Thursday, January 17, 2008

"….the pursuit of passion and desire will wrap the eyes in a thousand veils ..."


To anyone who's made sincere efforts on the spiritual Path, "human" nature can become problematic...

We apparently have bodies and live on earth for very good reasons, even though our true nature soars in the heavens of Spirituality.

"….the pursuit of passion and desire will wrap the eyes in a thousand veils that rise out of the heart to blind the sight and the insight as well.

"Desire and self come in the door
And blot out virtue, bright before,

And a hundred veils will rise

From the heart, to blind the eyes."


‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 64

"....it is impossible for a human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice his own good for the good of the community except through true religious faith. For self-love is kneaded into the very clay of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial reward, he should neglect his own present material good."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 96-97

"Despair, both here and hereafter, is all you will gain from self-indulgence..."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 105

"The heart is a divine trust; cleanse it from the stain of self-love, adorn it with the coronal of pure intent…. This handful of days on earth will slip away like shadows and be over. Strive then that God may shed His grace upon you, that you may leave a favorable remembrance in the hearts and on the lips of those to come. 'And grant that I be spoken of with honor by posterity.'"[1]
[1 Qur'án 26:84.]

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 116

"This physical world of man is subject to the power of the lusts, and sin is the consequence of this power of the lusts, for it is not subject to the laws of justice and holiness. The body of man is a captive of nature; it will act in accordance with whatever nature orders. It is, therefore, certain that sins such as anger, jealousy, dispute, covetousness, avarice, ignorance, prejudice, hatred, pride and tyranny exist in the physical world. All these brutal qualities exist in the nature of man. A man who has not had a spiritual education is a brute."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 29: "Explanation of Verse Twenty-Two, Chapter Fifteen, of the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians", p. 119