We began with everyone mentioning what they thought of as silence, whether it be positive or negative and the different ways that silence is used, i.e. the “silent treatment” of punishment, and also the positive quality regarded by teachers of young children. following this introspection we went into our own silent phase and all remained silent (not just refraining from talking, but without making any noise at all), as we read quotes projected onto the wall. following the quotes, we spent 10 minutes in silent meditation with only some soothing instrumental music to accompany us.

Afterwards, we launched into a discussion of the quotes, and the experience of having to be silent. From de Gaulle’s comment that “silence is the ultimate weapon of power” with Lao-Tzu saying that “silence is a source of great strength”. we moved into Wiesel’s refusal to ever remain silent when people are suffering because “Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” Mother Teresa told us that “we need silence to be able to touch souls.” Naturally there was Depeche Mode and Simon & Garfunkel thrown in for good measure.

Personally, I find those times of silence to be the most introspective. I recall times that the silence was deafening because it was so real, so crisp, and so alive. The difference between silence being considered the absence of sound and considering it to be the presence of something else entirely, something which we cannot comprehend was also brought up. Gandhi, Buddha and Baha’u'llah told us of the importance of being silent in order to meditate, and contemplate the mysteries of this world. I hope that we were able to do some of that this week.

In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in an clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness.

~ Ghandi

From meditation springs wisdom. From lack of meditation, loss of wisdom.

~ Buddha

Bahá’u'lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time — he cannot both speak and meditate.

~ Baha’u'llah

This program is recommended for anyone wanting to do interfaith research and or just wanting to explore the sacred (and many additional) texts from some of the world’s major religions.

Interfaith Explorer is available at: http://www.bahairesearch.com/

Nonviolence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute.

The spirit lies dormant in the brute, and he knows no law but that of physical might.

The dignity of man requires obedience to a higher law—to the strength of the spirit.

~ Mahatma Ghandi

Are we not more evolved with brutes that we can stop our violent ways?  Most of us live our lives in a quite sophisticated manner, yet it is during some unfortunate times of anger, frustration, and vengefulness that we lash out with some of our most primitive behaviors and attack one another.  I am not speaking so much of the wars between nations, but the simple act of violence against one another to defend one’s honor or as a form of punishment.  In order to be truly dignified though and claim ourselves to be of a higher order of creature that we must be strong in our spirit and understand that violence will do nothing but perpetuate more violence.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

~ Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

I have seen this verse many times.  Especially memorable to me is a plaque with these words printed upon it hanging in the homes of several acquaintances.  I appreciate the sentiment—as I see it—that we should be kind to strangers and newcomers for they may be visitors from heaven.  For me there is something more in this, however.  I love to entertain, to have people visit my home.  It is a way for me to show something of myself and to become closer to others, by inviting them into my home.  In doing so, I also form a bond, a closer connection with someone, and that is what friends and relationships are all about.  Those ‘angels’ that may have been entertained without our even knowing it could be those more intimate friendships forming.  As I write this, I just said goodbye to some friends who spent several hours in my home eating, worshipping, sharing stories, and growing closer.  Relationships such as that are the ‘angels’ in my life.

He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties.

~ Tao, Tao Te Ching (J. Legge tr)

Only a fool would walk into the challenges of life with the arrogance that only a superficial belief in God will suffice to help him on his way, when really it is the deeper faith that is necessary.  There are challenges everywhere in life, and even those things that would seem easy may turn out to be more difficult than they first appeared without the assistance of God.  But, the wise person has made an ardent vow of profound devotion to God and those difficulties will disappear and become easy.

We know the Truth when the heart is True,
And we cleanse our body of Falsehood and make it Pure.

We know the Truth, when we love the Truth.
And, if hearing the Lord’s Name our Mind is Pleased, we Attain to the
Door of Deliverance.

We know the Truth, when our Soul knows the Way;
And cultivating our bodies, we sow the seed of God.

We know the Truth, if we receive the true Instruction (of the Guru).

~ Asa di Var 10.2 p. 468

Like the Sikhs, Baha’is believe strongly in a search for truth.  This passage is an example of looking for truth and what it means to attain it.  To me, the “independent investigation of truth”, as the Baha’is refer to it, meant preparing myself to challenge any belief that I had already formed and look at things from an outside perspective.  I was able to look at things analytically and discern whether or not these messages from different prophets of God were the same, and whether or not they made good sense, were the right things to do and were applicable to my life.  I have always appreciated this concept of the Baha’i Faith – that we are not able to follow blindly the pronouncement of a clergy member who has interpreted the word of God for us, rather we are obligated to do so for ourselves.  This makes our personal faith in God much more intimate.

The sovereign soul
Of him who lives self-governed and at peace
Is centred in itself, taking alike
Pleasure and pain; heat, cold; glory and shame.

~ Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr)

I find the poetry of the Hindu verses to be beautiful in its simplicity and indirectness.  These verses speak to me that to maintain a holy and spiritual life, I must take all things that come along and yet remained peaceful and in control of myself and my emotions—something that can be a bit of a challenge for me.

Good is filial devotion to one’s mother in the world

~ Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards)

Today is a day to honor mothers.  We all have one.  She carried you in her womb and during that time was the sole provider of sustenance in your life.  Your entire world was inside of her while you were developing and being prepared for this world.  It was she who made you who you are while she was so entirely devoted to you.  No matter what your relationship with her today, spend time with her today… whether it be a visit or phone call, let her know that you are still devoted to her.

I asked the Prophet, “What is the greatest sin in the Sight of Allah?” He said, “That you set up a rival unto Allah though He Alone created you.” I said, “That is indeed a great sin.”

~ Hadith, Bukhari Vol 6, Book 60, Number 4

Baha’is believe that all of the world’s religions really are just one; that there is no one way to get to God; that one religion is not better than the other; that the world religions are not, and should not, be rivals with one another.  Baha’is believe there is only one God; that all of the world’s religions are actually worshiping the same God.  It is our human interventions that make these different dispensations of God’s message to be rivals with one another.

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.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 57

Hunger is a natural feeling that we have all experienced.  It is how our body tells us we must find some food for sustenance we cannot live without.  Our souls, too, can have hunger—a hunger for truth, wisdom and a purpose in life.  The scripture can fulfill those needs and God has provided it for us.  All we must do is ask to partake of it; to read, to investigate on our own, is how we fulfill that hunger.  Just as it is necessary to eat daily, Baha’is are instructed to read of the scriptures every day, thus, our daily bread.

Jesus Christ also made allusions to bread by telling his disciples at the Last Supper, that it represented his body and to eat it in remembrance of him.  Perhaps the most popular Christian prayer is the Lord’s Prayer (Pater Noster), which contains the line:

Give us this day our daily bread.

~ Matthew 6:11 (KJV)

In the Gospel of John (6:1-15) Jesus fed 5,000 men (no record of how many women and children were also present) with just two loaves of bread and two fish.  Everyone took as much as he (or she) wanted and was satisfied and fed.  It is my belief that these both serve as analogies to the spiritual bread that is provided to us, if only we would partake of it.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not want what belongs to others. It does not brag. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not look out for its own interests. It does not easily become angry. It does not keep track of other people’s wrongs.

Love is not happy with evil. But it is full of joy when the truth is spoken. It always protects. It always trusts. It always hopes. It never gives up.

Love never fails. But prophecy will pass away. Speaking in languages that had not been known before will end. And knowledge will pass away.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)

I have chosen today’s post not only because of its beautiful message, but to let everyone know that Elika Mahony (whom I have previously mentioned), is allowing people to download a song from her new album.  A Baha’i artist, Mahony has set the above quote from the New Testament to music.  It is a beautiful adaptation and I encourage everyone to give it a listen by clicking here.

Seeing this quote in context is also important though.  It was written by St. Paul (of Tarsus).  In the 13th chapter he is discussing how to worship God when he turns to the topic of love and opens the chapter his way:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)

Following the first quote on this page is another well-known verse:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

~ 1 Corinthians 13:11-12 (NIV)

This always give me a sense that Paul understood the way that we are able to mature in our thoughts and spirituality just as we mature physically.  The Baha’is believe that humankind has been undergoing our own spiritual maturation over millennia and each successive manifestation of God was able to reveal more and more of God’s message to us.

It is not just by means of morality and religious observances, not by great learning nor by attainments in meditation, nor by living alone, nor by thinking,"I am enjoying a spiritual happiness which ordinary people do not know" that a bhikkhu* achieves peace if he has not achieved the elimination of inflowing thoughts.

~ Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards)

I imagine those “inflowing thoughts” to be the temptations and desires of this world.  The Baha’is are instructed to resist the desires of materialism and placing the accumulation of things above service to others and to God.  But, in this Buddhist text we see that no matter what else we do in our efforts to become closer to God, such as adherence to observances, prayer and meditation will mean nothing if we cannot eliminate the inflowing thoughts.

* Bhikku is the term for an adult Buddhist monk. 

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility. We pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy and the cold of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to answer.

~ Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93
Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 285

This particular quote has been one of my favorites as it is comprised of small commands or directives on how to live one’s life.  In many ways, it reminds me of the Beatitudes from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount:

¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them saying:
³“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
⁵Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
⁷Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God.
¹⁰Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

~ Matthew 5:1-12, NIV

And Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit.

~ Romans 1:4 NLT

At the end of this post, I have included three narratives of the Resurrection from the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Luke and Mark).  I intentionally have omitted the verses from the Gospel of John because I have always felt the theology in this book differs from the rest—it reads as heavily evangelistic and therefore loses its neutrality and accuracy as an historical record.

I believe that the resurrection was a metaphor for the realization by the followers of Jesus Christ that he was a manifestation of God, and not just a charismatic spiritual leader.  After he had died, they felt his presence and guidance again – it was his spirit that appeared to them, not his body clad in white robes.  As can be seen from the excerpts below, the apparition was not recognized for what the modern-day church interprets as being either.  I could provide much supporting evidence for my viewpoint, but that is not my intention in this post.

Rather, I would like to remind people that this is a day to celebrate and to remember that it was on Easter Sunday when Jesus was recognized as a messenger from God that truly founded Christianity and enabled its beautiful message to be sent throughout the world.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

~ Matthew 28:1-10, NIV

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

~ Mark 16:1-8, NIV

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

~ Luke 24:1-12