Words of Wisdom, part 1

Oh, they're not my words of wisdom. Just to be clear.

After that last post about courage, it occurred to me that I've never really explored this Tablet here. Now, just to explain my methodology, I've actually copied the text below where I am typing. I will look at it one line, phrase, or paragraph at a time, deleting it as I go. the reason for this is that I don't want this to come across as anything official, like some of sort of explanation of what the text means. Nope. It's just my own thoughts on it, so you can take it or leave it. To find the full text, you can click here. This way you can read it on your own without my own limited ideas getting in the way.

The first thing I want to point out, though, is that it seems this was not addressed to any individual, sort of like the Hidden Words. In fact, a lot of mystery seems to surround it. We're not really sure when it was revealed, but it has been included in the volume of tablets revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, so there is that. And it's title? Literally means "the essence of all that is good", but the Guardian translated it as "Words of Wisdom". So, for me, there is this strange equivalency of all that is good with wisdom.

In the end, though, we have these 22 little gems, and I'm curious not only about each one, but how they relate to each other in the order in which they were revealed. So, let's get to it.

First of all, I noticed that the invocation is similar to the invocation of the Kitab-i-Iqan. No clue why that struck me, but it did. Now, it’s worth remembering that from my perspective, any time an attribute of God is mentioned, I believe Baha’u’llah is calling that attribute to mind for us to emulate. Here when I read “God”, it just makes me think “human”, and that the spiritual direction in which we want to go is towards God. “Exalted”? “Most High”? When I read these two, the yput me in mind of a goal. For example, we are noble within creation, but by calling to mind “exalted”, it tells me that I can go higher. I can continue to strive to move in an upward direction. And just in case I think I have either gone as far as I can, Baha’u’llah pushes the goal further. We don’t just want to go “higher”, we want to strive for the “Most High”, knowing that while we can never achieve that, we can always move forward. So for me, this invocation puts me in mind of always striving to improve.

He now moves into the very source of all good. This is interesting because it is not quite a definition. It speaks of an origin, kind of like a spring emanating from its source. If we want things that are truly good, then trust, submission, and contentment are where those good things will come from.

This puts me in mind of action. We are told, for example, to go and teach the Faith. I trust in that. I trust that it will all work out well. Of course, to do this well, I need to pray, practice, and prepare. The three “p”s. Hmm. Never thought of it that way before. I like that. But really, I trust in God and submit to His command to teach. Ok. No problem. But, of course, things don’t always go the way I want. That’s ok, too. I am content with whatever is the outcome.

Great. So that first little gem gets me off my butt and starts me moving. I like that. Oh, and more than that, it reminds me not to be attached to results.

Next comes the “essence of wisdom”. But wait a second, this is not the same as the previous, which told me where “all good” comes from. This is telling me more about what wisdom really is.

Ok, now my mind is going in a direction I hadn’t expected. We often talk about the oneness of religion, and the essential unity underlying them all. Here, if I read this as the very core of what wisdom truly is, then all of a sudden I see it through the lens of other faith paths. And it works. I can easily imagine giving this to my friend Jim, an archbishop in the Catholic Church, just this one line, and I am certain he would agree with it. Same thing with Friedrich, my Buddhist sensei buddy. I am sure he would agree with this, too. Of course, he would translate the terms to his own path, but yes, he would certainly agree with the gist of this.

However, I’m now looking at these three words: fear, dread, and apprehension. What’s going on there?

I have written many times over the years about the “fear of God”, and how we often confuse fear with terror. Fear is a mild discomfort. Terror is a paralyzing fear. It is like two ends of a spectrum, beginning with something that makes us uneasy, and ending with something that either paralyzes us or perhaps even kills us.

“Dread”, however, is a great fear over something in the future. And notice that it’s in relation to “His scourge and punishment”. That’s in the future. Given that it is about “His scourge and punishment”, it is definitely related to being called to task for wrongs we have done. So yeah, that makes sense. I began with action in the previous part and now I have to be aware of the effects of that action.

This one ends with “apprehension”, though, the anticipation of a future trouble. Again, the concern over being held to account for our actions.

To me, when I read these two, I am being told to act, and be very aware of the consequences of said action. And that awareness? That, I think, is the very “essence of wisdom”.

Now we get to the third little gem here, the “essence of religion”.

I notice the use of the word “essence” again, so it’s more of a definition, in the sense that He is stripping away all the surface stuff and telling us what it is in its very core. The essential part of religion, if we really want to practice it, is to teach and obey.

To testify is to bear witness or prove, and, of course, this reminds me of the beginning of the Short Obligatory Prayer, where we “bear witness that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee”. And we don’t just do that with words, no sirree. We do that with our life, the way in which we live and interact with others.

And obedience to the laws and guidance is another part of the way in which we live.

We have moved from action, to consequences, to purpose. Interesting.

Moving on, even though I could write far more about any of these passages, we come to the “source of all glory”. Another “source”, the origin of where all glory comes from.

Does this mean that he is not telling us what glory looks like, but rather letting us know where it comes from? It sounds like it. And that is interesting following these first three. Do we achieve glory, if that’s the right verb, from following those first three?

Then there is the acceptance and contentment. We take whatever God has given us, and are content with where He is leading us. But we just saw “contentment” in the first passage, “contentment with His holy will and pleasure.” How is this different? Maybe it isn’t. Maybe it’s the same attitude, the perspective by which we approach these things, and that attitude leads to our glory. Not sure yet, but it’s feeling sort of right. Let’s move on and see where He takes us.

The “essence of love” is next.

As I read that passage, I am struck by the movement of it. I turn my heart towards God, sever myself from everything else, and then only desire what He desires.

How would this apply to my marriage? That’s a question I ask whenever I read about love.

Well, I think that I love my wife because of the attributes of God she shows. Her compassion, her wisdom, her kindness, her care for all around her, and on and on. As someone once told me, our love for another is always wound up in the attributes of God they show.

When I turn my heart towards those attributes, and focus on them, I love her more. When I “sever” myself from those things that are not of God, overlooking any faults or problems, acknowledging them but not allowing them to define our relationship, then I love her even more. But then when I only desire her spiritual growth, which I think is what God desires for us all, then my love for her knows no bounds.

Yes. That, to me, is the very essence of my love for her. Ok. I really like that.

Moving on, we come to “true remembrance”. I guess this would be different from a false remembrance, so it’s nice to know that there is a difference. And again, the orientation comes to the fore. Focus on the good, rather than dwelling on the bad. Develop what is positive, for the negatives will pass away. Light, not dark.

But not just acknowledging it. “Make mention” of it. It’s not enough for me to love my wife. I have to tell her, with all my being, not just words.

And I think all this goes for teaching, too. Acknowledge those you are teaching. Recognize their virtues. Praise them for those. Show your love in action, not just words. This is one of the most powerful ways of remembering God.

Now we get to “true reliance”, another one of those “essence” phrases, reminding us that there is also a false reliance.

I feels like we are moving into another area of life now. From our home life to our work. This is another area where we can easily be distracted. There are so many times when it would be so easy to compromise our morals in order to get ahead in our profession.

Now, He’s not saying to give up on our job. Not at all. But rather to ensure that we don’t compromise our morals for our job. In other words, to not place our ultimate reliance on our bosses or a company or anything, but solely on God. In other words, I can work hard, do my best, and pursue my calling, while still holding fast to God and seeking His grace rather than putting my trust in whatever worldly rewards might come from my work.

After all, as He says at the end, “in His Hands is the destiny of all His servants.” That sounds very similar to that acceptance and contentment He talked about earlier. I do what I can, but I don't control the destination. That is in His hands.

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I was hoping to continue to the end of this Tablet, but I realized that it’s already getting fairly long. So maybe I’ll continue this in the next post. Fortunately I remembered to change the title of this to "part 1".

As usual, any thoughts you may have on this are most welcome.