New Favourite Quote

All right, this is getting ridiculous.

I'm spending so much time trying to finish this book on the Iqan that I'm totally ignoring this blog. I think that needs to change.

Oh, wait. What book on the Iqan? Sorry. Maybe I should explain that first. Normally I'd write it as an aside, but that would make the aside way too long to be an aside, so I'll just keep it here. And then! Then I'll tell you about my new favourite quote.

So, many years ago, like somewhere around 2000 (the year, not that many years ago) I was living with my friend Samuel. He was a relatively new Baha'i at the time and thought it would be a good idea to study the Writings together whenever we were home together with nothing else to do. Naturally I agreed, so I asked what he wanted to study I was thinking the short obligatory prayer, or perhaps the Hidden Words. Maybe even the unity prayer. Who knew? Well, Samuel did. "The Kitab-i-Iqan", he said.

After picking my jaw up off the floor, we began a study of this book. Minimum 2 hours per week, almost always more. But then I got married, so we took a short break. When we resumed, neither of us could figure out where Baha'u'llah was in His argument in the book, so we decided to start over. We regularly met over coffee and began this whole thing again.

Then my wife and I had a child.

Once again we had to take a break, resumed, and had no clue where He was in His argument. Start again. But this time we decided to blog it, one paragraph at a time. That blog can be found here.

Anyways, more than 25 years later, we're still at it. We just published our thoughts on paragraph 217. 

All that to say that after so long a time studying that single text, I had a lot more I wanted to say. So I did. I wrote a book about it, looking at sections of paragraphs at a time and sharing some thoughts and insights. Sent it off to various publishers, and the Publishing Trust in Australia said "sure", they'd love to publish it.

Great.

But then I got a call one day (e-mail, actually), saying that test readers were loving it, but stopped reading and didn't pick it up again. The book, they said, was great, but it was "the wrong book". Rather than write about it in chronological order, they suggested, I should re-write it looking at the various methods Baha'u'llah uses to present His case. Great idea. So that's what I've been doing. And good news is I'm nearly done. Finally.

But I've been neglecting this blog. Not good.

So, after watching a movie about another blog, I decided that I really should get back into this one. And yes, I know I've said that before, but now I have a thought. I'm going to try to publish 100 articles this year. (<-- That's a commitment. I'm going to report on it as I go.) 

This has gotten me to ask myself, "Self," I asked, "what is it about this blog that is unique? What makes it work?" My answer is, "I'm so glad I asked. I think it's my deep love combined with a sense of playful joy. While I take the Writings seriously, I try not to take myself seriously."

To give you an idea of what that means, this entire article up to this point has been written in... (checks the clock) under 15 minutes, so far. I speak to you, dear Reader, as I would a friend. And I just type what I'm saying.

Anyways, my thought today? There is a passage I read a while ago, like a few months back, and I just loved it. I re-read for many nights in a row. What is it, you may wonder? Glad you asked. Light of the World, section 50.

It begins with this incredible and stirring passage about a number of previous Manifestations of God:

He is God.

O thou who rejoicest in the glad-tidings of God! In every age and century, the Dayspring of the world is made manifest, shining with a particular splendour and revealed through a mighty sign. In the time of the Friend of God,⁸³ the horizon of existence was illumined with the lights of friendship. During the era of Him Who conversed with God,⁸⁴ the dawning-place of creation was brightened by the Light that glowed upon Sinai. In the days of the Spirit of God,⁸⁵ the realm of being was perfumed by the sweet savours of holiness. With the dawning of the Day-Star of Medina,⁸⁶ the horizon of the world was flooded with the light of love and grandeur. When the veil of concealment was rent asunder from the beauty of the Primal Point, the Morn of divine guidance was adorned with the resplendent rays of the most joyful tidings. And with this Most Great Revelation and the dawning of the Day-Star of the Ancient Beauty, the horizons of the world have been encompassed, blessed, and made evident and complete by all the divine bounties, effulgences, names, and attributes combined. For the Most Great Ocean possesseth and embraceth all the perfections that are to be found in every sea, gulf, river, spring, and stream.

 

I mean I could go on and on about all the things that capture my attention in this paragraph, from the description of what each Manifestion brought, with Abraham bringing friendship, and Moses the Light of the Law, and on and on. Or I could even describe the movement from the grandiose to the miniscule in that very last phrasing, from the mighty and majestic seas all the way down to the humble stream that flows just outside the house.

But no. That's not what really caught my attention.

I mean, I could go on from paragraph 3 through to the end, and talk about how 'Abdu'l-Baha further describes the progression of the Faith of God throughout history and all the various aspects of this mighty procession He points out. I could, but I won't.

No, what really caught my attention and made me sit up was paragraph number 2. 

After this powerful and insightful opening, He continues with this simple observation:

 

This was written with a broken-nibbed pen. The pen hath been changed and the theme is now elaborated. 

 

I actually sat up and laughed. Aloud. For a good couple of minutes.

I'd catch my breath, re-read that paragraph, and then start laughing again. 

Every night for weeks I'd re-read this passage over and over and fall asleep with an over-riding sense of joy.

Despite being the Mystery of God, despite being the Master, the Centre of the Covenant, the Most Mighty Branch, the Perfect Exemplar, the Unerring Interpreter, and even despite being 'Abdu'l-Baha, the Servant of Glory, He was still, in His very essence, human.

Yes, He "towers, in conjunction with (the Bab and Baha'u'llah), above the destinies of this infant Faith of God". And, yes, "wide as is the gulf that separates ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá from Him Who is the Source of an independent Revelation, it can never be regarded as commensurate with the greater distance that stands between Him Who is the Center of the Covenant and His ministers who are to carry on His work."

But here, with this singular paragraph, He reminds us that He, too, is human, prone to the same insignificant troubles we are all heir to. And that, dear Reader, makes me smile with a joy that is deep within my heart, and makes me love the Master even more than before.

1 down, 99 more to go.

Three Books to Master

In 1932, Shoghi Effendi said if we want to "be able to teach others and render real service to the promulgation of the Faith", we need to understand the spirit and tenets of the Faith. "Of special importance", he went on, "is the Book of the Íqán which explains the attitude of the Cause towards the prophets of God and their mission in the history of society. Besides this there is Some Answered Questions of the Master and The Dawn-Breakers of Nabíl. Every Bahá’í should master these books and be able to explain their contents to others."

The Iqan. The Dawn-Breakers. Some Answered Questions.

Why these three?

He begins by referring us to the Iqan, a book of "special importance". And yes, it does explain our attitude towards the various Manifestations, as well as their role in history, but it does so much more than that. There are multiple lists of all the various topics covered in that remarkable book. Volumes could be, and have been, written about the ideas within it.

But what about the Dawn-Breakers? Why would he include a volume written not by one of the Central Figures of the Faith but by a poet? Perhaps the answer can be found in the Iqan. In paragraph 6 we read, "the more closely thou observest the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be thy faith in the Cause of God." The Dawn-Breakers is one of the books that talks about those very denials. Later, of course, Shoghi Effendi would also include "God Passes By" in this list, which is another repository of many of these heart-breaking and inspiring stories, but I'm going to stick with this one for now.

The third book on that list is "Some Answered Questions". Why, out of all the volumes given to us by the Master, did he choose this one?

Of course, I don't actually know. I'm only guessing. But I think this is a good guess. And if I can think of one reason, then there are likely at least 70.

To start, the Iqan is a fascinating book on so many levels. It is the only book I am aware of in which we can see how a Manifestation of God actually teaches the faith to another individual. An uncle of the Bab had asked some some questions, and this volume is the response. It brings him from being a sincere seeker all the way to the station of a confirmed believer. And we can actually witness how Baha'u'llah did it, step by step in this book.

The reasons Baha'u'llah offers to uncle are reasons we can understand. His explanations of the Manifestations, their role in the development of society, the hierarchy of nature, the importance of detachment in our search for truth, the qualities necessary to be a true seeker: the list goes on and on. These are things that we can begin to grasp, and are the very basis of our belief system. They are the answers to many of the questions we either have or will hear in our lifetime.

The Dawn-Breakers gives us the courage to go out and teach. These stories within its pages lift the heart, break it to pieces, and rebuild it even stronger. It not only fortifies our faith, it becomes a powerful source of our motivation.

Some Answered Questions, though, gives us an example of how to respond in a conversation. Someone asks us a question? We are probably not in a position to ask them to write it down, as Baha'u'llah did with the uncle. No. We're in the middle of a conversation with a friend. How should we respond in the moment?

We have the information from the Iqan. We have the courage to reply from the Dawn-Breakers. And now we have the example of how to answer.

Some Answered Questions is the record of, to put it simply, dinner conversations with 'Abdu'l-Baha. They were informal, yet informative. Personal, yet applicable to all.

Notice how, for example, He answers the question, "What is to be said about reincarnation..?" He doesn't give a simple yes or no, we agree or not, response. He begins, "Our purpose in what we are about to say is to express the truth and not to denigrate the beliefs of others: It is merely to explain the facts of the matter and nothing more. Otherwise, we are neither inclined to dispute anyone’s deeply held beliefs, nor do we sanction such conduct."

Throughout this book we see His tender mercy and wisdom, His love and care for those He meets. What a precious example to follow.

What to teach. The courage to teach. How to teach. All contained within three inspirational volumes. 

Why the Light?

Why "Light of the the World"? I mean, why did the World Centre put together this volume of some of the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha at this time? It's a ton of work, and I'm not questioning the release of more of His Writings. I am wondering at the rationale of this particular theme.

Ok, let me go back a moment and try to catch you up on my train of thought.

Like most compilations, this one has a very distinct theme. And the major theme in this book, Light of the World, is the trials and sufferings of Baha'u'llah and the Master.

Now, I have long noticed that the books the World Centre releases, whether new translations of the Writings or compilations, are exactly what we need to know about 10 years after they are released. That is, when a compilation like "Trustworthiness" is released, we have about a decade to study it before it becomes the central focus of society, and something that it would be very useful for us to have a deep understanding about and be fluently conversant on. A decade after that compilation on trustworthiness came out, it was one of the predominant conversational themes in many societies.

So why Light of the World? Why the sufferings of the Central Figures? Why now?

As usual, I don't really know. And these thoughts are just my own, nothing official, of course. Just one Baha'i's attempt to come to a better understanding. If you have any other thoughts I'd love to hear them.

Ok, so I'm thinking it goes back to paragraph 6 of the Kitab-i-Iqan. In that paragraph, we find the incredible statement, "the more closely thou observest the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be thy faith in the Cause of God".

I had to read that many times before the import of it began to sink into my heart.

"...(T)he more closely thou observest the denials of those who have opposed the Manifestations of the divine attributes, the firmer will be thy faith in the Cause of God."

In other words, if I understand this correctly, by studying not only the sufferings, but specifically the reasons why people rejected the Manifestations, my faith will become more solid. All right. Fair enough. I won't profess to understand the why of it, but I will admit to the reality of it. At least, for me. I do know that the more I have studied the reasons for the denials, the more certain I have become in my own faith.

In addition to this, the more that I study the sufferings of the Manifestations and their followers, the more patient I am in my own meager sufferings.

Hmm.

Maybe this is why this book is being released now.

Maybe, just maybe, the friends are being given the tools they need to ensure that they remain firm in their faith.

Perhaps we are also being reminded of the importance of patience and fortitude in face of the trials that are soon to come.

Light of the World, 2

Ok, I'm sorry. You might be expecting more on the first passage from 'Abdu'l-Baha's volume, Light of the World, and I'm sorry. I was reading ahead, and looked at the second passage. Besides, after re-reading what I wrote on it, I couldn't really think of much else to add. I already began to look at the corresponding 1s, 2, 3s, and 4s. So I thought, this morning, I'd go on to the second passage. Let me know if you want me to write more about the first one. I'm sure I could find something to say.

Anyways, here's the second passage from that wonderful book. It's 3 paragraphs, after an invocation. I'm going to paste the whole thing, italicize the text, and then insert my comments after each paragraph. We'll see how that works.

He is God.

I was listening to a talk on youtube recently, and the speaker made the comment that many of 'Abdu'l-Baha's tablets begin this way. In fact, he said, it is like an announcement that it was written by Him. According to the speaker, which is my way of saying I haven't read it for myself, somebody wrote Him and asked why He started so many Tablets this way. The response, he said, was that it was indicative of the station of Baha'u'llah. "He is God." And it's not that Baha'u'llah is God Himself, but rather that from our perspective they are indistinguishable. I could go on more about this, but let's just move on for now.

 

1 O thou seeker after truth! Behold the power and greatness of Bahá’u’lláh! Within a short span of time, He hath stirred up the East and the West, and raised aloft, in the midmost heart of the world, the banner of love and harmony, of unity and peace, of fellowship and conciliation, of truthfulness and rectitude. He hath freed from enmity and strife a great multitude of souls belonging to divers and opposing nations, to disparate and contending religions, and hath brought them under the sheltering canopy of fellowship, love, and unity.

First, the "1" is not part of the text. That's just what happens when you cut and paste from the bahai.org website. I could get rid of it, but it's nice to have that little marker telling us where we are in the text, so I'm keeping it in there.

I love how He begins. "O thou seeker after truth!" What a great encouragement. It's like He's telling us we're on the right track. "Keep going!" I feel like He's spurring me on, sort of like a loving family member at the side of the road encouraging the marathon runner.

Then, after telling us we're going in the right direction, He specifically directs our gaze to the "power and greatness of Baha'u'llah". He points out to us unmistakable signs: this stirring up, and the raising of a banner.

But what is a banner? What's its purpose? While it historically has the sign of the legion to which the soldiers belong, and can act as a rallying point, it also helps those that are lost in the crowd to find their way back to camp. Oftentimes it has a symbol of great meaning, or an important message for those around to see. This particular banner bears the message of "love and harmony, of unity and peace, of fellowship and conciliation, of truthfulness and rectitude".

As I re-read those attributes, it's interesting to see that they are couplets. It's almost like He's telling how to act towards each other. We must first love each other and act in harmony with those we love. We have to be in unity with each other, which implies that we are diverse, for without diversity all we can achieve is uniformity. This diversity, however, can be difficult, and often leads to conflict, even with those we love. So peace must be coupled with this unity.

Fellowship is interesting to me. It implies a closeness that the other words don't. I mean, it's possible to love someone without actually liking them. Fellowship, though, has within it a sense of belonging, a shared purpose. Conciliation, however, means a bringing about of peaceful relations, It implies that there was strife that has now been overcome.

Truthfulness is that which accords with reality. This is important, because if our actions are not truthful, what good are they? Rectitude means upright and honourable behaviour. You can be truthful and still hurt people with your truth. ("That dress looks horrible on you." "This is the worst food I've ever tasted.") Honourable behaviour is when you act with honesty and fairness, and those actions are worthy of respect.

By the way, you may think these redundant, truthful and honest, but they are not. Truthfulness has nothing to do with you. It is what is real, no matter what you may believe. Honesty is when you speak or act in a manner that is in accordance with your beliefs. If you actually believe something that is false, you can be honest without being truthful. Of course, if you believe something false, and jokingly say something true by accident, then you can be truthful without being honest, so there is that.

Anyways, it's a fascinating list. These are the virtues on the banner that Baha'u'llah has hoisted. This is what we are all being called to.

After this list, 'Abdu'l-Baha points out that Baha'u'llah has "freed from enmity and strife" so many people from such diverse backgrounds. When we look at the Baha'i world today, this is even more true now than it was just over a century ago.

As trials and tribulations rain down upon us from so many directions, we can find shelter under that canopy raised by Him, that "canopy of fellowship, love, and unity". You will note, of course, that those are also the first half of three of those couplets. This time, though, they are in a different order. It is like we enter that canopy because of our fellowship and meet complete strangers there. Once we meet them, get to know them, our love increases until we achieve unity.

Now we are ready to move onto the next paragraph.

 

2 What power this is, and what strength! What greater proof couldst thou desire? He hath brought East and West into close embrace. Singly and alone, He hath withstood the world and uplifted His mighty Cause in the Most Great Prison. Though subjected to utter abasement, He hath crowned His loved ones with the diadem of everlasting glory. Were one to gaze with the eye of justice, this would be sufficient proof.

If we were ever concerned about power or strength, this is where we find it, through this true fellowship, love, and unity. By bringing the world together, what other power can overcome that? Are we concerned about a single ruler, or one little nation? One measly country? There is no possible way they can stand up to the collective might of a united planet. A strong union will always prevail.

And who was it that did this? Who raised this great standard? One Prisoner. Alone. By Himself, with the might of God helping, of course.

In the midst of your troubles and despairs, don't forget that Baha'u'llah was "subjected to utter abasement". "Remember My days", He says in the Tablet of Ahmad, "during thy days..." And yet even then, despite these torments, He still "crowned His loved ones with the diadem of everlasting glory".

Wow.

If you are seeking the truth, look no further than His Cause, for surely you will find it there.

3 Thou hast written concerning the cost of postage. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá hath offered up his life for thee, how much more his earthly possessions! Upon thee be greetings and praise.

Wait. What? "The cost of postage"?

As in, "How much is a stamp?"

I feel like the Master is saying, "Don't worry. I got it. I'll pay for the stamp."

I can just imagine His smile as He wrote that last bit.

Light of the World

I love reading the Writings. And I especially love reading them with my wife.

Today, in the middle of the Fast, we decided to crawl into bed and warm up under our blankets and read a bit of 'Abdu'l-Baha's writings. Today we chose the relatively new volume, Light of the World. And specifically, we chose the first selection:

He is the All-Glorious.

O friends! How blessed, how favoured, how fortunate are ye to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation and to live in such an age and century, to have come upon such a wellspring and bowed down before such a threshold, to have taken shelter beneath the shade of such a tree and partaken of such a fruit. The cycle is the Cycle of the Ancient Beauty, and the century that of the Greatest Name. The wellspring is the stream of the Law of God, and the threshold that of the Abhá Beauty. The tree is the Tree of Life, and the fruit that of the Divine Lote-Tree. Blessed are they that attain thereunto! Fortunate are they that enter therein! Gladdened are they that draw nigh unto it! And happy are they that abide under its shade! All praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. Convey my warmest Abhá greetings to all the friends….

After we had read it, we noticed how it seemed to follow a pattern, like a traditional medicine wheel in North American Indigenous teachings.

What I mean is that we can divide the text into... Well, let me show you.

By cutting and pasting, and moving things around a little bit, I've been able to re-work this so that the themes seem a bit clearer to me. You will note that I have not changed any of the text, but rather just rearranged it a bit so that I can see the progression more clearly. This is what I came up with, and of course it can be done differently if you wish. This is just how I did it. Nothing official, just my own peculiar way of looking at the Writings.

1 How blessed

2 how favoured

3 how fortunate are ye 

4a to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation - The cycle is the Cycle of the Ancient Beauty

4b to live in such an age and century - the century that of the Greatest Name

1 to have come upon such a wellspring - stream of the Law of God

2 bowed down before such a threshold - that of the Abhá Beauty

3 to have taken shelter beneath the shade of such a tree - Tree of Life

4 partaken of such a fruit - that of the Divine Lote-Tree

1 Blessed are they that attain thereunto

2 Fortunate are they that enter therein

3 Gladdened are they that draw nigh unto it

4 happy are they that abide under its shade

From here, my next step is to look at each quatrain on its own, and then to compare all the 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s. Why? Just to see what I can uncover. This is one of the tools I like to use when exploring the "billows of the Most Great Ocean".

So, this first quatrain

    1 How blessed

    2 how favoured

    3 how fortunate are ye 

    4a to have been born in such a cycle and dispensation - The cycle is the Cycle of     the Ancient Beauty

    4b to live in such an age and century - the century that of the Greatest Name

Yes, I know it can be seen as five, but it seemed to me that the last two were actually part of the same action, if you will. We are born and live. Besides, by doing it this way, it fit more nicely into the quatrain scheme, which I'm not opposed to.

Time to look up some words. Blessed means "made holy". At least, I'm presuming it's not meant in the negative (such as "I can't see a blessed thing"). Favoured is defined as being preferred over others. Fortunate is literally having good luck. The last two seem to be more of a time indicator, as in "now as opposed to some time in the past".

What I find fascinating is that it really does seem to be a bit of a journey. First, we are all holy, created in the image of our divine Creator. Every single one of us. No exceptions. However, we all live differently, believe differently, act differently. As living a good and holy life seems to be preferred by God, well, I have no problem seeing some as favoured. Those that live good lives and strive to serve humanity are probably favoured, distinguishing themselves from those that don't.

But what about the fortunate? I find my answer to that in the beginning of the Kitab-i-Iqan, "Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you..." By sanctifying our soul, striving to live according to the divine teachings of our faith, praying and meditating and fasting and so forth, we have taken that first step. Then there is that little word, "haply". Some have told me they think it means with gladness, but that would be "happily". "Haply", on the other hand, means "with luck", as in "happenstance" or "haphazardly". The way I see it is that out of all of us who are striving to live good lives and search for truth, it is only with luck that God chooses us to recognize Baha'u'llah, or any other Messenger for that matter.

Now we have all of humanity, those that actually bother to search, and those that find. Smaller and smaller circles, all concentric.

This leads me to the fourth step. We are not just lucky to be allowed to find the Messenger, we are even more fortunate to be born and live at this time, in this age, when we even have the chance to find Baha'u'llah.

It seems we're now ready to move to the second quatrain:

1 to have come upon such a wellspring - stream of the Law of God

2 bowed down before such a threshold - that of the Abhá Beauty

3 to have taken shelter beneath the shade of such a tree - Tree of Life

4 partaken of such a fruit - that of the Divine Lote-Tree

You will note, of course, that I've taken the clarifications 'Abdu'l-Baha gave us and just inserted them where appropriate.

Here I want to begin with the wellspring, threshold, tree, and fruit. I feel like I'm outside Baha'u'llah's home, maybe not Bahji, but some other home. One that has a wellspring, a source of water just outside. Perhaps I've gone to search for water and found it. And right near it is the threshold, the bottom of the doorway I must cross to enter. Once I enter, I'm in the inner courtyard with the tree growing there. And on the tree is some fresh fruit, just waiting for the picking. So refreshing, so welcoming. That's what I feel when I read this.

The second half of this quatrain is the Law of God that is found in all religions. Obedience to this law, and not allowing the clouds or veils of interpretation to get in our way, leads us to the next Revelation, continually onwards, eventually to the Abhá Beauty. Interestingly enough, the great epochal Cycle which we just finished, the Adamic Cycle, began with our eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and we were kicked out of Eden so that we could not parttake of the fruit of the Tree of Life. We weren't ready for it yet. Now, though, after these many thousands of years, and after all these Messengers have guided us throughout the ages, we are being given that latter fruit, the fruit of the Tree of Life. Oh, but this is not the end. Oh, no, no, no. There is still far more for those of us born of humanity. Way in the distance is the Sadratu’l-Muntahá, the furthestmost Lote Tree, that tree beyond which there is no passing. This is not the end. It is not some final revelation. We still have a long way to go.

Looking at them together, we have come upon this Law, bowed down before the Abhá Beauty, taken shelter beneath the Tree of Life, and partaken of the fruit of the divine Lote Tree. For me, this is such a powerful blending of those last two paragraphs.

Looking at that last quatrain gives us even more insight into this beautiful little Tablet.

1 Blessed are they that attain thereunto

2 Fortunate are they that enter therein

3 Gladdened are they that draw nigh unto it

4 happy are they that abide under its shade

While it would be easy to presume that the first step refers to the Tree, I think of it more as referring to that wellspring. We are blessed, again, to attain it. And honestly, like that first blessing, being made holy, we have all attained unto it. We are told that every culture on this planet has had its Messenger, some universal in nature, like Jesus or Baha'u'llah, some more regional or local, perhaps like some of the Indigenous Teachers throughout history, like White Buffalo Calf woman or Glooscap, whose teachings shaped cultures in North America for many generations. But like that well, not all will choose to drink from it.

From that well, there are some who will notice that house I mentioned earlier. There is some luck to it. And those that notice? Well, they are truly fortunate to be able to enter therein, both in the sense of luck and wealth.

Perhaps after their long journey, after being allowed to slake their thirst, maybe they're a bit hungry? They would be gladdened to find a fruit tree in full fruit. Then, after they've eaten their fill, I'm sure they would be happy to rest under its shade, especially after such a long and difficult journey.

Whew.

Speaking of a long and difficult journey, I know I said I would look at all the 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s, and I did a bit in that last section, but you've been so patient reading all of this so far. I wouldn't want to weary you, especially during the Fast. Maybe I'll do the rest another time.

Oh, one last thing.

My wife noticed something unusual at the very end: "Convey my warmest Abhá greetings to all the friends…."

After we had discussed our thoughts on this beautiful Tablet, she turned to me and asked, "Why the ellipses? Isn't that the end of the Tablet? It sure reads like the end. Maybe there was something personal after that?"

And I replied, "Or maybe He said, '...and convey my lukewarm greetings to the idiots out there'?"

It's not often my wife hits me, but hit me she did. On my arm. In the exact spot I had gotten a shingles vaccine a couple of days earlier. Which still was sore.

Karma can be such a pain, but, yeah, I did deserve that one.

Emphasis

I recently re-watched a little video from the BBC about Hamlet's soliloquy which begins "To be, or not to be..." What was amusing was the way all these wonderful actors came on-stage to try and get the actor to place the emphasis on a different word. What was wonderful was how the changing emphasis really changed the way we understand what was written.

Well, that got me thinking.

As you know, dear Reader, I love to look at the Writings from many different perspectives. After all, that's one of the amazing things about Sacred Text. You can read so much into it, as long as you don't ignore to basic meaning.

Anyways, I decided to look at the beginning of the Kitab-i-Iqan, the Book of Certitude, and see what would happen if I emphasized different words.

As you probably know, it begins:

No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth. Sanctify your souls, O ye peoples of the world, that haply ye may attain that station which God hath destined for you and enter thus the tabernacle which, according to the dispensations of Providence, hath been raised in the firmament of the Bayán.

If we begin at the beginning, then we can easily see that "NO man" shall be able to  attain those shores without this detachment. That's pretty basic. In fact, it's pretty much the way all of us read this.

If we emphasize the second word, "no MAN" will attain this station, then we might inadvertently begin to read it in a sexist way, perhaps thinking that He's only addressing the males of the species, while totally ignoring the other areas in the Writings where He talks of gender equality. But when we take into account the statements about translation as offered by the Guardian, then we more appropriately read it as "no HUMAN BEING" will attain this station and begin to get a slightly better understanding of our station as a human. (Of course, if we are fans of Lord of the Rings, then we can read it as admitting a woman can attain this station...)

Ok, ok. We can do this all day. We can make similar statements about all the other words, too. For example, without this detachment, the emphasis on "shall" implies that it is not a given, even though being detached doesn't imply that we are guaranteed success. Emphasizing "attain" implies that no matter our striving, we will fail without this detachment. Emphasizing "shores" implies that there are other parts to this ocean. Emphasizing "of" or "the" implies that we are taking this exercise to a silly extreme.

But when we place the emphasis on "true", then we begin to glimpse that there are some understandings that are not true. You see, "understanding" just means that we interpret something in a particular way. It doesn't mean we're right. But "TRUE understanding" means that we have grasped the intended meaning, or at least one of the intended meanings. It means that our understanding is in accord with reality.

Of course, one of the things we need to be detached from is "heaven", which, when emphasized, gives us a slightly different take on the whole phrase. In this case, it is a good reminder that our love of heaven, or even our love of the Holy Writings we follow, can prevent us from recognition. Later in this very book, paragraph 27, Baha'u'llah hopes that "the overpowering majesty of the Word of God may not prevent them from attaining unto the ocean of His names and attributes, nor deprive them of recognizing the Lamp of God".

Of course, if we emphasize "earth", then it is a powerful reminder not to let the material world get in our way.

In the second sentence, when we emphasize the word "your", the implication is, again, a bit different. It is our own soul we are responsible for, not anyone else's.

And if we, instead, emphasize "that station which God hath destined for YOU", this is suddenly much more personal. Baha'u'llah is not speaking to some faceless entity. He is talking to me. He is talking to you. He is talking to each and every one of us.

Like I said, we can do this all day. Every word, when emphasized, gives a slightly different meaning to the whole text. As He says so powerfully, "Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is endowed with such potency as can instill new life into every human frame, if ye be of them that comprehend this truth."

But why is this important? To me, it is a reminder that we all approach the Writings from a different perspective. Even when we re-read a piece of them, we can find something new to emphasize because we are in different state of mind. We have grown since we last read it. We have changed, and therefore our perspective of the Writings has changed, too.

And that, dear Reader, is yet another reason to dive deep into this ocean. We never know what we may find.

Beware the Cult of Perfectionism

It's a strange thing in our society, this notion that if something isn't perfect it's not worth doing.

In a recent video I posted (click here to see it), there was an interesting comment left on it. It read: "U do look a little wierd and unkept? So I suggest if u are going to record yourself? And to promote spiritual topics and aspects? It would b good and best, if u do so professionally and proper? Otherwise, representing the Faith, is a personal thing, and u do wish u all the best? But I don't think Ruhi is welcomed."

Now, to be clear, I understand where this is coming from. I don't think it was meant as an insult. They are concerned about "striving for excellence", to use the phrase from the Writings. And that is all well and good. I, too, like to try to strive for excellence. But not to the point of inaction.

By trade, I'm an artist. I used to make jewelry for a living, and am now a fashion designer. In my professional life I always strive for excellence. I have a number of pieces that are unfinished merely because I cannot get them to the level of excellence that I demand of myself.

But let's be clear: I am not a professional videographer. I do not make my living at writing about the faith, nor at teaching it. In both of these areas I am an individual who is merely sharing some personal thoughts.

Could I take the time to do more "professional" work? Of course. Could I take the extra amount of time necessary to ensure the lighting is up to the standards set by the entertainment industry? Yes, I could. Am I able to ensure that my hair is perfectly coifed, my skin looks like it's been shined to an unnatural degree of so-called beauty, and that my clothing is of the absolute highest standard? Yes. I could do all of these things. I have the ability.

But I do not have the time.

If I were to try to do this to the levels suggested by some, I would never write nor share anything. I would be paralyzed into inaction.

And so I choose not to.

I believe it is far better to share a few ideas on a personal level with a potentially wide audience than to merely think about these things and only share it with a few friends in a non-virtual way. We are living at a time when we have the ability to share these ideas with this global audience. And there are many professionals who have the time and skill to do this to a far better degree than I can. But they do not have my voice. And there is a slight possibility that my own peculiar voice, my own quirky way of sharing these ideas, may reach someone that will not be attracted by a more polished presentation.

Will I deny them the opportunity to hear the message of Baha'u'llah? Should I?

Of course the answer is no to both those questions.

And all this leads to one other point, that of encouragement.

I share these ideas not because I think my thoughts are somehow profound, nor because I believe that I am somehow special. No. I share them because I have been told by many people that my personal way of sharing has touched their hearts. My joy, the joy I feel at reading the profoundly beautiful and inspiring sacred Texts, has somehow helped others feel a bit more joy, too. So how can I stay quiet?

In the Anglican prayer, they ask God to "Shield the joyous ones". As one who is exuberant, I can understand that. If I were any less confident, any less inspired by these teachings, such a comment as was left on my little video would be devastating. It would paralyze me into inaction. I would feel shamed and humiliated.

Remember, when someone is sharing things like this, they are opening up their heart for all to witness. And when the heart is opened, it is also vulnerable. It can be easily hurt.

So when 'Abdu'l-Baha said, "Beware! Beware lest thou offend any heart", I believe it was also to help "shield the joyous ones".

There are some very beautiful video presentations on the faith out there. There are many that are done by professionals, to the standards set by the entertainment industry. But there are also the simple videos shared by people like me, articles that talk about a little idea that touched someone's heart, works of art that are shared merely for the love of it. And these, too, are a valuable contribution to the community.

So, please, don't get caught up in the cult of perfectionism. Note that when Baha'u'llah refers to "the trees of divine unity, the fruits of His oneness, the leaves of detachment, the blossoms of knowledge and certitude, and the myrtles of wisdom and utterance", He is including not only the mighty trees of the forest, but also the little flowers that grow in their shade.

And so I encourage you, too. If you have a flower you want to share, please do so. I, for one, would love to witness it, even if you are a "bit wierd and unkept".