"Great mercy and blessings are promised to the people of your land, but on one condition; that their hearts be filled with the fire of love, that they live in perfect harmony and kindness like one soul in different bodies. Never forget this; look at one another with the eye of perfection; look at me, follow me, be as I am; take no thought for yourselves or your lives, whether ye eat or whether ye sleep, whether ye are comfortable, whether ye are well or ill, whether ye are with friends or foes, whether ye receive praise or blame; for all these things ye must care not at all. Look at me and be as I am; ye must die to yourselves and to the world, so ye shall be born again and enter the kingdom of heaven. Behold the candle, how it gives light. It weeps its life away drop by drop in order to give forth its flame of light."
('Abdu'l-Baha, Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 503)
In a few hours I'll be wiping my weary eyes and heading over to the Boston Baha'i Center to join with whatever sleepy Baha'is make their way over there to commemorate the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Baha. I'm reminded of the spirit of this Holy Day, which for me is about self-sacrifice. I think of the sacrifices my enslaved and later emancipated ancestors made so that I would be here today. As the African saying goes, "I am because we are and because we are I am." I wonder what sacrifices God is calling me to make in the path of love and service. It is not easy to be a black man in America, but 'Abdu'l-Baha reminds me that oppression does not excuse me from self-sacrifice, but demands even more from me in order to achieve true freedom for myself and for my people. Like the candle mentioned in the above quotation, the Words of Baha'u'llah light my way through the darkness of a wayward world:
"How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of God! It hath overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and will, erelong, gather together the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. Thy day of service is now come. Countless Tablets bear the testimony of the bounties vouchsafed unto thee. Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and, through the power of thine utterance, subdue the hearts of men. Thou must show forth that which will ensure the peace and the well-being of the miserable and the down-trodden. Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that perchance thou mayest release the captive from his chains, and enable him to attain unto true liberty."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 92)
DON'T HAVE YOUR ADDY HANDY BUT WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I AM STILL AN AVID READER AND LURKER.
ReplyDeleteBREAKING NEWS OVER AT
http://bahai-egypt.blogspot.com/
PLAY THE BAHAI CHORALE WHEN YOU ARE DONE READING, AWESOME.
CHAT WITH YOU SOON...
AYESHA
Phillipe my friend,
ReplyDeleteThis post, the words of the Master, seem to me to be a fitting follow-up to your post about nooses. My comment is about both posts:
It is very, very daunting, overwhelming, to call to mind and place before our eyes, for even the briefest moment, all of the hatred and slaughter going on world-wide at this very moment.
Last week I saw a film documenting the life of Simon Weisenthal,(a WWII concentration camp survivor who dedicated the remainder of his life after being released from a death camp to tracking down and bringing to justice Nazi war criminals. He also had a great influence on the establishment of war crimes tribunals in general.) A theme of this film was that one dedicated, courageous and self-sacrificing person can, indeed, make a difference. When I mentioned to a Jewish aunt that I had found the film inspiring, she was not so optimistic. She pointed out that mass killings, genocides, continue--such as Dafur right now-- with tremendous world indifference. Her point was, that while bringing criminals to justice is admirable, it has not solved the underlyng problem, which she described as "human nature".
This got me thinking that even in the case of hatred of Jews, despite the vigilance and continued monitoring by Jewish organizations of anti-semitic expression, over 60 years later, Nazi swastikas continue to be appear in this country. And most Americans do not understand the "post traumatic stress" reaction of most Jews.
The continued vigilance, maybe hypervigilance, of Jews and the organizational pressure they have brought to bear has probably prevented some harm. On the other hand, such efforts have continued to be met with a range of not-so-optimal results: denial, indifference, annoyance, jealousy, etc. Depending on what individuals or groups of individuals are involved.
On matters of race, ethnicity, economic survival, nationalism, class, and any issue of the day that appears to affect self-interest, we have underlying division--or should I say lack of true unity?-- even among many Baha'is, when we scratch the surface. Praise be to God, we know the answers have been provided to us in Baha'u'llah's Writings! If we are bold enough and honest enough to truly plum the depths of this limitless ocean.
Hard as it is to truly internalize and live more and more by the Counsels of the Master, as you quote them here, His way, in service to the Cause of God, is the Truth, the only answer we have, the only means to bring healing to this world, and to our own lives.
If we Baha'is do not try continually to understand and internalize and act upon them, who will?
Peace.
Judith
Phillipe, my Baha'i Brother, my co-servant along this relatively lonely Path of God. I discovered your website while attempting to discern whether Google attributes the above quote to the beloved Master.
ReplyDeleteHence, I'm now here, marvelling at the dedication of your spirit to the glorious Cause of God. Astounded by the innner beauty of your soul. The latter is also reflected in the beauty of this website. It seems that only excellence will do for you.
Perhaps I can visit it when my work, as well as degree of physical well-being, allows. Until then, please know that your website has already met one of my intellectual needs. You have also allowed me to further see who you are, your true self, which is far beyond the somewhat limiting contraints of BMG contact.
Be well!
Warm Baha'i love,
James A. Williams
12:12 PM
Beautiful, thank you! :D
ReplyDelete