Unity the goal

When speaking the word "unity", a host of associations are produced in my mind. But I know that none of these ideas about the profound and weighty concept of the unity of mankind actually do it justice. Divine things are too great for the human mind to contemplate, but we can aspire to approach them. 'Abdu'l-Bahá once said,

...universality is of God and all limitations earthly. Thus man must strive that his reality may manifest virtues and perfections, the light whereof may shine upon everyone.

This principle of shedding equally the light of love upon all the members of the human race runs like a red thread through all religious teaching, the Bahá'í Faith included:

Love is the fundamental principle of God's purpose for man, and He has commanded us to love each other even as He loves us.

- Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 122

Our purpose in life is thus to emulate God's example, as exhibited by His chosen Ones, the Messengers of God in every age, be it Moses, Buddha, Krishna, Christ, Muhammad in the past, or the "Twin Manifestations" for our time, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. Abdu'l-Bahá says:

.. nearness to God is possible through devotion to him, through entrance into the Kingdom and service to humanity; it is attained by unity with mankind and through loving-kindness to all; it is dependent upon investigation of truth, acquisition of praiseworthy virtues, service in the Cause of universal peace and personal sanctification. In a word nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him. Nearness is likeness.

And so this brings us back to the concept of the unity of mankind as taught by Bahá'u'lláh. It is a spiritual union, not a physical or uniform one. Its watchword is unity in diversity:

Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity, He has made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul until we have the reality of unity in our midst, and as we work, so will strength be given unto us.

- Abdu'l-Bahá

Thank you, Bahá'u'lláh, for this priceless gift that has been granted us today from your Pen, the knowledge of the oneness of mankind:

“It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.” Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men’s hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God’s holy Book.

May the realization of this aim, through our concentrated and persistent efforts to build His new World Order, stand as testimony to the truth of our Lord's in this wonderful Age!

Contentment with His holy will and pleasure

As I got distracted again by a stray thought today wasting precious time investigating it online, I came to reflect on what had caused me to get sidetracked on this fruitless venture like this. The answer that came to me was a need for contentment, contentment with the urgent and pressing life-tasks already entrusted to my hands, so that I could focus fully and confidently on them. With contentment, the covetous desire and craving for more of the extraneous things of this world would disappear. I found the following quotations to guide me in my strivings to acquire this cardinal virtue (and related ones): The source of all good is trust in God, submission unto His command, and contentment with His holy will and pleasure.

The source of all glory is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord hath bestowed, and contentment with that which God hath ordained.

- Bahá’u’lláh, Words of Wisdom

Regarding the purpose of this virtue in my context, viz. fostering the ability to focus on the important tasks at hand, 'Abdu'l-Bahá has written:

O daughter of the Kingdom! Thy letter hath come and its contents make clear the fact that thou hast directed all thy thoughts toward acquiring light from the realms of mystery. So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results, but if his thinking be concentrated on a single point wonderful will be the fruits thereof.


As a tool for acquiring this virtue I shall employ prayer. In the Bahá'í Teachings, prayer has been given a central and vital role in the life of the believer. It helps one to stay focused on the Will of God rather than one's own.
"Strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers. Turn
towards God, and seek always to do that which is right and noble," says 'Abdu'l-Bahá (Paris Talks).

The following is from the textbook of a Bahá'í study circle, Ruhi Book #1, which I have found very useful as it teaches about prayer:

When we pray, we should centre our thoughts on God. We should forget the things of the world, what is going on around us, and even our own selves.

“O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My Spirit. This is the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.” 12

To forget all save God is not easy. Effort is needed. It requires great yearning. When our hearts are pure and free of our own imaginations and desires, our prayers have their greatest effect.

"Depend thou upon God. Forsake thine own will and cling to His, set aside thine own desires and lay hold of His…” 13

Imagine a glass of pure, sweet milk. We can derive various products from this milk, such as butter, cheese, and cream. But if we add a drop of poison, that milk is contaminated and its usefulness is lost. It is no longer pure. We cannot use it for anything. The poison that man puts into his life is his ego. We should free ourselves of ego if we want our prayers to have great effect.

Another very important requirement for reaching the true state of prayer is faith. We should trust completely the mercy of God and be certain that He will grant what is best for us.

“Spirit has influence; prayer has spiritual effect. Therefore, we pray ‘O God! Heal this sick one!’ Perchance God will answer. Does it matter who prays? God will answer the prayer of every servant if that prayer is urgent. His mercy is vast, illimitable. He answers the prayers of all His servants. He answers the prayer of this plant. The plant prays potentially, ‘O God! Send me rain!’ God answers the prayer, and the plant grows. God will answer anyone.” 14

Notes:

12. Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 16

13. Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, no. 38, p.79

14. Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 246

Seeking assistance from God

I discovered a beautiful attitude by which to seek confirmation and assistance from our Creator in our daily lives, in the following passage of 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

It behoveth the servant to pray to and seek assistance from God, and to supplicate and implore His aid. Such becometh the rank of servitude, and the Lord will decree whatsoever He desireth, in accordance with His consummate wisdom.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, From a Tablet - translated from the Arabic)

We are actually "permitted" to seek the aid of the Almighty! Mindboggling as this is for a poor human being, it is a reality we can see in the lives of those who have arisen to serve the Faith - how greatly their feeble efforts are reinforced by an invisible Providence. Many of these prominent teachers are among the ranks of the Hands of the Cause of God. It is a great inspiration to read about their exploits! A powerful book chronicling the heroic deeds of the faithful is The Dawn Breakers (look here too), a "must read" for Bahá'ís. It allows one to witness and understand how hidden Forces assist in moments of danger and peril when our motives have been pure, and our hearts are connected with the Source .