• RSS The Gate of the Heart

    • Good deeds their own reward June 27, 2009
      Wert thou to desire in thy heart the performance of a good deed, God would assuredly reward thee within thy soul. Then, in the life to come, the result of that which God hath immediately confered upon thee will be revealed unto thee. For God, verily, is the Omniscient, the Omnipotent, and the Swift in Reckoning.- p.302 […]

  • RSS Vignettes from the life of Abdu’l-Baha

    • Pure Heart 13 May 11, 2009
      On one occasion 'Abdu'l-Baha told about a happy day in Iraq: 'Once, when I lived in Baghdad, I was invited to the house of a poor thorn-picker. In Baghdad the heat is greater even than in Syria; and it was a very hot day. But I walked twelve miles to the thorn-picker's hut. Then his wife made a little cake out of some meal for Me and bur […]

  • RSS The Hidden Words

    • Arabic 13 May 11, 2009
      O Son of Spirit! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewtih dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that tho […]

Help him to marry

By lessan | Published: June 26, 2009
Gate of the Heart

Gate of the Heart

I’ve been reading the book Gate of the Heart – Understanding the Writings of the Bab, by Nader Saiedi. I’ll leave a review of the book for later – suffice it to say that there are some translations provided there which are not available anywhere else in English. I’ve started typing some of these quotations in Evernote, the ones I find interesting as I randomly browse the book. You can see the complete Evernote notebook here (updated automatically whenever I add something), but I’ll post one quote that I found interesting.

The subject is Ethics and Laws in the Bayan, specifically the prohibition on causing grief. The following two quotes are from the Bayan, found in Gate of the Heart p. 322:

…he who knowingly causeth grief to any soul must pay a fine of ninteeen mithqals of gold, should it be in his power to do so.

In fact, we should actively seek to bring joy and gladness to people:

Therefore, in the Bayan there is no act of obedience that ensureth greater nearness to God than bringing joy to the hearts of the faithful, even as naught yieldeth more remoteness than causing them grief. This law is doubly binding in dealing with the possessors of circles (women), whether in causing them joy or grief. However, man must always be watchful that even if he fail to bring joy to a human being, at least he should refrain from causing him grief.

So much so, that we should be the essence of love and care for others. This from the Kitabu’l-Asma, found in Gate p. 323:

Be lovingly watchful of one another and thus improve your affairs. Should ye find amongst you one who is afflicted with grief, remove his sorrow by any means in your power, and should ye find one stricken with poverty, enrich him to the extent of your ability. If ye find in your midst one who is abased, exalt him to the extent ye can, and if ye find one who is veiled in ignorance, educate him to the degree of your capacity. Should ye find amongst yourselves one who is single, help him to marry, in accordance with the divine law, to the limits of your ability, and should ye find one who is in distress, bring him tranquility by any means in your power…. Gaze upon others with the same eyes with which ye gaze upon your own selves. … If ye find in your midst one who is hungry, send him, in truth and to the extent of your power, food in such a way that his heart will not be saddened, and if ye find one who has no clothes, provide him with clothes in the most dignified manner, to the extent possible for you. Look then not at your selves and your possessions, but rather look at God, Who hath created you and conferred upon you from His kingdom that which is your lot.

I find this matches many quotes from Abdu’l-Baha who also strongly advises making sure not to cause any grief to any soul, and instead to be the cause of joy.

However, if you noticed in the above quote, there is a reference to helping single people get married. I leave it  up to you to interpret that as you will, but I thought it was a good example of the kinds of gems one finds in the Writings of the Bab.

Posted in Bahá'í­ | Leave a comment

Happy Naw-Ruz!

By lessan | Published: March 20, 2009

Today is the last day of the fast, the day of loftiness in the month of loftiness. Through the fast, we strive to become detached from this world and from our lower nature, and to approach the heavenly horizon and the spiritual realm. Our loftiness then, and the acceptance of our fast, is wholly dependent on the state of our spirit and on the acceptance of God. Abstinence from physical food for a period has affected our bodies by demonstrating to them that our higher natures are, in fact, in charge of our being. This process is a very profound one, the full significance of which we may never learn, but we get a glimpse by reading about the innumerable blessings this period is endowed with.

Here comes the sun...Every hour of these days, Baha’u’llah says, has been endowed with a special virtue, and a portion of this virtue has been assigned to every soul. He refers to fasting as the sun, and obligatory prayer the moon in the heaven of religion, and one may think of the effect that the sun has on life on this planet. How numerous the rays of the sun during the day, how endowed with power to generate heat, to enable plants to grow and life to thrive and prosper. These rays can be regarded as the virtues with which these days are endowed, the spiritual illumination they provide, the life of the soul they cultivate, the transformative power they exert on our inner beings and true reality. They banish the darkness of self that clouds our hearts, they clean the dross on our mirrors and uncover the beauty of God that exists within our souls. Their brightness is so dazzling that we can’t really appreciate them, not until their time has passed and darkness has set in again, our eyes have become adjusted and we finally realize what we are missing. But never worry, obligatory prayer is here to illumine the way and keep us on the right path till the next dawn, only 346 days away.

As the fast finishes and the year finishes, we prepare ourselves for the commencement of a new year, a new cycle on this earth. Spring is here, and with it a renewal of the physical world. All the storms and hail, the icy winds and snow, the thunder and lightning of the past season are gone, but they leave us with a wonderful gift of nature renewed. The trees which lost their leaves are now waking up, growing little green shoots on every branch. Flowers are budding and blooming. There’s a freshness in the air.

Tomorrow will be Naw-Rúz, a new day indeed. Each day has a significance, a unique spirit that it has been endowed with, so unique that it will never again recur. At the same time, each day is united with every other day, each month with every other month and each year with every other year. Naw-Rúz tomorrow is the return of last year’s Naw-Rúz. But the year has changed. And the world has changed, and each of us have changed. New people have been born into this world. People have passed on to the next. Humanity has become more mature, even though the masses may not recognize it.

Naw-Rúz is the first day of the year. It is special for many reasons, one of them being that it is associated with the greatest name of God, Bahá (glory). It is the day of glory, in the month of glory. It is the greatest day, of the greatest month – no day can be imagined greater than this day, or more glorious. It is the first of days, and the king of days, because it is linked with, has been created for and is dedicated to Bahá.

In the Persian Bayán the Báb attributes special significance to the first month, associates it with Himself and likens it to a sun with all the other months as “mirrors that reflect the radiant lights of that supreme month”. He says God has singled out that month for Him Whom God shall make manifest (Baha’u’llah), and that the first day of that month is the day of Him Whom God shall make manifest. This day is the source and excellence of all days. (see Gate of the Heart p. 328)

And the relation to God doesn’t end there, each year is unique, and each cycle of years is unique. Tomorrow will be the first day of the first month of the year Jád (generosity), in the 9th Váhid of the 1st Kull-i-Shay. It will also be Saturday, the day of Jalál (glory). In every way possible then, we try to link our everyday lives to God so we may never, even for a moment, forget why we are here, what we are doing and where we are going.

May we all strive then, by our actions, during this coming year to fill the world with the Names and Attributes of God. “This is a matchless Day. Matchless must, likewise, be… the deed that aspireth to be acceptable in His sight.” “This is a Revelation, under which, if a man shed for its sake one drop of blood, myriads of oceans will be his recompense.” “An act, however infinitesimal, is, when viewed in the mirror of the knowledge of God, mightier than a mountain. Every drop proffered in His path is as the sea in that mirror.” “One single breath exhaled in the love of God and for His service is written down by the Pen of Glory as a princely deed.”

feliz-naw-ruz

Posted in Bahá'í­ | Tagged , | Comments closed

Lamentations of Yahya’s pen

By lessan | Published: March 10, 2009

I recently came across a story about the pen of Mírzá Yahyá, who was complaining to Bahá’u’lláh of its treatment at the hands of its owner. The story is from the Kitáb-i-Badí (The Wondrous New Book), which is not yet translated into English, but I found a description of this story in Nader Saiedi’s book Logos and Civilization. It is a very moving tale, as you can see, and I would love to one day be able to read the Kitáb-i-Badí myself and to appreciate it more fully.

“Another moving stylistic element in the Kitáb-i-Badí is Bahá’u’lláh’s narrative of the lamentations and supplications of Mírzá Yahyá’s pen, which has been used to write against the Promised One of the Bayán. Bahá’u’lláh explains that the pen of Mihdí is but a shadow of the pen of Yahyá and that the latter’s pen has secretly escaped from him and attained the presence of Bahá’u’lláh, where it has wept and wailed, confessing its shame, sorrow, bewilderment, and anger at Yahyá and its abuse and suffering in the hand of its owner, the arch covenant-breaker. The pen entreats Bahá’u’lláh to command it to act as a fatal weapon against Yahyá, and if He does not grant that wish, at least to liberate it from the fingers of Bahá’u’lláh’s enemy. It expresses its shame before the community of pens and avows that even if Bahá’u’lláh forgave its sins, it would continue to be mortified because of its role. It admits its confusion and distress at its fate, a fate that could not be deserved because it knows that it is nonexistent before the divine will, and yet could not be said to be undeserved because it is unable to understand the logic of mysterious divine wisdom. It complains of the fact that other pens have been used to reveal the words of God in the hand of Bahá’u’lláh, while it has been imprisoned in the grip of the enemy of the Cause of God. The pen declares that its gravest concern is that because of its sins the Pen of Glory may cease to reveal divine words, and it implores Bahá’u’lláh to settle its fate and emancipate it from its sorrow, or else make it cease to exist.

The pen continues to recount its life story to Bahá’u’lláh. From the very first days of its existence as a reed, it longed to attain the presence of Bahá’u’lláh and spent its days and nights in a state of yearning. It endured all hardships for the sake of that wish. Then it was cut off and moved from hand to hand and from place to place until it was bought in the market by one of His servants. But when it was placed in that man’s hand it sensed the odor of his heedlessness and became saddened but remained silent. The servant carried the pen from land to land until he arrived at the land of Bahá’u’lláh’s residence. Joy and delight overtook the pen and it felt itself the king of all kings. It remained in that state of ecstasy till its bearer arrived at a crossroads – one path led to the right and another path to the left. The man chose the left-hand path and the pen found itself trembling and wailing until at last the servant reached a house exuding the stench of hell and placed the pen in the hand of the tyrant who rose against Bahá’u’lláh.

The pen continues to express its unending sense of shame and implores Bahá’u’lláh to take its life and then to recreate it so that it might expunge the memory of its unhappy past.”

Logos and Civilization, pp. 177-178
Posted in Bahá'í­ | Tagged , , , | Comments closed

Pioneer song

By lessan | Published: March 4, 2009

One of my favorite songs is the pioneer song by Joanny Lincoln. It evokes memories of life in Cameroon when I was growing up, with its vivid imagery and encouraging words. And one quote from the song, where Joanny says “you only have one life to offer in service” really stands out for me. She also mentioned this concept in a recent talk at the gathering of staff to celebrate achievements, the idea that we only having one life to offer and that we should make the most of it. An understanding of this inspires me in planning for a life of effective, consistent service.

To download the full album (free) visit DivineNotes.com. It is a digitizing of a tape from the 70s, so the quality is not that great, but is quite enjoyable nonetheless.

sunshine

Here are the lyrics, as far as I could make them out…

Oh well it’s 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed

And that strong, brilliant sunshine
That’s streaming in our window
That strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day

Birds singing
Roosters crowing
Donkeys braying
People laughing
Chickens squawking
Trucks are rattling
The day is well on its way

Oh well it’s 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed already
5:30 in the morning
The day is well on its way

Vines racing up our walls
Flowers pouring over the balcony
Sweet fragrances in the air
Greenness everywhere

And plenty of strong, brilliant sunshine
Streaming in our window
Strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day

Dusty roads
Clusters of huts
Women with loads
High on their heads
Mango trees casting merciful shade
Children run everywhere

Under that strong, brilliant sunshine
Which has opened our new day

Suffering is an integral part
Of Pioneering, says Shoghi Effendi
Strong, brilliant sunshine
Opens our new day
Of suffering
And pain

Away down here in the heart of Africa
We haven’t seen a visitor in over a year
It’s the end of the world
Where time nearly stops
What are we doing a-here?

What of our careers?
And what of our funds?
Without any job
And living in these rooms
With noise all around
And our kids in this heat
What are we doing a-here?

In the rainy season there’s mud all around
There’s no hot water
But the cockroaches abound
The leaky roof
Leaves puddles on our floor
What are we doing a-here?

I’ve had Malaria
You’ve had Hepatitis
The kids have the runs
Now what’ll it be next
Nine solid months
Of tests without a break
What are we doing a-here?

We’ll stick together
You and me babe
These tests will pass us by
Just like a parade
If we’re supposed to stay
Baha’u'llah will find a way
Ya Baha’u'l-Abha

The fruits of our sufferings
We may not see
But Baha’u'llah knows better than we
So we’ll stay at our post
And continue to serve
And that’s what we’re doing a-here

Patience, patience, perseverance
Patience, patience, perseverance
Patience, patience, perseverance
That’s what we’re learning a-here

And that strong, brilliant sunshine
Still opens all of our days

It’s a new world we’re building
It’s a new race of men we’re striving for
All around this world
Now you only have one life
To offer in service
Anywhere in this world

So go where you’re really needed
Go obeying the institutions
Go and do your best to stay
And as your faith is, so shall your powers be
As your faith is, so shall your blessings be
Go to serve your lord, your lord
Go to serve your lord

Unity is the most important
Thing that you’re working for
Among the friends and pioneers
Since you only have one life
To offer in service
Leave now or your chance may be no more

Go to lead a full life
Rich in the love of God
Rich in sacrifice and reward
And as your faith is, so shall your powers be
As your faith is, so shall your blessings be
Go to serve your lord, your lord
Go to serve your lord

Well, you know, life is ever so nice here
I’m glad I could come
Well you know, life is ever so nice here
Simple, but real
Simple but real

Matter of fact, you know I wouldn’t go back
No, no no no
Matter of fact, you know I couldn’t go back
I’d miss it so
I’d miss it so

Well you can have, your chocolate ice-cream
And all your fancy machines
You can have
Your ???? of ???
For it’s naught but a dream
For it’s naught but a dream

I finally found
The tranquillity
Down in the depths of my soul
And now my heart is here to stay
My bones are here to lay
My bones are here to lay

My bones are here to lay

Oh well its 5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
5:30 in the morning
Kids are jumping on our bed
And that strong, brilliant sunshine
Is streaming in our window
That strong, brilliant sunshine
Still opens all of our days

Birds singing
Roosters crowing
Donkeys braying
People laughing
Chickens squawking
Ducks a quacking

Posted in Bahá'í­ | Tagged , | Comments closed

Happy Ayyám-i-Há

By lessan | Published: February 26, 2009
Happy Ayyam-i-ha

What a bounty to have days set aside in the year for hospitality and the giving of gifts! A few personal thoughts on the matter:

If we think of humanity as one organic entity, similar to the human body, with each cell representing an individual and all of us working together for the smooth functioning of the whole, we realize that the welfare of each person lies in the welfare of the body of humanity. We also start to see that if one person is very kind and generous and gives everything they have for the joy and gladness of others, in the final analysis they are benefiting themselves too, as if the body is healthy then each member is at peace. To get comfortable with this concept one needs to unlearn some of the ideas that we have inherited from the culture of individualism to which we are constantly exposed.

So, what does it mean to have certain days of the year dedicated to feasting, rejoicing, charity, hospitality and the giving of gifts? To “provide good cheer for themselves, their kindred and, beyond them, the poor and needy…”?

Our normal mode of operation should be to be generous and sacrificial, but to me this doesn’t include regular giving of material “gifts”. Sure, one should give of whatever material goods we may have to those who need them, but to me these are not so much “gifts” but a natural expression of our concern for others and belief in the oneness of humanity. And in many cases, more important than any giving of goods is the providing of services to others and the uplifting of their spirits.

So on these days, one would have a special sanction for the giving of material goods, as a symbol of the spiritual act and for the sake of God. Also, we would give to all in our social circle, not just to the poor and needy. This is because we are giving not only for the sake of the recipient, but also as an element of our belief in God and in following His laws and Most Holy Book. And since we are sharing these physical objects for the sake of God we would make effort to present them in the most beautiful manner, so the wrapping of presents also has spiritual significance.

In the larger scheme of things, we have individuals exchanging material goods, feasting and spreading joy; therefore each of them are contributing to improving the health of the body of humanity. Each organ of the body is resuscitated, has a boost of energy. Maybe we could think of it as taking vitamins? Or as a release of adrenaline?

And, this burst of social energy and of individual upliftment which we get from giving, sets us on course for the season of restraint that is to follow.

Prayer for Ayyám-i-Há

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days which Thou hast named the Ayyám-i-Há (the Days of Ha, Intercalary days) in Thy Book have begun, O Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching. I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance.

These, O my Lord, are Thy servants whom no corrupt inclination hath kept back from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book. They have bowed themselves before Thy Cause, and received Thy Book with such resolve as is born of Thee, and observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, and chosen to follow that which had been sent down by Thee.

Thou seest, O my Lord, how they have recognized and confessed whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures. Give them to drink, O my Lord, from the hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine eternity. Write down, then, for them the recompense ordained for him that hath immersed himself in the ocean of Thy presence, and attained unto the choice wine of Thy meeting.

I implore Thee, O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to come. Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy creatures hath discovered, and number them with those who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds.

Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 66.
Posted in Bahá'í­ | Tagged , , | Comments closed