Happiness

'Abdu'l-Bahá proclaimed in one of His talks in Paris

Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings.

As a student I realize how true this can be even during my studies. During those times that I am completely elated, my studying becomes more efficient and I end up performing much better on my exams. My mind seems to open itself to reasoning. There are few things in the way which worry me, thus hold me back from understanding what I am doing.

These past few days I have been under the weather and various tests have come my way. Reflecting back on the entire situation, I see that my work level had decreased. In fact, I feel as if my studying I did and what work I did actually was negative. I lost time, energy and sleep. However, this is where prayer comes in.

'Abdu'l-Bahá continues the same talk with:

If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.

If we are sick and in distress let us implore God’s healing, and He will answer our prayer.

When our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of this world, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of God’s compassion and He will send us heavenly calm! If we are imprisoned in the material world, our spirit can soar into the Heavens and we shall be free indeed!

When our days are drawing to a close let us think of the eternal worlds, and we shall be full of joy!

Why not be happy? There is nothing wrong that can come of it. Of course, we are humans. Emotion is key to our existence. But happiness, if it overcomes all other emotions, will allow us to see every situation with a more attentive eye. "Why did I lose my job?" or "How can I finish this project in 4 hours?" are common questions that can be answered. Rather than wallow in pessimism, using an optimistic lens and with a mind full of happiness (or at least a more clear mind, detached from the hardship), one can perhaps move forward with relatively more ease. It makes the action easier, thus allowing for the Divine Confirmation to follow as necessary.

Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God’s gifts, and ‘Life Everlasting’ means ‘Turning to God’. May you, one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you be strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped more and more by the Divine consolation, be made free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may the power of the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.

This is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant you this favour.

Are you happy?

Will

As usual, all opinions here are my own and do not represent the thoughts of Bahá'ís in general. I am simply stating my own in thoughts in hopes that others read them and offer their own thoughts so that I may learn from them. It is so beautiful that we all have this power of speech and intellect in order to discuss with one another and learn from one another. Too often is this bounty neglected.

What is will? Desire? Wanting? It is so much more than that alone. Desire and wanting denote weakness and limitation. One can desire something or want something, but this does not imply that it shall be. Whereas one can will something, and it is.

This is the power of will. It takes the desire and longing and implies action occurs.

In the Writings, we never see phrases such as, "God wanted" or "God desired." No. Once again, we cannot simply limit the Limitless. The Writings (and not only Bahá'í, but near all Sacred Scripture) has this same idea of the Will of God. There is a catch however that we need to be wary of:

Whatever God willed, happened.
Does this make sense? Certainly it may seem so. God, the omnipotent, wills something. Whatever He wills, must happen, right? True, but in this scenario we are limiting the Creator. It implies that something must be desired by God before it occurs. This is not so. Let us look at the next scenario.

Whatever happened, is God's Will.
Does this make more sense? I think so. What we need to understand here again, and this is something I think really needs to be emphasized, is that God is limitless. We are all under the Guidance of the Primal Will, Logos so to speak. Under such Guidance, we were created ("I loved they creation, hence I created Thee..." -Arabic Hidden Words). It is the "B and E joined and knit together." It is the Manifestations of God offering the Bounties of God and allowing us as a human race to progress and mature.

I have a tendency to go to various blogs and other opinionated websites to see what people are saying. Religion is looked down upon by many people. One famous claim states, "If your God is kind and loves everybody, why does He allow for people to suffer?" The person makes a valid point. Is it God's Will for people to suffer? Sure, we are offered tests to allow us to grow and prosper and we are not tested beyond our capacity. But then, why is it that people are born into suffering and starvation? Why are children forced into slavery in the sex trade or as child soldiers? Why are women raped and husbands killed? Is this really what God willed?

Yes. This is what God willed. We as humanity are maturing, but we are also confused. We are beginning to learn the power of free-will but we do not know how to control it properly. Education systems have not been put in place to allow us to near eliminate such suffering. These pains people are suffering are necessary. They are not fair. No, by no means is it fair. But God, the Most-Just will shower His Bounty upon them. These people are meant to serve as examples as to what we are becoming as a human race. The atrocities which they face are a symbol of what we wish to eliminate. We will need to work to improve our planet. This is God's Will.

Now how to carry this forward:
"The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct." This quote has been used over and over in this blog, and will continue to be used. We have all been created from the same dust, in God's image. We all possess the various virtues and qualities of God to varying degrees depending on our capacities. However, it is useless until put into action. By purely, with no ulterior motive, putting these deeds into action, we can bring about the betterment of the world and assist to alleviate this ailing planet from the disease of warfare and injustice which is currently plaguing it's denizens.

This is not an easy task. This is not an overnight task. But, this task is what God has willed upon it. Do we not, as His creation, have an obligation to carry out His Will? What greater bounty do we have than to serve our fellow man and bring about the betterment of the world?

How do you plan to do it?

Me? I am currently a University student in the field of science. Personally, right now, my service is twofold. First is the short-term, where I can converse with others and see who would like to join and bring about the betterment of the world (for how, see the entry on July 23, 2010 for an example). Long-term... This is the difficult part for me. I need to study to make sure I do the best I can to reach a capacity where I can serve my brothers and sisters through my occupation directly. Whether it be through research, medicine, public health, or something completely unrelated to science, I do not know. All I know is that through action, Divine Confirmation will assist me.

Again, how do you plan to bring about the betterment of the world?

Time, Service, Responsibility

Time is such an interesting thing. Why is there time? Did we create it out of our minds, or does it truly exist in a forward backward motion (and in the case of some physicist, upwards and downwards)?

My thoughts though... Time, or at least the limitation in terms of how "long" we are allowed to live give us a sense of priority and necessity. See-we live for only so long. There are millions, no, infinite amount of choices we can make with ourselves. We need to decide what we want to do.

In a letter dated January 28, 1939, the Guardian writes, "There is no time to lose. There is no room left for vacillation. Multitudes hunger for the Bread of Life. The stage is set. The firm and irrevocable Promise is given. God's own Plan has been set in motion. It is gathering momentum with every passing day. The powers of heaven and earth mysteriously assist in its execution. Such an opportunity is irreplaceable. Let the doubter arise and himself verify the truth of such assertions. To try, to persevere, is to insure ultimate and complete victory."

It is time to teach. It is time to serve. The beauty is now we need to define service. The word service is very interesting in our modern world. In Middle School, Junior Youth are taught service is something meant to help others. Very true fact. But they are taught to look at that phrase in such a shallow way. Yes, we need to help other people-but does that service have to show forth at the given moment? If I study hard-with the intention to do well on an exam which assists me on my path to college or graduate school where I intend to learn a skill (i.e. Medicine, Research, Law) with which I can help my fellow man-is that not considered service for the long run? Why can we not teach Junior Youth that by studying, they are doing service? We tell them all the time they need to study to get a good job and make money. But look at all of the college dropouts who are now billionaires. Look at the multimillionaire movie stars, athletes, musicians, etc. Sure, they are giving us entertainment service, but the productivity is lacking. Many had natural talent and luck which allowed them to succeed.

But this is not a place to complain about such people. I personally enjoy much what they bring. However, we need to begin to redefine service is and bring a new social reality to the word.

Lastly, from the first Tablet to Napoleon III, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Ours is the responsibility to avenge the oppressed and succor the helpless." This is our service.

The goal is the unification of mankind. Everything we do must be in line with this ultimate goal, if we so desire it. Whether reading and memorizing the Writings, the key is to understand the purpose and implement it into our daily lives.

Take for example the first Hidden Word, which I believe we went in depth on a while back:

O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.

It is easy enough to memorize. But now the comprehension. Why should we have a pure, kindly and radiant heart? To be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. But so what? We become an unconquerable territory-i.e. we are steadfast in our Faith not only to Bahá'u'lláh, but also in whatever task is at hand-in this case, service to the world (which is essentially the task bestowed upon us by Bahá'u'lláh). But lets take it a step further. How can the betterment of the world be achieved? Pure and goodly deeds, commendable and seemly conduct! Wait, how can perform such deeds and possess such conduct? It returns back to the pure, kindly and radiant heart. It all goes and links together.

As for another example, lets look at the Dawn Breakers. Why are we told to read it? Sure, they are the one's who came before us and it is always good to have a sense of history-but what comes of it? To quote Mullah Husayn, "May my life be a ransom for you. Are you not pleased with me?” The idea is to see their service and the level of sacrifice they brought forth. It is not the time to give our lives, sure. But it is the time to serve.

My favorite form of art has to be story telling. Perhaps one day we can have a retelling of the above.

If you have any comments, please leave them below. I want to know what you have to say.

Community III

At this time, the building of the community revolves around four activities:

• Study Circles

• Devotionals

• Children's Classes

• Junior Youth Groups

Each serves its own purpose in the progression of society. Many times before, we have looked at the Bahá'í Writings and tried to understand topics as complex as the progression of the soul and justice. Such topics are admirable, but we cannot get into the heart of the meaning of the Bahá'í Faith without looking at the core principle.

As a Bahá'í, I believe that I was created to know God and to obey His Teachings. It seems a little strange, believing in an unknowable essence. I cannot see God. I cannot taste, touch nor understand Him. In fact, if it were not for His Manifestations, I doubt I would have ever thought of His existence. The world would simply find me wandering the planet as an animal, looking for my next meal. Each of the Manifestations give us a glimpse at the Power of God's Word. They come and bring down with them Teachings which allow us to progress as a society. Confirmation such as this is why I believe in God. These Great Beings come with Teachings, all claiming to come from One Source; if it works, why should I not believe?

Obeying the Teachings of God is another story. To do so, we need to serve our fellow man. And how do we do this? The core principle of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh is to unite all the peoples of the earth. This grand scheme seems near impossible. With the constant violence, unending prejudice and injustice enthroned within our hearts and minds, it is impossible. That is why we must start at the grassroots.

Would it not be wonderful to go to the kings and rulers of the earth and say, "The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch, " or "O rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions."? And better yet, "Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice."

Unfortunately, much of this has already been advised to the rulers of the earth, but they refused to heed to the call of Bahá'u'lláh. This means the normal layman must go out and teach the Cause and serve humanity-hence going to the grassroots.

Society is based on the community which is based on the family. A family needs a mother, the first educator of the child. The family needs a father, the bread winner and the enforces of education for the child. This does not mean that the mother does not work and that the father does not help the mother with the initial education. Since the child has been reared by the mother for nine months, he has a special connection with her, hence the first educator. The child in turn must be obedient to his parents for they have his best interest at heart. Obedience to the parents is the child's proof of Faith and love.

If the family unit is united, then the next step can be taken to the community and this is where the core activities mentioned at the very beginning come into place.

First we have Study Circles. Here, the community members come together to study the words of God or learn various skills which help with the building of the community. The current set of books used by Bahá'ís is called the Ruhi books, printed by Palabra Publications, and created initially in Colombia. Here is the list of the books:

• Book 1: Reflections on the Life of the Spirit. In this book, the participant learns the importance of prayer and spirituality in life and the continuation of life after the passing of the physical body. The skill learned from this book is the creation of devotionals.
• Book 2: Arising to Serve. The key of this book is to learn the joy of service and its importance in daily life. The skill learned from this book is simply how to serve.
• Book 3: Teaching Children's Classes. Here, as the title states, the participants learn how to teach classes for children. Currently, there are two books available, for grades I and II respectively, with a grade III becoming geared up for publication.
• Book 4: The Twin Manifestations. Here, the participant learns the history of the Bahá'í Faith and its implications for the future. They key is to learn to tell the stories from the Faith with eloquence-in this way, we can improve our public speaking and also allow others to learn about the history.
• Book 5: Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth. The participant learns the psychology first of being a Youth and the of being a Junior Youth; they learn what the goal is (the stage of youth, a servant to the community), and see what they will be working with (the junior youth, full of potential-but stuck in a conflicted point of life). From here, the participant will learn how to animate a group of Junior Youth (12-14 year olds)-more on this in a little bit.
• Book 6: Teaching the Cause. Multiple times in previous posts we have learned that teaching is the greatest gift of God. Through teaching, we find receptive souls who desire to serve the community alongside us. Teaching the Cause does not mean we make people Bahá'ís. It means we find people who want to serve.
• Book 7: Walking Together on a Path of Service. In this book, one learns how to become a tutor for Ruhi Books 1-6. Being a tutor does not mean one has the material mastered, but rather can give ideas and take ideas from the participants.
  
• Book 8: The Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Currently in production, this book focuses on the idea of the Covenant and what it truly means to follow the Bahá'í Faith.

Through these books, we gain the skills to do the next three core activities, along with various other acts of service.

The second of the activities is devotionals. The community comes together to pray and meditate. They converse on spiritual ideas which are often neglected and, this way, become more spiritually close to one another.

The third of the activities is Children's Classes. It is easy to mold children. Through children's classes, the child learns various spiritual qualities which he would not gain through modern education. These spiritual qualities will last the child through the rest of their lives. Imagine a future community where all children have learned to be truthful, detached, steadfast, determined, loving, kind, etc. to all people. This vision is only enhanced with the following program-the Junior Youth Animating program.

The forth of the core activities is the Junior Youth Group. These groups aim at empowering those who are no longer children yet not yet adults. They will learn their potentials and capacities which they can use for their futures. There are four aspects of the Junior Youth Group.

• Art activities-to enhance the creativity of the Junior Youth
• Outdoor activities-to allow Junior Youth to exert energy
• A set of books. There are 8 titles planned for each age (12, 13 and 14)-2 from each of the below sub groups:

1. Continuation of Bahá'í Children's Classes. The title says it all. This set allows the Junior Youth to cover issues that range from evolution to the existance of God. Only groups with Bahá'í Junior Youth are obligated to complete this sequence.
2. Language. The Junior Youth learn the power of expression and the proper method to execute such expression. They then will become great teachers and great animators of Junior Youth Groups in the future. The power of language is extremely important. A proper understanding of various forms of argumentation from logos, pathos and ethos must be learned and administered properly. Otherwise, one becomes corrupt like the modern politician.
3. Science and Mathematics. Logic and rational thinking are absent from scientific education many times until a person hits upper level science classes in high school or even college. Here the Junior Youth learns to think scientifically from a younger age-thus progressing science (think about it, training people from a younger age mean they have more room and time to advance by the time they hit college).
4. Living in Society. Growing up in today's world is not easy, thus learning how to stand up morally in society and also thinking about the implications of one's actions on the future are key to assist with progression. The more people we have who live life with high standards, the more we will see society progress.

• Service projects make up the forth activity of Junior Youth Groups. Service is how one puts into action everything they have learned. With everything mentioned beforehand, there is much to put into action. Projects are dedicated to assist with the building of the community. Junior Youth have been to start classes for children, community learning projects (i.e. importance of recycling and caring for the environment), fundraisers, painting murals, clothes drives, etc. It is the culmination of the Junior Youth Animating program and prepares Junior Youth for a life of service.

Once a community dedicated to united service is established, it can be expanded to the level of the city (which is made much easier when there are dozens, if not hundreds, of neighborhoods dedicated to the same thing). And from the city, to the region, to the nation and finally to the world. None of this is conditional to people becoming Bahá'ís. It is conditional on people following the Word of Bahá'u'lláh and desire to serve humanity.

And it will not end here. After a thousand years or so have passed, another Manifestation will come to continue assisting us with the progression of mankind through its various stages.

Next, we will discuss the various institutions of the Bahá'í Faith and how they assist with the entire process of community building and the creation of a new world civilization.

Community II

Before I do any sort of analysis on the idea of community, let us look at the 2010 Ridvan (pronounced Rez-van) Letter.*

What the establishment of 1,500 intensive programmes of growth has made evident is how courageous and deliberate the rank and file of the believers have become in stepping outside their immediate circle of family members and friends, ready to be led by the guiding Hand of the All-Merciful to receptive souls in whatever quarter they may reside.


To the extent that the conversation continues beyond the initial encounter and veritable friendships are formed, a direct teaching effort of this kind can become a catalyst for an enduring process of spiritual transformation. Whether the first contact with such newly found friends elicits an invitation for them to enrol in the Bahá’í community or to participate in one of its activities is not an overwhelming concern. More important is that every soul feel welcome to join the community in contributing to the betterment of society, commencing a path of service to humanity on which, at the outset or further along, formal enrolment can occur.

The significance of this development should not be underestimated. In every cluster, once a consistent pattern of action is in place, attention needs to be given to extending it more broadly through a network of co-workers and acquaintances, while energies are, at the same time, focused on smaller pockets of the population, each of which should become a centre of intense activity. In an urban cluster, such a centre of activity might best be defined by the boundaries of a neighbourhood; in a cluster that is primarily rural in character, a small village would offer a suitable social space for this purpose. Those who serve in these settings, both local inhabitants and visiting teachers, would rightly view their work in terms of community building. To assign to their teaching efforts such labels as "door-to-door", even though the first contact may involve calling upon the residents of a home without prior notice, would not do justice to a process that seeks to raise capacity within a population to take charge of its own spiritual, social and intellectual development. The activities that drive this process, and in which newly found friends are invited to engage—meetings that strengthen the devotional character of the community; classes that nurture the tender hearts and minds of children; groups that channel the surging energies of junior youth; circles of study, open to all, that enable people of varied backgrounds to advance on equal footing and explore the application of the teachings to their individual and collective lives—may well need to be maintained with assistance from outside the local population for a time. It is to be expected, however, that the multiplication of these core activities would soon be sustained by human resources indigenous to the neighbourhood or village itself—by men and women eager to improve material and spiritual conditions in their surroundings. A rhythm of community life should gradually emerge, then, commensurate with the capacity of an expanding nucleus of individuals committed to Bahá’u’lláh's vision of a new World Order.

Within this context, receptivity manifests itself in a willingness to participate in the process of community building set in motion by the core activities. In cluster after cluster where an intensive programme of growth is now in operation, the task before the friends this coming year is to teach within one or more receptive populations, employing a direct method in their exposition of the fundamentals of their Faith, and find those souls longing to shed the lethargy imposed on them by society and work alongside one another in their neighbourhoods and villages to begin a process of collective transformation. If the friends persist in their efforts to learn the ways and methods of community building in small settings in this way, the long-cherished goal of universal participation in the affairs of the Faith will, we are certain, move by several orders of magnitude within grasp.

In this light, local deepening classes, winter and summer schools, and specially arranged gatherings in which individual believers knowledgeable in the writings were able to share with others insights into specific subjects emerged naturally as prominent features of Bahá’í life. Just as the habit of daily reading will remain an integral part of Bahá’í identity, so will these forms of study continue to hold a place in the collective life of the community. But understanding the implications of the Revelation, both in terms of individual growth and social progress, increases manifold when study and service are joined and carried out concurrently. There, in the field of service, knowledge is tested, questions arise out of practice, and new levels of understanding are achieved. In the system of distance education that has now been established in country after country—the principal elements of which include the study circle, the tutor and the curriculum of the Ruhi Institute—the worldwide Bahá’í community has acquired the capacity to enable thousands, nay millions, to study the writings in small groups with the explicit purpose of translating the Bahá’í teachings into reality, carrying the work of the Faith forward into its next stage: sustained large-scale expansion and consolidation.

That the Bahá’í world has succeeded in developing a culture which promotes a way of thinking, studying, and acting, in which all consider themselves as treading a common path of service— supporting one another and advancing together, respectful of the knowledge that each one possesses at any given moment and avoiding the tendency to divide the believers into categories such as deepened and uninformed—is an accomplishment of enormous proportions. And therein lie the dynamics of an irrepressible movement.

Concern for the spiritual education of children has long been an element of the culture of the Bahá’í community, a concern that resulted in two, coexisting realities. One, emulating the achievements of the Bahá’ís of Iran, was characterized by the capacity to offer systematic classes, from grade to grade, to children from Bahá’í families, generally with the aim of imparting basic knowledge of the history and teachings of the Faith to rising generations. In most parts of the world, the number who benefited from such classes has been relatively small. The other reality emerged in areas where large-scale enrolments took place, both rural and urban. A more inclusive attitude dominated that experience. Yet while children from households of all kinds were at once eager and welcome to attend Bahá’í classes, various factors prevented lessons from being conducted with the required degree of regularity, year after year. How pleased we are to see this duality, a consequence of historical circumstances, begin to fall away as friends trained by institutes everywhere strive to offer classes, open to all, on a systematic basis.

Such promising beginnings have now to be vigorously pursued. In every cluster with an intensive programme of growth in operation, efforts need to be made to systematize further the provision of spiritual education to increasing numbers of children, from families of many backgrounds—a requisite of the community-building process gathering momentum in neighbourhoods and villages. This will be a demanding task, one that calls for patience and cooperation on the part of parents and institutions alike. The Ruhi Institute has already been requested to expedite plans to complete its courses for training children's class teachers at different levels including the corresponding lessons, starting with youngsters aged 5 or 6 and proceeding to those aged 10 or 11, in order to close the present gap between existing lessons and its textbooks for junior youth, such as Spirit of Faith and the forthcoming Power of the Holy Spirit, which provide a distinctly Bahá’í component to the programme for that age group. As these additional courses and lessons become available, institutes in every country will be able to prepare the teachers and the coordinators required to put in place, grade by grade, the core of a programme for the spiritual education of children, around which secondary elements can be organized. Meanwhile, institutes should do their best to provide teachers with suitable materials, from among others currently in existence, for use in their classes with children of various ages, as necessary.

The rapid spread of the programme for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth is yet another expression of cultural advance in the Bahá’í community. While global trends project an image of this age group as problematic, lost in the throes of tumultuous physical and emotional change, unresponsive and self- consumed, the Bahá’í community—in the language it employs and the approaches it adopts—is moving decidedly in the opposite direction, seeing in junior youth instead altruism, an acute sense of justice, eagerness to learn about the universe and a desire to contribute to the construction of a better world. Account after account, in which junior youth in countries all over the planet give voice to their thoughts as participants in the programme, testifies to the validity of this vision. There is every indication that the programme engages their expanding consciousness in an exploration of reality that helps them to analyse the constructive and destructive forces operating in society and to recognize the influence these forces exert on their thoughts and actions, sharpening their spiritual perception, enhancing their powers of expression and reinforcing moral structures that will serve them throughout their lives. At an age when burgeoning intellectual, spiritual and physical powers become accessible to them, they are being given the tools needed to combat the forces that would rob them of their true identity as noble beings and to work for the common good.

Further knowledge is sure to accrue in this area of endeavour, although a pattern of action is already clear. Only the capacity of the Bahá’í community limits the extent of its response to the demand for the programme by schools and civic groups. Within the clusters that today are the focus of an intensive programme of growth, there is a wide array of circumstances, from those with a few sporadic junior youth groups to those maintaining a number sufficient to require the services of a dedicated coordinator, who could receive ongoing support from a site for the dissemination of learning. To ensure that this capacity increases across the entire spectrum of these clusters, we are calling for 32 learning sites, each serving some twenty clusters with full-time coordinators, to be in operation by the end of the current Plan. In all other such clusters, priority should be given to creating the capacity over the coming year to offer the programme,multiplying the number of groups systematically.

It signals the significant strengthening of a culture in which learning is the mode of operation, a mode that fosters the informed participation of more and more people in a united effort to apply Bahá’u’lláh's teachings to the construction of a divine civilization, which the Guardian states is the primary mission of the Faith.

Not only does this advance in culture influence relations among individuals, but its effects can also be felt in the conduct of the administrative affairs of the Faith. As learning has come to distinguish the community's mode of operation, certain aspects of decision making related to expansion and consolidation have been assigned to the body of the believers, enabling planning and implementation to become more responsive to circumstances on the ground. Specifically, a space has been created, in the agency of the reflection meeting, for those engaged in activities at the cluster level to assemble from time to time in order to reach consensus on the current status of their situation, in light of experience and guidance from the institutions, and to determine their immediate steps forward. A similar space is opened by the institute, which makes provision for those serving as tutors, children's class teachers, and animators of junior youth groups in a cluster to meet severally and consult on their experience. Intimately connected to this grassroots consultative process are the agencies of the training institute and the Area Teaching Committee, together with the Auxiliary Board members, whose joint interactions provide another space in which decisions pertaining to growth are taken, in this case with a higher degree of formality. The workings of this cluster-level system, born of exigencies, point to an important characteristic of Bahá’í administration: Even as a living organism, it has coded within it the capacity to accommodate higher and higher degrees of complexity, in terms of structures and processes, relationships and activities, as it evolves under the guidance of the Universal House of Justice.

On previous occasions we have explained that the maturity of a Spiritual Assembly cannot be assessed by the regularity of its meetings and the efficiency of its functioning alone. Rather its strength must be measured, to a large extent, by the vitality of the spiritual and social life of the community it serves—a growing community that welcomes the constructive contributions of both those who are formally enrolled and those who are not.

The development that we are sure to witness in Local Spiritual Assemblies over the next several years is made possible by the growing strength of National Spiritual Assemblies, whose ability to think and act strategically has risen perceptibly, especially as they have learned to analyse the community-building process at the grassroots with increasing acuity and effectiveness and to inject into it, as needed, assistance, resources, encouragement, and loving guidance. In countries where conditions demand it, they have devolved a number of their responsibilities in this respect to Regional Councils, decentralizing certain administrative functions, enhancing institutional capacity in areas under their jurisdiction, and fostering more sophisticated sets of interactions. It is no exaggeration to say that the full engagement of National Assemblies was instrumental in creating the final thrust required to attain the goal of the current Plan, and we expect to see further developments in this direction as, in concert with the Counsellors, they exert in the course of the critical, fleeting months ahead a supreme effort to ready their communities to embark on the next five-year enterprise.

Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation is vast. It calls for profound change not only at the level of the individual but also in the structure of society. "Is not the object of every Revelation", He Himself proclaims, "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?" The work advancing in every corner of the globe today represents the latest stage of the ongoing Bahá’í endeavour to create the nucleus of the glorious civilization enshrined in His teachings, the building of which is an enterprise of infinite complexity and scale, one that will demand centuries of exertion by humanity to bring to fruition. There are no shortcuts, no formulas. Only as effort is made to draw on insights from His Revelation, to tap into the accumulating knowledge of the human race, to apply His teachings intelligently to the life of humanity, and to consult on the questions that arise will the necessary learning occur and capacity be developed.

In this long-term process of capacity building, the Bahá’í community has devoted nearly a decade and a half to systematizing its experience in the teaching field, learning to open certain activities to more and more people and to sustain its expansion and consolidation. All are welcome to enter the community's warm embrace and receive sustenance from Bahá’u’lláh's life-giving message. No greater joy is there, to be sure, than for a soul, yearning for the Truth, to find shelter in the stronghold of the Cause and draw strength from the unifying power of the Covenant. Yet every human being and every group of individuals, irrespective of whether they are counted among His followers, can take inspiration from His teachings, benefiting from whatever gems of wisdom and knowledge will aid them in addressing the challenges they face. Indeed, the civilization that beckons humanity will not be attained through the efforts of the Bahá’í community alone. Numerous groups and organizations, animated by the spirit of world solidarity that is an indirect manifestation of Bahá’u’lláh's conception of the principle of the oneness of humankind, will contribute to the civilization destined to emerge out of the welter and chaos of present-day society. It should be clear to everyone that the capacity created in the Bahá’í community over successive global Plans renders it increasingly able to lend assistance in the manifold and diverse dimensions of civilization building, opening to it new frontiers of learning.

A rich tapestry of community life begins to emerge in every cluster as acts of communal worship, interspersed with discussions undertaken in the intimate setting of the home, are woven together with activities that provide spiritual education to all members of the population—adults, youth and children. Social consciousness is heightened naturally as, for example, lively conversations proliferate among parents regarding the aspirations of their children and service projects spring up at the initiative of junior youth.

it will prove fruitful to think in terms of two interconnected, mutually reinforcing areas of activity: involvement in social action and participation in the prevalent discourses of society.

The scope and complexity of social action must be commensurate with the human resources available in a village or neighbourhood to carry it forward. Efforts best begin, then, on a modest scale and grow organically as capacity within the population develops. Capacity rises to new levels, of course, as the protagonists of social change learn to apply with increasing effectiveness elements of Bahá’u’lláh's Revelation, together with the contents and methods of science, to their social reality. This reality they must strive to read in a manner consistent with His teachings—seeing in their fellow human beings gems of inestimable value and recognizing the effects of the dual process of integration and disintegration on both hearts and minds, as well as on social structures.

And that is only part of the entire letter! (11 pages, 33 paragraphs in total).

Think about what is given here, leave a response if you would like. I will give my take on it next time.



*Ridvan is a celebratory time for the Bahá'í Faith as it is the commemoration of the Declaration of Bahá'u'lláh that it was He who was in fact "Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest." Every year during this time, it is common place for the Universal House of Justice (world governing body-democratically elected-for the Bahá'ís) to write a letter congratulating the Bahá'ís for achieving certain goals (the goals are all leading to the unification of the world in a step by step process) over the past year. Along with this, the House shares various items which have been learned across the globe which allow for future goals to be achieved with greater ease.

Community I

What makes a community? Does it require geographic boundaries or can it simply be people bounded by a singular idea? Social network sites such as Facebook thrive on the fact that they bring together much of the users on the internet as a one giant global community. I personally don't buy it as much. Sure we are all connected together in a more easier fashion, but does this single website make us a community or is there a greater power or force which does this job?

Sit on this for a little while-I'll be back in a few days with my response.

Life, Motion, Atoms

I began this in September and finish it now. Please forgive the 8 month delay. This also is completely unedited. There is probably much revision that needs to be done.

Everything comes from God. The Báb writes, "There is none other God but Thee and in truth unto Thee do we all return." Though human's are the beings that have been designated with the soul and the capacity to recognize God as our Creator, other beings still feel his presence. Bahá'u'lláh in the Tablet of Carmel declares, "Sanctified be the Lord of all mankind, at the mention of Whose name all the atoms of the earth have been made to vibrate, and the Tongue of Grandeur hath been moved to disclose that which had been wrapt in His knowledge and lay concealed within the treasury of His might."

Do we look at the claim of vibrating atoms figuratively or should we take this literally? Let us begin with the idea of laws of attractions. Everything is held together by various attractions such as gravity, magnetics, electromagnets, nuclear forces, etc. In like manner, the human hearts are attracted by love for one another which bring us together. Such as the sun which has a greater pull on the planets closer in orbit to its center, we also have a great pull on those whom we love to be near us at all times. Hence, Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved? and what seeker findeth rest away from his heart’s desire? To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death. His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace. A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved."

To continue from this point, our greatest love must be our Creator for He gave us life and everything we possess. The same goes for all the atoms and all of Creation. They vibrate at the sound of the name of their Creator.

The reality is that everything has a spirit. The Master spoke, “In the mineral world the spirit shows itself, but limited to that mineral condition.” With the mineral being the lowest of the kingdoms, we can assume all else above has spirit too. It is simply to the capacity to show whatever this spirit may be. For the plant, this is growth. For the animal, it is movement and frolicking through the lower kingdoms. For man, it is the knowledge of God.

However, we need another piece of existence and this is the soul. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, “When we speak of the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates.” It is through our soul we have free-will and understanding. It controls what patterns we will choose to follow in life; whether we will find God within us and show forth the virtues He bestowed upon us or not. Then there is also “the power of the mind” which “gives [man] a power whereby he may investigate the reality of every object. It leads man on and on to the luminous station of divine sublimity and frees him from all the fetters of self, causing him to ascend to the pure heaven of sanctity.” Through the mind, we understand science and the natural world. In a Tablet to August Forel, the Master writes, “It is by the 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.” Likewise, as the soul cannot comprehend the physical realm, the mind cannot comprehend the abstractness of the realm of the soul. Our Faith, thus, cannot be something we ponder and piece together with equations and observations. Rather, we need to detach ourselves of the physical mind and instead focus on the soul, and there we will find the attributes latent within us.

Finally, we return to the spirit. What is it? In the Divine Philosophy we find written, “The spirit is the axis round which the eternal life revolves. It is conducive to everlasting glory and is the cause of the exaltation of humanity.” It is the divine energy which keeps everything going together and which interconnect everything in life.

You may then ask if the spirit causes life. This I cannot answer, but I can again quote ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and say, “The test of existence is motion. An object which has in itself the power of motion lives. If motion is withheld growth ceases. That is mortality.” It is settled then, everything that is not at 0 Kelvin is alive because every atom at every moment is moving, vibrating (I do not mean here, that even in death we are truly alive because the atoms in our dead body are moving. I mean that the dust we are made of is alive. They are simply the building blocks which give rise to another type of motion, which is our existence). Let us quote the Master again,

“There are different degrees of motion. There is a motion of transit, that is from place to place. For example, the revolution of the earth around the sun; a bird flies from branch to branch. Another kind is the motion of inherent growth, like that of man from the condition of childhood to the estate of manhood, or the development of a tree from the seedling to its full fruition. The third is the motion of condition — the sick man passes from the stage of sickness to the state of health. The fourth motion is that of the spirit. For instance, the child while in the mother's womb has all the potential qualities of the spirit, but those qualities begin to unfold little by little
as the child is born and grows and develops, finally manifesting all the attributes and qualities of the spirit. The fifth is the motion of the intellect whereby the ignorant become wise; the indifferent, alert; the dark, illuminated and the carnally-minded, spiritual.

In this century a great impelling stream is manifest in the world of intellect. Minds have been stirred by this impulse and have made marvelous progress. The sixth motion is that of the eternal essence. That is to say, all phenomena either step forth from the arena of non-existence into the court of objectivity, or from existence into non-existence. Just as being in motion is the test of life, so being stationary is the test of death and when a moving object stops it retrogrades. To stop means to fall. When a tree stops giving fruit it decays.

In other words, man must throughout all the degrees of life evolve and progress day unto day, for life is continuous. The manifestors of divine law have appeared so that they may confer upon man an ideal power which will enable him to advance along all the degrees of human attainment. The power of the world of existence is limited, while the power of God is unlimited. If the reality of man should not be confirmed by a divine power human progress would terminate.
On the other hand, the divine reality is unlimited and immeasurable and can never stop or deteriorate, therefore the holy souls who are confirmed with this divine power are likewise.”

Yes, that is a huge quote-but I really could not leave any of it out. The existence of the atom, or the life of the atom I should then say, is that of the first degree. From place to place. It does not move a far distance, but it moves all the same. (Quick side note: What do you think of the sixth degree of motion in terms of quantum mechanics where for some period of time, it seems as if the electron does not exist as it passes through a double slit?)

Now all of this may seem crazy, but hang in there. Using all of the above definitions, we can assume that the atom is alive, and if it is alive, it is part of the mineral kingdom and thus has spirit. Now, spirit is all interconnected together with one another in the divine energy of life.
Since everything is interconnected, we all feel the same pains (or at least should if we open ourselves up) and happiness. The atoms vibrate at the power of the Word, as mentioned at the beginning, and they feel the evolution of the human spirit as they progress from one Dispensation to another (i.e. from Christianity to Islam). Here, the power is so great, that the world is literally shaking at the tumultuous changes occurring and the pains and strifes we inflict upon one another.

I do not mean to go against science and say that earthquakes and weather patterns are occurring because of God. No. I do not mean that. The proper scientific conditions need to be in place, such as two straining faults, or enough evaporated water traveling at certain speeds. But what I mean is perhaps the atoms can “think” and put themselves in this proper position as they turmoil at our turmoil.

The Independent Investigation of Truth

After a long hiatus, we return to the second of the twelve principles of the Bahá'í Faith. This would be the Independent Investigation of the Truth. Previously, we have covered this idea while studying the first two paragraphs of the Kitáb-i-Íqán. The first paragraph begins with the deceleration, "No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth."

Before we continue, we must define what man is. In The Divine Philosophy, 'Abdu'l-Bahá breaks up the idea into three parts. You have the soul, the mind and the spirit. He writes, by "the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates." Thus, the soul is in control of everything we do. There are two natures of the soul, one which may be compared to darkness and the other to light. The soul is in charge of our free will, thus it allows us to go either way. However, referring to the Seven Valleys, we need to make it the Will of God, hence we teach and pray to give life to our soul, thus allowing us to make good decisions (by good, meaning to following the Will of God).

After the soul, we fall to the mind "which unfolds to his vision the secrets of existence... whereby he may investigate the reality of every object." The mind is the power of comprehension. We are very curious beings, taking our surroundings and manipulating them to our advantage. Though many of our thoughts are simply neurons charging through the brain as action potentials, there must be more to it than that. It really comes together from evolution. As animals evolved from the sponge to anemone to shellfish, sensory organs began to form. Eyes sensed the light and changes in light would be noticed and could either mean danger or safety. Taste and smell became tests for food with many nutrients or food which was dangerous to eat. Hearing could sense nearby enemies or prey to catch. Touch allowed the body to know it was being attacked. These senses became centralized in a super-organ called the brain. Here, the mind and storage areas were created as memories so that we could keep everything we had learned and build from it. It allowed for greater and more efficient survival. Today, rather than solely memorizing places good for food, we also use the mind for discovery of natural laws which guide our world and which we can manipulate to our advantage.

Finally, we come to the spirit "which is an emanation from the divine bestower... the effulgence of the sun of reality, the radiation of the celestial world, the spirit of faith..." It can perhaps be better described as the divine energy which gives us eternal life. We learn about the twin dichotomies of being and doing. Being is simply the existence where the mind and soul exist. However doing is within the realm of the spirit as it is what causes us to rise above simple existence and use whatever capabilities we have for our own benefit. 'Abdu'l-Bahá writes, "that although the souls of humanity are living, yet if they are deprived of contact with the spirit they are as dead." Since it is with our free will that we learn to worship God, praying and service are as life to the soul while wandering in the mist of promiscuity is as death. The spirit is our desire to reach this highest end-both physically (witnessed through our lives) and spiritually (witnessed through our dreams). We need to learn to activate both ends of the spectrum in order to complete our lives.

Through the soul, man chooses good or evil; through the mind, man comprehends his surroundings; through the spirit, man has energy for both the soul and the mind. The three work together in order to create our being. So when Bahá'u'lláh writes, "No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth," He is speaking of all three components of our existence. The soul must follow the right path towards God, the mind must give up what it has stored as knowledge which will keep it from falsely negating truth and the spirit must be the energy which causes this detachment on both ends.

So why is this Independent Investigation of the Truth a good idea? In religions of old, there were priests and other clergymen which controlled the day to day activities of everybody. They interpreted the Writings and the commoners accepted whatever was told of them as true. However, during those times, many people did not have the ability to read or write-they did not have the time to learn. Instead, they would have one person designated to do this job and he was almost as a keeper of knowledge.

Today, literacy is becoming universal. Due to education becoming available for all people (hence the Universal Education as another major principle of the Bahá'í Faith), almost everybody has the ability to read and write and decide for themselves what they think is true rather than simply blindly following somebody else. Our minds were made to manipulate and understand; what is its use if we simply listen to another person? Man "can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets." It is not to the words of other people we turn to when trying to comprehend but to the words of God and our own minds to see what we can understand.

This does not mean we should not try to explain things to others. It is wonderful to share our own ideas and build upon each other. We are social beings and have the ability to teach one another. Why waste time learning something for oneself if one can learn it faster from another? However, we need to always have proof and validation for whatever is claimed. We must also never force somebody else to accept an idea which they do not believe. This is contrary to the Independent Investigation of Truth.

The spirit is necessary for both ends for our progression.

Next time we will cover the Unity of Religion

The Oneness of the World and Humanity

Many people look at the Twelve Principles of the Bahá'í Faith and scoff. "The Oneness of the World and Humanity? Of course we are all equal! How is that a principle of your religion?" These principles were brought right after the American Civil War, at a time when the Jim Crow Laws were just being formed. Now, today, I walk around my college campus and see Asians, Indians, Africans, Caucasians, Latin Americans, Middle Easterners and many other races merged together, studying together and working together.

But I step outside and into the world. I see bigotry and hatred. People think that their race is the supreme race. That they are the most important, the wisest.

The beauty of the First Principle is that the other Eleven stem from it. We always talk about World Peace. We want peace on earth, but how can this be accomplished without unity? This Oneness of the World and Humanity is the beginning. The next Eleven Principles build the idea of Peace on Earth.

As 'Abdu'l-Bahá puts it in His Paris Talks, "All men are servants of the One God. One God reigns over all the nations of the world and has pleasure in all His children. All men are of one family; the crown of humanity rests on the head of every human being." If this be the case, why then do we fight amongst ourselves. It is funny really. When we go to war over land, we are essentially going to war over land in which we will be buried. Yes, we may grow crops on this land-but this is only temporary. This physical life is momentary while the life after death is eternal.

It is very true that one can say we have different talents and capabilities. The Valley of Unity from Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys makes note of this fact. However, it is this inequality that we are equal. Somebody is a good runner, while another is an incredible swimmer. Somebody is excellent at logic and reasoning, while another is a talented speaker. We have different qualities to share amongst ourselves.

So, how do we bring about unity? Let us think about from the perspective of the Seven Valleys. The first valley, the Valley of Search, brought the idea of being detached from our bias. The second valley, the Valley of Love, made us realize we love everything for the sake of our love for God. The third valley, the Valley of Knowledge, allows us to see our own knowledge is nothing in comparison to the Knowledge of God. After surpassing these three valleys, we enter the Valley of Unity. Now let us look at this in terms of humanity. If we as humanity leave behind our biases of each other, love one another as brothers and sisters and realize our own knowledge (we can assume this to mean forms of government as sources of unity that mortals created) is nothing in the sight of God's Knowledge, then we can enter the Valley of Unity and truly be united as humanity. We can thus understand that the Seven Valleys are more than just a singular journey, but also a plural one.

In The Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh asserts, "Justice and equity are twin Guardians that watch over men. From them are revealed such blessed and perspicuous words as are the cause of the well-being of the world and the protection of the nations." This idea of justice stems from the Kitáb-i-Aqdas where the laws of the Bahá'í Faith may be found. Such laws are to bring about justice in a united society and make sure that humanity is kept in order. Without order, anarchy is born and anarchy is simply a state where every man is for himself and there is no unity.

"Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship... So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth... Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the monarch of all aspirations. So long, however, as the thick clouds of oppression, which obscure the daystar of justice, remain undispelled, it would be difficult for the glory of this station to be unveiled to men’s eyes..."
-Epistle to the Son of the Wolf

Oppression of the peoples of the earth is another barrier to complete unity. In His letters to the kings and rulers of earth (see Summons of the Lord of Hosts), Bahá'u'lláh lays this foundation and offers each ruler the key to unity, but they all refused-from Napoleon III of France to Sultan Abdu'l-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire. Looking at history, you see every ruler which did not follow the rules of unity (forced or by choice) had his empire collapse.

Unity is the key to peace and stability.

The Basic Twelve Principles of the Bahá'í Faith

Thus far, we have focused on the Bahá'í Faith as an individualistic effort to come to peace and reach complete detachment from all things but God. It may seem that the Bahá'í Faith is a very Dharmastic religion, but there is much more to it than that.

As mentioned in the first post, the Bahá'í Faith is a universal religion whose purpose is the unification of all the people's of the earth under one universal cause and one common faith. Through prayer and detachment, we only reach unity within ourselves, but there is an idea of outer unity. This is the idea of the unification of the world.

Bahá'u'lláh gave us the blue prints for personal and global unity. The Seven Valleys and the Hidden Words offer us advice and methods for our growth and for own personal unity. Much of the rest of His work, including, but not limited to, the Kitáb-i-Íqán (Book of Servitude), Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Summons of the Lord of Hosts and His Tablets (some of which are found in Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh), focus on the idea of global unity.

Every day for the next twelve days we will focus on the Twelve Principles of the Bahá'í Faith.

1. The Oneness of the World and Humanity
2. The Independent Investigation of Truth
3. The Foundation of Religion is One
4. Religion Must be the Source of Unity
5. Religion Must be in Accord with Science and Reason
6. The Equality of Man and Woman
7. Removal of all Prejudice (including but not limited to religious, racial, national or political
8. Universal Peace
9. Universal Education
10. A Spiritual Solution to Economic Problems
11. A Universal Language
12. An International Tribunal, or Parliament of Nations-The Universal House of Justice with the Davidic Gardens

Do not take these as the only principles of the Bahá'í Faith. In Paris Talks, 'Abdu'l-Bahá offers the following eleven as the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh to focus on. Whenever we can, we will draw from His Wisdom to understand the twelve mentioned above. From 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

I.—The Search after Truth.

II.—The Unity of Mankind.

III.—Religion ought to be the Cause of Love and Affection.

IV.—The Unity of Religion and Science.

V.—Abolition of Prejudices.

VI.—Equalization of Means of Existence.

VII.—Equality of Men before the Law.

VIII.—Universal Peace.

IX.—Non-Interference of Religion and Politics.

X.—Equality of Sex—Education of Women.

XI.—The Power of the Holy Spirit.

Do not take the next few entries as what the Bahá'í Faith is. Rather, they are teachings that the Bahá'í Faith offers amidst an ocean of many more.

What we studied together regarding our journey to God merges with the principles of the Bahá'í Faith and its Teachings under on single book- Kitáb-i-Aqdas.

Until next time.

Voices from Iran

A little while back, we spoke about the misery that the Bahá'ís in Iran are facing and have been facing for the past 160 years. Due to their beliefs, they are thought to be at the lowest tier in the Muslim world-they are infidels, vermin. Bahá'ís are unable to hold government posts, their shops are shut down, university is not an option, schools are difficult to enroll in, at any moment, the Basij may come in and destroy their entire livelihood. Places considered Holy to the Bahá'ís (even if they are historically significant to Iran) have been desecrated. Imprisoned, tortured and killed, their voices are a shadowed cry heard around the world. It is muffled by government secrecy and censorship.

Despite all of this, the Bahá'í Faith still maintains the status of the largest minority religion in Iran. Why is this? It is because the Bahá'ís are steadfast in their Faith and they know that if they give in to the pressure of the Iranian regime, what they are fighting for will be lost. For 165 years, hundreds and thousands of people in Iran alone have lost their lives fighting for this one cause. This cause is the unity of humanity. The Iranian government, backed by the Mullahs and other religious leaders, claim that the Bahá'í Faith desires to spread corruption in the world. If corruption means working together for the betterment of the global society, then yes-it is true.

For now I will leave you with a passage from the Fire Tablet and two accounts from the perspectives of Iranian Bahá'ís (I keep their identities anonymous for their own sake).

Were it not for the cold, how would the heat of Thy words prevail, O Expounder of the worlds?

Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy patience shine, O Light of the worlds?

Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and endure, O Patience of the worlds.

How sweet was Thy dawning on the horizon of the Covenant among the stirrers of sedition, and Thy yearning after God, O Love of the worlds.

By Thee the banner of independence was planted on the highest peaks, and the sea of bounty surged, O Rapture of the worlds.

By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone, and by Thy banishment the land of Unity was adorned. Be patient, O Thou Exile of the worlds.

We have made abasement the garment of glory, and affliction the adornment of Thy temple, O Pride of the worlds.

Thou seest the hearts are filled with hate, and to overlook is Thine, O Thou Concealer of the sins of the worlds.

When the swords flash, go forward! When the shafts fly, press onward! O Thou Sacrifice of the worlds.

Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail? Rather shall I weep at the fewness of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast caused the wailing of the worlds.

The first two sections relate the idea that if one does not understand the lowest parts in life, then the brightest parts cannot be appreciated. We are powerful and must defend ourselves against the world; we can defend ourselves with the pen-not the sword.


This is a commentary written by a Bahá'í who left Iran about ten years ago.

Why?
Why must my grandparents have to suffer living apart from their children and grandchildren, b/c their grandchildren would not be allowed to attend university solely because of their Faith, when they (my grandparents) have spent their entire LIVES in service to their countrymen, to their land, and working to create a better life for their posterity? This is injustice, for me to have to hear my grandfather's tired voice over the phone, from thousands of miles away, telling me that old age is sweet, but only if you have your children, their spouses, and their children around you, and me knowing full well that, unless I want to give up my education and practically my future, there's nothing I can do to help. Thank you blind prejudice and utter ignorance for doing this to our lives.


This one is from a father writing about his child unable to go to school.

The Forgotten Child
(Translated by Gloria Yazdani)

A friend once told me that when she took her first child to school, her little one who was a bit younger than the other child (and most eager to go to school) looked angrily upon her and complained as to why she had not obtained the same sort of birth certificate for him as she had for his brother, so that he, too, could go to school…

Years have now passed since then, but our children still pine with the same eagerness to begin school and learn the alphabet and more with the tender affections of a loving teacher… When August comes around, the hustle and bustle of back-to-school begins also; and the kids along with their parents set out excitedly to buy books, pens and papers and other school supplies.

But for my child, the excitement of the back-to-school month is one filled with great fear, disappointment and grief. So I call out to you… To those of you who enjoy utmost liberty in your lands … those of you who have the freedom to register your child at any time, at any school, and to send him/her off to acquire knowledge of all that she/he desire… To those of you who sit back in your armchairs at day’s end and give ear to the news of the world … such news as is meant to inform you of patrol resources and of its price fluctuation in the world market … of the rise and fall of stock from this firm and that factory… or of rocket-science research and countries that have developed nuclear power…

I call out to you to listen to the cry of my child as he recounts his own excitement of the back-to-school season:

Is anyone out there on the face of this planet thinking of me … even a little? As the back-to-school season rolls around, my life begins its circle of an unexplainable fear about whether or not I can find a school that would enroll me… Would I be able to find a place that would allow me the opportunity to gain knowledge? I don’t seem to understand what difference there is between your child who was born on the other side of the globe and someone like me who was born in Iran! Are we not all – as children -- the future of the world? Then why is it that I have been deprived of my most basic rights while some of you are sitting quietly in other parts of the planet in comfort and raise not a cry against such a perverse calamity? Or do you not consider my plight to equal that of a calamity? The expulsion of a bomb or the firing of a bullet may take a life and release the physical body of its earthly attachments instantly… But my soul is broken every single day… No, every single hour in this corner of the world with the pain of this deprivation -- and yet the world does not seem to care!

I walk inside the school registry office with my hand in mother’s hand. The man looks upon the form which mother has filled out and shakes his head in disappointment… A discussion pursues between him and my mother on legality and the sort, of which I don’t understand anything…. And we are finally sent to see the school principle. I look upon my mothers face with expectant eyes and she drowns my heart in a sea of love with her affectionate gaze. But the principle -- who seems to have been already informed of the nature of our complaint -- does not even lift his face from off his papers and shaking his head in a sign of negation directs us -- with his finger pointed at the door -- to take our leave... And I realize that this school, too, like the one before does not allow a space for me…

From news clips on television and listening to my parent's conversations, I gather that there are countries in other parts of the world that give children great importance and in which governments actually support and protect tender souls…. I hear that those governments actually come up with ways and means of facilitating education for children from every walk of life, because they believe their children are their nation’s greatest assets for the future.

I cannot fathom why it is not so in my land!!! I am being tossed around from one school to the other; and -- even if one were to enroll me -- would I dare contemplate the manner in which I would be treated there? I hear the reason for this chaotic treatment of my enrolment is because my parents are Baha’is. I have heard of a word here and there which I am told is used to define a virtue… A virtue, of which some are possessed and some are not. .. The word is “fair-mindedness”… It seems that school principals in Iran are amongst those who are not possessed of this virtue. I am sure though that they receive their orders from higher up… I am also certain that most of you are fair-minded, and so I dare ask you: “Why don’t you raise your voices in my defense? Why don’t you speak out and say “that it is every human being’s right to gain an education and that no-one should remain illiterate in today’s world”? Why do you busy your minds only with such issues as nuclear energy? Why do you show interest only in such news as those pertaining to wars and homicide? Why have you all forgotten me? Why don’t the powerful men of this world stand up for a defenseless child like me? Why do most people define nobility only in involvement in matters of an astronomical proportion? What would you do if your own child was afflicted with such atrocity? Would you not expect others to stand up for you and for your children? Why then -- I ask again -- have you forgotten me?”

These are questions that are burning away in the hearts of many Baha’i children, pre-youth and youth in Iran who are afflicted every year at this time with the fear and dilemma of deprivation from education while everyone else is enjoying the excitement of the “back-to-school” season… Is anyone out there who would give ear to this call? Can anyone hear the cries of my child?


Here are the voices. Be the amplifier which blasts it across the world.

"Translating That Which Hath Been Written Into Reality And Action"

One month ago on this very day, we embarked on a journey to begin understanding the Seven Valleys. Though we have hardly touched the tip of the iceberg, we made some progress into its core. Through each Valley, we detach ourselves of one part of our life-physical and spiritual-and finally end with nothing but our free will which we offer to God, thus making our will the Will of God.

Before ending this basic and novice study, we will cover six more quotations which will assist us in understanding what we have to do in order to achieve the Final Valley. Last time, I mentioned the use of the Hidden Words and the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as tools and resources. For this reason, we will be covering passages from these two Works. Remember, we are on a journey to the Friend, God. He has given us guidelines on how to reach His Presence, thus the Seventh Valley. In this journey, we assume that we are not going to give up and that we will finish our task. We will use the tools given by God to reach the end. Here are our primary tools.



The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration. -Kitáb-i-Aqdas ¶1

This is the first duty. A duty is a task that must be carried out, otherwise the end is a failure. There are two parts to this duty. The first is to recognize Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation... This means that we must follow the Manifestation of God for the current day. Bahá'ís believe this to be Bahá'u'lláh. Remember, God will send new Manifestations of Himself in the future. It is a progressive cycle. The Bahá'í Faith is not going to be the last. It is simply the beginning of a new era. The second part of the duty is to observe the ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. We must obey the laws given by the Manifestation of God for this day. It is then fitting that this be in the first paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as it is the Bahá'í Book of Laws.

As wayfarers moving towards God, we need both duties to be successful. If we miss one, then there is no purpose. If we believe in Bahá'u'lláh as the Manifestation of God for this day but do not follow His Laws and Commandments, why should we be considered a Bahá'í? We would simply be carrying around a title. On the other hand, if we follow the Laws of Bahá'u'lláh but do not accept Him as the Manifestation, then we are missing the other aspect and that is the Faith and the spirit which comes from God. The laws are wonderful even without being a Bahá'í, but if we follow them purposelessly without journeying towards the Friend, we lose out on the final destination of our journey. Thus it hath been Written, "Whoso achieved this duty hath attained unto all good."



O SON OF SPIRIT! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. -Arabic Hidden Word #1

Unlike a duty, which is more urgent and forceful, a counsel is just a piece of advice that is wise to be heeded. The purpose of the Hidden Words is to draw us nearer unto God. Within each are multiple pieces of advice, which, if we abide by, will make the journey to the Friend easier. Because there are so many Hidden Words, we will only look at two of them.

It makes complete sense that this should be the first of the Hidden Words. People are attracted to those who are kind and radiant in spirit. It means we are pure and able to progress to further levels after purity in our journey to the Friend. The purity of heart is immortal (unless we rid ourselves of it) and for this reason, we shall be imperishable and everlasting. Also, it refers back to the Seventh Valley, where we become of God and His Will.



O YE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MINDS TO KNOW AND EARS TO HEAR! The first call of the Beloved is this: O mystic nightingale! Abide not but in the rose-garden of the spirit. O messenger of the Solomon of love! Seek thou no shelter except in the Sheba of the well-beloved, and O immortal phoenix! 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 seekest to attain thy goal. -Persian Hidden Word #1


A counsel is a guidance-thus our first guidance is to have a pure heart. A duty is a necessity, and our first duty as humans is to follow the Covenant-meaning accept Bahá'u'lláh and follow His laws. Now in the current Hidden Word, we have a call. This is what we are asked to do-this way we reach our goal, the Friend.

We can assume that we are the mystic nightingale that is following the hoopoe bird to Seemorgh. The hoopoe bird would then be either God or His Manifestation.

A rose-garden is a place of beauty to all the senses (except touch to touch. Thorns are never fun...). The fragrances, the nightingales singing, the radiant colors-all are so pleasing. Thus we must reside in a place which is pleasing to the spirit.

Solomon (Sulaymon in the Qúran) was a great king with much power-but his sin caused his entire kingdom to be split in two. The reference in the Hidden Word I believe, however, unlike most of other works of Bahá'u'lláh, focuses on the Biblical rather than the Quranic interpretation of the story (mostly because of the mention of Sheba). Sheba is a place of great wealth and extreme prosperity. The messenger of Solomon was hoopoe bird (this same bird is the leader who leads thirty birds to the land of Seemorgh (described to be like a phoenix)). The hoopoe bird left Solomon because it was looking for a better place to live. Thus we are told to be like the hoopoe bird (by Bahá'u'lláh) and find this spiritual prosperity.

The last part is to be a phoenix of faithfulness. I am not sure exactly what this means, but I will make a guess here. As mentioned earlier, Seemorgh was a phoenix like bird. In Attár's epic poem, the hoopoe bird leads many birds to the land of Seemorgh, many of whom fall away. Finally, only thirty remain. These thirty are told to look in a lake for Seemorgh-and they only see themselves. It is interesting because Seemorgh translates into "thirty birds" a play on words by Attár. These thirty, being a metaphor of Seemorgh-the phoenix, are the most faithful, and follow the guidance of the hoopoe bird. In likewise, we must follow the guidance of Bahá'u'lláh.

So let us put the entire Hidden Word together. We are told by God to listen to the following: Be in a place pleasing to your being, find shelter only in the Kingdom of God and be steadfast in your following of His Teachings. In this way we will reach our ultimate goal-being near unto God.




So what is it that we need to do? We need to follow the Manifestation of God for this day, follow His laws, have a pure heart and be steadfast in our Faith to God. These four tasks together allow us to begin the journey.

Remember, from the first paragraph of the Kitáb-i-Íqán, "No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayán."

Thus without detachment from all things, we may never reach true understanding and true understanding is found within each level of the Seven Valleys as we progress in the various stages of detachment. The station which God hath destined for you may be achieving our full potential (recall the Valley of Unity) and enter the shelter of God's Grace.

Also, we need to remember the Words from the Short Obligatory Prayer:

I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

We were created to know and to worship God. How do we do this? By prayer and service. These are simply more tools to guide us through the journey of the Seven Valleys. They assist us to attain the purity of heart and steadfastness in faith. And what is the greatest form of service?

'Abdu'l-Bahá writes this, "Of all the gifts of God the greatest is the gift of Teaching. It draweth unto us the Grace of God and is our first obligation. Of such a gift how can we deprive ourselves? Nay, our lives, our goods, our comforts, our rest, we offer them all as a sacrifice for the Abhá Beauty and teach the Cause of God." -page 25, Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

People say our life is the greatest of God's gifts to us. But it is in fact Teaching. The reason for this comes from the idea that our lives are physical, thus temporary and mortal. Teaching on the other hand is immortal. You are drawing people into the journey of the Seven Valleys. You are offering them the idea of unity in the world and the ability to assist with the progress of humanity. What gift is more incredible than this?


The Words of Bahá'u'lláh are then clear. "It is incumbent upon every man of insight and understanding to strive to translate that which hath been written into reality and action." We cannot just sit and lounge on our couches and try to understand the Writings of God. We also need to go into the world and assist in bringing in the New World Order.

Our study is now complete, but the journey is only in its first step.

For What Reason Do We Have Free Will?

Together we have traversed six of the seven Valleys. Now we reach our destination, the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness. Each stage of the journey has lead us to this place-our final destination. We throw aside all of our previous conceptions, ideas, beliefs, possessions, positions... simply put, using the words of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "Nay, our lives, our goods, our comforts, our rest, we offer them all as a sacrifice for the Abhá Beauty and teach the Cause of God" (Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá)

But what is this final destination? Last time we mentioned the idea of free will. What is free will? Going to Some Answered Questions, it writes, "...in all the action or inaction of man, he receives power from the help of God; but the choice of good or evil belongs to the man himself." It is a two pronged process. We have the choice of doing whatever we want, hence the many dichotomies of life. However, with each action we are assisted by God. Does this mean then that God will help us with any evil action we choose to commit?

In the 5th Arabic Hidden Word, it is written, "Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee." Also, the Short Obligatory Prayer Writes, "I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee." Also, note the phrase from the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá from above. Let us put the entire thing together.

We were created to worship God. Returning to the Valley of Love, we know that love and worship can be equated to one another because we would do anything for our loved one and we consider him/her the sole focus of our lives. Using the same Valley, we know that all love stems from our love for God. By loving God, His Love will return to us-thus His assistance in all of our daily lives. But this does not answer the question from above. Does God help with all actions we commit, including those considered "evil?" This is where the quote from 'Abdu'l-Bahá comes into play. Our worshiping of God consists of detaching ourselves of all things and teaching His Cause. If we are not teaching His Cause (which can assume to be "good"), then we are not worshiping God, thus not loving Him and thus being veiled away from His love.

The 7th Arabic Hidden Word writes, "If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee." This Hidden Word may be broken into three parts.

1. "If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself..." This represents the first three Valleys. We lay aside our previous preconceptions of life, fall in love with God and give up our worldly titles and possessions and find the wisdom behind our pains and sufferings. We are detached from the material realm.

2. "...and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own..." This represents the second three Valleys. We find that we are no longer attached to this earth as everything comes from God, that we are content with whatever occurs as we are rich in spirit and everywhere around us is creation. We are detached from ourselves.

3. "...that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee." This represents the final Valley. Using our free will, we have detached ourselves from everything but God, and we make our will the Will of God. Our every move, our every breath is for God. It does not mean we become God, but we become of God. We become a channel through which God's Love may enter throughout humanity. This comes from teaching.

Now what does the name of the Valley mean? Why is it the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness? Essentially, we have become poor in everything except in God. Bahá'u'lláh states it rather clearly, declaring, "Poverty as here referred to signifieth being poor in the things of the created world, rich in the things of God’s world." (Seven Valleys) It is due to this poverty that our Faith becomes an unmovable pillar.

It can be considered that to enter this Valley, one must live as a monk or dervish and possess nothing. But this is not true. So long as we are detached from all things, we are impoverished. The 55th Arabic Hidden Word writes, "Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants." Gold can symbolize the material things of this Earth. They were given to us for our enjoyment. But, these material things are also placed on this Earth to test us and our detachment (or our attachment to God).

The beauty of the seventh Valley is that it is no ordinary form of detachment. We realize that this earth is nothing but dust and mortal, much like our physical selves. There is no purpose of even attaching ourselves to any of it.

But an interesting question comes up. In the forth Valley, we learn each person has different capacities and we cannot transcend our own capacities. Does this mean that some people may not reach this seventh Valley? Bahá'u'lláh seems to hint at this idea writing, "This is the goal thou didst ask for (from the first Valley); if it be God’s will, thou wilt gain it."

To stay in this Valley, we need to follow the Law of God unwaveringly. If not, we fall from the grace of God.


Before ending, it is important to note that none of the Seven Valleys have a specific end point or beginning point. It is a journey which melds into itself. The traveling of these seven Valleys seems daunting and impossible. We have been given tools to assist us though. Reading through the Hidden Words, one will begin to realize a parallel structure between what is asked of us by God from the Hidden Words and our journey through the Seven Valleys. The Seven Valleys tell us what we need to do. The Hidden Words tell us how we need to do it. The Kitab-i-Aqdás (The Most Holy Book-the Bahá'í Book of Laws) contains the tools to which we advance ourselves.

Next time we will see what we can do now after finishing the Seven Valleys of Bahá'u'lláh.