Quote of the Day

[arthra]

Many a good intention was there in the world of existence which left not trace, for it was not confirmed by the effective power.

But the good intentions of the beloved of God and the merciful projects of the real friends are enforced by the power of the Word of God;

therefore, it is effective and quick in action and the means of life to the world of humanity.

Thank thou God that He hath provided such a means for thee that be divine aid, heavenly confirmation, merciful intention and heavenly power thou mayest arise to serve, so that thou mayest see wonderful signs and marvelous results.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 702

 

[arthra]

'There lies a garden in which there are trees with broken branches bearing no fruit, and the leaves thereof are faded and yellow! In that garden, also, there are flowering plants with no blooms, and rose bushes withered and dying -- go not into that garden!' A just man, hearing this account of the garden, would not be content without seeing for himself whether it be true or not. He, therefore, enters the garden, and behold, he finds it well tilled; the branches of the trees are sturdy and strong, being also loaded with the sweetest of ripe fruits amongst the luxuriance of beautiful green leaves. The flowering plants are bright with many-hued blossoms; the rose bushes are covered with fragrant and lovely roses and all is verdant and well tended. When the glory of the garden is spread out before the eyes of the just man, he praises God that, through unworthy calumny, he has been led into a place of such wondrous beauty!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 103

 

[arthra]

Even as He saith: "Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger of God." Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King, that unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim, "I am the Seal of the Prophets," they, verily, utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They are all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the "Last," the "Seen" and the "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the Innermost Spirit of Spirits and Eternal Essence of Essences.

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 54

 

[arthra]

The emancipation of women and the achievement of full equality between the sexes.

Some progress in this regard has been made, but it must be accelerated, with the help of education and widespread attitudinal change encompassing policy makers and planners as well as the people at large.

According to the Bahá'í view, women are the first educators of humanity in their role as mothers, and thus girls should be given preference in receiving education. Since it is through educated mothers that the benefits of knowledge can most effectively and rapidly be diffused throughout society, this sense of educational priority for women should be founded not only in the family but in the national policy.

The denial of female equality perpetrates an injustice against one-half of the population and promotes in men harmful attitudes and habits that are carried from the family to the work place and to society at large, thereby creating an obstacle to progressive and peaceful development. There are no grounds, moral, practical, or biological, upon which such denial can be justified.

(Baha'i International Community, 1987 Sept 09, Social Progress)

 

[arthra]

Thoughts may be divided into two classes:

(1st) Thought that belongs to the world of thought alone.
(2nd) 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 power of thought is dependent on its manifestation in deeds. A philosopher's thought may, however, in the world of progress and evolution, translate itself into the actions of other people, even when they themselves are unable or unwilling to show forth their grand ideals in their own lives. To this class the majority of philosophers belong, their teachings being high above their actions. This is the difference between philosophers who are Spiritual Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers:

the Spiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching; He brings down into the world of action His spiritual conceptions and ideals. His Divine thoughts are made manifest to the world. His thought is Himself, from which He is inseparable.

When we find a philosopher emphasizing the importance and grandeur of justice, and then encouraging a rapacious monarch in his oppression and tyranny, we quickly realize that he belongs to the first class: for he thinks heavenly thoughts and does not practise the corresponding heavenly virtues.

This state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers, for they ever express their high and noble thoughts in actions.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 18

 

[arthra]

Let us make a comparison with the days of Christ. He had eleven disciples only, for the twelfth was the cause of his crucifixion. The leader of the apostles was Peter and on the night of the crucifixion his faith was shaken and he thrice denied Christ, through afterwards he became firm.

All were shaken but Mary Magdalen. She was a veritable lioness. She gathered the others together and said, "Why do ye mourn? Did not the Christ foretell his crucifixion? Arise, and be assured. They have killed but the body; the reality can never die, for it is supreme, eternal, the word of God, the son of God. Why, therefore, are ye agitated?" Thus this heroine became the cause of re-establishing the faith of the apostles.

My hope is that each one of you may become as Mary Magdalen - for this woman was superior to all the men of her time and her reality is ever shining from the horizon of Christ.

Be pure - to be pure is to be selfless.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 49

 

[arthra]

The following is an excerpt from a book that is no longer in print but has a charming episode narrating Abdul-Baha's blessing of an unborn child and also a brief glimpse of His own first words:

I do not remember exactly what she said, but it was something to this effect -- that she hadn't much hope of the present generation, but that she represented the future generation and she craved a blessing. I copied down what Abdul Baha said, so that you could keep it always. He was so happy when he spoke of you that his face fairly rippled with smiles.

"Your child," He said, "will have extraordinary capacity. It will be a friend of God. Rear it in the teachings of Baha'o'llah. Rest assured your child will be assisted by the divine concourse and through this assistance it will exhibit a universal consciousness -- for this cause encompasses the west and the east and children born under these conditions in this day will have the advantages of the universal illumination.

"Today some children are called prodigies, but the inheritors of this Cause will attain to a degree that the others, even though educated in the best schools and with every advantage, know nothing of.

"Children blessed in this way before they are born are of the new race. I was born in Persia and while I nursed with my mother's milk I received truth. When a little child my first words were, 'Ya Baha El-Abha!'"

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 92

 

[Adib]

The following is an excerpt from a book that is no longer in print but has a charming episode narrating Abdul-Baha's blessing of an unborn child and also a brief glimpse of His own first words:

I do not remember exactly what she said, but it was something to this effect -- that she hadn't much hope of the present generation, but that she represented the future generation and she craved a blessing. I copied down what Abdul Baha said, so that you could keep it always. He was so happy when he spoke of you that his face fairly rippled with smiles.

"Your child," He said, "will have extraordinary capacity. It will be a friend of God. Rear it in the teachings of Baha'o'llah. Rest assured your child will be assisted by the divine concourse and through this assistance it will exhibit a universal consciousness -- for this cause encompasses the west and the east and children born under these conditions in this day will have the advantages of the universal illumination.

"Today some children are called prodigies, but the inheritors of this Cause will attain to a degree that the others, even though educated in the best schools and with every advantage, know nothing of.

"Children blessed in this way before they are born are of the new race. I was born in Persia and while I nursed with my mother's milk I received truth. When a little child my first words were, 'Ya Baha El-Abha!'"

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 92

That is excellent! But, especially that last paragraph, wouldn't it be considered a pilgrim's note? That would be such a beautiful bit of information if it were authentic.

 

[arthra]

I would trust the account but that's my personal feeling.. there is a passage though that you might also appreciate from Abdul-Baha:

TRAINING OF CHILDREN
As to thy question concerning training children: It is incumbent upon thee to nurture them from the breast of the love of God, to urge them towards spiritual matters, to turn unto God and to acquire good manners, best characteristics and praiseworthy virtues and qualities in the world of humanity, and to study sciences with the utmost diligence; so that they may become spiritual, heavenly and attracted to the fragrances of sanctity from their childhood and be reared in a religious, spiritual and heavenly training. Verily, I beg of God to confirm them therein.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith , p. 383)

 

[arthra]

O thou who hath advanced to the Kingdom of his Lord, the Glorious!

Know thou that the Kingdom of God hath pitched its tents, hoisted its banner and uplifted its pavilions in this extensive space.

The hosts of the angels of God have come down with standards of signs; marched off towards all horizons; opened the cities of the hearts of the servants by the power of thy Lord, the Generous; and have blown the great trumpet.

The Holy spirit hath freely given eternal life to every pure heart, and the souls became attracted through the effulgence of the Beauty of the Glorious Kingdom and through the brilliancy of the Light of Truth over all regions.

The clamor of the spiritual people hath risen with praise and glory to God, the All-glorious!

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 637)

 

[arthra]

The first teaching of Bahá'u'lláh is the investigation of reality. Man must seek the reality himself, forsaking imitations and adherence to mere hereditary forms. As the nations of the world are following imitations in lieu of truth and as imitations are many and various, differences of belief have been productive of strife and warfare. So long as these imitations remain the oneness of the world of humanity is impossible. Therefore we must investigate the reality in order that by its light the clouds and darkness may be dispelled. Reality is one reality; it does not admit multiplicity or division.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 238

 

[arthra]

In the spiritual world, the divine bestowals are infinite, for in that realm there is neither separation nor disintegration which characterize the world of material existence.

Spiritual existence is absolute immortality, completeness and unchangeable being. Therefore we must thank God that He has created for us both material blessings and spiritual bestowals.

He has given us material gifts and spiritual graces, outer sight to view the lights of the sun and inner vision by which we may perceive the glory of God.

He has designed the outer ear to enjoy the melodies of sound and the inner hearing wherewith we may hear the voice of our creator. We must strive with energies of heart, soul and mind to develop and manifest the perfections and virtues latent within the realities of the phenomenal world, for the human reality may be compared to a seed.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 266

 

[arthra]

The foundation underlying all the divine precepts is one reality. It must needs be reality and reality is one. Therefore the foundation of the divine religions is one. But we can see that certain forms and ceremonies have crept in. They are heretical, they are accidental, because they differ, hence they cause differences among religions. If we set aside all superstitions and see the reality of the foundation we shall all agree, because religion is one and not multiple.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 25

 

[arthra]

In the Bahai Cause No One Holds Religious Offices, Titles and Ceremonies
....

"The Blessed Perfection has torn up the root of the tree of superstition and religious offices. In the past the ambitious leaders of religion have been the reasons of the ignorance and the retrogression of nations. In this Cause there is no religious title, no ceremony of ordination. One is not respected simply because one wears a peculiar dress or has been given a religious title or has inherited one from Patriarchs of the Church. No! These are not marks of distinction."

- Abdul-Baha in Egypt p. 87

 

[arthra]

His Holiness Bahá'u'lláh addressing all humanity, said that Adam the parent of mankind may be likened to the tree of nativity upon which you are the leaves and blossoms. Inasmuch as your origin was one, you must now be united and agreed; you must consort with each other in joy and fragrance.

He denounced prejudice, whether religious, racial, patriotic, political, the destroyer of the body-politic.

He said that man must recognize the oneness of humanity, for all in origin belong to the same household and all are servants of the same God.

Therefore mankind must continue in the state of fellowship and love, emulating the institutions of God and turning away from satanic promptings, for the divine bestowals bring forth unity and agreement whereas satanic leadings induce hatred and war.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, p. 233

 

[arthra]

"Convey to the Unitarians my loving greetings and say; The most exalted aim in this world is the promotion of the Love of God and the establishment of good fellowship and unity between the people. This is the signal distinction between man and beast.

When thou reach America, announce to the Unitarians:—

Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Sun of Universal Love hath dawned;
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Banquet of friend- ship and divine association is spread.
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Banner of the Kingdom of God is unfurled!
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings ! The heavenly Spring hath appeared.
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Cloud of spiritual Grace is pouring down!
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The trees of the orchard of humanity are verdant and abloom.

Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Herald of the Kingdom hath become manifest.
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The prophecies of the holy Books have been fulfilled.
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The age of human brotherhood is dawning upon mankind!
Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings! The Century of light and Universal Peace hath come!"

As I read these vital words it seemed to me that they were a most significant prelude to the enthusiastic reception given to him by the Unitarians of America at their Convention in Boston, in the Tremont Temple.


~ Abdul-Baha, Abdul-Baha in Egypt pp. 66-67

 

[arthra]

God is pure perfection, and creatures are but imperfections. For God to descend into the conditions of existence would be the greatest of imperfections; on the contrary, His manifestation, His appearance, His rising are like the reflection of the sun in a clear, pure, polished mirror.

All the creatures are evident signs of God, like the earthly beings upon all of which the rays of the sun shine. But upon the plains, the mountains, the trees and fruits, only a portion of the light shines, through which they become visible, and are reared, and attain to the object of their existence, while the Perfect Man [1] is in the condition of a clear mirror in which the Sun of Reality becomes visible and manifest with all its qualities and perfections.

[1 The Divine Manifestation.]


~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 113

 

[arthra]

The Guardian feels ... should study more deeply the teachings, and meditate on what he studies. We liken God to the Sun, which gives us all our life.

So the Spirit of God reaches us through the Souls of the Manifestations. We must learn to commune with Their Souls, and this is what the Martyrs seemed to have done, and what brought them such ecstacy of joy that life became nothing.

This is the true mysticism, and the secret, inner meaning of life which humanity has at present, drifted so far from.

~ Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i Community, p. 406-407

 

[arthra]

The state in which one should be to seriously search for the truth is the condition of the thirsty, burning soul desiring the water of life, of the fish struggling to reach the sea, of the sufferer seeking for the true doctor to obtain the divine cure, of the lost caravan endeavoring to find the right road, of the lost and wandering ship striving to reach the shore of salvation.

Therefore, the seeker must be endowed with certain qualities. First of all, he must be just and severed from all else save God; his heart must be entirely turned to the supreme horizon; he must be free from the bondage of self and passion, for all these are obstacles. Furthermore, he must be able to endure all hardships. He must be absolutely pure and sanctified, and free from the love or the hatred of the inhabitants of the world. Why? because the fact of his love for any person or thing might prevent him from recognizing the truth in another, and, in the same way, hatred for anything might be a hindrance in discerning truth. This is the condition of seeking, and the seeker must have these qualities and attributes. Until he reaches this condition, it is not possible for him to attain to the Sun of Reality.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 38-39

 

[arthra]

O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy.

He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth.

Even as thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error.

~ Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 264