THE DUTY OF KINDNESS AND SYMPATHY TOWARDS STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS
October 16th and 17th, 1911
When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere. All men are
his brothers. Let not conventionality cause you to seem cold and
unsympathetic when you meet strange people from other countries. Do not
look at them as though you suspected them of being evil-doers, thieves and
boors. You think it necessary to be very careful, not to expose yourselves
to the risk of making acquaintance with such, possibly, undesirable
people.
I ask you not to think only of yourselves. Be kind to the strangers,
whether come they from Turkey, Japan, Persia, Russia, China or any other
country in the world.
Help to make them feel at home; find out where they are staying, ask if
you may render them any service; try to make their lives a little happier.
In this way, even if, sometimes, what you at first suspected should be
true, still go out of your way to be kind to them--this kindness will help
them to become better.
After all, why should any foreign people be treated as strangers?
Let those who meet you know, without your proclaiming the fact, that you
are indeed a Baha'i.
Put into practice the Teaching of Baha'u'llah, that of kindness to all
nations. Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let
your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.
Oh, you of the Western nations, be kind to those who come from the Eastern
world to sojourn among you. Forget your conventionality when you speak
with them; they are not accustomed to it. To Eastern peoples this
demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather let your manner be sympathetic.
Let it be seen that you are filled with universal love. When you meet a
Persian or any other stranger, speak to him as to a friend; if he seems to
be lonely try to help him, give him of your willing service; if he be sad
console him, if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in misery
comfort him. In so doing you will manifest that not in words only, but in
deed and in truth, you think of all men as your brothers.
What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and
talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal? Unless these
thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless.
The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of
their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took
the place of words, the world's misery would very soon be changed into
comfort.
A man who does great good, and talks not of it, is on the way to
perfection.
The man who has accomplished a small good and magnifies it in his speech
is worth very little.
If I love you, I need not continually speak of my love--you will know
without any words. On the other hand if I love you not, that also will you
know--and you would not believe me, were I to tell you in a thousand words,
that I loved you.
People make much profession of goodness, multiplying fine words because
they wish to be thought greater and better than their fellows, seeking
fame in the eyes of the world. Those who do most good use fewest words
concerning their actions.
The children of God do the works without boasting, obeying His laws.
My hope for you is that you will ever avoid tyranny and oppression; that
you will work without ceasing till justice reigns in every land, that you
will keep your hearts pure and your hands free from unrighteousness.
This is what the near approach to God requires from you, and this is what
I expect of you.
THE POWER AND VALUE OF TRUE THOUGHT DEPEND UPON ITS MANIFESTATION IN
ACTION
October 18th
The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought
force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the
animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other
created beings.
If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards heavenly subjects then
does he become saintly; if on the other hand his thought does not soar,
but is directed downwards to centre itself upon the things of this world,
he grows more and more material until he arrives at a state little better
than that of a mere animal.
Thoughts may be divided into two classes:
(1st) Thought that belongs to the world of thought alone.
(2nd) Thought that expresses itself in action.
Some men and women glory in their exalted thoughts, but if these thoughts
never reach the plane of action they remain useless: the power of thought
is dependent on its manifestation in deeds. A philosopher's thought may,
however, in the world of progress and evolution, translate itself into the
actions of other people, even when they themselves are unable or unwilling
to show forth their grand ideals in their own lives. To this class the
majority of philosophers belong, their teachings being high above their
actions. This is the difference between philosophers who are Spiritual
Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the Spiritual Teacher is
the first to follow His own teaching; He brings down into the world of
action His spiritual conceptions and ideals. His Divine thoughts are made
manifest to the world. His thought is Himself, from which He is
inseparable. When we find a philosopher emphasizing the importance and
grandeur of justice, and then encouraging a rapacious monarch in his
oppression and tyranny, we quickly realize that he belongs to the first
class: for he thinks heavenly thoughts and does not practise the
corresponding heavenly virtues.
This state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers, for they ever
express their high and noble thoughts in actions.
GOD IS THE GREAT COMPASSIONATE PHYSICIAN WHO ALONE GIVES TRUE HEALING
October 19th
All true healing comes from God! There are two causes for sickness, one is
material, the other spiritual. If the sickness is of the body, a material
remedy is needed, if of the soul, a spiritual remedy.
If the heavenly benediction be upon us while we are being healed then only
can we be made whole, for medicine is but the outward and visible means
through which we obtain the heavenly healing. Unless the spirit be healed,
the cure of the body is worth nothing. All is in the hands of God, and
without Him there can be no health in us!
There have been many men who have died at last of the very disease of
which they have made a special study. Aristotle, for instance, who made a
special study of the digestion, died of a gastronomic malady. Aviseu was a
specialist of the heart, but he died of heart disease. God is the great
compassionate Physician who alone has the power to give true healing.
All creatures are dependent upon God, however great may seem their
knowledge, power and independence.
Behold the mighty kings upon earth, for they have all the power in the
world that man can give them, and yet when death calls they must obey,
even as the peasants at their gates.
Look also at the animals, how helpless they are in their apparent
strength! For the elephant, the largest of all animals, is troubled by the
fly, and the lion cannot escape the irritation of the worm. Even man, the
highest form of created beings, needs many things for his very life; first
of all he needs air, and if he is deprived of it for a few minutes, he
dies. He is also dependent on water, food, clothing, warmth, and many
other things. On all sides he is surrounded by dangers and difficulties,
against which his physical body alone cannot cope. If a man looks at the
world around him, he will see how all created things are dependent and are
captive to the laws of Nature.
Man alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to free himself, to soar
above the world of matter and to make it his servant.
Without the help of God man is even as the beasts that perish, but God has
bestowed such wonderful power upon him that he might ever look upward, and
receive, among other gifts, healing from His divine Bounty.
But alas! man is not grateful for this supreme good, but sleeps the sleep
of negligence, being careless of the great mercy which God has shown
towards him, turning his face away from the light and going on his way in
darkness.
It is my earnest prayer, that ye be not like unto this, but rather that ye
keep your faces steadfastly turned to the light, so that ye may be as
lighted torches in the dark places of life.
THE NEED FOR UNION BETWEEN THE PEOPLES OF THE EAST AND WEST
Friday, October 20th
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
In the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of Truth has always
shone from the horizon of the East.
Abraham appeared in the East. In the East Moses arose to lead and teach
the people. On the Eastern horizon arose the Lord Christ. Muhammad was
sent to an Eastern nation. The Bab arose in the Eastern land of Persia.
Baha'u'llah lived and taught in the East. All the great Spiritual Teachers
arose in the Eastern world. But although the Sun of Christ dawned in the
East the radiance thereof was apparent in the West, where the effulgence
of its glory was more clearly seen. The divine light of His Teaching shone
with a greater force in the Western world, where it has made a more rapid
headway than in the land of its birth.
In these days the East is in need of material progress and the West is in
want of a spiritual idea. It would be well for the West to turn to the
East for illumination, and to give in exchange its scientific knowledge.
There must be this interchange of gifts.
The East and the West must unite to give to each other what is lacking.
This union will bring about a true civilization, where the spiritual is
expressed and carried out in the material.
Receiving thus the one from the other the greatest harmony will prevail,
all people will be united, a state of great perfection will be attained,
there will be a firm cementing, and this world will become a shining
mirror for the reflection of the attributes of God.
We all, the Eastern with the Western nations, must strive day and night
with heart and soul to achieve this high ideal, to cement the unity
between all the nations of the earth. Every heart will then be refreshed,
all eyes will be opened, the most wonderful power will be given, the
happiness of humanity will be assured.
We must pray that by the Bounty of God, Persia will be enabled to receive
the material and mental civilization of the West, and by Divine Grace to
give in return her spiritual light. The devoted energetic work of the
united peoples, occidentals and orientals, will succeed in establishing
this result, for the force of the Holy Spirit will aid them.
The principles of the Teachings of Baha'u'llah should be carefully
studied, one by one, until they are realized and understood by mind and
heart--so will you become strong followers of the light, truly spiritual,
heavenly soldiers of God, acquiring and spreading the true civilization in
Persia, in Europe, and in the whole world.
This will be the paradise which is to come on earth, when all mankind will
be gathered together under the tent of unity in the Kingdom of Glory.
GOD COMPREHENDS ALL: HE CANNOT BE COMPREHENDED
Friday evening, October 20th
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
Numerous meetings are held in Paris every day for different purposes, to
discuss politics, commerce, education, art, science and many other
subjects.
All these meetings are good: but this assembly has met together to turn
their faces towards God, to learn how best to work for the good of
humanity, to seek how prejudices may be abolished, and the seed of love
and universal brotherhood sown in the heart of man.
God approves of the motive of our gathering together and gives us His
blessing.
In the Old Testament we read that God said, 'Let us make man in Our own
image'. In the Gospel, Christ said, 'I am in the Father, and the Father in
Me'.(1) In the Qur'an, God says, 'Man is my Mystery and I am his'.
Baha'u'llah writes that God says, 'Thy heart is My home; purify it for My
descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My
manifestation'.
All these sacred words show us that man is made in God's image: yet the
Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind, for the finite
understanding cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery. God contains
all: He cannot be contained. That which contains is superior to that which
is contained. The whole is greater than its parts.
Things which are understood by men cannot be outside their capacity for
understanding, so that it is impossible for the heart of man to comprehend
the nature of the Majesty of God. Our imagination can only picture that
which it is able to create.
The power of the understanding differs in degree in the various kingdoms
of creation. The mineral, vegetable, and animal realms are each incapable
of understanding any creation beyond their own. The mineral cannot imagine
the growing power of the plant. The tree cannot understand the power of
movement in the animal, neither can it comprehend what it would mean to
possess sight, hearing or the sense of smell. These all belong to the
physical creation.
Man also shares in this creation; but it is not possible for either of the
lower kingdoms to understand that which takes place in the mind of man.
The animal cannot realize the intelligence of a human being, he only knows
that which is perceived by his animal senses, he cannot imagine anything
in the abstract. An animal could not learn that the world is round, that
the earth revolves round the sun, or the construction of the electric
telegraph. These things are only possible to man. Man is the highest work
of creation, the nearest to God of all creatures.
All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the inferior; how therefore
could it be possible that the creature, man, should understand the
almighty Creator of all?
That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He, the Unknowable, the
Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception of man.
All creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine Bounty. Divine
Mercy gives life itself. As the light of the sun shines on the whole
world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed on all creatures. As the
sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and gives life and warmth to all
living beings, so shines the Sun of Truth on all souls, filling them with
the fire of Divine love and understanding.
The superiority of man over the rest of the created world is seen again in
this, that man has a soul in which dwells the divine spirit; the souls of
the lower creatures are inferior in their essence.
There is no doubt then, that of all created beings man is the nearest to
the nature of God, and therefore receives a greater gift of the Divine
Bounty.
The mineral kingdom possesses the power of existing. The plant has the
power of existing and growing. The animal, in addition to existence and
growth, has the capacity of moving about, and the use of the faculties of
the senses. In the human kingdom we find all the attributes of the lower
worlds, with much more added thereto. Man is the sum of every previous
creation, for he contains them all.
To man is given the special gift of the intellect by which he is able to
receive a larger share of the light Divine. The Perfect Man is as a
polished mirror reflecting the Sun of Truth, manifesting the attributes of
God.
The Lord Christ said, 'He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father'--God
manifested in man.
The sun does not leave his place in the heavens and descend into the
mirror, for the actions of ascent and descent, coming and going, do not
belong to the Infinite, they are the methods of finite beings. In the
Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished mirror, appear the qualities
of the Divine in a form that man is capable of comprehending.
This is so simple that all can understand it, and that which we are able
to understand we must perforce accept.
Our Father will not hold us responsible for the rejection of dogmas which
we are unable either to believe or comprehend, for He is ever infinitely
just to His children.
This example is, however, so logical that it can easily be grasped by all
minds willing to give it their consideration.
May each one of you become a shining lamp, of which the flame is the Love
of God. May your hearts burn with the radiance of unity. May your eyes be
illumined with the effulgence of the Sun of Truth!
The city of Paris is very beautiful, a more civilized and well-appointed
town in all material development it would be impossible to find in the
present world. But the spiritual light has not shone upon her for a long
time: her spiritual progress is far behind that of her material
civilization. A supreme power is needed to awaken her to the reality of
spiritual truth, to breathe the breath of life into her dormant soul. You
must all unite in this work of arousing her, in reanimating her people by
the help of that Superior Force.
When an illness is slight a small remedy will suffice to heal it, but when
the slight illness becomes a terrible disease, then a very strong remedy
must be used by the Divine Healer. There are some trees that blossom and
bear fruit in a cool climate, others there are which need the hottest rays
of the sun to bring them to perfect maturity. Paris is one of those trees
for whose spiritual unfoldment a great flaming Sun of the Divine Power of
God is needed.
I ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the light of truth, in the
Holy Teachings, and God will strengthen you by His Holy Spirit so that you
will be enabled to overcome the difficulties, and to destroy the
prejudices which cause separation and hatred amongst the people. Let your
hearts be filled with the great love of God, let it be felt by all; for
every man is a servant of God, and all are entitled to a share of the
Divine Bounty.
Especially to those whose thoughts are material and retrograde show the
utmost love and patience, thereby winning them into the unity of
fellowship by the radiance of your kindness.
If you are faithful to your great work, following the Holy Sun of Truth
without swerving, then will the blessed day of universal brotherhood dawn
on this beautiful city.
THE PITIFUL CAUSES OF WAR, AND THE DUTY OF EVERYONE TO STRIVE FOR PEACE
October 21st
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
I hope you are all happy and well. I am not happy, but very sad. The news
of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I wonder at the human savagery
that still exists in the world! How is it possible for men to fight from
morning until evening, killing each other, shedding the blood of their
fellow-men: And for what object? To gain possession of a part of the
earth! Even the animals, when they fight, have an immediate and more
reasonable cause for their attacks! How terrible it is that men, who are
of the higher kingdom, can descend to slaying and bringing misery to their
fellow-beings, for the possession of a tract of land!
The highest of created beings fighting to obtain the lowest form of
matter, earth! Land belongs not to one people, but to all people. This
earth is not man's home, but his tomb. It is for their tombs these men are
fighting. There is nothing so horrible in this world as the tomb, the
abode of the decaying bodies of men.
However great the conqueror, however many countries he may reduce to
slavery, he is unable to retain any part of these devastated lands but one
tiny portion--his tomb! If more land is required for the improvement of the
condition of the people, for the spread of civilization (for the
substitution of just laws for brutal customs)--surely it would be possible
to acquire peaceably the necessary extension of territory.
But war is made for the satisfaction of men's ambition; for the sake of
worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is brought to numberless homes,
breaking the hearts of hundreds of men and women!
How many widows mourn their husbands, how many stories of savage cruelty
do we hear! How many little orphaned children are crying for their dead
fathers, how many women are weeping for their slain sons!
There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human
savagery!
I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your
heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a
stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more
powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all
harmony, well-being, restfulness and content.
Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and
happiness.
When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill, soldiers of God
clasp each other's hands! So may all the savagery of man disappear by the
Mercy of God, working through the pure in heart and the sincere of soul.
Do not think the peace of the world an ideal impossible to attain!
Nothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of God.
If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth,
your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the
desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the
minds of all men.
Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love will conquer hate. How
many seemingly impossible events are coming to pass in these days! Set
your faces steadily towards the Light of the World. Show love to all;
'Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit in the heart of Man'. Take courage!
God never forsakes His children who strive and work and pray! Let your
hearts be filled with the strenuous desire that tranquillity and harmony
may encircle all this warring world. So will success crown your efforts,
and with the universal brotherhood will come the Kingdom of God in peace
and goodwill.
In this room today are members of many races, French, American, English,
German, Italian, brothers and sisters meeting in friendship and harmony!
Let this gathering be a foreshadowing of what will, in very truth, take
place in this world, when every child of God realizes that they are leaves
of one tree, flowers in one garden, drops in one ocean, and sons and
daughters of one Father, whose name is love!
THE SUN OF TRUTH
October 22nd
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
It is a lovely day, the sun shines brightly upon the earth, giving light
and warmth to all creatures. The Sun of Truth is also shining, giving
light and warmth to the souls of men. The sun is the life-giver to the
physical bodies of all creatures upon earth; without its warmth their
growth would be stunted, their development would be arrested, they would
decay and die. Even so do the souls of men need the Sun of Truth to shed
its rays upon their souls, to develop them, to educate and encourage them.
As the sun is to the body of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.
A man may have attained to a high degree of material progress, but without
the light of truth his soul is stunted and starved. Another man may have
no material gifts, may be at the bottom of the social ladder, but, having
received the warmth of the Sun of Truth his soul is great and his
spiritual understanding is enlightened.
A Greek philosopher living in the days of the youth of Christianity, being
full of the Christian element, though not a professing Christian, wrote
thus: 'It is my belief that religion is the very foundation of true
civilization'. For, unless the moral character of a nation is educated, as
well as its brain and its talents, civilization has no sure basis.
As religion inculcates morality, it is therefore the truest philosophy,
and on it is built the only lasting civilization. As an example of this,
he points out the Christians of the time whose morality was on a very high
level. The belief of this philosopher conforms to the truth, for the
civilization of Christianity was the best and most enlightened in the
world. The Christian Teaching was illumined by the Divine Sun of Truth,
therefore its followers were taught to love all men as brothers to fear
nothing, not even death! To love their neighbours as themselves, and to
forget their own selfish interests in striving for the greater good of
humanity. The grand aim of the religion of Christ was to draw the hearts
of all men nearer to God's effulgent Truth.
If the followers of the Lord Christ had continued to follow out these
principles with steadfast faithfulness, there would have been no need for
a renewal of the Christian Message, no necessity for a re-awakening of His
people, for a great and glorious civilization would now be ruling the
world and the Kingdom of Heaven would have come on earth.
But instead of this, what has taken place! Men turned away their faces
from following the divinely illuminated precepts of their Master, and
winter fell upon the hearts of men. For, as the body of man depends for
life upon the rays of the sun, so cannot the celestial virtues grow in the
soul without the radiance of the Sun of Truth.
God leaves not His children comfortless, but, when the darkness of winter
overshadows them, then again He sends His Messengers, the Prophets, with a
renewal of the blessed spring. The Sun of Truth appears again on the
horizon of the world shining into the eyes of those who sleep, awaking
them to behold the glory of a new dawn. Then again will the tree of
humanity blossom and bring forth the fruit of righteousness for the
healing of the nations. Because man has stopped his ears to the Voice of
Truth and shut his eyes to the Sacred Light, neglecting the Law of God,
for this reason has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and misery,
desolated the earth. I pray that you will all strive to bring each child
of God into the radiance of the Sun of Truth, that the darkness may be
dissipated by the penetrating rays of its glory, and the winter's hardness
and cold may be melted away by the merciful warmth of its shining.
THE LIGHT OF TRUTH IS NOW SHINING UPON THE EAST AND WEST
Monday, October 23rd
When a man has found the joy of life in one place, he returns to that same
spot to find more joy. When a man has found gold in a mine, he returns
again to that mine to dig for more gold.
This shows the internal force and natural instinct which God has given to
man, and the power of vital energy which is born in him.
The West has always received spiritual enlightenment from the East. The
Song of the Kingdom is first heard in the East, but in the West the
greater volume of sound bursts upon the listening ears.
The Lord Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern sky, but the light
of His Teaching shone more perfectly in the West, where His influence has
taken root more firmly and His Cause has spread to a greater degree than
in the land of His birth.
The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all the lands of the
Western World and entered the hearts of its people.
The people of the West are firm, and the foundations on which they build
are of rock; they are steadfast, and do not easily forget.
The West is like a strong sturdy plant; when the rain falls gently upon it
to give it nourishment and the sun shines upon it, then does it blossom in
due time and bring forth good fruit. It is a long time since the Sun of
Truth mirrored forth by the Lord Christ has shed its radiance upon the
West, for the Face of God has been veiled by the sin and forgetfulness of
man. But now again, praise be to God, the Holy Spirit speaks anew to the
world! The constellation of love and wisdom and power is once more shining
from the Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces to the
Light of God. Baha'u'llah has rent the veil of prejudice and superstition
which was stifling the souls of men. Let us pray to God that the breath of
the Holy Spirit may again give hope and refreshment to the people,
awakening in them a desire to do the Will of God. May heart and soul be
vivified in every man: so will they all rejoice in a new birth.
Then shall humanity put on a new garment in the radiance of the love of
God, and it shall be the dawn of a new creation! Then will the Mercy of
the Most Merciful be showered upon all mankind and they will arise to a
new life.
My earnest desire is that you will all strive and work for this glorious
end; that you will be faithful and loving workers in the building of the
new spiritual civilization; the elect of God, in willing joyful obedience
carrying out His supreme design! Success is truly near at hand, for the
Flag of Divinity has been raised aloft, and the Sun of the Righteousness
of God appeareth upon the horizon in the sight of all men!
THE UNIVERSAL LOVE
October 24th
An Indian said to 'Abdu'l-Baha:
'My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me lies the message of Krishna
to the world.'
'Abdu'l-Baha said: The Message of Krishna is the message of love. All
God's prophets have brought the message of love. None has ever thought
that war and hate are good. Every one agrees in saying that love and
kindness are best.
Love manifests its reality in deeds, not only in words--these alone are
without effect. In order that love may manifest its power there must be an
object, an instrument, a motive.
There are many ways of expressing the love principle; there is love for
the family, for the country, for the race, there is political enthusiasm,
there is also the love of community of interest in service. These are all
ways and means of showing the power of love. Without any such means, love
would be unseen, unheard, unfelt--altogether unexpressed, unmanifested!
Water shows its power in various ways, in quenching thirst, causing seed
to grow, etc. Coal expresses one of its principles in gas-light, while one
of the powers of electricity is shown in the electric light. If there were
neither gas nor electricity, the nights of the world would be darkness!
So, it is necessary to have an instrument, a motive for love's
manifestation, an object, a mode of expression.
We must find a way of spreading love among the sons of humanity.
Love is unlimited, boundless, infinite! Material things are limited,
circumscribed, finite. You cannot adequately express infinite love by
limited means.
The perfect love needs an unselfish instrument, absolutely freed from
fetters of every kind. The love of family is limited; the tie of blood
relationship is not the strongest bond. Frequently members of the same
family disagree, and even hate each other.
Patriotic love is finite; the love of one's country causing hatred of all
others, is not perfect love! Compatriots also are not free from quarrels
amongst themselves.
The love of race is limited; there is some union here, but that is
insufficient. Love must be free from boundaries!
To love our own race may mean hatred of all others, and even people of the
same race often dislike each other.
Political love also is much bound up with hatred of one party for another;
this love is very limited and uncertain.
The love of community of interest in service is likewise fluctuating;
frequently competitions arise, which lead to jealousy, and at length
hatred replaces love.
A few years ago, Turkey and Italy had a friendly political understanding;
now they are at war!
All these ties of love are imperfect. It is clear that limited material
ties are insufficient to adequately express the universal love.
The great unselfish love for humanity is bounded by none of these
imperfect, semi-selfish bonds; this is the one perfect love, possible to
all mankind, and can only be achieved by the power of the Divine Spirit.
No worldly power can accomplish the universal love.
Let all be united in this Divine power of love! Let all strive to grow in
the light of the Sun of Truth, and reflecting this luminous love on all
men, may their hearts become so united that they may dwell evermore in the
radiance of the limitless love.
Remember these words which I speak unto you during the short time I am
amongst you in Paris. I earnestly exhort you: let not your hearts be
fettered by the material things of this world; I charge you not to lie
contentedly on the beds of negligence, prisoners of matter, but to arise
and free yourselves from its chains!
The animal creation is captive to matter, God has given freedom to man.
The animal cannot escape the law of nature, whereas man may control it,
for he, containing nature, can rise above it.
The power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening man's intelligence, has enabled
him to discover means of bending many natural laws to his will. He flies
through the air, floats on the sea, and even moves under the waters.
All this proves how man's intelligence has been enabled to free him from
the limitations of nature, and to solve many of her mysteries. Man, to a
certain extent, has broken the chains of matter.
The Holy Spirit will give to man greater powers than these, if only he
will strive after the things of the spirit and endeavour to attune his
heart to the Divine infinite love.
When you love a member of your family or a compatriot, let it be with a
ray of the Infinite Love! Let it be in God, and for God! Wherever you find
the attributes of God love that person, whether he be of your family or of
another. Shed the light of a boundless love on every human being whom you
meet, whether of your country, your race, your political party, or of any
other nation, colour or shade of political opinion. Heaven will support
you while you work in this in-gathering of the scattered peoples of the
world beneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity.
You will be servants of God, who are dwelling near to Him, His divine
helpers in the service, ministering to all Humanity. All Humanity! Every
human being! never forget this!
Do not say, he is an Italian, or a Frenchman, or an American, or an
Englishman, remember only that he is a son of God, a servant of the Most
High, a man! All are men! Forget nationalities; all are equal in the sight
of God!
Remember not your own limitations; the help of God will come to you.
Forget yourself. God's help will surely come!
When you call on the Mercy of God waiting to reinforce you, your strength
will be tenfold.
Look at me: I am so feeble, yet I have had the strength given me to come
amongst you: a poor servant of God, who has been enabled to give you this
message! I shall not be with you long! One must never consider one's own
feebleness, it is the strength of the Holy Spirit of Love, which gives the
power to teach. The thought of our own weakness could only bring despair.
We must look higher than all earthly thoughts; detach ourselves from every
material idea, crave for the things of the spirit; fix our eyes on the
everlasting bountiful Mercy of the Almighty, who will fill our souls with
the gladness of joyful service to His command 'Love One Another'.
THE IMPRISONMENT OF 'ABDU'L-BAHA
4 Avenue de Camoeens,
Wednesday, October 25th
I regret much that I have kept you waiting this morning, but I have so
much to do in a short time for the Cause of the love of God.
You will not mind having waited a little to see me. I have waited years
and years in prison, that I might come to see you now.
Above all, God be praised, our hearts are always in unison, and with one
aim are drawn to the love of God. By the Bounty of the Kingdom our
desires, our hearts, our spirits, are they not united in one bond? Our
prayers, are they not for the gathering together of all men in harmony?
Therefore are we not always together?
Yesterday evening when I came home from the house of Monsieur Dreyfus I
was very tired--yet I did not sleep, I lay awake thinking.
I said, O God, Here am I in Paris! What is Paris and who am I? Never did I
dream that from the darkness of my prison I should ever be able to come to
you, though when they read me my sentence I did not believe in it.
They told me that 'Abdu'l-Hamid had ordered my everlasting imprisonment,
and I said, 'This is impossible! I shall not always be a prisoner. If
'Abdu'l-Hamid were immortal, such a sentence might possibly be carried
out. It is certain that one day I shall be free. My body may be captive
for a time, but 'Abdu'l-Hamid has no power over my spirit--free it must
remain--that can no man imprison'.
Released from my prison by the Power of God I meet here the friends of
God, and I am thankful unto Him.
Let us spread the Cause of God, for which I suffered persecution.
What a privilege it is for us to meet here in freedom. How happy for us
that God has so decided that we may work together for the coming of the
Kingdom!
Are you pleased to receive such a guest, freed from his prison to bring
the glorious Message to you? He who never could have thought such a
meeting possible! Now by the Grace of God, by His wonderful Power, I, who
was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in a far off town of the East, am
here in Paris talking with you!
Henceforward we shall always be together, heart and soul and spirit,
pressing forward in the work till all men are gathered together under the
tent of the Kingdom, singing the songs of peace.
GOD'S GREATEST GIFT TO MAN
Thursday, October 26th
God's greatest gift to man is that of intellect, or understanding.
The understanding is the power by which man acquires his knowledge of the
several kingdoms of creation, and of various stages of existence, as well
as of much which is invisible.
Possessing this gift, he is, in himself, the sum of earlier creations--he
is able to get into touch with those kingdoms; and by this gift, he can
frequently, through his scientific knowledge, reach out with prophetic
vision.
Intellect is, in truth, the most precious gift bestowed upon man by the
Divine Bounty. Man alone, among created beings, has this wonderful power.
All creation, preceding Man, is bound by the stern law of nature. The
great sun, the multitudes of stars, the oceans and seas, the mountains,
the rivers, the trees, and all animals, great or small--none is able to
evade obedience to nature's law.
Man alone has freedom, and, by his understanding or intellect, has been
able to gain control of and adapt some of those natural laws to his own
needs. By the power of his intellect he has discovered means by which he
not only traverses great continents in express trains and crosses vast
oceans in ships, but, like the fish he travels under water in submarines,
and, imitating the birds, he flies through the air in airships.
Man has succeeded in using electricity in several ways--for light, for
motive power, for sending messages from one end of the earth to the
other--and by electricity he can even hear a voice many miles away!
By this gift of understanding or intellect he has also been able to use
the rays of the sun to picture people and things, and even to capture the
form of distant heavenly bodies.
We perceive in what numerous ways man has been able to bend the powers of
nature to his will.
How grievous it is to see how man has used his God-given gift to frame
instruments of war, for breaking the Commandment of God 'Thou shalt not
kill', and for defying Christ's injunction to 'Love one another'.
God gave this power to man that it might be used for the advancement of
civilization, for the good of humanity, to increase love and concord and
peace. But man prefers to use this gift to destroy instead of to build,
for injustice and oppression, for hatred and discord and devastation, for
the destruction of his fellow-creatures, whom Christ has commanded that he
should love as himself!
I hope that you will use your understanding to promote the unity and
tranquillity of mankind, to give enlightenment and civilization to the
people, to produce love in all around you, and to bring about the
universal peace.
Study the sciences, acquire more and more knowledge. Assuredly one may
learn to the end of one's life! Use your knowledge always for the benefit
of others; so may war cease on the face of this beautiful earth, and a
glorious edifice of peace and concord be raised. Strive that your high
ideals may be realized in the Kingdom of God on earth, as they will be in
Heaven.
THE CLOUDS THAT OBSCURE THE SUN OF TRUTH
4 Avenue de Camoeens,
Morning of Friday, October 27th
The day is fine, the air is pure, the sun shines, no mist nor cloud
obscures its radiance.
These brilliant rays penetrate into all parts of the city; so may the Sun
of Truth illumine the minds of men.
Christ said, 'They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of
Heaven'.(2) Baha'u'llah said, 'When Christ came for the first time He came
upon the clouds'.(3) Christ said that He had come from the sky, from
Heaven--that He came forth from God--while He was born of Mary, His Mother.
But when He declared that He had come from Heaven, it is clear that He did
not mean the blue firmament but that He spoke of the Heaven of the Kingdom
of God, and that from this Heaven He descended upon the clouds. As clouds
are obstacles to the shining of the sun, so the clouds of the world of
humanity hid from the eyes of men the radiance of the Divinity of Christ.
Men said, 'He is of Nazareth, born of Mary, we know Him and we know his
brethren. What can He mean? What is He saying? That He came forth from
God?'
The Body of Christ was born of Mary of Nazareth, but the Spirit was of
God. The capacities of His human body were limited but the strength of His
spirit was vast, infinite, immeasurable.
Men asked, 'Why does He say He is of God?' If they had understood the
reality of Christ, they would have known that the body of His humanity was
a cloud that hid His Divinity. The world only saw His human form, and
therefore wondered how He could have 'come down from Heaven'.
Baha'u'llah said, 'Even as the clouds hide the sun and the sky from our
gaze, even so did the humanity of Christ hide from men His real Divine
character'.
I hope that you will turn with unclouded eyes towards the Sun of Truth,
beholding not the things of earth, lest your hearts be attracted to the
worthless and passing pleasures of the world; let that Sun give you of His
strength, then will not the clouds of prejudice veil His illumination from
your eyes! Then will the Sun be without clouds for you.
Breathe the air of purity. May you each and all share in the Divine
Bounties of the Kingdom of Heaven. May the world be for you no obstacle
hiding the truth from your sight, as the human body of Christ hid His
Divinity from the people of His day. May you receive the clear vision of
the Holy Spirit, so that your hearts may be illumined and able to
recognize the Sun of Truth shining through all material clouds, His
splendour flooding the universe.
Let not the things of the body obscure the celestial light of the spirit,
so that, by the Divine Bounty, you may enter with the children of God into
His Eternal Kingdom.
This is my prayer for you all.
RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES
October 27th
The basis of the teaching of Baha'u'llah is the Unity of Mankind, and his
greatest desire was that love and goodwill should live in the heart of
men.
As He exhorted the people to do away with strife and discord, so I wish to
explain to you the principal reason of the unrest among nations. The chief
cause is the misrepresentation of religion by the religious leaders and
teachers. They teach their followers to believe that their own form of
religion is the only one pleasing to God, and that followers of any other
persuasion are condemned by the All-Loving Father and deprived of His
Mercy and Grace. Hence arise among the peoples, disapproval, contempt,
disputes and hatred. If these religious prejudices could be swept away,
the nations would soon enjoy peace and concord.
I was once at Tiberias where the Jews have a Temple. I was staying in a
house just opposite the Temple, and there I saw and heard a Rabbi speaking
to his congregation of Jews, and he spoke thus:
'O Jews, you are in truth the people of God! All other races and religions
are of the devil. God has created you the descendants of Abraham, and He
has showered His blessings upon you. Unto you God sent Moses, Jacob and
Joseph, and many other great prophets. These prophets, one and all, were
of your race.
'It was for you that God broke the power of Pharaoh and caused the Red Sea
to dry up; to you also He sent manna from above to be your food, and out
of the stony rock did He give you water to quench your thirst. You are
indeed the chosen people of God, you are above all the races of the earth!
Therefore, all other races are abhorrent to God, and condemned by Him. In
truth you will govern and subdue the world, and all men shall become your
slaves.
'Do not profane yourselves by consorting with people who are not of your
own religion, make not friends of such men.'
When the Rabbi had finished his eloquent discourse, his hearers were
filled with joy and satisfaction. It is impossible to describe to you
their happiness!
Alas! It is misguided ones like these who are the cause of division and
hatred upon earth. Today there are millions of people who still worship
idols, and the great religions of the world are at war among themselves.
For 1,300 years, Christians and Mussulmans have been quarrelling, when
with very little effort their differences and disputes could be overcome
and peace and harmony could exist between them and the world could be at
rest!
In the Qur'an we read that Muhammad spoke to his followers, saying:
'Why do you not believe in Christ, and in the Gospel? Why will you not
accept Moses and the Prophets, for surely the Bible is the Book of God? In
truth, Moses was a sublime Prophet, and Jesus was filled with the Holy
Spirit. He came to the world through the Power of God, born of the Holy
Spirit and of the blessed Virgin Mary. Mary, His mother, was a saint from
Heaven. She passed her days in the Temple at prayer and food was sent to
her from above. Her father, Zacharias, came to her and asked her from
whence the food came, and Mary made answer, "From on high." Surely God
made Mary to be exalted above all other women.'
This is what Muhammad taught His people concerning Jesus and Moses, and He
reproached them for their lack of faith in these great Teachers, and
taught them the lessons of truth and tolerance. Muhammad was sent from God
to work among a people as savage and uncivilized as the wild beasts. They
were quite devoid of understanding, nor had they any feelings of love,
sympathy and pity. Women were so degraded and despised that a man could
bury his daughter alive, and he had as many wives to be his slaves as he
chose.
Among these half animal people Muhammad was sent with His divine Message.
He taught the people that idol worship was wrong, but that they should
reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets. Under His influence they became
a more enlightened and civilized people and arose from the degraded state
in which He found them. Was not this a good work, and worthy of all
praise, respect and love?
Look at the Gospel of the Lord Christ and see how glorious it is! Yet even
today men fail to understand its priceless beauty, and misinterpret its
words of wisdom.
Christ forbade war! When the disciple Peter, thinking to defend his Lord,
cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest, Christ said to him:
'Put up thy sword into the sheath'.(4) Yet, in spite of the direct command
of the Lord they profess to serve--men still dispute, make war, and kill
one another, and His counsels and teaching seem quite forgotten.
But do not therefore attribute to the Masters and Prophets the evil deeds
of their followers. If the priests, teachers and people, lead lives which
are contrary to the religion they profess to follow, is that the fault of
Christ or the other Teachers?
The people of Islam were taught to realize how Jesus came from God and was
born of the Spirit, and that He must be glorified of all men. Moses was a
prophet of God, and revealed in His day and for the people to whom He was
sent, the Book of God.
Muhammad recognized the sublime grandeur of Christ and the greatness of
Moses and the prophets. If only the whole world would acknowledge the
greatness of Muhammad and all the Heaven-sent Teachers, strife and discord
would soon vanish from the face of the earth, and God's Kingdom would come
among men.
The people of Islam who glorify Christ are not humiliated by so doing.
Christ was the Prophet of the Christians, Moses of the Jews--why should not
the followers of each prophet recognize and honour the other prophets
also? If men could only learn the lesson of mutual tolerance,
understanding, and brotherly love, the unity of the world would soon be an
established fact.
Baha'u'llah spent His life teaching this lesson of Love and Unity. Let us
then put away from us all prejudice and intolerance, and strive with all
our hearts and souls to bring about understanding and unity between
Christians and Mussulmans.
THE BENEFITS OF GOD TO MAN
4 Avenue de Camoeens,
October 27th
God alone ordereth all things and is all-powerful. Why then does He send
trials to His servants?
The trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences of his own
actions. If a man eats too much, he ruins his digestion; if he takes
poison he becomes ill or dies. If a person gambles he will lose his money;
if he drinks too much he will lose his equilibrium. All these sufferings
are caused by the man himself, it is quite clear therefore that certain
sorrows are the result of our own deeds. (b) Other sufferings there are,
which come upon the Faithful of God. Consider the great sorrows endured by
Christ and by His apostles!
Those who suffer most, attain to the greatest perfection.
Those who declare a wish to suffer much for Christ's sake must prove their
sincerity; those who proclaim their longing to make great sacrifices can
only prove their truth by their deeds. Job proved the fidelity of his love
for God by being faithful through his great adversity, as well as during
the prosperity of his life. The apostles of Christ who steadfastly bore
all their trials and sufferings--did they not prove their faithfulness? Was
not their endurance the best proof?
These griefs are now ended.
Caiaphas lived a comfortable and happy life while Peter's life was full of
sorrow and trial; which of these two is the more enviable? Assuredly we
should choose the present state of Peter, for he possesses immortal life
whilst Caiaphas has won eternal shame. The trials of Peter tested his
fidelity. Tests are benefits from God, for which we should thank Him.
Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the
Divine Mercy for our own perfecting.
While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and
sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven,
and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.
Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the
gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most
beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.
The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes
the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater
is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is no
good General until he has been in the front of the fiercest battle and has
received the deepest wounds.
The prayer of the prophets of God has always been, and still is: Oh God, I
long to lay down my life in the path to Thee! I desire to shed my blood
for Thee, and to make the supreme sacrifice.
BEAUTY AND HARMONY IN DIVERSITY
October 28th
The Creator of all is One God.
From this same God all creation sprang into existence, and He is the one
goal, towards which everything in nature yearns. This conception was
embodied in the words of Christ, when He said, 'I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end'. Man is the sum of Creation, and the
Perfect Man is the expression of the complete thought of the Creator--the
Word of God.
Consider the world of created beings, how varied and diverse they are in
species, yet with one sole origin. All the differences that appear are
those of outward form and colour. This diversity of type is apparent
throughout the whole of nature.
Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Each flower
has a different charm, a peculiar beauty, its own delicious perfume and
beautiful colour. The trees too, how varied are they in size, in growth,
in foliage--and what different fruits they bear! Yet all these flowers,
shrubs and trees spring from the self-same earth, the same sun shines upon
them and the same clouds give them rain.
So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races, and its peoples are
of different colour, white, black, yellow, brown and red--but they all come
from the same God, and all are servants to Him. This diversity among the
children of men has unhappily not the same effect as it has among the
vegetable creation, where the spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men
exists the diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes war and
hatred among the different nations of the world.
Differences which are only those of blood also cause them to destroy and
kill one another. Alas! that this should still be so. Let us look rather
at the beauty in diversity, the beauty of harmony, and learn a lesson from
the vegetable creation. If you beheld a garden in which all the plants
were the same as to form, colour and perfume, it would not seem beautiful
to you at all, but, rather, monotonous and dull. The garden which is
pleasing to the eye and which makes the heart glad, is the garden in which
are growing side by side flowers of every hue, form and perfume, and the
joyous contrast of colour is what makes for charm and beauty. So is it
with trees. An orchard full of fruit trees is a delight; so is a
plantation planted with many species of shrubs. It is just the diversity
and variety that constitutes its charm; each flower, each tree, each
fruit, beside being beautiful in itself, brings out by contrast the
qualities of the others, and shows to advantage the special loveliness of
each and all.
Thus should it be among the children of men! The diversity in the human
family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where
many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord. If
you meet those of different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust
them and withdraw yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather
be glad and show them kindness. Think of them as different coloured roses
growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them.
Likewise, when you meet those whose opinions differ from your own, do not
turn away your face from them. All are seeking truth, and there are many
roads leading thereto. Truth has many aspects, but it remains always and
forever one.
Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of thought to separate
you from your fellow-men, or to be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife
in your hearts.
Rather, search diligently for the truth and make all men your friends.
Every edifice is made of many different stones, yet each depends on the
other to such an extent that if one were displaced the whole building
would suffer; if one is faulty the structure is imperfect.
Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the
uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the
shelter of the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine
Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the
reality of unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given
unto us. Leave all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and
submissive to the Will of God. In this way only shall we become citizens
of the Kingdom of God, and attain unto life everlasting.
THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE COMING OF CHRIST
October 30th
In the Bible there are prophecies of the coming of Christ. The Jews still
await the coming of the Messiah, and pray to God day and night to hasten
His advent.
When Christ came they denounced and slew Him, saying: 'This is not the One
for whom we wait. Behold when the Messiah shall come, signs and wonders
shall testify that He is in truth the Christ. We know the signs and
conditions, and they have not appeared. The Messiah will arise out of an
unknown city. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and behold, He shall
come with a sword of steel, and with a sceptre of iron shall He rule! He
shall fulfil the law of the Prophets, He shall conquer the East and the
West, and shall glorify His chosen people the Jews. He shall bring with
Him a reign of peace, during which even the animals shall cease to be at
enmity with man. For behold the wolf and the lamb shall drink from the
same spring, and the lion and the doe shall lie down in the same pasture,
the serpent and the mouse shall share the same nest, and all God's
creatures shall be at rest'.
According to the Jews, Jesus the Christ fulfilled none of these
conditions, for their eyes were holden and they could not see.
He came from Nazareth, no unknown place. He carried no sword in His hand,
nor even a stick. He did not sit upon the Throne of David, He was a poor
man. He reformed the Law of Moses, and broke the Sabbath Day. He did not
conquer the East and the West, but was Himself subject to the Roman Law.
He did not exalt the Jews, but taught equality and brotherhood, and
rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees. He brought in no reign of peace, for
during His lifetime injustice and cruelty reached such a height that even
He Himself fell a victim to it, and died a shameful death upon the cross.
Thus the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not understand the
Scriptures nor the glorious truths that were contained in them. The letter
they knew by heart, but of the life-giving spirit they understood not a
word.
Hearken, and I will show you the meaning thereof. Although He came from
Nazareth, which was a known place, He also came from Heaven. His body was
born of Mary, but His Spirit came from Heaven. The sword He carried was
the sword of His tongue, with which He divided the good from the evil, the
true from the false, the faithful from the unfaithful, and the light from
the darkness. His Word was indeed a sharp sword! The Throne upon which He
sat is the Eternal Throne from which Christ reigns for ever, a heavenly
throne, not an earthly one, for the things of earth pass away but heavenly
things pass not away. He re-interpreted and completed the Law of Moses and
fulfilled the Law of the Prophets. His word conquered the East and the
West. His Kingdom is everlasting. He exalted those Jews who recognized
Him. They were men and women of humble birth, but contact with Him made
them great and gave them everlasting dignity. The animals who were to live
with one another signified the different sects and races, who, once having
been at war, were now to dwell in love and charity, drinking together the
water of life from Christ the Eternal Spring.
Thus, all the spiritual prophecies concerning the coming of Christ were
fulfilled, but the Jews shut their eyes that they should not see, and
their ears that they should not hear, and the Divine Reality of Christ
passed through their midst unheard, unloved and unrecognized.
It is easy to read the Holy Scriptures, but it is only with a clean heart
and a pure mind that one may understand their true meaning. Let us ask
God's help to enable us to understand the Holy Books. Let us pray for eyes
to see and ears to hear, and for hearts that long for peace.
God's eternal Mercy is immeasurable. He has always chosen certain souls
upon whom He has shed the Divine Bounty of His heart, whose minds He has
illumined with celestial light, to whom He has revealed the sacred
mysteries, and kept clear before their sight the Mirror of Truth. These
are the disciples of God, and His goodness has no bounds. You who are
servants of the Most High may be disciples also. The treasuries of God are
limitless.
The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food for all who
hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets will surely give
of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask Him faithfully.
THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE INTERMEDIARY POWER BETWEEN GOD AND MAN
4 Avenue de Camoeens,
October 31st
The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal, Immortal and
Invisible.
The world of creation is bound by natural law, finite and mortal.
The Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or descend. It is beyond the
understanding of man, and cannot be described in terms which apply to the
phenomenal sphere of the created world.
Man, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by which he is able to
receive help from the Divine Reality, that Power alone bringing him into
contact with the Source of all life.
An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes into relation with each
other. Riches and poverty, plenty and need: without an intermediary power
there could be no relation between these pairs of opposites.
So we can say there must be a Mediator between God and Man, and this is
none other than the Holy Spirit, which brings the created earth into
relation with the 'Unthinkable One', the Divine Reality.
The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the Holy Spirit to the
rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the light and warmth of the
sun to the earth, giving life to all created beings, so do the
'Manifestations'(5) bring the power of the Holy Spirit from the Divine Sun
of Reality to give light and life to the souls of men.
Behold, there is an intermediary necessary between the sun and the earth;
the sun does not descend to the earth, neither does the earth ascend to
the sun. This contact is made by the rays of the sun which bring light and
warmth and heat.
The Holy Spirit is the Light from the Sun of Truth bringing, by its
infinite power, life and illumination to all mankind, flooding all souls
with Divine Radiance, conveying the blessings of God's Mercy to the whole
world. The earth, without the medium of the warmth and light of the rays
of the sun, could receive no benefits from the sun.
Likewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life of man; without the
Holy Spirit he would have no intellect, he would be unable to acquire his
scientific knowledge by which his great influence over the rest of
creation is gained. The illumination of the Holy Spirit gives to man the
power of thought, and enables him to make discoveries by which he bends
the laws of nature to his will.
The Holy Spirit it is which, through the mediation of the Prophets of God,
teaches spiritual virtues to man and enables him to attain Eternal Life.
All these blessings are brought to man by the Holy Spirit; therefore we
can understand that the Holy Spirit is the Intermediary between the
Creator and the created. The light and heat of the sun cause the earth to
be fruitful, and create life in all things that grow; and the Holy Spirit
quickens the souls of men.
The two great apostles, St Peter and St John the Evangelist, were once
simple, humble workmen, toiling for their daily bread. By the Power of the
Holy Spirit their souls were illumined, and they received the eternal
blessings of the Lord Christ.
THE TWO NATURES IN MAN
November 1st
Today is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are celebrating the Festival of
'All Saints'. Why do you think that these people were called 'Saints'? The
word has a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads a life of purity,
one who has freed himself from all human weaknesses and imperfections.
In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and his
material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives
for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in men.
In his material aspect he expresses untruth, cruelty and injustice; all
these are the outcome of his lower nature. The attributes of his Divine
nature are shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice, one
and all being expressions of his higher nature. Every good habit, every
noble quality belongs to man's spiritual nature, whereas all his
imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material nature. If a
man's Divine nature dominates his human nature, we have a saint.
Man has the power both to do good and to do evil; if his power for good
predominates and his inclinations to do wrong are conquered, then man in
truth may be called a saint. But if, on the contrary, he rejects the
things of God and allows his evil passions to conquer him, then he is no
better than a mere animal.
Saints are men who have freed themselves from the world of matter and who
have overcome sin. They live in the world but are not of it, their
thoughts being continually in the world of the spirit. Their lives are
spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth love, justice and godliness.
They are illumined from on high; they are as bright and shining lamps in
the dark places of the earth. These are the saints of God. The apostles,
who were the disciples of Jesus Christ, were just as other men are; they,
like their fellows, were attracted by the things of the world, and each
thought only of his own advantage. They knew little of justice, nor were
the Divine perfections found in their midst. But when they followed Christ
and believed in Him, their ignorance gave place to understanding, cruelty
was changed to justice, falsehood to truth, darkness into light. They had
been worldly, they became spiritual and divine. They had been children of
darkness, they became sons of God, they became saints! Strive therefore to
follow in their steps, leaving all worldly things behind, and striving to
attain to the Spiritual Kingdom.
Pray to God that He may strengthen you in divine virtue, so that you may
be as angels in the world, and beacons of light to disclose the mysteries
of the Kingdom to those with understanding hearts.
God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and enlighten man, to
explain to him the mystery of the Power of the Holy Spirit, to enable him
to reflect the light, and so in his turn, to be the source of guidance to
others. The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the Qur'an, and the other Holy
Writings have been given by God as guides into the paths of Divine virtue,
love, justice and peace.
Therefore I say unto you that ye should strive to follow the counsels of
these Blessed Books, and so order your lives that ye may, following the
examples set before you, become yourselves the saints of the Most High!
MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS
November 2nd
'Abdu'l-Baha said:
How beautiful the weather is today, the sky is clear, the sun shines, and
the heart of man is made glad thereby!
Such bright and beautiful weather gives new life and strength to man, and
if he has been sick, he feels once more in his heart the joyous hope of
health renewed. All these gifts of nature concern the physical side of
man, for it is only his body that can receive material benefits.
If a man is successful in his business, art, or profession he is thereby
enabled to increase his physical wellbeing and to give his body the amount
of ease and comfort in which it delights. All around us today we see how
man surrounds himself with every modern convenience and luxury, and denies
nothing to the physical and material side of his nature. But, take heed,
lest in thinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the
things of the soul: for material advantages do not elevate the spirit of a
man. Perfection in worldly things is a joy to the body of a man but in no
wise does it glorify his soul.
It may be that a man who has every material benefit, and who lives
surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization can give him,
is denied the all important gift of the Holy Spirit.
It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress materially, but in
so doing, let us not neglect the more important spiritual progress, and
close our eyes to the Divine light shining in our midst.
Only by improving spiritually as well as materially can we make any real
progress, and become perfect beings. It was in order to bring this
spiritual life and light into the world that all the great Teachers have
appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth might be manifested, and
shine in the hearts of men, and that through its wondrous power men might
attain unto Everlasting Light.
When the Lord Christ came He spread the light of the Holy Spirit on all
around Him, and His disciples and all who received His illumination became
enlightened, spiritual beings.
It was to manifest this light that Baha'u'llah was born, and came into the
world. He taught Eternal Truth to men, and shed the rays of Divine Light
in all lands.
Alas! behold how man disregards this Light. He still goes on his way of
darkness, and disunity, and quarrels and fierce war are still rife.
He uses material progress to gratify his lust for war, and he makes
destructive implements and appliances to destroy his brother man.
But let us rather exert ourselves for the attainment of spiritual
advantages, for this is the only way of true progress, that which cometh
from God and is alone Godly.
I pray for you one and all that you may receive the Bounties of the Holy
Spirit; so will you become in truth enlightened, and progress ever onward
and upward to the Kingdom of God. Then shall your hearts be prepared to
receive the glad tidings, your eyes shall be opened and you will see the
Glory of God; your ears shall be unstopped and you will hear the call of
the Kingdom, and with tongue made eloquent shall you call men to the
realization of the Divine Power and Love of God!
THE EVOLUTION OF MATTER AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOUL
November 3rd
Paris is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall soon be obliged to go
away, but the warmth of your love still keeps me here. God willing, I hope
to stay among you yet a little while; bodily cold and heat cannot affect
the spirit, for it is warmed by the fire of the Love of God. When we
understand this, we begin to understand something of our life in the world
to come.
God, in His Bounty, has given us a foretaste here, has given us certain
proofs of the difference that exists between body, soul and spirit.
We see that cold, heat, suffering, etc, only concern the body, they do not
touch the spirit.
How often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably clad, and with no means
of support, yet spiritually strong. Whatever his body has to suffer, his
spirit is free and well! Again, how often do we see a rich man, physically
strong and healthy, but with a soul sick unto death.
It is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man's spirit is something
very different from his physical body.
The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress and development of
the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are independent of the physical
body.
If we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love prove true or false,
it is the soul that is affected. If our dear ones are far from us--it is
the soul that grieves, and the grief or trouble of the soul may react on
the body.
Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is the body joyous;
if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment!
When we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love, we are happy; but if we
meet with lying, faithlessness, and deceit, we are miserable.
These are all things pertaining to the soul, and are not bodily ills.
Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even as the body, has its own
individuality. But if the body undergoes a change, the spirit need not be
touched. When you break a glass on which the sun shines, the glass is
broken, but the sun still shines! If a cage containing a bird is
destroyed, the bird is unharmed! If a lamp is broken, the flame can still
burn bright!
The same thing applies to the spirit of man. Though death destroy his
body, it has no power over his spirit--this is eternal, everlasting, both
birthless and deathless.
As to the soul of man after death, it remains in the degree of purity to
which it has evolved during life in the physical body, and after it is
freed from the body it remains plunged in the ocean of God's Mercy.
From the moment the soul leaves the body and arrives in the Heavenly
World, its evolution is spiritual, and that evolution is: The approaching
unto God.
In the physical creation, evolution is from one degree of perfection to
another. The mineral passes with its mineral perfections to the vegetable;
the vegetable, with its perfections, passes to the animal world, and so on
to that of humanity. This world is full of seeming contradictions; in each
of these kingdoms (mineral, vegetable and animal) life exists in its
degree; though when compared to the life in a man, the earth appears to be
dead, yet she, too, lives and has a life of her own. In this world things
live and die, and live again in other forms of life, but in the world of
the spirit it is quite otherwise.
The soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a law--it only evolves
nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of God.
It is my earnest prayer that we may all be in the Kingdom of God, and near
Him.
THE SPIRITUAL MEETINGS IN PARIS
November 4th
All over Europe today one hears of meetings and assemblies, and societies
of all kinds are formed. There are those interested in commerce, science,
and politics, and many others. All these are for material service, their
desire being for the progress and enlightenment of the world of matter.
But rarely does a breath from the spirit world breathe upon them. They
seem unconscious of the Divine Voice, careless concerning the things of
God. But this meeting in Paris is a truly spiritual one. The Divine Breath
is poured forth in your midst, the light of the Kingdom is shining in all
hearts. The Divine love of God is a power among you, and with souls
athirst, ye receive the glad tidings of great joy.
You are all met here with one accord, heart drawn to heart, souls
overflowing with Divine love, working and longing for the unity of the
world.
Verily this assembly is a spiritual one! It is like unto a beautiful
perfumed garden! On it the Heavenly Sun sheds the golden rays, and the
warmth thereof penetrates and gladdens each waiting heart. The love of
Christ, which passeth all knowledge, is among you, the Holy Spirit is your
help.
Day by day this meeting will grow and become more powerful until gradually
its spirit will conquer the whole world!
Try with all your hearts to be willing channels for God's Bounty. For I
say unto you that He has chosen you to be His messengers of love
throughout the world, to be His bearers of spiritual gifts to man, to be
the means of spreading unity and concord on the earth. Thank God with all
your hearts that such a privilege has been given unto you. For a life
devoted to praise is not too long in which to thank God for such a favour.
Lift up your hearts above the present and look with eyes of faith into the
future! Today the seed is sown, the grain falls upon the earth, but behold
the day will come when it shall rise a glorious tree and the branches
thereof shall be laden with fruit. Rejoice and be glad that this day has
dawned, try to realize its power, for it is indeed wonderful! God has
crowned you with honour and in your hearts has He set a radiant star;
verily the light thereof shall brighten the whole world!
THE TWO KINDS OF LIGHT
November 5th
Today the weather is gloomy and dull! In the East there is continual
sunshine, the stars are never veiled, and there are very few clouds. Light
always rises in the East and sends forth its radiance into the West.
There are two kinds of light. There is the visible light of the sun, by
whose aid we can discern the beauties of the world around us--without this
we could see nothing.
Nevertheless, though it is the function of this light to make things
visible to us, it cannot give us the power to see them or to understand
what their various charms may be, for this light has no intelligence, no
consciousness. It is the light of the intellect which gives us knowledge
and understanding, and without this light the physical eyes would be
useless.
This light of the intellect is the highest light that exists, for it is
born of the Light Divine.