# Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Abdu'l-Bahá, Abdu'l-Baha on Divine Philosophy, Boston, MA: Tudor Press, 1918, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Elizabeth Fraser Chamberlain
> 
> , compiler
> 
> 189 pages
> 
> Boston, MA: Tudor Press, 1918
> 
> single page
> 
> chapter 1
> 
> CONTENTS
> 
> INTRODUCTION
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .   5
> 
> PRINCIPLES OF BAHA'O'LLAH
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  25
> 
> PRELUDE
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  29
> CHAPTER
> I.  Divine Revelators
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  33
> 
> II.  Education
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  79
> 
> III.  Soul, Mind and Spirit
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 117
> 
> IV.  Value of a Universal Language
> .  .  .  .  . 141
> 
> V.  Questions asked by Theological Students
> .  . 147
> 
> VI.  Letters to Religious Congress
> .  .  .  .  . 159
> 
> VII.  Address to Theosophical Society
> .  .  .  . 165
> 
> VIII.  Address to the Spiritual Alliance
> .  .  .  . 175
> 
> IX.  A Loving Farewell
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .   .  . 185
> 
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> 
> INTRODUCTION
> 
> WHY this great unrest — wars and the rumors of wars, changing of dynasties,
> earthquakes, cataclysms?  The people cry "Peace, peace; when there is no peace!"
> Are not these the outer sign that man has lost the inner truth?  Students in every
> land who have stepped out of the stream of humanity remind us of the holy books
> of history — all of which foretell the coming of a great Messiah or world
> teacher.  Once again the wheel has turned and brought man face to face with truth.
> Truth is the handmaid of the prophet.  Can there be a handmaid without the
> prophet?
> 
> A movement comes from the East which claims to be the divine instrument for
> bringing unity into the world.  For this reason, if for no other, it deserves
> attention.  Its claims are too
> 
> 5
> 
> vital and important to be overlooked.  The wonderful lives of its founders command
> interest.  The courageous lives of its followers and their uncompromising
> sacrifice for this cause form a chapter that has no parallel in history.
> 
> During the last century three great seers or supermen have appeared in Persia
> — the Bab, BAHA'O'LLAH, and Abdul Bahá.
> 
> The Bab was born in Shiraz, in the month of October, 1819.  At the age of twenty-
> four he heralded the advent of a universal teacher whom God would manifest, and
> through whom the unity of the nations would be established.  The Bab (door or
> gate)  effected a reformation of Islam, opening the way for a broader movement
> — for always with earnestness and zeal he cried of one who was to come
> after him to illumine not only Islam, but the whole world.  The young reformer
> made his declaration in 1844 at Shiraz and afterward at Mecca, where one hundred
> thousand people had congregated.
> 
> His teachings met with instant opposition on the part of the orthodox religionists
> of the day.  After two years he was imprisoned and held a prisoner until 1850
> when he was shot in the public square of Tabriz.
> 
> But physical torture and death were ineffectual to stop the onsweep of the
> reformation inaugurated by the Bab.  When, some years later BAHA'O'LLAH arose as
> the one who was expected, thousands accepted him and at once came under his
> banner.  BAHA'O'LLAH was not personally
> 
> 6
> 
> related to the Bab, nor had he ever seen him, though he became one of the first
> disciples of the Bab's teachings.
> 
> Dreadful persecutions ensued and more than twenty thousand martyrs joyfully
> gave up property and life rather than renounce the faith which they recognized as
> divine truth.  At such variance were his teachings with the creed-bound world
> about him that BAHA'O'LLAH, with his family and followers, was banished to
> Bagdad, to Constantinople, to Adrianople and finally to the penal colony of Acca in
> Syria.
> 
> Few people of the western world were fortunate enough to see BAHA'O'LLAH, who
> was born in Teheran November 12, 1817.  One who had journeyed afar, and who was
> finally ushered into his presence, described him thus:  "The face of him on whom I
> gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it.  Those piercing eyes seemed
> to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow... No need to
> ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a
> devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!"
> 
> One of his followers in describing his power declares: "His proclamation was made
> with the certainty of immediate knowledge and a divine understanding of the needs
> of humanity for 'this gloomy and disastrous age!'  Brilliant, spontaneous, mighty
> — he was like a conscious sun bursting on a dark, dead world.  Verily, in the
> future these laws will be used 'for the healing of the nations.'"
> 
> 7
> 
> The prison officials of Acca ultimately granted him the liberty of the fortressed
> city and he pitched his tent upon the Mount of Carmel in the land of Sharon, the
> very spot where, according to the ancient prophecies, the Glory of God would be
> manifested in the latter days.  The name of BAHA'O'LLAH means the Glory of God,
> 
> Bahá
> — Glory, and
> Allah
> — God.
> 
> It will be noted that the divine teachers of all ages in their efforts to direct man's
> attention to God have assumed a spiritual title symbolic of their teachings.
> 
> BAHA'O'LLAH unsealed the holy books and revealed laws through which mankind can
> attain to a high state of spiritual civilization.  These new laws will go into effect
> after the great readjustment, when wars, cataclysms, famine, labor troubles, etc.,
> have done their work of equalization!
> 
> From the prison of Acca, BAHA'O'LLAH issued proclamations to the crowned heads
> of Europe and to the Pope, exhorting them to cease from their injustice and
> oppression and hasten to the tent of unity and consultation — that the reality
> of each matter might become disclosed.  These epistles (copies of which are to be
> found in the British Museum) were dispatched by personal messengers, volunteers
> from his little band of exiles.
> 
> His commands, like a resonant call upraised from a land of oppression to the
> confused and sorrowful world — stern, irrefutable, immutable — stand
> out against the bloody background of Europe.  Those who are following this call
> 
> 8
> 
> declare that the soundless voice will be heard throughout the ages, for they
> believe the words to be creative, and affirm that, notwithstanding his banishment
> and incarceration, BAHA'O'LLAH has been enabled to impress every nation on earth
> with a glory and universality of thought that promises the loosening of the
> shackles which have held mankind in the political, ecclesiastical and financial
> slavery of the times.
> 
> When a great force is liberated by the entrance of a divine being into the world
> arena, it must of necessity express itself through the vehicle of a human temple,
> and the objective expression of this force manifests itself in thoughts of
> different grades and degrees according to the capacity of the people.  The master-
> teachers are the expounders of divine common sense which is the pathway to a
> knowledge of universal law, the result of which will be a harmonious humanity.
> Man confines his consciousness to this material plane.  This new force will
> liberate him and he will become conscious of many planes and of the ultimate
> oneness of them all.
> 
> Tolstoi in one of his books says that we spend our lives attempting to unravel the
> mystery of life, but adds, "There is a Persian, a Turkish prisoner, who knows the
> secret."  Tolstoi was one of those who was in communication with BAHA'O'LLAH.
> With him he held that a life uncompromisingly sacrificed to the ideals is the life
> of the superman.
> 
> BAHA'O'LLAH continually urges man to free
> 
> 9
> 
> himself from the superstitions and traditions of the past and become an
> investigator of reality, for it will then be seen that God has revealed his light
> many times in order to illumine mankind in the path of evolution, in various
> countries and through many different prophets, masters and sages.
> 
> Life must hold as its primary foundation the opportunity of a knowledge of the
> divine law.  The great ones come, primarily, to remind man of this law which
> remains the same in all ages — immutable, unchangeable, eternal, and which
> deals with man attaining immortality.  The mundane laws, those governing human
> conduct and regulating the Sabbath, divorce, capital punishment, etc., vary with
> each age according to the capacity of the people.  "These diversities are
> established out of regard for the times, seasons, ages and epochs."
> 
> Before his ascension from the prison of Acca in 1892, BAHA'O'LLAH, commanded
> his followers to look to his eldest son, Abbas Effendi, whose spiritual title is
> Abdul Bahá (Servant of God), as the expounder of his teachings and the one through
> whom the new kingdom on earth would eventually be established.  The mantle of
> glory descended upon this beloved son in order that the divine decrees might be
> fulfilled.  BAHA'O'LLAH was the great lawgiver.  Abdul Bahá is the law establisher,
> as he was the first to live these laws.  He was born in the city of Teheran, Persia,
> May 23, 1844.
> 
> A year after the departure of BAHA'O'LLAH
> 
> 10
> 
> mention was made of this cause at the Chicago World's Fair, in 1893, by Dr. Harvy
> Harris Jessup, President of the American College of Beirut, Syria, who sent a
> paper to be read before the congress of religions.  This address was read during
> the afternoon session of the thirteenth day of the congress, September 23, 1893.
> Dr. Jessup closed his address thus: —
> 
> "In the place of Behjé, or Delight, just outside the fortress of Acca, on the
> Syrian Coast, there died, a few months since, a famous Persian sage named
> BAHA'O'LLAH — the Glory of God.
> 
> "Three years ago he was visited by a Cambridge scholar to whom he uttered
> sentiments so noble, so Christ-like that we repeat them as our closing words
> — 'We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations
> — that all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that
> all bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened;
> that diversity of religion should cease and differences of race be annulled —
> and so shall it be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away and
> the most great peace shall come.  Is not this that which Christ foretold?  Let not a
> man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he
> loves his kind.'"
> 
> Interest was enkindled in America and as there was no English literature on the
> subject at that time, a party was formed to journey to the Syrian city to get
> information of BAHA'O'LLAH at first
> 
> 11
> 
> hand from his son.  They brought back graphic accounts from the prison
> philosopher.  Meetings were held and a correspondence was begun with Abdul
> Bahá.
> 
> Soon from all parts of the world people journeyed to Acca.  They wrote accounts of
> their visits and these, with the letters or tablets from Abdul Bahá, were widely
> distributed.  The city of Acca became a center of pilgrimage.  Around the board of
> Abdul Bahá gathered all races and creeds — it was the only place on earth
> where Christian, Moslem, Jews, Zoroastrians, Buddhists and Hindus met and ate
> together in perfect harmony and understanding.
> 
> The above are mere facts of history, but present history without the setting of the
> background of time has no perspective to our clay-laden eyes.  We are ever looking
> for some miracle, some proof — for the Christ life as viewed from the
> outside seems so simple; yet could there be anything more dramatically
> miraculous than this to establish peace in the hearts in the midst of a warring
> world?  This kind of peace BAHA'O'LLAH calls the "most great peace."  To establish
> this kingdom in the hearts — verily, it is the unrealized dream of the
> planet!
> 
> After his liberation, in 1908, at the earnest solicitation of friends, Abdul Bahá
> made an extensive tour of Europe and America, bringing the message of the new
> creational day from shore to shore; speaking in churches of every denomination, in
> the synagogues, before many
> 
> 12
> 
> clubs, societies, universities and congresses.  So swiftly has this cause spread
> that it has encircled the globe within a few years.
> 
> In America will be reared a material symbol standing for unity between the races,
> unity between the classes and equality between the sexes.  In Chicago an imposing
> temple is to be erected by the voluntary contributions from all the people of the
> earth.  Every race, creed and color will be represented.
> 
> The temple wherein each may worship God in his own way is to be surrounded by
> such accessories as a hospital, pilgrim-house, school for orphans and university
> for the study of higher sciences.
> 
> The people of universal mind recognize in this plan the symbol of assurance that
> we are at the beginning of the golden age that prophets and poets have depicted in
> song and fable.  The people  who have come in contact with this spirit of the age
> hold that the time has come when the highest concepts of man are to be realized
> and become part and parcel of every nation's fabric.  With glowing faces these
> people tell of future ideals based on justice.  They speak of international laws as
> yet untranslated into our language which are to govern the world after wars have
> ceased.
> 
> A new chapter in the life of the planet has been opened.  Humanity has attained its
> maturity, and the race consciousness has awakened to the fact that it must put
> away the childish things which seemed necessary in the day of the
> 
> 13
> 
> "survival of the fittest."  This day "wherein the feet of the people deviate" is to be
> followed by a glorious to-morrow; for —  "This is a new cycle of human
> power.  All the horizons of the world are luminous and the world will become
> indeed as a garden and a paradise.  It is the hour of unity of the sons of men and of
> the drawing together of all races and all classes.
> 
> "The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind
> and the fundamental oneness of religion.  War shall cease between the nations and
> by the will of God the most great peace shall come;  the world will be seen as a
> new world and all men will live as brothers."
> 
> The hour has struck — soon the vibration will be felt on this material plane;
> for as Abdul Bahá so beautifully puts it — "Does not the dawn of a new day
> arouse the sleeping ones from their couches of negligence and awaken all those
> who are not dead?"
> 
> Speaking of the temple of the future, Abdul Bahá says — "Every country has a
> hundred thousand gigantic temples, but what results have they yielded?  The
> important point is this — from a temple of worship must go forth not only
> the spiritual but the material needs.  Verily, the founding of this temple will mark
> the inception of the Kingdom of God on earth.  It is the evident standard waving in
> the center of the great continent of America.
> 
> "The doors will be open to all sects — no
> 
> 14
> 
> differentiation; and by God's help this temple will prove to be to the body of human
> society what the soul is to the body of man.  For when these colleges for the study
> of higher science, the hospital, the orphanage and the hospice are built, its doors
> will be opened to all nations, races and religions, with no line of demarkation and
> its charities will be dispensed without regard to race or color.  Its gates will be
> flung wide to mankind; prejudice toward none, love for all.  The central building
> will be dedicated to prayer and worship and thus for the first time religion will
> become harmonized with science and science will be the handmaid of religion
> — both showering their spiritual gifts on all humanity.  In this way the
> people will be lifted out of the quagmires of slothfulness and bigotry."
> 
> All of which would seem to verify the prediction of the great world thinkers of our
> time, one of whom says: "Abdul Bahá will surely unite the East and West, for he
> treads the mystic way with practical feet."
> 
> It was while Abdul Bahá was in Paris that a group composed of different sects
> awaited an audience to argue their various faiths.  Suddenly this divine teacher of
> men swept into the room and pointing out of the window, exclaimed:  The sun of
> truth rises in each season from a different point of the horizon — to-day it
> is here, yesterday it was there, and to-morrow it will appear from another
> direction.  Why do you keep your eyes eternally fixed on the same point?  Why
> 
> 15
> 
> do you call yourselves Christians, Buddhists, Mohammedans, Bahá'ís?  You must
> learn to distinguish the sun of truth from whichever point of the horizon it is
> shining!  People think religion is confined in an edifice, to be worshipped at an
> altar.  In reality it is an attitude toward divinity which is reflected through
> life.
> 
> "This movement eludes organization — it is the realization of a new spirit.
> The foundation of that spirit is the love of God; and its method the love and
> service of mankind.  Many who have never heard of this revelation teach its laws
> and spiritual truths.  These people are performing what BAHA'O'LLAH hath
> commanded though they never heard of him.  The power of BAHA'O'LLAH'S words is
> compelling — therefore you must know and love them.  For instance, in the
> spring season trees burst forth into verdure though they are not conscious of the
> sunshine, of the falling rain or the gentle breeze — nevertheless, the power
> of nature urges them on to yield forth their fruits."
> 
> Soon after his release as a prisoner of the Turkish Government, Abdul Bahá
> journeyed from the little fortressed town of Acca to Egypt and thence to London.
> While in London he gave the following interview to the writer.  It was published in
> one of the leading journals, under date of September 23, 1911.
> 
> 16
> 
> THE WORLD'S GREATEST PRISONER
> 
> Some Experiences of Abdul Bahá's Forty Years'
> 
> Imprisoned in a Turkish Fortress
> 
> In an apartment in Cadogan Gardens sits a Persian sage, Abdul Bahá, whose recent
> advent in London marks the latest link between the East and the West.
> 
> The teachings of Abdul Bahá have already brought about a community of thought
> between the Orient and the Occident. Upon the basis of mutual help and friendship
> the people have joined hands with an earnestness and brotherly love contrary to
> the theories of certain cynical poets and philosophers.
> 
> In his reception room one found a constantly augmented group representing many
> languages and nationalities. There were turbaned people from the East, a member
> of the English House of Lords, smartly dressed women from the continent, two
> tramps, who, having read of Abdul Bahá in the papers, sought his presence; and
> arch-deacon of the Church of England, and several Americans.
> 
> Abdul Bahá entered. With one impulse we arose, paying unconscious homage to the
> majesty of the station of servitude. Surely there can be no greater station than
> this! Instantly one felt an intangible something that stamped him as one apart. Try
> as one would it could not be defined.
> 
> 17
> 
> All that was tangible was the dome-like head with its patriarchal beard and eyes
> that suggested eternity. After greeting us he waved us to our seats and inquired if
> there were any questions we would like to ask. When informed that my editor had
> sent me to ascertain if he would speak of his prison life, Abdul Bahá began at once
> to tell his story in a simple, impersonal way:
> 
> "At nine years of age, I was banished with my father, BAHA'O'LLAH, on his journey
> of exile to Baghdad, Arabia; seventy of his followers accompanying us. This decree
> of exile after persistent persecution was intended to effectively stamp out of
> Persia what the authorities considered a dangerous movement. BAHA'O'LLAH, his
> family and followers were driven from place to place.
> 
> "When I was about twenty-five years old, we were moved from Constantinople to
> Adrianople and from there we went with a guard of soldiers to the fortressed city
> of Acca where we were imprisoned and closely guarded.
> 
> "There was no communication whatever with the outside world. Each loaf of bread
> was cut open by the guard to see that it contained no message. All who believed in
> the universal precepts of BAHA'O'LLAH, children, men and women, were imprisoned
> with us. At one time there were one hundred and fifty of us together in two rooms
> and no one was allowed to leave the place except four people who went to the
> bazaar to market each morning under guard.
> 
> 18
> 
> "Acca was a fever-ridden town in Palestine. It was said that a bird attempting to
> fly over it would drop dead. The food was poor and insufficient, the water was
> drawn from a fever-infected well and the climate and conditions were such that
> even the natives of the town fell ill. Many soldiers succumbed and eight out of ten
> of our guard died. During the intense heat of that first summer, malaria, typhoid
> and dysentery attacked the prisoners, so that all the men, women and children
> were sick at one time. There were no doctors, no medicine, no proper food and no
> medical treatment of any kind. I used to make broth for the people and as I had
> much practice, I made good broth," said Abdul Bahá, laughingly.
> 
> At this point one of the Persians explained to me that it was on account of Abdul
> Bahá's untiring patience, resource and endurance that he was termed "The Master
> of Acca."  I felt a mastership in his complete severance from time and place and
> from all that even a Turkish prison could inflict. "The Master" continued:
> 
> "After two years of the strictest confinement, permission was granted me to find
> a house, so that we could live outside the prison walls but still within the
> fortifications. Many believers came from Persia to join us, but were not allowed
> to do so. Nine years passed. Sometimes we were better off and sometimes very
> much worse. It depended on the governor, who, if he happened to be a kind and
> lenient ruler, would grant us permission to leave the fortification and would
> 
> 19
> 
> allow the people free access to visit the house; but when the governor was more
> rigorous, extra guards were placed around us and often pilgrims who had come
> from afar were turned away."
> 
> Again my Persian friend, who, during these troublous time was a member of Abdul
> Bahá's household, explained that the Turkish Government could not credit the fact
> that the interest of the English and American visitors was spiritual and not
> political. Finally, pilgrims were refused permission to see him and the whole trip
> from America would be rewarded merely by a glimpse of Abdul Bahá from his
> prison window. The government suspected that the tomb of the Bab, an imposing
> building on Mount Carmel, was a fortification erected with the aid of American
> money and that it was being armed and garrisoned secretly. Suspicion grew with
> each new arrival, resulting in extra spies and guards.
> 
> Abdul Bahá continued: "One year before Abdul Hamid was dethroned, he sent an
> extremely overbearing, treacherous and insulting committee of investigation. The
> chairman was one of the governor's staff, Arif Bey, and with him were three army
> commanders of varying rank.
> 
> "Immediately upon his arrival, Arif Bey proceeded to try and get proof strong
> enough to denounce me to the Sultan and warrant sending me to Fezan, or throwing
> me into the sea. Fezan is a caravan station on the boundary of Tripoli, where there
> are no houses and no water. It is a month's journey by camel route from Acca.
> 
> 20
> 
> "The committee, after denouncing me in their report, sent word that they wanted
> to see me, but I declined. I assured them that I had no desire to meet them. This
> infuriated them and when they sent for me again I sent this word back: 'I know
> your purpose. You wish to incriminate me. Very well, write in your report just
> what you like; send me a copy with instructions as to what you want me to write,
> and I will seal it myself and give it to you.'
> 
> "A ship came into port reputed to be the one that was to take me to Fezan or drop
> me into the sea. The people used to stand on the wall of the city and look at this
> ship; but Arif Bey, rising in supreme wrath, declared that he would return to
> Constantinople and bring back an order from the Sultan to have me hanged at the
> gate of Acca.
> 
> "About this time another ship appeared in the harbor, an Italian vessel sent by
> order of the Italian consul. On it I was to escape by night. The friends implored me
> to go, but I sent this message to the captain: 'The Bab did not run away;
> BAHA'O'LLAH did not run away; I shall not run away' — so the ship sailed
> away after waiting three days and three nights.
> 
> "It was while the Sultan's committee of investigation was homeward bound that
> the first historic shell was dropped into Abdul Hamid's camp and the first gun of
> freedom was fired into the home of despotism. That was God's gun," said Abdul
> Bahá, with one of his wonderful smiles.
> 
> "When the committee reached Constantinople
> 
> 21
> 
> they had more urgent things to think of. The capital was in a state of uproar and
> rebellion and the committee, as members of the government staff, were delegated
> to investigate the insurrection. Meanwhile the people established a constitutional
> government and Abdul Hamid was deposed.
> 
> "With the advent of the Young Turk's supremacy, realized through the Society of
> Union and Progress, in 1898, all the political and religious prisoners of the
> Ottoman Empire were freed. Events took the chains from my neck and placed them
> about Hamid's.  Abdul baha came out of prison and Abdul Hamid went in!"
> 
> "What became of the committee?" was asked.
> 
> "Arif Bey," answered Abdul Bahá, "was shot with three bullets; the general was
> exiled; the next in rank died suddenly and the third ran away to Cairo where he
> sought and received help from some of the friends there."
> 
> "We are glad that you are free," I said.
> 
> Again the wonderous smile. "Freedom is not a matter of place. It is a condition. I
> was thankful for the prison and the lack of liberty was very pleasing to me, for
> those days were passed in the path of service under the utmost difficulties and
> trials, bearing fruits and results.
> 
> "Unless one accepts dire vicissitudes he will not attain. To me prison is freedom;
> troubles rest me; incarceration is an open court; death is life and to be despised is
> honor. Therefore, I was happy all that time in prison. When one
> 
> 22
> 
> is released from the prison of self, that is indeed freedom, for self is the greater
> prison. When this release takes place, one can never be imprisoned. They used to
> put my feet in stocks so,"  and he put out his feet before him to illustrate and
> laughed as though it were a joke he enjoyed.
> 
> "I would say to the guard 'You cannot imprison me, for here I have light and air and
> bread and water. There will come a time when my body will be in the ground and I
> shall have neither light nor air nor food nor water, but even then I shall not be
> imprisoned.'  The afflictions which come to humanity sometimes tend to center the
> consciousness upon the limitations. This is a veritable prison. Release comes by
> making of the will a door through which the confirmations of the spirit come."
> 
> This sounded so like the old theology that the modern within me rebelled doubting
> if the discipline really compensated for the effort.
> 
> "What do you mean by the confirmations of the spirit?" I asked.
> 
> "The confirmations of the spirit are all those powers and gifts with which some
> are born and which men sometimes call genius, but for which others have to strive
> with infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life with
> radiant acquiescence."
> 
> Radiant acquiescence — that was the quality with which we suddenly seemed
> inspired as Abdul Bahá bade us good-bye.
> 
> It was a remarkable experience, hearing one
> 
> 23
> 
> who had passed along the prison path for forty years declare, "There is no prison
> save the prison of self"; and it drove conviction to the heart as this white-robed
> messenger from the East pointed the way out; not by renunciation, but by radiant
> acquiescence — the shining pathway out of the "greater prison of self."
> 
> 24
> 
> PRINCIPLES OF BAHA'O'LLAH
> 
> AS EXPOUNDED BY ABDUL BAHA
> 
> The sun of reality has risen from the eastern horizon.  Its light and heat are being
> felt in all regions.
> 
> Just as the rays of the phenomenal sun are infinite, likewise the rays of the sun of
> reality are infinite.  The following summary contains but a few of the rays which
> may be likened unto great principles shining into the consciousness of man.
> 
> 1.  The first is the independent investigation of reality.
> 
> 2.  The second is the banishment of all prejudice.
> 
> 3.  The third is the oneness of the world of humanity.
> 
> 4.  The fourth is the oneness of the foundation of all religions.
> 
> 5.  The fifth is the unity of science and religion.
> 
> 6.  The sixth is the universal auxiliary language.
> 
> 7.  The seventh is universal education.
> 
> 8.  The eighth is the equality of the sexes.
> 
> 9.  The ninth is the parliament of man.
> 
> 10.	The tenth is universal peace.
> 
> 25
> 
> 1.  INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION OF REALITY
> 
> Discover for yourselves the reality of things, and strive to assimilate the methods
> by which noble-mindedness and glory are attained among the nations and people of
> the world.
> 
> No man should follow blindly his ancestors and forefathers.  Nay, each must see
> with his own eyes, hear with his own ears and investigate independently in order
> that he may find the truth.  The religion of forefathers and ancestors is based upon
> blind imitation.  Man should investigate reality.
> 
> 2.  ABANDONMENT OF ALL PREJUDICE
> 
> O people, make firm the girdle of endeavor, that perchance religious prejudice may
> be annulled.  For love of God and his servants engage in this great and mighty
> matter.  Religious hatred and rancor is a world-consuming fire, and the quenching
> thereof most arduous, unless the hand of divine might give men deliverance from
> this unfruitful calamity.
> 
> Beware of prejudice; light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning.  A rose is
> beautiful in whatever garden it may bloom.  A star has the same radiance if it
> shines from the east or the west.
> 
> All the prophets of God have come to unite the children of men and not to disperse
> them; to put in action the law of love and not enmity.
> 
> We must banish prejudice.  Religious, patriotic, racial prejudices must disappear,
> for they are the destroyers of human society.
> 
> We must become the cause of the unity of the human race.
> 
> 3.  THE ONENESS OF THE WORLD OF HUMANITY
> 
> White doves and gray doves associate with each other in perfect friendship.  Man
> draws imaginary lines on the planet and says, "This is a Frenchman, a Mussulman,
> an Italian!"  Upon these differences wars are waged.  Men are fighting for the
> possession of the earth.  They fight for that which becomes their graves, their
> cemeteries, their tombs.
> 
> In reality all are members of one human family — children of one Heavenly
> Father.  Humanity may be likened
> 
> 26
> 
> unto the vari-colored flowers of one garden.  There is unity in diversity.  Each sets
> off and enhances the other's beauty.
> 
> 4.  THE FOUNDATION OF ALL RELIGIONS IS ONE
> 
> The foundation underlying all the divine precepts is one reality.  It must needs be
> reality and reality is one.  Therefore the foundation of the divine religions is one.
> But we can see that certain forms and ceremonies have crept in.  They are
> heretical, they are accidental, because they differ, hence they cause differences
> among religions.  If we set aside all superstitions and seek the reality of the
> foundation we shall all agree, because religion is one and not multiple.
> 
> 5.  RELIGION MUST BE IN ACCORD WITH SCIENCE AND
> REASON
> 
> Religion must agree with science, so that science shall sustain religion and
> religion explain science.  The two must be brought together, indissolubly, in
> reality.  Down to the present day it has been customary for man to accept blindly
> what was called religion, even though it were not in accord with human reason.
> 
> 6.  A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
> 
> A universal language shall be adopted and taught in the schools and academies of
> the world.  A committee appointed by national bodies shall select a suitable
> language to be used as a means of international communication.
> 
> Every one will need but two languages, his national tongue and the universal
> language.  All will acquire the international language.
> 
> 7.  UNIVERSAL EDUCATION
> 
> Partaking of knowledge and education is one of the requisites of religion.  The
> education of each child is obligatory.  If there are no parents, the community must
> look after the child.  It is suggested that the childless educate a child.
> 
> It is incumbent on every one to engage in some occupation, such as arts, trades,
> and the like.  We have made
> 
> 27
> 
> this — your occupation — identical with the worship of God, the true
> one.  Reflect, O people, upon the mercy of God, and upon his favors, then thank him
> in mornings and evenings.
> 
> 8.  EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
> 
> This is peculiar to the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH.  Former religious systems placed
> men above women.  Daughters and sons must follow the same form of study and
> acquire a uniform education.  One course of education promotes unity among
> mankind.
> 
> 9.  AN INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL
> 
> The true civilization will raise its banner when some noble kings of high
> ambitions, the bright suns of the world of humanitarian enthusiasm, shall, for the
> good and happiness of all the human race, step forth with firm resolution and keen
> mind and hold a conference on the question of universal peace;  when keeping fast
> hold of the means of enforcing their views they shall establish a union of the
> states of the world, and conclude a definite treaty and strict alliance between
> them upon conditions not to be evaded.  When the whole human race has been
> consulted through their representatives and invited to corroborate this treaty
> which verily will be accounted sacred by all the peoples of the earth, it will be the
> duty of the united powers of the world to see that this great treaty shall
> endure.
> 
> A reflection of this parliament of man will be established in each community and
> called the "house of justice."  Its members will be chosen for their attribute of
> justice, and all matters pertaining to the community interests will be brought
> here for consultation.
> 
> 10.  UNIVERSAL PEACE
> 
> All men and nations shall make peace.  There shall be universal peace amongst
> governments, universal peace amongst religions, universal peace amongst races,
> universal peace amongst the denizens of all regions.  Today in the world of
> humanity the most important matter is the question of universal peace.
> 
> 28
> 
> PRELUDE
> 
> THE following words of Abdul Bahá were uttered after his American sojourn on the
> occasion of his second visit to Europe, in 1913, when he stopped for some months
> on his way to the Orient.
> 
> During his stay in Paris Abdul Bahá gave five public addresses (see Chapters 4, 5,
> 6, 7 and 8).
> 
> Each morning a group assembled at his apartment, 30 rue St. Didier, where he
> spoke informally; sometimes answering questions, or, on request, explaining
> points touched on in public addresses.  In this way, although there are seeming
> repetitions, many abstruse subjects are elucidated in these informal conferences,
> which are to be found in the first few chapters of the book.  (See chapters 1, 2 and
> 3.)
> 
> On these occasions Abdul Bahá would sometimes sit by the window over-looking
> Paris and anon the majestic white-robed figure would pace the room as he
> discoursed.
> 
> Every Friday evening he addressed an assemblage at M. and Mme. Dreyfus-Barney's,
> 15 rue Greuze and every Monday afternoon he visited a group at the studio of Mr.
> Scott (an American artist), in the Latin quarter, 17 rue Boissonade.
> 
> 29
> 
> His time in Paris was completely occupied.  In the afternoons and evenings one
> found him surrounded by French
> savants
> and lovers of truth who sought an
> audience with this master of wisdom.  Of a sudden he would sweep majestically
> forth, and should an attendant make as though to follow, he would wave him aside
> — "I walk alone!"  Many an hour did this man of mystery wander the streets of
> Paris dispelling the fogs of ignorance.
> 
> After Abdul Bahá had returned to Egypt, the writer visited him at Ramleh.
> Speaking of America one day, he said , "I have great hopes for the American people,
> but alas!  as yet they do not understand the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH.
> 
> "One of the veils is literal interpretation.  To penetrate the inner significances a
> mighty effort is needed."
> 
> When one in reading substitutes the symbolic or spiritual title of the great ones,
> the human temple fades and only reality remains.
> 
> The spirit of faith, the beloved, the spiritual ego, the friend, the adored one, the
> desired one, the rays of the sun of truth, the flame of reality, the radiations of the
> celestial world, the lord, the nightingale, etc., are all synonyms of the one reality
> of man.
> 
> "This," says Abdul Bahá, "has been the mission of all the divine messengers —
> to make man conscious of his eternal part.
> 
> "By God, who is the only God and there is no God but he, this servant swears the
> masters did not come that man should adore them or worship
> 
> 30
> 
> them or acknowledge their prophethood.  Nay, rather, the masters of all time have
> suffered for none other than this — that fleshly veils might be rent asunder
> and reality become manifest.
> 
> "Once again the dove of eternity hath descended from the
> rizwan
> * of
> nearness to sing the long-forgotten melody in this gloomy and disastrous age.  O,
> when will one arise and while listening to this song don the garment of
> selflessness and hasten to the precinct of the friend!"
> 
> *Rizwan — a Persian word which means garden or paradise and
> symbolizes a heavenly condition.
> 
> 31
> 
> [Blank]
> 
> 32
> 
> single page
> 
> chapter 1
> 
> METADATA
> 
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> 
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> 
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