outline of the Will and Testament

Featured here is an extended outline of the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. It is the entire original text formatted into logical lists. I find its incredibly useful for studying this document.

To download the outline, right-click here and select ‘Save As’ [outline_wta.pdf]

the modern seeker of Truth

a few weeks back i found these two highly amusing mock-up ‘magazine covers’ on theonion.com, a parody newspaper featuring satirical articles. one reads: ‘Eastern Religions: Which one is best for your abs?’ and the other: ‘Finding a Religion that doesn’t disrupt your current lifestyle’. and yet again they describe so vividly what society’s view on religion is.

  

studying God Passes By

here is a list of materials to be prepared for an in-depth study of Shoghi Effendi’s God Passes By. the list was provided by Mr. Dunbar, Member of the Universal House of Justice, at a youth class.

An outline for each chapter based on paragraph numbers

A set of questions and answers based on each chapter

Lists of the titles of the Central Figures of the Faith

Annotations on various points requiring further explanation

Short description of each of the tablets mentioned in the chapter

Geographical place names and maps identifying their locations

Biographical listings of individuals mentioned by chapter-separate lists for Persian and Western names

Cross references to quotes from the Central Figures and others. Where are they cited from? Where else are they quoted in Shoghi Effendi’s writings and message?

Sources for quotations cited from other than the Bahá’í writings

Charts and graphs of various points, when suitable

List and definition of oriental terms found in each chapter under various headings

Chronology of events in each chapter and for each of the four periods covered by the book

baha’is in newsweek magazine

In late April, Newsweek published a great article titled ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ discussing the re-discovery of pilgrimage as a spiritual transformative power. Unfortunately there was no single mention of the Baha’i Faith.

Today, in the September 17 edition, the following letter to the editor was published regarding the article:

Whose Sacred Spots?
Kudos to your writers for their April 30 piece “Pilgrim’s Progress,” chronicling religion’s grip on the human psyche the world over. Unfortunately, however, it also exposes their major blind spot in omitting mention of the places of pilgrimage of the Bahai faith, the world’s youngest independent religion, with its beautiful shrines on the slopes of Mount Carmel in Haifa. With its worldwide following of less than 10 million, the Bahai faith has followers in more than 200 countries. The nine-sided Bahai temples in various capitals of the world are universally acknowledged as are architectural masterpieces of ecumenical symbolism. Finally, you should have included the profoundly touching photo, also titled “Pilgrim’s Progress,” portraying Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims prostrating themselves every step of the way on their two-year journey to Lhasa. It would have strengthened your description of humanity’s eternal quest.

Jamshed K. Fozdar
Singapore

anticipation of guardianship in the bible

Dumbfounded as i still am from receiving this reference, it shall be shared here.

Isaiah, the greatest of the Hebrew Prophets (SE), writes: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might.” (11:1-2)

‘Abdu’l-Baha comments these words: “But these verses apply word for word to Bahá’u'lláh. Likewise in this marvelous cycle the earth will be transformed, and the world of humanity arrayed in tranquillity and beauty.” (SAQ62)

Isaiah, as he continues to describe his vision, writes: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” (11:6)

In 1897, just after the birth of the Beloved Guardian, an American believer enquired about this verse, wanting to know whether this was true and whether the child who would succeed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was then living. In response ‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed the following Tablet:

O Maidservant of God!

Verily, that child is born and is alive and from him will appear wondrous things that thou wilt hear of in the future. Thou shalt behold him endowed with the most perfect appearance, supreme capacity, absolute perfection, consummate power and unsurpassed might. His face will shine with a radiance that illumines all the horizons of the world; therefore forget this not as long as thou dost live inasmuch as ages and centuries will bear traces of him.

Upon thee be greetings and praise ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas

(quoted in Rabbani, Priceless Pearl)

However, in this Tablet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not reveal the identity of Shoghi Effendi as that child who would succeed Him, and thus the reader shall investigate the implications himself.

A soul-stirring first encounter with the Guardian in his infancy is described by Yunis Khan in his diary:

“For many days the occupants of the Pilgrim House had begged the Afnan [Shoghi Effendi's father] to see Shoghi Effendi. One day, unexpectedly, this child of four months was brought to the biruni [reception room of the Master]. The believers approached him with joy and I too had this privilege, but I said to myself ‘only look upon him as a Bahá’í child’. However I could not control my feelings because an inner force obliged me to bow low before him and for a moment I was bewitched by the beauty of this suckling child. I kissed the soft hair of his head and sensed such a power in him that I can find no words to express it, but only say he looked like the babe one sees in the arms of the Blessed Virgin. For several days the face of this child was before me, then gradually I forgot it. Two other times I had these same feelings, once when he was nine years old and once when he was eleven years old.”

‘The triumph of the Cause of God is in his hands.’

a stimulating and amazingly relevant tale

read and think:

Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter asked for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it. His salary was really good and so were the working conditions. For that reason, the woodcutter was determined to do his best.
His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to fell the trees.
The first day, the woodcutter brought 15 trees.
“Congratulations,” the boss said. “Carry on with your work!”
Highly motivated by the words of his boss, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring 10 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring 7 trees. Day after day he was bringing less and less trees.
“I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on.
“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

Good is not good, when the best is required. The key to success is to update our skills.
And there is one gloriously efficient way: the INSTITUTE PROCESS.

thank you to praveen for the story.

the ruhi process in the bhagavad gita

knowledge and action. action and knowledge. these twin duties are at the core and are the very nature of the institute process, and surprisingly or not, also the bhagavad gita. the fundamental purpose underlying the study of the Writings is the development of the knowledge of God. the Gita similarly offers countless verses on the attainment to God.

He who thus knows truly My divine birth and work, is no more born after death; he attains Me, O Arjuna. (BG_c4v9)

the Gita sees knowledge and action as inseparable. in fact, in order to attain knowledge of God, we must practice selfless action.

The ignorant say that knowledge and (selfless) action are different, (but) not the wise; practising thoroughly even one, a person attains the fruit of both. That status which is attained by men of knowledge is also attained by men of (selfless) action; he sees (truly) who sees the way of knowledge and that of (selfless) action as one. (BG_c5v4-5)

‘Abdu’l-Baha also writes: “All knowledge is good, but it can bear no fruit except by action.”

fascinatingly enough, in the ruhi method, we combine personal and collaborative study with acts of service, with action. Only a healthy blend of both, as also the Gita teaches, will enable us to effectively develop our qualities, attitudes, and skills which stand as the goal of the Institute Process. the creation of the structures of a new society essentially necessitates this transformation of the individual. the transformation is in turn brought about by knowledge and action.

and in this way the Institute Process, the very study circles and children’s classes that we conduct, are the fulfilment of the Divine Law of the Bhagavad Gita.

gita: fascinating correlation 1: chastity and supreme mind control

As it unfolds its Divine proclamation, the Bhagavad Gita continually stimulates the reader to reflect on the relationship of his mind and his actions. One of these captivating verses is the following:

That fool, who (outwardly) controlling the organs, of action keeps dwelling on sense objects with the mind, is called a hypocrite. (BG_c3v6)

It reminded me of an intriguing story my father loves to tell: One delightful spring morning two monks are walking down the slopes of a mountain. The dew of the morning is accompanied by blossoming flowers and trees, by birds warbling away. They soon come to a river and saw a beautiful young lady standing by the river, asking herself how to cross the waters. One of the monks immediately rushes forth, takes the lady on his arms, marches through the river, helpes the lady back on her feet, and continues his stroll through the hills at a normal pace. The other monk stands perplexed, then hurries after the other and also continues his contemplative morning walk. After several minutes, he finally askes his friend: ‘How can you permit yourself to carrying a female being?’ The first monk, without altering his pace, says: ‘While I left the woman at the riverside, she has till now found presence in your mind.’

And if he met the fairest and most comely of women, he would not feel his heart seduced by the least shadow of desire for her beauty. Such an one, indeed, is the creation of spotless chastity. (Baha’u'llah GWB-60)

Chastity in no way implies withdrawal from any human relationships. A person who is in control of his human impulses is enabled to have profound and enduring friendships with many people, both men and women. (UHJ)

Therefore always perform action which has to be done, unattached; verily, man attains the highest by performing action unattached. (BG_c3v19)

And in yet another way, the Bhagavad Gita shows us its supremacy in teaching detachment and sanctity in our actions. God-willing, we strive towards it.

the bhagavad gita: a thriller of spiritual truth

A thriller, because it must captivate any Baha’i reader with its astonishing parallels to the Hidden Words of Baha’u'llah and other spiritual Writings of the Faith. A thriller, because its seven hundred verses explain the relationship between God and the human soul like no other. A thriller, because it allows us to understand the spiritual Revelation of the Manifestation of Krishna beyond the cultural superficialities of modern Hinduism.

Although the date of Revelation is unknown (a majority of historians date it to approx. 300 BC) and it lost its exact wording throughout the centuries, it does contain the Word of God, if “only” in spiritual essence. Thus it provides the wonderful opportunity to validate the concept of Progressive Revelation from a perspective that is unknown to many Baha’is in the West. “Truth is one, the sages call it by different names” reads the Rig Veda; a verse that sounds like a preliminary version of the Kitab-i-Iqan to me.

Some fascinating relationships between verses of the Gita and the Baha’i Writings shall be shared here, however inadequate my knowledge of both Scriptures. We begin with the first six of the eighteen chapters of the Gita, which generally pre-elaborate on Baha’u'llah’s words: “Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.” These chapters discuss the relation of spiritual development, detachment and our actions. As a reference, I am using Swami Vireswarananda’s translation of the GIta, which, although it does not preserve the traditional rhyme scheme of the scripture, uses far more appropriate wording for the content.

As we delve into this topic of revelation, the first and single-most important statement of the Gita is the prophecy of the appearance of future Manifestations of God. Krishna says:

“Whenever, O descendant of Bharata, righteousness declines and unrighteousness prevails, I manifest Myself. For the protection of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of religion, I come into being from age to age.”

This verse conclusively states the time of the appearance of a Divine Author [Whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness prevails], the purpose of the Manifestations of God [For the protection of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of religion], and the prexistence of Progressive Revelation [I come into being from age to age.]

Not only must Hinduism be considered Divine Revelation equal in rank to Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and the Baha’i Faith [etc.], but it must also be given credit as one of the first to describe the process of Progressive Revelation. It should under no circumstances be considered a mere cultural experience of the Indian Peninsula. The Gita proves Itself in prophesying Baha’u'llah and demonstrating its spiritual Truth, here on the matter of Revelation.

And we shall continue to explore the Gita’s demonstrations of spiritual Truth,…

never place a period where God has placed a comma

In fact, a more appropriate phrase for this entry would be the opposite of Gracie Allen’s words: never place a comma, where God has placed a period. in other words, dont adjust religion where its absolute.

A lot of media attention is being given to the Pope’s latin mass issues. The Pontiff’s personal initiative eases restrictions on the Catholic Church’s traditional latin mass. Known as the Tridentine rite – delivered in Latin with the priest usually facing the altar, his back to the congregation — the old Mass (though never banned) had effectively been replaced. To me this move is very surprising, since most of Benedict’s reforms involve setting restrictions rather than easing them. In any case, Time reports: ‘The Pope does seem to have an affinity for the old Latin Mass, as he does generally for the Church’s ancient traditions. His explanatory letter states:

“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.”‘

It took me a while to understand the amazing implication of this statement: ‘What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred.’ It seems as though for him Holiness is a matter of consecration based on tradition. The pope’s attempt to accomodate more lines of thought thus effectively fulfills the Guardian’s promise of the deterioration of Christian institutions.

This confusion of tradition and faith reminded me of Baha’u'llah’s fascinating reference to the law of stoning in the Book of Certitude:

“Among them is the story of Ibn-i-Súríyá. When the people of Khaybar asked the focal center of the Muhammadan Revelation concerning the penalty of adultery committed between a married man and a married woman, Muhammad answered and said: “The law of God is death by stoning.” Whereupon they protested saying: “No such law hath been revealed in the Pentateuch.” Muhammad answered and said: “Whom do ye regard among your rabbis as being a recognized authority and having a sure knowledge of the truth?” They agreed upon Ibn-i-Súríyá.

“Thereupon Muhammad summoned him and said: “I adjure thee by God Who clove the sea for you, caused manna to descend upon you, and the cloud to overshadow you, Who delivered you from Pharaoh and his people, and exalted you above all human beings, to tell us what Moses hath decreed concerning adultery between a married man and a married woman.” He made reply: “O Muhammad! death by stoning is the law.” Muhammad observed: “Why is it then that this law is annulled and hath ceased to operate among the Jews?” He answered and said: “When Nebuchadnezzar delivered Jerusalem to the flames, and put the Jews to death, only a few survived. The divines of that age, considering the extremely limited number of the Jews, and the multitude of the Amalekites, took counsel together, and came to the conclusion that were they to enforce the law of the Pentateuch, every survivor who hath been delivered from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar would have to be put to death according to the verdict of the Book. Owing to such considerations, they totally repealed the penalty of death.” Meanwhile Gabriel inspired Muhammad’s illumined heart with these words: “They pervert the text of the Word of God.”

“Yea, in the writings and utterances of the Mirrors reflecting the sun of the Muhammadan Dispensation mention hath been made of “Modification by the exalted beings” and “alteration by the disdainful.” Such passages, however, refer only to particular cases.”