This quote is one of the more famous quotes by Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi led the Baha’i community for 36 years as “The Guardian” until the Universal House of Justice was formed in 1963. In his letters to Baha’i communities, Shoghi Effendi outlined the implications of Baha’u’llah’s teachings and significantly advanced the understanding of His Revelation among people of all backgrounds. Under his leadership, the Baha’i community became more organized and structured, eventually leading to the election of the Universal House of Justice as the permanent head of Baha’u’llah’s Faith. In this weeks “Tea House”, we will introduce the remarkable writings of Shoghi Effendi and introduce the statements and messages of the Universal House of Justice.
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This quote of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ is taken from a talk he gave in Paris, and can be found in full in the book “Paris Talks”. To some, this may seem like just nice words expressing a noble thought but not “practical”. But when you explore ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Writings, you learn many of the principles that underlie the reality that we should treat everyone with “boundless love”. Humans are inherently spiritual, according to ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, and our true home is not to dwell on those aspects of reality that are material and hence particularistic. Humans naturally gravitate towards love of things they know, but the Revelations of God have always brought unity by asking us to see life in a broader context. They are thus broadening our vision and are inherently universalistic and open. In the passage linked, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ talks about how love is expressed in many ways, but the most perfect form is when it is expressed without reservations, without bounds.
We will be introducing the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ in this week’s “Tea House’ discussion, on Thursday at 7pm EST. Please join us!
All previous Tea House discussions will soon be posted. We just need a break from work and life to get them edited and out. By the New Year, we promise!
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This quote is from ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, from the book “Paris Talks”. We will be introducing and discussing the works of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ on our Thursday evening “Tea House” session. Please join us!
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“Tea House” this week will feature a presentation and open discussion led by Kendal Williams introducing the Writings of Baha’u’llah. When one first encounters the Baha’i writings, an attentive person cannot help but be struck by the majesty and tone of Baha’u’llah’s writings and the poetic and metaphorical manner in which ideas are expressed. This is, for most people, unlike anything they have ever read.
In this presentation and subsequent discussion, Dr WIlliams will share some of the foundational ideas and concepts that helped him understand the meaning and significance of Baha’u’llah’s words, followed by an open forum in which others will be invited to share their insights as well. Please join us!
Details at https://sifterofdust.org/the-tea-house-2/
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
And be sure to join Modern Perspectives on Saturday for what will assuredly be a wonderful presentation by Van Gilmer on overcoming our divisive time in history.
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In this passage, Baha’u’llah invites humanity to enjoy “rest” under God’s “vast and mighty Revelation”. This is a beautiful way of thinking about a revelation from God- that they contain the principles that allow for peace in a society and allow humans to find spiritual rest. Jesus described the concept of “salvation”, expressing that if people follows Jesus’ teaching, they would be protected from the changes and chances of the world and be “safe” and continue to grow spiritually despite the tumult.
The full passage is below but first!- please join Modern Perspectives on Saturday to hear the thoughts of Mr Hooper Dunbar, who has spent his adult life serving Baha’u’llah’s Faith and exploring His Revelation. The title of his presentation is- “What can the Baha’i Faith do for you?”.
Now back to the passage!-
“Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born of your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation. Enter, then, the holy paradise of the good-pleasure of the All-Merciful. Sanctify your souls from whatsoever is not of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest within the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and beneath the shadow of His supreme and infallible authority.”
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A major theme in the Baha’i writings is the significance of spiritual transformation, how the purpose of religion- and indeed every Revelation of God- is to transform human hearts so that people think differently, value things differently, and then express that transformation in the world. Baha’u’llah describes this in many passages of His Writings and indeed expresses it to be the purpose of His Revelation- to “effect a transformation” in the “whole character of mankind” that would manifest itself in both an inner dimension and the outer dimension of our society and its values.
Steve Sarowitz is in a unique position to talk about this because of his own personal history, which he shared in a recent Modern Perspectives talk. Steve had the unique experience of almost simultaneously discovering the astonishing beauty of Baha’u’llah’s Faith, while at the same time becoming one of the richest people in the world when his company went public on the stock exchange. In the presentation, he talks about how this has led him to view his wealth as a vehicle for the improvement of society. His inner transformation is now producing an outward effect. We thank Steve for sharing with us his remarkable story in such an authentic and open way.
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In this marvelous quote, Baha’u’llah tells us that “generosity” and giving of oneself to others are attributes of God. Baha’u’llah is speaking with the Voice of God in this quote, using the personal language of “attributes of Mine”. The purpose of life, we are told, is to clothe ourselves increasingly- day by day- with the attributes of God. These are the teachings and qualities that the Manifestations of God have taught and exemplified down through the centuries. That is the pathway that secures our human development and ultimate success as people.
In this week’s Modern Perspectives talk, Steve Sarowitz will offer some reflections on a related theme- material wealth and our spiritual development.
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Trustworthiness. Not a word that makes it into the news as being an important idea, but Baha’u’llah reminds us that this quality is the basis of human civilization. Think about it. How are government and financial institutions successful? Because people trust them. If trust in society’s institutions is threatened, the entire basis of society itself is threatened. If trustworthiness is not valued in society, there is no amount of clever maneuvering by legal or any other institution that can replace it. We become like a leaky bucket with irreparable holes that can’t be filled by any other patch.
Trustworthiness is a quality highly esteemed by Baha’u’llah and, as this quote tells us, is necessary for our “stability”, “security”, and “tranquility” as a society.
In the latest presentation on Modern Perspectives, Dr Augusto Lopez-Carlos reflects on this and other spiritual and moral principles and how they intersect with economics, from a Baha’i perspective. His talk may be found here.
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In a highly interesting talk, Dr Stephen Phelps explored some of the metaphors used in the Baha’i Writings to explain the nature of spiritual reality and our relationship to it. As we live in a physical world, we need metaphors to understand abstract spiritual principles and reality. That is the basis of many of the images and metaphors used in all the Revelations of God. Dr Phelps talk may be found on the Modern Perspectives page. Dr Augusto Lopez-Carlos will be presenting a talk on the spiritual principles at the root of economics in this week’s talk.
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