bow and all SOULS shall submit and kneel down with their faces to the ground."

(k) "Verily, I say unto you that the WORD of God has assuredly been explained and has become an evident sign...."

(1) "The Book of God is wide open, and His WORD is summoning MANKIND unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His CAUSE or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men."

(m) "The Promised One of all the nations of the world hath become apparent and manifest! Eachlcommuhity and RELIGION expecteth the coming of their Promised Cne, and...BAHA‘U'LLAH is the Promised One of all!‘"

(n) "The Book of God hath been sent down in the form of this Youth....

take ye good heed, O peoples of the world, lest ye flee from His face.... God...hath created you; He...hath nourished your SOULS through His CAUSE, and enabled you to recognize Him Who is the Almighty,...the All-KNOWINS."

(o) "The BooksofuBAHA'U'LLAH number more than one hundred.... Each one”. inculcates divine morality, the manifestation of lordly graces."

_99 [Page 100]

(p) "The Breathings of the Divine SPIRIT awoke Him, and bade Him arise and proclaim His REVELATION."

(q) "The Anrient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that MANKIND may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto

true liberty. He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness."

(r) "He (BAHA'U'LLAH) bore these ordeals, suffered these calamities and

difficulties in order that...the precious, priceless bestowal of God, the HUMAN mind, might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of

the body; and man become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it

hath been revealed in the Bible: 'We shall create man in Our own image.'"

(5) ‘(BAHA'U'LLAH) holdeth in His hand the immediate destinies of all created things."

Au h rit

(t) ”Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of LAWS. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power."

(u) "God is My witness that this Wronged One hath had no Qurgosg except to convey the WORD of God."

(v) “I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the A114310rious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the KNOWLEDGE of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-KNOWING. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven.... The learning current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not.... This is but a leaf which the winds of the WILL of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised, have stirred."

(w) "0 My servants! There shineth nothing else in Mine heart except the unfading light of the Morn of Divine guidance, and out of My mouth proceedeth naught but the essence of truth, which the Lord your God hath revealed. Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him.“

(x) "I can utter no MORD, O my God, unless I be permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. It is Thou, O my God, Who hast called me into being through the Qowgr of Thy might, and

hast endued me with Thy grace to manifest Thy CAUSE.“

(y) ”I have no will but Thy HILL, O my Lord, and cherish no desire except Thy desire, From my pen floweth Only the summons which Thine own exalted pen hath voiced, and my tongue uttereth naught save what the Most Great SPIRIT hath itself proclaimed in the KINGDOM of Thine eternity. I am stirred by nothing except the winds of Thy WILL, and breathe no word except the WORDS which, by Thy leave and Thine inspiration, am led to pro nounce.m - 100 [Page 101]BAHA'U'LLAH calls us NOW to fulfill our most glorious destinv. to serve our Lord; 9 p a e s o ' n es nd 0 x

(y) ”0 COMRADES! The gates that open on the Placeless stand wide and the habitation of the loved one is adorned with the lovers' blood, yet

-all but a few remain bereft of this celestial city, and even of these few, none but the smallest handfuL hath been found with a pure heart and sanctified seizitg'

(z) "0 My servants! My holy, My divinely ordained REVELATION may be likened unto an ocean in whose depths are concealed innumerable pearls of great price, of surpassing luster. It is the duty of every seeker to... strive to attain the shores of this ocean...This most great, this fathomless...Ocean is near, astonishingly near, unto you. Behold it is closer to you than your LIFE-vein!“ (aa) “Immerse yourselves in this Ocean in whose depths lay hidden the pearls of wisdom and of utterance."

(bb) "This is the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future."

(cc) ”This is a REVELATION that infuseth strength into the feeble."

(dd) ”We must look higher than all earthly thoughts; detach ourselves from every MATERIAL idea, crave for the things of the snirit; fix our eyes on the everlasting bountiful Mercy of the Almighty, Who will fill our SOULS with the gladness of joyful service."

(ee) "You must supplicate and pray to God every night and every day seeking His assistance and help, saying: 0 Lord! We are weak; strengthen us.... If Thou dost assist us, 0 Lord, we shall become as scintillating stars.

If Thou dost not assist us, we shall become lower than the earth.... 0

God! Enable us to conquer self and overcome desire. O Lord! Deliver

us from the bondage of the MATERIAL world."

(ff) 'Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of MANKIND and sanctify the hearts and SOULS of men. This can best be achieveduthrough a virtuous LIFE and a goodly behavior.”

(99) "It is incumbent upon thee, and upon the followers of Him Who is the Eternal Truth, to summon all men to whatsoever shall sanctify them from all attachment to the things of the earth and purge them from its defilements."

(hh) "We must use our utmost endeavors in order that the HOLY SPIRIT may influence minds and hearts."

(ii) "Verily God has chosen you for His LOVE and KNOWLEDGE; God has chosen you for the worthy service of unifying MANKIND,....for spreading and claiming true education, for the expression of LOVE toward your fellowereatures and the removal of prejudice;...but we must be attentive, alert and mindful, occupied with service to all MANKIND, appreciating.the bestowals of God and ever conforming to His WILL.”

(jj) "I will write upon him the name of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

- 191 _

[Page 102]" " ": O I V T OW

(a) One proof of BAHA'U'LLAH's.Power and Authority is that "this is clearly the centuny of a new LIFE,..of the REVELATION of...reality" ‘(SOmething only a divine Prophet can bring).

(b) “Thoughts are metamorphosed. The foundations of HUMAN society are changing and strengthening.... Thoughts and theories of past ages are fruitless NOW."

(c) '(New) thought is prevailing.... The thoughts of man shall take such upward flight that former accomplishments shall appear as the play of children.‘

ow - ' 'o'u's

(d) “The Holy Books have their special terminologies which must be KNOWN and understood"(as physicians...architects, philosophers have). (e) "The texts of the holy books are all symbolical, needing authoritative interpretation.”

(f) "Through...KNOWLEDGE of God...rightness of morals and illumination, are obtained." (9) ”Assuredly one may learn to the end of one's LIFE!"

(h) ”Question: What can I do to become the eel s rvant of God? Answer: Live thou in accord with the Teachings of BAHX'U'L H. Do not only read them. There is a vast difference between the SOUL who merely reads the

word of BAHA'U'LLAH and the one who tries to lixg them. Read thou THE HIDDEN WORDS. Ponder over their meanings and embody the behests into thy LIFE.”

(1) "I hope...certain SOULS may arise who may prove radiant lamps to the world of humanity and a merciful snigit to the phenomenal body;u$hat they may be the cause of the purification of SOULS and the means offlséhctification of hearts;...that they may arise in such wise as to ligg by the divine teachings and exhortations...as to sparkle like the morning star from the horizon of holiness.”

(j) 'They who are the heople of God have no ambition except to revive the world, to ennoble its LIFE, and regenerate its peoples.... Their outward conduct is but a reflection of their inward LIFE.”

(k) “Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this CAUSE.... This is...the first choice of His unrestrained WILL for every one of you."

(1) "He that seeketh to be a helper of God in this Day...should cleanse _ his heart from all evil passions and corrupt desires, for the fear of God is the weapon that can render him victorious."

- p ’ ‘ ‘ ' s o ei

(m) ”The source of courage and Egug; is the promotion of the WORD of God, and steadfastness in His LOVE.‘I

(n) ”A WORD hath...been written down and recorded by the Pen of the Most High... which is capable of fully disclosing that force which is hid in men, nay of redoubling its potency."

- 102 [Page 103]

(o) "HDW...staggering the responsibility that must weigh upon the present generation of the American believers at this early stage in their seiritual ...evolution, to weed out, by every means in their )0 , those faults, habits, and tendencies which they have inherited from their own nation, and to cultivate, patiently and prayerfully, those distinctive qualities and characteristics that are so indispensable to their effective participation in the great redemptive work of their Faith."

(p) "The BAHA' I youth...can contribute...decisively to the virility, the purity, and the driving force of the LIFE of the BAHA' I Community.... Upon (them) must depend the future orientation of its destiny, and the complete unfoldment of the potentialities with which God has endowed it."

Wgrkinq For God's CAUSE as a Bahá’í brinas SOUL-gggmh. gm'zigug; sucges§ and joy

(q) "You see all around you proofs of the inadequacy of MATERIAL things -how 19x, comfort, peace and consolation are not to be found in the transitory things of the world. Is it not then foolishness to refuse to seek these treasures where they may be found? The doors of the sEiritual KINGDOM are Open to all, and without is absolute darkness."

(r) "A person thru his own actions and deeds makes himself loved or disliked by the people; or through his own unselfish conduct etc... suffers himself to become favored and beloved at the threshold of God."

(5) "A MATERIAL man lets himself be worried and harassed by little things, but a spiritual man is always calm and serene under all circumstances."

(t) "Strive, therefore, with heart and SOUL, to follow the precepts of the Blessed Perfection, and rest assured that if ye succeed in living the LIFE He marks out for you,....everlasting joy in the Heavenly KINGDOM will be yours, and celestial sustenance will be sent to strengthen you all your days.”

(u) "Attach thy heart entirely to the light of truth and...rise in the service of truth in the rose garden of God....(and) in the path of God...exert thyself exceedingly and thus...enjoy LIFE.”

(v) ”Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow-men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight."

The requisites for world peace; givine Qower, KNOWLEDGEI volition and action

(w) "The cause of peace is a very great cause; it is the CAUSE OF GOD,

and all the forces of the world are opposed to it.... Therefore a power

is needed.... But KNOWLEDGE of the need of this nge; is not sufficient.... The attainment of any object is conditioned upon KNOWLEDGE, volition and agtign...Through gaggitgal means and the divine Qoweg, it (peace) is possible and practicable."

(x) "Exert yourselves so that this glorious teaching may encircle the

globe, and that 33W may be infused into the hearts of men." - 103 [Page 104]EVE LED KINGDOM

LOVE

(y) "Purify thou, first, thy SOUL with the waters of renunciation and adorn thine head with the crown of the fear of God.“

(2) "Wash from your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the KINGDOM of your Lord."

(33) "0 My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish of LOVE and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn."

(bb) "The pure heart is one that is entirely cut away from self. To be selfless is to be pure."

(cc) "Be signs of guidance; lights of piety;...abiders in the ark of safety;...dawning-stars of the mysteries of existence;...day-springs of light; strengthened by the HOLY SPIRIT...and characterized with the gttgipute§ of the angels of heaven."

(dd) "Above all, they (young Bahá’ís) should set a high example...: chastity, politeness, friendliness, hospitality, joyous optimism about the ultimate future happiness and well-being of MANKIND, should distinguish them and win over to them the LOVE and admiration of their fellow—youth.”

(ee) "The voice of the kingdom of God has been raised. May you attain supreme capacity and magnetic attraction in this realm of might and power, manifesting new energy and wonderful accomplishment, for God is your assister and helper. The breath of the Holy Spirit is your comforter and the angels of heaven surround you. I desire this power for you. Rest assured that these bounties

now overshadow you."

(ff) 'If you attain to such a capacity of LOVE and unity the Blessed Perfection will shower infinite graces of the sgigitual KINGDOM upon you, guide, protect and preserve you...increase your happiness...and uphold you through all difficulties."

OF BAHA'U'LLAHL deyotion to ngl and radiant aoceptange of Realitvl are qlorious

(99) "O Son of Worldliness!...sweet is the holy ecstasy if thou drinkest of the mystic chalice from the hands of the celestial Youth."

(hh) rFor such people (BAHA'lS) there is...no more severe punishment than sensual vices, dark qualities, lowness of nature, engrossment in carnaldesires."

(ii) "The SRiTitUal LOVE of God maketh man pure and holy and clotheth him with the garment of virtue and purity."

(jj) "The sweetest thing in this world is to obey strictly the commands

of God and shun His prohibitions. Through this the attractions of the LOVE of God will be created in the HUMAN consciousness.... For example, there

is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer. Man must live

in a state of prayerfulness. The most blessed condition is the condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is 'conversation with God.'-..1t creates spjgitqality, generates mindfulness and celestial feelings, begets

the attraction of the KINGDOM and engenders the susceptibilities of the

higher intelligence." -104 [Page 105]EXKV' IWO-WAX COMH‘JICA ON WI OD S OW O - HE LL81:HOW DO WE RESPOND? God seeks us. speaks to each heart.but only our divine nature or SOUL can answer

(a) .zflehold how the manifold grace of God, which is being showered from

the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in this day, encompassed the world. For whereas in days past every lover bosought and searched after his Beloved,

it is the Beloved Himself Who now is calling His lovers and is inviting them to attain His prCSence. Take heed lest ye forfeit so precious a favor; beware lest ye belittle so remarkable a token of His grace."

(b) "Prayer and supplication are two wings whereby man soars toward the heavenly mansion of the True One.... 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."

I / . gfiflA'U'LLAH teaches us how to Dray; and never was prayer so orec1ous. sc essential

(c) "Intone, 0 My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own SOUL, and attract the hearts of all men. Whose reciteth...the verses revealed by God,...though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon

his SOUL."

The WORD OF GOD ushers us into new world§= let's move ahead and LIVE there iovously

(d) “The WORD of God hath set the heart of the world afire; how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled with its flame!"

(e) "0 My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your SOULS, ye would...rid yourselves of attachment of all created things.... Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster?:stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station."

(f) "Leave Thy servants not to themselves, O my Lord! Draw them through the influence of Thine utterances unto the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, and to the Fountain of Thy REVELATION, and to the Treasury of Thy wisdom."

(9) "Armed with the power of Thy LOVE, the hatred which moveth them that are against Thee can never alarm me; and with Thy praise on my lips, the rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. Fortify, therefore, Thy LOVE within my breast, and suffer me to face the assaults which all the peoples of the earth may launch against me."

(h) "Grant, I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art the Everlasting King and the Sovereign Protector of all men, that I may be enabled to manifest that which shall cause the hearts and SOULS of men to soar in the limitless immensity of Thy LOVE, and to commune with Thy SPIRIT. Strengthen me through the power of Thy sovereignty, that I may turn all created things towards the Day Spring of Thy MANIFESTATION and the Source of Thy REVELATION. Aid me, O my Lord, to surrender myself wholly to Thy WILL, and to arise and serve Thee.’r

'X‘-X--‘/.-****

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