Saturday, March 8, 2008

Healing . . .


There are many opinions in the world about healing — physical, spiritual, and their intermingling.

I'll wade into the global discussion with:

O ye friends of God! True friends are even as skilled physicians, and the Teachings of God are as healing balm, a medicine for the conscience of man. They clear the head, so that a man can breathe them in and delight in their sweet fragrance. They waken those who sleep. They bring awareness to the unheeding, and a portion to the outcast, and to the hopeless, hope.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 22)

And, in a more impassioned mode:

Naked am I, O my God! Clothe me with the robe of Thy tender mercies. I am sore athirst; give me to drink of the oceans of Thy bountiful favor. I am a stranger; draw me nearer unto the source of Thy gifts. I am sick; sprinkle upon me the healing waters of Thy grace. I am a captive; rid me of my bondage, by the power of Thy might and through the force of Thy will, that I may soar on the wings of detachment towards the loftiest summits of Thy creation. Thou, verily, doest what Thou choosest. There is no God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious, the Unconstrained.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 103)

Here's a rare, highly polished gem of wisdom:

Health is the greatest gift;
contentment is the greatest wealth;
trusting is the best relationship;
nirvana is the highest joy.
(Dhammapada - Sayings of the Buddha 2 (tr. J. Richards))

Of course, there is the Healing of the Manifestations of God:

4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
(King James Bible, Matthew)

Also, the healing effect of proper utterance:

16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
(King James Bible, Proverbs)

Then, a strong hint at a correct "method":

She can hardly conceive of a person in full spiritual health whose life is not one of prayer.
(St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel)

And, very sadly, the negative effect of the Scriptures on the unbeliever:

44. Had We sent this as a Qur'án (in a language) other than Arabic, they would have said: "Why are not its verses explained in detail? What! (a Book) not in Arabic and (a Messenger) an Arab?" Say: "It is a guide and a healing to those who believe; and for those who believe not, there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness in their (eyes); they are (as it were) being called from a place far distant!"
(The Qur'an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 41)

I can't leave this topic without directing you to the Words of the Master. . .