Who Can Find The Truth ?

Christ's disciples were mostly people of no social account. In the early days of His Mission, Muhammad was not known for social power or renown. Moses was a murderer...

Yet we all know folk who pride themselves on what they own or who they control or, who feel better in direct proportion to who bows down to them.

Today's quote from Reality addresses this:

"How often the most insignificant of men have acknowledged the
truth, while the most learned have remained wrapt in veils. Thus in
every Dispensation a number of souls enter the fire by reason of
their following in the footsteps of others."

The Báb: Selections from the Writings of the Báb, "Excerpts from
the Persian Bayán", pp. 90-91, citing Váhid IV, Chapter 18

Who are You listening to for the Truth ?

I think The One wrong action that confuses more people about religion, spirituality and God than anything else is to rely exclusively on what other humans think and say (including what the clergy says...).

We may want to talk to others we trust to check-in with their opinions but we must never forget that it is opinion.

Yes, Truth is Truth, no doubt. Yet, humans are humans with our well-known ability to refract the Truth through the lens of our egos into partial truths.

We must face God ourselves to find the Truth then celebrate the muti-faceted expression of it with our fellow humans!

I find the following quote from Reality particularly powerful:

"… they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of
certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly—their ears
from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from
worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They
should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in
His way. Then will they be made worthy of the effulgent glories of
the sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the
recipients of a grace that is infinite and unseen, inasmuch as man
can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the All-Glorious, can
never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom, can
never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of
divine nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the
words and deeds of mortal men as a standard for the true
understanding and recognition of God and His Prophets."

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraphs 1-2, pp. 3-4

Humans really DO need help running their lives !!!

Very short commentary today since the quote below is a "follow-on" to yesterday's excerpt from Reality. Here we have more about how mere humans have tried and failed to guide humanity...

"We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed
with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its
bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are
intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it
and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have
entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their
devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have
they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight
to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection
CVI, p. 213

"But... Do I have to believe in God?

Onward we trudge through select quotes from the compilation, Reality.

~~~

Happens mostly when we're young--doin' whatevah we damn well wanna do...

I'm into my sixth decade and glad for all the experience but sobered by all I must now do because back then I didn't...

"Yeah, but isn't God an illusory concept we can live without--haven't philosophers given us a Human code of ethics?

Nope.

If you look carefully enough, you'll see that all the merely human theories have failed miserably and led humanity to the brink of hopeless loss.

My parents were both ministers and I still went "astray"...

Because of certain "Godless" activities I engaged in in my 20s, I'm now taking a very debilitating treatment for Hepatitis C--no fun but reminding me clearly that I should have paid better "attention"...

"Men at all times and under all conditions stand in need of one to
exhort them, guide them and to instruct and teach them. Therefore
He hath sent forth His Messengers, His Prophets and chosen ones
that they might acquaint the people with the divine purpose
underlying the revelation of Books and the raising up of
Messengers, and that everyone may become aware of the trust of
God which is latent in the reality of every soul."

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, "Lawh-i-Maqsúd" or "Tablet of
Maqsúd", p. 161

A Devil of an Ego

"The Devil made me do it!", is a sentence used to indicate a lack of control, a shoddy sense of discipline, a capitulation to a power outside one's own sphere of influence.

That last paragraph is just slightly less confusing than most folks' conception of what the "Devil" means and what "he" does...

Being spiritual demands a certain discipline. It's not easy, not "natural" for "intelligent animals".

Here's a few more of my beliefs:

We're both spiritual and animal, at least while on earth.

The "devil" is our uncontrolled use of our egos.

True spiritual living is arduous and not "natural" for the part of our nature that's fleshy and "of the earth"...

So, now, I'll quote what I feel is a marvelous statement that sums all this up (from the compilation, Reality}:

“Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to gain
the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be
freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle
fancies—gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are
responsible for the misery of their wretched worshippers.”

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 86

Merely Human Effort

I've been quoting from the compilation of Spiritual Writings I compiled last year, Reality. I'm certainly not going to put all the excerpts here (305 pages worth), I'm picking and choosing the ones I feel fit into this blogging medium.

One reminder: clicking on the Reality link in that last paragraph will take you to the page where you can download that book for absolutely no cash...

I think I'm gonna leave any commentary on today's quote in abeyance 'till there's at least one of your comments:

“How truly hath he [Muhammad] said: ‘All human attainment moveth
upon a lame ass, whilst Truth, riding upon the wind, darteth across
space.’”

(Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraph 204, pp. 172-173)

Mind Over Matter

Today's quote from Reality is quite a challenge for many people:

“The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress and development of
the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are independent of the physical
body.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

It sure seems that the body rules feelings and determines joy and sorrow...

What about people who experience great bodily pain from violent attacks, either from germs or other humans?

And, what about those people who have these bodily pains and continue to radiate joy and contentment?

Yes, they certainly seem few and far between but is that any reason to deny the truth that the soul exists far beyond the limitations of the body.

Seems it all depends on the volition to train ourselves to master the insistence of our merely bodily demands.

What are your experiences with this kind of effort?

Spirit and Mind

The next quote from Reality is a bit longer then the first few and its form is more like a science talk than poetry. Some folk feel that Spirituality and Science are forever-antagonistic fields. I feel this quote puts that feeling to a test...

“The logical proof of the immortality of the spirit is this, that no sign can
come from a nonexisting thing -- that is to say, it is impossible that from
absolute nonexistence signs should appear -- for the signs are the
consequence of an existence, and the consequence depends upon the
existence of the principle. So from a nonexisting sun no light can radiate;
from a nonexisting sea no waves appear; from a nonexisting cloud no rain
falls; a nonexisting tree yields no fruit; a nonexisting man neither
manifests nor produces anything. Therefore, as long as signs of existence
appear, they are a proof that the possessor of the sign is existent.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

We seem to have a logical statement that shows that, if we see "Signs" of our Souls or Spirits, the Sign itself proves the existence of the Spiritual entity...

What are your thoughts?

Souls and Suns

The quote from Reality for today is:

“The soul of man is the sun by which his body is illumined, and from which it draweth its sustenance, and should be so regarded.”

Bahá’u’lláh

Once again we have the words "man" and "his" which in the original language of this Writer were non-sexually differentiated occurrences.

This statement would imply that we're not a body which gives life to a soul...

Seems to me that some folks claim they believe the soul is the primary factor of Life yet their actions (and hidden fears) say their soul is getting treated like a second-class cosmic citizen...

What are your thoughts and observations?