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/

Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.

~ Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 259

This is one of my favorite quotes because it tells us that not only are their hidden treasures within all of us, but the only way that we can see them is to first educate.  By doing so, these treasures will be made available not just to the one who holds them, but to all of mankind.

Nicknamed the “Lotus Temple”, the building certainly bears a resemblance to a Lotus flower, and is often mistaken for the Sydney Opera House.  I had seen many pictures of it before, but there was something about these projections that jut out relatively low on the building that I wanted to see.  From the edge of the reflecting pools at the very base of the temple I was able to capture this shot.  It was important to me because I was seeing this well-known symbol of the Faith from a different perspective which is somewhat of a metaphor for the way in which I strive to see life from a different angle.  Traveling across the globe to India was as far from “home” as I had ever been, but it was still comforting to know that even as I experienced a new culture, I was in the midst of something familiar.

It is evident that although education improves the morals of mankind, confers the advantages of civilization and elevates man from lowest degrees to the station of sublimity, there is nevertheless a difference in the intrinsic or natal capacity of individuals. Ten children of the same age, with equal station of birth, taught in the same school, partaking of the same food, in all respects subject to the same environment, their interests equal and in common, will evidence separate and distinct degrees of capability and advancement; some exceedingly intelligent and progressive, some of mediocre ability, others limited and incapable. One may become a learned professor while another under the same course of education proves dull and stupid. From all standpoints the opportunities have been equal but the results and outcomes vary from the highest to lowest degree of advancement. It is evident therefore that mankind differs in natal capacity and intrinsic intellectual endowment. Nevertheless although capacities are not the same, every member of the human race is capable of education.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 55

As an educator I can tell you that different children have different skills, talents and abilities.  No matter what their upbringing, previous training, or experience, it seems that some children have a different capacity for learning some material and therefore excelling in activities that take advantage of those abilities.  Perhaps this is an effect of their differing interests, but still… have different interest despite having the same treatment.  God’s will in the development and maturation of a child fascinates me and is largely responsible for my own choice in profession and has guided my life.

Unto every father hath been enjoined the instruction of his son and daughter in the art of reading and writing and in all that hath been laid down in the Holy Tablet.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 45 (p. 37)

I have learned a great many things from my father during my lifetime.  Perhaps, the most profound of them is simply the love of reading.  Reading for entertainment, discovery, knowledge, broadening my own horizons.  He set that example for me and that gave me the skill and know-how to discern my own way in life – to read new texts and to make sense of them as I investigated what was true and what was real in this world.  Thank you, dad.

The fact that we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth, for truth is one.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 136

Many of the greatest discoveries and advancements in history came from someone considering, even if just for a moment, if what we had always believed and accepted as fact were wrong.  Sometimes we must consider that there are alternatives to what we know to be right; that sometimes it is possible for multiple viewpoints to all be correct.  When we reach that point we may begin to understand not just the truth, but each other.

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.

If Christians of all denominations and divisions should investigate reality, the foundations of Christ will unite them. No enmity or hatred will remain, for they will all be under the one guidance of reality itself.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 198

Having lived as a Christian for many years, I remember vividly the problems that arise between different denominations of the Church.  With so many different sects whose beliefs all come from the same message from Christ it always bothered me that they let petty differences that were the result of man’s intervention keep them apart.  During the time they were arguing over how to do communion, if people could marry outside the denomination or if baptism required a few drops of water or a full body immersion, they were bickering over thins that were irrelevant to God’s will and making a mockery of it.  I have always appreciated that the Baha’i Faith has not fractured into sects, though I fear that it may happen one day.  We are directed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas to not allow that to happen, but sometimes what is written does not come to pass.

It was while Abdul Baha was in Paris that a group composed of different sects awaited an audience to argue their various faiths. Suddenly this divine teacher of men swept into the room and pointing out of the window, exclaimed: "The sun of truth rises in each season from a different point of the horizon — to-day it is here, yesterday it was there, and to-morrow it will appear from another direction. Why do you keep your eyes eternally fixed on the same point? Why do you call yourselves Christians, Buddhists, Mohammedans, Bahais? You must learn to distinguish the sun of truth from whichever point of the horizon it is shining! People think religion is confined in an edifice, to be worshipped at an altar. In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through life.

"This movement eludes organization — it is the realization of a new spirit. The foundation of that spirit is the love of God; and its method, the love and service of mankind. Many who have never heard of this revelation teach its laws and spiritual truths.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 14

This description of Abdu’l-Baha is stunning.  A major reason that I became a Baha’i is that I had already come to believe in all of the principles of the Faith before ever learning the name of Baha’u’llah.  Accepting that he was the latest manifestation of God was easy for me at that point.  I have heard this similar story echoed from numerous others as well.  To me, the concepts of unity, world peace, harmony of science and religion, equality of men and women, the establishment of a universal auxiliary language, providing education for all, and that all religions are worshipping the same God were what made me a Baha’i.  Anyone who deigns to serve mankind and promote these truths is showing the love of God.

These lines are the very end of the song and were originally worded as:

I can’t see how you’re leading me unless you’ve led me here
Where I’m lost enough to let myself be led
And so you’ve been here all along I guess
It’s just your way and you are just plain hard to get

I see these four lines as a depiction of someone realizing, perhaps for the first time, that the troubles of life may have been the journey that God had planned for him.  It is both humbling, but uplifting to learn that the whole time through all of those hardships that God was not making him suffer, but actually there to serve as the guide to lead him through.  The man was not able to understand what God had in store, or what His intentions were, or even that God was the one leading him.  He must have thought that God had abandoned him.  But, then he realized that would not happen, and as confusing it may seem, this was just God’s way.

The Baha’i Faith teaches us that we are not yet ready to comprehend many things in God’s kingdom.  As each generation passes we learn more, and throughout our development, different manifestations have come to explain more of it to us.  Jesus Christ was one of those manifestations and His message is that of God.  Baha’u’llah was the latest of those manifestations and His message is that of God.

I saw something more in these lines though… I love the idea that before we can be led, we must first be lost.  Many times in life, I felt that I was strong, capable, independent and needed no leadership from anyone—that I was a leader.   I believed that I knew who I was and where I was going in life—that I was the one responsible for my successes and even my failures.  Some hard times came, and I will not pretend that I always had faith—I doubted, I tested, I did things I am not proud of.  There was never one cathartic event in my life that made me think that I had hit bottom, or in which I became a new person, but believe me when I tell you I wandered for a long time… and still am wandering.

Not until I had lived enough of life and lost my direction to the point that I was ready to follow and not to lead all of the time did I find and accept the Baha’i Faith.  In other words, I had to lose myself enough to be led.

(Incidentally, this line comes from the same song as the line, “Only lashing at the one who loves me the most”, which I have already written about here.)

O SON OF MAN!
Rejoice in the gladness of thine heart, that thou mayest be worthy to meet Me and to mirror forth My beauty.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words #36

I love the imagery of the mirror… it comes up frequently in Baha’i writings.  There is something special about becoming worthy of reflecting the illimitable radiance of God’s love.  Worthy is a word that I wanted to focus on though.  It is an awesome gift and privilege to be permitted to carry on God’s grace, but also one that comes with responsibility.  The Hidden Words, are just that… they have so many hidden meanings.  The more I look at writings such as this, the more I see.  For example, could the word ‘mayest’ be taken to mean that the gladness is in the reader’s heart and s/he will mirror forth Baha’u’llah’s beauty, or is there a test that must be passed?  What is meant by the word ‘meet’?  Should that be taken as a literal meaning, or is that just figurative that we will meet in a more spiritual connection.  I don’t have answers to these questions, and never well, but it is these daily readings that keep me interested and asking questions in my own quest to make sense out of the world.

Knowledge is love. Study, listen to exhortations, think, try to understand the wisdom and greatness of God. The soil must be fertilized before the seed can be sown.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, “Star of the West” Vol. 20, No. 10, p. 314

To the Baha’is, the Independent Investigation of Truth and devotion to studying the word of God are very important.  In order to learn and understand, to be true receptacles of such knowledge, we must become educated.  All Baha’is are asked to read something of the many volumes of authoritative texts every day.  There is no specified amount to satisfy this obligation—simply enough to cause the reader to pause, reflect and think about the wonders of God.

Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 85

I have appreciated this quote since I first ran across it.  Having (almost) always lived near the ocean, I find the imagery of immersing myself into an ocean of words to be comforting.  The salty ocean water does not allow a person sink—it envelops the body, yet supports it.  I was also fascinated, yet intimidated by the vast depth of the ocean and the mysteries that lay beneath that dark water.  In this directive from what the Baha’is call ‘the Most Holy Book’, we see how we are encouraged to seek out the truths that lie beneath the surface of the Baha’u’llah’s words.  When we do, we will discover beautiful pearls of wisdom.

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.

There are certain pillars which have been established as the unshakeable supports of the Faith of God. The mightiest of these is learning and the use of the mind, the expansion of consciousness, and insight into the realities of the universe and the hidden mysteries of Almighty God.

To promote knowledge is thus an inescapable duty imposed on every one of the friends of God.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 126

Education is a very important concept in the Baha’i Faith.  Through formal training and learning to use one’s mind effectively, the secrets and mysteries can be revealed.  Not only are we responsible to learn for ourselves, and for the benefit of our direct offspring, but to support and promote education for boys and girls all over the world.  Ensuring the access to education so that all children can learn and embark on their own journeys through the world’s knowledge and to interpret it for themselves is a core belief of the Baha’i Faith.

The Bahá’í Faith recognizes the unity of God and of His Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of poverty and wealth, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment and safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.

~ Shoghi Effendi, The Bahá’í Faith – The World Religion: A Summary of Its Aims, Teachings and History

I really appreciate this single paragraph that summarizes the beliefs of the Baha’is.  I ran across it in a collection of excerpts of the writings titled “Teachings for the New World Order.”  That term has been used several times during the 20th century and beginning of the 21st.  It was normally following wars, i.e. WWI, WWII and the Cold War, and used to describe the hopes of what would come—more specifically that after all of the death and destruction preceding those times, that people would change, that the world would have to change.

While it seems in those cases the world, though it may never be the same, did revert back to its previous pettiness—prejudice and poverty still persist.  However, as Baha’is we pray for the day when people will put these feelings aside and learn how we can live together and allow religion to be the cohesive force that binds us, not the wedge that divides us.

There are events that happen to all of us that seem a mystery.  They are God’s mysteries and not meant for us to understand.  What is important to take away is that even if little Fiona lived for only a few minutes, she lived.  Considering the shortness of her life, the impact she had on others was infinitely more than other people who lived for decades.  As painful as the experiences can be, we never come away from them the same.  As was also mentioned in yesterday’s post, as mortal beings we do not have the capacity to understand all of God’s plan for us, but that does not mean that He is not there with a plan.  It is because of God’s love for us that we experiences both the joys and hardships and joys of life, and it should be out of love for Him that we accept the good with the bad and have faith and trust in his wisdom.