Wanderings

With fixed and steady gaze, born of the unerring eye of God, scan for a while the horizon of divine knowledge, and contemplate those words of perfection which the Eternal hath revealed, that haply the mysteries of divine wisdom, hidden ere now beneath the veil of glory and treasured within the tabernacle of His grace, may be made manifest unto you. The denials and protestations of these leaders of religion have, in the main, been due to their lack of knowledge and understanding. Those words uttered by the Revealers of the beauty of the one true God, setting forth the signs that should herald the advent of the Manifestation to come, they never understood nor fathomed.

~ Bahá’u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 16-17

Today is the Feast of Kalimat, which means ‘words’.

TeacherJay Kitab-i-Iqan Feast, knowledge, manifestations, spiritual maturation

O SON OF SPIRIT!
My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee its home, it cannot be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured.

~ Baha’u'llah, Arabic Hidden Words #20

So great and powerful is God that His effect and influence on us cannot be ignored, hidden, avoided, nor denied.  He is not just there for us when we need Him—He is in us.

TeacherJay Hidden Words, The faith, God's Love, manifestations

Attachment to the lantern is not loving the light.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 151

Some of the most poignant Baha’i quotations are the shortest as well.  This one always reminds me that we should not pay so much attention to the rituals or even the founding prophet of any religion, but instead listen to the message that particular manifestation of God was telling to the world.  Too often I have seen people miss that entirely and insist on strict adherence to religious practices that were invented long after the prophet and moved on to another world.  There sometimes is an insistence that being faithful is only about how we wash our hands, what we eat for dinner on Friday night, when we can drive, or what color clothing we should wear.  Alas, this is but mimicry of loving others and following in the path of God.

TeacherJay Promulgation of Universal Peace, The manifestations, mankind, prophets, rituals

Give me to drink of the river that is life indeed, whose waters have streamed forth from the Paradise (Ridvan) in which the throne of Thy Name, the All-Merciful, was established, that mine eyes may be opened, and my face be illumined, and my heart be assured, and my soul be enlightened, and my steps be made firm.

~ Baha’u'llah, Baha’i Prayer

In this, the last day of Ridvan, we commemorate when Baha’u’llah left the garden as a prophet of God and his true work began.  He had already been a spiritual leader and a follower of the The Báb, but it was during his time waiting in the Garden of Ridvan outside of Baghdad before leaving for Constantinople that his days as a manifestation, as the “Him Whom God shall make manifest” began.  Although it was on the first day that his proclamation began, I find the 12th day to be just as spiritually uplifting because it celebrates when Baha’u’llah left the garden to spread forth God’s message.

TeacherJay Baha'u'llah, Prayers holiday, manifestations, paradise, prayer, prophets

O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names.

~ Baha’u'llah, Baha’i Prayer

We all need healing in our lives—even when there is nothing specific to heal.  We all go through tests and difficulties.  God has a plan.  I, like many people, have been through some very difficult times in my life and questioned God’s wisdom for leading me through such hardships.  I wish I could repeat the old axiom that it all just made me stronger, but I’m still not so sure about that.  I do know that those hard times have me what I am today though.  They have influenced me and will continue to guide my thoughts and actions.  I would like to think that I am better because of them.  At this time, I pass through another difficult, and scary time in my own life, I say this pray and try to remember that God has sent this for me in order that I may become closer to Him.

TeacherJay Baha'u'llah, Prayers difficulties, healing, knowledge, manifestations, prayer, tests

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.

TeacherJay Islam Allah, faith, manifestations, Mohamed, oneness of God, progressive revelation, prophets, unity, worship

At two hours before sunset today will begin the 12-day Festival of Ridvan.  This is a time commemorating the 12 days in 1863 that Baha’u’llah revealed that he ws a manifestation of God and the Baha’i Faith began.

Verily, all created things were immersed in the sea of purification when, on that first day of Ridvan, We shed upon the whole of creation the splendours of Our most excellent Names and Our most exalted Attributes.

~ Baha’u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 47

On this day (along with the 9th and 12th days of Ridvan), Baha’is will abstain from work and school and celebrate through community gatherings, prayers, and in some places, the election of the Local Spiritual Assembly—the local administrative council.

TeacherJay Kitab-i-Aqdas administration, declaration, faith, holiday, manifestations, prophets, worship

Our purpose is to show how true religion promotes the civilization and honor, the prosperity and prestige, the learning and advancement of a people once abject, enslaved and ignorant, and how, when it falls into the hands of religious leaders who are foolish and fanatical, it is diverted to the wrong ends, until this greatest of splendors turns into blackest night.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 78

I often hear the comment from people that they are uninterested in “organized religion,” and when I ask why, or what it was that turned them away it is normally something related to the practices of the religious institution, the admonishments from other parishioners on the adherence to religious laws, a disagreement in interpretation of scripture, or something of this type.  Rarely is their repulsion from spirituality related to disbelief in God, but to the wrongs of man and how the original message of the particular manifestation, whether it be Abraham, Jesus or Mohamed has been perverted.

For years I felt this way as well and shunned the Church.  I was fond of saying that I did not have a problem with Christianity, but I did have a problem with my fellow Christians.  It took me years to realize that I was harming myself by not seeing through those forces that were darkening the brilliance of God’s message.  When I began searching I found a deeper spiritual truth.

TeacherJay Secret of Divine Civilization, The Abraham, faith, Jesus, manifestations, Mohamed, rituals, unity

Today is the day that most Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  To me, this should be viewed as the central holiday of the faith as it commemorates the return of the “Son of God”.  In fact, the Apostle Paul (St. Paul, Paul of Tarsus) in his letter to the Romans (which was dictated just prior to his first trip to Rome to teach the gospel) described it this way:

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

TeacherJay Christianity faith, Gospels, Jesus, manifestations, New Testament

All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the Source of all glory and majesty, of greatness and honor, of sovereignty and dominion, of loftiness and grace, of awe and power. Whomsoever Thou willest Thou causest to draw nigh unto the Most Great Ocean, and on whomsoever Thou desirest Thou conferrest the honor of recognizing Thy Most Ancient Name. Of all who are in heaven and on earth, none can withstand the operation of Thy sovereign Will.  From all eternity Thou didst rule the entire creation, and Thou wilt continue for evermore to exercise Thy dominion over all created things. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.

Illumine, O Lord, the faces of Thy servants, that they may behold Thee; and cleanse their hearts that they may turn unto the court of Thy heavenly favors, and recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day-Spring of Thine Essence. Verily, Thou art the Lord of all worlds. There is no God but Thee, the Unconstrained, the All-Subduing.

~ Baha’u'llah

This prayer is the first in the “Praise and Gratitude” section of my prayer book – the one I use is a very popular edition that can be found in many Baha’i homes.  The first paragraph contains some words of praise and statements of the power of God to draw people close to Him such that no one would be able to resist nearness to Him if it were His will.  Rather than commanding this closeness, however, God loves the disbeliever first in an effort to make this person realize what they have missed and to recognize the manifestation that has appeared on Earth to instruct them in God’s message.

I believe strongly that these prayers were written not just for praise of God, but were intended just as much for what they remind us to do and who to be.  When the person reciting this prayer requests of God to illumine the faces and cleanse the hearts of His servants in order that they recognize the manifestation of God for this age, it is a personal request as well because every Baha’i is one of those servants.  When we say this prayer, we are not just praising God in our gratitude for the wonders he has bestowed upon us, but also asking Him and telling ourselves to continue in this path.  Just because we have declared ourselves as Baha’is, does not mean that we are no longer part of the un-illumined, but rather that we are just one step further on the journey.

TeacherJay Baha'u'llah, Prayers grace, manifestations, reflection, spiritual journey

There is one God; mankind is one; the foundations of religion are one. Let us worship Him, and give praise for all His great Prophets and Messengers who have manifested His brightness and glory.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 20

Today is the Feast of Jalál which is the Persian word for glory.  This quote from a talk that Abdu’l-Baha gave on Sunday, September 10th, 1911 at the City Temple in London reflects the Baha’i concept that all of the world’s religions are one.  They are all founded on the same truths and the various Prophets and Messengers of God whom have come during the ages should be all be praised as they reflect the glory of God.

TeacherJay Abdu'l-Baha in London Feast, glory, manifestations, unity

The Divine Messengers have been sent down, and their Books were revealed, for the purpose of promoting the knowledge of God, and of furthering unity and fellowship amongst men.

~ Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12

Baha’is believe that the founders of each of the major religions were Divine Messengers of the same God.  We believe in only one God, and only one true religion.  These manifestations were able to give us texts—from the Zand-i-Avesta to the Qur’ān and from the Tripiṭaka to the New Testament—these books were meant to provide us with instructions on how to create a more unified and peaceful world.  Each one revealed to us more of God’s message.

TeacherJay Epistle to the Son of the Wolf independent investigation of truth, manifestations, progressive revelation, prophets, spiritual maturation, unity

The different religions have one truth underlying them; therefore, their reality is one. … In brief, every one of the divine religions contains essential ordinances, which are not subject to change, and material ordinances, which are abrogated according to the exigencies of time. But the people of the world have forsaken the divine teachings and followed forms and imitations of the truth. Inasmuch as these human interpretations and superstitions differ, dissensions and bigotry have arisen, and strife and warfare have prevailed. By investigating the truth or foundation of reality underlying their own and other beliefs, all would be united and agreed, for this reality is one; it is not multiple and not divisible.

~ Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 105-106

When viewed objectively, all of the world’s major religions have the same message at their core.  It is one of peace and love for each other that directs us to focus our lives on service to God by doing His will.  The Baha’is believe that the founders of these religions are all different manifestations of the same God.  For this reason, to Baha’is there is just one religion.

TeacherJay Promulgation of Universal Peace, The independent investigation of truth, manifestations, progressive revelation, unity