Practical Mystic

I've commented on many quotes from Reality but said nothing about the Individuals being quoted.

Today, I want to make a brief comment about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Who wrote the words of today's excerpt.

He was born in Iran in 1844 and lived till 1921. Forty of those years were spent as a prisoner because the Ottoman Empire didn't like His ideas.

He's been referred to as a Mystic who walks with practical feet and His quote below starts out quite simply but flows into some strange and wonderful territory:

"All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees. The organization of God is one; the evolution of existence is one; the divine system is one. Whether they be small or great beings, all are subject to one law and system. Each seed has in it from the first all the vegetable perfections. For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist from the beginning, but not visibly; afterward little by little they appear. So it is first the shoot which appears from the seed, then the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruits; but from the beginning of its existence all these things are in the seed, potentially, though not apparently.

"In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste—in one word, all the powers—but they are not visible and become so only by degrees.

"Similarly, the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created with all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms; but these only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then the plant, afterward the animal, and finally man. But from the first these kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped in the terrestrial globe, and then appeared only gradually. For the supreme organization of God, and the universal natural system, surround all beings, and all are subject to this rule. When you consider this universal system, you see that there is not one of the beings which at its coming into existence has reached the limit of perfection. No, they gradually grow and develop, and then attain the degree of perfection."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 51: "The Spirit
and Mind of Man have Existed from the Beginning", p. 199

Proof . . .

There are many "proofs" of God's existence. In fact there are many folk who need no proof--to them it seems self-evident.

One of the shortest proofs I've found is in this quote from Reality:

"Can the creation be perfect and the creator imperfect? Can a picture be a masterpiece and the painter imperfect in his art? For it is his art and his creation. Moreover, the picture cannot be like the painter; otherwise, the painting would have created itself. However perfect the picture may be in comparison with the painter it is in the utmost degree of imperfection."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 2: "Proofs and
Evidences of the Existence of God", p. 5

Where Do We Stand ?

For many days now the quotes I've commented on from Reality have extolled the elevated nature of God and His Manifestations.

Today it's our turn.

Just a quick reminder about the English language lacking a specifically sex-neutral pronoun...

"....whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to the revelation of that most great Light. Methinks, but for the potency of that revelation, no being could ever exist. How resplendent the luminaries of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all created things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and hath been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him are potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All these names and attributes are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: 'Man is My mystery, and I am his mystery.' Manifold are the verses that have been repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly Books and the holy Scriptures, expressive of this most subtle and lofty theme. Even as He hath revealed: 'We will surely show them Our signs in the world and within themselves.'(Qur’án 41:53) Again He saith: 'And also in your own selves: will ye not then behold the signs of God?'(Qur’án 51:21) And yet again He revealeth: 'And be ye not like those who forget God, and whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own selves.(Qur’án 59:29) In this connection, He Who is the eternal King—may the souls of all that dwell within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him—hath spoken: 'He hath known God who hath known himself.'

"....From that which hath been said it becometh evident that all things, in their inmost reality, testify to the revelation of the names and attributes of God within them. Each according to its capacity, indicateth, and is expressive of, the knowledge of God. So potent and universal is this revelation, that it hath encompassed all things, visible and invisible. Thus hath He revealed: 'Hath aught else save Thee a power of revelation which is not possessed by Thee, that it could have manifested Thee? Blind is the eye which doth not perceive Thee.' Likewise, hath the eternal King spoken: 'No thing have I perceived, except that I perceived God within it, God before it, or God after it.' Also in the tradition of Kumayl it is written: 'Behold, a light hath shone forth out of the Morn of eternity, and lo! its waves have penetrated the inmost reality of all men.' Man, the noblest and most perfect of all created things, excelleth them all in the intensity of this revelation, and is a fuller expression of its glory. And of all men, the most accomplished, the most distinguished and the most excellent are the Manifestations of the Sun of Truth."

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraphs 107, 109, pp. 92-94

More About The Manifestations

The past few posts have had excerpts from Reality that dealt with the inconceivably High Station of God and the relationship of Him to His Messengers or Manifestations.

However, I feel a strong need to add, once more, the information I have about that male pronoun we use in English for God. I've received information from people who use other languages (Arabic, Hebrew, etc.) who say they have a pronoun which has no sex associated with it. So, in English we choose the best we can and make God male because of His Creative rather than Receptive nature.

Some of the ideas expressed in this blog are well known by many folks but the information in today's quote, in my humble estimation, is quite surprising!

"...the Manifestations have three planes. First, the physical reality, which depends upon the body; second, the individual reality, that is to say, the rational soul; third, the divine appearance, which is the divine perfections, the cause of the life of existence, of the education of souls, of the guidance of people, and of the enlightenment of the contingent world. The physical state is the human state which perishes because it is composed of elements, and all that is composed of elements will necessarily be decomposed and dispersed. But the individual reality of the Manifestations of God is a holy reality, and for that reason it is sanctified and, in that which concerns its nature and quality, is distinguished from all other things. It is like the sun, which by its essential nature produces light and cannot be compared to the moon, just as the particles that compose the globe of the sun cannot be compare with those which compose the moon. The particles and organization of the former produce rays, but the particles of which the moon is composed do not produce rays but need to borrow light. So other human realities are those souls who, like the moon, take light from the sun; but that Holy Reality is luminous in Himself. The third plane of that Being is the Divine Bounty, the splendor of the Preexistent Beauty, and the radiance of the light of the Almighty. The individual realities of the Divine Manifestations have no separation from the Bounty of God and the Lordly Splendor. In the same way, the orb of the sun has no separation from the light. Therefore, it may be said that the ascension of the Holy Manifestation is simply the leaving of this elemental form. For example, if a lamp illumines this niche, and if its light ceases to illuminate it because the niche is destroyed, the bounty of the lamp is not cut off. Briefly, in the Holy Manifestations the Preexistent Bounty is like the light, the individuality is represented by the glass globe, and the human body is like the niche: if the niche is destroyed, the lamp continues to burn. The Divine Manifestations are so many different mirrors because They have a special individuality, but that which is reflected in the mirrors is one sun."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 39: "The Human
Condition and the Spiritual Condition of the Divine Manifestations",
pp. 154-155

Divine Unity

I'm sure you've heard the statement, "God is One".

Not as many people have heard that His Prophets and Messengers are One.

I believe this is the source of all Unity and is the theme of today's quote from Reality:

"If thou be of the inmates of this city within the ocean of divine unity, thou wilt view all the Prophets and Messengers of God as one soul and one body, as one light and one spirit, in such wise that the first among them would be last and the last would be first. For they have all arisen to proclaim His Cause and have established the laws of divine wisdom. They are, one and all, the Manifestations of his Self, the Repositories of His might, the Treasuries of His Revelation, the Dawning-Places of His splendour and the Daysprings of His light. Through them are manifested the signs of sanctity in the realities of all things and the tokens of oneness in the essences of all beings. Through them are revealed the elements of glorification in the heavenly realities and the exponents of praise in the eternal essences. From them hath all creation proceeded and unto them shall return all that hath been mentioned. And since in their inmost Beings they are the same Luminaries and the self-same Mysteries, thou shouldst view their outward conditions in the same light, that thou mayest recognize them all as one Being, nay, find them united in their words, speech, and utterance."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gems of Divine Mysteries, paragraph 44, pp. 33-34

Are God's Messengers The Same As God?

We've been exploring quotes from Reality that stress the unimaginable Power and Grace of God. We've also recently looked at some excerpts that claim there have been a number of Manifestations of God Who Each have brought humanity a Word of God.

Today's quote compares these Most Holy Manifestations and God Himself...

"Ten thousand Prophets, each a Moses, are thunderstruck upon the Sinai of their search at His forbidding voice, "Thou shalt never behold Me!"; whilst a myriad Messengers, each as great as Jesus, stand dismayed upon their heavenly thrones by the interdiction, "Mine Essence thou shalt never apprehend!" From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapt in the impenetrable mystery of His unknowable Essence. Every attempt to attain to an understanding of His inaccessible Reality hath ended in complete bewilderment, and every effort to approach His exalted Self and envisage His Essence hath resulted in hopelessness and failure."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection
XXVI, pp. 62-63

The Word of God

Yesterday's quote from Reality was about the various Manifestations of God, Each sent at a specific time to carry forward a deeper sense of the very same Truths.

As I said yesterday, some folk will fight tooth-and-nail to discredit this idea and others see it as refreshingly true.

Today's quote is about the Word of God.

If there have been different Manifestations over time, it follows there have been a number of Words of God...

"The Word of God is the king of words and its pervasive influence is incalculable. It hath ever dominated and will continue to dominate the realm of being. The Great Being saith: The Word is the master key for the whole world, inasmuch as through its potency the doors of the hearts of men, which in reality are the doors of heaven, are unlocked."

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, "Lawh-i-Maqsúd" or "Tablet of
Maqsúd", p. 173

God's Manifestations

The quote I selected from Reality for today could be the most challenging yet; even for those who definitely believe in God.

The key concept of this quote is the "Manifestation". It doesn't specify but other Writings of the Author stipulate that Abraham, Moses, Christ, Krishna, Buddha, and Muhammad, among others, are Manifestations of God.

Some folks balk big-time at this idea and others say, "Well, right on, that sounds extremely correct."

How do you feel about it?

"The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No man’s understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself.. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God. Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory."

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection
XXI, pp. 49-50

God Alone

Today, again, I'm selecting a powerful quote from Reality that, in no uncertain terms, stresses the Glory and Inscrutability of God.

When I was a young man, I was a fairly bothersome know-it-all.

Now that I'm in my sixties and facing the most debilitating health challenges of my life, I'm much more tractable, more willing to let others' lack of knowledge slide, and question myself closely about whether I really do know what I think I know.

I'll attempt to summarize the following eloquent quote in a few words: I am far above a rock in development and complexity. God is so much farther above me than I am above the rock that it's near silly to even try to contemplate by how much...

"The Essence of the Divine Entity and the Unseen of the unseen is holy above imagination and is beyond thought. Consciousness doth not reach It. Within the capacity of comprehension of a produced (or created) reality that Ancient Reality cannot be contained. It is a different world; from it there is no information; arrival thereat is impossible; attainment thereto is prohibited and inaccessible. This much is known: It exists and Its existence is certain and proven— but the condition is unknown. All the philosophers and the doctors know that It is, but they were perplexed in the comprehension of Its existence and were at last discouraged, and in great despair they left this world. For the comprehension of the condition and mysteries of that Reality of realities and Mystery of mysteries there is need for another power and another sense. That power and sense is not possessed by mankind, therefore they have not found any information."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in the compilation Japan Will Turn Ablaze, "Tablet of
‘Abdu’l-Bahá to Mr. Kanichi Yamamoto", p. 23