O SON OF SPIRIT! The time cometh, when the nightingale of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries and ye will all be bereft of the celestial melody and of the voice from on high.
-Bahá'u'lláh Hidden Words #15 Persian
This is another interesting Hidden Word.
Nightingale in the Baha'i Writings can reference many ideas. For example it may refer to the Báb (i.e. The Tablet of Ahmad or in a more specific case on page 60 of Baha'u'llah and the New Era it is written, "The mystic nightingale is singing for them; will they not listen? The bird of paradise is warbling; will they not hear? The Angel of the Kingdom of Abha is calling to them; will they not hearken? The Messenger of the Covenant is pleading; will they not heed? ..."). However, in general, it refers to the Messenger of God. For those who are interested in this topic, I recommend H. Richard Gurinsky's analysis of the Tablet of Ahmad, Learn Well This Tablet. Chapter 8, pg. 31 goes in depth on this matter.
As you may recall, the Hidden Words were written originally as the Book of Fatimah* and before the Deceleration of Bahá'u'lláh, so what could this Hidden Word be referring to then when it states, "the nightingale of holiness will no longer unfold the inner mysteries"? This cannot mean that God will cease to send us His Messengers due to the Covenant of God, which says we will never be left alone-so what could this really be referring to? God cannot leave us alone and will not do so in any case.
Perhaps it is a signal for the end of the Báb's Ministry and the rise of Bahá'u'lláh's. During this time, Baha'u'llah did not make mention of Himself as the Manifestation of God. Mirza Yahya, being the only Mirror left alive after the purging of the Bábi rulers, was left as the head as de facto leader of the Bábi Faith but was ordered to follow Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest (this can be found in a provisional translation of the Will and Testament of the Báb).
Bahá'u'lláh made many references and hints to Himself as Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest, but ordered everybody to turn to Mirza Yahya (which was difficult as he went by a pseudoname-Mirza Ali I believe, and he was always in disguise and hiding due to his fear of persecution).
How does this make sense in context of the Hidden Word? It doesn't. Ok, it refers to the end of the revelation of the Bab but that does not mean that God will stop sending His Blessings and Wisdom.
It may be the case also the Bahá'u'lláh was referring to Himself and that when His physical life ended, so would His Revelations. This can then be thought of as a warning to the believers to be steadfast to the very end, that Bahá'u'lláh is not physically immortal, just like any other physical being. The day will, and did, come.
Stay tuned. If anybody has any suggestions, please let me know! I always want help in improving my methods of thought.
*Book of Fatimah: This book is believed to have been revealed by Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad. However, over time it was lost. Muslims of the Shitte branch believe it will be reRevealed upon the coming of the Mehdi. Since Bahá'u'lláh initially called this Work the Book of Fatimah, it is believed by Bahá'ís to be the very same Book written by Fatimah.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A taste of the Hidden Words
For those of you who are not familiar, the Hidden Words are small passages revealed by Bahá'u'lláh after He and His family were exiled to Baghdad by the Persian government between the years of 1853 and 1863. They were Revealed in the Persian and Arabic languages. Themes such as the Love of God, Creation, Justice and Detachment are covered within these Writings. Unlike normal prayers, where the human asks God for assistance, the Hidden Words are recommendations God makes for us, His creation on how to live our lives and become more spiritual beings.
For more information, I leave this link from Wikipedia up for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Words
If you are interested in seeing the whole work: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/
"O quintessence of passion! Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised."
-Baha'u'llah Hidden Words #50 Persian
Let us begin with the opening statement. In many of the Holy Writings, most notably the Hidden Words, we see this opening (i.e. Fire Tablet: "In the name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most Great). This opening is highly unusual and requires much time to grasp its true meaning (the same goes for all the Hidden Words).
What does quintessence mean? It was a word I never understood when I was younger. I would say the prayer for evening* and would pronounce it as queen essence. Anyways, quintessence is the fifth element, and to quote Wikipedia... "Aristotle included aether in the system of the classical elements of Ionic philosophy as the "fifth element" (the quintessence), on the principle that the four terrestrial elements were subject to change and moved naturally in straight lines while no change had been observed in the celestial regions and the heavenly bodies moved in circles. In Aristotle's system aether had no qualities (was neither hot, cold, wet, or dry), was incapable of change (with the exception of change of place), and by its nature moved in circles."
So what do we get out of this statement "O quintessence of passion!" ? The quintessence is incapable of change, but it is able to still move. I believe, from my own thoughts, that this could be a reference to our unwavering passion of God. However, lets read the rest of the quotation before we get back to this idea.
Covetous means, "marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another's possessions." So, essentially the Hidden Word is saying to be content with what you have. This way, you will be detached and he who is detached will be happy (this statement will be covered in full at a later time: happiness through detachment).
Let us now return to the opening. O quintessence of passion! Looking at Plato's idea, there is an "existence of a fifth element (corresponding to the fifth remaining Platonic solid, the dodecahedron) called quintessence, of which the cosmos and all celestial bodies are made." And this is what we are made of. Perhaps... Or... we are the cosmos what passion is created.
What do you think?
*O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire! This, Thy servant, seeketh to sleep in the shelter of Thy mercy, and to repose beneath the canopy of Thy grace, imploring Thy care and Thy protection.
For more information, I leave this link from Wikipedia up for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hidden_Words
If you are interested in seeing the whole work: http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/
"O quintessence of passion! Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised."
-Baha'u'llah Hidden Words #50 Persian
Let us begin with the opening statement. In many of the Holy Writings, most notably the Hidden Words, we see this opening (i.e. Fire Tablet: "In the name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most Great). This opening is highly unusual and requires much time to grasp its true meaning (the same goes for all the Hidden Words).
What does quintessence mean? It was a word I never understood when I was younger. I would say the prayer for evening* and would pronounce it as queen essence. Anyways, quintessence is the fifth element, and to quote Wikipedia... "Aristotle included aether in the system of the classical elements of Ionic philosophy as the "fifth element" (the quintessence), on the principle that the four terrestrial elements were subject to change and moved naturally in straight lines while no change had been observed in the celestial regions and the heavenly bodies moved in circles. In Aristotle's system aether had no qualities (was neither hot, cold, wet, or dry), was incapable of change (with the exception of change of place), and by its nature moved in circles."
So what do we get out of this statement "O quintessence of passion!" ? The quintessence is incapable of change, but it is able to still move. I believe, from my own thoughts, that this could be a reference to our unwavering passion of God. However, lets read the rest of the quotation before we get back to this idea.
Covetous means, "marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or for another's possessions." So, essentially the Hidden Word is saying to be content with what you have. This way, you will be detached and he who is detached will be happy (this statement will be covered in full at a later time: happiness through detachment).
Let us now return to the opening. O quintessence of passion! Looking at Plato's idea, there is an "existence of a fifth element (corresponding to the fifth remaining Platonic solid, the dodecahedron) called quintessence, of which the cosmos and all celestial bodies are made." And this is what we are made of. Perhaps... Or... we are the cosmos what passion is created.
What do you think?
*O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire! This, Thy servant, seeketh to sleep in the shelter of Thy mercy, and to repose beneath the canopy of Thy grace, imploring Thy care and Thy protection.
I beg of Thee, O my Lord, by Thine eye that sleepeth not, to guard mine eyes from beholding aught beside Thee. Strengthen, then, their vision that they may discern Thy signs, and behold the Horizon of Thy Revelation. Thou art He before the revelations of Whose omnipotence the quintessence of power hath trembled.
No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Subduing, the Unconditioned
-Bahá'u'lláh
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Enter Therein & Tarry Not
Welcome. Within this blog I pour forth my thoughts in attempts to understand what the Bahá'í Faith truly is.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Bahá'í Faith, it is a world religion whose main tenet is the unification of all the people in one universal Cause and one common Faith. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith."
We do not believe God is a physical entity laying in the clouds, but rather an unknown Creator. He may be likened unto the carpenter who builds a table. The table cannot understand its creator, much like how we as humans cannot understand our Creator, God. We come to understand God through His Manifestations, which include, among others, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Krishna and most recently the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. These divine teachers may be likened unto mirrors who reflect the attributes of the sun or, in this case, God.
Further posts will look through themes laden within the Sacred Texts. Perhaps we can together gleam through the Bahá'í Writings and gain a deaper understanding of our own spirituality.
This blog is for everyone and anyone. Please feel free to comment.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Bahá'í Faith, it is a world religion whose main tenet is the unification of all the people in one universal Cause and one common Faith. Its founder, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith."
We do not believe God is a physical entity laying in the clouds, but rather an unknown Creator. He may be likened unto the carpenter who builds a table. The table cannot understand its creator, much like how we as humans cannot understand our Creator, God. We come to understand God through His Manifestations, which include, among others, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Krishna and most recently the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. These divine teachers may be likened unto mirrors who reflect the attributes of the sun or, in this case, God.
Further posts will look through themes laden within the Sacred Texts. Perhaps we can together gleam through the Bahá'í Writings and gain a deaper understanding of our own spirituality.
This blog is for everyone and anyone. Please feel free to comment.
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