Transcript:Sam Augustine/Bahá’í talks from the heart
| Transcript of: Bahá’í talks from the heart |
 Proofread twiceDownload: mp3, Source: (1),(2)
|
[0:03] Hello my friends, this is Sam "Bald Eagle" Mi'kmaq, Big Cove Indian Reservation, New Brunswick, Canada. As an Indian, I would like to introduce this tape to those who are in fear at heart. One must seek to find out about this Great Spirit. The old Indian religion is in every way in harmony with the Bahá’í Faith. As the [?] were free, listen to this tape with your own free will, and a spiritual eye will guide you the path of happiness and enlightenment that will forever hold you with wisdom, the Great Spirit. This tape will bring new thoughts to you. It needs courage sometimes, even to look or listen to new ideas. We must have courage to look back, and courage to look ahead. This is what we ask you to do now, look into the past, and at the present, and then think ahead to the future.
[1:49] This tape is a challenge to you. What is the Bahá’í Faith? Is it something I should find out about? There is an old Indian saying, when you see a track or a footprint, if you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing. In this age too, should find out everything we can about God or the Great Spirit. We do not want to miss anything important. Bahá’í Faith is important. When the Indian give gifts, they give up their best. What we offer you now is the greatest gift of all, the news that Bahá’u’lláh has come, changed this old world into a new kingdom. People say often, once we had our old Indian ways, now we have Christianity, then we no longer act as one people, we are divided and confused. Does this Bahá’í Faith want to confuse us even more? Who is Bahá’u’lláh? Was our old Indian way really pagan? What does the Bahá’í Faith say to that? Will it help us to keep our culture in a non-Indian world? Just listen to this tape and answer these questions.
[3:46] Bahá’í faith says there is one God over all the people. He is the one power, but men know Him by different names. The Indian holy man said, circle is a sacred sign. It means universe, center, the most sacred part. God is at the center of everything. The Indian way was not pagan, it had great spiritual meaning. Chief Joseph said all men are made by the same Great Spirit Chief. Sitting Bull said to an Indian agent, all the Indians prayed to God for life, and try to find out a good road, and do nothing wrong in this life. This is what we want, to pray to God. He did not believe us. You pray to God, so do all of us Indians, we both prayed to only one God, who made us all. So the Indian always believed in one God, one great power that was too high for them to understand. When the Christian's first came to the Indians, they accepted Jesus but did not like to be told that their ways were pagan. Dr. Charles Eastman, Santee Sioux born in 1853 who lived the first fifteen years of his life in the woods of Canada wrote: "We know that all religious aspirations, all sincere worship, can have but one source and one goal. We know that the God of the lettered and the unlettered is after all the same God."
[6:16] What was the true meaning of the Sun Dance? This is how one Indian holy man said was done and what it meant. The circle is the universe. The posts are the different parts of creation. The Great Spirit is the central pole, center of everything. The thongs tied to the dancers are like the rays of light from the Great Spirit. This is like the Holy Spirit. Flesh means ignorance. The dancer must break loose from ignorance, and free his spirit. He does this to help all the people. The oneness of mankind: this is the great teaching of Bahá’u’lláh. Mankind is one family, it does not matter what race we come from; black, white, brown, yellow, we are all the people before God. The chosen race is the human race. The horsehair on a peace pipe is dyed red to show that all men have the same color of blood; his color does not matter. The Bible Acts 17:26 quote, "He hath made of one blood all nations of men." Black Elk, the Oglala Sioux [??]. He explained what he meant, that he meant all people. Standing Bear (Ponca) said, "This hand is not the same color as yours, but if I pierced it, I shall feel pain; you also feel pain. I am a man. The same God made us both."
[8:30] In the life of the Indian, there is only one inevitable duty: the duty of prayer. Daily devotions were more necessary than daily food. These beliefs give us unity. When we were told our beliefs were pagan, and laws made to stop our religion, where was there to go? Look around you. Some people are Roman Catholic, Congregational, Pentecostal, Baptist. There are more than 1,200 different branches of Christianity. How are we going to come together with love and no prejudice, into one fold with one shepherd that Jesus spoke of? Bahá’u’lláh said all religions are part of one great religion. All teach love of God and love of our neighbor. Though Bahá’ís are not against any religion, all are going to God, but in different ways. The old Indian way was one path; other religions have other ways. The Indiana does not worship the Sun, just as the Christian does not worship the cross. Dr. Eastman, brought up in the old Indian way said, "It is my personal belief the spirit of Christianity and of our ancient religion is essentially the same." Their worship of the Great Spirit was silent, solitary, free from all self-seeking. It was silent because all speech is of necessity, imperfect. Therefore the souls of my ancestors ascended to God in wordless adoration. It does not matter which denomination we belong to in Christianity. We all love Jesus Christ. Many of us look to his return.
[10:55] Who is Bahá’u’lláh? Bahá’u’lláh is the return of Christ's spirit, which Jesus promised would come. Don't turn aside and say "Nonsense". Remember the Indian saying: when you see a track or a footprint you do not know, follow it to the point of knowing and investigate for yourself. Jesus himself said, "seek and you shall find." Jesus spoke to the hearts of people. Bahá’u’lláh speaks to the hearts of people. It is as if Jesus speaks again. Bahá’u’lláh gives us a teaching that will work. Jesus said, "By their fruits, you shall know them." Bahá’ís all over the world are coming together as friends. It works. Can see good fruits already. Face this question, couldn't He be the new messenger? You may say, "How can I be sure?" The Indian talks of seeing with the eye of the heart. When you see with the eye of the heart, you will know. Bahá’u’lláh repeats the two main commandments. Jesus said love God, love your neighbor. He shows us how to apply them in a modern world. He brings unity. He suffered and was imprisoned for forty years, so that we could be free spirit again. This is a new day. The answers were [?] and His teachings make sense. He fulfilled prophecies of the Bible and of the Indian. Are you interested in Indian prophecies? Wovoka had a vision in 1889 and he said: "Grandfather says when your friends die, you must not cry. You must not hurt anybody or do harm to anyone. You must not fight. Do right always. It will bring you satisfaction in life. The earth shakes at the coming of the new world, do not be afraid. It will not hurt you."
[13:37] In the Bible, Jesus said let the dead bury the dead. He meant spiritual dead. Wovoka means spiritually dead become awake. Wovoka speaks, "The earth shaken at the coming of a new world." Bahá’u’lláh brought a new world order and said, the whole world is upset by His spiritual message. He was alive in 1889, when the holy man, when Wovoka had his vision. This is what Bahá’u’lláh said of Jesus: "We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. It is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, turned towards Him."
[14:58] Reflect how Jesus, the Spirit of God, was. Understanding. His extreme meekness and perfect tenderheartedness, mistreated by His enemies. He had nowhere to lay His head. Know that thou when the Son of Man used up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weep. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Bahá’ís believe deeply in Jesus and read the Bible. There are some of His teachings in the Bahá’í Faith. There is one God. He sent many messengers. What they said is really saying of God, of all men. This is what we are all here for. All men are the same human family. They must be united. How? We must get rid of prejudice, look for the truth ourselves. All have opportunity for education. Learn a world language to be chosen, then we can understand everyone easily. We must form a world government to make peace and just laws for everyone, realize that men and women are equal in spirit. See that religion and science work together, like two wings of a bird. This is from the Bahá’í writings: "O SON OF SPIRIT! ... Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart."
[17:28] "O my God! O my God! Unite the hearts of Thy servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! Leave them not to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord."
[18:08] There is more Bahá’í teachings. Work is worship. Backbiting is a serious sin. Prayer and meditation are very important every day. We must not drink alcohol. We must be loyal to our government. We must not join political parties, it breaks unity of spirit. We know a lot about Jesus but where did Bahá’u’lláh come from? He was born in Persia in 1817. He lost everything He had when He obeyed God's command, He was beaten and poisoned. Chains weighed over 100 pounds and He was imprisoned and exiled for over 40 years. Bahá’u’lláh suffered so much to bring us this message. And He prayed that the world will listen. It is listening, for the Holy Spirit was with Him. Listen, the Indian said so the man is immortal. Bahá’í Faith teaches that all people have an immortal soul. We all progress in many worlds of God after this life. While we are here, we are helped and inspired by holy souls who have made progress in other world. "In my Father's house are many mansions", in the Bible, John 14:2. The old ways were free. They were harder than now. But we are not happy now. So what is the good of having life easier if we are unhappy, and our children are unhappy? Bahá’u’lláh says these erroneous time will pass away and we shall come out into the golden age of unity of mankind.
[20:51] How is Bahá’í Faith organized, since we have no priest or ministers? In the Bahá’í community nine people are selected each year and form a Spiritual Assembly. There is no one member as leader. They organize Bahá’í affairs in their district and meet every nineteen days the other Bahá’ís to get suggestions from everybody. Each year, a national convention is held when delegates vote for nine members for the National Spiritual Assembly. They guide Bahá’í affairs in the country. The Universal House of Justice is promised guidance from God as it regulates the affairs of the Bahá’í world. Its nine members are elected by members of all National Spiritual Assemblies and the World Center is in the holy land. Bahá’u’lláh said that there must be no more prejudice. We all have suffered from this, in one way or another. Some think they are better than others because of skin color, or education, or the position in life. In the new world, prejudice will not exist anymore. Truly this will mean "Thy kingdom come" as Jesus told us it would come.
[22:35] How do I become a Bahá’í? Read and think about it. Pray for guidance. If you feel it is the truth, write to or tell a Bahá’í friend who will give you a card to sign. There is no ceremony to become a member. If you feel that Bahá’u’lláh is the messenger for today, you are a Bahá’í.
[24:15] Friends, many a times I've been told that I could not walk two ways. When the people say that to me, they do not understand that I am not walking two ways. There is only one God. We only worship in a different way. Now, in this continent we native people call the Turtle Island, there has been many messengers of God that came to us. That God did not forget about us. He knew that we were here because He created us all. People of the other lands did not know we existed. It was only the last 4 or 500 years that they knew there was another part of the world, there were other great people that lived in another continent. That we had messengers came to us, many but for time I will just name a few. When we had first contact with the Europeans, we honored and prayed to our messenger of God [?]. Our people here in the Eastern part of the continent. Going further had [?], and then further we have Wovoka, Black Elk, many more messengers of God. And Quetzalcoatl for the Aztec people. And all across this Turtle[?] Island, we had worshipped God in our own way, way the messengers of God came to us and taught us that we must worship Him. There was no fighting or argument about our worship toward one God, we all respected the sacred pipe that was given to us. We all respected sweet grass. We all respected sweat lodge. We all respected the Sun Dance. All across this nation. But when teachings of Christ came to this land. These people thought and said that we were pagan, which was wrong. They would not understand that we have lived on this part of this world for a very long time and that God had brought to us, gave us messengers, just as He had brought messengers to the other parts of the world.
[29:45] Now, briefly, there were Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Christ, Mohammed, Báb, Bahá’u’lláh. All the great Messengers of God. In the Bahá’í faith, we must love all the Messengers of God. They do not love one of the Messengers of God, they do not love our latest Messenger, Bahá’u’lláh. It is that simple, and obvious. For in truth I am, as a native Bahá’í, I must respect all the Messengers of God that came to all the people of the world. We had our messengers, we lived and followed their instruction. And then, when the Messenger of God, Christ, came to the people, we native people in this area embraced and became Christian, Catholic, so on. Now we must this time, continue to listen to the real Messenger of God, who is Bahá’u’lláh. Many of our Messengers of God told us they would return, and I believe, and as all the Bahá’ís believe, Bahá’u’lláh is the return of all the Prophet. Many years ago, I was given the privilege to carry the Sacred Pipe. It's the Sacred Pipe of our Messengers of God. In all our dealings with people, we must show forth dignity for the Pipe. We must have utmost humility, to show love and fellowship and respect for all mankind. They can be no hate or prejudice. We must treat all of God's creatures with love and respect. It carries with it great responsibility. In a sense, we are servants of the people. We must go where we are wanted and called no matter where it is.
[34:37] I was fortunate enough to go up the northern part of our continent, almost to North Pole and pray with my pipe there. I was furthest part of our continent here in the eastern part in Newfoundland, I also prayed there. And I have been out west, western part of our hemisphere here, also through the United States. I see my own way in carrying the Sacred Pipe, I try to the best of my ability to show you, my people, this way I know how. I am dedicated servant, and help my people. I have no other intention. I have no other life other than to serve mankind. This is why I was given that honor to carry the Sacred Pipe. And I hope sometime, my dear friends, you and I will sit down in a circle, smoke, pray to God, together. This pipe belongs to you, remember that. I'm only the carrier. I carry this pipe for you, and wherever and whenever you want to share some good thoughts and prayers with me, by all means, you can [?], would you like [?] to call on me. We'll do everything, anything to share your thoughts and prayers with you. I'm always here, at times my wife will take the message and hopefully we share a lot of beautiful things in life and help one another in bringing God's promise of heaven on Earth. I know deep in my heart, this prophecy will come true, and I hope that you, out there who are listening to the this tape will find it in your heart to come and help me to achieve this aim, because I want so much to see happiness, to see joy in the hearts of our people. I want to see love and respect. We can have these things. We're here in this world for a very short time, and we do not have to waste our life here on Earth on needless things, they are of no value. We can share our love, our happiness and respect with one another. This to me, my friends, the greatest thing on this earthly plane.
[39:58] There are many people across this land of ours who are like me, who carry the Sacred Pipe, whose sole aim is to unite and make this world into a better place. We had known this before, we have known what it's like to be living in the most beautiful part of the world. And I know deep in my heart that it can happen again. We had it once, and with your help and everybody around us, this can happen again. This is the prophecy that we as native people of this continent are destined to fulfill.
[41:09] God, in His infinite wisdom, has set a balance, everything. For instance, now we have night and day, we have hot and cold, the balance between man and a woman, love and hate, for everything there is a balanced. We here in North America, we are about to witness a balance. For the last 500 years, people are being subjected to many, many unjust laws and doings of the people from across the water. We have lost everything near and dear to us. We have lost our self-respect. We have lost our land. We have lost use of our water. We were forbidden to worship our own way. Our children are now suffering, from drugs and alcohol abuse. They are imprisoned. Our people are imprisoned now all over the country. We are suffering. It hurts my eyes to see all of this happening. And it's continuing, seems like there is no end to it. But like many great people, many great men that ever lived, they suffer. Though as native people of this continent, no man can deny the fact that we [?], that we still suffering. Though the the balance will come. We who know what it's like to suffer.
[44:56] And we might say we are at the bottom of the totem pole, the bottom rung of the ladder, we, as native people of this continent, are destined to lead all of mankind back to spirituality. This is very great prophecy. We have gone through the route. We have known suffering. And time is now that we must take our place, our rightful place, and make this world into a better world. No other group of people in the world have been given that privilege. This, I say, it's in the God's creative plan. So my friends, your destiny, and for your children and for your children yet unborn, very great. Think about it. This will come to pass. And I hope you'll, right now, will take part in your own way, whatever way that is, to think about all these things and help me and help other people to achieve that great purpose. This can be done. It will be done.
