"Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves." ~~~ Bahá’u’lláh

Searchers on the spiritual Path will inevitably face the choice between their personal will and the Will of God.

The mystery of all this, to me, is that God gives us free will yet demands that we follow His Will.

The solution I've found to this enigma is that we never lose our free will when we freely decide to adhere to God's Wishes--our free will merely refuses to choose actions that are ungodly...

"Say: The heavens have been folded together, and the earth is held within His grasp, and the corrupt doers have been held by their forelock, and still they understand not. They drink of the tainted water, and know it not. Say: The shout hath been raised, and the people have come forth from their graves, and arising, are gazing around them. Some have made haste to attain the court of the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell, while still others are lost in bewilderment. The verses of God have been revealed, and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been manifested, and yet they are unaware of it. And when they behold the face of the All-Merciful, their own faces are saddened, while they are disporting themselves. They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light. Far from God be what they fondly imagine!"

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection XVII, pp. 41-42

"Be fair..."

I'm trying something a bit different today--extremely similar ideas from a number of different religious texts.

"...people take the evil way in deeds, the evil way in words, the evil way in thoughts; and by taking the evil way in deeds, words, and thoughts, at the dissolution of the body, after death, they fall into a downward state of existence, a state of suffering, into perdition, and the abyss of hell. But, this is the misery of sensuous craving, the heaping up of suffering in the future life, due to sensuous craving, conditioned through sensuous craving, caused by sensuous craving, entirely dependent on sensuous craving."

Buddha, the Word (The Eightfold Path)

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

King James Bible, 1 John, 3:17-18

"242. Whatever sin men commit by thoughts, words, or deeds, that they speedily burn away by penance, if they keep penance as their only riches.

"243. The gods accept the offerings of that Brahmana alone who has purified himself by austerities, and grant to him all he desires."

Hindu, Laws of Manu

"10 Whoso desireth power (should know that) all power belongeth to Allah. Unto Him good words ascend, and the pious deed doth He exalt; but those who plot iniquities, theirs will be an awful doom; and the plotting of such (folk) will come to naught."

The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 35 - The Creator

"Purity is for man, next to life, the greatest good, that purity, O Zarathushtra, that is in the Religion of Mazda for him who cleanses his own self with good thoughts, words, and deeds."

The Zend-Avesta, Avesta - Vendidad

"Be fair: Is the testimony of those acceptable and worthy of attention whose deeds agree with their words, whose outward behavior conforms with their inner life? The mind is bewildered at their deeds, and the soul marveleth at their fortitude and bodily endurance. Or is the testimony of these faithless souls who breathe naught but the breath of selfish desire, and who lie imprisoned in the cage of their idle fancies, acceptable? Like the bats of darkness, they lift not their heads from their couch except to pursue the transient things of the world, and find no rest by night except as they labor to advance the aims of their sordid life. Immersed in their selfish schemes, they are oblivious of the Divine decree. In the daytime they strive with all their soul after worldly benefits, and in the night season their sole occupation is to gratify their carnal desires. By what law or standard could men be justified in cleaving to the denials of such petty-minded souls and in ignoring the faith of them that have renounced, for the sake of the good pleasure of God, their life and substance, their fame and renown, their reputation and honor?"

Bahá’u’lláh: The Kitáb-i-Íqán, paragraph 250, pp. 207-208

"….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

"Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts..."

The year was 1865.

The place was Adrianople, Turkey (now Edirne).

Bahá’u’lláh had been banished there (for religious and political reasons) from His native Persia.

This link will give you some fascinating detail about the prayer Bahá’u’lláh revealed in Adrianople for a man named Ahmad.

Today's excerpt comes from that prayer:

"Say: O people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which have been enjoined ... by the Glorious, the Wise One. Verily He is the King of the Messengers and His book is the Mother Book did ye but know.

"Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto you from this prison. He hath but to deliver this clear message. Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord.

"O people, if ye deny these verses, by what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, O assemblage of false ones.

"Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are not, and never shall be able to do this, even should they combine to assist one another.

"O Ahmad! Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee.

"Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones, and be not of those who doubt.

"And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My path, or degradation for My sake, be not thou troubled thereby.

"Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers. For the people are wandering in the paths of delusion, bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears. Thus have We found them, as thou also dost witness.

"Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts and kept them from the path of God, the Exalted, the Great."

Compilations, Bahá'í Prayers, p. 209

"...corrosion of ungodliness ..."

The influence of materialism's corruption is much greater than most people realize--so many die in its clutches...

Something to remember while pondering today's excerpt is that it was revealed over 100 years ago!

"The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it.

"The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?"

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection XCIX, p. 20

"...O Ministers of State..."

We've seen many excerpts from Bahá’u’lláh in this blog: moral guidelines, ethical principles, and transcendental truths.

Today's quote is addressed directly to humanity's rulers...

"Say: It behoveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of God, and to forsake your own laws and regulations, and to be of them who are guided aright. Better is this for you than all ye possess, did ye but know it. If ye transgress the commandment of God, not one jot or one tittle of all your works shall be acceptable in His sight. Ye shall, erelong, discover the consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be repaid for them. This, verily, is the truth, the undoubted truth.

"How great the number of those who, in bygone ages, have committed the things ye have committed, and who, though superior to you in rank, have, in the end, returned unto dust, and been consigned to their inevitable doom! Would that ye might ponder the Cause of God in your hearts! Ye shall follow in their wake, and shall be made to enter a habitation wherein none shall be found to befriend or help you. Ye shall, of a truth, be asked of your doings, shall be called to account for your failure in duty with regard to the Cause of God, and for having disdainfully rejected His loved ones who, with manifest sincerity, have come unto you.

"It is ye who have taken counsel together regarding them, ye that have preferred to follow the promptings of your own desires, and forsaken the commandment of God, the Help in Peril, the Almighty.

"Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your backs the precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and others. Would that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be founded on justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with your corrupt inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By what right claim ye, then, to judge fairly between men? Are your rules and principles such as to justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding, hath presented Himself before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction on Him every day of grievous injury? Hath He ever, though it be for one short moment, disobeyed you? "

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection LXV, pp. 123-124

The Soul ~ Revisited

Since we humans are so seduced by the world and our body's desires, I feel we can't get enough knowledge about our souls.

I've mentioned here before that this blog, while being a service to others, is also an extremely important Spiritual Discipline for me.

Seems knowledge of the soul should be part of every human's continuing education...

"When we speak of the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates. If the soul identifies itself with the material world it remains dark, for in the natural world there is corruption, aggression, struggles for existence, greed, darkness, transgression and vice. If the soul remains in this station and moves along these paths it will be the recipient of this darkness; but if it becomes the recipient of the graces of the world of mind, its darkness will be transformed into light, its tyranny into justice, its ignorance into wisdom, its aggression into loving kindness; until it reach the apex. Then there will not remain any struggle for existence. Man will become free from egotism; he will be released from the material world; he will become the personification of justice and virtue, for a sanctified soul illumines humanity and is an honor to mankind, conferring life upon the children of men and suffering all nations to attain to the station of perfect unity."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy, Chapter 3: "Soul, Mind and Spirit: A Meditation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá", pp. 120-121

"...sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature."

To help you prepare to read today's main excerpt, I offer two aids:

#1 Disclaimer concerning the word
"Man"

#2 "Materially, man is the prisoner of nature; the least wind disturbs him, the cold hurts him, the heat incommodes him, a mosquito irritates him; but when we consider the intelligence of man, an elephant is powerless before him, a lion is his prisoner, and a boy of twelve can lead twelve hundred animals. Man dries up the sea, inundates the desert, circumnavigates the globe, discovers what is under the earth, rides upon the air and creates new sciences. These are the signs of the crowning spiritual power of man, -- that power which can make nature his prisoner."

--- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

"…the heart which receives a portion of the bounty of the Spirit becomes sanctified, good and pure—that is to say, the reality of man becomes purified and sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature. These natural impurities are evil qualities: anger, lust, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud, self-love, etc.

"Man cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the Holy Spirit."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 19: "The Baptism of Christ", p. 92

The Fruit Tree Metaphor

I'm a writer.

I realize the importance of words.

I also have a sense of their "slipperiness"...

From a Speech delivered 3 December 1912 by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at 780 West End Avenue, New York, New York: "Be not satisfied with words, but seek to understand the spiritual meanings hidden in the heart of the words."

"Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and will ever be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless tree is but fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite, highly desired and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character, virtuous deeds and a goodly utterance. The springtime for earthly trees occurreth once every year, while the one for human trees appeareth in the Days of God—exalted be His glory.

"Were the trees of men’s lives to be adorned in this divine Springtime with the fruits that have been mentioned, the effulgence of the light of Justice would, of a certainty, illumine all the dwellers of the earth and everyone would abide in tranquillity and contentment beneath the sheltering shadow of Him Who is the Object of all mankind.

"The Water for these trees is the living water of the sacred Words uttered by the Beloved of the world. In one instant are such trees planted and in the next their branches shall, through the outpourings of the showers of divine mercy, have reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however, hath never been nor will be worthy of any mention."

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, "Excerpts from Other Tablets" (excerpt #18), p. 257

"Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without. It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree.

"Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech."

Bahá’u’lláh: from a Tablet translated from Persian, quoted in the compilation Excellence in All Things, Selection #9

"….if this tree were entirely fruit, the vegetable perfections could not be attained; for leaves, blossoms and fruits are all necessary so that the tree may be adorned with utmost beauty and perfection. In the same way consider the body of man. It must be composed of different organs, parts and members."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 32: "Explanation of the Verse ‘For Many are Called but Few are Chosen’", p. 129