Last night I attended a study class which was about the book Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah. I had come across this book before, as a compilation of prayers, but never took the time to look through it or use many of the prayers within it, as the more common “Baha’i Prayers” is easier with its shorter selection and thematic grouping. However, after this class I have a much better appreciation of this book and hope to make better use of it.

About the book

Ruhiyyih Khanum in the Priceless Pearl has described this book as a “diamond-mine of communion with God, unsurpassed in any religious literature of the world.” Some more references to the book that I found:

In 1935 Shoghi Effendi published a compilation of excerpts called Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, which he himself has described as ‘consisting of a selection of the most characteristic and hitherto unpublished passages from the outstanding works of the Author of the Bahá’í Revelation.’ This was followed by the translation in 1936-1937, and publishing in 1938 of what might almost be termed a companion volume, comparable in richness and complementary in material, namely, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u'lláh.

(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, p. 218)

“He is indeed pleased to know that the Book of Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u'lláh has been out in time to enable the friends to read it during the Fast, and he has every hope that the perusal of such a precious volume will help to deepen more than any other publication, the spirit of devotion and faith in the friends, and thus charge them with all the spiritual power they require for the accomplishment of their tremendous duties towards the Cause.”

(Shoghi Effendi, Directives from the Guardian, p. 58)

A brief look at the content

Some prayers we are already familiar with are included, such as the short healing prayer and the tablet of visitation for Baha’u'llah:
170/CLXX: Thy Name Is My Healing, O My God, And Remembrance… (HEALING)
180/CLXXX: The Praise Which Hath Dawned From Thy Most… (TABLET OF VISITATION)

Also, the three obligatory prayers and the prayer for the dead:
167/CLXVII: O My God! This Is Thy Servant And The Son Of… (PRAYER FOR THE DEAD)
181/CLXXXI: I Bear Witness, O My God, That Thou Hast Created… (SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER)
182/CLXXXII: Whoso Wisheth To Pray, Let Him Wash… (MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER)
183/CLXXXIII: Whoso Wisheth To Recite This Prayer, Let… (LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER)

A number of prayers for the fast, as well as a long prayer which I think would be great to say during the fast:
7/VII: Praise Be To Thee, O Lord My God! I Beseech Thee… (FAST)
45/XLV: My God, My Fire And My Light! The Days Which… (AYYAM-I-HA)
46/XLVI: Praised Be Thou, O My God, That Thou Hast Ordained… (NAW RUZ)
56/LVI: Glory Be To Thee, O Lord My God! These Are The… (FAST)
85/LXXXV: These Are, O My God, The Days Whereon Thou Didst… (FAST)
176/CLXXVI: Praise Be Unto Thee, Who Art My God And The… (LONG)
177/CLXXVII: I Beseech Thee, O My God, By Thy Mighty Sign,… (FAST)
178/CLXXVIII: Praised Be Thou, O Lord My God! I Supplicate… (FAST)

In addition to the above, some of the themes to be encountered are:

• the colloquy and relationship between the Supreme Revelator and His Creator
• the bewildering power of the Almighty, His attributes and exaltation above the realm of being
• the relative unreality of creational existence, yet the tender acceptance by a loving God of all that His creatures can offer in praise and service
• the brutal facts of everyday living of the early believers, in exile and at ‘Akka, and the contrast with the Covenant breakers
• the exhortation and reminders to those same believers in which Bahá’u'lláh Himself also indicated that His tribulations served but to advance His Cause

Systematic study

In our study class we were given a copy of a short article, published in the British Bahá’í Journal in December 1964, which provides a description and study guide for this book. Some of the activities suggested in the article (which has more detail and examples):

1. A study of the attributes of God, their variety, range and cogent cumulative effect
2. Selection of a specific Bahá’í teachings then tracing them through the book and allowing the cross comparison of the passages so found to play upon and enrich each other, adding meaning and value
3. Observing the perfect blending of the different kinds of prayer
4. A straight search for perfectly phrased, astonishingly logical and gloriously fuller amplification of truth in gemlike utterances that occur all through the book
5. Appreciating the soul-moving range of Bahá’u'lláh’s own expression of Himself and of His circumstances
6. The simple felicity of phrasing and the cadences are often most stirring and invite the reminder that prayers are aided by adding the sense of hearing to the sense of sight in conformity with the sense of the Word
7. Whole paragraphs of most memorable content occur in many of the prayers, and each of us may like to build his own private anthology of them
8. A particularly interesting study is the concept of ‘remembrance of God’ and the meanings it gathers to itself in the different contexts of its appearance

An activity suggested in the class was to identify and tabulate references to the Living Waters, which occur maybe thirty times in the text.

Another activity that can be associated with this book is memorization; there are many prayers and quotations that are good candidates to be memorized – in fact one could memorize the whole thing, giving added meaning to immersing oneself in the ocean of His words.

Roman Numerals

A final note, on the numbering system used in some publications of this book including in the version provided on the Baha’i Reference Library website; Roman numerals are used, therefore it may be worth taking a few minutes to learn how to read them.

Roman numerals are, as the name implies, a number system attributed to the Romans. The system includes certain symbols for numbers, and some rules for combining the symbols when they appear together to make up a number (by adding or subtracting their corresponding values). The symbols used are:

The first rule is that you add up the symbols when they appear together. For example, XX is twenty. Or VI is six. The second rule however, is that if you put a smaller symbol before a bigger one you subtract the value of the smaller one from the bigger one. For example, IV is four. Or XC is 90. There are some more rules but these two are enough to be able to read and make sense of the roman numerals that appear in this book.

For a little practice with the first three numbers, here’s a game matching Roman to Arabic numerals: http://www.fi.edu/time/keepers/Silverman/html/RomanMatch.html

To help recall the order of the last four symbols, here are some mnemonics:

• Let Caesar Destroy Mountains
• Lazy Cows Don’t Moo
• Little Cats Drink Milk
• LCD Monitor

The spiritual world is like unto the phenomenal world. They are the exact counterpart of each other. Whatever objects appear in this world of existence are the outer pictures of the world of heaven.

Reading the book: The Arc of Ascent by John S. Hatcher. Highly recommended – I am starting to understand better the statement of human purpose in the short obligatory prayer: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee”. In very brief, to ‘know’ God means practicing reflecting the attributes of God (as instructed by the Manifestations), and to ‘worship’ refers to the actions performed in service. There is so much more to it – and I hope to be able to understand better what the Arc of Descent and Ascent mean by the end of the book.

O SON OF SPIRIT!
The bird seeketh its nest; the nightingale the charm of the rose; whilst those birds, the hearts of men, content with transient dust, have strayed far from their eternal nest, and with eyes turned towards the slough of heedlessness are bereft of the glory of the divine presence. Alas! How strange and pitiful; for a mere cupful, they have turned away from the billowing seas of the Most High, and remained far from the most effulgent horizon.

The other day some some friends and I were talking about the nightingale, and wondering what it sounds like. The following are some of the results of googling the subject.

According to the wikipedia entry on Nightingale:

Nightingales are named so because they frequently sing at night as well as during the day.
Early writers assumed the female sang; in fact, it is the male.
The song is loud, with an impressive range of whistles, trills and gurgles.

Picture from wikipedia:

Found some sound clips of nightingales on the freesoundproject – here’s one by reinsamba:

In the Conference of the Birds by Attar, one of the birds mentioned is the Nightingale, and here’s how his part of the story starts:

The nightingale raises his head, drugged with passion,
Pouring the oil of earthly love in such a fashion
That the other birds shaded with his song, grow mute.
The leaping mysteries of his melodies are acute.
‘I know the secrets of Love, I am their piper,’
He sings, ‘I seek a David with broken heart to decipher
Their plaintive barbs, I inspire the yearning flute,
The daemon of the plucked conversation of the lute.
The roses are dissolved into fragrance by my song,
Hearts are torn with its sobbing tone, broken along
The fault lines of longing filled with desire’s wrong.

There is a poem by John Keats in 1819 called Ode to a Nightingale. It talks about the immortal nightingale and mortal man. Apparently spring came early in 1819.

There is also a fairy tale written by Danish author and poet Hans Christian Andersen in 1844 called The Nightingale:

The Emperor of China hears that one of the most beautiful things in his own land is the song of the nightingale. He sends his courtiers to take a nightingale from the nearby forest and present her as a guest at court. The bird can communicate with the humans and agrees to come, but when the Emperor is given a mechanical nightingale covered with jewels, he loses interest in the real bird, which flies back to its home. The mechanical bird breaks down. When the Emperor is taken ill, only the song of the true nightingale can heal him.

Here’s an adaptation of the play, by Faerie Tale Theatre:

Then, see Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6

Finally, a song of Yanni, inspired by a Nightingale:

I much prefer Attar to Rumi and the other poets I’ve read, probably because I understand what he’s saying the most (I just don’t get Rumi, most of the time). I’m reading all of this in English of course, so the quality of the translation probably has a lot to do with it.

Whoever drinks the mystics’ wine is king
Of all the world can show, of everything -
Its realms are specks of his authority,
The heavens but a ship on his wide sea;
If all the sultans of the world could know
That shoreless sea, its mighty ebb and flow,
They’d sit and mourn their wretched impotence
With eyes ashamed to meet each other’s glance

… an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with words as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured and edified thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which is the station of true understanding and nobility.

Such is the guidance. I will go with the “primarily” clause here, and claim an exception.
Posts for the foreseeable future will NOT be as mild as milk to some. If this applies to you, please do not be put off. Remember to check elsewhere for more appropriate answers.

See with your own eyes
Every person has their own world view which is built through life experience and their environment – mine includes a lot of assumptions regarding God, reality, religion, social etiquette, priorities in life, etc that are not shared by many. If you contact me, I will try and get you up to speed on the background behind what I have quoted or said. Either way, please investigate further for yourself to ascertain the truth of the matter.

O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.

1. I have nothing better to do
If you really have spare time and reading blogs helps you pass it, then welcome. If you look at the posts on this site till now, they have mostly been pictures of food, other pictures, and a few posts with random comments. This will be changing from now on, so keep coming.

2. I enjoy reading blogs
It seems most blogs these days contain private musings, so if you enjoy that sort of thing I’m afraid I can’t help you. Webster on blog: “a personal chronological log of thoughts”. Sorry, not here. Bye!

3. I like to look at pictures of food
Direct link to past pictures of food: Food posts
There may be more in the future, but don’t hold your breath. You can bookmark the above link and visit it during the fast.

4. I am interested in what you have to say
Oh no! Why??
Well, keep coming, but you will have to bear with what I post.
You have been warned.

5. I stumbled upon this by mistake and will go away and never come back
Thank you, and have a nice day. Random wikipedia page.

Edit – added:
6. I am family or a friend and want to be kept up-to-date
There are other avenues for this that have proven more effective, such as the electric telephone for family, and email for friends.

The promised hour has struck
The shrilling Pen was heard
Creation has been shaken
The mysteries stand revealed

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

Carmel, this spot was chosen
Snow-white for all time
Blessed by a holy countenance
Seat of the Throne of God

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

Camped beneath the trees
Laying the foundation
Imprinted for all ages
The footsteps of the Lord

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

Swirling throngs of Prophets
Circling round their Lord
All beings are heard rejoicing
At the presence of their Lord

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

Raised from earth to heaven
Calling to all things
“The Hidden One is here!
His splendor stands revealed.”

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

The tears that shed like rain
The sighing of this Youth
Forever seeds will grow
The Wronged One is avenged!

All atoms of the earth
Vibrating for His love
All atoms of the earth
Vibrating to His call

The Ark is sailing high
The glad-tidings proclaimed
From every spot and from each city
Stream the people of Bahá

Many flowers
So diverse
Each color signifies
Rays of God’s light
Reflected for beauty

White flowers
Many colors
Hands of the Cause
Too look at
To follow
To treasure forever

Many blossoms
Budding flowers
All growing
All yearning
“Which color?”

In the garden of the spirit
There are flowers aplenty
Tis the season of blossom
Tis the springtime Divine

Each flower, a color
Each petal reflects
It’s own sweet ray
It’s own light Divine

Some flowers, some petals
Reflect lots of rays
Their own unique color
A rainbow combined

White flowers, so noble
As chosen by God
To show us His power
A fortitude Divine

They suffer immensely
And yet persevere
They love like no other
In deed, not in word

Raised and appointed
Champions of Faith
So humble and lowly
They bear all the weight

So sweet their fragrance
So dazzling their light
Heroes and Heroines
Hands of God’s Might

Each flower in the garden
Reflecting the rays
Longing for brightness
Yearning for light

All colors diverse
Yet look at the white
So beautiful, so lovely
If they did it, can’t I?

Everyone’s asleep
Except for a handful
The Warden has allowed
To get up and move about

These chosen few
Friends of me and you
We sit around a circle
Talking and laughing
     â€œAll praise to the Warden!”

The light streams down
From the window above
A mighty, solid beam
Alive on the prison floor

And yet, between turns
Glancing around
Beyond the circle
Beyond the sleeping masses

The wall behind
Is no wall at all
But a mighty gate
That’s flung wide open

The song of countless birds
The scent of open roses
The beauty of the field
Entrancing to behold

A question arises
“Why are we sitting here?
Why not get up and leave?
What’s keeping us down here!”

But who can one ask
Maybe they all know
Maybe the door so open
Is just a cruel joke

There may be a hidden mystery
Some unwritten rule
Forbidding us from leaving
Declaring this as home

And yet what harm in asking
Friends all loved so much
In case there is no reason
In case we all break out

And then it is there
Suddenly noticed
A sign in big bold letters
Beside the prison gate

“All travelers of the valley
All prison escapees
Must make their lonesome way
Must go forth unimpaired”

And now it all makes sense
The spaces in the circle
The whispers on occasion
As one got up and left

Out of their houses they mill
And on to the streets

One group to the east gate
One group to the west
This town has many gates
Many doors and portals

They open the gate, peering out
They see the vast immensity
      Unfurled before their eyes
They shut the gate quickly
Recoiling in fear

They walk across town
To try again there
At the end of the day
They return to their homes

Tired and hungry
Ready for sleep
To get up the next day
To repeat the same play

What a town is this?
What a city of madmen!

We have all lived our lives
In the prison of self
One day we hear a sound
Waking up, we glance around

To our joy, surprise and dismay
We find out
The doors of this prison
Have been flung wide open!

Looking out, for the first time
Now we can see
The sun is shining
On an unimagined immensity

A wide open field
From horizon to horizon
Of forests and flowers
Of trees and rivers

Looking back and around
Our inmates oblivious
Are sitting around
Playing with pebbles

They call out our name
‘Come join us, come join us!
The pebbles are round
But you’ll never believe
      We found one that’s narrow!’

Looking up and out again
Even the guards are gone
Our best friend breaks the stare
Pulling us back down