# The Insistent Self: How to Nurture Our Spirit

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Lesley Shams, The Insistent Self: How to Nurture Our Spirit, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> The Insistent Self
> WORKING
> How to Nurture our Spirit
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Lesley Shams
> WORKING
> EDITION
> The Insistent Self
> How to Nurture our Spirit
> Copyright © 2015 by the National Spiritual Assembly
> 
> WORKING
> of the Bahá’ís of Australia Incorporated
> 
> All Rights Reserved
> 
> Published by Bahá’í Publications Australia
> 
> EDITION
> ISBN :
> 
> Distributed by :
> Bahá’í Distribution Services
> P.O. Box 300
> Bundoora Vic 3083
> Australia
> 
> Email: bds@bahai.org.au
> www.bahaibooks.com
> 
> Cover design and book layout: Massoud Tahzib
> Table of Contents
> 
> Page
> 
> Introduction .......................................................................................... 1
> 
> Chapter 1: The Insistent Self .............................................................. 23
> 
> Chapter 2: Turning to God ................................................................. 65
> 
> Chapter 3: Meditation .................................................................,.... 103
> 
> Chapter 4: Observing the Fast .......................................................... 133
> 
> Chapter 5: Detachment, Self-Surrender and Selflessness ................ 157
> 
> Chapter 6: Trials for our Perfection ................................................. 193
> 
> Chapter 7: Ignite a Candle of Love .................................................. 221
> 
> Chapter 8: Becoming a Channel ...................................................... 273
> 
> V
> Introduction
> 
> In this introduction I want to explain a little about myself and my
> journey which led me to write this book. I also want to give you some
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> information about the Bahá’í Faith since the Writings in the book are
> mainly from this source.
> 
> Quite early in life, I was fascinated with exploration of the self. I remember
> in high school getting a few other students to draw a house, a tree and
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> a person (having read about this “test”) and analyzing the drawings to
> determine their unique personality characteristics and their sense of self. I
> suppose it was not a surprise to them that I decided to study psychology at
> university. I finished a B.A. in psychology and worked at a Child Guidance
> Clinic for 5 years, before deciding to pursue a teaching career.
> 
> As a teacher, I really wanted students to know that they were special, that
> they could become the best they could be. I had high expectations for them
> and they strived to meet them and felt proud of their accomplishments.
> I also incorporated work on building character and virtues. I collected a
> booklet of activities to build self-esteem and continued to use such activities
> throughout my teaching career. Over the years I taught students with
> learning difficulties, autism, mental handicaps, giftedness and emotional
> and behavioral issues. I always felt that those students – those on the
> margins of society – needed more encouragement and love to see their
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> own worth since they were always in a position to compare themselves
> with others and feel that they came up short.
> 
> This mattered a great deal to me because I myself experienced a difficult
> childhood and I began my healing journey later in life. I discovered the
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> 12-step programs and attended ACOA (Adult Children of Alcoholics)
> meetings regularly and read their literature. I attended counseling sessions
> focusing on the inner child. I read John Bradshaw’s books on “The Family”
> and “Healing the Shame Within” (family of origin work). I read some of
> Melody Beattie’s work on co-dependency and recognized some of the
> patterns within me. I belonged to a Bahá’ís in Recovery program. I have
> explored Chi Gong and other meditation styles and listened to relaxation
> tapes and I say prayers and seek Bahá’u’lláh’s guidance on a daily basis.
> 
> Growing up, I felt that I was defective and that there was something wrong
> with me compared to everyone else. Everyone else was okay. I could see
> that people had faults and shortcomings but I felt that they were okay;
> they could work on some issues if they chose to but generally they were
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> 
> fine. I was different. Of course, that is not true and I don’t believe it now.
> Many others who grow up in “dysfunctional” homes feel the same way. In
> our home (as in many others) we didn’t talk about problems or talk and
> express feelings openly, but we were expected to be strong, good, perfect,
> happy and look good to those around us. It was important not to be selfish
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> so I felt guilty having needs and wants. And I couldn’t trust anybody. I was
> the invisible, shy, quiet child. Every child in a dysfunctional family takes
> on a role; mine was only one of the possibilities. I didn’t demand anything.
> I was a people- pleaser. I didn’t really know who I was and I learned to
> depend on others and look to them for guidance as to what I should think,
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> feel and do. So much for a sense of self!
> 
> So how does this all relate to the book? First of all, it seemed important
> to share a little of my journey with my audience, that I owed you this
> openness and honesty and that it provided important background to my
> reflections in the book. I have to admit that I am quite reluctant to share
> my story because any troubles I can recount are nothing in the face of the
> tragedies faced by so many people in the world and some face incredible
> hardships every day of their lives. But I think it is important to understand
> other kinds of suffering so that we can have compassion and serve each
> other more lovingly.
> 
> How did I get from my journey to this book? I remember reading a message
> from the Universal House of Justice (the supreme body that guides the
> Bahá’ís of the world) and coming across the phrase “the insistent self”. It
> really stood out for me. I had probably read it before but I wasn’t “ready”
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> for it. I found the source in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings and its definition –
> “the evil promptings of the human heart” and I became curious to learn
> more and to work with it. The spark was lit! Then I did some training
> offered by the Bahá’í community for working with junior youth. I was
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> struck by one of the sections of the book indicating the need to encourage
> and build confidence in junior youth because our materialistic society can
> crush them and make it difficult for them to cope in life. But building this
> self-confidence can have the effect of bolstering their egos. So we have
> to figure out how to support them without waking the insistent self. And I
> realized from this study that we all have to struggle and strive to become
> spiritual beings, to overcome our lower natures and that it is possible that
> we may not realize to what extent we need to strive to allow spiritual
> teachings to infuse our lives so that we are not as negatively influenced by
> a materialistic culture which emphasizes the insistent self. It occurred to
> me that those of us following a spiritual path may feel we are protected
> from the test of our egos because we have God in our lives and pray and
> follow His guidance, or at least we can become complacent and feel we
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> 
> have a handle on it, when in fact we need to be ever-vigilant. I’ve learned
> perhaps through turning to God more openly and being fully immersed in
> His Words while studying to write this book that there are powerful tools to
> help us within the Bahá’í Writings. We are all little children trying to cope
> as adults while being blocked by our pasts. But we need to give everything
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> up to God. We’ve been chosen by God with all our defects. It is our spiritual
> journey, our journey to Him that will make of us the spiritual beings that
> can change the world. And knowing that we have animal natures, that they
> are always with us and will always present themselves has made me more
> relaxed with myself, not constantly striving to be perfect. I can be aware
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> of it taking over and I can laugh about it, let it pass and attempt to take the
> higher road. My hope is that you, too, will be able to use the tools in this
> book to assist you on your spiritual journey.
> 
> All the material in the book is taken from the Bahá’í Writings and Bahá’í
> authors with the exception of a few supplementary resources. Since readers
> may not be familiar with the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith, I am including
> some information here. For more information, please refer to other books
> on the Bahá’í Faith and internet resources. I would recommend these sites:
> www.bahai.org or http://ca.bahai.org. You can also contact your local
> Bahá’í community for information and for an opportunity to participate in
> study and service activities, devotional gatherings, classes for children and
> junior youth groups.
> 
> The Bahá’í Faith is the newest of the world religions. Bahá’ís are those
> who follow the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, Whom they believe to be a
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> Manifestation, a Messenger, a Prophet, a Teacher from God. Bahá’u’lláh
> taught us that the God we all worship is the same God, though we may
> use different names – Allah, Jehovah, the Creator, our Higher Power. We
> cannot know God because He is far above our ability to understand His
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> Essence. The only way that we can attempt to perceive a glimmering of His
> Greatness and to feel His Love for us is through His Messengers. Bahá’ís
> also believe that over the course of 1000’s of years, from time to time
> and in different parts of the world, a small number of these Enlightened
> Ones have appeared. Their mission has been to guide humanity spiritually
> and in its social affairs. Bahá’ís believe that Bahá’u’lláh was the most
> recent of these teachers. The Bahá’í Faith does not attempt to undermine
> any religion. Instead, it recognizes the missions of the great religions of
> the world as stages in the evolution of the spiritual life of humankind.
> When each one is carefully examined and stripped of the rituals that its
> followers have implemented, it becomes clear that they have brought the
> same spiritual teachings of love and goodwill to all humanity, changing
> hearts and bringing new life to the world. Therefore all the faiths in the
> 
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> 
> world become one integrated religion, each succeeding the last like links
> in a chain. The only differences between them are the social teachings,
> teachings that differ because God’s Messengers come into the world at
> different times and their teachings serve the needs of the age in which
> they live. Each one is like a Divine Physician prescribing medicine that
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> is needed for people at that period in time. Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster,
> Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are Manifestations through whom
> God has revealed successively the purpose of religion. These Men changed
> the course of history. Each at different times re-shaped the life of our planet.
> Abraham spoke of One God and His heirs became a great nation. Krishna’s
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> Teachings civilized India and countries close by. Moses rescued His people
> from bondage and founded a great civilization. Buddha changed the Asian
> peoples. Zoroaster tamed an ignorant people. Jesus altered the course of
> the Western world. Muhammad changed a savage people who worshipped
> idols, uplifting and unifying them in the knowledge of the one true God to
> become the Arabian nation. Each of these great Men praised the Messenger
> Who came before Him and taught that another would come in the future.
> There have been Messengers from the beginning of man’s creation and
> there will always be because we need them. We are God’s creatures and He
> wants us to reach our potential and to live as spiritual beings.
> 
> This is the Covenant between God and man, that He will never leave
> His servants alone, but will return to guide them to live their lives as
> noble creatures. He sends a Special Soul to renew the Teachings when
> mankind has drifted away from Them. It is a promise by God that can
> only be fulfilled by man under certain conditions. Man must love God and
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> demonstrate pure, selfless dedication and obedience to Him. The Covenant
> with Abraham gave the glad tidings that through His offspring all the
> nations of the earth would be blessed. The Covenant with Moses included
> the Ten Commandments. The Covenant with Christ was delineated in the
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> Sermon on the Mount and people became united into a brotherhood. Every
> Manifestation makes a Covenant with His followers that they should obey
> the next Manifestation, the One Who is to come after Him. Man must wait
> for the next Manifestation.
> 
> The historical account of all world religions is the same: one of the
> inhabitants of a backward and wayward people claims that he possesses
> a superior knowledge, a knowledge from God; He espouses the necessity
> for reforms and brings new laws; He encourages them to leave their
> ways behind and to accept and live the spiritual truths that he voices;
> by following His ways they will be blessed and achieve true happiness
> but if they ignore Him they will be discontented and miserable. All the
> Messengers are distinguished by their devotion, nobility, self-sacrifice
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> 
> and the extent of their influence to shape the history of millions of
> people. If we read about Their lives, we cannot help but admire and
> love Them. And as we read, we will discover a pattern. We will see that
> all of Them gave everything for Their beliefs, for the Teachings they
> espoused. And each Messenger has brought two gifts to humankind:
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> His example and His Teachings. He is a human being but He is also
> different because He lives and loves through God’s Will. God is the
> Sun and He is a Ray of the Sun. That is why Jesus, a humble carpenter,
> could influence the Western world, and Moses, a stutterer, gave laws
> that human beings follow even to this day all around the world and
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> Muhammad, a merchant and camel driver, changed nations through His
> Teachings. These Educators came to teach us the purpose of our lives
> and how we should live our lives.
> 
> How do we distinguish these Messengers from other great men who also
> taught us, good men, courageous men, men who changed the direction of
> people’s lives, philosophers who contributed so much to our understanding
> of ourselves and the universe? In a Messenger of God we see total
> consistency. They are men of deeds, not words. Each demonstrated
> assurance and confidence in pursuing a Path, albeit a dangerous Path laid
> out by God, and no contradictions can be seen in Their actions. They knew
> exactly what They were destined to bring to mankind and nothing diverted
> Them from Their purpose. They demonstrated a quality of goodness
> stemming from Their love of God, a genuine compassion and endless love
> for all with no self-interest.
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> And so religion has been renewed once more at a time when people have
> become disillusioned with the world and the possibility that religion can
> provide salvation. At the same time, others demonstrate a religious fanaticism
> that is a distortion of the Teachings of God, preaching a doctrine that leaves
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> chaos and destruction in its wake. It is a difficult time to be alive. We are so
> far removed from the morality and timeless values of our forefathers, of the
> ability to forget ourselves and to serve those who cross our path, sacrificing
> our own needs and desires for the common good. This book brings us back to
> those spiritual values that we all admire when we hear stories of heroism, sacrifice,
> goodwill and generosity. God has not left us alone to figure out our lives in the 21st
> century, in a world where greed and corruption are allowed to run rampant, where
> the concepts of truthfulness and honesty are tainted in our everyday dealings with
> one another, where self-preservation is the primary motive in the workplace and
> where our materialistic culture threatens to destroy any vestiges of humanity. We
> search for happiness but cannot attain it because we need to transcend this material
> existence and attain the life of the spirit. And we can only attain our spiritual
> destiny and enjoy a fulfilled life through the Teachings of God.
> 
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> 
> The chief principle and pivotal point of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings is the unity of
> the human race. Through science and technology, we can travel to any corner of
> the globe in a day and communicate with each other instantly. Nations depend
> on each other’s cooperation and the need for understanding and assistance
> among all nations has generally become accepted. It is therefore possible for
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> mankind to conceive of the idea of uniting the planet. The purpose of the
> Bahá’í Faith is to erase every trace of enmity and hatred from men’s hearts and
> unite the entire world as one family. The Bahá’í Writings provide the outline
> of institutions necessary for the establishment of a peaceful, orderly society.
> These include a world federation or commonwealth, an international auxiliary
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> language, a world economy, a mechanism for world intercommunication and
> a universal system of currency, weights and measures. And Bahá’u’lláh has
> given us important Teachings for our time. One of these is the independent
> investigation of truth. We must search out the truth for ourselves and not follow
> blindly the ways of others or customs of the past. Science and religion must
> go hand in hand. Religion that does not agree with science is superstition and
> can lead to fanaticism. Religion depends on reason, not blind faith. Universal
> education, another Bahá’í Teaching, assists us to find the truth and to use
> our power of reasoning. It also provides the framework for all to have
> equal opportunities to advance so that men and women can advance equally
> and women throughout the world take their rightful place beside men in
> working for the peace and prosperity of humankind. Bahá’u’lláh advocates
> the elimination of the extremes of wealth and poverty and the abandonment
> of all forms of prejudice. The Bahá’í Writings provide guidance that helps
> an individual develop the spiritual and intellectual qualities lying at the core
> of his nature and therefore contribute to an ever-advancing civilization. In
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> addition to prayer to assist us to become spiritual beings, work done in
> the spirit of service is also considered worship for Bahá’ís and service to
> humanity is the most worthy endeavor. When difficulties arise in life, as
> they will, Bahá’ís are asked to accept these trials, putting their whole trust
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> in God and recognizing that God is helping them to become stronger and
> conquer their attachment to self.
> 
> Although the Bahá’í Faith is only about 150 years old, in that short time it
> has spread to every corner of the planet. There are now Bahá’ís from every
> cultural and religious background in the world, all working towards the goals
> of a united humanity and world peace. But all conflicts and travail in the
> world today will become ameliorated only as man, becoming spiritual in his
> nature and desires, is motivated to act in more just, unselfish and loving ways.
> It is important for man to know himself - a wisdom which dates back to classic
> Greece. What is man’s nature? Bahá’u’lláh taught that he is a spiritual being, far
> above the kingdom of animals, although he can act worse than the beasts of the
> field. It is the spiritual nature of man that is explored in this book. I recognize
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> 
> that religion is a highly contentious subject and one which arouses every kind of
> emotion and passion from abhorrence to self-righteousness. But religion is meant
> to be a unifying force, one that promotes love and agreement among men, not a
> source of conflict. God’s Teachings are meant to refine man’s character so that
> he lives in honor and happiness. If religion becomes the source of contention,
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> Bahá’u’lláh taught that it is better to do without it. Although this book focuses on
> ideas that are taken from religious teachings, particularly those espoused by the
> Bahá’í Faith, it is in essence concerned with the spirit of man and is written for all
> individuals who recognize the need to nurture their higher, spiritual selves and are
> seeking for tools to assist them in this process.
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> Let us examine the lives of the miraculous Individuals who brought the
> Teachings of God to the world of today. The first Person on the scene was a
> young man from Shiraz in Iran (then called Persia) who became known as
> the Báb or the Gate. As a young child the Báb was not like most children.
> He did not care to play like other children but enjoyed chanting his prayers.
> He had a pure sweet character, a serenity and tender-heartedness. He was
> meek, courteous and mild-mannered. He astounded all with his wisdom
> and remarkable knowledge, his ability to grasp subjects beyond his years
> and to solve adult problems, while remaining entirely humble and modest.
> His teacher recognized this innate knowledge and confessed that he had
> nothing to teach the young boy. When He grew up, He worked as a
> merchant and His truthfulness and sense of justice earned great respect. At
> one time a man bought something on His behalf and paid too much. The
> Báb told him to return the item and get a refund, stating that he would not
> tolerate cheating nor encourage an individual to be dishonest. On another
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> occasion, the Báb paid more than market value to a person selling an item
> on His behalf. When questioned, the Báb explained that He Himself could
> have sold the item at the higher price so this man should not be deprived.
> While the Báb was working as a merchant, some awakened souls had
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> been teaching their disciples that a Promised One from God was to appear
> and urged the disciples to go out and search for Him. Eighteen disciples
> found The Báb by attaining His presence or recognized His Revelation
> through prayer, visions or dreams. The Báb sent them out to spread the new
> Teachings of justice, mercy, love and forgiveness.
> 
> The Báb arose to proclaim a new world religion at a time when Persia
> had sunk to the lowest level of moral corruption and depravity. The whole
> society was encompassed by fear, deceit and bribery. For example, a
> Minister could not obtain a post unless he offered gifts to the King. The
> people grovelled in obedience and were hypocritical. Religion had become
> so fanatical that even religious leaders would consider themselves defiled
> if they touched a Bible or brushed against a Christian or a dog belonging
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> 
> to a Jew. And it was this clergy that ruled the masses. People were cruel
> and barbaric. Women were considered to be without a soul and often
> possessions had more value.
> 
> The authorities quickly stifled the voice of the Báb and attempted to restrict
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> His freedom. But despite efforts to end His influence, the number of His
> followers rapidly increased. His Message, carried by His disciples to the
> towns and villages, was spreading. Some religious leaders embraced the
> Teachings. And the Prime Minister and other ecclesiastical leaders became
> incensed. The Báb was banished to the fortress of Mah-Ku in the mountains
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> of Adhirbayjan, a place cold and forbidding. In spite of His high station and
> noble character, the Báb was still a human being, perhaps more sensitive,
> more capable of grief than we are. His dreams of meeting the Shah and
> important secular and religious leaders to announce His Faith had been
> squelched. His opportunity to teach His countrymen and to lead them to a
> new life was halted. He must have known what His path would be, that of
> persecution and finally death, just like Jesus before Him. Hoping to curb
> His influence and quell the spread of His teachings, the Prime Minister did
> not realize that no human hand can put out the flame of the Religion of
> God. The Báb won the respect and admiration of the officials in charge of
> the fortress. The people in the area became so enamored of The Báb that
> they went to the fortress before going to work to look upon His face and
> ask for His daily blessings. They even came to Him to settle their disputes.
> While in Mah-Ku, The Báb revealed the most important of His books, the
> Persian Bayan. In this book, He established the laws of His Dispensation,
> announced the coming of another Revelation greater than His Own and
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> urged His followers to seek and find the New Messenger. Meanwhile, the
> Persian clergy and rulers rose up against the Bábis (the followers of The
> Báb) and many were martyred. But nothing could stop the Word of God
> from spreading. The Báb was banished once more to another fortress near
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> Chihriq. Finally the authorities decided that they must end the Báb’s life.
> He was dispatched to Tabriz, where He had previously been arrested. On
> that occasion He had been interrogated in front of the Prince and religious
> dignitaries. He had replied to allegations with such authority, resolve and
> dignity that the group assembled there had become silent and filled with
> shame. Once He had finished speaking in a bold and adamant manner, He
> had then left, bringing the meeting to a close. This time there would be no
> interrogation. The Báb was bound and placed against the wall along with a
> youth who had insisted upon being killed with his Lord and a firing squad
> of 750 soldiers killed Him.
> 
> What a short time The Báb had to teach a new way of life to a corrupt,
> vengeful populace! For all His efforts to bring the Healing Message of God
> 
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> 
> to the inhabitants of Persia, to impress upon them the need for a renewal of
> religion, to provide them with guidance for their happiness and progress,
> He had been rewarded with vicious hatred and persecution. He and most of
> His disciples, leaders of the Cause, had sacrificed their lives courageously
> rather than deny their beliefs, as did twenty thousand of His followers.
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> There was a smaller band of His followers now, lost and crushed and bereft
> of guidance. The bright new Faith might have been extinguished but through
> God’s will. A few young misguided Bábis made a foolish and futile attempt
> to shoot the Shah. A young nobleman was one of the prisoners blamed for
> the event and thrown into a dungeon, so foul, damp and dark that it was
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> known as the Black Hole. Every Prophet of God has experienced a specific
> moment of Revelation in order to achieve awareness of His station. Jesus
> experienced the dove descending upon Him; Zoroaster and Muhammad
> were visited by the Angel Gabriel. And the Maid of Heaven came to our
> young nobleman. From that time, He became known as Bahá’u’lláh, the
> Glory of God. This world religion was to be founded by two Teachers, the
> one following the other in quick succession.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh was born into a rich family and His father was a nobleman,
> a favored Minister of the Crown. It is said that even as an infant,
> Bahá’u’lláh seemed to radiate and display remarkable power. He never
> cried or became restless. From childhood, He was extremely kind
> and generous. He loved nature and spent much time outdoors. As a
> child Bahá’u’lláh did not have or did not need any formal schooling
> because he had innate knowledge like The Báb. Many recognized his
> great intelligence and spiritual capacity and by the time he was 14,
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> He could master any argument, but with courtesy and patience. People
> would bring their problems to Bahá’u’lláh. In large gatherings He would
> discuss matters with the leading clergy and explain complicated religious
> questions. He had a loving nature and quiet modesty. He was always
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> thinking of others and sympathized with the poor and suffering. When His
> father died, He was asked to follow in his footsteps and assume a position
> in the court. But He refused because He had no interest in titles and honors.
> He took little part in state or social ceremonies, considering such affairs
> meaningless. He only wanted to defend the oppressed and be a refuge for
> the poor and needy. When He married, His home became a shelter and
> refuge for all. He and His wife gave abundantly and and no one was turned
> away. They became known for their service to others, He as the Father of
> the Poor and she as the Mother of Consolation.
> 
> After the Báb had declared His Mission, He had sent one of His disciples
> with a scroll containing some of His Writings to find the Man who should
> be its recipient. That Man was Bahá’u’lláh, Who knew immediately, upon
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> 
> reading Them, that the Báb’s Teachings were the truth and He arose to
> spread them. The two Prophets exchanged messages but never met. It
> must have been a great comfort to the Báb when He languished in the
> fortresses of Mah-Ku and Chihriq and His band of followers faced severe
> persecution and martyrdom for their Faith, to know that Bahá’u’lláh was
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> with the Bábis, consoling them and inspiring and directing them to spread
> the Message of the Báb. The Báb alone knew the station of Bahá’u’lláh, but
> His followers also knew how well-esteemed Bahá’u’lláh was in the eyes of
> the Báb and perhaps had inklings about Bahá’u’lláh as the Promised One.
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> When Bahá’u’lláh was released from the dungeon, He was exiled to
> Baghdad. But after enduring four months in that pestilential dungeon,
> with a fifty kilo chain around His neck and an attempt on His life through
> poisoned food, Bahá’u’lláh was ill and exhausted. And He and His family
> were forced to set out for their new home in the middle of winter with
> inadequate clothing and little food. Many of the Bábis had found their
> way to Baghdad before Bahá’u’lláh but they were lost and confused
> and behaving in a manner not worthy of the Báb and His Teachings.
> Bahá’u’lláh revived their spirits and guided them back to the right path.
> Bahá’u’lláh had a brother who was ambitious and he became inflamed
> with jealousy when he saw the respect and love given to Bahá’u’lláh by the
> Bábis and the admiration of the officials of the city when he, himself,
> considered himself the new leader of the Bábis. He determined, with
> an associate more courageous than he, to sow seeds of doubt among
> the Bábis about Bahá’u’lláh’s intentions so that these precious souls
> would become fearful and suspicious. Bahá’u’lláh determined to leave
> 
> WORKING
> Baghdad on his own so that He would not be the Subject of any conflict
> or hurt. He chose to life in the wilderness for two years alone but in
> communion with God, leading a simple life with little food and one
> change of clothing. Gradually He came to be known and loved by the
> 
> EDITION
> local people. News of the learned man from the cave spread to Baghdad
> and the believers sent a messenger to beg Him to come back.
> 
> When Bahá’u’lláh returned, He once again set about to revive the
> community, lost without Him and under the precarious leadership of His
> brother who was not capable of setting an example in keeping with The
> Báb’s Teachings. For seven years Bahá’u’lláh opened his home to all and
> individuals who met Him were transformed by the power of His wise
> words, generosity, gentleness and all-encompassing love. News of this
> Wondrous Soul reached places beyond Baghdad. Officials and religious
> leaders became His admirers, as did the poor whom He visited regularly
> to bestow on them His understanding and compassion as well as material
> comfort. He manifested a goodness surpassing saintliness.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> As news of His fame spread, officials of the Persian and Ottoman
> governments and the clergy initially tried to defame Bahá’u’lláh,
> then implemented more drastic measures. The consul-general hired
> someone to shoot Bahá’u’lláh but when this man came face to face with
> Him he could not carry out the deed. Twice he tried unsuccessfully.
> 
> WORKING
> Finally, Bahá’u’lláh was asked to leave for Constantinople (now called
> Istanbul). The Bábi community was overtaken with grief and needed
> Bahá’u’lláh’s reassurances and calming manner to accept that most of
> them would have to stay behind while He went into exile once more.
> But He wrote a Tablet for each of the believers in the city: man, woman
> 
> EDITION
> and child. Prior to setting out for Constantinople, Bahá’u’lláh spent
> twelve days in a beautiful garden waiting for preparations to be made
> for the long journey ahead. It was there that He declared His station to
> the believers.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh and His family only stayed in Constantinople for four
> months before they were banished to Adrianople, considered the Siberia
> of the Ottoman Empire. It was a twelve-day journey to Adrianople
> again in the middle of winter and for the first six months in their new
> home, the little band lived in a dwelling suitable only as a summer
> house before being moved to more comfortable quarters.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh won over many of the notables and people in this prison city
> by His loving-kindness, dignity and courage. As His influence grew once
> more, His brother became more inflamed with jealousy and he became
> bolder in his efforts to prevent the Bábis from accepting Bahá’u’lláh’s
> 
> WORKING
> station. His machinations gave the enemies of the Faith more ammunition
> to attack the Bábis. He attempted to poison Bahá’u’lláh, Who became
> severely ill for a month and was left with a trembling hand. Another attempt
> was made when the water in a well used by His family and other believers
> 
> EDITION
> was poisoned, but it only made them a little sick. A bribe was given to
> Bahá’u’lláh’s barber to kill Him, but the barber told Bahá’u’lláh about
> the plot. How sorrowful Bahá’u’lláh must have been by the deception
> of His own brother added to the hardships of exile. But this was a new
> era for Bahá’u’lláh’s followers who now identified with His Station and
> referred to themselves as Bahá’ís. Bahá’u’lláh began to send Tablets to the
> kings and rulers of the world and the ecclesiastical leaders, proclaiming
> the Bahá’í Faith and His Station as the Manifestation of God for this age.
> The challenges contained in these Tablets and His positive effect upon the
> people of Adrianople led to the decision to take immediate drastic action to
> finally annihilate this Faith by sending Him to Akka, now part of Israel, a
> place of stench and filth where criminals were banished. Bahá’u’lláh later
> referred to it as the Most Great Prison.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> When the group of Bahá’ís arrived in Akka, the order of the Sultan was
> read publicly in the mosque indicating that they were the vilest of prisoners
> condemned to life imprisonment and that the inhabitants of Akka were
> forbidden to associate with them. They were to be kept in strict confinement
> and it was hoped that the harsh conditions of the barracks where they were
> 
> WORKING
> lodged would lead to their extermination. For two years Bahá’u’lláh and
> His company remained in the Most Great Prison. All except two of them
> got sick and three of them died. The deceased were not given a proper
> burial. Constant wailing and ravings of other prisoners, lack of adequate
> food, cruel guards, crowded conditions and the stagnant air were all
> 
> EDITION
> guaranteed to weaken this brave company but their love for Bahá’u’lláh
> and His teachings kept them strong and oblivious to the discomfort.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh and His family and followers were fortunate to leave the
> military barracks which had served as a prison and settle in a house but
> they were still prisoners, confined to their residence. However, in time,
> the people of Akka, having been hostile and unfriendly to this little
> band, began to recognize that they were innocent and the conditions
> of imprisonment were eased. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh’s son, was
> largely responsible for this change because He gained the respect and
> admiration of the inhabitants of Akka. He had recognized His Father’s
> Station while still a child; He had seen the state of His Father in the Black
> Hole; He and His family had lost their home and worldly possessions
> when their Father was arrested and had to subsist on a handful of flour
> instead of bread; He had been pelted with stones when He left their
> new humble abode on errands because He was considered to be the
> 
> WORKING
> child of heretics. At the age of 11, when Bahá’u’lláh had retired to the
> wilderness, He had taken on the responsibility of His family and the
> Bábi community. He had experienced all the deprivation and calamities
> that His Father had experienced in being exiled from place to place. As
> 
> EDITION
> He grew into manhood, He came to be regarded as the embodiment of
> all the virtues that Bahá’ís long to attain. He was gentle and courteous.
> He was generous and brave. He combined great wisdom with touching
> humility. And His love for God and mankind knew no bounds. He spent
> every day of His life serving others and bringing joy into their lives.
> The poor and the sick were His special care and the orphans looked
> upon Him as a father. His friends loved Him to the point of adoration
> and His enemies could find no blemish in His beautiful character. His life
> was an example of human perfection.
> 
> While still a youth, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had begun to serve as Bahá’u’lláh’s
> secretary. He was Bahá’u’lláh’s closest companion and a joy to His Father.
> He tried to anticipate all his Father’s needs, performing all the business chores
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and tedious daily tasks and negotiating with officials on Bahá’u’lláh’s behalf.
> Many who had thronged to their home in Baghdad were quite satisfied to
> meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and bring their questions to Him, although He was still so
> young. As time went on, Bahá’u’lláh Himself would encourage the followers
> to take their problems to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahá’u’lláh could then concentrate on
> 
> WORKING
> writing and laying out the tenets of His Faith.
> 
> Eventually Bahá’u’lláh was able to leave the confines of the city and
> to enjoy the countryside. The people of Akka and the neighbouring
> regions now treated Him with reverence and respect, despite His formal
> 
> EDITION
> designation as a prisoner. Even officials came to ask for His advice
> and guidance. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá purchased a house for Him and He also
> enjoyed a beautiful garden reminiscent of the Garden of Ridvan where
> He had first declared His mission. Bahá’u’lláh’s remaining years were
> spent in relative comfort. His Teachings began to spread to the West.
> When He died, He was buried beside His home. This shrine is a place
> of pilgrimage for the Bahá’ís of the world.
> 
> While in His beautiful home, Bahá’u’lláh revealed volumes of guidance,
> including the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Book of Laws, considered the Most Holy
> Book. Bahá’u’lláh wrote many books by His own hand or in dictation to
> a secretary, whose transcription He personally corrected or approved. He
> wrote more volumes than those set down by the companions of Jesus,
> Muhammad and the other Holy Messengers. He dictated so rapidly that
> the secretary had to use a type of shorthand to get it all down on paper.
> Bahá’u’lláh’s words were the outpourings of the Divine Will of God.
> 
> WORKING
> Bahá’u’lláh possessed such unimaginable majesty, authority, all-embracing
> knowledge and power, that many who came into His presence were unable
> to speak to Him or even gaze on His face. But He always assisted them
> 
> EDITION
> to come forth and, even if they were unable to express one word, He
> would read their heart’s desire and act accordingly with infinite love and
> compassion. In the manner of a kindly father, He brought up His children
> in a considerate and gentle fashion, counselling each according to his level
> of understanding and capacity. By addressing each person in this way, He
> deprived no one of His bounty.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh set the example to the world of how mankind could live and
> progress. But His story did not end with His death. He left ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> as His heir to guide the Bahá’ís. In a formal Will and Testament, He
> appointed ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Head of His Faith with the task of
> interpreting His Writings and being the Exemplar of His Teachings.
> He conferred divine authority beyond our ability to comprehend upon
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá so that the Bahá’ís would receive continued guidance.
> Bahá’u’lláh knew that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had the qualities necessary for
> such a task. He reflected the virtues of His Father. His dedication was
> unquestionable. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived only for His Father and the Faith.
> He was noble and admired by all who knew Him. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would
> 
> WORKING
> be able to implement the plans laid down by Bahá’u’lláh. He would
> lay the foundation of the Bahá’í Administrative Order and inspire the
> believers to eventually carry the Teachings to every corner of the
> planet. There is nothing in any previous Covenant that confers the
> undisputed authority that Bahá’u’lláh’s Will conferred upon ‘Abdu’l-
> 
> EDITION
> Bahá, making certain that no one else was empowered to interpret
> the Bahá’í Faith or to manage its affairs. This clear appointment
> of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as the Center of the Covenant after Bahá’u’lláh’s
> passing was to the Bahá’ís their strongest remaining channel and
> connection with holy and divine truth. Although they had lost
> Bahá’u’lláh, they still had the continuity of His purpose and plan in
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was infallible because Bahá’u’lláh, the
> Manifestation of God, had decreed that He be so. He was human, but
> divinely inspired and divinely motivated.
> 
> It was clear that from the time ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a small child He
> was different from other children. He was born on the night that the
> Báb declared His Mission. As stated previously, He had recognized His
> Father’s station while very young and had begged for the privilege of
> laying down His life for Bahá’u’lláh’s sake. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá often worked
> tirelessly and it seemed that there was no limit to the demands on
> 
> WORKING
> His strength and time. He penned volumes of documents, Tablets,
> prayers and letters to the Bahá’ís; he also wrote many interpretations
> and supplemented the Writings of His Father. His selfless devotion
> to the Cause of His Father was an inspiration to the Bahá’ís.
> 
> EDITION
> Through His vast correspondence, He kept in constant touch with
> the Bahá’ís everywhere, answering their questions, guiding their
> activities, encouraging them in their work and uplifting their
> spirits. He Himself had endured persecution for many long years.
> But through it all, He had remained calm and happy. His joy of
> life and his sense of humour never left Him. When people wondered
> what kept Him so happy under the most trying conditions in prison,
> He stated that the only prison is the prison of self.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not allow anyone to believe or act as if He, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
> were a Manifestation of God. His responsibility was to fulfill Bahá’u’lláh’s
> Will and Testament and to continue Bahá’u’lláh’s work but He was not to
> begin anything not already willed by God and His Manifestation.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> In the time period when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was living in Akka and Bahá’u’lláh
> in the countryside, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá continually amazed His family and visiting
> Bahá’ís. He had an astonishing wisdom and intuitive understanding, healing
> powers and the noblest of virtues. His character was perfect since He of course
> was the Perfect Exemplar of His Father’s Teachings. He astonished everyone
> 
> WORKING
> with His never-ending goodness and constant concern for the welfare of each
> and all. He often forgot to sleep or eat out of anxiety for others and put their
> needs before His own, making sure that everyone had food and a place to sleep.
> Every Friday He fed the poor, treated the sick or arranged for their treatment,
> provided clothes for the needy, reassured the distressed, guided those gone
> 
> EDITION
> astray, helped the widows and assisted the orphans.
> 
> In 1908 an uprising led to the release of all the political and religious prisoners
> of the Turkish Empire and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was free. He set about to complete
> two tasks of great importance. The first was to entomb the remains of the
> Báb in Haifa on Mount Carmel, following the wishes of Bahá’u’lláh Who
> had visited Haifa and picked out the site. The Báb’s body had been hidden
> for almost 60 years, moved from one place of confinement to another at the
> direction of Bahá’u’lláh, until it could be interred in its final resting-place.
> His second wish was to visit places in Europe and North America. Already
> the Bahá’ís in the West were pleading with Him to visit. But He was not a
> young man, being almost 70 years of age and His health had suffered with
> the strains of imprisonment. But in 1910, after completing His first task, He
> arose to the challenge with sublime courage, confidence and resolution and
> prepared for the long journey. He set out in 1911 and visited London and Paris.
> From there, He sailed for the U.S. and Canada, arriving in New York in April,
> 
> WORKING
> 1912 and remaining in North America for eight months, before visiting a few
> cities in Europe and then returning home. In all of His talks with the Bahá’ís,
> He emphasized that they should demonstrate sincere love to all and that they
> should serve strangers as they would their own dear friends. They were to
> 
> EDITION
> help and comfort the poor. They were to forget themselves and concentrate
> all their attention on assisting the sorrowful and downtrodden. ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá greeted everyone He met by asking them, “Are you happy?” and He
> brought laughter and joy to all. He gave public addresses to various religious
> audiences, scientists, university students, women’s clubs and the poor, relating
> Bahá’í Teachings to the specific interests and capacities of His audiences.
> He addressed them with words of cheer and indiscriminating love. From
> the highest government officials, scientists and philosophers, to the most
> humble workmen and poorest tramps, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uplifted and inspired
> them with new hope. It was astounding to many that he could understand
> other people’s problems and had such a vast knowledge of world affairs
> when He had lived a life of exile and imprisonment. From dawn to dusk
> He was busy, meeting individuals, conducting interviews and delivering
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> speeches when he was not travelling to the next city. It is astounding to
> consider the schedule He maintained for such a long period of time, despite
> His age and broken health. And He did not forget to hand out alms to His
> beloved ones – the poor and downtrodden. He was also generous to the
> children, whom He adored and held lovingly in His arms, and to the maids
> 
> WORKING
> in the hotels. He even gave away a pair of His trousers to a poor soul
> in need! Millions of people heard about Him and His Message through
> dozens of articles in the press.
> 
> When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned to the Holy Land, World War I broke out.
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had anticipated famine there and the Bahá’ís had therefore
> grown and stored as much food as they could to share with those in need.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was knighted by the British government for His services
> during the war but He, of course, did not use the title or permit others to
> use it. He was, after all, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Servant of Bahá’u’lláh. This
> was His one desire and it summed up His life. Up until the last day of His
> life, He served mankind, giving out alms, visiting the sick and providing
> medicine, advice and comfort. He was as much at ease with beggars as
> with noblemen and gave them all His loving understanding and tenderness.
> He was interested in all and understood their needs implicitly. He was
> indeed the Healer of diseased bodies, broken hearts and ravaged minds. He
> put aside all thoughts of self and gave totally of Himself with remarkable
> energy, devotion and self-sacrifice.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá died in 1921 and His funeral was attended by crowds of
> people from all walks of life. Representatives of the Muslim, Christian
> 
> WORKING
> and Jewish Faiths gave eulogies, mourning the loss of such a tender Soul.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a Will and Testament, naming His grandson, Shoghi
> Effendi, Successor and Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. When Shoghi Effendi
> was merely a young boy, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had seen the potential in him and
> 
> EDITION
> had intimated that he would do great things in the future. The Will and
> Testament provided the details of an administration that Shoghi Effendi
> was empowered to develop. And Shoghi Effendi, as Guardian, would
> ensure the continuity of the Bahá’í Faith without any divisions.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi was descended from Bahá’u’lláh on his mother’s side
> and from the Báb on his father’s side. He grew up in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
> home in Akka. He went away to school but when he came home in the
> summers, he spent as much time as possible with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Whom
> he idolized. Wherever ‘Abdu’l-Baháwent, Shoghi Effendi went with
> him and He accompanied ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to official functions. He longed
> to serve ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and dedicated himself to this work. After finishing
> his studies in Beirut, he was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s translator for two years.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> He went to Oxford University in England to study English, to be better
> prepared to serve his Grandfather as secretary and translator of some of the
> Bahá’í Writings into English. He in fact became a scholar in the English
> language, writing with eloquence, depth, clarity and precise vocabulary
> unfamiliar to many native speakers. When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá died, He was 24
> 
> WORKING
> years old and still at Oxford. At first, shattered by the death of his Beloved
> and the knowledge that he was now the Guardian, He fled to Europe to
> pray, meditate and prepare to take on the mantle of the Guardianship. He
> returned, ready to take on his responsibilities as leader of the Bahá’í Faith
> and acted with determination to carry out ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s wishes. His early
> 
> EDITION
> letters to the Bahá’ís asked them to inform him of their needs, plans and
> activities so that he could contribute to their success through prayer and
> brotherly assistance. He persuaded the Bahá’ís not to lose time but to set
> out to accomplish the tasks set by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi began to identify himself as the Head of an independent religion
> in his country. ‘Abdu’l-Baháhad been widely loved and held in great esteem
> and He was considered to be a Holy Man, exemplifying a spiritual life. He had
> proclaimed the Faith as an independent religion on His travels but locally He
> was unable to break customs binding Him so long to the Muslim community
> and He attended the mosque regularly, like His Father before Him. But Shoghi
> Effendi had studied in England. He was young, western in his training and
> habits and he was able to ensure that the Faith was considered a world religion.
> In fact, through his efforts the State recognized that Israel was indeed the
> World Centre of the Bahá’í Faith and it was given the same status as that of
> other religions. And, in turn, Shoghi Effendi assisted the authorities when
> 
> WORKING
> funds were needed for charitable work. He gave to an earthquake fund
> and between 1941 and 1952, which were times of great hardship for many
> people in Palestine, he gave to the poor of all denominations. Following
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s wishes, Shoghi Effendi undertook the building of an arcade
> 
> EDITION
> and dome on the shrine of the Báb in Haifa and he expanded and designed
> the gardens surrounding the shrine. He acquired land for more gardens,
> supervising all the business transactions needed for their acquisition. He
> continued to develop the gardens throughout his life, personally mapping
> them out and overseeing their progress.
> 
> And now Shoghi Effendi could take up the mantle of translator for his
> beloved Grandfather and Great- Grandfather. He sent to all continents his
> translations of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s original words and other
> writings with an exquisite mastery and command of language. He was
> extremely cautious concerning the original Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, the
> Báb and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to protect Them from being misconstrued. All of
> his work ensured that the Bahá’ís would be unified in their understanding
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> of the Writings of the Faith. He wrote a stupendous review and history of
> the first 100 years of the Bahá’í Faith in English and one in Persian and
> Arabic. He translated five weighty books of the Faith into English. He was
> also Interpreter of the Bahá’í Writings. He wrote thousands of letters to
> individuals and to Bahá’í communities all over the world with explanations
> 
> WORKING
> and clarification of the Bahá’í Writings. He had an individual, intensely
> personal relationship with each community and expressed a tenderness and
> kindness in his letters and cables. He maintained courteous relationships
> with many individuals and lengthy correspondence with royalty, statesmen,
> university professors and educators.
> 
> EDITION
> In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s time, there had been few local assemblies and no national
> assemblies. The principles governing the Administrative Order established
> in the Will were defined by Shoghi Effendi during the first year of his
> ministry in a flood of letters to all believers. There are no priests or clergy
> in the Bahá’í Faith. In every community where 9 or more Bahá’ís reside,
> a local Spiritual Assembly is elected to oversee the affairs of the Bahá’í
> community. The Assembly is not responsible to the electors; it consults
> continually with the community but is responsible to the Teachings. Shoghi
> Effendi ensured that the Bahá’ís understood the meaning of authority within
> the context of the administration. Bahá’í authority in the administration
> is not given in order to enhance an individual’s prestige. Instead, it is
> measured by humility, self-sacrifice and service. Individuals must consult
> in their meetings frankly and lovingly in an atmosphere of love, respect,
> prayerfulness, courtesy and dignity so that rules and regulations do not
> override the spiritual nature of meetings. Shoghi Effendi spent 16 years
> 
> WORKING
> laying a firm foundation and erecting a pattern for all Bahá’í administrative
> institutions. He helped to build strong national institutions and created
> the International Bahá’í Council, the precursor of the Universal House of
> Justice, the supreme institution directing the Bahá’ís all over the world in
> 
> EDITION
> their endeavors.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi married a Canadian Bahá’í in 1937. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had
> stayed in her parents’ home in Montreal on his visit to North America
> and He had been quite fond of the little girl. Ruhiyyih Khanum, as she
> came to be known, described Shoghi Effendi as trusting and confiding in
> nature and exceedingly kind and considerate. He was very methodical,
> thorough, with a sense of perfection and attention to detail, demonstrated
> in his drawing of maps delineating the spread of the Bahá’í Faith around
> the world and His plans for the worldwide Bahá’í community. He had
> a profound humility and was so self-effacing that he would brush aside
> any adulation and praise and turn any kind words showered upon him by
> the believers towards the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. He did not
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> want photographs to be taken of himself and he did not give any away,
> instead encouraging the Bahá’ís to put ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s photograph in
> their rooms. He did not allow anyone to have his discarded clothes or
> personal possessions and he did not want his birthday celebrated. He has
> been described by those who knew him all his life as being very dynamic,
> 
> WORKING
> always busy, restless and intense with incredible powers of concentration
> and accomplishment. He was shrewd and economical and a determined
> bargainer, making it possible to save the Bahá’í Faith large sums of money
> and then go on to engage in new enterprises by using the money saved. But
> he was also generous in his contributions to the needy and to the Bahá’ís in
> 
> EDITION
> all their endeavours to pursue the aims of the Faith. He assisted financially
> with the translation and publication of Bahá’í literature. (The Bahá’í Faith
> is supported exclusively by voluntary contributions made by the Bahá’ís.)
> Shoghi Effendi was never intimidated by the magnitude of the tasks he
> underwent. But he was overburdened with his unremitting work. For
> 36 years he toiled, finding time to devote to the minute details as well
> as encompassing the whole planet with his plans, instructions, guidance
> and leadership. He singlehandedly ensured the establishment of the Faith
> throughout the world and laid the foundations of the Administrative Order.
> At the end of his ministry, as a result of his efforts, Bahá’í literature had
> been translated into 230 languages and 251 territories of the planet knew
> about the Bahá’í Faith. Until the end of his days he continued to inspire the
> Bahá’ís with words equal to a number of volumes. His undaunting energy
> and endless workday most likely precipitated his death at the age of 60. He
> is buried in London, England where he had been at the time of his death.
> All through his life he had attempted to unite the East and the West and
> 
> WORKING
> even in death he continued to do so.
> 
> At his passing, it was determined that Shoghi Effendi had not written a
> Will; there was no heir or Bahá’í relative spiritually or morally able to fit the
> 
> EDITION
> requirements laid down by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for a successor to the Guardian. But
> there were Hands of the Cause of God, a unique institution originally brought
> into being by Bahá’u’lláh in His Own Lifetime, to aid in the development of
> the Faith. In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, provisions were made for
> Shoghi Effendi to appoint Hands of the Cause to assist him with the enormous
> amount of work entrusted to him. The Hands are learned individuals who act
> as advisors. Hands of the Cause representing all the continents of the world
> came together to determine their next steps. Nine Hands were chosen to serve
> at the World Centre and work for the protection and promotion of the Faith,
> maintaining correspondence with the other 15 Hands in the world, who assisted
> national Assemblies with administrative concerns and in following firmly the
> instructions and policies of Shoghi Effendi. The Universal House of Justice
> was elected in 1963.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> According to the provisions of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Will and Testament, the
> Universal House of Justice is universally elected by national Assemblies in
> the world. It legislates on matters not expressly recorded in the Writings.
> It guides, organizes and unifies the affairs of the Bahá’ís throughout the
> world. It gives spiritual guidance to the worldwide Bahá’í community
> 
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> and directs its administrative activities. The Universal House of Justice is
> elected every 5 years in a free, democratic election by secret ballot. The
> nine members come from different countries and backgrounds, but work
> as one soul, one heart and one purpose for the unification of the world,
> according to the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. The Universal House of Justice
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> is considered to be an infallible source under the care and protection of
> Bahá’u’lláh and His unerring guidance and inspiration.
> 
> And so concludes my summary of the Bahá’í Faith. But I could describe
> the Bahá’í Faith to you with one word that encapsulates its essence. And
> that word is “love”. All of Its Teachings depend on and are outgrowths of
> love, Its Twin Manifestations were the epitome of love, Its Perfect Example
> demonstrated love in all His words and deeds, The Guardian permeated
> love in his dedication and tireless energy in encouraging his followers and
> pursuing the work of the Faith and the administrative bodies of the Faith
> act on their mandate of love for humanity.
> 
> And it is about selflessness. Both the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh demonstrated purity
> and selflessness in their lives, dedicating themselves to the fulfillment of their
> Mission, regardless of the afflictions and persecutions they had to endure.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , the Example of how to live our lives, gave everything – His
> 
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> material possessions, His energy and enthusiasm, His loving-kindness, His
> generosity and His heart to everyone whose path He crossed. And the precious
> Guardian, upon receiving notification of the role he was destined to play in
> guiding the Faith, left home to pray to lose all traces of self and to become a
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> selfless being committed to the work of the Faith.
> 
> And it is this love and selflessness that we are called upon to emulate. We
> express our love for God in prayer and, discarding our preoccupation with
> self and our meagre lives, we turn in love and compassion to our fellow
> men. We learn to become more selfless as we turn our hearts and minds to
> the divine and to free our love from any preconceived ideas, prejudices, or
> sensitivity to the adverse reactions we may receive. We continue to serve,
> at the same time fighting our own battles as our selfish nature creeps in and
> threatens to spoil all our best intentions. It is my dearest wish that those
> from all backgrounds, those who attempt to live a spiritual life and those
> who are just starting out on a search for spirituality, will find some gems
> within the pages of this book to nourish their spiritual beings.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Note: For convenience, I will use “he” to refer to either “he” or “she”
> (a man or woman) in the text of this book, and “man” or “mankind” to
> refer to either gender, as does the Bahá’í Holy Writings, many of which
> were translated from a language in which the same word refers to either
> “he” or “she”. Also, quotations from the Bahá’í Writings were typed
> 
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> exactly as they were found in the books, so there are discrepancies at
> times in spellings, for example, the use of British English and American
> English. Quotations from the Bahá’í Writings are typed in bold to
> differentiate them from other text.
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> 
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> Chapter 1
> The Insistent Self
> 
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> 
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> Chapter 1
> The Insistent Self
> 
> This chapter will explore the “insistent self”, the veils and barriers that
> 
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> impede our spiritual growth and the effects of materialism. It will emphasize
> the purpose of our being and the necessity for constant striving to stay on a
> spiritual course. Most of the sources for this discussion are from the Bahá’í
> Writings or from Bahá’í authors reflecting on the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
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> The first thing we need to do is to establish what is meant by the “insistent
> self”. As I mentioned in the introduction, the term insistent self was coined
> by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the son of Bahá’u’lláh, Founder of the Bahá’í Faith and
> Manifestation of God. He said:
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us “O ye loved ones of God! In this, the Bahá’í
> dispensation, God’s Cause is spirit unalloyed. His Cause belongeth not
> to the material world. It cometh neither for strife nor war, for acts of
> mischief or of shame; it is neither for quarrelling with other Faiths, nor
> for conflicts with the nations. Its only army is the love of God, its only
> joy the clear wine of His knowledge, its only battle the expounding of the
> Truth; its one crusade is against the insistent self, the evil promptings of
> the human heart. Its victory is to submit and yield, and to be selfless in its
> everlasting glory. In brief, it is spirit upon spirit.” 1
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> So the “insistent self” is the evil promptings of the human heart. It is the
> dark side of our nature as opposed to being selfless and “spirit upon spirit”.
> 
> “‘Abdu’l-Bahá was once asked,’What is Satan?’ He replied in three
> 
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> words: ‘The insistent self.’ ” 2 It is interesting to me that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> uses the adjective “insistent” to refer to this self. A dictionary definition
> of “insistent” gives us the synonyms demanding, unyielding, persistent,
> emphatic, persevering and unrelenting. These words give us a clear picture
> of this side of our nature and emphasizes the need to work diligently to
> address our nobler side of self. In the quotation, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá suggests
> that there are two meanings of self – one is self-love and self-absorption,
> the other is selflessness.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, who became the
> interpreter of the Bahá’í Writings and the Head of the Bahá’í Faith at
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing, clarifies the two meanings of self: “. . . self has
> really two meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá’í writings;
> The Insistent Self
> 
> one is self, the identity of the individual created by God. This is the self
> mentioned in such passages as ‘he hath known himself etc.’ The other
> self is the ego, the dark, animalistic heritage each one of us has, the
> lower nature that can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality,
> lust and so on. It is this self we must struggle against, or this side of our
> natures, in order to strengthen and free the spirit within us and help it to
> 
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> attain perfection.” 3
> 
> “When a reporter of the New York Globe visited ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in Haifa,
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave him this message, ‘Tell my followers that they have no
> 
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> enemies to fear, no foes to hate. Man’s only enemy is himself’. 4 Here ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá was definitely referring to “the ego, the dark animalistic heritage” 5 in us.
> 
> The Bahá’í Writings differentiate between our two selves: our animal,
> material or lower nature and our spiritual, divine or higher nature. I feel that
> it is important to understand the two natures within us and the strength of our
> natural way (the animal side), or as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clearly designated it, our
> insistent self, to realize just how important it is to strive to become spiritual
> beings and to subdue our lower natures. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains this:
> 
> “In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and his
> material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives
> for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in man. In
> his material aspects he expresses untruth, cruelty and injustice; all these
> are the outcomes of his lower nature. The attributes of his divine nature
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> are shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice, one and all
> being expressions of his higher nature. Every good habit, every noble
> quality belongs to man’s spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections
> and sinful actions are born of his material nature.” 6
> 
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> Bahá’u’lláh denounced self and passion as “the worst of all human
> characteristics” 7 in this Tablet addressed to Ali Pasha, the Grand Vizir of
> Turkey who was responsible for His exile to Akka:
> 
> “The lowliest and most abject of all things holdeth sway over thee,
> and that is none other than self and passion, which have ever been
> reprehensible.” 8
> 
> And He exhorted us:
> 
> “O MY SERVANT!
> Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the
> prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.” 9
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My
> munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would,
> of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would
> gain a true knowledge of your own selves -- a knowledge which is the
> same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves
> independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and
> 
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> outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the
> seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not
> your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of
> heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station. Ye are
> 
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> even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings
> and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of
> the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to
> the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in
> the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the
> realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on
> its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens, is now
> forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants,
> defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and
> suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may
> not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge. 10
> 
> Adib Taherzadeh, a Bahá’í writer and historian, provides an explanation of
> the previous quotation by Bahá’u’lláh. (Mr. Taherzadeh served on National
> Spiritual Assemblies in Britain and as a member of the Universal House
> 
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> of Justice for twelve years. Prolific in his writings, he is probably best
> known for his four volumes about the life of Bahá’u’lláh and Bahá’u’lláh’s
> Writings. In these volumes he provided explanations of the Bahá’í Writings
> using English translations as well as those in their original language.
> References to his explanations constitute a large portion of the material
> 
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> in this book.) Mr. Taherzadeh explains that the two forces in opposition in
> man are similar to gravity pulling a bird down and its wings raising it up.11
> If a man shuns religious teachings, his soul will be in the dark and will not
> have the power needed to rise up from the “fetters” of the mortal world.
> The animal side will be victorious and the soul will become a slave to self
> and passion. But as we have been discussing, because our animal natures
> are strong, it is in our nature to be selfish, to follow our instincts and meet
> our basic needs and once they are met to strive for security and, if desired,
> power and wealth. It is in our nature to be attached to material things, to
> self and passion.
> 
> John Ebenezer Esslemont was an accomplished medical doctor and
> linguist. Several chapters of his book, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era were
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> reviewed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. In his discussion about the nonexistence of
> evil, he points out that evil is “but the absence or lesser degree of good –
> the undeveloped state,” states that “if [a man] is selfish, the evil is not in
> his love of self – all love, even self-love is good, is divine. The evil is that
> he has such a poor, inadequate, misguided love of self and such a lack of
> love for others and for God. He looks upon himself as only a superior sort
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> of animal, and foolishly pampers his lower nature as he might pamper a
> pet dog- with worse results in his case than in that of the dog.” 12
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh warns us:
> 
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> “. . . Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to
> entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and led by the
> light of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that
> surroundeth you. . . . The Evil One is he that hindereth the rise and
> obstructeth the spiritual progress of the children of men. 13
> 
> So this writer concludes that we must make efforts to overcome our lower
> nature. And, once we have decided, because of our love for God and His
> spiritual teachings that we want to be spiritual beings, within us there is the
> constant battle to keep the material side in check. The development of our
> spiritual nature is not controlled by nature. The soul aspires to spirituality
> but we need to put forth great effort to acquire it and to use our free will.
> And it takes courage.
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> Bahá’u’lláh encourages us:
> 
> “O MY SERVANT!
> Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness of
> its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer’s knowledge. Wherefore
> 
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> come forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made
> resplendent and manifest unto all the world. 14
> 
> And from Gautama Buddha:
> 
> “Though one should conquer a 1000 times a 1000 men in battle, he who
> conquers his own self is the greatest of all conquerors.” 15
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that there is no point to life if we are to be like the animals:
> 
> “ . . . What result is forthcoming from material rest, tranquillity, luxury
> and attachment to this corporeal world? It is evident that the man who
> pursues these things will in the end become afflicted with regret and loss.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Consequently, one must close his eyes wholly to these thoughts, long
> for eternal life, the sublimity of the world of humanity, the celestial
> developments, the Holy Spirit, the promotion of the Word of God, the
> guidance of the inhabitants of the globe, The Promulgation of Universal
> Peace and the proclamation of the oneness of the world of humanity!
> This is the work! Otherwise like unto other animals and birds one must
> 
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> occupy himself with the requirements of this physical life, the satisfaction
> of which is the highest aspiration of the animal kingdom, and one must
> stalk across the earth like unto the quadrupeds.
> 
> EDITION
> Consider ye! No matter how much man gains wealth, riches and
> opulence in this world, he will not become as independent as a cow. For
> these fattened cows roam freely over the vast tableland. All the prairie
> and meadows are theirs for grazing, and all the springs and rivers are
> theirs for drinking! No matter how much they graze, the fields will not
> be exhausted! It is evident that they have earned these material bounties
> with the utmost facility.
> 
> Still more ideal than this life is the life of the bird. A bird, on the summit
> of a mountain, on the high, waving branches, has built for itself a nest
> more beautiful than the palaces of the kings! The air is in the utmost
> purity, the water cool and clear as crystal, the panorama charming and
> enchanting. In such glorious surroundings, he expends his numbered
> days. All the harvests of the plain are his possessions, having earned
> all this wealth without the least labor. Hence, no matter how much man
> may advance in this world, he shall not attain to the station of this bird!
> 
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> Thus it becomes evident that in the matters of this world, however much
> man may strive and work to the point of death, he will be unable to earn
> the abundance, the freedom and the independent life of a small bird.
> This proves and establishes the fact that man is not created for the life
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> of this ephemeral world – nay, rather, is he created for the acquirement
> of infinite perfections, for the attainment to the sublimity of the world of
> humanity, to be drawn nigh unto the divine threshold, and to sit on the
> throne of everlasting sovereignty!” 16
> 
> And it is only by the grace of God that we are able to realize our spiritual
> existence because throughout the ages he has sent Teachers to assist us to
> reach our potential:
> 
> “The holy Manifestations of God come into the world to dispel the
> darkness of the animal or physical nature of man, to purify him from
> his imperfections in order that his heavenly and spiritual nature may
> become quickened, his divine qualities awakened, his perfections visible,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> his potential powers revealed and all the virtues of the world of humanity
> latent within him may come to life. These holy Manifestations of God are
> the educators and trainers of the world of existence, the teachers of the
> world of humanity. They liberate man from the darkness of the world of
> nature, deliver him from despair, error, ignorance, imperfections and all evil
> qualities. They clothe him in the garment of perfections and exalted virtues.
> 
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> Men are ignorant; the Manifestations of God make them wise. They are
> animalistic; the Manifestations make them human. They are savage and
> cruel; the Manifestations lead them into kingdoms of light and love. They
> are unjust; the Manifestations cause them to become just. Man is selfish;
> 
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> they sever him from self and desire. Man is haughty; they make him meek,
> humble and friendly. He is earthly; they make him heavenly. Men are
> material; the Manifestations transform them into semblance divine. They
> are immature children; the Manifestations develop them into maturity. Man
> is poor; they endow him with wealth. Man is base, treacherous and mean; the
> Manifestations of God uplift him into dignity, nobility and loftiness. These
> holy Manifestations liberate the world of humanity from the imperfections
> which beset it and cause men to appear in the beauty of heavenly perfections.
> Were it not for the coming of these holy Manifestations of God all mankind
> would be found on the plane of the animal. They would remain darkened
> and ignorant like those who have been denied schooling and who never had
> a teacher or trainer. Undoubtedly such unfortunates will continue in their
> condition of need and deprivation.” 17
> 
> It seems to me that we have some extremely good reasons not to indulge in
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> self-interest, not to worship ourselves and promote our own material interests,
> not to seek diligently our own benefit, not to be captives of the world of nature
> but to be “freed from the bondage of satanic suggestions” 18
> 
> First of all and most importantly, according to the Bahá’í Writings, man is
> 
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> not created for the material world. He is created for an eternal life and he
> therefore needs to be prepared for it.
> 
> “…in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which
> he needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here.” 19
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us what is needed:
> 
> “By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain
> these merciful gifts and powers? First, through the knowledge of God.
> Second, through the love of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through
> philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through
> severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements he will
> surely be deprived of the life that is eternal.20
> 
> The Bahá’í Teachings espouse that man is not created for living like the
> animals; he is created to be noble and virtuous. And out of gratitude for
> 
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> His love and blessings and bringing His Teachings to the world, we want to
> please Him and follow His laws. We are asked to “fight” our animal nature,
> our material side, purely for the sake of God:
> 
> “Burn away wholly for the sake of the Well-Beloved, the veil of self with
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> the flame of the undying Fire and with faces, joyous and beaming with
> light, associate with your neighbor.” 21
> 
> “I supplicate God to make His beloved ones . . . glow with the fire of Sinai
> . . . meek and lowly for the sake of God among His beloved, denying self
> and passion, grasping the robe of piety, so that they may be lamps of
> guidance in those regions.” 22
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that we can only be truly happy if we are following
> a spiritual path:
> 
> “Man is, in reality, a spiritual being, and only when he lives in the spirit
> is he truly happy.” 23
> 
> “True happiness depends on spiritual good and having the heart ever
> 
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> open to receive the Divine Bounty.” 24
> 
> “Happiness consists of two kinds; physical and spiritual. The physical
> happiness is limited; its utmost duration is one day, one month, one
> year. It hath no result. Spiritual happiness is eternal and unfathomable.
> 
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> This kind of happiness appeareth in one’s soul with the love of God
> and suffereth one to attain to the virtues and perfections of the world
> of humanity. Therefore, endeavor as much as thou art able in order to
> illuminate the lamp of thy heart by the light of love.” 25
> 
> And here’s another reason to shun the world of nature, according to the
> Bahá’í Teachings:
> 
> “O maid-servant of God!
> 
> Thy letter was understood. Thou hast asked, very humbly, for certain
> things and all were worthy to be coveted. Thou desirest forgiveness
> of sins; didst ask for great unity and peace; sought nearness to the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Threshold of God; hoped to be detached from thine own will, seeking the
> will of God; prayed for rescue from self-love (or selfishness); hoped for
> progress in the station of knowledge; desired to serve God; and prayed
> that thy honorable husband and thy children may be set aglow with the
> fire of the love of God and may manifest light on their brows through the
> radiance of the knowledge of God. All these wishes are well worthy of
> 
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> asking. Especially the rescue from self-love. This is a strange trait and
> the means of the destruction of many important souls in the world. If
> man be imbued with all good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues
> will fade or pass away and eventually he will grow worse.” 26
> 
> EDITION
> This seems to me to be a particularly strong statement by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> The woman who wrote to Him asked for many things that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> considered to be worthy but most important to Him was being rescued
> from the love of self, so important in man that any other qualities will
> disappear if he is selfish and he will not grow spiritually.
> 
> And again He says:
> 
> “If he is alloyed with the slightest trace of passion, desire, ostentation or
> self-interest, it is certain that the results of all efforts will prove fruitless,
> and he will become deprived and hopeless.” 27
> 
> O army of God! Whensoever ye behold a person whose entire attention
> is directed toward the Cause of God; whose only aim is this, to make
> 
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> the Word of God to take effect; who, day and night, with pure intent, is
> rendering service to the Cause; from whose behavior not the slightest
> trace of egotism or private motives is discerned – who, rather, wandereth
> distracted in the wilderness of the Love of God, and drinketh only from
> the cup of the knowledge of God, and is utterly engrossed in spreading
> 
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> the sweet savours of God, and is enamoured of the holy verses of the
> Kingdom of God – know ye for a certainty that this individual will be
> supported and reinforced by heaven; that like unto the morning star,
> he will forever gleam brightly out of the skies of eternal grace. But if he
> show the slightest taint of selfish desires and self love, his efforts will lead
> to nothing and he will be destroyed and left hopeless at the last.” 28
> 
> So what can we gather from this? Perhaps that it makes no difference if
> someone is expending all his energies in serving the Faith selflessly with
> no hints of impure motive or doing it for his ego, striving only for the sake
> of God to do his part. If the slightest hint of selfishness creeps in, all efforts
> will be a waste and he will be lost in the end. It is as if ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is
> saying in this passage that man may start off well in terms of being
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> spiritually attuned and he later succumbs to selfishness or self-interest;
> his ego becomes bloated perhaps through praise or acknowledgement
> for his efforts or the desire for praise or acknowledgement or he is
> disappointed that his efforts go unnoticed. All will come to naught
> because others won’t listen to him but will turn away, noting his
> 
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> selfishness. And he will become hopeless because he will become
> sceptical, begin to have doubts about the Faith, perhaps argue with
> other believers and he is “left hopeless at the last”.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that it is very difficult once the habit of pursuing one’s
> 
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> own selfish interests has become entrenched.
> 
> “As long as man is a captive of habit, pursuing the dictates of self and
> desire, he is vanquished and defeated. This passionate personal ego takes
> the reins from his hands, crowds out the qualities of the divine ego and
> changes him into an animal, a creature unable to judge good from evil or
> to distinguish light from darkness. He becomes blind to divine attributes,
> for this acquired individuality, the result of an evil routine of thought,
> becomes the dominant note of his life.” 29
> 
> This means to me that we need to learn about self and gain self-knowledge,
> but if we become obsessed with our self and satisfying the self, our personal
> growth can be delayed. Spiritual development requires the constant struggle
> against the insistent self.
> 
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> “. . . the pursuit of passion and desire will wrap the eyes in a thousand
> veils that rise out of the heart to blind the sight and the insight as well.
> 
> Desire and self come in the door
> And blot out virtue bright before,
> 
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> And a hundred veils will rise
> from the heart, to blind the eyes.” 30
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarifies in the following passage that we have two kinds of
> personality: “individuality”, our natural or God-given personality and the
> personality that can reflect the divine attributes through the acquisition of
> sciences, arts, “real knowledge” and the practice of praiseworthy deeds.
> Character is the result.
> 
> “The individuality of each created thing is based upon divine wisdom,
> for in the creation of God there is no defect. However, personality has no
> element of permanence. It is a slightly changeable quality in man which
> can be turned in either direction. For if he acquire praiseworthy virtues
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> these strengthen the individuality of man and call forth his hidden forces;
> but if he acquire defects, the beauty and simplicity of the individual will
> be stifled in the foul atmosphere of self.” 31
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states:
> 
> WORKING
> “Today, in this world, every people is wandering astray in its own desert,
> moving here and there according to the dictates of its fancies and whims,
> pursuing its own particular caprice.” 32
> 
> EDITION
> Caprice means a tendency to change one’s mind, without any motive. To
> me ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is saying that individuals are living their lives without
> purpose or even much planning, doing things on the spur of the moment,
> at someone else’s suggestion, rather like the wind blowing them from one
> direction to another aimlessly. They stumble through their lives blindly,
> working to make money, consuming, and having a family without any selfreflection, merely eking out an existence.
> 
> “How debased the soul which can find enjoyment in this darkness,
> occupied with itself, the captive of self and passion, wallowing in the
> mire of the material world.” 33
> 
> So we can conclude that our animal nature is our fall-back position. We
> naturally respond at the level of this animal nature. So we have to strive
> daily to prevent the insistent self from asserting itself in everything we do.
> 
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> Shoghi Effendi clarifies this:
> 
> “Life is a constant struggle, not only against forces around us, but above
> all against our own ‘ego’. We can never afford to rest our oars, for if we
> 
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> do, we soon see ourselves carried down stream again. Many of those who
> drift from the course do so for the reasons that they had ceased to go on
> developing. They became complacent, or indifferent, and consequently
> ceased to draw the spiritual strength and vitality from the Cause which
> they should have. . . . ” 34
> 
> I would comment that we would consider serving others a noble act,
> one that brings out our divine nature. But what if we serve others for
> recognition or we are constantly seeking praise for our efforts? We
> recognize that our motives are not pure at least some of the time and
> then we know that we are following our lower nature. Awareness is a
> first step to making changes in our lives. As Taherzadeh points out,
> “There can be no greater bounty in this life than serving the Cause,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> provided one’s motive is pure. If service is rendered in the hope of
> securing fame, influence and other personal gains in this world or even
> in the next, then such a service becomes a great burden on the soul.
> It fills one’s life with sadness and frustration and as Bahá’u’lláh has
> declared in His Writings, it will not be pleasing to God, for nothing but
> 
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> pure deeds and pure motives can be acceptable in His sight.” 35
> 
> Generally, people don’t want to be selfish or perceived as selfish and
> they are attracted to spiritual teachings about love and unity and serving
> mankind. And they may recognize the degree to which they are cut off
> 
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> from their Creator and their own spiritual growth- when encompassed by
> self. Again from the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> “Behold how the sun shines upon all creation; but only surfaces that
> are pure and polished can reflect its glow and light. The darkened
> soul has no portion of the revelation of the glorious effulgence of
> reality and the soil of self, unable to take advantage of that light, does
> not produce growth.” 36
> 
> “This test is just as thou hast written: it removeth the rust of egotism from
> the mirror of the heart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein. For, no
> veil is greater than egotism and no matter how thin that covering may
> be, yet it will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving a
> portion from the eternal bounty.” 37
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasizes the “subtlety” of the ego in this passage:
> 
> "They must do as they wish; they must solve their own problems;
> they are grown-ups. We do not like to tell people what they should
> do in these matters. My work is universal; my time and thoughts
> 
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> are for the whole world on the most important problems relating
> to affairs that concern the spiritual welfare of nations and
> individuals. When the believers are insistent, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá must
> give them answers, and it is their wish always that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> grants them. He knows what their wish in reality is. They must
> make mistakes to learn, and to unfold the higher which is within
> themselves. The initial wish does not come from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. It
> comes from them. It is generally clothed with such words as these:
> ‘We only wish to do that which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wishes us to do.’ And
> they are sincere in this, for they do not know the subtlety of the ego
> of man. It is the Tempter (the subtle serpent of the mind), and the
> poor soul not entirely emancipated from its suggestions is deceived
> until entirely severed from all save God.” 38
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> The following quotation from the Universal House of Justice, the supreme
> body governing the affairs of the Bahá’í community all over the world,
> summarizes references to the ego that have already been made and stresses
> the need to keep striving to “subdue our egos”:
> 
> “Your concern about the overemphasis upon the self and ego echoes
> 
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> a central theme of the Manifestation Himself [Bahá’u’lláh], and it is
> the subject of many allusions in the Writings wherein, for example,
> He speaks of ‘the evil of egotism’ and of those who are ‘captives of
> egotism’. The Master [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] refers to ‘the rust of egotism’ and
> 
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> tells of ‘. . . the subtlety of the ego of man. It is the Tempter (the subtle
> serpent of the mind) and the poor soul not entirely emancipated from
> its suggestions is deceived until entirely severed from all else save
> God.’ In another passage He says, ‘As long as the ego is subjected to
> carnal desires, sin and error continue’. And He promised that with
> assiduous effort, ‘Man will become free from egotism; he will be
> released from the material world.’ . . .
> 
> Extracts from letters written on behalf of the beloved Guardian [Shoghi
> Effendi] by his secretaries will be most helpful in clarifying certain of
> your questions. . . .
> 
> Regarding the question you asked in your letter: The only people who
> are truly free of the ‘dross of self’ are the Prophets, for to be free of one’s
> ego is a hallmark of perfection. We humans are never going to become
> perfect, for perfection belongs to a realm we are not destined to enter.
> 
> WORKING
> However, we must constantly mount higher, seek to be more perfect.
> 
> The ego is the animal in us, the heritage of the flesh which is full of selfish
> desires. By obeying the laws of God, seeking to live the life laid down in our
> 
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> teachings, and prayer and struggle, we can subdue our egos. We call people
> ‘saints’ who have achieved the highest degree of mastery over their ego. . . .
> 
> The believers, as we all know, should endeavour to set such an example in
> their personal lives and conduct that others will feel impelled to embrace
> a Faith which reforms human character. However, unfortunately, not
> everyone achieves easily and rapidly the victory over self. What every
> believer, new or old, should realize is that the Cause has the spiritual
> power to re-create us if we make the effort to let that power influence
> us, and the greatest help in this respect is prayer. We must supplicate
> Bahá’u’lláh to assist us to overcome the failings in our own characters,
> and also exert our own will power in mastering ourselves.
> (To an individual believer dated 27 January 1945)
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Regarding the points you refer to in your letter: the complete and
> entire elimination of the ego would imply perfection – which man can
> never completely attain – but the ego can and should be ever- increasingly
> subordinated to the enlightened soul of man. This is what spiritual progress
> implies. (To an individual believer dated 14 December 1941) . . . ” 39
> 
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> And Shoghi Effendi reassures us:
> 
> "As we almost never attain any spiritual goal without seeing the next
> goal we must attain still beyond our reach, he urges you, who, have come
> 
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> so far already on the path of spirituality, not to fret about the distance
> you still have to cover! It is an indefinite journey, and, no doubt in the
> next world the soul is privileged to draw closer to God than is possible
> when bound on this physical plane" 40
> 
> No one in current literature on spirituality has, to my knowledge, treated
> the subject of the ego in such depth and with such clarity as Eckhart Tolle
> in his book, A New Earth. 41 There is so much in Tolle’s writings that can
> not be covered here, but I will share some general ideas with the purpose
> of clarifying patterns of behavior that we may identify in ourselves and
> therefore increase the level of our awareness. He explains that our general
> use of the term “I” is a misperception, an error, an illusion. We use “I” to
> refer to ourselves, but this reference is not who we are really are. Knowing
> that this is an illusion is a good thing because the ego can only survive if
> we take it seriously, that is, if we think it’s our reality.42 Here is how this
> 
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> “I” or our ego develops. At an early age, we begin to label things as “mine”
> so we begin our identification with things that will continue for a lifetime.
> In our consumer society, we are bombarded by advertisements telling
> us that we’ll be happy if we buy certain products. We keep buying more
> and more because we are satisfied only for a short time and keep wanting
> 
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> more and it is a way to fill up our lives and find ourselves.43 Having is
> equated with being and the more someone has, the more he is recognized
> for his possessions and it becomes the way he sees himself.44 This is
> one identification. A story told by Taherzadeh of the king and the dervish
> comes to mind in discussing identification with possessions. People who
> are rich can be attached to their possessions but sometimes those with few
> possessions can become attached to their things:
> 
> “Once there was a king who had many spiritual qualities and whose deeds
> were based on justice and loving-kindness. He often envied the dervish
> who had renounced the world and appeared to be free from the cares of this
> material life, for he roamed the country, slept in any place when night fell
> and chanted the praises of his Lord during the day. He lived in poverty, yet
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> thought he owned the whole world. His only possessions were his clothes
> and a basket in which he carried the food donated by his well-wishers. The
> king was attracted to this way of life.
> 
> Once he invited the well-known dervish to his palace, sat at his feet and
> 
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> begged him for some lessons about detachment. The dervish was delighted
> with the invitation. He stayed a few days in the palace and whenever the
> king was free preached the virtues of a mendicant’s life to him. At last the
> king was converted. One day, dressed in the garb of a poor man, he left
> his palace in the company of the dervish. They had walked together some
> 
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> distance when the dervish realized that he had left his basket behind in the
> palace. This disturbed him greatly and, informing the king that he could
> not go without his basket, he begged permission to return for it. But the
> king admonished him, saying that he himself had left behind his palaces,
> his wealth and power, whereas the dervish, who had preached for a lifetime
> the virtues of detachment, had at last been tested and was found to be
> attached to this world—his small basket.” 45
> 
> Continuing our discussion of Tolle’s ideas, other identifications include
> our gender, our nationality, our religion and our careers. We also identify
> ourselves with our roles, for example, wife, mother and career woman, as
> well as our knowledge, opinions and our memories. The ego also identifies
> with the body and in our North American society we are told by the media
> that our physical appearance and level of fitness are extremely important
> and contribute to a positive sense of self. Unfortunately, individuals who are
> 
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> bombarded by messages of what constitutes positive physical attributes may
> feel unworthy in this respect and may not perceive themselves accurately.
> An example of this is the all too common experience of a woman who feels
> that she is overweight and starves herself to the point of anorexia. She is
> totally identifying with the mind in its faulty perception of her body. How
> 
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> we all suffer as we age if good looks and physical strength are crucial to
> our identity! Of course, we need to take care of our bodies throughout
> our lives but our physical appearance does not need to be equated with
> who we are. Someone can also have a problem with his body such as
> a physical disability and identify with the disability, receiving lots of
> attention for his struggles. 46
> 
> Tolle explains that all these identifications become part of our thought
> patterns and we identify strongly with those thoughts and feelings, with
> this “incessant stream of mind”,47 this compulsive, repetitive thinking. We
> have all experienced being unable to shut down our minds, often filled
> with worrying thoughts and persistent thoughts, preoccupied with one
> thing and unable to let it go. We are unaware that our mind possesses us.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Our thoughts and emotions are fleeting and we are continuously struggling
> to survive and protect our egos. And to maintain our “I” thoughts we need
> an opposite, an “other” who is often perceived as the enemy. Fault-finding,
> name-calling and complaining about an “other” or a situation serves to
> strengthen the ego because it feels superior to others – you are right and
> 
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> the person or situation is wrong.48 Facts become distorted and opinions are
> confused with facts; an event and a reaction to an event become the same
> leading to resentment, bitterness, becoming defensive and then taking
> things personally and becoming offended. When this behavior becomes
> habitual, the person is not generally conscious of doing it. We often see
> 
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> this mind-set in nations who are in conflict, often based on religious
> differences.49 The mind-set is “We are right and they are wrong.” 50
> War, greed and exploitation are collective manifestations of the ego.51
> We need to be clear that it is the ego in others, not their true identities,
> that is ruling them and also be conscious that our egos don’t use those
> misperceptions of others to strengthen themselves in taking a superior
> position and reacting with anger and condemnation to what they
> perceive as the enemy.
> 
> The ego wants fame and recognition, according to Tolle.52 The ego also
> needs attention from others. Interestingly enough, Tolle explains that a shy
> person who fears attention still has ego, an ambivalent ego that wants but
> also fears attention.53 This person worries that he may get negative attention
> in the form of criticism or disapproval. So the fear of attention supersedes
> the need for attention. Shyness is generally equated with a negative self-
> 
> WORKING
> concept and feelings of inadequacy but any sense of self is ego, positive
> or negative. Someone with a positive self-concept may secretly feel he
> may not be “good enough” and someone with a negative self-concept may
> desire to be greater than others. Egos who can’t get praise get attention in
> other ways by playing certain roles.54 Being a victim is a common role,
> 
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> seeking sympathy or pity. Once someone identifies himself as a victim,
> he wants it to continue and if no- one will listen to his story he can tell
> it to himself over and over and feel self-pity, maintaining the identify of
> someone who is treated unfairly. It is a dangerous place to be in terms of
> our spiritual development. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says,
> 
> “Despair, both here and hereafter, is all you will gain from self-indulgence . . .” 55
> 
> Susan Gammage is a Bahá’í who does Life Coaching inspired by the
> Bahá’í Writings. She wrote several articles on her blog 56 about self-pity. I
> will summarize some points she has made. A clear understanding of how
> self-pity manifests itself may help us find our way to God and a more
> spiritual lifestyle.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> She states that self-pity is feeling sorry for ourselves, feeling wronged,
> feeling like a failure, not owning up to faults and not accepting responsibility
> for one’s life. Common phrases that identify self-pity include: “What’s the
> point in trying?” “I can’t do anything right.” “Nobody appreciates all the
> things I’m doing.” “Why do bad things always happen to me?” 57
> 
> WORKING
> Susan explains that self-pity generally arises from something that
> happens in our lives and our lower nature then decides that we don’t
> matter and life won’t get better. It can start if someone breaks our
> heart.58 Some of us may not have felt loved by a parent. We think that
> 
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> we were supposed to be loved so we come to the conclusion that there
> must be something wrong with us. Some people experience adversity
> that doesn’t make sense to them and they give up, losing the opportunity
> to grow and overcome challenges in their lives. If we don’t try to take
> some steps and practice coping with situations in our lives, we don’t
> have a sense of hope, difficulties become insurmountable and we don’t
> change. Self-pity reinforces doing nothing to change our situation. We
> look outside ourselves for the source of our problems and struggles
> and we give our power away. And if we do some things that we feel
> are good and they are not acknowledged, bitterness and resentment can
> creep in.59 Self-pity keeps us from believing in ourselves, in others and
> in God. We feel inferior and unworthy and certainly don’t believe that
> we have been created noble, as Bahá’u’lláh has told us.60 We may all
> feel unworthy before God but when we face our situations and take
> responsibility and ask God for assistance, we can move on. We may
> 
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> wallow in self-pity to get attention, for example, for sickness. We do
> not want love or friendship – we want to complain and be a “martyr” to
> gain sympathy. Self-pity traps us in the prison of self. We see only the
> negative and blame everyone else and we pull others down with us. We
> cannot help someone mired in self-pity. They can’t listen if you try to
> 
> EDITION
> bolster them up and point out the positive in their lives. And we are told
> that we shouldn’t take on the suffering of others. Shoghi Effendi states:
> 
> “We cannot bear the burden of suffering of others, and we should not try to.” 61
> 
> Susan Gammage feels that all we can do is to encourage them to turn to
> God in prayer, to ask for His guidance and to read the Bahá’í Writings.62
> Taking some action for themselves is also a good plan. We can pray for
> them and accompany them in their actions. We can do something with
> them that entices them to laugh and have fun and we can be their partner in
> doing some service for others. But, as she says, self-pity is a veil between
> us and God.63 We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> provides the answer:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Do not feel sorry; do not brood over the loss; do not sit down depressed;
> do not be silent; but, on the contrary, day and night be engaged in the
> commemoration of thy Lord in the greatest joy and gladness.” 64
> 
> So it would seem to me that awareness is the first step. And we need to be
> patient and understand that it is a process, taking it day by day, learning to be
> 
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> thankful and grateful for our progress and for our station as creatures of God.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi advices us to move on:
> 
> He urges you to grasp firmly the teachings of our Faith, the love of your
> 
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> family and many Bahá’í friends, to put the past behind entirely, realising
> that it can do you no more harm; on the contrary, through changing
> you and making you spiritually aware, this very past can be a means
> of enriching your life in the future! He will certainly ardently pray for
> your happiness, your victory over yourself, and that you may become an
> exemplary and active Bahá’í. 65
> 
> Susan Gammage’s descriptions of self-pity match a helplessness that we
> can also see in society today. We can see people who are self-indulgent;
> who experience paralysis and an inability to cope; perceive themselves
> as victims; are full of fear; take pride in their suffering and resist any
> assistance; manipulate others to create guilty feelings, resorting to anger
> when it doesn’t work.
> 
> Before leaving this topic, I want to outline some characteristics of the
> 
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> ego from Wayne Dyer’s book, Your Sacred Self. 66 Again, I am providing
> more description of our lower nature in action to help us identify it when
> it arises. Wayne Dyer has written many books about finding our spiritual
> path. In this book, he comments that the ego is our long-time companion
> and it doesn’t want to be abandoned. It keeps us separate from others and
> 
> EDITION
> considers itself better. The ego thrives on our feelings of incompleteness
> and fear of inadequacy. It keeps its attention on self and is reluctant to give
> to others or be aware of others’ needs and wants. The ego is threatened
> by any service to others but it can get the focus back on itself by pushing
> for acknowledgement for its contributions. It is important for the ego to
> dominate others and guarantee conflict. Winning the conflict demonstrates
> its superiority. Dyer quotes Tagore in his book:
> 
> “He whom I enclose with my name is weeping in this dungeon. I am ever
> busy building this wall all around; as this wall goes up into the sky day
> by day I lose sight of my true being in its dark shadow. I take pride in this
> great wall, and I plaster it with dust and sand lest a least hole should be
> left in this name; and for all the care I take I lose sight of my true being.” 67
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Marianne Williamson has written many books based on A Course in
> Miracles, a study program of spirituality. In The Gift of Change she gives a
> graphic description of the relative unimportance of the ego, our “small and
> separated self”. 68 She states that identifying with the ego is “like looking
> at a hangnail and thinking, ‘That’s who I am.” 69 It is not our real self but
> 
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> an imposter. It masquerades as who we are but really it’s the “embodiment
> of our own self-hatred. It is the power of our own minds turned against us,
> pretending to be our champion yet in reality undermining all our hopes
> and dreams. The ego is a delusional splinter that has cut itself off from
> our larger spiritual reality. It sets up a parallel mental kingdom in which it
> 
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> sees itself as different and special, always justified in keeping the rest of the
> world at bay. Seeing ourselves as separate, we subconsciously attract and
> interpret circumstances that seem to bear out that belief. That delusional
> kingdom is hell on earth.” 70
> 
> I recently experienced what I feel portrays the epitome of such a captive
> life in an individual. These characteristics are espoused in Wayne Dyer’s
> Your Sacred Self:
> 
> 1)    The excessive use of self-reference to bring conversations
> back to oneself.
> 2)     Preoccupation with one’s own concerns, accomplishments,
> daily experiences
> 3)    A desire to win a conversation rather than sharing; using the
> time while someone is talking to get prepared instead of listening
> 
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> and then responding
> 4)    Giving in order to get rather than being able to give unconditionally
> 5)    Ordering people around and demanding perfection from
> family and coworkers
> 6)    Correcting others’ mistakes in public to demonstrate the
> 
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> superiority of one’s knowledge
> 7)    Withholding intimacy if people don’t meet your expectations
> and blaming others for a lack of closeness
> 8)    Building one’s self up by boasting and bragging
> 9)    Setting up standards that others should conform to
> 10) Dictating to others who may be younger, smaller or less educated.
> 11) Taking a hurry-up approach to life with no time for quiet or
> contemplation
> 
> C.S. Lewis was an influential Christian author. In his unusual book, The
> Screwtape Letters, 71 his main character was an assistant to the Devil. From
> the letters, I identified a few common characteristics that have not been
> mentioned specifically yet, that we may see in ourselves and others when
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> we are following our ego. One is the fact of not enjoying something for
> its own sake, but “in order to make clever remarks about it” 72 to friends.
> Another example relates to the comment,“my time is my own” 73 as if
> people consider time their personal birthright. They start each day “as the
> lawful possessor of 24 hours” 74 then of course they feel that it’s unfair
> 
> WORKING
> that they have to devote so much of it to their work. Another interesting
> example C.S. Lewis mentions is the “horror of the Same Old Thing.” 75 We
> tend to need change and crave novelty in our lives. Lewis also mentions the
> difficulty in acquiring and maintaining virtues in his humorous example
> of someone who, noticing that he is becoming humble, reflects about it
> 
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> and “almost immediately” pride appears. 76 This little volume is a fitting
> testament to the dangers of being under the influence of ego and its allpervasive influence.
> 
> Now, having established the need to make great efforts to subdue our
> material natures on an everyday basis and to strive ever more deeply
> to attain our potential as spiritual beings, let us examine the things that
> obstruct us from reaching our potential, referred to in the Bahá’í Writings
> as veils and barriers. A clear understanding of these veils and barriers may
> increase our awareness and indicate the extent of the battle we need to wage
> if we are truly to become spiritual beings. For this topic I am relying on
> Taherzadeh’s discussion of some of Bahá’u’lláh’s untranslated Tablets.77
> Bahá’u’lláh explains that we have all the attributes of God within us but
> we are veiled from them.78 Veils identified by Taherzadeh include tradition,
> knowledge, prejudice, materialism, wealth, power, attachment to the
> 
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> mortal world, attachment to the spiritual world, attachment to the Kingdom
> of Names and the veil of ego. But I would also include the veils of vain
> imaginings, pride; unkindness; dishonesty and deceitfulness; association
> with the unrighteous; fear and anxiety; addictions and dependencies (the
> need to have something on a daily basis); anger; pettiness; hate; greed, all
> 
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> the things that exist in the material world and come in between us and God
> and His Manifestation.
> 
> Taherzadeh addresses the first set of veils mentioned in his discussion
> of Bahá’u’lláh’s book Mathnavi.79 Bahá’u’lláh tells us that we need to
> make efforts to purify our hearts so that God’s powers and attributes
> become manifested in us, that it is possible to reflect God’s light.80 But
> we need to see with a new eye (a spiritual eye) and hear with a new
> ear (a spiritual ear). If our eyes are fixated on the material world and if
> the veils prevent the inner eye from perceiving the true reality, we will
> not see His Revelation and if our ears are turned to the voices of the
> wayward we won’t hear the celestial melodies. Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O Son of Dust!
> 
> Blind thine eyes, that thou mayest behold My beauty; stop thine ears,
> that thou mayest hearken unto the sweet melody of My voice; empty
> thyself of all learning, that thou mayest partake of My knowledge; and
> sanctify thyself from riches, that thou mayest obtain a lasting share from
> 
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> the ocean of My eternal wealth. Blind thine eyes, that is, to all save My
> beauty; stop thine ears to all save My word; empty thyself of all learning
> save the knowledge of Me; that with a clear vision, a pure heart and an
> attentive ear thou mayest enter the court of My holiness.” 81
> 
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> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reiterates the need to lift these veils in two of his talks:
> 
> “My prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and aspirations may
> daily increase, and that you will never allow the material senses to veil
> from your eyes the glories of the Heavenly Illumination.” 82
> 
> “The bestowals of God which are manifest in all phenomenal life are
> sometimes hidden by intervening veils of mental and mortal vision which
> render man spiritually blind and incapable, but when those scales are
> removed and the veils rent asunder, then the great signs of God will
> become visible, and he will witness the eternal light filling the world. The
> bestowals of God are all and always manifest. The promises of heaven
> are ever present. The favors of God are all-surrounding, but should
> the conscious eye of the soul of man remain veiled and darkened, he
> 
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> will be led to deny these universal signs and remain deprived of these
> manifestations of divine bounty. Therefore, we must endeavor with heart
> and soul in order that the veil covering the eye of inner vision may be
> removed, that we may behold the manifestations of the signs of God,
> discern His mysterious graces and realize that material blessings as
> 
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> compared with spiritual bounties are as nothing.” 83
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh indicates that the eye of our spirit obtains its light from
> God and it is therefore shameful to allow it to turn towards a stranger.84
> Taherzadeh reminds us that Bahá’u’lláh said that “only a tiny impediment
> can prevent the eyes from seeing, the ears from hearing and hearts from
> understanding.” 85
> 
> Now let’s consider the veil of tradition, as depicted in the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> “Verily I beseech God, with all humbleness, to remove the covering from
> thine insight and to show unto thee His great signs, and to make thee a
> banner of guidance, severed from all else save Him, enkindled with the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> fire of His love, engaged in His praise and apprehending the realities
> of things; so that thou mayest see with thine eyes, hear with thine ears
> and not imitate any of the fathers and ancestors; have perception in the
> matter of thy Lord, for the people are in dark veils.” 86
> 
> WORKING
> One of Bahá’u’lláh’s most important Teachings is the independent
> investigation of truth.
> 
> “Nay, each must see with his own eyes, hear with his own ears and
> investigate independently in order that he may find the truth.” 87
> 
> EDITION
> It occurs to me that Bahá’ís may think that they believe in and follow this
> principle in their lives because they have researched the Bahá’í Faith and
> determined that it is the religion that they want in their lives, that they
> are therefore immune to this veil. But I believe that Bahá’ís still need to
> continue to investigate their Faith and the wealth of knowledge available
> to them. And they may also have traditions borne of their family and their
> cultures and the religious traditions with which they were raised that bar
> them from others and their own spiritual development.
> 
> Another veil related to this is literal interpretation:
> 
> “One of the veils is literal interpretation. To penetrate the inner
> significances a mighty effort is needed.” 88
> 
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> We know that the followers of every religion have rejected the next
> Manifestation because of literal interpretation of the prophecies about His
> Coming. We must not look to a literal interpretation of the Bahá’í Writings
> because as we are told, this Revelation is like an ocean “in whose depths
> are concealed innumerable pearls”. It is our responsibility to “strive to
> 
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> attain the shores of this ocean . . .” and “partake of . . . benefits.” 89
> 
> In Chapter 3 there are more quotations from the Writings that indicate the
> myriad of meanings contained in the Word of God.
> 
> Another veil which keeps people from recognizing the latest Manifestation
> is knowledge. Being knowledgeable can lead to pride and a man may not
> realize it and may then close his eyes to truth. Knowledge is a “veritable
> treasure for man” 90 and it is important for us to gain knowledge in this
> world but it is a “veil of glory” if someone becomes “vain and egotistical”
> as a result of gaining knowledge. Taherzadeh tells the story of Mirza
> Abu’l-Fadl who had to learn to become detached from his knowledge.92
> This is a very short summary of his words. Mirza Abu’l-Fadl was a well-
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> known scholar and head of one of the theological colleges in Tehran. One
> of his students asked for assistance in responding to arguments from
> some of the Bahá’ís he knew. The first Bahá’í he encountered was a
> lowly blacksmith who utterly confounded him with his arguments. In
> another meeting with an uneducated Bahá’í, every subject he addressed
> 
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> or objections he brought forth were discussed in a simple manner
> and in such a way that Mirza Abu’l-Fadl could not argue the validity
> of the Bahá’í’s arguments. The knowledge of God and the ability to
> understand religious truth are not dependent upon any academic
> education, but are bestowed by God to an individual whose heart is
> 
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> pure. An esteemed scholar may not discover these inner realities unless
> he can become detached from his knowledge. Many times Mirza Abu’l-
> Fadl was confounded by the simple proofs given to him regarding the
> Faith by uneducated men and he became humbled by his inability
> to refute their arguments. He experienced great intellectual struggle
> before he attained certitude and embraced the Bahá’í Faith. He could
> not reject the truth before him but his heart needed to be affected. At
> one point he felt that Bahá’u’lláh needed to demonstrate a miracle so
> that he would be satisfied. Bahá’u’lláh did not perform a miracle but he
> prophesized the demise of the Sultan and it happened. The Sultan was
> assassinated. After a year of meeting with the Bahá’ís and investigating
> Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings, he lost his pride and became a pure spirit. I will
> tell another story about Mirza Abu’l-Fadl later in the chapter.
> 
> Another veil is prejudice.
> 
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> Quoting from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks and Writings:
> 
> “Beware of prejudice; light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning. A
> rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom. A star has the same
> 
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> radiance if it shines from the east or the west.” 93
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh has rent the veil of prejudice and superstition which was
> stifling the souls of men. 94
> 
> “I hope that you will turn with unclouded eyes towards the Sun of Truth,
> beholding not the things of earth, lest your hearts be attracted to the
> worthless and passing pleasures of the world; let that Sun give you of
> His strength, then will not the clouds of prejudice veil His illumination
> from your eyes!” 95
> 
> “Then the awning of the mercy of thy Lord will be hoisted and those souls
> who are free from the filth of prejudice, contradictions and presumption
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and are filled with a love that imparts affinity, intimacy, affection,
> meekness and humbleness will be sheltered under it.” 96
> 
> And from Shoghi Effendi:
> 
> WORKING
> Of these spiritual prerequisites of success, which constitute the
> bedrock on which the security of all teaching plans, Temple projects,
> and financial schemes, must ultimately rest, the following stand out
> as preeminent and vital, which the members of the American Bahá’í
> community will do well to ponder. Upon the extent to which these
> 
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> basic requirements are met, and the manner in which the American
> believers fulfill them in their individual lives, administrative activities,
> and social relationships, must depend the measure of the manifold
> blessings which the All-Bountiful Possessor can vouchsafe to them
> all. These requirements are none other than a high sense of moral
> rectitude in their social and administrative activities, absolute chastity
> in their individual lives, and complete freedom from prejudice in their
> dealings with peoples of a different race, class, creed, or color. 97
> 
> Wealth can also be a veil that keeps us from God and a spiritual life.98 Of
> course, it is part of man’s nature to be attracted to material things. Wealth
> and attachment to the things of this world are great tests for man. Here are
> two passages from Bahá’u’lláh’s Hidden Words on this theme:
> 
> “O Son of Being!
> 
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> Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with
> gold We test Our servants. 99
> 
> “O Son of Man!
> 
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> Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest
> thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity
> therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is thy fancy; how
> can My way accord with thine?” 100
> 
> Taherzadeh explains that there is nothing wrong with wealth as long as it
> does not come between man and God.101 Detachment is the criterion for
> nearness to God. Man can possess all the material things of this world and
> live a life of luxury and still be detached from them. Bahá’u’lláh states
> in many Tablets that it is man’s greatest achievement to detach himself
> from all save God. We can only gain faith and progress in our path to
> God to the extent that we are detached from the world. God has given
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> us His creation so that we can enjoy the beautiful things of life and the
> little luxuries and this does not mean that we are attached. But we know
> that they are transitory and we shouldn’t place our affection on them and
> certainly not allow things to possess us. In Chapter 5, I discuss the subject
> of detachment in detail.
> 
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> Another veil is that of vain imaginings. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
> 
> “Praise thou God that thou hast found thy way into the Kingdom of
> Splendors, and hast rent asunder the veil of vain imaginings, and that
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> the core of the inner mystery hath been made known unto thee. This
> people, all of them have pictured a god in the realm of the mind, and
> worship that image which they have made for themselves. And yet that
> image is comprehended, the human mind being the comprehender
> thereof, and certainly the comprehender is greater than that which lieth
> within its grasp; for imagination is but the branch, while mind is the
> root; and certainly the root is greater than the branch. Consider then,
> how all the peoples of the world are bowing the knee to a fancy of their
> own contriving, how they have created a creator within their own minds,
> and they call it the Fashioner of all that is – whereas in truth it is but an
> illusion. Thus are the people worshipping only an error of perception. 102
> 
> So it seems to me that we need to be careful not to barter our spiritual
> destiny for material trifling. Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
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> “O SON OF MAN!
> Many a day hath passed over thee whilst thou hast busied thyself with thy
> fancies and idle imaginings. How long art thou to slumber on thy bed?
> Lift up thy head from slumber, for the Sun hath risen to the zenith, haply
> it may shine upon thee with the light of beauty.” 103
> 
> EDITION
> What are vain imaginings? Here is a clarification of all this term
> encompasses from the website: http://onenessbecomesus.com.
> 
> “This topic of “Vain Imaginings” is more than what it appears on the
> surface. Not only is it simply believing or imagining something to be true
> that is not; such as the earth being flat or at the center of the solar system;
> it pervades our whole state of perception, our assumptions; how we reason
> and how we “see” the world to be. Culture, Authority, upbringing, personal
> likes and dislikes, style and degree of education; all this and more have a
> combined profound impact on an individual’s viewpoint and life issues.
> . . . All humanity fails to truly understand the many levels of meaning woven
> into Revealed Scripture. People become attracted to what authority figures
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> confidently say is true. They become enamored with the fellowship of
> likeminded believers, which, in turn, only reinforces what they themselves,
> are led to believe. Instead of independently investigating, the majority
> remains content to simply accept what they are taught. Perhaps this can
> have a temporary seemingly positive effect but the long-term result is truly
> 
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> being captivated. It is imagined needs are met by participating in religious
> or social events, involvement with competition (whether it be business,
> gaming, dating etc.), or being entertained (and influenced) by the world
> of the media, and commercialism. Yet, it is evident many are looking for
> something more; more than the status quo; more than what is deemed
> 
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> ‘satisfying’ or ‘successful’. It is also imagined, in our arrogance, that we
> are capable of apprehending, of grasping, Divine Truth; that somehow,
> God neatly fits into a package of teachings or tradition. Of course, it is
> surely unarguably true that God and creation are infinitely beyond our
> ability to understand. The best we can do is study Inspired Scripture and,
> independent of what we have been taught, seek for ourselves what best
> enables us to serve God and Man.”
> 
> Again I will now rely on Taherzadeh’s explanation in this paragraph.
> Attachment to this world and attachment to the next world are barriers
> between man and God.104 Our deeds are praiseworthy to God when
> performed only for His love, not for a reward in our next life, only for
> God’s sake. This seems easy to comprehend but we are so used in our
> society to expect rewards for our actions and to focus on our own interests
> that when we consider our spiritual life, we may look for what primarily
> 
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> satisfies our needs. We may join a religion for our own spiritual assistance
> but this is not a pure motive. Religion is about love and lovers don’t have
> ulterior motives or care only for themselves. Everything is for the beloved.
> It is natural for us because of our animal natures and tendency to be selfish,
> to reach for what will benefit us. So we add our Faith to our accumulated
> 
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> treasures, considering it on par with all else we possess and we expect
> benefits as we would from other possessions. Our Faith is supposed to
> serve us and bring us joy. This idea and practice is attachment to this mortal
> world and is not part of the law of creation. God does not send down His
> Revelation to satisfy our selfish interests. It is quite the opposite – we are
> asked to arrange our lives so that we serve the Revelation. If we are able
> to follow His Teachings unselfishly with pure motives, our lives will be
> blessed because we will acquire the attributes of God within our souls.
> Anyone seeking the attributes of God to satisfy his ego will be deprived of
> God’s grace. A true believer turns to the Manifestation and puts aside his
> interests and his own desires to seek His good pleasure and, in so doing,
> he attains virtues and powers. In actual fact a believer is the only one who
> experiences genuine happiness and acquires the qualities of God. He
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> recognizes the glory of the new Revelation and understands that man’s
> primary reason for being is to serve it. This is the only pure motive for
> being a follower of God’s faith.
> 
> A third attachment that is mentioned by Bahá’u’lláh and explained
> 
> WORKING
> by Taherzadeh’s The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, is related to the
> “Kingdom of Names”. 105 All created things manifest the names or
> attributes of God, including the world of mankind’; in our human
> world, they appear as the “Kingdom of Names” and man can often
> become attached to them.
> 
> EDITION
> “The Pen of the Most High is unceasingly calling, and yet, how few
> are those that have inclined their ear to its voice! The dwellers of the
> kingdom of names have busied themselves with the gay livery of the
> world, forgetful that every man that hath eyes to perceive and ears to
> hear cannot but readily recognize how evanescent are its colours.” 106
> 
> In many Tablets Bahá’u’lláh warns His followers about becoming the
> “bond-slaves” of the Kingdom of Names.107 As Taherzadeh explains,
> God’s attributes are given names in this world and every name
> reveals the characteristics of the attribute. Generosity is one of God’s
> attributes and it is manifested in humans. But a person has to be careful
> because he may be proud of being known to be generous. It makes him
> happy when others acknowledge it and unhappy if others ignore it. The
> same applies to all the attributes of God that man can manifest. The
> 
> WORKING
> other difficulty is that man usually neglects to ascribe such positive
> attributes as generosity to God rather than himself and his ego is
> therefore exalted. Or someone may become famous for his knowledge
> and he feels proud of the publicity, of hearing the mention of his name
> and being admired.
> 
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> Taherzadeh goes on to explain that at the present time, society is exerting
> a damaging influence on man’s soul.108 Rather than emphasizing the
> importance of service and of making sacrifices, society teaches man to
> be proud of his accomplishments. He is taught while young to compete
> with others and surpass them to feel self-important and successful,
> and even powerful. But The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh teaches the
> opposite of this, centering on the need for man to be humble and
> self-effacing and therefore to become detached from the Kingdom
> of Names. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was our example of detachment. He did not
> want publicity for Himself and disliked being photographed. He only
> consented to photographs because newspaper reporters and the friends
> wanted them. Bahá’u’lláh conferred exalted titles upon ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> which described His lofty station but He chose the title of ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá (Servant of Bahá) and urged the friends to use this name:
> 
> “My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My qualification is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My reality
> is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My praise is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Thraldom to the Blessed
> Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the
> 
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> human race my perpetual religion . . . No name, no title, no mention, no
> commendation have I, not will ever have, except ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is
> my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is
> my everlasting glory.” 109
> 
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> Taherzadeh states that severance from the Kingdom of Names may be
> the hardest task and it may require a lifetime of struggle.110 If we can
> only internalize the concept that our virtues are not ours but instead
> are manifestations of God’s attributes, we will then turn away from the
> Kingdom of Names and become the epitome of humility, bestowing the
> heavenly perfections upon the world. This is truly the station to which
> we should aspire!
> 
> We are naturally weak, ignorant, powerless and imperfect. All the virtues
> and goodness come from God. So man should see himself as ignorant,
> far from perfect, caught in the clutches of self and passion and it should
> not depress or hurt him when others point out these characteristics in
> him because of course they are part of his nature.111 Instead he should be
> grateful to them for letting him know how far he is from demonstrating his
> 
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> spiritual qualities and also disappointed in himself, taking refuge with God
> and begging protection from his animal nature.
> 
> I have already written extensively about the ego, both from the Bahá’í
> Writings and from other sources that may help us to be aware more
> 
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> clearly of the ego at work. Taherzadeh explains that the ego is a veil
> that comes between us and God. Every veil prevents man from drawing
> closer to God. Bahá’u’lláh exhorts us to burn away all traces of the
> self to the extent that he forgets the the very idea of self and the word
> “I”.112 This is a profound teaching of Bahá’u’lláh. Exalting oneself,
> celebrating one’s name and wanting fame go against creation’s plan.
> These characteristics hinder us from receiving God’s bounties. He
> may seem to be an amazing success in the material world, but such a
> man has failed in fulfilling the purpose of his creation. When someone
> achieves genuine greatness, he recognizes how helpless, unworthy and
> impotent he really is. And if he attains to a high station in terms of
> true learning, he discovers his ignorance. Then he can manifest God’s
> attributes within himself and can impart these attributes to others.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Aziz’u’lláh Misbah, one of the great scholars of the Faith, said, “To
> relinquish one’s love for oneself and to destroy every trace of self, is a
> proof that one has comprehended the meaning of existence and the purpose
> of life. The difference between true knowledge and formal learning is that
> the former creates lowliness and humility within the soul; the latter drives
> 
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> irrationally towards the search for glory and exaltation.” 113
> 
> Now I am going to relate a different story about Mirza Abu’l-Fadl who
> had truly attained a station of true knowledge, relying once more on
> Taherzadeh’s volumes. This story clearly demonstrates the state of
> 
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> selflessness to which we should aspire. He had just returned from the
> United States where he was helping the Bahá’ís to learn more about
> their Faith. He was seated with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and a number of American
> Bahá’ís in Akka. The Bahá’ís praised him for his help in the United
> States and they reported on many things he had done – teaching the Faith
> to many, defending the Cause against those who were its adversaries,
> and helping the believers to build a united Bahá’í community. They
> continued for some time in their praise of Mirza Abu’l-Fadl and he
> became more and more dejected and unhappy until he began to weep
> loudly. The Bahá’ís couldn’t understand and even thought that perhaps
> they hadn’t praised his efforts enough. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that
> they had hurt him by giving him so much praise because MIrza Abu’l-
> Fadl thought of himself as utter nothingness and truly believed he was
> unworthy of mention, let alone praise. He was really an example for
> the Bahá’ís to follow as he never used “I” in referring to anything
> 
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> of merit that he had done.114 Also, he recognized that the station of
> Bahá’u’lláh was so exalted and he was completely unworthy that he
> could not ask permission to be in His presence. So he did not ever meet
> Bahá’u’lláh. But he did meet ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and spent ten months with
> him, demonstrating such self-effacement and humility in front of all the
> 
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> other Bahá’ís. He prayed deeply and with great weeping at the thought
> of God’s greatness and his utter nothingness. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to
> him as “a supreme exemplar for the Bahá’ís to follow, a lamp of this
> Cause, the light of guidance, a brilliant star and a billowing ocean.” 115
> 
> So let me summarize. Why do we need to work hard to develop our
> spiritual natures? If we are selfish, all other virtues will fade and we will
> grow worse. All efforts will lead to nothing. We will be in despair. We
> will not grow spiritually and we will not be of service to others, because
> we will see no need to extend to others. We will not be worshipping the
> divine reality, not involved in the world of mankind. We will not grow
> spiritually and will be unprepared for the next world. We will be veiled,
> shut out and deprived of eternal grace. And we will not be pleasing
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> God. The soil of self doesn’t produce growth. The soul is debased and
> wallowing in the mire of the material world. We don’t attract blessings
> and don’t benefit. The soul is not fed and becomes atrophied and the ego
> becomes bloated. If we don’t shine, others don’t see the light. We may
> have doubts about our faith. It is so easy to fall into our “natural” way,
> 
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> to move away from our spiritual self, to lose our spiritual perception and
> begin thinking in an egoic manner. That is why we need concrete steps to
> keep moving us towards His Holy Threshold and that is what the following
> chapters will address.
> 
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> -----------------------------------
> 
> We cannot leave this chapter on the insistent self without the concept of
> materialism and its effect on us and our spiritual growth. The information
> presented here is taken from the book Materialism: Moral and Social
> Consequences by Dr. Abdu’l-Missagh Ghadirian, a Bahá’í writer, psychiatrist
> and professor at McGill University, Faculty of Medicine, who has also
> published extensively in academic journals.
> 
> Materialism can be defined as a “desire to consume and acquire
> material goods. It is often bound up with a value system which
> regards social status as being determined by affluence as well as the
> perception that happiness can be increased through buying, spending,
> and accumulating material wealth.” 116 Ghadirian explains that for
> some individuals material consumption alone is the goal of their lives,
> 
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> for others acquiring and possessing wealth gives pride and pleasure and
> is equated with happiness and for others their possessions determine
> their success and their claim to fame.117 But in every case individuals
> who pursue material things remain dissatisfied because there are always
> more and better goods to be had and they compare themselves to others
> 
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> and want more. And achieving a material goal doesn’t lead to a lasting
> feeling of contentment because nothing can quench the eternal thirst for
> more. Added to the acquisition of the material and the constant pursuit
> of more is the need for instant gratification. But things can never be as
> fast as we’d like or good enough.118 Material consumption also includes
> leisure activities so that the pursuit of pleasure and self-indulgence
> in pleasure-seeking are embraced as values.119 Ghadirian refers to
> materialism as a “state of mind and a lifestyle some people consciously
> choose- but many more possess it, unaware of its consuming effect
> on their daily life.” 120 Our materialistic culture is also marked by
> permissiveness and freedom, by doing one’s thing without any regard
> to consequences, a view that what feels good right now is worth doing.
> As a society this results in social and environmental problems that are
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> not addressed. 121 Rewards become more important than the intrinsic
> nature of activities.122 Altruism – the ability to sacrifice one’s own
> interests for that of others, a sense of responsibility for one’s fellowman, caring, empathy and compassion are destroyed. Relationships suffer
> because people with an interest in material things have little loyalty to
> 
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> others and the nature of relationships is one of conflict, competition and
> strong emotion, rather than joy, trust and cooperation.123
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes it well:
> 
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> “Today all the peoples of the world are indulging in self-interest and
> exert the utmost effort and endeavor to promote their own material
> interests. They are worshipping themselves and not the divine reality, nor
> the world of mankind. They seek diligently their own benefit and not the
> common weal. This is because they are captives of the world of nature
> and unaware of the divine teachings, of the bounty of the Kingdom and
> of the Sun of Truth.” 124
> 
> It would seem to me, then, that this aggressive, materialistic culture seems to
> be invading every segment of society and we are facing moral bankruptcy.
> As Ghadirian points out, the standards that guided human beings for centuries
> are steadily losing their influence and have been replaced by the value of
> rampant materialism, of an ideology built on extreme relativism and of the
> demands of unbridled individualism.125 If we are also unsure or thirsting for
> something to assuage an inner emptiness, we may turn to wealth and material
> 
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> things to feel better about ourselves.126 Possession brings power and a sense of
> entitlement and self-importance which breeds a sense of superiority.127 A quick
> Google search defines a sense of entitlement as a belief that one is deserving
> of or entitled to certain privileges which others believe should be obtained
> through effort, and unrealistic expectations of favorable treatment or automatic
> 
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> compliance with one’s expectations. It is the prioritization of one’s needs
> above the needs of others because of a sense of elevated self-importance and
> self-absorption. Many believe that a sense of entitlement exists in societies like
> North America where few people have experienced want. We’ve developed an
> appetite for the finer things of life and the sense of being able to have whatever
> we want whenever we want it.
> 
> Children are directly exposed to materialism through socialization and
> modelling and it is readily internalized. As the Universal House of Justice
> points out:
> 
> “In the current state of society, children face a cruel fate. Millions
> and millions in country after country are dislocated socially. Children
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> find themselves alienated by parents and other adults whether they live
> in conditions of wealth or poverty. This alienation has its roots in a
> selfishness that is born of materialism that is at the core of the godlessness
> seizing the hearts of people everywhere.” 128
> 
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> Ghadirian notes that the need and craving for money and possessions is
> promoted through marketing.129 If this publicity is reinforced by peers
> or parents, it is internalized as lifestyle. Consumer behavior tends to
> be automatic.130 People tend not to think about their needs and level of
> consumption and the advertising industry takes advantage of this lack
> 
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> of mindfulness. We’re too busy to stop to examine the bombardment
> of messages thrown at us. The materialistic lifestyle and attachment
> to things consumes so much of one’s life that it leaves no room for
> reflecting on life beyond it.131 The more people are drawn into such
> behavior, the less they become interested in other aspirations or
> alternatives with more meaning.
> 
> Shoghi Effendi clearly points this out:
> 
> “Indeed, the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is the
> lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much
> absorbed the energy and interest of mankind that people in general
> do no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces
> and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient
> demand for things that we should call spiritual to differentiate them from
> 
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> the needs and requirements of our physical existence. The universal
> crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes.
> The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook on
> life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the
> higher realms of the spirit.” 132
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> “The fountain of divine generosity is gushing forth, but we must have
> thirst for the living waters. Unless there be thirst, the salutary waters will
> not assuage.” 133
> 
> So to me all the effort that goes into satisfying the body affects the mind –
> it is in a whirlwind of thoughts in an attempt to get satisfaction but at some
> point the pleasure centres are saturated and it will become meaningless.
> Even if a life seems comfortable in the eyes of others, there is a sense
> of emptiness and a general discontent and even despair that can only be
> satisfied through spirituality.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> This is described very well by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “Every soul seeketh an object and cherisheth a desire, and day and night
> striveth to attain his aim. One craveth riches, another thirsteth for glory
> and still another yearneth for fame, for art, for prosperity and the like.
> Yet finally all are doomed to loss and disappointment. One and all they leave
> 
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> behind them all that is theirs and empty-handed hasten to the realm beyond,
> and all their labours shall be in vain. To dust they shall all return, denuded,
> depressed, disheartened and in utter despair. . . . 134
> 
> EDITION
> Shoghi Effendi described the challenges of living in such a materialistic
> environment “pervading all departments of life . . . the crass materialism,
> which lays excessive and ever-increasing emphasis on material wellbeing, forgetful of those things of the spirit on which alone a sure and
> stable foundation can be laid for human society. It is this same cancerous
> materialism born originally in Europe, carried to excess in the North
> American continent, contaminating the Asiatic peoples and nations,
> spreading its ominous tentacles to the borders of Africa, and now
> invading its very heart, which Bahá’u’lláh in unequivocal and emphatic
> language denounced in His Writings, comparing it to a devouring flame
> and regarding it as the chief factor in precipitating the dire ordeals and
> world-shaking crises that must necessarily involve the burning of cities
> and the spread of terror and consternation in the hearts of men. . . . It is
> this same all-pervasive, pernicious materialism against which the voice
> of the Center of Bahá’u’lláh’s Covenant [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] was raised, with
> 
> WORKING
> pathetic persistence, from platform and pulpit, in His addresses to the
> heedless multitudes. . . . ” 135
> 
> He also emphasized how difficult it is for us to struggle against the forces
> of materialism:
> 
> EDITION
> "The gross materialism that engulfs the entire nation at the present hour;
> the attachment to worldly things that enshrouds the souls of men; the
> fear and anxieties that distract their minds; the pleasure and dissipations
> that fill their time, the prejudices and animosities that darken their
> outlook, the apathy and lethargy that paralyze their spiritual faculties --
> these are among the formidable obstacles that stand in the path of every
> world-be warrior in the service of Bahá’u’lláh, obstacles which he must
> battle against to surmount in his crusade for the redemption of his own
> countrymen." 136
> 
> "People are so markedly lacking in spirituality these days that the
> Bahá’ís should consciously guard themselves against being caught in
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> what one might call the undertow of materialism and atheism, sweeping
> the world these days. Skepticism, cynicism, disbelief, immorality and
> hard-heartedness are rife, and as friends are those who stand for the
> antithesis of all these things they should beware lest the atmosphere of
> the present world affects them without their being conscious of it." 137
> 
> WORKING
> Shoghi Effendi predicted that the “cancer of materialism” would be
> devastating to society. Ghadirian explains that cancer is the result of
> abnormal cells multiplying and proliferating out of control.138 They
> grow differently from normal cells because they don’t have limits; they
> 
> EDITION
> multiply and invade their neighbouring cells until they form a malignant
> tumor, which can then spread to other parts of the body. Cancer develops
> in a quiet manner but eventually destroys. Materialism also grows in
> an abnormal manner and expands and destroys insidiously. Every one
> of us can potentially develop this insidious behavior or, in contrast,
> evolve into spiritual beings. Cancer also grows. We may be unaware of
> cancer growing within us until it has overtaken our bodies. Materialism
> similarly can grow in us and we are unaware of the changes in ourselves.
> 
> Ghadirian cites studies that have indicated an obsession with money and
> possessions can be like an addiction and that our brains with such an
> obsession react differently from those who perceive money as a necessity
> for material well-being.139 In studying the reactions of the pleasure centre
> of the brain through magnetic resonance imaging, researchers discovered
> that monetary gain mimics the use of cocaine and stimulates the release
> 
> WORKING
> of dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Being overly attached to
> financial gain may lead to addiction because of the recurring stimulation of
> the pleasure centre of the brain.
> 
> It seems then extremely important for us to cultivate an awareness of
> 
> EDITION
> how we can be affected by materialism, to ever strive to regard the
> world as an illusion, “a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing
> the semblance of reality” 140 “a mirage rising over the sands, that the
> thirsty mistaketh for water”, 141 “worth as much as the black in the
> eye of a dead ant” 142
> 
> “By the righteousness of God! The world, its vanities and its glory, and
> whatever delights it can offer, are all, in the sight of God, as worthless as,
> nay even more contemptible than dust and ashes.” 143
> 
> “Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to gain the
> victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies – gods that
> have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their
> wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man
> in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope
> that the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to mankind, and
> 
> WORKING
> deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.” 144
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Wilmette,
> IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1997), 206,p. 256
> 
> WORKING
> 2 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1982), 3, p. 10
> 3 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol.II, prepared by
> the Universal House of Justice 1963-1990 (Victoria, Australia: Bahá’í
> Publications, 1991), 1318, 10 December 1947, p. 18-19
> 
> EDITION
> 4 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 4, p.10
> 5 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol.II, 1318, 10
> December 1947, p. 18
> 6 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1995),
> The Two Natures in Man, [2], p. 60
> 7 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3 (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1988), p.35
> 8 Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts (Haifa, Israel: Bahá’í
> World Centre, 2002), Lawh-i-Rais, [23] p.170)
> 9 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust,
> 2003), Persian no. 40, p.36
> 10 Bahá’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette,
> IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1976), CLIII, p. 326-327
> 11 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 35
> 12 Esslemont, Dr. J.E. Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era (Wilmette, IL:
> 
> WORKING
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980), p.195
> 13 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XLIII, p. 94
> 14 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 72, p.47
> 15 Gautama Buddha, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes
> 16 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> 
> EDITION
> Publishing Trust, 1977), April 11, 1916, p. 42-43
> 17 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1968), Continuity of Revelation, p. 110-111
> 18 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace (Wilmette, IL:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982), 25 July 1912, [1], p. 244
> 19 Ibid., 6 July 1912, [3], p. 226
> 20 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, Spiritual Springtime, p. 64
> 21 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXLVII, p. 316
> 22 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I (New York:
> Bahá’í Publishing Committee, The National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá’ís of the United States, 1980), p. 141
> 23 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Spiritual Aspiration in the West, [7], p. 72
> 24 Ibid., There can be no True Happiness and Progress without
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Spirituality, [7], p. 108
> 25 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III (New York:
> Bahá’í Publishing Committee, The National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá’ís of the United States, 1980) p. 673-674
> 26 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 135-136
> 
> WORKING
> 27 Ibid, p. 42
> 28 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 35, p. 71-72
> 29 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy (Boston, MA: Tudor Press, 1918), p. 134
> 30 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1990), p.64
> 
> EDITION
> 31 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 131-132
> 32 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 35, p.70
> 33 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 11 June 1912, [4], p. 185
> 34 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration (London: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1976), p. 87-88
> 35 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 396
> 36 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 26 May 1912, [3], p. 148
> 37 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith-’Abdu’l-Bahá Section (Wilmette,
> IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1976), p. 371-372
> 38 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures (New York: Bahá’í Publishing
> Committee, 1928), 936, p. 487
> 39 The Universal House of Justice, Child Abuse, Psychology and
> Knowledge of Self (1985, December 2), 20
> 40 Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá’í
> Community (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1981), 3rd March 1955, p.461
> 41 Tolle, Eckhart, A New Earth, Awakening to your Life’s Purpose (New
> 
> WORKING
> York, New York: Penguin Group (USA), 2005)
> 42 Ibid., p. 27-28
> 43 Ibid., p. 35-36
> 44 Ibid., p. 45
> 
> EDITION
> 45 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol.1 (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 2001), p. 76-77
> 46 Tolle, Eckhart, A New Earth, p. 49-51
> 47 Ibid., p. 30
> 48 Ibid., p. 59-61
> 49 Ibid., p. 68-71
> 50 Ibid., p. 72
> 51 Ibid., p. 73
> 52 Ibid., p. 85
> 53 Ibid., p. 86
> 54 Ibid., p. 87
> 55 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 105
> 56 Gammage, Susan, http://susangammage.com/blog
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 57 Ibid. (2010, December 18), How Do We Know If We’ve Fallen Victim
> To Self Pity?
> 58 Ibid. (2010, December 18), Where Does Self Pity Come From?
> 59 Ibid. (2010, December 19), The Effects of Self Pity
> 60 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 22, p.9
> 
> WORKING
> 61 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance (New Delhi, India: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1994), 791, p. 237
> 62 Gammage, Susan, http://susangammage.com/blog
> (2010, December 19), 16 Steps to Overcome Self Pity
> 63 Ibid. (2010, December 19), Why Should We Stop Feeling Sorry For Ourselves?
> 
> EDITION
> 64 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol.I, p. 133
> 65 Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá’í
> Community (London: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1981), 8th April 1948, p. 450
> 66 Dyer, Dr. Wayne W., Your Sacred Self (New York: HarperPaperbacks, 1995)
> 67 Ibid., p. 179
> 68 Williamson, Marianne, The Gift of Change (New York: HarperCollins
> Publishers, 2004), p. 27
> 69 Ibid., p. 27
> 70 Ibid., p. 28
> 71 Lewis, C.S., The Screwtape Letters (San Francisco:
> HarperSanFrancisco, 2001)
> 72 Ibid., p. 64
> 73 Ibid., p. 112
> 74 Ibid.
> 75 Ibid., p. 135
> 76 Ibid., p. 64
> 
> WORKING
> 77 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2 (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1988)
> 78 Ibid., p. 31
> 79 Ibid., p. 32-44
> 
> EDITION
> 80 Ibid., p. 31
> 81 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 11, p.25
> 82 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Evolution of the Spirit, [41], p. 94
> 83 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace,
> 4 May 1912, [8], p. 90
> 84 Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 31
> 85 Ibid., p. 32
> 86 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 63
> 87 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 25
> 88 Ibid., p. 29
> 89 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII, p. 326
> 90 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh (Haifa, Israel: Research
> Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1978), p. 52
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 91 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 33
> 92 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 91-104
> 93 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 25
> 94 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Light of Truth is Now Shining upon
> the East and West, [7],p. 34
> 
> WORKING
> 95 Ibid.,The Clouds that Obscure the Sun of Truth, [8], p. 44
> 96 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. II, (New York:
> Bahá’í Publishing Committee, The National Spiritual Assembly of the
> Bahá’ís of the United States, 1980), p. 424
> 97 Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> 
> EDITION
> Publishing Trust, 1971), Spiritual Prerequisites, p. 18
> 98 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 280
> 99 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 55, p.16
> 100 Ibid., Arabic no. 56, p.16-17
> 101 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 34-35
> 102 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 24, p. 53-54
> 103 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 62, p.18
> 104 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 36-38
> 105 Ibid., p. 39
> 106 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> XCVI, p. 195-196
> 107 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 40 108
> Ibid., p. 40-41
> 109 Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette, IL:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982), p. 139
> 110 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 42
> 
> WORKING
> 111 Ibid., p. 43
> 112 Ibid., p. 43-44
> 113 Ibid., p. 44
> 114 Ibid., p. 45
> 
> EDITION
> 115 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 3, p. 106
> 116 See http://em/wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic%20Materialism
> 117 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D., Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences (Oxford: George Ronald), p. 5
> 118 Ibid., p. 27
> 119 Ibid., p. 17
> 120 Ibid., p.2
> 121 Ibid., p. 65-66
> 122 Ibid., p. 11
> 123 Ibid., p. 65
> 124 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 68, p. 103-104
> 125 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D., Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences, p. 134-135
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 126 Ibid., p. 49
> 127 Ibid., p. 79
> 128 The Universal House of Justice, Message to the Bahá’ís of the World,
> Ridvan 2000, p. 8
> 129 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D., Materialism, Moral and Social
> 
> WORKING
> Consequences, p. 10
> 130 Ibid., p. 18-19
> 131 Ibid., p. 26
> 132 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol.II, 1762, 8
> December 1935, p. 238
> 
> EDITION
> 133 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 16 June 1912,
> [1], p. 195
> 134 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 176, p. 204
> 135 Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith: Messages to America 1947-1957
> (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1980), America Passing through
> Crisis, p. 124-125
> 136 Shoghi Effendi, Ibid., The Individual Bahá’í Must Arise, p. 149
> 137 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 1842, p. 542
> 138 Guadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D., Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences, p. 136
> 139 Ibid., p. 70
> 140 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII, p. 328
> 141 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 157, p. 186
> 142 Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1979), p. 56
> 143 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXIX, p. 304
> 
> WORKING
> 144 Ibid., XLIII, p. 93
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> Chapter 2
> Turning to God
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 2
> Turning to God
> 
> Now it’s time to explore how we can make concentrated efforts to allow our
> 
> WORKING
> higher natures to supercede our selfish inclinations and to live more fully
> in the spiritual realm. Because the writings of the Bahá’í Faith provide a
> wealth of information about the “tools” we need to live a spiritual life and
> because they provide the answers for the conditions of the world today, I
> 
> EDITION
> will quote extensively from them and from Bahá’í writers who have delved
> into the Message of Bahá’u’lláh. Other resources will be included with the
> aim of increasing our understanding of the subject at hand.
> 
> We will first examine the concept of prayer in some depth: the need for
> prayer and its benefits, obstacles to prayer and how to pray. I could also
> have included meditation in this chapter because prayer and meditation
> are so closely intertwined. As Gail Sheehy, the well-known author of the
> book, Passages, related to stages in our lives indicates, “To pray without
> meditation is like calling up God to tell Him your problem and hanging up
> before you get the answer.”1 But we will concentrate on meditation in the
> next chapter.
> 
> Our spiritual destiny depends upon our connection to God. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> explains, “It is incumbent upon thee to turn to the Kingdom of God and
> to pray, supplicate and invoke during all times because this is the means
> 
> WORKING
> by which thy soul shall ascend upward to the apex of the gift of God.” 2
> 
> Shoghi Effendi elaborates on this. (Shoghi Effendi was the Guardian of the
> Bahá’í Faith, great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh and authorized interpreter of
> 
> EDITION
> His Teachings.)
> 
> . . . The core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites man
> with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and
> maintained by means of meditation and prayer. And that is the reason
> why Bahá’u’lláh has so much stressed the importance of worship. It is
> not sufficient for a believer merely to accept and observe the teachings.
> He should, in addition, cultivate the sense of spirituality which he can
> acquire chiefly by means of prayer. The Bahá’í Faith, like all other
> Divine religions, is thus fundamentally mystic in character. Its chief goal
> is the development of the individual and society, through the acquisition
> of spiritual virtues and powers. It is the soul of man which has first to
> be fed. And this spiritual nourishment prayer can best provide . . . The
> The Insistent Self
> 
> believers . . . should, therefore, fully realize the necessity of praying. For
> prayer is absolutely indispensable to their inner spiritual development, and
> this . . . is the very foundation and purpose of the Religion of God. 3
> 
> Taherzadeh points out that it is natural for us to turn to God in prayer.4
> 
> WORKING
> We are like plants turning toward the sun. The sun provides the light and
> warmth the plant needs to grow and the plant naturally stretches in the
> sun’s direction. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “There is nothing sweeter in the world of existence than prayer.
> 
> EDITION
> Man must live in a state of prayer. The most blessed condition is the
> condition of prayer and supplication. Prayer is conversation with
> God. The greatest attainment or the sweetest state is none other than
> conversation with God. It creates spirituality, creates mindfulness
> and celestial feelings, begets new attractions of the Kingdom and
> engenders the susceptibilities of the higher intelligence . . . While
> man prays he sees himself in the presence of God. If he concentrates
> his attention he will surely at the time of prayer realize that he is
> conversing with God . . . Prayer and supplication are so effective
> that they inspire one’s heart for the whole day with high ideals and
> supreme sanctity and calmness. One’s heart must be sensitive to the
> music of prayer. He must feel the effect of prayer. He must not be
> like an organ from which softest notes stream forth without having
> consciousness of sensation in itself.” 5
> 
> WORKING
> Nathan Rutstein, a Bahá’í writer and educator who has written extensively
> about spirituality, states that “prayer is a sacred rite that is absolutely
> essential to the spiritual development process. It is a ladder to the Kingdom,
> a God-given aid to help us to discover, release and develop our reality or
> true self.” 6 If we don’t pray, we need to rely on our instincts to cope with
> 
> EDITION
> life and we do not get divine assistance. And we don’t make progress.
> Madeline and William Hellaby, also Bahá’ís, in their book on prayer stated
> in their book on prayer that we cannot rise above our materialistic society
> without developing the mystic feeling uniting us with God to fill our souls
> with the “spirit of life”.7 We have nothing to offer humanity if we don’t
> receive spiritual nourishment through prayer.
> 
> In response to a question about prayer, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote:
> 
> “O thou spiritual friend! Thou hast asked the wisdom of prayer. Know
> thou that prayer is indispensable and obligatory and man under no
> pretext whatsoever is excused from performing the prayer unless he
> be mentally unsound, or an insurmountable obstacle prevent him. The
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> wisdom of prayer is this: That it causeth a connection between the servant
> and the True One, because in that state man with all heart and soul turneth
> his face towards His Highness the Almighty, seeking His association and
> desiring His love and compassion. The greatest happiness for a lover is to
> converse with his beloved, and the greatest gift for a seeker is to become
> familiar with the object of his longing; that is why with every soul who is
> 
> WORKING
> attracted to the Kingdom of God, his greatest hope is to find an opportunity
> to entreat and supplicate before his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace
> and be immersed in the ocean of His utterance, goodness and generosity “ 8
> 
> EDITION
> And again He said:
> 
> “As to thy question, ‘Why pray? What is the wisdom thereof, for God has
> established everything and executes all affairs after the best order and
> He ordains everything according to a becoming measure and puts things
> in their places with the greatest propriety and perfection – therefore what
> is the wisdom in beseeching and supplicating and in stating one’s wants
> and seeking help?’ Know thou, verily, it is becoming of a weak one to
> beseech the glorious, bountiful One. When one supplicates to his Lord,
> turns to Him and seeks bounty from His ocean this supplication is by
> itself a light to his heart, an illumination to his sight, a life to his soul and
> an exaltation to his being.
> 
> Therefore during thy supplications to God and thy reciting ‘Thy name is
> my healing,’ consider how thy heart is cheered, thy soul delighted by the
> 
> WORKING
> spirit of the love of God and thy mind attracted to the Kingdom of God!
> By these attractions one’s ability and capacity increase. When the vessel
> is widened the water increaseth and when the thirst grows the bounty of
> the cloud becomes agreeable to the taste of man. This is the mystery of
> supplication and the wisdom of stating one’s wants.” 9
> 
> EDITION
> The mystery of prayer and its power is demonstrated to us in this Writing
> of Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee,
> as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of
> thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men.
> Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God,
> the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance
> of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every
> righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its
> effect yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner
> or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is
> the Source of power and wisdom.” 10
> 
> And again, Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> WORKING
> “They who recite the verses of the All-Merciful in the most melodious
> of tones will perceive in them that with which the sovereignty of earth
> and heaven can never be compared. From them they will inhale the
> divine fragrance of My worlds -- worlds which today none can discern
> save those who have been endowed with vision through this sublime,
> 
> EDITION
> this beauteous Revelation. Say: These verses draw hearts that are pure
> unto those spiritual worlds that can neither be expressed in words nor
> intimated by allusion. Blessed be those who hearken.” 11
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> “Know that nothing will benefit thee in this life save supplication and
> invocation unto God, service in His vineyard, and, with a heart full of
> love, be in constant servitude unto Him.”12
> 
> But how we pray, what motive and attitude we adopt in prayer are crucial.
> If we rely totally on the will of God, we will benefit most from prayer.
> 
> “Commit thyself to God; give up thy will and choose that of God; abandon
> thy desire and lay hold on that of God.” 13
> 
> WORKING
> We surrender and put ourselves in God’s hands, beseeching His mercy, in
> order that His will becomes our will.
> 
> We say in the Long Obligatory Prayer: “Behold me standing ready to do Thy
> 
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> will and Thy desire, and wishing naught else except Thy good pleasure. I
> implore Thee by the Ocean of Thy mercy and the Day- Star of Thy grace to
> do with Thy servant as Thou willest and pleasest . . . Whatsoever is revealed
> by Thee is the desire of my heart and the beloved of my soul. O God, my God!
> Look not upon my hopes and my doings, nay rather look upon Thy will that
> hath encompassed the heavens and the earth . . . I have desired only what
> Thou didst desire, and love only what Thou dost love.14
> 
> And we are saying to God that whatever He bestows upon us we will accept
> with radiant acquiescence.
> 
> “In the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because
> they fear Him or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven . . . When a man
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> falls in love with a human being, it is impossible for him to keep from
> mentioning the name of his beloved. How much more difficult is it to keep
> from mentioning the Name of God when one has come to love Him . . . The
> spiritual man finds no delight in anything save commemoration of God.” 15
> 
> The Báb was the Manifestation of God Who came before Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
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> These words of The Báb define the purity of motive needed for prayer to
> be acceptable to God:
> 
> “Worship thou God in such wise that if thy worship lead thee to the fire,
> 
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> no alteration in thine adoration would be produced, and so likewise if thy
> recompense should be paradise. Thus and thus alone should be the worship
> which befitteth the one True God. Shouldst thou worship Him because of
> fear, this would be unseemly in the sanctified Court of His presence, and
> could not be regarded as an act by thee dedicated to the Oneness of His
> Being. Or if thy gaze should be on paradise, and thou shouldst worship Him
> while cherishing such a hope, thou wouldst make God’s creation a partner
> with Him, notwithstanding the fact that paradise is desired by men.
> 
> Fire and paradise both bow down and prostrate themselves before God.
> That which is worthy of His Essence is to worship Him for His sake,
> without fear of fire, or hope of paradise…” 16
> 
> Shoghi Effendi comments on the experience of a worshipper:
> 
> “The true worshipper, while praying, should endeavour not so much to
> 
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> ask God to fulfil his wishes and desires, but rather to adjust these and
> make them conform to the Divine Will. Only through such an attitude
> can one derive that feeling of inner peace and contentment which the
> power of prayer alone can confer.” 17
> 
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> As Rutstein explains, it is fitting to approach God and ask for His guidance
> and, in fact, we are lost without His help.18 Many times we supplicate to
> God and ask Him to fulfil our wishes. Sometimes we are anxious about
> something and we end up bargaining with God. We are acknowledging His
> greatness and that He is in control of our lives, but we are also challenging
> His wisdom and power by begging Him to meet our request. Then we need
> to listen to the wisdom of these words:
> 
> “O Son of Spirit!
> 
> Ask not of Me that which We desire not for thee, then be content with
> what We have ordained for thy sake, for this is that which profiteth thee,
> if therewith thou dost content thyself.” 19
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Rutstein points out that God understands our motives and subconscious desires
> and He may respond in a way that He feels is right for us.20 The response may
> be a test or challenge. Once we have made a request, we don’t need to keep
> asking God for His assistance. He knows what we are thinking before we are
> conscious of it. We need to let go, be content with His will, wait patiently for
> 
> WORKING
> His answer and believe that it will be for the best.
> 
> Prayer that is an outpouring of our deep and abiding love for God and
> our appreciation of Him as the Supreme Creator is probably the “most
> profound expression of love a human being can express.” 21 Taherzadeh
> 
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> states that praising God opens the channels of grace and we receive God’s
> blessings.22 But we must turn to God to receive His blessings. Otherwise
> we are “deprived and spiritually starved”. 23
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> “If the heart turns away from the blessings God offers how can it hope
> for happiness? If it does not put its hope and trust in God’s Mercy, where
> can it find rest? O, trust in God! For His Bounty is everlasting, and in
> His Blessings, for they are superb. O, put your faith in the Almighty,
> for He faileth not and His goodness endureth forever! His Sun giveth
> Light continually, and the Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters of
> Compassion with which He waters the hearts of all who trust in Him. His
> refreshing Breeze ever carries healing in its wings to the parched souls
> of men! Is it wise to turn away from such a loving Father Who showers
> 
> WORKING
> His blessings upon us, and to choose rather to be slaves of matter?” 24
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us, “Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not,
> my love can in no wise reach thee, Know this, O servant.” 25
> 
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> If we investigate all religions we will find the message of the love of God. It
> seems to me that in the above passage, God is not saying to us that we have
> to love Him or He won’t love us. We are always surrounded by God’s love.
> But His love can not “reach” us unless we do our part and turn to Him, just
> as a plant must turn to the warmth of the sun or it will die. We will “die”
> also if we deprive ourselves of the rays of His love. We as a society need
> it desperately, now as never before because we are living in the depths of
> materialism and sunk in the mire of our attachments, forgetting our Source
> and therefore not reflecting His love. Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor
> of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy.
> This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed.” 26
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Many of our prayers contain words of thanksgiving as a reminder that
> we must always remember His bounties and approach Him in gratitude.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reminds us:
> 
> “Do you realize how much you should thank God for His blessings?
> If you should thank Him a thousand times with each breath it would
> 
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> not be sufficient, because God has created and trained you. He has
> protected you from every affliction and prepared every gift and bestowal.
> Consider what a kind Father He is . . . He has given us a kind father and
> compassionate mother, . . . refreshing water, gentle breezes and the sun
> 
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> shining above our heads. In brief, He has supplied all the necessities of
> life although we did not ask for any of these great gifts . . .
> 
> . . . You must appreciate the value of this bounty and engage your time in
> mentioning and thanking the True One. “ 27
> 
> Ruth Moffett, an American Bahá’í educator wrote a book on prayer in
> obedience to Shoghi Effendi’s wish that she convey the importance of
> prayer to her fellow Bahá’ís. In her book she discusses the hindrances
> that keep us from attaining the presence of God through prayer. One of
> these is indifference in our hearts to the eternal. “. . . indifference to
> God is itself a torment . . .” 28
> 
> “Indifference breeds deterioration. Silence           is the cause of
> retrogression. Thoughtlessness leads to forgetfulness. Passivity,
> 
> WORKING
> inaction, produce oblivion. Consequently do ye not seek one moment
> of rest by day or by night. Nay, rather strive after composure of heart
> in the heaven of Unity.” 29
> 
> It occurs to me that indifference can often be a way of protecting ourselves
> 
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> from hurt, a long-held attitude or behavior that has worked for us in the
> past to keep us out of harm’s way, at least we thought. It may not be a
> conscious thing. If we hold ourselves aloof a little from God, it may be a
> protection learned at some point in our lives. Or we may feel unworthy.
> Indifference must become spiritual attraction – love for God and genuine
> reaching out to Him in supplication and love for all of His creatures. Doubt
> is another hindrance mentioned by Moffett that may also be a protective
> device. If we are not quite sure about our Faith, we may hesitate, we may
> lack conviction. If we already doubt, then perhaps the behavior of some
> of our friends who profess to be spiritual and don’t demonstrate it in their
> actions will test us and make us question our faith. And, as Moffett points
> out, if we are content to linger in this state, we will remain hesitant and will
> not resolve our doubts.30 Bahá’u’lláh explains the consequences of doubt:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Whoso hath not recognized this sublime and fundamental verity, and
> hath failed to attain this most exalted station [the recognition that ‘He
> shall not be asked of His doings], the winds of doubt will agitate him, and
> the sayings of the infidels will distract his soul. He that hath acknowledged
> this principle will be endowed with the most perfect constancy . . . Such
> is the teaching which God bestoweth on you, a teaching that will deliver
> 
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> you from all manner of doubt and perplexity, and enable you to attain
> unto salvation in both this world and in the next.” 31
> 
> And He tells us:
> 
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> “O FLEETING SHADOW!
> 
> Pass beyond the baser stages of doubt and rise to the exalted heights of
> certainty. Open the eye of truth, that thou mayest behold the veilless Beauty
> and exclaim: Hallowed be the Lord, the most excellent of all creators!” 32
> 
> “And be not of those who doubt.” 33
> 
> And from The Bible:
> 
> “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
> liberally, and upbraideth not and it shall be given him. But let him ask
> in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
> driven with the wind and tossed.“ 34
> 
> WORKING
> At times we wander far from the right conduct and demonstrate
> waywardness, another of Moffett’s “hindrances”.35 Bahá’u’lláh explains,
> 
> “It is the waywardness of the heart that removeth it far from God, and
> 
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> condemneth it to remoteness from Him.” 36
> 
> We also need steadfastness in order to approach God. It seems to me that
> it is common in our materialistic society to experience the hindrance of
> restlessness, as Moffett describes, to feel uneasy or unsure, searching for
> novelty and with our thoughts scattered in many directions.37 We have
> to work hard and ask God daily for tranquility, its antidote. According
> to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “The greatest bestowal in the world of existence is a
> tranquil heart . . . This station is joy succeeded by joy, confidence after
> confidence and Paradise after Paradise.” 38
> 
> Similarly, impatience deters us and is often reflected in irritation, a
> tendency towards petulance in relation to events and circumstances but
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> it can develop into a habit of chronic complaint over small things that
> “poisons the entire system.” 39 We can never attain spiritual perception
> without patience, according to Moffett.40 In the Bahá’í Writings we are
> told, “He, verily, shall increase the reward of them that endure with
> patience . . . Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are patient
> under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth
> 
> WORKING
> them, and they who tread the path of resignation.” 41
> 
> “It behooveth whosoever hath set his face towards the Most Sublime
> Horizon to cleave tenaciously unto the cord of patience, and to put his
> 
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> reliance in God, the Help in Peril, the Unconstrained.” 42
> 
> And Muhammad says:
> 
> “Therefore, remember me: I will remember you; and give me thanks and
> be not ungrateful. O ye who believe! Seek help with patience and with
> prayer, for God is with the patient.” 43
> 
> We are continuing our discussion of the hindrances to prayer that Moffett
> discusses in her book. Closely aligned with impatience is discontent, and
> dissatisfaction even when it is not possible to change things.44 Acquiescence
> to God’s will is the opposite of this hindrance. Or we may be irresolute in
> character and lack determination and will, so we need to learn decisiveness.
> And, of course, we need to guard against exalting our own selves as we strive
> towards the quality of selflessness and draw closer to God. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> tells us, “The ‘master-key’ to self-mastery is self-forgetting. The road to the
> 
> WORKING
> palace of life is through the path of renunciation.” 45
> 
> And He advised us:
> 
> “Turn your faces away from the contemplation of your own finite selves
> 
> EDITION
> and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting Radiance; then will your souls
> receive in full measure the Divine power of the Spirit and the blessings
> of the Infinite Bounty.” 46
> 
> The last hindrance mentioned by Moffett is ignorance.47 Of course we
> are all ignorant about many things but we should not be satisfied to live in
> ignorance. We should strive to gain the knowledge of spiritual teachings
> and to immerse ourselves in the Word of God.
> 
> It is not always easy to set aside time to pray and it requires discipline on
> our part. It is so important because without prayer, it is difficult for us to
> leave behind our selfish desires and we can then make decisions based on
> self-interest.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says,” Man becomes a stone unless he continually supplicates
> to God. The heart of man is like a mirror which is covered with dust and to
> cleanse it one must continually pray to God that it may become clean. The
> act of supplication is the polish which erases all worldly desires.” 48
> 
> WORKING
> Prayer does not come easily to many of us who have felt unworthy of
> conversation with God. Moffett feels that those who hesitate to pray are
> “standing in the station of pride” 49 or haven’t realized their need for prayer
> or its great value. Hellaby tells us that if we don’t feel “good enough” we
> may be really saying that we don’t feel the need to change our habits and
> 
> EDITION
> we then choose to hold ourselves back from God. 50 We remain wrapped in
> the veil of self and do not feel close to God, as Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “O SON OF DESIRE!
> 
> The learned and the wise have for long years striven and failed to
> attain the presence of the All- Glorious; they have spent their lives
> in search of Him, yet did not behold the beauty of His countenance.
> Thou without the least effort didst attain thy goal, and without search
> hast obtained the object of thy quest. Yet, notwithstanding, thou didst
> remain so wrapt in the veil of self, that thine eyes beheld not the
> beauty of the Beloved, nor did thy hand touch the hem of His robe. Ye
> that have eyes, behold and wonder.” 51
> 
> It occurs to me that God can’t take anything away from us if we don’t let it
> 
> WORKING
> go. Once we reach an understanding of our issues and the reasons for our
> behavior, we can then ask God to help us change. As Hellaby suggests, we
> need to humble ourselves totally and remove all traces of self and then we
> need to shake ourselves off and try and try again.52 True repentance requires
> our ability to see our actions as wrong, “to be struck by the sense of our
> 
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> wrong-doing”, 53 to feel shame and then resolve to battle and eventually
> master it. Some people say they can’t pray because it is too difficult for
> them to admit their wrong-doings and they know they can’t pray to be
> forgiven if they are truly not repenting.54 But how do we deal with our sins
> through prayer? We don’t need to wallow in our wrong-doings but we need
> to bring ourselves to account each day.
> 
> “O SON OF BEING!
> 
> Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning;
> for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give
> account for thy deeds.” 55
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> By noting the events of our days either by writing them out in a journal or
> reflecting upon them in our minds before bedtime, we can examine our behavior
> and determine where we stand from a spiritual viewpoint, in other words find
> examples of the insistent self and determine to do better. Rutstein devotes a
> chapter to this topic in his book, A Way out of the Trap. He explains the process
> in detail with some specific suggestions that are very beneficial. I highly
> 
> WORKING
> recommend it. He feels that this is a way of purifying our hearts and helping
> us understand our behavior and gives us the knowledge and determination to
> make changes. It is important, according to Rutstein, that it be approached in
> a prayerful condition, so that we don’t rationalize and make excuses for our
> 
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> actions (lower nature behavior) and so that it does not become an exercise
> in self-flagellation. Saying prayers beforehand is helpful. We always need
> to remind ourselves that we are noble beings trying to live up to a spiritual
> standard but we have shortcomings. We keep a spiritual focus and review our
> good actions and progress made. Then in our prayer sessions, we can express
> our gratitude to God for His assistance in helping us to make progress and ask
> for His guidance to continue helping us to cope with our difficulties.56 And
> here is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s advice:
> 
> “Every day in the morning when arising you should compare today with
> yesterday and see in what condition you are. If you see your belief is
> stronger and your heart more occupied with God and your love increased
> and your freedom from the world greater then thank God and ask for the
> increase of these qualities. You must begin to pray and repent for all that
> you have done which is wrong and you must implore and ask for help
> and assistance that you may become better than yesterday so that you
> 
> WORKING
> may continue to make progress.” 57
> 
> Hellaby recommends that the way to deal with our sins is to so fill our
> minds with our Lord so there’s no room for thinking of sins.58 We are then
> contemplating God’s perfections rather than our faults. Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> EDITION
> “Remembrance of Me cleanseth all things from defilement” and asks us
> to “remember My days” and “recall to mind My sorrows.” 59
> 
> It is helpful to me to think of a sin as “missing the mark, an error in
> perception”, a term used by some theologians these days. Perhaps this
> definition allows us to let go of some of our guilt and shame and see
> ourselves in a more forgiving light, particularly those, like me, who when
> we heard the word “sin” tended to “shrivel” in shame.
> 
> Perhaps, I feel, a lack of self-confidence may also be a reason why some
> resist a true communion with God. They feel inadequate in the sight of God
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> because of the things they did or continue to do that plague them. Even the
> awareness of the power of prayer and the need for it in their lives, even
> their love for God, doesn’t help them to turn regularly to Him in fervent
> prayer. Some of us grew up feeling that we were defective in some way,
> as I mentioned in my introduction. I believed that at some fundamental
> 
> WORKING
> level I was not worthy of God’s attention and to approach him humbly in
> prayer was not really possible. Thus a rote reading of prayers sufficed my
> prayer sessions. This was really a sense of false pride. Who was I to stand
> apart from My Creator who loves me and wants to help me? The awareness
> that God does love all of us is a big part of my healing journey and the
> 
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> realization that God has an impersonal, detached love for all life and my
> life is no more or less precious to Him than anyone else’s allows me to
> experience a deep humility.
> 
> “. . . Thou art the All-Bountiful, the overflowing showers of Whose mercy
> have rained down upon high and low alike, and the splendors of Whose
> grace have been shed over both the obedient and the rebellious . . .“ 60
> 
> We know that God is the All-Merciful, that He knows us as we are and
> loves us anyway, and understands how difficult it may be to progress
> spiritually in this materialistic society. We also know that we’re human
> and prone to make mistakes but these mistakes help us to find our spiritual
> path. We need never be ashamed to admit our weaknesses and mistakes.
> And we are given prayers for forgiveness so that we can approach God in
> contrition and remorse.
> 
> WORKING
> I remember being on Bahá’í pilgrimage in Israel and listening to a talk. The
> speaker reminded her audience that we have all been chosen by God for
> our capacity and ability. We need to figure out what that is and pray for it to
> be developed. We are asked by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to develop our own spiritual
> 
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> qualities, to guide others and to train souls. But we need to lose our self, our
> insistent self! We need to use the prayers for forgiveness, clean our slate and
> stop focusing on our shortcomings. Who are we to decide how much God
> can forgive? We need to leave the past and ask God to help us move forward.
> We need to learn to forgive ourselves, to realize that not forgiving ourselves
> is holding back many of our efforts and that we need to know that God will
> forgive us over and over again, that His mercy is infinite.
> 
> “What outpouring flood can compare with the stream of His allembracing grace, and what blessing can excel the evidences of so great
> and pervasive a mercy? There can be no doubt whatever that if for one
> moment the tide of His mercy and grace were to be withheld from the
> world, it would completely perish. For this reason, from the beginning
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> that hath no beginning the portals of Divine mercy have been flung open
> to the face of all created things, and the clouds of Truth will continue to
> the end that hath no end to rain on the soil of human capacity, reality
> and personality their favors and bounties. Such hath been God’s method
> continued from everlasting to everlasting.“ 61
> 
> WORKING
> But God knows our difficulty in forgiving ourselves and seeking His mercy:
> 
> “Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God. Every time I venture to make
> mention of Thee, I am held back by my mighty sins and grievous
> 
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> trespasses against Thee, and find myself wholly deprived of Thy grace,
> and utterly powerless to celebrate Thy praise. My great confidence in Thy
> bounty, however, reviveth My hope in Thee, and my certitude that Thou
> wilt bountifully deal with me emboldeneth me to extol Thee, and to ask
> of Thee the things Thou dost possess . . .” 62
> 
> I urge my readers who are dealing with difficult issues in their life
> and therefore feel that they are blocked in their ability to reach out to
> God to seek professional help. Rutstein openly discusses his journey in
> The Way out of the Trap. This is in addition to turning to God in total
> selflessness and humility, Our Beloved who knows us as no one else
> can, and asking Him to release us from these burdens and to develop
> our true spiritual selves. We surrender our situation to God and ask
> God to save our lives. We do it for ourselves so that we can become
> “channels” for God’s love to reach others and become more spiritually
> 
> WORKING
> developed. We also do it for our fellow-humans, struggling to accept us
> with all our glaring shortcomings, and for our friends and family, and
> for those who will become attracted to a life of faith when they see us
> in our spiritual garment.
> 
> EDITION
> Let us now move on from this highly personal section of the chapter.
> 
> ------------------
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá encourages us to say our prayers out loud:
> 
> ”. . . Why should it be necessary for him to repeat prayers aloud
> and with the tongue? One reason for this is that if the heart alone
> is speaking the mind can be more easily disturbed. But repeating
> the words so that the tongue and heart act together enables the mind to
> become concentrated. Then the whole man is surrounded by the spirit of
> prayer and the act is more perfect.” 63
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> But just repeating the prayers is not enough:
> 
> “Prayer and supplication are two wings whereby man soars toward the
> heavenly mansion of the True One. However, verbal repetition of prayer
> does not suffice. One must live in a perennial attitude of prayer. When
> man is spiritually free his mind becomes the altar and his heart the
> 
> WORKING
> sanctuary of prayer. Then the meaning of the verse ‘He will lift up from
> before his eyes the veil’ will become fulfilled in man. “ 64
> 
> We need to feel the prayers given to us by Bahá’u’lláh, The Báb and ‘Abdu’l-
> 
> EDITION
> Bahá and, according to Moffett, “let the spiritual power of each word surround
> us as we dwell within the spirit of prayer”.65 Hellaby explains that we need to
> have love in our hearts and faith when we turn to God and reach out to Him in a
> state of humility and pure devotion, consecrating ourselves to Him with a pure
> heart with no malice towards another. So we need to let go of any irritations or
> anger, any feelings of being offended and, if we are in the wrong, to right that
> wrong so that we are not blocked from reaching God.66 If we are not overcome
> by emotion when we pray, if we do not feel that closeness to God, we need
> to examine ourselves, try harder to move away from any self-centeredness,
> pride and immaturity, any absorption in our problems that hinders us from
> lifting our spirits to God, to put ourselves in His hands and ask Him to help
> us draw closer.67
> 
> “Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my Beloved, from the right hand of
> Thy mercy and loving- kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that they
> 
> WORKING
> may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy
> nearness and Thy presence. Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee…” 68
> 
> We need to develop a prayerful attitude:
> 
> EDITION
> “The prayerful attitude is attained by two means. Just as a man who is
> going to deliver a lecture prepares therefore and his preparation consists
> of certain meditations and notations, so the preparation for the prayerful
> attitude is detaching one’s mind from all other thoughts save the thought
> of God at the time of prayer and then praying when the prayerful attitude
> shall be attained.” 69
> 
> Rutstein states that “every thought that springs from a love for God is
> a prayer”.70 By considering every thought as a prayer we are aware of
> our connection to God and we become more confident and positive in
> our lives, despite any difficulties we have to face because we are sure of
> God’s assistance no matter what happens and we feel secure in our “divine
> sanctuary”. 71 As we begin to make progress, we’ll be better able to face
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and learn from tests so that eventually we’ll reach the conclusion that our
> greatest mistake is to turn away from God.72 We’ll be ready to rely on Him no
> matter what difficulties or disappointments we face, no matter how inadequate
> we feel and the depth to which we sink spiritually. If we continue to reach out
> to God in all circumstances, we’ll learn to turn to Him first and depend totally
> 
> WORKING
> on Him. We have to believe that He will answer our prayers and provide the
> guidance we need. Maybe he will give us signs but even sincere souls praying
> ardently for assistance may miss the signs.73 It occurs to me that if we are
> uncertain if something is a sign, we can ask God to confirm it somehow and
> explain that we’re not too bright and we need more direction!
> 
> EDITION
> In the following story, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá teaches a girl about prayer:
> 
> “One day a despondent little Jewish girl, all in black, was brought into
> the Master’s presence. With tears flowing, she told Him her tale of woes:
> her brother had been unjustly imprisoned three years before – he had four
> more years to serve; her parents were constantly depressed; her brotherin-law, who was their support, had just died. She claimed the more she
> trusted in God the worse matters became. She complained, ‘. . . my mother
> reads the Psalms all the time; she doesn’t deserve that God should desert
> her so. I read the Psalms myself, - the ninety-first Psalm and the twentythird Psalm every night before I go to bed. I pray too.’
> 
> Comforting and advising her, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied, ‘To pray is not to read
> Psalms. To pray is to trust in God, and to be submissive in all things to
> 
> WORKING
> Him. Be submissive, then things will change for you. Put your family in
> God’s hands. Love God’s will. Strong ships are not conquered by the sea, -
> they ride the waves. Now be a strong ship, not a battered one.” 74
> 
> Shoghi Effendi gave to Ruth Moffett five steps to use in prayer “if we have
> 
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> a problem of any kind for which we desire a solution or wish help”.75
> 
> “First Step. Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the
> Manifestations as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence
> of contemplation for a few minutes.
> 
> Second Step. Arrive at a decision and hold to this. This decision is
> usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of
> accomplishment but if it seems to be an answer to a prayer or a way of
> solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.
> 
> Third Step. Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail
> here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born,
> immediately take the next step.
> 
> Fourth Step. Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through
> you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought,
> 
> WORKING
> the right message, the right principle, or the right book will be given to
> you. Have confidence, and the right thing will come to your need. Then,
> as you rise from prayer, take at once the fifth step.
> 
> Fifth Step. Act as though it had all been answered. And as you act,
> 
> EDITION
> you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power
> to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the
> Divine Power to flow through you. Many pray but do not remain for
> the last half of the first step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision,
> but fail to hold it. Few have the determination to carry the decision
> through, and still fewer have the confidence that the right thing will
> come to their need. But how many remember to act as though it had
> all been answered? How true are those words – ‘Greater than the
> prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered, but greater than the way it
> is uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.’” 76
> 
> In clarifying these 5 steps Shoghi Effendi indicated that they were
> only personal suggestions. He stated, “The Master said guidance
> was when the doors opened after we tried. We can pray, ask
> to do God’s will only, try hard, and then if we find our plan is
> 
> WORKING
> not working out, assume it is not the right one, at least for the
> moment.” 77
> 
> Rutstein feels that the most important thing is to schedule prayer and
> depend on it as we do on food and drink.78 Dorothy Baker, an American
> 
> EDITION
> Bahá’í, who served on her National Spiritual Assembly and became
> a “Hand of the Cause” (see introduction), stated that “we cannot be
> anything but emaciated if we take it only spasmodically”.79 It is a
> necessity in our lives. I think that once we become aware that God is
> closer to us than our own hands and feet and we learn to turn to Him
> regularly, then prayer will become an integral part of our lives that we
> cannot live without because we cannot be far from Him.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh commands us in the Kitab-i-Aqdas, the Book of Laws,
> “Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso faileth
> to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His
> Testament, and whoso turneth away from these holy verses in this Day
> is of those who throughout eternity have turned away from God.” 80
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And He says,
> 
> “At the dawn of every day he [the true seeker] should commune with
> God, and with all his soul persevere in the quest of his Beloved.” 81
> 
> This is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s guidance:
> 
> WORKING
> ”When a soul rises in the morning from sleep, before everything else,
> he must commemorate the name of God in order that he may obtain
> spirituality and illumination.” 82
> 
> EDITION
> “Supplicate unto Him and beseech in the middle of the night and at early
> morn just as a needy and captive one beseeches. . . . ” 83
> 
> “Automatic, formalistic prayers which do not touch the core of the heart
> are of no avail. How sweet, how delicious, how satisfying, how spiritual is
> the prayer in the middle of the night! . . . While the majority of the people
> are fast asleep the adorer of the Ideal beloved is wakeful. All around him
> there is a rare and delicate silence, deep, airy, ethereal silence, calm,
> magical and subtle – and there is the worshiper, communing with nature
> and the Author of nature.” 84 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also said: “Often at night I
> do not sleep, and the thoughts of this world weigh heavily on my mind.
> I toss uneasily in my bed. Then in the darkness of the night I get up and
> pray – converse with God. It is most sweet and uplifting.” 85
> 
> Moffett tells us that when we turn to God in prayer our thoughts should
> 
> WORKING
> be clear cut, intense and sincere.86 As Gilbert said in her popular novel
> “Prayer is a relationship; half the job is mine. If I want transformation,
> but can’t even be bothered to articulate what, exactly, I’m aiming for, how
> will it ever occur? Half the benefit of prayer is in the asking itself, in the
> 
> EDITION
> offering of a clearly posed and well- considered intention. If you don’t have
> this, all your pleas and desires are boneless, floppy, inert; they swirl at
> your feet in a cold fog and never lift.” 87
> 
> Sincerity is a prerequisite for prayer. As Rutstein indicates, a beautifully
> worded prayer that does not come from a sincere heart does not constitute
> communion with God, whereas prayer given with few and crude words
> from a pure heart will receive blessings.88
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
> 
> “. . . it is incumbent upon thee to be purely sincere, to turn to the holy Kingdom
> and to generously give the spirit in the cause of the Lord of Might.” 89
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Secondly, the more we have faith, the more we will get results, as
> Bahá’u’lláh explains:
> 
> “It bestoweth wealth without gold, and conferreth immortality without
> death.” 90
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasizes it:
> 
> “. . . nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. . . . As ye have
> faith so shall your powers and blessings be.” 91
> 
> EDITION
> And Shoghi Effendi tells us to pray to Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “While praying it would be better to turn one’s thoughts to the
> Manifestation as He continues, in the other world, to be our means of
> contact with the Almighty . . .“ 92
> 
> However, we can also turn to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá or Shoghi Effendi:
> 
> “If you find you need to visualize someone when you pray, think of the
> Master. Through Him you can address Bahá’u’lláh. Gradually try to
> think of the qualities of the Manifestation, and in that way a mental form
> will fade out, for after all the body is not the thing. His Spirit is there and
> is the essential, everlasting element.” 93
> 
> WORKING
> “In regard to your question: we must not be rigid about praying; there
> is not a set of rules governing it; the main thing is we must start out
> with the right concept of God, the Manifestation, the Master [‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá], the Guardian [Shoghi Effendi] – we can turn, in thought, to
> any one of them when we pray. For instance you can ask Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> EDITION
> for something, or, thinking of Him, ask God for it. The same is true
> of the Master or the Guardian. You can turn in thought to either of
> them and then ask their intercession, or pray direct to God. As long
> as you don’t confuse their stations, and make them all equal, it does
> not matter much how you orient your thoughts.” 94
> 
> Shoghi Effendi also gave us three conditions of prayer: concentration,
> purity of intention, and lastly, detachment from the outcome.95
> 
> We need to persevere in our efforts, according to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “Draw nigh unto God and persevere in communion with thy Lord so that
> the fire of God’s love may glow more luminously in the heart, its heat
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> grow stronger and give warmth to that region and its sound reach the
> Supreme Concourse.” 96
> 
> And we need to listen to God, as well as talking to Him. Conversation has
> to go both ways. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has told us how to listen to God:
> 
> WORKING
> “We should speak in the language of heaven – in the language of the
> spirit – for there is a language of the spirit and heart. It is as different
> from our language as our own language is different from that of the
> animals, who express themselves only by cries and sounds.
> 
> EDITION
> It is the language of the spirit which speaks to God. When, in prayer, we are
> freed from all outward things and turn to God, then it is as if in our hearts
> we hear the voice of God. Without words we speak, we communicate, we
> converse with God and hear the answer . . . All of us, when we attain to a
> truly spiritual condition, can hear the Voice of God.” 97
> 
> Dorothy Baker gave many talks about prayer. She said in one of her talks,
> “Talk, listen to the inner silences. Hear the voice of God. Yearning opens
> the recesses of the heart . . .” 98
> 
> And it is important to have privacy, to have quiet. The Báb explains:
> 
> “The reason why privacy hath been enjoined in moments of devotion
> is this, that thou mayest give thy best attention to the remembrance
> 
> WORKING
> of God, that thy heart may at all times be animated with His Spirit,
> and not be shut out as by a veil from thy Best Beloved. Let not thy
> tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy heart be not attuned
> to the exalted Summit of Glory, and the Focal Point of communion.
> Thus if haply thou dost live in the Day of Resurrection, the mirror of
> 
> EDITION
> thy heart will be set towards Him Who is the Day-Star of Truth and
> no sooner will His light shine forth than the splendor thereof shall
> forthwith be reflected in thy heart “ 99
> 
> What about the length of our prayer sessions?
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “Take heed lest excessive reading and too many acts of piety in the daytime
> and in the night season make you vainglorious. Should a person recite
> but a single verse from the Holy Writings in a spirit of joy and radiance,
> this would be better for him than reciting wearily all the scriptures of
> God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Recite ye the verses of God in
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue or boredom. Burden
> not your souls so as to cause exhaustion and weigh them down, but rather
> endeavour to lighten them, that they may soar on the wings of revealed
> verses unto the dawning-place of His signs. This is conducive to nearer
> access unto God, were ye to comprehend.” 100
> 
> WORKING
> Shoghi Effendi said to a believer who had been ill:
> 
> “We don’t have to pray and meditate for hours in order to be spiritual.” 101
> 
> EDITION
> St. Augustine said, “A short prayer pierceth heaven.” 102
> 
> We do not have to say a long prayer and even saying “Alláh-u-Abhá” with
> joy is enough, according to Hellaby.103 “Alláh-u-Abhá” is a phrase used
> by Bahá’ís which means “God is the Most-Glorious” and is referred to as
> “The Greatest Name”. Shoghi Effendi advises:
> 
> “He feels more emphasis should be laid on the importance and power of
> prayer, including the use of The Greatest Name, but not over-emphasizing.
> It is the spirit behind the words which is really important.” 104
> 
> The repetition of the Greatest Name is one of Bahá’u’lláh’s ordinances: “It
> hath been ordained that every believer in God, the Lord of Judgement,
> shall, each day, having washed his hands and then his face, seat himself
> and, turning unto God, repeat ‘Allah-u-Abha’ ninety-five times. Such
> 
> WORKING
> was the decree of the Maker of the Heavens when, with majesty and
> power, He established Himself upon the thrones of His Names . . . 105
> 
> Inasmuch as we do not become exhausted but are refreshed and joyful
> from our prayers, they can of course be as long as we want!
> 
> EDITION
> Because it does not come easily to pray, we are asked to say an obligatory
> prayer and given a time- frame for it. Hellaby noted that by using the
> obligatory prayer we create a “ring of prayer” 106 around the world at
> any one time. And in saying our obligatory prayer we demonstrate our
> obedience to God, as Bahá’u’lláh indicates:
> 
> “We, verily, have set forth all things in Our Book, as a token of grace unto those
> who have believed in God, the Almighty, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.
> And we have ordained obligatory prayer and fasting so that all may by these
> means draw nigh unto God, the Most Powerful, the Well-Beloved. We have
> written down these two laws and expounded every irrevocable decree. We
> have forbidden men from following whatsoever might cause them to stray
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> from the Truth, and have commanded them to observe that which will draw
> them nearer unto Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Loving. Say: Observe ye
> the commandments of God for love of His beauty, and be not of those who
> follow in the ways of the abject and foolish.“ 107
> 
> Many of the quotations from Bahá’u’lláh’s and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Writings on
> 
> WORKING
> obligatory prayer refer both to obligatory prayer and fasting. We will consider
> the commandment of fasting in another chapter. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
> 
> “Thou hast written concerning obligatory prayer. Such prayer is binding
> and mandatory for everyone. Most certainly guide all to its observance,
> 
> EDITION
> because it is like a ladder for the souls, a lamp unto the hearts of the
> righteous and the waters of life from the garden of paradise. It is a clear
> duty prescribed by the All-Merciful, in the observance of which it is in no
> wise permissible to be dilatory or neglectful.” 108
> 
> It is important to obey God’s Commands for us and we only benefit by
> drawing nearer to Him and following a spiritual path. We also obey His
> injunctions for love of His beauty. And in His infinite Mercy, He bestows
> upon us His bounties and blessings when we say our obligatory prayers.
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “As for obligatory prayer, it hath been sent down by the Pen of the Most
> High in such wise that it setteth ablaze the hearts and captivateth the
> souls and minds of men.” 109
> 
> WORKING
> “Concerning obligatory prayer, it hath been revealed in such wise that
> whosoever reciteth it, even one time, with a detached heart, will find
> himself wholly severed from the world.” 110
> 
> “Of the new Obligatory Prayers that were later revealed, the long Obligatory
> 
> EDITION
> Prayer should be said at those times when one feeleth himself in a prayerful
> mood. In truth, it hath been revealed in such wise that if it be recited to a
> rock, that rock would stir and speak forth; and if it be recited to a mountain,
> that mountain would move and flow. Well is it with the one who reciteth it
> and fulfilleth God’s precepts. Whichever prayer is read will suffice.” 111
> 
> And in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “The obligatory prayers are binding inasmuch as they are conducive
> to humility and submissiveness, to setting one’s face towards God
> and expressing devotion to Him. Through such prayer man holdeth
> communion with God, seeketh to draw near unto Him, converseth with
> the true Beloved of one’s heart, and attaineth spiritual stations.” 112
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Know thou that in every word and movement of the obligatory prayer
> there are allusions, mysteries and a wisdom that man is unable to
> comprehend, and letters and scrolls cannot contain.” 113
> 
> Even though we will never really understand, Taherzadeh explains that
> 
> WORKING
> the movements in the two longer prayers convey our attitude towards
> God so that we are humbled before Him.114 Because Bahá’u’lláh, despite
> being a Manifestation, lived in Persia, He would express Himself as a
> Persian. The gestures therefore reflect His culture. Raising hands to heaven
> signified supplication to God, bending the body demonstrated humility and
> 
> EDITION
> prostrating the body before God expressed man’s utter nothingness in His
> presence. Considering the meaning of these gestures while we pray may
> assist us to say our prayers more fervently.
> 
> We are also asked to wash our face and hands prior to reciting our obligatory
> prayers:
> 
> “. . . Perform ye, likewise, ablutions for the Obligatory Prayer; this is the
> command of God, the Incomparable, the Unrestrained.” 115
> 
> But we do not need to say the longer obligatory prayers, as Shoghi Effendi
> explains:
> 
> “Bahá’u’lláh has reduced all ritual and form to an absolute minimum
> in His Faith. The few forms that there are – like those associated with
> 
> WORKING
> the two longer obligatory daily prayers, are only symbols of the inner
> attitude. There is a wisdom in them, and a great blessing, but we cannot
> force ourselves to understand or feel these things, that is why He gave us
> also the very short and simple prayer, for those who did not feel the desire
> to perform the acts associated with the other two.” 116
> 
> EDITION
> When we say the obligatory prayers, we turn to the Qiblih, the Point
> of Adoration, Bahá’u’lláh’s resting place on earth in Israel. Shoghi
> Effendi explains:
> 
> “He would advise you to only use the short midday Obligatory Prayer.
> This has no genuflections and only requires that when saying it the
> believer turn his face towards Akka where Bahá’u’lláh is buried. This is
> a physical symbol of an inner reality, just as the plant stretches out to the
> sunlight – from which it receives life and growth – so we turn our hearts
> to the Manifestation of God, Bahá’u’lláh, when we pray; and we turn
> our faces, during this short prayer, to where His dust lies on this earth as
> a symbol of the inner act” 117
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Here is the short obligatory prayer:
> 
> “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and
> to worship Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to
> Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth. There is none other God but
> 
> WORKING
> Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.” 118
> 
> In this prayer, Bahá’u’lláh tells us that our purpose in life and the reason
> for our creation is knowing and loving God, worshipping and serving Him,
> obeying Him and drawing near to His presence.
> 
> EDITION
> And if we turn to God with purity of motive and humility, we will
> experience the power of the obligatory prayers, as Bahá’u’lláh and
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have written:
> 
> “O My brother! How great, how very great, can the law of obligatory
> prayer be, when through His mercy and loving kindness, one is enabled
> to observe it. When a man commenceth the recitation of the Obligatory
> Prayer, he should see himself severed from all created things and regard
> himself as utter nothingness before the will and purpose of God, in such
> wise that he seeth naught but Him in the world of being. This is the
> station of God’s well-favored ones and those who are wholly devoted to
> Him. Should one perform the Obligatory Prayer in this manner, he will
> be accounted by God and the Concourse on high among those who have
> truly offered the prayer.” 119
> 
> WORKING
> “Obligatory prayer causeth the heart to become attentive to the Divine
> Kingdom. One is alone with God, converseth with Him, and acquireth
> bounties. Likewise, if one performeth the Obligatory Prayer with his
> heart in a state of utmost purity, he will obtain the confirmations of the
> 
> EDITION
> Holy Spirit, and this will entirely obliterate love of self. I hope that thou
> wilt persevere in the recitation of the Obligatory Prayer, and thus will
> come to witness the power of entreaty and supplication.” 120
> 
> “Obligatory prayer is the very foundation of the Cause of God.
> Through it joy and vitality infuse the heart. Even if every grief
> should surround Me, as soon as I engage in conversing with God
> in obligatory prayer, all My sorrows disappear and I attain joy and
> gladness. A condition descendeth upon Me which I am unable to
> describe or express. Whenever, with full awareness and humility, we
> undertake to perform the Obligatory Prayer before God, and recite it
> with heartfelt tenderness, we shall taste such sweetness as to endow
> all existence with eternal life.” 121
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us some direction about saying our obligatory prayer
> in conjunction with other prayers:
> 
> “O thou servant of the True Lord! Obligatory prayer and other
> supplications are essential to servitude unto Him Who is the All-Sufficing
> . . . When the obligatory prayers and other prayers are joined together
> 
> WORKING
> and follow each other, worship attaineth its perfection. It can be seen
> that these two are spiritual companions and are like one soul in two
> bodies. May God assist you all to thrive in love and fellowship.” 122
> 
> EDITION
> “O servant of the holy threshold! Thou hast asked about those prayers that
> are beyond what is prescribed, those that are recommended, invocations,
> and devotions honored by tradition. In this Dispensation that which
> hath been expressly prescribed is obligatory. But individual worship,
> invocations, supererogatory prayers, and specially recommended prayers
> are not binding. Nonetheless, the saying of any prayer individually after
> the Obligatory Prayers is well-pleasing and acceptable, but no particular
> ones have been singled out.” 123
> 
> The term “supererogatory” refers to prayers that are performed over and
> above those prescribed as obligatory.
> 
> But Bahá’u’lláh explains that other prayers, in addition to the obligatory
> prayers, have special potency and include the Tablet of Ahmad and the
> Long Healing Prayer.
> 
> WORKING
> “These daily obligatory prayers, together with a few other specific ones,
> such as the Healing Prayer, the Tablet of Ahmad, have been invested by
> Bahá’u’lláh with a special potency and significance, and should therefore
> be accepted as such and be recited by the believers with unquestioned
> 
> EDITION
> faith and confidence, that through them they may enter into a much
> closer communion with God, and identify themselves more fully with His
> laws and precepts.” 124
> 
> Dorothy Baker suggested that “you can lose contact … through your own veils
> and clouds if you do not pray every day [and] if there are clouds around, use
> the Tablet of Ahmad as it never fails.” 125 Martha Root told Dorothy, “when
> I am faced with a difficulty, I use the Tablet of Ahmad every day for nine
> days, asking God, in the name of that Holy Tablet, to remove the difficulty. If
> I am faced with an extremely difficult problem, I recite the Tablet of Ahmad
> three times a day for nine days. And when I am faced with a problem that is
> completely impossible and there is and can be no solution, I use the Tablet of
> Ahmad nine times a day for nine days and the problem is always solved.” 126
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> She also suggested that we wake up and pray at dawn for someone for 19
> days and thank the person for the privilege of doing it because it increases
> our own connection to the power that sustains us. I highly recommend
> Dorothy Baker’s biography, From Copper to Gold, to get a glimpse of the
> power of prayer in her life.
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also asks us to pray for those who have ascended to the
> spiritual world:
> 
> “Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still
> 
> EDITION
> on earth, yet there is no real separation. In prayer there is a mingling of
> station, a mingling of condition. Pray for them as they pray for you.” 127
> 
> And we are asked to pray for our parents. The Báb tells us:
> 
> “It is seemly that the servant should, after each prayer, supplicate God
> to bestow mercy and forgiveness upon his parents. Thereupon God’s call
> will be raised: ‘Thousand upon thousand of what thou hast asked for thy
> parents shall be thy recompense!’ Blessed is he who remembereth his
> parents when communing with God. There is, verily, no God but Him,
> the Mighty, the Well-Beloved.” 128
> 
> And so to summarize. We pray to know and to love God, and thereby
> our faith and conviction increase and we are motivated to continue our
> relationship with God through prayer. With self-discipline and perseverance
> 
> WORKING
> prayer becomes our habit. We notice if we don’t pray one day and our
> consciousness of the need to turn to God regularly is heightened. Once
> we acquire the habit of saying our obligatory prayers and other prayers
> regularly, it becomes as important to us as the other routines of life. And
> we need to understand, as Hellaby says, that obedience itself makes us a
> 
> EDITION
> recipient of His grace and aids our progress spiritually.129
> 
> It seems to me that we may feel some vague feeling about God’s
> presence or we may feel that no one is there listening to our words. We
> may feel that others seem to be good at connecting and living in His
> presence. We should not expect to feel the presence of God every time
> we pray. Learning how to pray requires work and effort, resolve and
> willpower. We may have to just keep praying and gradually we’ll feel
> that we’re actually communing with God.
> 
> “Let not thy tongue pay lip service in praise of God while thy heart
> be not attuned to the exalted Summit of Glory, and the Focal Point
> of communion…” 130
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> When thoughts wander in all directions, Hellaby advises us to gently bring
> them back to our prayers.131 I know for myself that I dutifully said prayers,
> and many of them at one time, for many years, trying to get the “feelings”,
> a connection, a spiritual experience, to be carried away from self, but all
> the time my mind was chattering, wondering about my day, what I’d do
> 
> WORKING
> about something that was happening in my life, everything except turning
> humbly to God and focusing totally on God and His will for me.
> 
> We should not even expect benefits for ourselves from praying but leave it
> all to God to utilize our prayers as He desires. Our prayers may seem rote
> 
> EDITION
> and lacking in emotion and God may seem far away. Perhaps at this time,
> God is testing our faith to see if we will continue to turn to Him. Even if
> we feel that we are not “good” at praying, God is still working in us and
> we only have to look within:
> 
> “Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within
> thee, Mighty, Powerful and Self-Subsisting.” 132
> 
> Maybe, as Hellaby suggests, we try too hard. Maybe we need to stop our
> search and relax and agree to be found, knowing that He is seeking us.133
> 
> “Be still and know that I am God.” 134
> 
> And if we consider our prayer to be our last one, we may put our heart and
> soul into it:
> 
> WORKING
> “When you stand up to pray, perform your prayer as if it were your last.
> Do not say anything you will have to make excuses for tomorrow and
> resolve to give up all hopes of what men possess.” 135
> 
> EDITION
> We must leave our self-will at the door and reach a stage described by
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “Man is eternally in a state of communion and prayer with the source of
> all good. The highest and most elevating state is the state of prayer. Prayer
> is communion with God . . . Its efficacy is conditional upon the freedom
> of the heart from extraneous suggestions and mundane thoughts. The
> worshiper must pray with a detached spirit, unconditional surrender
> of the will, concentrated attention and a magnetic spiritual passion.
> [my underlining] His innermost being must be stirred with the ethereal
> breeze of holiness. If the mirror of his life is polished from the dross of
> all desires, the heavenly pictures and star-like images of the Kingdom
> of God will become fully reflected therein. Then he will be given power
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> to translate these celestial forms into his own daily life and the lives of
> many thousands . . .” 136
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself taught us how to pray:
> 
> WORKING
> “When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in New York He called to Him an ardent Bahá’í
> and said, ‘If you will come to Me at dawn tomorrow, I will teach you to pray.’
> Delighted, Mr. M arose at four and crossed the city, arriving for his lesson at
> six. With what exultant expectation he must have greeted this opportunity! He
> found ‘Abdu’l-Bahá already at prayer, kneeling by the side of the bed. Mr. M
> 
> EDITION
> followed suit, taking care to place himself directly across.
> 
> Seeing that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was quite lost in His own reverie, Mr. M began
> to pray silently for his friend, his family and finally for the crowned heads
> of Europe. No word was uttered by the quiet Man before him. He went over
> all the prayers he knew then, and repeated them twice, three times – still no
> sound broke the expectant hush.
> 
> Mr M surreptiously rubbed one knee and wondered vaguely about his back.
> He began again, hearing as he did so, the birds heralding the dawn outside the
> window. An hour passed, and finally two. Mr. M was quite numb now. His eyes,
> roving along the wall, caught sight of a large crack. He dallied with a touch of
> indignation but let his gaze pass again to the still figure across the bed.
> 
> The ecstasy that he saw arrested him and he drank deeply of the sight. Suddenly
> 
> WORKING
> he wanted to pray like that. Selfish desires were forgotten. Sorrow, conflict,
> and even his immediate surroundings were as if they had never been. He was
> conscious of only one thing, a passionate desire to draw near to God.
> 
> Closing his eyes again he set the world firmly aside, and amazingly his heart
> 
> EDITION
> teemed with prayer, eager, joyous, tumultuous prayer. He felt cleansed by
> humility and lifted by a new peace. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had taught him to pray!
> 
> The Master of Akka immediately arose and came to him. His eyes rested smilingly
> upon the newly humbled Mr. M. ‘When you pray,’ He said, ‘You must not think
> of your aching body, nor of the birds outside the window, nor of the cracks in the
> wall!’ He became very serious then, and added, ‘When you wish to pray you must
> first know that you are standing in the presence of the Almighty!’“ 137
> 
> We can be assured that our prayers are always answered:
> 
> “But we ask for things which the divine wisdom does not desire for us and
> there is no answer to our prayer . . . We pray,’O God! make me wealthy!’
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> If this prayer were universally answered, human affairs would be at a
> standstill. There would be none left to work in the streets, none to till the soil,
> none to build, none to run the trains . . . The affairs of the world would be
> interfered with, energies crippled and progress hindered. But whatever we
> ask for, which is in accord with divine wisdom, God will answer.
> 
> WORKING
> For instance, a very feeble patient may ask the doctor to give him food
> which would be positively dangerous to his life and condition. He may
> beg for roast meat. The doctor is kind and wise. He knows it would be
> dangerous to his patient so he refuses to allow it. The doctor is merciful;
> 
> EDITION
> the patient ignorant. Through the doctor’s kindness the patient recovers;
> his life is saved. Yet the patient may cry out that the doctor is unkind, not
> good, because he refuses to answer his pleading.
> 
> God is merciful. In His mercy He answers the prayers of all His servants
> when according to His supreme wisdom it is necessary.” 138
> 
> We may not understand the answer to our prayer. Or the answer may
> be disguised. Hellaby explains that we may want to develop a specific
> virtue and God provides a situation to help us develop it.139 Sometimes
> we can answer the request ourselves. Sometimes we don’t give God
> enough time or the answer is to wait.140 Sometimes the words of our
> prayers do not reflect what we want in our hearts.141 We only get in
> God’s way by not being ready or receptive to Him, by closing our hearts
> and being unresponsive and by worrying and trying to do it all on our
> 
> WORKING
> own.142 We give God the opportunity and follow His will through our
> plea in the Long Obligatory Prayer:
> 
> “O God, my God! Look not upon my hopes and doings, nay rather look
> upon Thy will that hath encompassed the heavens and the earth.”
> 
> EDITION
> It seems to me that we may not wish to take the responsibility, to take
> the hard road to let go of bad habits or our treatment of another. Or, as
> Hellaby points out, sometimes we need to demonstrate perseverance by
> continuing to pray for something because only prayer can bring it about
> and we may have to sacrifice our selfish desires to receive it, while
> maintaining hope and faith. Our spiritual needs will be answered by
> a change in our circumstances or a change in us.143 Patience is always
> needed to deal with situations in our lives and we need to have trust and
> confidence that God will lead the way.144 Being in the presence of God
> and offering our supplications is only the beginning point. Through
> prayer we learn to serve others. We reflect our highest form of prayer in
> our interactions with others.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “… 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.” 145
> 
> As Rutstein concludes, prayer then becomes what we do conscious of
> the nearness of God and His wish to help us in our lives.146 If we have this
> awareness of God’s presence within our hearts, we will call on Him constantly
> 
> WORKING
> as we go about our lives and this love of God becomes a magnet that attracts
> others as we demonstrate our devotion in our interactions with others.
> 
> “Woe to those who pray, But in their prayer are careless; Who make a
> shew of devotion; But refuse to help the needy.” 147
> 
> EDITION
> Prayer must necessarily result in action. When we pray for others, do we also
> demonstrate thoughtfulness in our actions towards them? Unselfishness in
> prayer bestows a heart ready to serve.148 It also affects the one who is being
> prayed for. Knowing someone is praying for you is empowering and may
> assist them to cope. According to Hellaby, “great praying requires great living
> and this, in turn, requires great service, culminating when necessary, in great
> sacrifice.” 149 Our prayers can’t help but be effective when we “sacrifice all
> our conditions for the divine station of God” 150 and pray for others and serve
> them. Our sacrifice becomes the channel for the grace of God to flow to others.
> 
> “To turn to God at all times with true love, to commune with Him in
> spirit, to regard Him as always present, to praise and glorify Him by
> word and by deed, to pray ardently for His confirmations to promote
> His Cause, to carry out His teachings and to serve mankind in one’s
> 
> WORKING
> daily work- all these acts constitute the main features of worshipping
> God. Prayer alone will not be conducive to the good- pleasure of God
> if it is not followed by service to the Cause” 151
> 
> But we need to start with prayer, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reminds us:
> 
> EDITION
> “It has been revealed in the Teachings that work is worship, but this
> does not mean that worship and the prescribed mentionings of God
> should be abandoned, for such worship is a requirement set forth in
> the book of God. Prayer makes the heart mindful, it spiritualizes the
> soul, it causes the spirit to exult, it gladdens the breast, till Divine love
> appears and a man leans trustingly on the Lord and bows in lowliness
> at the Threshold of Grandeur.” 152
> 
> In closing, here is a description of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayerfulness:
> 
> “‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s prayerfulness aided Him to sustain an equanimity even
> in times of deep sorrow and dire anguish. His ‘love for God was the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ground and cause of an equanimity which no circumstance could shake
> and of an inner happiness which no adversity affected . . . ‘ To be sure, in
> times of severe stress – when Bahá’u’lláh was away in the wilderness of
> Sulaymaniyyih and again when the Master Himself was in grave danger
> in Akka due to false accusations brought against Him – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was
> 
> WORKING
> known to pray, and perhaps also to chant, throughout an entire night. The
> death of His beloved Father, Bahá’u’lláh, made Him momentarily almost
> lifeless – but He rallied and was sustained by His abiding love of God.
> Indeed it is reported that the Master ‘often prayed that His conditions
> might become more severe in order that His strength to meet them might
> 
> EDITION
> be increased.’” 153
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 Sheehy, Gail, Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence
> (New York: Harper Collins, 2010), p. 255
> 
> WORKING
> 2 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 33
> 3 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol.II, 1762, 8
> December, 1935, p. 238
> 4 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 2, p. 233
> 
> EDITION
> 5 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West Vol. 8, no. 4 (1917, May 17), p. 41
> 6 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap (Springfireld, MA: Whitcomb
> Publishing, 1995), p. 114 7 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A
> Bahá’í Approach (Oxford: George Ronald, 1985), p. 4- 5
> 8 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 368
> 9 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 26
> 10 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXVI, p. 295
> 11 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book (Bahá’í World
> Centre, Haifa, Israel: The Universal House of Justice, 1992), 116, p. 61
> 12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 375
> 13 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 28
> 14 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh (Wilmette, IL:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1987), CLXXXIII, p. 317-318
> 15 Esslemont, Dr. J.E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p.94-95
> 16 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, compiled by the
> 
> WORKING
> Research Department of the Universal House of Justice (Haifa, Israel:
> Bahá’í World Centre, 1976), p. 78
> 17 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1768,26
> October 1938,p. 240
> 18 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 116-117
> 
> EDITION
> 19 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 18, p.8
> 20 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 117
> 21 Ibid., p. 116
> 22 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 232-233
> 23 Ibid., p. 233
> 24 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, There can be no True Happiness and
> Progress without Spirituality, [8], p. 108-109
> 25 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 5, p.4
> 26 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156
> 27 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 35-36
> 28 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1981), 75, p. 265
> 29 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, 798, p. 439
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 30 Moffett, Ruth J. DU’A: On Wings of Prayer (Happy Camp, CA:
> Naturegraph Publishers, 1984), p. 24
> 31 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXXVII, p. 87
> 32 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 9, p. 24-25
> 33 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust,
> 
> WORKING
> 2002), p. 309
> 34 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p.46
> 35 Ibid., p. 24
> 36 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XCIII,p. 186
> 37 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 24
> 
> EDITION
> 38 Ibid., p. 24
> 39 Ibid., p. 24-25
> 40 Ibid., p. 25
> 41 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXVI, p. 129
> 42 Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 99
> 43 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 47 44 Ibid., p. 25
> 45 Ibid.
> 46 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 28
> 47 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 26
> 48 Ibid., p. 16
> 49 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 30
> 50 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 82
> 51 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 22, p. 29
> 52 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 82
> 53 Ibid., p. 83
> 54 Ibid.
> 
> WORKING
> 55 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 31, p. 11
> 56 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 132-133
> 57 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance, 1485, p. 456
> 58 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 91-92
> 
> EDITION
> 59 Ibid., p. 92
> 60 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CLVII, p. 250
> 61 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXVII, p. 68-69
> 62 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers, p. 76
> 63 Moffett, Ruth J. DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 61-62
> 64 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, 796, p. 438
> 65 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 30
> 66 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 53-54
> 67 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 32
> 68 Bahá’u’lláh, The Divine Art of Living, p. 31
> 69 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 55
> 70 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 120
> 71 Ibid.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 72 Ibid., p. 118
> 73 Ibid.
> 74 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 10, p. 115-116
> 75 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 27
> 76 Ibid., p. 28
> 
> WORKING
> 77 Ibid., p. 27
> 78 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 119
> 79 Gilstrap, Dorothy Freeman, From Copper to Gold, The Life of
> Dorothy Baker (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1999), p. 545
> 80 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, 149, p. 73
> 
> EDITION
> 81 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXV, p. 265
> 82 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 57
> 83 Ibid., p. 55
> 84 Ibid., p. 60-61
> 85 Ibid., p. 57
> 86 Ibid., p. 26
> 87 Gilbert, Elizabeth, Eat, Pray, Love (New York: Penguin Group, 2006), p. 177
> 88 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 116
> 89 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 620
> 90 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXV, p. 269
> 91 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, 970, p. 504
> 92 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1764, 27
> April 1937, p. 239
> 93 Ibid., 1779, 31 January 1949, p. 242
> 94 Ibid., 1776, 24 July 1946, p. 242
> 95 McKay, Doris, Fires in Many Hearts (Manotick, Ontario: Nine Pines
> 
> WORKING
> Publishing, 1993), p. 63
> 96 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 28
> 97 Esslemont, Dr. J.E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 88-89
> 98 Gilstrap, Dorothy Freeman, From Copper to God, The Life of Dorothy
> 
> EDITION
> Baker, p. 252
> 99 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 93-94
> 100 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1723,p. 225
> 101 Shoghi Effendi, Ibid., 1777, 23 November 1947, p. 242
> 102 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 20
> 103 Ibid., p. 8
> 104 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1775, 16
> March 1946, p. 241
> 105 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, 18, p. 26
> 106 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 29
> 107 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting,
> (compiled by the Research Department of the Universal House of
> Justice, 2000), I
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 108 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, XII
> 109 Bahá’u’lláh, Ibid., VII
> 110 Ibid., VIII
> 111 Ibid., XI
> 112 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1744, p. 232
> 
> WORKING
> 113 Ibid., 1748, p. 233
> 114 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 349-350
> 115 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, 18, p. 26
> 116 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1780, 24
> June 1949, p. 243
> 
> EDITION
> 117 Ibid., p. 242-243
> 118 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh, CLXXXI, p. 314
> 119 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, IX
> 120 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Ibid., XI
> 121 Ibid., XIV
> 122 Ibid., XIX
> 123 Ibid., XXIII
> 124 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 7
> 125 Gilstrap, Dorothy Freeman, From Copper to God, The Life of
> Dorothy Baker, p. 252-253
> 126 Ibid., p. 251-252
> 127 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London (Oakham: Bahá’í Publishing
> Trust, 1982), p. 96
> 128 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 94
> 129 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 31
> 130 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 94
> 
> WORKING
> 131 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 51
> 132 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 13, p. 7
> 133 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 57
> 134 Ibid.
> 
> EDITION
> 135 Moffett, Ruth J. DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 48
> 136 Ibid., p. 60
> 137 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 27, p. 131-132
> 138 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 31-32
> 139 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 76
> 140 Ibid., p. 77
> 141 Ibid., p. 81
> 142 Ibid., p. 75
> 143 Ibid., p. 80
> 144 Ibid., p. 77
> 145 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Good Ideas must be Carried into Action, [7], p. 81
> 146 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 120
> 147 The Koran, Sura 107: 4-7, p. 31
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 148 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 105
> 149 Ibid., p. 107
> 150 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Divine Art of Living, p. 73
> 151 Taherzadeh, Adib. The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 4 (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1988), p. 36
> 
> WORKING
> 152 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 63
> 153 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
> 24, p. 128-129
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> Chapter 3
> Meditation
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 3
> Meditation
> 
> Bahá’ís, like those of other faiths and those who practice a spiritual way of
> 
> WORKING
> life, are asked to meditate, to ponder and reflect:
> 
> “One hour’s reflection is preferable to seventy years of pious worship.” 1
> 
> EDITION
> One of the six essential requisites for our spiritual growth, summarized
> by the Universal House of Justice, is prayerful meditation on the
> teachings. And we know that when we pray to God, we need to listen
> and wait for a response, which can best be received through meditation.
> So it is important to know how to meditate and to spend some time
> in meditation. Bahá’u’lláh did not specify any particular methods of
> meditation or any rituals concerning meditation, but he did reveal
> meditations for us to use.
> 
> Perhaps we would do well first to consider what meditation is.
> 
> The website www.mikefinch.com defines meditation as “a practice in which
> an individual trains the mind and/or induces a mode of consciousness to
> realize some benefit.”
> 
> The 1913 edition of Webster’s dictionary defines meditation as: The act
> 
> WORKING
> of meditating; close or continued thought; the turning or revolving of a
> subject in the mind; serious contemplation; reflection; musing
> 
> And the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, defines meditation as: a
> 
> EDITION
> discourse intended to express its author’s reflections or to guide others in
> contemplation . . .
> 
> Below is a selection of definitions (culled from Google at random) of
> meditation:
> 
> Meditation is the process of conscious, controlled focus of the mind which
> may take place when the thinking processes, both in pictures and in words,
> have been stopped.
> 
> Meditation is a set of attentional practices leading to an altered state
> or trait of consciousness characterized by expanded awareness, greater
> presence, and a more integrated sense of self.
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Meditation is effortless concentration.
> 
> Meditation is to still the mind, focus it away from the everyday concerns of
> your talking self, and to listen inward.
> 
> WORKING
> Meditation is a way to evoke the relaxation response and at the same
> time a way to train and strengthen awareness; a method for centering
> and focusing the self; a way to halt constant verbal thinking and relax the
> bodymind; a technique for calming the central nervous system; a way to
> relieve stress, bolster self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and alleviate depression.
> 
> EDITION
> . . . But I would like to emphasize that meditation itself is, and always has
> been, a spiritual practice.
> 
> The goal of all forms of meditation is single-mindedness -- to let go of all
> distractions and focus on one object of attention or devotion.
> 
> Meditation is simply witnessing your mind without any involvement at all.
> 
> Meditation is to seek inner silence and losing the sense of separateness.
> 
> Meditation is a spiritual practice that bonds the mind, body and soul
> together.
> 
> Prayer is when you speak . . . Meditation is when you listen.
> 
> WORKING
> Meditation is the intentional self-regulation of attention, in the service of
> self-inquiry, in the here and now.
> 
> Yang meditation is the concentrated focusing of the mind on something. The
> ‘something’ can have almost infinite variety. Common subjects of this type of
> 
> EDITION
> meditation are: mantras, chakras, colors, shapes, prayers, and affirmations.
> Yin meditation is the clearing of the mind of all thought, both pictures and
> words, and the holding of that mind in a focused and alert state . . .
> 
> So we have a beginning. Meditation is related to “reflection”, “serious
> contemplation” a “conscious controlled focus of the mind”, “leading to an
> altered state”, “effortless concentration,”“single- mindedness”. It’s about
> listening “inward”, seeking “inner silence” and “losing a sense of separateness”.
> It requires the ability to “halt constant verbal thinking” and “still the mind” or
> hold it “in a focused and alert state”. It involves “expanded awareness, greater
> presence and a more integrated sense of self.” And it is “a spiritual practice that
> bonds mind, body and soul together.” So how do these ideas about meditation
> relate to meditation as described in the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh stated:
> 
> “Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee, that
> thou mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of
> all worlds.” 2
> 
> WORKING
> And from The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, those gems containing the
> very essence of His instructions for mankind:
> 
> “O Man of Two Visions!
> 
> EDITION
> Close one eye and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is
> therein, and open the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved.” 3
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Bahá’u’lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the
> sign of the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is
> silence, because it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time –
> he cannot both speak and meditate.
> 
> It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with your
> own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your spirit
> and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is revealed.
> 
> You cannot apply the name ‘man’ to any being void of this faculty of
> 
> WORKING
> meditation; without it he would be a mere animal, lower than the beasts.
> 
> Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through
> it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit – the bestowal of the Spirit is
> given in reflection and meditation.
> 
> EDITION
> The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation;
> through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his
> view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives
> heavenly food.
> 
> Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries. In that state
> man abstracts himself: in that state man withdraws himself from all
> outside objects; in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean
> of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves.
> To illustrate this, think of man as endowed with two kinds of sight;
> when the power of insight is being used the outward power of vision
> does not see.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns
> the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.
> 
> This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts.
> Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal
> undertakings are carried out; through it governments can run smoothly.
> 
> WORKING
> Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God.
> 
> Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are like waves moving
> in the sea without result. But if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner
> 
> EDITION
> light and characterized with divine attributes, the results will be confirmed.
> 
> The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly
> objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the spirit of man is contemplating
> earthly subjects he will be informed of these.
> 
> But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly
> constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your
> hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.
> 
> Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed – turning it to the
> heavenly Sun and not to earthly objects – so that we may discover the
> secrets of the Kingdom, and comprehend the allegories of the Bible and
> the mysteries of the spirit.
> 
> May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the heavenly realities, and may
> 
> WORKING
> we become so pure as to reflect the stars of heaven.” 4
> 
> So what does ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tell us are the requirements for meditation?
> First, we need to be quiet. Then we need to withdraw our self. We then do
> 
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> not use our vision, our outward sight, but we use insight. We put questions
> to our spirit and it answers.
> 
> Through meditation we can attain:
> 
> -         Eternal life
> -         The breath of the Holy Spirit
> -         The unfoldment of affairs of which we knew nothing
> -         Divine inspiration and heavenly food
> -         Freedom from the animal nature
> -         The ability to discern the reality of things
> -         The ability to be in touch with God
> -         Sciences and arts brought forth from the invisible realm
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> -        New inventions
> -        The achievement of colossal undertakings
> -        Smooth-running governments
> -        Entrance into the Kingdom of God
> -        The virtues of the Kingdom
> 
> WORKING
> And we are asked to keep our thoughts on heavenly things and turn the mirror
> of our spirits heavenwards to “discover the secrets of the Kingdom . . .”
> 
> After studying this passage, it is clear how important it is for us to learn
> 
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> how to meditate and to practice it regularly in our lives.
> 
> Here is another passage about the benefits of meditation:
> 
> “Through meditation the doors of deeper knowledge and inspiration may
> be opened. Naturally, if one meditates as a Bahá’í he is connected with
> the Source; if a man believing in God meditates he is tuning in to the
> power and mercy of God; but we cannot say that any inspiration which
> a person, not knowing Bahá’u’lláh or not believing in God, receives is
> merely from his own ego . . .” 5
> 
> And so we see the power of meditation that pulls us away from our lower
> nature to another realm.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh says that “the deepest meditations are but reflections of that
> 
> WORKING
> which is created within ourselves by the Revelations of God.” 6
> 
> “O Salman! All that the sages and mystics have said or written have never
> exceeded, nor can they ever hope to exceed, the limitations to which man’s
> finite mind hath been strictly subjected. To whatever heights the mind of
> 
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> the most exalted of men may soar, however great the depths which the
> detached and understanding heart can penetrate, such mind and heart
> can never transcend that which is the creature of their own conceptions
> and the product of their own thoughts. The meditations of the profoundest
> thinker, the devotions of the holiest of saints, the highest expressions of
> praise from either human pen or tongue, are but a reflection of that which
> hath been created within themselves, through the revelation of the Lord,
> their God. Whoever pondereth this truth in his heart will readily admit that
> there are certain limits which no human being can possibly transgress.
> Every attempt which, from the beginning that hath no beginning, hath been
> made to visualize and know God is limited by the exigencies of His own
> creation - a creation which He, through the operation of His own Will and
> for the purposes of none other but His own Self, hath called into being.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Immeasurably exalted is He above the strivings of human mind to grasp His
> Essence, or of human tongue to describe His mystery.” 7
> 
> “One day the Guardian said to a prominent pilgrim in Haifa, ‘Do you
> pray?’ Of course, beloved Guardian, I pray every morning.’ ‘Do you
> 
> WORKING
> meditate?’ The man paused a bit and said slowly, ‘No, I guess I do not.’
> 
> The Guardian replied that prayer is of no use without meditation and
> that meditation must be centered on the Holy Writings. He continued very
> earnestly that meditation is of no use unless it is followed by action. He thus
> 
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> made clear another step in this most important process in the life of the soul.
> 
> The Guardian then explained further that meditation is not just sitting down,
> closing your eyes, keeping silent in a silent atmosphere, and being blank.
> That is not meditation. We must concentrate on the Teachings . . . and their
> implications. Prayer is of no consequence if it remains the murmur of syllables
> and sounds – of what use is that? God knows already. We are not saying the
> prayers for God, we are saying them for our own selves. If the words do not
> strengthen us, if we do not reflect upon the Writings we read, if we do not make
> the Writings part of our daily action, we are wasting our time.” 8
> 
> Shoghi Effendi stated that “inspiration received through meditation is of
> a nature that one cannot measure or determine. God can inspire into our
> minds things that we had no previous knowledge of, if He desires to do so.” 9
> 
> WORKING
> He also said, “Prayer and meditation are very important factors in
> deepening the spiritual life of the individual, but with them must go also
> action and example, as these are the tangible results of the former. Both
> are essential.” 10
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained, “As in a dream one talks with a friend while the
> mouth is silent, so is it in the conversation of the spirit. A man may converse
> with the ego within him saying: ‘May I do this? Would it be advisable for me
> to do this work?’ Such is the conversation with the higher self.” 11
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> The first thing to do is to acquire a thirst for Spirituality, then Live the
> Life! Live the Life! Live the Life! The way to acquire this thirst is to
> meditate upon the future life. Study the Holy Words, read your Bible, read
> the Holy Books, especially study the Holy Utterances of Bahá’u’lláh;
> Prayer and Meditation, take much time for these two. Then will you
> know this Great Thirst, and then only can you begin to Live the Life! 12
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> So if we “meditate upon the future life” it will help to awaken our souls
> from the stupor of self- absorption and egotism.
> 
> But how do we meditate? Shoghi Effendi advised us:
> 
> “As to meditation: This also is a field in which the individual is free.
> 
> WORKING
> There are no set forms of meditation prescribed in the teachings, no plan
> as such, for inner development. The friends are urged –nay enjoined to
> pray, and they also should meditate, but the manner of doing the latter is
> left entirely to the individual.” 13
> 
> EDITION
> “. . . the Guardian sees no reason why the friends should not be taught
> to meditate, but they should guard against superstitious or foolish ideas
> creeping into it.” 14
> 
> And in this letter the Universal House of Justice provides us with
> more guidelines:
> 
> “It is striking how private and personal the most fundamental spiritual
> exercises of prayer and meditation are in the Faith. Bahá’ís do, of course,
> have meetings for devotions, as in the Mashriqu’l- Adhkar [Bahá’í House
> of Worship] or at Nineteen Day Feasts, but the daily obligatory prayers
> are ordained to be said in the privacy of one’s chamber, and meditation
> on the Teachings is, likewise, a private individual activity, not a form of
> group therapy.
> 
> WORKING
> In His talks ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes prayer as ‘conversation with God’
> and concerning meditation He says that ‘while you meditate you are
> speaking with your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain
> questions to your spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and
> the reality is revealed.
> 
> EDITION
> There are, of course, other things that one can do to increase one’s
> spirituality. For example, Bahá’u’lláh has specified no procedures to
> be followed in meditation, and individual believers are free to do as
> they wish in this area, provided that they remain in harmony with the
> Teachings, but such activities are purely personal and should under no
> circumstances be confused with those actions which Bahá’u’lláh Himself
> considered to be of fundamental importance for our spiritual growth.
> 
> Some believers may find it beneficial to them to follow a particular
> method of meditation, and they may certainly do so, but such methods
> should not be taught at Bahá’í Summer Schools or be carried out during
> a session of the School because, while they may appeal to some people,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> they may repel others. They have nothing to do with the Faith and should
> be kept quite separate so that enquirers will not be confused.
> 
> It would seem that there are in Norway many believers who draw
> particular benefit from meditation. The House of Justice suggests that
> for their private meditations they may wish to use the repetition of the
> 
> WORKING
> Greatest Name, Allah-u-Abha, ninety-five times a day . . .” 15
> 
> This requirement to repeat the Greatest Name every day was mentioned
> in the last chapter and it is clear from this letter that we have a form of
> 
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> meditation that is ready to use.
> 
> But the Bahá’í teachings indicate that we are free to determine a method of
> meditation on the Creative Word that works for us. If we do not know how to
> meditate we can learn through reading books or attending workshops to master
> some basics. I have been taught that learning to concentrate on one’s breathing
> aids meditation. When your mind wanders, observe your thoughts, allow them
> to pass and gently bring them back to your breathing (In some techniques you
> count your breath, for example, counting to 10 and beginning again). Some
> practitioners ask their learners to focus on an object with a steady gaze, in
> some techniques eyes are open but gazing at a point in the distance, some
> meditate with eyes closed. Some forms of meditation include repetition of a
> mantra. And Bahá’ís can consider the Greatest Name their mantra.
> 
> There are other phrases repeated in the Bahá’í Prayers that can be used in
> meditation, as outlined by Wendi Momen in her excellent book Meditation16 :
> 
> WORKING
> “Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He
> is God! All are His servants, and all abide by His bidding!
> 
> EDITION
> He [Bahá’u’lláh] said,”Bid them recite: ‘Is there any Remover of
> difficulties save God? Say: Praised be God! He is God! All are His
> servants, and all abide by His bidding!’ Tell them to repeat it five hundred
> times, nay, a thousand times, by day and by night, sleeping and waking,
> that haply the Countenance of Glory may be unveiled to their eyes, and
> tiers of light descend upon them.” 17
> 
> (Bahá’u’lláh wrote this in the midst of great sorrow and sadness because of
> the machinations of his brother).
> 
> “Greater is God than every great one!”
> 
> “Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!”
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou
> Abiding One!”
> 
> “Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the
> Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the
> Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung
> 
> WORKING
> all in this world and the world to come.”
> 
> In her book, Momen also outlines various meditation techniques and
> demonstrates how aspects of the techniques and their goals are found in
> 
> EDITION
> the Bahá’í Writings. She also provides short verses and longer meditations
> from the Writings that can be used in meditation.
> 
> Referring back to one of the requisites for spiritual growth, prayerful
> meditation on the teachings, it may be beneficial while reading the
> Writings every day to choose a phrase or quotation for meditation and
> to carry it with us, keeping it in mind to hopefully assist us as we go
> about our day.
> 
> Later in this chapter I would like to describe some meditations that I have
> found useful in terms of drawing me deeper into a spiritual state.
> 
> But first, what do we meditate on?
> 
> According to Shoghi Effendi:
> 
> WORKING
> “. . . to always use and read, during your hours of meditation and prayer,
> the words revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and the Master.” 18
> 
> “He thinks it would be wiser for the Bahá’ís to use the Meditations given
> 
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> by Bahá’u’lláh, and not any set form of meditation recommended by
> someone else; but the believers must be left free in these details and
> allowed to have personal latitude in finding their own level of communion
> with God.” 19
> 
> Rutstein defines meditation on the Writings as “reflective reading” or
> “spiritual daydreaming.”20 We need to read and meditate about the Word
> of God or we will “shrivel up spiritually.”21 Bahá’ís refer to prayerful
> study of the Writings as deepening maybe because we need to immerse
> ourselves in Holy Writings to appreciate them.
> 
> “Immerse yourselves in the ocean of My words, that ye may unravel its
> secrets, and discover all the pearls of wisdom that lie hid in its depths.” 22
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> We need to read the Word of God with care and thought. We may experience
> “brilliant flashes of insight” 23 or we may not, but it is our efforts that
> matter. We may not attain understanding immediately, but it will come
> to us later in the day or the next time we meditate. Of course, when we
> are feeling refreshed and can concentrate readily without having our
> 
> WORKING
> minds full of problems, understanding comes more quickly. The process
> is not automatic and we can’t expect that it will happen every time. We
> can’t expect our minds to remain free of clutter even with practice. But
> if we practice meditation on a regular basis, we will eventually be able
> to gain insights more often.24 Perhaps it may help us to be more patient
> 
> EDITION
> with ourselves when we realize that our brains are scanning continually
> for threats. Rick Hanson, a neuropsychologist and best-selling author 25
> explains that our vigilance may at times be warranted but often it’s excessive
> and driven by reactions to events from our past that may no longer be
> relevant. We become anxious unnecessarily and our bodies and brains are
> primed to overreact even to little things. Therefore it is understandable that
> maintaining a state of mindfulness is difficult. So it seems that we have to
> just keep doing it, laugh about our struggles to clear our mind and persist.
> Marianne Williamson explains that “One moment of enlightened awareness
> doesn’t transform your life. The spiritual path is slow and arduous at times
> as every single circumstance becomes the ground on which both ego and
> spirit seek to make their stand. Spiritual practice is like physical exercise;
> it has a cumulative effect, and if we want to enjoy its benefits, we can never
> stop doing it.” 26 Some of us resist meditation because we feel we cannot
> possibly learn how to do it, others because we don’t feel worthy spiritually
> 
> WORKING
> but we need to do it “to become worthy”, as Rutstein points out. 27 My
> understanding is that we can only change through prayer, meditation and
> plunging into Holy Writings regularly, replacing any negative attitudes and
> actions with positive qualities and steps. We need to be patient because
> such significant change does not happen overnight. And sometimes when
> 
> EDITION
> we pray and meditate, an answer doesn’t come. Instead of trying frantically
> to make things happen, we may need to wait and have faith that God will
> eventually reveal the answer to us. If we continue to delve into the Holy
> Writings, we gain insight into ourselves as spiritual beings. We become
> rooted spiritually and then are able to use this spiritual energy to take
> action and solve problems. And this is possible because of the power of the
> Word of God, as Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “Know thou, moreover, that the Word of God- exalted be His glory – is
> higher and far superior to that which the senses can perceive, for it is
> sanctified from any property or substance. It transcendeth the limitations
> of known elements and is exalted above all the essential and recognized
> substances. It became manifest without any syllable or sound and is none
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> but the Command of God which pervadeth all created things. It hath
> never been withheld from the world of being. It is God’s all-pervasive
> grace, from which all grace doth emanate. It is an entity far removed
> above all that hath been and shall be.” 28
> 
> WORKING
> In Chapter 2 I mentioned that there are many meanings contained in the Word of
> God. Here are passages from the Bahá’í Writings about the depth of meanings:
> 
> “O My servants! My holy, My divinely ordained Revelation may be
> likened unto an ocean in whose depths are concealed innumerable pearls
> 
> EDITION
> of great price, of surpassing luster. It is the duty of every seeker to bestir
> himself and strive to attain the shores of this ocean, so that he may, in
> proportion to the eagerness of his search and the efforts he hath exerted,
> partake of such benefits as have been pre- ordained in God’s irrevocable
> and hidden Tablets.” 29
> 
> “Blessed is the one who discovereth the fragrance of inner meanings
> from the traces of this Pen through whose movement the breezes of God
> are wafted over the entire creation, and through whose stillness the very
> essence of tranquillity appeareth in the realm of being.” 30
> 
> “The object of reading and reciting is to understand the inner significances
> of the verses and mysteries of the Book.” 31
> 
> “. . . Number me not with them who read Thy words and fail to find Thy
> 
> WORKING
> hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained therein, and which
> quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy servants.” 32
> 
> “. . . investigate and study the Holy Scriptures word by word so that you
> may attain knowledge of the mysteries hidden therein. Be not satisfied
> 
> EDITION
> with words, but seek to understand the spiritual meanings hidden in the
> heart of the words . . .
> 
> “For instance . . . consider the symbolical meanings of the words and
> teachings of Christ. His Holiness said, ‘I am the living bread which came
> down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread he shall live forever.’
> When the Jews heard this they took it literally and failed to understand
> the significance of His meaning and teaching. The spiritual truth which
> Christ wished to convey to them was that the reality of Divinity within
> Him was like a blessing which had come down from heaven and that he
> who partook of this blessing should never die. That is to say, ‘bread’ was
> the symbol of the perfections which had descended upon Him from God,
> and he who ate of this bread or endowed himself with the perfections
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> of Christ would undoubtedly attain to life everlasting. The Jews did not
> understand Him, and taking the words literally said,’ How can this man
> give us his flesh to eat?’ Had they understood the real meaning of the
> Holy Book they would have become believers in Christ.
> 
> All the texts and teachings of the Holy Testaments have intrinsic spiritual
> 
> WORKING
> meanings. They are not to be taken literally . . . These are the mysteries
> of God . . . I therefore pray in your behalf that you may be given the
> power of understanding these inner real meanings of the Holy Scriptures
> and may become informed of the mysteries deposited in the words of
> 
> EDITION
> the Holy Bible so that you may attain eternal life and that your hearts
> may be attracted to the Kingdom of God. May your souls be illumined
> by the light of the words of God and may you become repositories of the
> mysteries of God, for no comfort is greater and no happiness is sweeter
> than spiritual comprehension of the divine teachings.” 33
> 
> Now I thought it would be helpful to study The Seven Valleys, written by
> Bahá’u’lláh, to ponder its depths about traversing the planes of existence. The
> Seven Valleys is a guide to the development of our spiritual nature and a fruitful
> source for meditation on our inner essence and path towards transformation,
> since it is a mystical composition. Its theme is the soul’s journey in stages
> from this world to the realms of God’s nearness and it was written in response
> to a Sufi’s questions. (Sufism is a mystical dimension of Islam wherein the
> transcendence of the soul is pursued through repetition of the names of God
> and the verses of the Qur’an). For this discussion, I am depending upon Jenabe
> 
> WORKING
> Caldwell’s book Reflections, Commentary on The Seven Valleys,34 which he
> was requested to compile because of the many insights he gained as a result of
> his classes on The Seven Valleys over a thirty-five year period. I will also rely
> on Taherzadeh’s commentary on The Seven Valleys.35 We know that as human
> beings we cannot ever to hope to gain more than a faint glimmering into the
> 
> EDITION
> depth of The Seven Valleys. But perhaps through meditation on each of thee
> Valleys of the wayfarer’s journey, we can gain valuable insights and become
> more immersed in God’s light.
> 
> In the introduction of The Seven Valleys, Bahá’u’lláh calls upon us to
> surrender to God’s will and to make His Teachings the top priority of our
> lives. Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings provide the answers for living our lives and
> dealing with work, family and friends.36 Caldwell explains that a person
> who crosses the Seven Valleys will attain a station in which nothing can be
> mentioned besides God, because he is in a state of absolute certainty.37 His
> former self is sacrificed for his true station, which is attained by absolute
> obedience to God’s will.38 The secrets of eternity are engraved on men and
> even though we are living and walking on this earth, our souls are soaring
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “on the wings of longing”39 in the Revelation of God. The Word of God
> gives life to our souls and when the light of His knowledge enters us, it
> pulls us away from the emptiness of the world to our heavenly home.40
> Summarizing from Caldwell’s book, there are seven stages to the maturing
> of souls. To progress through the Seven Valleys, we must detach from
> 
> WORKING
> vain and selfish desires; materialism; excess baggage (ourselves); ideas;
> acquired knowledge; greed; self- centeredness; friends, relatives and work;
> imagination; imitating others; following the footsteps of our ancestors
> without checking out the truth for ourselves; enemies; preconceived ideas;
> prejudices; magic; material and spiritual gains. What we need for our
> 
> EDITION
> journey is to be patient; to clean and purify our hearts; to take steps; to
> be single-minded; to have a pure motive and an open mind and heart; to
> detach from the things of pleasure and enjoyment on earth.
> 
> Until we acquire patience, we can’t hope to get close to God but if we
> “strive for a hundred thousand years and yet fail to behold the beauty
> of the Friend,” 41 we should not get discouraged but continue to make
> the effort.42 In the last chapter on prayer, we discussed impatience as a
> hindrance to prayer, emphasizing the need for patience in our supplications
> to God. Bahá’u’lláh teaches us the importance of patience in His Tablet
> about patience and the example of Job, as recounted by Taherzadeh.43 The
> life of Job, the prophet, of course, is a marvelous example to us of patience.
> Job was a wealthy man living in luxury and comfort. God had entrusted him
> to guide his people and he was dedicated to his mission. But many were
> jealous and said he was devoted to God only because he was so wealthy. So
> 
> WORKING
> God gave him many tribulations to prove his sincerity. He lost his sons, all
> his possessions and his crops. Then he became very ill. Throughout these
> ordeals he remained patient, resigned and thankful to God. Then he was
> forced from his village with only his wife to help him. He became destitute
> and had no food for days. Bahá’u’lláh tells us that Job was “so patient and
> 
> EDITION
> resigned to the will of God that his thankfulness and devotion to his Lord
> increased with his trials.” 44 He proved his detachment from possessions
> and God gave everything back to him. The people recognized his station
> and his words then penetrated their hearts. Bahá’u’lláh extols those who
> endure hardships patiently and with resignation.45 Their fortitude and
> constancy, long-suffering and patience demonstrate the loftiness of their
> station. It occurs to me that we cannot fail to see that God wants us to learn
> patience, that as we continue on our spiritual journey we will be tested
> to prove ourselves worthy of being His servants and many of our tests
> will centre around our ability to be patient, to suffer and to withstand our
> misfortune in order to become transformed into spiritual beings. And we
> will realize how very difficult it is, particularly in our modern- day world
> that seems to be moving faster every day and purporting instant solutions
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and quick fixes. Today I was out walking and as I stopped to have a rest
> my eye spotted a slug slithering across the ground. I watched its progress
> and was surprised to see how fast it was actually able to cover the distance.
> Then I pondered where it was going, what was its purpose. The trail was
> gravel and dirt with only a few dry leaves in sight. And I threw a green
> leaf in its path, thinking it might be after some vegetation. But it slithered
> 
> WORKING
> over the green leaf and continued on its way. I couldn’t help thinking how
> difficult it was for me to watch the slug’s slow progress and how much
> patience that slug needed to go from one point to another. But it wouldn’t
> be aware of the distance, unlike me. Observe my lack of patience, just
> 
> EDITION
> watching the slug and my need to intervene to throw the green leaf in its
> path “to get on with it.” Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “Be thou patient and quiet thyself. The things thou desirest can last but
> an hour.” 46
> 
> We will continue our journey through The Seven Valleys.
> 
> Service to humanity is essential upon entering the Valley of Search. Bahá’u’lláh
> tells us, “In their search they have stoutly girded up the loins of service.” 47
> It is “not just service, but strong service.” 48 We will come across others like
> ourselves in this Valley and the mystery of our purpose in life will be revealed,
> as long as our hearts are removed from this world and the next.49 Bahá’u’lláh
> constantly reassures us that the Invisible Realm will help us if we take steps
> and the fire burning in our hearts will continue to burn.50 Our one desire is
> union with our Beloved. But sacrifice is needed of the things we possess, of all
> 
> WORKING
> we’ve “seen, and heard and understood,” 51 all preconceived ideas, so that
> we are worthy to enter the spiritual realm.52
> 
> “Labor is needed if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to
> drink of the honey of reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we
> 
> EDITION
> shall cast away the world.” 53
> 
> We only need to experience a little of God’s nearness and we can not be
> satisfied with the material world.54 The seeker needs to look in all places
> and investigate all leads, to be constantly on the move and ready to go
> wherever is needed to attain his goal. But he can’t rush from place to place.
> He must abide in one place long enough to search out his Beloved.55
> 
> In the Valley of Love, a wayfarer must give up himself to become one
> with the love of God.56 He becomes ecstatic in his love and only thinks
> of the lover. But an all-consuming love confuses the mind and reality –
> “it burneth to ashes the harvest of reason.” 57
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Pain is the characteristic of this valley because we have seen the trace of
> God and it is painful to be separated from Him.58 And Bahá’u’lláh tells
> us,“…if there be no pain this journey will never end.” 59 The thought of
> being separated increases the love we feel for Him. Bahá’u’lláh assures us
> that if we truly love God, we will fear nothing and can not be harmed.60
> 
> WORKING
> “Wherefore must the veils of the satanic self be burned away at the fire
> of love, that the spirit may be purified and cleansed and thus may know
> the station of the Lord of the Worlds.
> 
> EDITION
> Kindle the fire of love and burn away all things,
> Then set thy foot into the land of the lovers.” 61
> 
> Each valley is progressive. When we pass out of the valley of search, we
> continue to search. Now that we have found the Beloved, our search is
> focused on how to get closer to the Beloved in order to understand and
> commune with Him. We have passed from the Valley of Love so our love for
> the beloved increases as we enter the Valley of Knowledge.62 Taherzadeh
> explains that it is difficult to translate the original word “Ma’rifat” in
> English. “It is a combination of true understanding, recognition and
> knowledge” and is a knowledge “not primarily based on learning . . . but
> the knowledge of God [that] dawns upon man through his heart.” 63
> 
> Love without knowledge makes us fanatics.64 In this Valley, we move
> from doubt to certitude.65 The wayfarer gains a new vision and attains
> 
> WORKING
> understanding of the mysteries of the love of God. In this valley we are
> “content with the decree of God,” 66 content to give up our own will and
> follow God’s will. From the beginning we can see the end.67 We know
> that what God does is perfect and any defects and flaws are man’s doing.
> We do not despair when we face pain or calamities but approach them
> 
> EDITION
> in recognition, realizing that they are part of God’s mercy. We perceive
> wisdom in everything. We may experience injustice, but in the end there
> will be justice; there may be severe tests but we will learn patience and
> loving-kindness. In short, God’s purpose for man will be accomplished. 68
> 
> “And if he meeteth with injustice he shall have patience, and if he
> cometh upon wrath he shall manifest love.” 69
> 
> Up until now the Valleys were very limited but in the Valley of Unity the
> wayfarer “ascendeth into the heaven of singleness,” 70 “from the plane of
> limitation into that of the absolute.” 71 Now there is no beginning or end.
> “With the ear of God he heareth, with the eye of God he beholdeth the
> mysteries of the divine creation.” 72 He doesn’t see creation subjectively
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> with his own eyes, but objectively through God’s eyes.73 He learns that every
> part of creation manifests God’s attributes, depending on its kingdom and
> to the extent that it is able. Now the wayfarer’s vision has become so much
> wider because he isn’t concerned about self or attachment to the world. He
> sees God’s signs in everything. The ego has no place here. ” He looketh on all
> 
> WORKING
> things with the eye of oneness . . . He seeth in himself neither name nor fame
> nor rank, but findeth his own praise in praising God. 74
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh explains that “the walls of self and passion and . . . ignorance
> and blindness . . .” 75 keep us from God. God will not shut us out but we
> 
> EDITION
> make the choice to shut ourselves out and therefore our punishment
> is self-inflicted.76 If we fail a test we must continue to experience it
> until we pass it with His loving assistance.77 In this valley, the wayfarer
> no longer worries about tests but depends on God with absolute faith
> and confidence and even prays for tests. Bahá’u’lláh explains that all
> men are created to reflect the light of God in relation to their capacity
> and efforts.78 And in this valley we will see God in His creation and
> perceive the value of each person. 79
> 
> “O My Brother! A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish
> of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine
> within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the
> meaning of ‘Neither doth my earth nor My heaven contain Me, but
> the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me.’ And thou wilt take
> up thy life in thine hand, and with infinite longing cast it before the
> new Beloved One.” 80
> 
> WORKING
> “Whensoever the Splendor of the King of the King of Oneness settleth
> upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in
> every limb and member. At that time the mystery of the famed tradition
> gleameth out of the darkness: ‘A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer
> 
> EDITION
> until I answer him; and when I have answered him, I become the ear
> wherewith he heareth . . . ‘” 81
> 
> We find God (through His Manifestation) in our hearts. So when His light
> comes into our hearts to dwell, it is like a house which previously was
> empty and waiting for its owner to arrive home, at which time it becomes
> a place of invitation, of warmth and joy. 82 God created the light within us
> and His Teachers “turn on the switch.” 83 Bahá’u’lláh tells us, “Knowledge
> is a single point, but the ignorant have multiplied it.” 84
> 
> The Valley of Unity is a stage that transcends words, names or attributes.
> To be truly in this valley, one only sees oneness. We need to impoverish
> ourselves – to be detached from everything. 85
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> In the Valley of Contentment a wayfarer “burneth away the veils of
> want” 86 and he sees all. He leaves behind sorrow, anguish, grief and
> mourning and instead becomes blissful, joyful, living in “delight
> and rapture.” 87 Words and feelings can’t be conveyed to describe
> the soul’s station:
> 
> WORKING
> “Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers;
> No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it.” 88
> 
> “O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou shalt never set
> 
> EDITION
> lip to the undying wine of this Valley. And shouldst thou taste of it, thou wilt
> shield thine eyes from all things else, and drink of the wine of contentment;
> and thou wilt loose thyself from all things else, and bind thyself to Him, and
> throw thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul away.” 89
> 
> The wayfarer sees God in all creation through his soul’s inner vision and
> beholds a new creation.90 He is content to sacrifice everything in His path.
> Now he is totally independent and is not worried about poverty because he
> is rich in spirit.91 Only travelers who enter this valley experience true joy
> rather than a happiness based on the things of this world.92 Our example
> is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who at the age of 9 began sharing the sufferings of His
> Father and spent 40 years in prison but was always cheerful and full of love
> for all who crossed His path.
> 
> In the Valley of Wonderment, everything is tossed into confusion
> 
> WORKING
> because we begin to see “wealth as poverty itself and the essence of
> freedom as sheer impotence.” 93 We are wearied, we are snatched by
> our roots, overwhelmed with the beauty of God in all creation, seeing
> new worlds constantly being formed in front of our inner eyes.94 He
> discovers something new at every moment. The traveler now is able
> 
> EDITION
> to see how vast creation is and how infinite and he can discover inner
> mysteries of the Revelation of God with clear vision and insight.95
> We are in awe as we go “from astonishment to astonishment . . .”
> Meditating on God’s creation, we discover a myriad wisdoms and
> truths.97 God has given us signs in our dreams to teach us about the
> interrelatedness of all worlds as proof of the mysteries of life and our
> eternal destiny. Bahá’u’lláh takes us a step higher from the Valley of
> Unity to include the invisible worlds of God.98 We cannot grasp the
> infinite worlds but through contemplation we can approach a faint
> glimmering of these mysteries because of His bounty. 99
> 
> “O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!” 100
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us to “reflect upon the perfection of man’s creation,
> and that all these planes and states are folded up and hidden away
> within him.
> 
> Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
> 
> WORKING
> When within thee the universe is folded?” 101
> 
> The teaching of the world is folded up within us potentially through
> obedience to the Teachings and it requires prayer and hard work.102
> 
> EDITION
> “O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the
> home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in
> employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world
> of holiness – bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the
> court of nearness – choose not the homeland of the dust.” 103
> 
> In the Valley of True Poverty and Absolute Nothingness, one sacrifices himself to
> God and leaves nothing behind – personal opinions, veils, wealth, even thoughts.104
> Nothingness is the “dying from self and the living in God…” 105 “The mystery
> of sacrifice is that there is no sacrifice . . . the blossom is sacrificed for the fruit.
> The caterpillar is sacrificed for the butterfly. The worldly man is sacrificed into
> a heavenly being.” 106 Our first step towards God is selfish but the next step is
> to completely abandon self to be carried with wonder and astonishment totally
> unimaginable into the nearness of God.107 Caldwell uses the following analogy.108
> He describes a man of the swamp and his journey to the river of life with his guide
> 
> WORKING
> book, The Seven Valleys. When this man stops to enjoy his new life on a beautiful
> river, he is swept back into the swamp, like all the currents of life that pull us back.
> He learns to battle the negative currents and to feel safe and secure in his soul,
> truly feeling that he must be one of the chosen ones. Then his canoe is smashed
> on a boulder and other difficulties occur, which test his strength. He is aware of
> 
> EDITION
> unseen forces assisting him. He is tested one day by huge rapids in front of him
> and he has to decide whether to give up or face the rapids and perhaps die. He
> progresses and his world becomes more beautiful. But he realizes that he must
> traverse all those miles back to the swamp to rescue his brothers and sisters. He
> has attained complete abandonment of self. And as he makes his way back God
> lifts him to a higher, inexplicable level. Caldwell is saying that if we demonstrate
> selfless devotion in our journey and put others before ourselves, God reaches down
> and lifts us up into a higher plane, a plane with no words to describe its wonder
> and we become one with Bahá’u’lláh; our words and feelings are as nothing. This
> [higher plane] cannot be reached without selfless sacrifice and plunging “into the
> depths of hell fire for the sake of others.” 109 In this state one sees the face of God
> in every face. We must sacrifice ourselves so that only God is left and everything
> else save God is nothingness.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O Brother! Not every sea hath pearls; not every branch will flower,
> nor will the nightingale sing thereon. Then ere the nightingale of the
> mystic paradise repair to the garden of God, and the rays of the heavenly
> morning return to the Sun of Truth – make thou an effort, that haply in
> this dustheap of the mortal world thou mayest catch a fragrance from the
> everlasting garden, and live forever in the shadow of the peoples of this city.
> 
> WORKING
> And when thou hast attained this highest station and come to this mightiest
> plane, then shalt thou gaze on the Beloved, and forget all else.” 110
> 
> The wayfarer reacheth a oneness above the “oneness of Being and
> 
> EDITION
> Manifestation” 111 that only ecstasy can describe. But he is told that
> he must obey the Laws and “stray not the breadth of a hair from the
> ‘Law’…” 112 To traverse the Seven Valleys Caldwell states that we
> cannot break God’s law. His laws are unbreakable. “We break ourselves
> by disobeying the laws of God.”113
> 
> And so we come to the end of this journey. It seems to me that The
> Seven Valleys provides us with myriad truths and infinite wisdom to
> contemplate in meditation.
> 
> Now here are some meditations I can recommend to you. They come
> from various sources. It is to be noted once more that there are no
> specific techniques or meditation practices in the Bahá’í Writings. But the
> suggestions given here may be useful because most of them are proven
> methods to still the mind. As preparation prior to doing meditation, it may
> 
> WORKING
> be useful to do relaxation. Achieving a relaxed body and mind helps us
> to attain a meditative state. Creating an atmosphere through the use of
> candles and soft music combined with the sounds of nature for example,
> are also helpful.
> 
> EDITION
> Here is a relaxation exercise with some modifications from the book
> Developing Intuition 114:
> 
> “Sit in an alert, upright position in a comfortable chair with your lower
> back well supported, hands gently resting in your lap with your palms
> open . . . Take a deep breath and exhale slowly, allowing your shoulders
> to be loose and relaxed. Open your mouth wide. Yawn, or pretend you
> are yawning. Let the areas around your eyes and forehead be relaxed
> and loose. Let the areas around your nose, mouth, and jaw be relaxed.
> Breathe slowly and easily. If ideas or feelings come into your mind at
> this time, pretend they are a telephone ringing in the distance, perhaps
> in a neighbor’s house. You acknowledge that ‘someone is calling’ but
> you do not have to answer.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Take a deep breath, inhaling gently and slowly, imagining the breath
> entering your right nostril. Hold the breath for a moment, then exhale
> slowly and comfortably, imagining that you are exhaling through your left
> nostril. Take another deep breath, this time imagining your breath entering
> your left nostril and exiting your right.
> 
> WORKING
> Focus your attention on how your breath feels: cooling, as it enters your
> nostrils, perhaps gently expanding your chest as it fills your lungs, then
> slightly warming your nostrils as you exhale. You may wish to visualize
> the air as having a beautiful, vibrant color as it enters and exits your body.
> 
> EDITION
> Repeat this breathing pattern until you have done at least four full cycles.
> A full cycle is one inhalation and one exhalation through each nostril . . .
> 
> [As you focus on your breathing, you are going to relax each part of your
> body, starting with your feet and ankles and moving towards your head.
> Feel the part of your body getting heavier and sinking or becoming lighter
> as you breathe and focus on it.]
> 
> [Now] be aware of your feet relaxing. [Then] be aware of your legs
> relaxing. [Then]… your buttocks. [Then]… your abdomen. Be aware of
> your arms and hands relaxing. [And]… your upper back. [And]… your
> chest. [Then]… your neck and shoulders. [And finally]… your head.
> Now let your breathing pattern return to normal as you enjoy the relaxed
> state you have created.”
> 
> You may want to imagine yourself in your favourite place. Think of the
> 
> WORKING
> sights, sounds, tastes in that place, how it feels, concentrate on using all
> your senses to recreate the feeling of being there. If you don’t have a
> favourite place, create one.
> 
> EDITION
> Meditations:
> 
> 1. Breathing mindfully (for grounding and centering yourself) –
> Observe your breath flowing in and out of the lungs. Notice the air
> flowing in through your nostrils, the rise and fall of your shoulders
> and rib cage. Let your thoughts come and go, acknowledge them and
> refocus on your breath. (You may last only 10 seconds at first before
> you ‘drift off’.) You’re not trying to get rid of extraneous thoughts;
> you may remain aware of them, but your attention is fully centered
> on your breathing. Now take ten slow, deep breaths. Work up to 5 or
> 10 minutes.115
> 
> 2. Leaves on a Stream – “Find a comfortable position, close your
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> eyes and fix them on a spot and take a few slow, deep breaths.
> Imagine you’re sitting by the side of a gently flowing stream.There
> are leaves floating on the surface of the water. For the next 5 minutes,
> take every thought that pops into your head, place it on a leaf, and
> let it float on by. Alternately, if you find visualization, just imagine
> 
> WORKING
> a black moving strip or a moving expanse of blackness, and place
> each thought onto that . . . If your mind conjures up pictures rather
> than words, put each picture on a leaf, and let it float on by.” 116
> 
> 3. Radio Mind – This exercise is good for those who predominantly
> 
> EDITION
> hear their thoughts like voices in their heads. “Imagine your mind
> is a radio. Listen to your thoughts as if you’re listening to a sports
> commentator or news announcer. Notice where the voice seems to
> be located – in the direct center of your head or off to one side.
> Notice the speed and rhythm of the words, the volume and pitch.
> Notice the emotion present in the voice. Notice the pauses or gaps
> when the words stop or slow down. Try doing this for 5 minutes
> initially.” 117
> 
> 4. Using the senses – Focus your attention on your inner energy
> field. Become aware of the stillness. “Use your senses fully. Be
> where you are. Look around. Just look, don’t interpret. See the
> light, shapes, colors, textures. Be aware of the silent presence
> of each thing. Be aware of the space that allows everything to
> be. Listen to the sounds; don’t judge them. Listen to the silence
> 
> WORKING
> underneath the sounds. Touch something – anything – and feel
> and acknowledge its Being. Observe the rhythm of your breathing;
> feel the air flowing in and out, feel the life energy inside your body.
> Allow everything to be, within and without. Allow the “isness” of
> all things. Move deeply into the Now.” 118
> 
> EDITION
> 5. Inner Guidance Meditation – “Find a quiet, peaceful place
> where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes. Sit . . . in a
> comfortable position with your spine straight and well supported.
> Close your eyes. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale slowly,
> relax your body. Take another deep breath and as you exhale,
> relax your body a little more. Take another deep breath and as
> your exhale, relax your body as deeply and completely as you
> can. If any place in your body feels tight and tense, gently breathe
> into that area and allow it to release and relax. Not take another
> deep breath and as you exhale, relax your mind. Let your thoughts
> just drift away. As each new thought comes up in your mind, let
> it go. There is no need to hold onto any thought. Just keep letting
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> them go and bringing your attention back to breathing slowly and
> deeply and relaxing. Take another deep breath and as you exhale,
> imagine that you can move your awareness out of your mind, out
> of your head, and drop it slowly down into your body. Let it rest in
> the area of your solar plexus or your belly. Now take another deep
> 
> WORKING
> breath and, as you exhale, let your awareness move into a very
> deep quiet place within. With every breath, as you exhale, move
> a little deeper and a little deeper until you come to rest in the
> deepest, quietest place you can find. Then just let yourself rest in
> this quiet place inside . . . [You can ask yourself a question then]
> 
> EDITION
> rest quietly and be open to what might come . . . Take whatever
> comes and be with it for a little while . It’s not necessary to
> understand it. Just be with it in a receptive way . . . allow yourself
> to sit with it . . . [Contemplate whatever comes to you.] When you
> feel complete with the process for now, begin to notice your breath
> again. Notice how your body is feeling and become aware of your
> surroundings. When you are ready you can open your eyes.” 119
> 
> 6. Love’s Pathway – Close your eyes and breathe deeply 3 or 4
> times, while saying the following to yourself:
> “I am the full expression of God’s love. Just as God is love, so am
> I. I am love. Hold in mind the image of someone you love. Then
> imagine yourself holding that person in a loving embrace, while
> saying ‘I love you’ in your mind. Hold on to this feeling of love,
> allowing it to spread throughout your entire being. While holding
> 
> WORKING
> on to this feeling of love, silently say to yourself, ‘I feel love.’
> After a few moments mentally say, ‘I feel God.’ Then finally, in
> your mind, say, ‘Thank you’, allowing the feeling of gratitude and
> appreciation to wash over you. Remain in this state of being love
> for a few minutes, imagining the love in you radiating outward in
> 
> EDITION
> an egg-shaped sphere of vibratory energy that flows out onto all
> people, encompassing the world and the universe.” 120
> 
> 7. Connecting with the Inner Body – “You may find it helpful
> to close your eyes . . . but later on when ‘being in the body’
> has become natural and easy, this will no longer be necessary.
> Direct your attention into your body. Feel it from within. Is it
> alive? Is there life in your hands, arms, legs, and feet – in your
> abdomen, your chest? Can you feel the subtle energy field that
> pervades the entire body and gives vibrant life to every
> organ and every cell? Can you feel it simultaneously in
> all parts of the body as a single field of energy? Keep focusing
> on the feeling of your inner body for a few moments. Do not
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> start to think about it. Feel it. The more attention you give it,
> the clearer and stronger this feeling will become. It will feel as
> if every cell is becoming more alive, and if you have a strong
> visual sense, you may get an image of your body becoming
> luminous. Although such an image can help you temporarily,
> 
> WORKING
> pay more attention to the feeling than to any image that may
> arise . . . If you cannot feel very much at this stage, pay attention
> to whatever you can feel. Perhaps there is just a slight tingling
> in your hands and feet . . . Open your eyes . . . Keep some
> attention in the inner energy field of the body even as you look
> 
> EDITION
> around the room . . .
> If at any time you are finding it hard to get in touch with the
> inner body, it is usually easier to focus on your breathing first .
> . . Whenever an answer, a solution or a creative idea is needed,
> stop thinking for a moment by focusing attention on your inner
> energy field. Become aware of the stillness . . . In any thought
> activity, make it a habit to go back and forth every few minutes
> or so between thinking and an inner kind of listening, an inner
> stillness.” 121
> 
> 8. “Waiting” – “. . . The state of presence could be compared to
> waiting. Jesus used the analogy of waiting in some of his parables.
> This is not the usual bored or restless kind of waiting . . .There
> is a qualitatively different kind of waiting, one that requires your
> total alertness. Something could happen at any moment, and if
> 
> WORKING
> you are not absolutely awake, absolutely still, you will miss it .
> . . all your attention is in the [present moment], and none is left
> for daydreaming, thinking, remembering, anticipating. There is
> no tension in it, no fear, just alert presence. ‘Be like a servant
> waiting for the return of the master,’ says Jesus. The servant does
> 
> EDITION
> not know at what hour the master is going to come. So he stays
> awake, alert, poised, still, lest he miss the master’s arrival.” 122
> 
> 9. “As you breathe in, you say to yourself, ‘Breathing in, I know
> that I am breathing in.’ And as you breathe out, say, ‘Breathing
> out, I know that I am breathing out.’” Or just say ‘in’; ‘out’. Or:
> 
> “Breathing in, I calm my body, Breathing out, I smile.
> Dwelling in the present moment,
> I know this is a wonderful moment.” 123
> 101.. The practice
> 10.                of silence
> The practice      – Written
> of silence   by monks,
> – Written by this littlethis
> monks,       book
> little
> embellishes
> book         the monastic
> embellishes          tradition
> the monastic      of maintaining
> tradition          silence.
> of maintaining silence.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Here are just a few snippets from this gem. “Within each one of
> us there is a place where there is complete silence, free from all . .
> . thoughts . . . cares and desires . . . where we are totally at home
> with ourselves . . . the point at which the true encounter between
> God and humanity can take place.” 124 Spend time in silence. It
> 
> WORKING
> can be considered a “letting go”. Be confident in silence, being
> “hidden in God”, let yourself “fall into His arms”, abandon
> yourself as you are so God can take over your guidance.125 But
> don’t “force any experience of God” and don’t wait impatiently
> for it. “Relinquish all expectations . . . Let go of . . . images and
> 
> EDITION
> imaginings . . . relinquish [your] very selves. We do not need to
> display anything to God. We are simply before God and remain
> silent. We hold up our empty hearts to God’s presence, to be filled
> with God’s…love.” 126 We wait and persevere in waiting. The
> only thing that matters is that the Spirit of God be free to operate
> in us. I may recoil from letting go of self because “by nature I
> wish to hold on to myself and rather use God as an instrument
> toward my perfection, instead of abandoning myself to God with
> my imperfections.” 127 We take our thoughts, feelings and cares
> much too seriously instead of letting God have such close
> access to us that only God matters. When we do speak, we
> feel the silence we have experienced. We speak calmly and
> sensibly and “say what the Spirit prompts us to say… and
> speak only when the Spirit prompts us to do so.” 128 Silence
> provides an atmosphere for prayer and it provides the growth
> 
> WORKING
> that has been gained in prayer. “The observance of silence . . .
> allows the spirit of prayer to reverberate and take root in the
> heart.” 129 Silence “is not a passive inactivity but rather an
> active listening, a withdrawal . . . into the realm of God, when
> I listen to what God has to say to me during silence, when I
> 
> EDITION
> permit myself to enter into the experience that awaits me on
> God’s part during a genuine silence.” 130
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, The Book of Certitude, (Wilmette, IL:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1983), p. 238
> 
> WORKING
> 2 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXX, p. 153
> 3 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 12, p. 26
> 4 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Address…at the Friends’ Meeting House,
> [8-20], p. 174-176
> 5 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1774, 19
> 
> EDITION
> November 1945, p. 241
> 6 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 20
> 7 Ibid., p. 20-21
> 8 Moffett, Ruth J., DU’A: On Wings of Prayer, p. 29
> 9 Ibid.
> 10 Ibid.
> 11 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Progress of the Soul, [4], p. 179
> 12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, prepared by
> the Universal House of Justice 1963-1990 (Victoria, Australia: Bahá’í
> Publications, 1990), 425, p. 204
> 13 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 10
> 14 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1774, 19
> November 1945, p. 241
> 15 The Universal House of Justice, Messages from the Universal House
> of Justice 1963-1986
> 
> WORKING
> (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1986), 375.7-375.9, p. 589-590
> 16 Momen, Wendi, Meditation (Oxford: George Ronald, 1999)
> 17 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing
> Trust, 1974), p. 119
> 18 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1761, 6
> 
> EDITION
> December 1935, p. 237
> 19 Ibid., 1782, 27 January 1952, p. 243
> 20 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 124
> 21 Ibid., p. 123
> 22 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXX, p. 136
> 23 Rutstein, Nathan, A Way out of the Trap, p. 125
> 24 Ibid., p. 125-126
> 25 Hanson, Rick. Buddha’s Brain (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger
> Publications, 2009), p. 88
> 26 Williamson, Marianne, The Gift of Change, p. 80
> 27 Rutstein, Nathan. A Way out of the Trap, p. 126
> 28 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 140-141
> 29 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII, p. 326
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 30 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, [158], p. 76
> 31 Redman, Earl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst (Oxford: George Ronald,
> 2011), p. 269
> 32 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, LVI, p. 83
> 33 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 3 December
> 
> WORKING
> 1912, [3], p. 459-460
> 34 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys
> (New Delhi, India: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2005)
> 35 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 96-101
> 36 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 2
> 
> EDITION
> 37 Ibid., p. 5
> 38 Ibid., p. 6
> 39 Ibid., p. 7
> 40 Ibid., p. 8
> 41 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys (Wilmette, IL:
> Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1991), p.5
> 42 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 10
> 43 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 270
> 44 Ibid., p. 271
> 45 Ibid.
> 46 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá’u’lláh, VIII, p. 11
> 47 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 5
> 48 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 11
> 49 Ibid., p. 22
> 50 Ibid., p. 23
> 51 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 7
> 
> WORKING
> 52 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 24
> 53 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 7
> 54 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 24
> 55 Ibid., p. 25
> 
> EDITION
> 56 Ibid.
> 57 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 8
> 58 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 27
> 59 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 8
> 60 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 27
> 61 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 11
> 62 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 30
> 63 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 98
> 64 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 30
> 65 Ibid., p. 32
> 66 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 12
> 67 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 32
> 68 Ibid., p. 37
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 69 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 13
> 70 Ibid., p. 17
> 71 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 99
> 72 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 17
> 73 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 99
> 
> WORKING
> 74 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 18
> 75 Ibid., p. 19
> 76 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 59
> 77 Ibid., p. 56
> 78 Ibid., p. 57
> 
> EDITION
> 79 Ibid., p. 58
> 80 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 21-22
> 81 Ibid., p. 22
> 82 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 66
> 83 Ibid., p. 68
> 84 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 24-25
> 85 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 72-73
> 86 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 29
> 87 Ibid.
> 88 Ibid., p. 30
> 89 Ibid., p. 30-31
> 90 Caldwell, Jenabe, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 75
> 91 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 99
> 92 Ibid., p. 100
> 93 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 31
> 94 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 76
> 
> WORKING
> 95 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 101
> 96 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 32
> 97 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 77
> 98 Ibid., p. 80
> 
> EDITION
> 99 Ibid., p. 81
> 100 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 34
> 101 Ibid.
> 102 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 82
> 103 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 35
> 104 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 85
> 105 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 36
> 106 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 85
> 107 Ibid.,p. 91
> 108 Ibid., p. 87-92
> 109 Ibid., p. 92
> 110 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 38
> 111 Ibid., p. 39
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 112 Ibid., p. 39-40
> 113 Caldwell, Jenabe, Reflections, Commentary on the Seven Valleys, p. 97
> 114 Gawain, Shakti, Developing Intuition (Novato, CA: Nataraj
> Publishing, 2000), p. 49-51
> 115 Harris, Russ, ACT with Love, Stop Struggling, Reconcile Differences,
> 
> WORKING
> and Strengthen Your Relationship with Acceptance and Commitment
> Therapy (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, 2009), p. 106
> 116 Ibid., p. 102
> 117 Ibid.
> 118 Tolle, Eckhart, The Power of Now (Novato, Ca: New World Library,
> 
> EDITION
> 2004), p. 63
> 119 Gawain, Shakti, Developing Intuition, p. 54-56
> 120 Sage, Carnelian, The Greatest Manifestation Principle in the World
> (Think-Outside-The- Book Publications, 2007)
> 121 Tolle, Eckhart, The Power of Now, p. 112-113; 125-126
> 122 Ibid., p. 94-95
> 123 Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is Every Step (New York: Bantam Books,
> 1991), p. 8; 10
> 124 Grun, Anselm, The Challenge of Silence (Schuyler, Nebraska:
> Benedictine Mission House Publications, 1993), p. 69
> 125 Ibid., p. 40
> 126 Ibid., p. 69-70
> 127 Ibid., p. 42
> 128 Ibid., p. 31
> 129 Ibid., p. 59
> 130 Ibid., p. 61
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> Chapter 4
> Observing the Fast
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 4
> Observing the Fast
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh has told mankind that “obligatory prayer and fasting occupy an
> 
> WORKING
> exalted station in the sight of God”.1 “Fasting and obligatory prayer are as
> two wings to man’s life. Blessed be the one who soareth with their aid in the
> heaven of the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.” 2 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to
> them as “the two mightiest pillars of God’s Holy Law” 3 and states that they
> 
> EDITION
> are “among the most great ordinances of this holy Dispensation.” 4 Through
> them, Bahá’u’lláh tells us, we may “draw nigh unto God.” 5
> 
> In this chapter we will explore the Bahá’í Writings about the nineteenday Fast. Every year between March 2nd and the 20th, it is an obligation
> for Bahá’ís to refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset.
> The Writings in this chapter refer specifically to the Bahá’í Fast but
> fasting is observed in all religious traditions. Buddhists practice periods
> of fasting as a method for purification and freeing their minds. Hindus
> commonly fast during the New Moon and certain festivals to enhance
> their concentration in worship and purify their systems. Yom Kippur,
> the Day of Atonement, is a day of fasting for those who follow the
> Jewish tradition as are six other fast days. And in various branches
> of Christianity, fasting is observed. Catholics abstain from meat on
> Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and also all Fridays during Lent.
> 
> WORKING
> The purpose is the control of bodily desires, penance for their sins and
> also solidarity with poor people. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lent
> is also observed as well as other fast days and individuals generally
> do not eat meat, eggs and dairy products. In some Protestant churches
> fasts have become popular for individuals as an attempt to improve
> 
> EDITION
> spiritually, to relate to the poor and to counterbalance our consumer
> world. The Mormons fast on the first Sunday of every month, having no
> food or drink for two meals and donating money or food to the needy.
> Muslims have a fasting period from sunrise to sunset for thirty days.6
> 
> Fasting is truly a spiritual experience. When carried out in the spirit for
> which it was intended I am not aware of any other spiritual practice we can
> engage in that has such potential to transform us. I am going to describe the
> experience of fasting in light of a statement by Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> ”There are various stages and stations for the Fast and innumerable
> effects and benefits are concealed therein. Well is it with those who have
> attained unto them.” 7
> The Insistent Self
> 
> I can’t pretend to really understand what this means but let’s explore the
> concept of “stages” and “stations” further. On a superficial level, when I
> fast, there is generally a break in my daily routine. My schedule may not
> be as hectic. I may spend less time on food preparation and find that I
> have some quiet time, time to slow down so that my senses become more
> 
> WORKING
> attuned and I become more thoughtful in questioning who I really am. I am
> also tested. My will and self-discipline is definitely put to the test as I go all
> day without food or drink. I don’t believe that there is any other obligation
> or action in the Bahá’í Faith that teaches individuals to surrender their will
> to God as does fasting. Whereas before The Fast, they may feel strong and
> 
> EDITION
> independent, hunger takes them down a peg and they realize that they are
> reliant on things in this life. Then they may progress to a deeper level, a
> different stage. Once they consciously adjust somewhat to not having food
> or drink during the day, they are practicing detachment – detachment from
> food, from the physical world and physical desires. The detachment may
> only be for one hour of the time that they fast but it is still detachment.
> They cannot help but think about why they are doing this and that they are
> spiritual beings. They begin to consider their actions, preferring to practice
> virtuous behavior rather than giving in to the urges of their lower natures.
> They take the time to listen to others and share in their lives, ignoring
> their rumbling stomachs and a desire to rush home for a nap. Moving
> to an even deeper level or stage, during the Fast they may find that
> their love for God increases as they have more time to pray and they
> say their prayers with more purity and significance. Bahá’ís have been
> blessed with special prayers for fasting, prayers that are filled with
> reminders of the proper attitude they should have when fasting (that of
> 
> WORKING
> surrender to the will of God and detachment from the physical world)
> and that also recount the bounties they receive if they fast wholly for
> God and with detachment from all save Him. Ruhiyyih Khanum, the
> wife of Shoghi Effendi, writes of her experience in saying one of the
> 
> EDITION
> long fasting prayers in the book, Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook by Duane
> L. Herrmann, noting that “the blessing of keeping the fast and the
> blessing of saying this prayer with it become one great annual bounty,
> one special privilege of life.” 8 The prayer she is referring to is the one
> with the repeating phrase, “ Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy
> Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most
> Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem
> of the robe to which have clung all in this world and in the world to
> come.” This particular prayer can be a powerful meditation.
> 
> On another level, or in another station, as individuals become more totally
> immersed in their prayers, they may feel God’s presence in their lives more
> deeply and the influence of His love and they may begin to feel a longing
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> desire to become stronger in their Faith and to consecrate themselves more
> deeply in service as their detachment from their selfish desires increases and they
> begin to recognize the power invested in these days. They may wish to dedicate
> more of their time and energy to such service and let go of the parts of their lives that
> have less meaning or spiritual significance. They may seek more balance, spending
> less time on work or work-related activities outside of the office, for example. With
> 
> WORKING
> prayer, contemplation and meditation during the Fast, they may reach a station in
> which they really want to dedicate themselves to the service of Bahá’u’lláh in a
> new way, in a way they’ve never envisaged before, to reach a higher station, and
> thus receive the blessings and confirmations of God. These are only my thoughts
> 
> EDITION
> about a process of transformation possible by means of fasting.
> 
> And so, having engaged in this exercise and perhaps having reached a higher
> station in our thinking, we will now explore the Writings about The Fast.
> 
> The Fast is a law, a commandment, ordained by Bahá’u’lláh for the spiritual
> regeneration of mankind. Shoghi Effendi explains: “As regards fasting,
> it constitutes, together with the obligatory prayers, the two pillars that
> sustain the revealed Law of God.” 9
> 
> But it is not just a law, as Bahá’u’lláh explains:
> 
> “Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay,
> rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and
> power. To this beareth witness that which the Pen of Revelation hath
> revealed. Meditate upon this, O men of insight!” 10
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Thou hast written about the Fast. This is a most weighty matter and
> thou shouldst exert thine utmost in its observance. It is a fundamental of
> 
> EDITION
> the Divine law, and one of the pillars of the religion of God.” 11
> 
> These are the essential requirements laid down in Bahá’u’lláh’s Kitab-i-
> Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, The Book of Laws.
> 
> “We have commanded you to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity;
> this is ordained by God, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers. He
> has exempted from this those who are weak from illness or age, as a
> bounty from His Presence, and He is the Forgiving, the Generous.” 12
> 
> “. . . Abstinence from food and drink, from sunrise to sunset, is obligatory
> . . . Fasting is binding on men and women on attaining the age of maturity,
> which is fixed at 15.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Exemption from fasting is granted to travellers . . . those who are ill . . .
> those who are over 70 . . . women who are with child . . . women who are
> nursing . . . women in their courses . . . those who are engaged in heavy
> labour, who are advised to show respect for the law by using discretion
> and restraint when availing themselves of the exemption.” 13
> 
> WORKING
> And Bahá’ís are advised to follow the instructions as given in
> the Kitab-i-Aqdas and not to follow their own “idle imaginings”
> concerning the Fast:
> 
> EDITION
> “Praise be unto Him Who hath revealed laws in accordance with His
> good-pleasure. Verily, He is sovereign over whatsoever He wisheth. O
> My friends! Act ye in accordance with what ye have been commanded
> in the Book. Fasting hath been decreed for you in the month of ‘Ala.
> Fast ye for the sake of your Lord, the Mighty, the Most High. Restrain
> yourselves from sunrise to sunset. Thus doth the Beloved of mankind
> instruct you as bidden by God, the All-Powerful, the Unconstrained.
> It is not for anyone to exceed the limits laid down by God and His law,
> nor should anyone follow his own idle imaginings. Well is it with the
> one who fulfilleth My decrees for the love of My Beauty, and woe to
> the one who neglecteth the Dayspring of Command in the days of his
> Lord, the Almighty, the Omnipotent.” 14
> 
> There are many Writings from the Pen of Bahá’u’lláh related to fasting
> and the obligatory prayers. Of course, Bahá’u’lláh is the Law-Maker
> 
> WORKING
> and this is a Law of God. And Bahá’u’lláh attached great importance
> to The Fast. Fasting has been endowed with great importance by God
> throughout time and its importance is now reiterated by Bahá’u’lláh.
> 
> “Nothing, after prayer, will cause the development of the spirit, save
> 
> EDITION
> fasting. The Primal Point, The Báb, ordained for all the people to fast
> until they should reach the age of forty-two, but the Blessed Perfection
> said: ‘We love fasting! Unless the people become old and weak, they
> should fast.’ . . . His Holiness, the Blessed Perfection, used to fast
> throughout the set time every year . . .” 15
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh is quite adamant about the importance of keeping this Law of God:
> 
> “Be not neglectful of obligatory prayer and fasting. He who faileth to
> observe them hath not been nor will ever be acceptable in the sight of
> God. Follow ye wisdom under all conditions. He, verily, hath bidden all
> to observe that which hath been and will be of profit to them. He, in truth,
> is the All- Sufficing, the Most High.” 16
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá strongly urges us to keep the commandment of fasting:
> 
> “In the realm of worship, fasting and obligatory prayer constitute
> the two mightiest pillars of God’s holy Law. Neglecting them is in no
> wise permitted, and falling short in their performance is of a certainty
> not acceptable. In the Tablet of Visitation He saith: ‘I beseech God,
> 
> WORKING
> by Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with the
> splendors of the light of Thy countenance, and who, for love of Thee,
> have observed all whereunto they were bidden.’ He declareth that
> observance of the commands of God deriveth from love for the beauty
> 
> EDITION
> of the Best-Beloved. The seeker, when immersed in the ocean of the
> love of God, will be moved by intense longing and will arise to carry
> out the laws of God. . . ” 17
> 
> The laws of God regarding fasting and obligatory prayer are
> absolutely incumbent upon His servants. Therefore, they must turn
> their faces to the Point of Adoration of the celestial Concourse, hold
> fast to the most sublime Station, and pray and supplicate that they
> may be freed from the doubts of misinterpretation. This is the way
> of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is the religion of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is the
> path of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Whoever cherisheth the love of Bahá, let him
> choose this straight path. Whoever abandoneth this path, verily, he is
> of them who are shut out as by a veil from Him . . . 18
> 
> “The laws of God, such as fasting, obligatory prayer and the like,
> 
> WORKING
> as well as His counsels regarding virtues, good deeds and proper
> conduct, must be carried out everywhere to the extent possible, unless
> some insurmountable obstacle or some great danger presents itself or
> it runneth counter to the dictates of wisdom. For indolence and laxity
> hinder the outpourings of love from the clouds of divine mercy, and
> 
> EDITION
> people will thus remain deprived.” 19
> 
> It is clear to me that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is telling the Bahá’ís that they
> have no excuses for not observing the commandments of God,
> including fasting. He warns them not to be lazy and negligent
> in carrying out this important law and that, if they do, they are
> deprived of spiritual progress.
> 
> And Bahá’u’lláh exhorts them to follow His laws for the love of His beauty:
> 
> “We, verily, have set forth all things in Our Book, as a token of grace
> unto those who have believed in God, the Almighty, the Protector,
> the Self-Subsisting. And We have ordained obligatory prayer and
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> fasting so that all may by these means draw nigh unto God, the Most
> Powerful, the Well-Beloved. We have written down these two laws and
> expounded every irrevocable decree. We have forbidden men from
> following whatsoever might cause them to stray from the Truth, and
> have commanded them to observe that which will draw them nearer
> unto Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Loving. Say: Observe ye the
> 
> WORKING
> commandments of God for love of His beauty, and be not of those who
> follow in the ways of the abject and foolish.” 20
> 
> And observing the Fast is a bounty from God and our protection:
> 
> EDITION
> “This is one of the nights of the Fast, and during it the Tongue of
> Grandeur and Glory proclaimed: There is no God beside Me, the
> Omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. We, verily, have commanded
> all to observe the Fast in these days as a bounty on Our part, but the
> people remain unaware, except for those who have attained unto the
> purpose of God as revealed in His laws and have comprehended His
> wisdom that pervadeth all things visible and invisible. Say: By God! His
> Law is a fortress unto you, could ye but understand. Verily, He hath no
> purpose therein save to benefit the souls of His servants, but, alas, the
> generality of mankind remain heedless thereof. Cling ye to the cord of
> God’s laws, and follow not those who have turned away from the Book,
> for verily they have opposed God, the Mighty, the Beloved.” 21
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us about the “Divine Wisdom” of fasting. This is one wisdom:
> 
> WORKING
> The Divine wisdom in fasting is manifold. Among them is this: As
> during those days (i.e. the period of fasting which the followers
> afterward observe) the Manifestation of the Sun of Reality, through
> Divine inspiration, is engaged in the descent (revealing) of Verses,
> 
> EDITION
> the instituting of Divine Law and the arrangement of teachings,
> through excessive occupation and intensive attraction, there
> remains no condition or time for eating and drinking. For example,
> when His Holiness Moses went to Mount Tur (Sinai) and there
> engaged in instituting the Law of God, He fasted forty days. For
> the purpose of awakening and admonishing the people of Israel,
> fasting was enjoined upon them. Likewise, His Holiness Christ,
> in the beginning of instituting the Spiritual Law, the systemizing
> of the teachings and the arrangement of counsels, for forty days
> abstained from eating and drinking. In the beginning the disciples
> and Christians fasted. Later the assemblages of the chief Christians
> changed fasting into lenten observances. Likewise the Qur’an
> [Koran] having descended in the month of Ramadan, fasting
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> during that month became a duty. In like manner His Holiness the
> Supreme (The Báb), in the beginning of the Manifestation through
> the excessive effect of descending verses, passed days in which His
> nourishment was reduced to tea only. Likewise, the Blessed Beauty
> (Bahá’u’lláh), when busy with instituting the Divine Teachings
> and during the days when the Verses (The Word of God) descended
> 
> WORKING
> continuously, through the great effect of the Verses and the throbbing
> of the heart, took no food except the least amount. The purpose is
> this: In order to follow the Divine Manifestation and for the purpose
> of admonition and the commemoration of their state, it became
> 
> EDITION
> incumbent upon the people to fast during those days. For every
> sincere soul who has a beloved longs to experience that state in which
> his beloved is. If his beloved is in a state of sorrow, he desires sorrow;
> if in a state of joy, he desires joy; if in a state of rest, he desires rest; if
> in a state of trouble, he desires trouble. Now, since in this Millennial
> Day, His Holiness the Supreme (The Báb) fasted many days, and the
> Blessed Beauty (Bahá’u’lláh) took but little food or drink, it becomes
> necessary that the friends should follow that example. For thus saith
> He in the Tablet of Visitation: They, the believers, who, for love of
> Thee, have observed all whereunto they were bidden. 22
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh discusses the importance of fasting:
> 
> “Cling firmly to obligatory prayer and fasting. Verily, the religion of
> God is like unto heaven; fasting is its sun, and obligatory prayer is its
> 
> WORKING
> moon. In truth, they are the pillars of religion whereby the righteous are
> distinguished from those who transgress His commandments. We entreat
> God, exalted and glorified be He, that he may graciously enable all to
> observe that which He hath revealed in His Ancient Book.” 23
> 
> EDITION
> He explains the terminology of the “sun” and the “moon” in this passage:
> 
> In another sense, by the terms ‘sun’, ‘moon’, and ‘stars’ are meant
> such laws and teachings as have been established and proclaimed in
> every Dispensation, such as the laws of prayer and fasting. These have,
> according to the law of the Qur’án, been regarded, when the beauty
> of the Prophet Muhammad had passed beyond the veil, as the most
> fundamental and binding laws of His dispensation . . .
> 
> Moreover, in the traditions the terms sun and moon have been applied
> to prayer and fasting, even as it is said: Fasting is illumination, prayer
> is light. One day, a well-known divine came to visit Us. While We were
> conversing with him, he referred to the above-quoted tradition. He said:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Inasmuch as fasting causeth the heat of the body to increase, it hath
> therefore been likened unto the light of the sun; and as the prayer of the
> night-season refresheth man, it hath been compared unto the radiance
> of the moon. Thereupon We realized that that poor man had not been
> favoured with a single drop of the ocean of true understanding, and had
> strayed far from the burning Bush of divine wisdom. We then politely
> 
> WORKING
> observed to him saying: The interpretation your honour hath given to
> this tradition is the one current amongst the people. Could it not be
> interpreted differently? He asked Us: What could it be? We made reply:
> Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, and the most distinguished of
> 
> EDITION
> God’s chosen Ones, hath likened the Dispensation of the Qur’án unto
> heaven, by reason of its loftiness, its paramount influence, its majesty,
> and the fact that it comprehendeth all religions. And as the sun and moon
> constitute the brightest and most prominent luminaries in the heavens,
> similarly in the heaven of the religion of God two shining orbs have been
> ordained -- fasting and prayer . . . 24
> 
> And Bahá’u’lláh explains the purpose and the benefits of fasting:
> 
> “Even though outwardly the Fast is difficult and toilsome, yet inwardly
> it is bounty and tranquillity. Purification and training are conditioned
> and dependent only on such rigorous exercises as are in accord with the
> Book of God and sanctioned by Divine law, not those which the deluded
> have inflicted upon the people. Whatsoever God hath revealed is beloved
> of the soul. We beseech Him that He may graciously assist us to do that
> 
> WORKING
> which is pleasing and acceptable unto Him.” 25
> 
> “These are the days of the Fast. Blessed is the one who through the heat
> generated by the Fast increaseth his love, and who, with joy and radiance,
> ariseth to perform worthy deeds. Verily, He guideth whomsoever He
> 
> EDITION
> willeth to the straight path.” 26
> 
> “Verily, I say, fasting is the supreme remedy and the most great healing
> for the disease of self and passion”. 27
> 
> And from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and
> the spirituality of man increases. This is produced by the fact that man’s
> thoughts will be confined to the commemoration of God, and through
> this awakening and stimulation surely ideal advancements follow.” 28
> “. . . prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and
> conducive to protection and preservation from tests . . .” 29
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And from Rumi:
> 
> “There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.
> We are lutes, no more, no less.
> If the sound box is stuffed full of anything, no music.
> 
> WORKING
> If the brain and belly are burning clean with fasting,
> every moment a new song comes out of the fire.
> The fog clears, and new energy makes you run up the steps in front of you.
> Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.
> Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.
> 
> EDITION
> When you’re full of food and drink, Satan sits where your spirit should,
> an ugly metal statue in place of the Kaaba.
> When you fast, good habits gather like friends who want to help. Fasting
> is Solomon’s ring.
> Don’t give it to some illusion and lose your power, but even if you have,
> if you’ve lost all will and control, they come back when you fast,
> like soldiers appearing out of the ground, pennants flying above them.
> A table descends to your tents, Jesus’ table.
> Expect to see it, when you fast, this table spread with other food,
> better than the broth of cabbages.” 30
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells the Bahá’ís that they should be thankful to God for this
> amazing gift:
> 
> “All praise be to the one true God Who hath assisted His loved ones to
> 
> WORKING
> observe the Fast and hath aided them to fulfill that which hath been
> decreed in the Book. In truth, ceaseless praise and gratitude are due
> unto Him for having graciously confirmed His loved ones to perform
> that which is the cause of the exaltation of His Word. If a man possessed
> ten thousand lives and offered them all to establish the truth of God’s
> 
> EDITION
> laws and commandments, he would still be beholden unto Him, since
> whatsoever proceedeth from His irresistible decree serveth solely to
> benefit His friends and loved ones.” 31
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh urges the Bahá’ís not to fast if they are ill:
> 
> “. . . obligatory prayer and fasting occupy an exalted station in the sight
> of God. It is, however, in a state of health that their virtue can be realized.
> In time of ill-health it is not permissible to observe these obligations;
> such hath been the bidding of the Lord, exalted be His glory, at all times.
> Blessed be such men and women as pay heed, and observe His precepts.
> All praise be unto God, He who hath sent down the verses and is the
> Revealer of undoubted proofs!” 32
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “In clear cases of weakness, illness, or injury the law of the Fast is not
> binding. This injunction is in conformity with the precepts of God, eternal in
> the past, eternal in the future. Well is it with them who act accordingly.” 33
> 
> “The law of the Fast is ordained for those who are sound and healthy;
> 
> WORKING
> as to those who are ill or debilitated, this law hath never been nor is now
> applicable.” 34
> 
> Shoghi Effendi clarifies that fasting is good for health but that Bahá’ís
> should not fast if they are ill:
> 
> EDITION
> “Keeping the Fast is enjoined upon all Bahá’ís, regardless of nationality;
> it has a very salutary effect both physically and spiritually, and the
> friends should realize Bahá’u’lláh never would have instituted it if it
> were detrimental to the health.” 35
> 
> “As to your question regarding the Fast: if there is any doubt in the mind
> of a person as to whether it will really be bad for that person’s health to
> keep it, the best doctor’s advice should be obtained. But generally speaking
> most people can keep it, anywhere in the world, with no detriment to their
> health. It is very good for the health and, once one forms the habit, each
> year it becomes easier to keep, unless one is rundown. No one is obliged
> to keep it if it really harms them.” 36
> 
> Scientific research is also demonstrating that fasts like the Bahá’í Fast
> 
> WORKING
> (which falls into the category of intermittent fasting) may have benefits
> to our physical health. We evolved from hunters and gatherers who often
> had to go without food if it was not available. It was either feast or famine.
> It seems that we evolved a genetic code to adapt to a cycle of feast and
> fasting. Many researchers attest to the benefits of emptying the digestive
> 
> EDITION
> system and allowing it to cleanse and purify itself. Evidence indicates that
> intermittent fasting can reduce risk factors for chronic diseases in animals
> and humans and increase life span for animals. More studies on humans
> are needed but experiments to date are promising. Studies indicate that
> “intermittent fasting acts in part as a form of mild stress that continually
> revs up cellular defenses against molecular damage.” 37
> 
> But, as Duane Hermann, a Bahá’í writer, explains in his book on fasting, the
> material fast is only a symbol of the spiritual fast which lifts us to the heavenly
> realm and away from our selfish desires. Someone who has a medical condition
> and is unable to fast is therefore not denied spiritual development. “Clearly the
> eating (or not eating of food) is not the most important aspect of observing the
> Fast.” 38 If medically it is not possible to physically fast or any of the other
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> conditions for exemption apply, we should not fast. It is our motives, rather
> than our actions that receive the blessings of God. If our hearts and our motives
> are pure, God will accept our actions if we continue to pray and strive to make
> adjustments and reinvigorate our spiritual lives.39
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains this in his “third wisdom” of fasting:
> 
> ”. . . Fasting is of two kinds, material and spiritual. The material fasting
> is abstaining from food or drink, that is, from the appetites of the body.
> But spiritual, ideal fasting is this, that man abstain from selfish passions,
> 
> EDITION
> from negligence, and from satanic animal traits. Therefore, material
> fasting is a token of the spiritual fasting. That is:
> 
> O Divine Providence! As I am abstaining from bodily desires and not
> occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and sanctify my heart
> from the love of anyone save Thyself and shield and protect my soul from
> corrupt desires and satanic qualities so that my spirit may commune with
> the breaths of holiness and fast from the mention of all else besides Thee.” 40
> 
> “For this material fast is an outer token of the spiritual fast; it is a
> symbol of self-restraint, the withholding of oneself from all appetites of
> the self, taking on the characteristics of the spirit, being carried away by
> the breathings of heaven and catching fire from the love of God.” 41
> 
> Shoghi Effendi reiterates the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> WORKING
> “. . . the fasting period, which involves complete abstention from food and
> drink from sunrise till sunset, is . . . essentially a period of meditation and
> prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive
> to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and
> 
> EDITION
> reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and
> purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. Fasting is
> symbolic, and a reminder of abstinence from selfish and carnal desires.” 42
> 
> Shoghi Effendi sympathizes with Bahá’ís in attempting to do something
> that may be foreign to them but He points out the benefits:
> 
> “It is often difficult for us to do things because they are so very different
> from what we are used to, not because the thing itself is particularly
> difficult. With you, and indeed most Bahá’ís, who are now, as adults,
> accepting this glorious Faith, no doubt some of the ordinances, like
> fasting and daily prayer, are hard to understand and obey at first. But we
> must always think that these things are given to all men for a thousand
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> years to come. For Bahá’í children who see these things practiced in the
> home, they will be as natural and necessary a thing as going to church
> on Sunday was to the more pious generation of Christians. Bahá’u’lláh
> would not have given us these things if they would not greatly benefit us,
> and, like children who are sensible enough to realize their father is wise
> and does what is good for them, we must accept to obey these ordinances
> 
> WORKING
> even though at first we may not see any need for them. As we obey them
> we will gradually come to see in ourselves the benefits they confer.” 43
> 
> He also clarifies that it is really up to the individual to observe the Fast:
> 
> EDITION
> “Regarding the nineteen-day fast; its observance has been enjoined
> by Bahá’u’lláh upon all believers, once they attain the age of fifteen
> and until they reach seventy. Children of all countries, nationalities
> and classes, who are fifteen years old are under this obligation.
> It matters not whether they mature later in one country than in
> another. The command of Bahá’u’lláh is universal, irrespective of
> any variance in the age of maturity in different countries and among
> different peoples. In the Aqdas [The Book of Laws] Bahá’u’lláh
> permits certain exceptions to this general obligation of fasting, among
> them are included those who do hard work, such as workers in heavy
> industries. But while a universal obligation, the observance of the
> nineteen day fast has been made by Bahá’u’lláh the sole responsibility
> of the individual believer. No Assembly has the right to enforce it on
> the friends, or to hold anybody responsible for not observing it. The
> 
> WORKING
> believer is free, however, to ask the advice of his Assembly as to the
> circumstances that would justify him to conscientiously break such a
> fast. But he is by no means required to do so.” 44
> 
> This is a reminder to me not to feel compelled to instruct or advice other
> 
> EDITION
> Bahá’ís to fast or to judge those who are not fasting and I confess that in
> the past I have judged my fellow-believers who don’t fast. I am trying to be
> compassionate and to understand that what constitutes illness can be quite
> subjective. I need to recognize and remember that we are all individuals
> with our own unique constitutions: physical weaknesses, mental barriers,
> and often emotional scars, and we are all on our own paths to God. And if it
> seems difficult for any of us to fast, we need only to look at the influence of
> our present-day society. Food has become important not just as sustenance
> but as an art form. New and complicated recipes arise out of the fascination
> and infatuation with food and the constant search for novelty. People may
> also put their energies into food in order to make up for something that
> is missing in their lives, not recognizing that it is their souls rather than
> their bodies that crave sustenance. They may overeat to stifle the lack of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> meaning in their lives and to deal with their emotions and their issues. And
> we only have to go down one aisle of a grocery store to be aware of the
> infinite varieties of a particular product or check the latest fast food menu
> to see the new items since we last visited. We’re bombarded with food ads
> and told repeatedly how important food is. Surely this has an impact on
> 
> WORKING
> the ability to fast. I know I find it easier to physically fast when I’m out of
> the city and away from all the restaurants and billboards advertising food. How
> wonderful it is to live in this age and to be blessed with such ordinances as
> the Fast, to be guided on a spiritual path away from the material pursuits
> of a frenzied society!
> 
> EDITION
> Fasting is truly a time of spirituality and there are so many benefits.
> But we are told not to fast if we are ill or have a medical condition
> that prevents it. And we know that even if someone can not fast he can
> still benefit from observing the fast by consecrating the time of the
> fast to prayer and meditation and strengthening his spiritual character.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Fasting is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical
> fasting is a symbol of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just
> as a person abstains from physical appetites, he is to abstain from selfappetites and self-desires. But mere abstention from food has no effect on
> the spirit. It is only a symbol, a reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance.
> Fasting for this purpose does not mean entire abstinence from food. The
> golden rule as to food is, do not take too much or too little. Moderation
> 
> WORKING
> is necessary. . .” 45
> 
> Hermann points out that if a person cannot do the physical fast prescribed
> in the Bahá’í Faith, he as a Bahá’í still has no excuse to ignore its
> reality.46 The Fast needs to be observed with the heart. And that applies
> 
> EDITION
> to all who are physically fasting or not fasting. It may present more
> of a challenge to those who cannot physically fast to continue their
> regular pattern of eating, maintain detachment and aim for spiritual
> readjustment in their lives.
> 
> Fasting is entirely up to the individual and his relationship to God. And the
> Bahá’ís are told:
> 
> “Shouldst thou observe any soul who is in doubt about this commandment
> or who misinterpreteth it, but hath no secret motive or defiance in
> what he doeth, be friendly towards him, and with the utmost cordiality
> and through kind speech, endeavor to turn him from the path of such
> interpretation towards the plain meaning of the verses of God.” 47
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’ís are told to follow “the plain meaning” of the requirements of the
> Fast as written in the Kitab-i- Aqdas, the Book of Laws. And they have a
> role to assist other Bahá’ís to understand the Law.
> 
> Still, for those of us in the west, the idea of the nineteen -day Fast is
> 
> WORKING
> probably the most difficult thing to consider even though we are assured
> of its benefits spiritually. I remember being so worried about being able to
> follow this law that I tried the Fast before I became a Bahá’í to see if I could
> do it. If I had been brought up as a Muslim before becoming a Bahá’í I would
> probably find it easier to fast. At least I would be accustomed to fasting as
> 
> EDITION
> part of a religious culture. And having experienced a 30-day Fast, I would
> probably consider the nineteen-day fast a breeze in comparison! Having to
> deprive myself of food for the day is not comfortable physically, for sure; my
> stomach constantly reminds me that I’ve forgotten something. Of course many
> of us have gone without food when we’ve been busy with an activity or been
> working hard and at night we suddenly feel ravenous and realize we haven’t
> eaten for a long time. Or we’ve survived on coffee all day until evening to get
> through a job. But the Bahá’í Fast requires more of individuals and in this day
> of instant gratification, self-denial is an alien concept. And if we begin to think
> about what the Bahá’í Fast means - Nothing to eat or drink all day? Not even
> water? What if I choke? What if I have a coughing fit? Or get the hiccups?
> Bahá’ís have probably all had similar thoughts, not just the first year of the
> Fast but every year as they rush out the door to an important meeting. Probably
> the most amazing experience of the Fast for me is that we are definitely
> assisted to get through it. I am tested. Perhaps I get sick, not sick enough to
> stop fasting, just some annoying little cough or sore throat and I’m not sure
> 
> WORKING
> if I should keep fasting. I think to myself that it might get worse if I fast and
> I’ll really get sick. Or maybe I should not fast today and I may feel better
> tomorrow and can continue my fast. But I may feel guilty if I stop fasting
> and later I feel fine. I may decide to try the Fast and rely on Bahá’u’lláh to
> 
> EDITION
> guide me and let me know if I should continue. After I start fasting I may
> feel so ill that I know I can’t possibly fast or perhaps Bahá’u’lláh may
> reward my effort and I will feel charged spiritually and able to carry on
> fasting. And that is the crux of the matter, I believe, to trust in Bahá’u’lláh
> and know that He will guide me. So, yes, my sincerity and desire to please
> God is tested, but I am assisted, too. And I have to fast “one day at a
> time”.48 Some days are better than others; some days I feel quite spiritual,
> other days drag and all I can think about is food. Or I may feel spiritual
> during one part of the day, perhaps when I’m saying my prayers and at
> another part, I feel quite miserable and self- centered. The Fast gives
> individuals ample practice in becoming aware of their lower and higher
> natures and how they constantly have to struggle to follow a spiritual
> path. I usually find that by Day 10 (I do count the days off) I start to
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> feel sorry that it’s going to end soon – that’s in between feeling like I
> won’t make it that day because I’m so hungry and I should have had
> more food for breakfast, and other negative thoughts. If individuals can
> fast, I vouch for it being an amazing experience. There are probably so
> many things I don’t do well that I’m asked to do as a Bahá’í. And who
> can say if I fast well? As Bahá’u’lláh says, it is our surrender to His
> 
> WORKING
> will that is the criterion:
> 
> “In the Prayer of Fasting We have revealed: ‘Should Thy Will decree
> that out of Thy mouth these words proceed and be addressed unto them,
> 
> EDITION
> “Observe, for My Beauty’s sake, the fast, O people, and set no limit to its
> duration,” I swear by the majesty of Thy glory, that every one of them will
> faithfully observe it, will abstain from whatsoever will violate Thy law, and
> will continue to do so until they yield up their souls unto Thee.’ In this
> consisteth the complete surrender of one’s will to the Will of God. Meditate
> on this, that thou mayest drink in the waters of everlasting life which flow
> through the words of the Lord of all mankind, and mayest testify that the
> one true God hath ever been immeasurably exalted above His creatures.
> He, verily, is the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, the Omniscient, the
> All-Wise. The station of absolute self-surrender transcendeth, and will
> ever remain exalted above, every other station.” 49
> 
> If I fast between sunrise and sunset, I still don’t know if I’ve obeyed the law of
> fasting. Only Bahá’u’lláh knows. In the prayer for Naw-Ruz, He states:
> 
> “Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath
> 
> WORKING
> observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity
> had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath
> observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with
> such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust,
> 
> EDITION
> and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.” 50
> 
> But I have experienced fasting and I heartily recommend it. I am so grateful
> to the people who taught me about the Bahá’í Faith, because they were
> exceptional role models when it came to observing the Fast. And there are
> so many joys in fasting, so many bounties for our souls that if I neglect this
> law, my soul can be harmed because, after all, it is “conducive to protection
> and preservation from tests”, not to mention “the cause of awakening and
> mindfulness”. 51
> 
> Many of the prayers for the Bahá’í Fast are very long and individuals may
> not always have the time or inclination to say them. In my research for this
> chapter, I found a few short prayers of Bahá’u’lláh for the Fast:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Praise be unto Thee, O Lord my God! We have observed the Fast in
> conformity with Thy bidding and break it now through Thy love and
> Thy good-pleasure. Deign to accept, O my God, the deeds that we have
> performed in Thy path wholly for the sake of Thy beauty with our faces
> set towards Thy Cause, free from aught else but Thee. Bestow, then, Thy
> forgiveness upon us, upon our forefathers, and upon all such as have
> 
> WORKING
> believed in Thee and in Thy mighty signs in this most great, this most
> glorious Revelation. Potent art Thou to do what Thou choosest. Thou
> art, verily, the Most Exalted, the Almighty, the Unconstrained.” 52
> 
> EDITION
> “Praised be Thou, O God, my God! These are the days whereon Thou
> hast enjoined Thy chosen ones, Thy loved ones and Thy servants to
> observe the Fast, which Thou hast made a light unto the people of Thy
> kingdom, even as Thou didst make obligatory prayer a ladder of ascent
> unto those who acknowledge Thy unity. I beg of Thee, O my God,
> by these two mighty pillars, which Thou hast ordained as a glory and
> honor for all mankind, to keep Thy religion safe from the mischief of
> the ungodly and the plotting of every wicked doer. O Lord, conceal not
> the light which Thou hast revealed through Thy strength and Thine
> omnipotence. Assist, then, those who truly believe in Thee with the hosts
> of the seen and the unseen by Thy command and Thy sovereignty. No
> God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.” 53
> 
> “In the Name of Him Who hath been promised in the Books of God, the All-
> Knowing, the All-Informed! The days of fasting have arrived wherein those
> 
> WORKING
> servants who circle round Thy throne and have attained Thy presence have
> fasted. Say: O God of names and creator of heaven and earth! I beg of Thee
> by Thy Name, the All-Glorious, to accept the fast of those who have fasted
> for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy good-pleasure and have carried out
> what Thou hast bidden them in Thy Books and Tablets. I beseech Thee by
> 
> EDITION
> them to assist me in the promotion of Thy Cause and to make me steadfast
> in Thy love, that my footsteps may not slip on account of the clamor of Thy
> creatures. Verily, Thou art powerful over whatsoever Thou willest. No God
> is there but Thee, the Quickener, the All-Powerful, the Most Bountiful, the
> Ancient of Days.” 54
> 
> I’ll close this chapter with a story about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and fasting:
> 
> The early believers in Akka not only observed the Bahá’í Fast, but also
> observed the Muslim 30-day Fast of Ramadan!
> 
> The following beautiful story illustrates how taxing that Fast was on the
> Master, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “The resident believers used to say that the phrase ‘effulgences of the
> Prison’ was a term which had been revealed by the Tongue of Glory
> [Bahá’u’lláh] to characterize the hardships and tribulations associated
> with life in Akka; it had endured among the friends through word of mouth.
> 
> WORKING
> At the beginning these hardships were numerous, but many of them
> disappeared little by little, mainly because of the changes to the
> environment. Others still persisted. The various deadly epidemics,
> which during the time of Bahá’u’lláh’s imprisonment in the barracks
> had annihilated a large number of the inhabitants, had disappeared
> 
> EDITION
> leaving no trace, as had the foul-smelling fumes which had caused
> and spread infectious diseases. Still, one of those ‘effulgences of the
> Prison’ which the passing of time and change in the climate had failed
> to overcome was the assault of the fleas, mosquitoes, flies and ants,
> which confirmed the expression, ‘Blessed the one who is bitten by the
> insects of Akka’. Another was the thirty-day fast, which according to
> the command of Bahá’u’lláh was to be observed until the end of the
> period of incarceration to commemorate the Islamic holy month. Every
> sincere and devoted believer was expected to observe it gladly and of
> his own free will.
> 
> This thirty-day fast, which according to the Islamic calendar is observed
> in the month of Ramadan, continued to be kept until the end of the period
> of imprisonment in 1909 A.D. For the pilgrims and resident believers,
> who led relatively comfortable and peaceful lives, observing the thirty-
> 
> WORKING
> day fast was not a difficult undertaking. But for the blessed person of the
> Centre of the Covenant, whose life was filled with numerous occupations
> and hardships. . . it can be imagined how arduous and exhausting such an
> observance was. This was especially true when in the month of Ramadan
> the Muslims of Akka, including all the government officials, switched their
> 
> EDITION
> nights and days and conveniently slept during the daytime, while at night,
> after breaking the fast and observing the obligatory prayers, they crowded
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s biruni [living room] to while away the night and disturb
> the Master until dawn.
> 
> But that spiritual and heavenly Being had to begin His many tasks before
> the rising of the sun . . . And so in the month of Ramadan no comfort
> was possible for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá; at times even the opportunity to partake of
> the meals did not present itself, and therefore His fast began without any
> breakfast and ended without any dinner. Thus the ‘effulgences of the Most
> Great Prison’ sapped His strength and weakened His body. Many times
> during these days of fasting I saw the Master in such a state of exhaustion
> that I was deeply shaken.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> On one such day He summoned me to His presence in the biruni area.
> As He spoke, signs of melancholy and weariness were apparent in His
> voice. He slowly paced the floor and then began to climb the stairs with
> difficulty. The symptoms of fatigue gave way to expressions of displeasure
> and weariness: ‘I don’t feel well. Yesterday I did not eat any breakfast and
> 
> WORKING
> when the time came to break the fast I had no appetite. Now I need a bit of
> rest.’ As He spoke, His face was so ashen that I became alarmed for His
> well-being. So I boldly exclaimed, ‘It is better for the Master to break the fast.’
> 
> ‘No, it is not proper,’ was ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s reply.
> 
> EDITION
> I persisted. ‘With the way the Master feels, fasting itself is not proper either.’
> 
> ‘It is not important, I will rest awhile,’ responded ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> 
> ‘The believers can not endure to see the Master in such a state of physical
> weakness and exhaustion,’ I remained unyielding.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave an effective and moving explanation in the hope of
> convincing me to relent. It did not work. In fact, it increased my ardour,
> and I continued to try to persuade Him to break the fast. As He would
> not yield, my words became mixed with tears and lamentations. But He
> would not let up.
> 
> Suddenly I realized that I had found a new quality in myself which
> 
> WORKING
> did not allow me to give in, despite all the reasons that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> had offered. And so, stubbornly holding my ground, I told myself,
> ‘Regardless of what may come of this, I will continue to beg, plead
> and implore until I achieve my purpose, for I can no longer behold the
> Beloved of the world in such a condition.’
> 
> EDITION
> While begging and supplicating, strange thoughts crowded my mind. It
> was as if I wished to discover in what light my servitude and devotion to
> that Threshold was regarded in the sight of God. As such, I would consider
> success in this to be a good omen. And so from the very depths of my heart
> I entreated the Most Holy Shrine for assistance.
> 
> Spontaneously these words flowed from my lips, ‘So may I make a suggestion?’
> 
> ‘What do you want me to do?’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá replied.
> 
> Tears streaming from my eyes, I begged Him, ‘Come and for this once break
> your fast, to bring happiness to the heart of a sinful servant of Bahá’u’lláh.’
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> God be praised, I know not where those words came from, but they brought
> such joy to the heart of that quintessence of kindness and love that quite
> loudly He exclaimed,’ Of course, of course, of course.’
> 
> Immediately He called for Nasir and told him, ‘Put some water in the pot
> 
> WORKING
> and boil it and make a cup of tea for me.’ And then He put His blessed hand
> on my shoulder and said, ‘Are you pleased with me now? If you wish, you
> can go back to your tasks now and I will drink the tea and pray for you.’
> 
> Such feelings of joy and ecstasy flooded my being at that moment that I
> 
> EDITION
> was rendered incapable of a reasonable response. Looking at me, ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá remarked, ‘Do you want to be present to see with your own eyes when
> I break my fast? Very well, come and sit down.’ He then withdrew to His
> small office, took up the pen and began to write, as I watched. Aqa Rida
> now came into the presence of the Master for some particular purpose.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá remarked, ‘Today I do not feel well and in response to the
> request of one of the loved ones of God I want to break my fast.’
> 
> As Aqa Rida left the room, the teapot with a single glass and a bowl of
> sugar were brought in. Addressing me, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘Jinab-i-
> Khan, you have performed a praiseworthy service. May God bless you.
> If I had not broken the fast now, I would surely have fallen ill and would
> have been forced to break the fast.’ And with every sip of the tea, He
> bestowed on me other kind and loving words. After that He arose and
> said, ‘Now that I feel better, I will go after my work and will continue
> 
> WORKING
> to pray for you.’
> 
> And then He started down the stairs. In the biruni reception room there
> was no one except the late Aqa Siyyid Ahmad-i-Afnan . . . Addressing
> him, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said, ‘Jinab-i-Afnan, today I was not feeling well and
> 
> EDITION
> intended to rest, but at the request of a beloved friend I have broken my
> fast. I am happy to have done so, for otherwise I would have fallen ill. But
> now I feel well and can continue the work of the Cause.’ Having said this,
> He walked out of the room.
> 
> Jinab-i-Afnan, his eyes shining with the light of pure joy and delight, said,
> ‘God Almighty, who was that “beloved friend”, so that I can sacrifice my life
> for him?’ And I, drunk with manifest victory, exclaimed, ‘It was I, it was I.’
> 
> In brief, rather than any attempt at sacrifice of life, and filled with heavenly
> joy, we embraced each other as our spirits soared. As we did so, I placed in
> the storehouse of my memory the fact that the thirty-day fast truly was an
> ‘effulgence of the Most Great Prison.’” 55
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, p. 134
> 2 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, III
> 
> WORKING
> 3 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Ibid., II
> 4 Ibid., I
> 5 Ibid., I
> 6 http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2001/02/Fasting-Chart.aspx
> 7 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, XIX
> 
> EDITION
> 8 Hermann, Duane L., Fasting, a Bahá’í Handbook (Oxford: George
> Ronald, 1988), p. 44-45
> 9 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 8
> 10 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, [5], p. 21
> 11 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting,
> XXV
> 12 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, [10], p. 22-23
> 13 Ibid., p. 148-149
> 14 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, XIII
> 15 Hermann, Duane L. Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 50
> 16 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, VI
> 17 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Ibid., II
> 18 Ibid., III
> 19 Ibid., IV
> 20 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, I
> 
> WORKING
> 21 Ibid., XIV
> 22 Hermann, Duane L. Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 16-17
> 23 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, IV
> 24 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 38-40
> 25 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, XVI
> 
> EDITION
> 26 Ibid., XV
> 27 Ibid., XVII
> 28 Hermann, Duane L. Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 16
> 29 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 368
> 30 Rumi, Jalal Al-Din, The Essential Rumi (New York: Castle Books,
> 1997), p. 51
> 31 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting,
> XVIII
> 32 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, 93, p. 134
> 33 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, XX
> 34 Ibid., XXI
> 35 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 777, p. 233
> 36 Ibid., 778, p. 233-234
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 37 Langness, David
> http://bahaiteachings.org/the-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
> 38 Hermann, Duane L. Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 55
> 39 Ibid., p. 55-56
> 40 Ibid., p. 16-17
> 
> WORKING
> 41 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 35, p. 70
> 42 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, 25, p. 176-177
> 43 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 1150, p. 342-343
> 44 Ibid., 776, p. 233
> 45 Esslemont, Dr. J.E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 184
> 
> EDITION
> 46 Hermann, Duane, Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 56
> 47 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, III
> 48 Hermann, Duane, Fasting, A Bahá’í Handbook, p. 40
> 49 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLX, p. 337-338
> 50 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, XLVI, p. 67-68
> 51 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 368
> 52 Bahá’u’lláh, The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting,
> Prayers by Bahá’u’lláh, III
> 53 Ibid., V
> 54 Ibid., II
> 55 Afroukteh, Dr. Youness, Memories of Nine Years in Akka (Oxford:
> George Ronald), p. 294-297
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKINGChapter 5
> Detachment, Self-Surrender
> 
> EDITION
> and Sacrifice
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 5
> Detachment, Self-Surrender
> and Sacrifice
> 
> WORKING
> The concepts of detachment, self-surrender and sacrifice are closely
> interwoven in the Bahá’í Revelation and when I began researching the
> concept of “detachment” in the Bahá’í Writings I discovered that detachment
> in its essence means to let go of self, or self-surrender, and to sacrifice
> 
> EDITION
> self. Consequently I included all three concepts in this chapter. Again, I
> will be relying almost completely on the Bahá’í Writings to enhance our
> understanding of this important component of our spiritual growth.
> 
> You may wonder why this is the next topic of the book. In the words of
> Taherzadeh,“In many of His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh has stated that the greatest
> achievement for man is detachment from all things save God. The soul can
> acquire faith and progress towards God to the degree of its detachment
> from this world.” 1
> 
> “Perhaps it may be said that there are few, if any, among Bahá’u’lláh’s
> exhortations which have been stressed so much as detachment from this
> world and from every selfish desire.” 2
> 
> Wikipedia defines detachment as a “state in which a person overcomes his
> 
> WORKING
> or her attachment to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and
> thus attains a heightened perspective.” 3 In the Bahá’í Faith, the ability to
> detach from the things of this world and the “concepts of the world”,4 such
> as pride in our doings and our accomplishments, is a huge achievement
> that enables us to reach a lofty spiritual station.
> 
> EDITION
> Bahá’u’lláh has declared:
> 
> “At one time this sublime Word was heard from the Tongue of Him Who
> is the Possessor of all being and the Lord of the throne on high and of
> earth below–exalted is the glory of His utterance –: Piety and detachment
> are even as two most great luminaries of the heaven of teaching. Blessed
> the one who hath attained unto this supreme station, this habitation of
> transcendent holiness and sublimity.” 5
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that detachment is needed for our divine
> happiness:
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “If thou art seeking after spiritual tranquility, turn thy face at all times
> toward the Kingdom of Abha. If thou art desiring divine joy, free thyself
> from the bands of attachment.” 6
> 
> He explains:
> 
> WORKING
> “Detachment does not consist in setting fire to one’s house, or becoming
> bankrupt or throwing one’s fortune out of the window, or even giving
> away all of one’s possessions. Detachment consists in refraining from
> letting our possessions possess us. A prosperous merchant who is not
> 
> EDITION
> absorbed in his business knows severance. A banker whose occupation
> does not prevent him from serving humanity is severed. A poor man can
> be attached to a small thing.
> 
> A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. One day the poor man
> said to the rich man,’ I want to go to the Holy Land.’ The rich man replied,
> ‘Very good, I will go also,’ and they started from the town and began their
> pilgrimage. But night fell and the poor man said,’ Let us return to our houses
> to pass the night.’ The rich man replied,’ We have started for the Holy Land
> and must not now return.’ The poor man said,’ The Holy Land is a long
> distance to travel on foot. I have a donkey, I will go and fetch it.’ ‘What?’
> replied the rich man,’ are you not ashamed?’ I leave all my possessions to
> go on this pilgrimage and you wish to return to get your donkey! I have
> abandoned with joy my whole fortune. Your whole wealth consists of a
> donkey and you cannot leave it!’ You see that fortune is not necessarily an
> 
> WORKING
> impediment. The rich man who is thus detached is near to reality. There are
> many rich people who are severed and many poor who are not.” 7
> 
> Taherzadeh summarizes the meaning of detachment.“In a nutshell,
> detachment is to submit one’s will to the will of God and to seek His good
> 
> EDITION
> pleasure above one’s own. Therefore, the challenge to every believer in this
> life is detachment from all else save God.” 8
> 
> So being attached to the world refers to anything that gets in the way
> of the soul drawing near to God. Pride in our personal opinions, our
> accomplishments, our knowledge, our social status and our popularity are
> barriers to detachment.9 All the veils and barriers mentioned in Chapter 1
> keep us attached to this material world.
> 
> Detachment is the “renunciation of attachment in order to achieve a greater
> realization of the meaning of creation and of the purpose of life.” 10 Possessing
> the things of this world is only one form of attachment, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> described, and Bahá’u’lláh writes of the dangers therein:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Earthly treasures We have not bequeathed, nor have We added such
> cares as they entail. By God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is
> concealed.” 11
> 
> “Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with
> 
> WORKING
> gold We test Our servants!” 12
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh teaches us that everything in the world is for man to possess
> and enjoy as long as he does not become attached to the pleasures and
> things of this world:
> 
> EDITION
> “Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to
> wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm can
> befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him
> and God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether created in the
> heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as truly believe in Him.
> Eat ye, O people, of the good things which God hath allowed you, and
> deprive not yourselves from His wondrous bounties. Render thanks and
> praise unto Him, and be of them that are truly thankful.” 13
> 
> But He challenges us:
> 
> “He is not to be numbered with the people of Bahá [followers of
> Bahá’u’lláh] who followeth his mundane desires, or fixeth his heart on
> things of the earth. He is My true follower who, if he come to a valley of
> 
> WORKING
> pure gold, will pass straight through it aloof as a cloud, and will neither
> turn back, nor pause. Such a man is, assuredly, of Me. From his garment
> the Concourse on high can inhale the fragrance of sanctity. . . . ” 14
> 
> The Concourse on high refers to holy souls who have gone on to the next
> 
> EDITION
> world.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “. . . We can appreciate without attaching ourselves to the things of this world.
> It sometimes happens that if a man loses his fortune he is so disheartened
> that he dies or becomes insane. While enjoying the things of this world we
> must remember that one day we shall have to do without them.” 15
> 
> But it is often difficult to let these things go. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá notes:
> 
> “Material favors sometimes deprive us of spiritual favors and material
> rest of spiritual rest. A rich man said to Christ,’ I would fain be thy
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> disciple.’ ‘Go and put into practice the Ten Commandments,’ replied
> the Christ. ‘But I know them by heart and have always practiced them.’
> ‘Then sell what thou hast and take up thy cross and follow me.’ The man
> returned to his home.” 16
> 
> WORKING
> Here is a story that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told in Denver about attachment to
> possessions:
> 
> “The Persian friends travel mostly on foot. They sleep whenever they
> get tired. They rest whenever they see a shady tree. Once a person
> 
> EDITION
> came to an Amir. The Amir wished to present him with a gift and with
> insistence gave him a robe. Later, when he became tired, he lay down
> under a tree in the forest with the robe folded under his head. But he
> could not sleep as he repeatedly imagined that a thief was crouching
> nearby to take away the robe. At last he rose, threw the robe away and
> said,’As long as this robe is with me, I shall not find rest. To find rest,
> I must give it up.’ [And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá then said:] How long will you
> desire a robe for your body? Release your body that you may have no
> need for a robe.” 17
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> “O Son of Passion!
> 
> Cleanse thyself from the defilement of riches and in perfect peace advance
> 
> WORKING
> into the realm of poverty; that from the well-spring of detachment thou
> mayest quaff the wine of immortal life.” 18
> 
> A rich man detached from wealth attains such a station that his “splendor…
> shall illuminate the dwellers of heaven even as the sun enlightens the
> 
> EDITION
> people of the earth!” 19
> 
> But this description of detaching from our material things can be interpreted
> to mean renunciation from the world, such as living in a monastery. This is
> not what Bahá’u’lláh means:
> 
> “O people of the earth! Living in seclusion or practising asceticism is not
> acceptable in the presence of God. It behoveth them that are endued with
> insight and understanding to observe that which will cause joy and radiance.
> Such practices as are sprung from the loins of idle fancy and are begotten of
> the womb of superstition ill beseem men of knowledge. In former times and
> more recently some people have been taking up their abodes in the caves of
> the mountains while others have repaired to graveyards at night. Say, give
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ear unto the counsels of this Wronged One . . . Deprive not yourselves of the
> bounties which have been created for your sake.” 20
> 
> We demonstrate our detachment from our possessions by giving them away,
> by being generous or even sacrificial in our giving. Taherzadeh discusses
> 
> WORKING
> two stages of unity, referred to by Bahá’u’lláh in one of His Tablets.21
> One is characterized by generosity, the giving of some of the riches God
> has bestowed upon us to our fellow-men. It is the state of “musavat” or
> equality. The other is characterized by sacrifice. In this state of “muvasat”
> we sacrifice our own needs for others and give them preference, a state
> 
> EDITION
> regarded by Bahá’u’lláh as the “highest and noblest quality in man”.22
> But this preference, He emphasizes, should only be exercised in relation to
> earthly possessions.
> 
> Taherzadeh reminds us that love for oneself is the greatest barrier between
> man and God.23 But we have discussed how difficult it is to detach from
> self, from our lower nature, and to soar above it. We will always slip and
> fall. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us: “. . . self-love is kneaded into the very clay
> of man, and it is not possible that, without any hope of a substantial
> reward, he should neglect his own present material good.” 24
> 
> We live in a material world. We are involved in it and share in its joys and
> sorrows. We eke out a living, raise a family, contribute to its wellbeing
> and try to be of service to others and, beyond that, we strive to better it,
> ultimately helping to build a new world. That is the challenge: to live in the
> 
> WORKING
> material world with our souls soaring in the heavenly realm.
> 
> As a graphic description of detachment Nabil, a great historian of the Bahá’í
> Faith, writes this description of the detachment of the Bahá’ís in Baghdad,
> those who subdued their ego and “demonstrated their utter nothingness
> 
> EDITION
> when they came face to face with their Lord.” 25
> 
> “Many a night . . . no less than ten persons subsisted on no more than a
> pennyworth of dates. No one knew to whom actually belonged the shoes,
> the cloaks, or the robes that were found in their houses. Whoever went
> to the bazaar could claim that the shoes upon his feet were his own, and
> each one who entered the presence of Bahá’u’lláh could affirm that the
> cloak and robe he then wore belonged to him. Their own names they had
> forgotten, their hearts were emptied of aught else except adoration for
> their Beloved. . . . ” 26
> 
> We may at times feel frustrated because we want to attain a level of
> detachment from the things of this world but we find ourselves behaving
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> at times in an “unspiritual” manner, an experience with which I’m very
> familiar. I have gained awareness of it over a period of years and by
> reading many books and I need to strive daily to make improvements in my
> behavior. But it is something commonly experienced. It can be a particular
> situation in which we respond negatively every time it occurs. Nothing
> 
> WORKING
> seems to help and we feel stuck. I am talking about situations in which we
> are “triggered”. Something happens to unsettle us or someone unsettles us
> and it takes us back to another time, to something that happened previously
> that was uncomfortable. If we have difficulty in a particular situation or
> with a particular person (the personality characteristics of that person), we
> 
> EDITION
> will always be hindered in our attempts to respond in a spiritual manner.
> And we will certainly not be detached. We will be for a time period totally
> self- absorbed and attached to our emotions. It is not easy to deal with such
> a situation and it requires honest self-examination and courage to make the
> effort to change.
> 
> I feel very fortunate to have encountered a book that addresses this issue in
> a way that can be meaningful to those of us who are fighting this spiritual
> battle. The book is Taking the Leap by Pema Chodron, an American
> Buddhist nun. Chodron’s method is taken from Buddhist teachings. There
> is much more in her book than I am describing here and what follows, I
> feel, may be rather a simplistic version of what she is teaching. But it serves
> to provide the basis of dealing with a very important issue that affects our
> lives. Chodron refers to attachment or being hooked as “shenpa”. It works
> like this. For example, someone says something in a way that we perceive
> to be harsh and we tighten up – we’re hooked. A slight, uneasy feeling or
> 
> WORKING
> tightening of the stomach of jaw muscles can quickly evolve and demonstrate
> itself through “lashing out” with negative, possibly harsh words or gestures
> of dismissal (blaming the other person) or through withdrawal and silence
> as we belittle ourselves for our reaction.27 It’s personal. What someone
> 
> EDITION
> said gets to us. It triggers us. It may not bother someone else but it touches
> us in a sore place. If we’re criticized for what we believe in, our actions
> or our appearance, we may be triggered.28 We feel lonely and “shenpa”
> is there.29 We feel discomfort, or feel restless or bored – any insecurity –
> “shenpa” clicks in.30 It’s not necessary to figure out why we get trapped in
> a particular situation.31 We just need to figure out how to get out of it so that
> it doesn’t interfere with our ability to function and be the spiritual beings
> that we are. Generally we choose short-term gratification and stay stuck
> in the cycle.32 And then we find a way to help cope with the discomfort,
> something that has become a habit such as overeating, escaping or looking
> for some pleasurable experience, something to ease the pain or numb us
> in some way. (I use overeating and escape as two possibilities because I
> know them both very well!) But if we can pause and breathe, we can see
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> the consequences and stay in the uncomfortable feelings. We can be kind
> and patient with ourselves and remain open and curious about what will
> happen next.33 As one of Chodron’s masters points out, “you may find a
> particular feeling intolerable, but instead of acting on that you could come
> to know intolerableness very,very well.” 34
> 
> WORKING
> Chodron gives us three steps to follow to move out of our old pattern:
> 
> 1.        “Acknowledge that you’re hooked.
> 2.        Pause, take three conscious breaths, and lean in . . . to the energy.
> 
> EDITION
> Experience it fully . . . Get curious about it . . . What thoughts does it
> give birth to?. . . Keep breathing . . . Stay awake and compassionate,
> interrupting the momentum and refraining from causing harm. Just do
> not speak, do not act, and feel your energy . . . embrace it.
> 3. . . . Relax and move on. Just go on with your life so that the practice
> doesn’t become a big deal . . .” 35
> 
> At first, we may only be able to abide the unpleasantness and pull ourselves out
> for brief moments before habit takes over.36 We can begin practicing with small
> irritations, like being in traffic.37 Eventually we’ll be able to deal with more
> personal difficulties by keeping our sense of humour and persisting. Some
> things may keep coming back and triggering our same feelings. It is easy then
> to feel discouraged and upset with ourselves. But, as Chodron points out,
> we need to acknowledge our courage and respond with loving-kindness
> towards ourselves and eventually our insight will lead to humility as well as
> 
> WORKING
> compassion for everyone else as we all deal with these same difficulties!38
> 
> So we have something that may help us with “triggers”. But our degree of
> detachment is tested on a daily basis. Here is a story told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> to illustrate this point:
> 
> EDITION
> “The King decided to go on a Royal Tour of his kingdom. Preparations
> started immediately and within a few days the magnificent procession was
> ready to leave. The ministers of the King’s government, ambassadors and
> diplomats, courtiers and men of importance, soldiers and bandsmen, all
> splendid in their finery, set out to accompany the King. And, of course, the
> faithful Ios rode alongside his beloved master at the front of the throng.
> 
> Each evening the splendid party made camp and the wonderful imperial
> tent was erected for the King. This tent was the most beautiful and precious
> tent you have ever seen – woven from the finest silk, it was decorated with
> hundreds of jewels and precious stones, which so shone and sparkled .
> . . one day, as the King and his retinue were making their way through
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> some especially beautiful countryside, the King remembered that he had
> passed this way before. It had been on this very stretch of road, years ago,
> that he had first glanced upon the adoring face of his faithful Ios.
> 
> In gratitude for that meeting the King, seized of a sudden impulse, took
> the box of jewels and cast them on the road.
> 
> WORKING
> As the procession went on its way the King looked back to see all his
> followers, all except Ios, forgetful of their duty, scrambling on the ground
> in great confusion trying to gather up the precious stones.
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Look at Ios,’ they muttered to each other, ‘see how proud he is, he even
> despises the King’s jewels and makes no effort to pick them up.’
> 
> ‘How is it, Ios,’ the King asked him, ‘that you do not join the others to
> gather up the jewels? Are they not precious? Do you despise the very
> things that were mine?’
> 
> ‘O my King,’ replied Ios, ‘never in my life have I despised the least thing
> that is yours. But to be near you and gaze on your face has always been
> more than sufficient for me. Why should I leave your side to scramble for
> what you have thrown away?’
> 
> And the loyal and steadfast Ios rode on by the side of his grateful master,
> his gaze never for a moment leaving the face of his beloved King.” 39
> 
> WORKING
> How is it possible for us to become detached from our possessions, from
> titles, our educational level, our popularity, when everything and everyone
> in our society asks us to be the person who has the beautiful house by
> the ocean (as an example), to strive to be the manager of the company
> 
> EDITION
> rather than a “lowly” (but happy) employee, to get a PhD to have the
> competitive edge, and to accumulate “friends” on Facebook! It may be
> difficult to sway us from our path as spiritual beings but we can still be
> influenced to follow these values because we cannot forget for one moment
> that we have an animal nature. It is always ready to goad us and remind us
> that we are fallible and prone to error. I remember having a conversation
> with a colleague who was attempting to establish his suitability to work
> with youth on a particular project by relating at some length his academic
> achievements for the job. Even as I was thinking that there were other
> important qualifications for the job, I found myself describing my own
> educational background, thereby justifying my ability to do the job! I, like
> him, was taking pride in my educational background! Yes, it is easy to fall
> into the mire of attachment.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> At the end of the chapter I have given some suggestions that may be of
> assistance in practicing detachment and sacrifice. And I am reiterating the
> point that I’ve already discussed in this book that it is really important to be
> aware of the times we slip, to call ourselves to account and to try to do better
> next time, but being gentle and forgiving with ourselves, remembering that
> 
> WORKING
> we have all of eternity to get it right! We just need to make a start and
> work at it a little at a time and we will make progress. As long as we are
> aware and we are striving to achieve our spiritual goals through prayer and
> meditation, we will become more detached from this world and attracted
> more and more to the spiritual realm. As Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> EDITION
> “The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts
> of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand
> as witness before Him.” 40
> 
> “Say: Deliver your souls, O people, from the bondage of self, and purify
> them from all attachment to anything besides Me. Remembrance of Me
> cleanseth all things from defilement, could ye but perceive it.” 41
> 
> One way to detach from this world is to remember how quickly this life
> passes us by, as Bahá’u’lláh explains:
> 
> “Know ye that the world and its vanities and its embellishments shall
> pass away. Nothing will endure except God’s Kingdom which pertaineth
> to none but Him, the Sovereign Lord of all . . . The days of your life shall
> 
> WORKING
> roll away and all the things with which ye are occupied and of which ye
> boast yourselves shall perish. . .” 42
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reiterates:
> 
> EDITION
> “These brief days shall pass away, this present life shall vanish from
> our sight; the roses of this world shall be fresh and fair no more, the
> garden of this earth’s triumphs and delights shall drop and fade . . . And
> therefore is none of this worth loving at all, and to this the wise will not
> anchor his heart.” 43
> 
> “. . . Attach not thyself to anything unless in it thou seest the reality of
> God – this is the first step into the court of eternity. The earth life lasts
> but a short time, even its benefits are transitory; that which is temporary
> does not deserve our heart’s attachment.” 44
> 
> God created the world and all that is therein for man’s benefit. But he
> must be careful not to allow all the earth’s resources and wealth and all
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> its pleasures to become a barrier keeping him from drawing near to God.
> Taherzadeh 45 explains that man can be detached from worldly things if
> he lives according to the Teachings of God and makes them the centre of
> his life so that all other interests come secondary to his faith. In this case,
> because his faith is the prime motivating force of his life, everything he
> 
> WORKING
> does in his daily life is in harmony with the Teachings. When he attains
> this station, the interests of his fellow- men supersede his own personal
> interests. He reaches the summit in his detachment when he is ready to
> meet any challenge in service for his faith. But the process of becoming
> detached from the material world can be painful, involving sacrifice. When
> 
> EDITION
> a believer can sacrifice something important to him for the faith and in
> service for mankind, he makes progress spiritually.
> 
> And so we come to the concept of sacrifice. We detach from the material
> world and surrender ourselves to His Will. Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> “Say: Even should ye tear our bodies asunder, ye could not banish from
> our hearts the love of God. We were of a truth created for sacrifice, and
> in this do we take pride before all creation.” 46
> 
> We were created for sacrifice. To be truly who we are as noble beings we
> need to sacrifice.
> 
> We are asked to sacrifice our “abilities, talents and possessions in the
> Path of God.” 47 We are asked to sacrifice everything.
> 
> WORKING
> “We must know the value of this and sacrifice ourselves entirely; nay,
> we must forget ourselves. We must wish for no rest and seek no joy. We
> must seek no name nor fame, no ease, amplitude nor convenience; nay,
> we must sacrifice everything in order that we may be clad in the kingdom
> 
> EDITION
> of immortality.” 48
> 
> A synonym for “amplitude” is “abundance”. We are asked to sacrifice our lives:
> 
> “The wish of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, that which attracts His good pleasure
> and, indeed, His binding command, is that Bahá’ís, in all matters,
> even in small daily transactions and dealings with others, should act
> in accordance with the divine Teachings. He has commanded us not
> to be content with lowliness, humility and meekness, but rather to
> become manifestations of selflessness and utter nothingness. Of old,
> all have been exhorted to loyalty and fidelity, compassion and love;
> in this supreme Dispensation, the people of Bahá are called upon
> to sacrifice their very lives. Notice the extent to which the friends
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> have been required in the Sacred Epistles and Tablets, as well as in
> our Beloved’s Testament, to be righteous, well-wishing, forbearing,
> sanctified, pure, detached from all else save God, severed from the
> trappings of this world and adorned with the mantle of a goodly
> character and godly attributes. 49
> 
> WORKING
> “The souls who sacrifice self, become detached from the imperfections
> of the realm of man and free from the shackles of this ephemeral world,
> assuredly the splendors of the rays of divine union shall shine in their
> hearts and in the eternal paradise they shall find ideal relationship,
> 
> EDITION
> union and happiness.” 50
> 
> Taherzadeh explains further:
> 
> “To cite one example: some of the laws which govern the life of a tree
> are similar to those in the life of man. A tree thrusts its roots into the soil
> from which it receives its nourishment and upon which it depends for its
> existence. But the tree itself, its trunk, branches and leaves grow in the
> opposite direction. As if it dislikes the soil, the tree moves away from it.
> This is similar to the state of detachment from material things in the world
> of man when the soul aspires to spiritual things and away from earthly
> desires. By moving in the opposite direction the tree receives the rays of
> the sun and as a result it will blossom and bear fruit. Of course, the growth
> of a tree is involuntary; it is dictated by nature. But supposing the tree had
> a choice; what a difference it would have made if, feeling an attachment
> 
> WORKING
> for the soil, it had inclined its branches and leaves towards the earth and
> buried itself in the ground! Then it would have rotted away and been
> deprived of the life-giving rays of the sun.
> 
> The same principle is true of man, for he has to live in this material
> 
> EDITION
> world and is entirely dependent upon this earth for his existence. His
> soul, however, ought to become detached from the material world and
> turn instead towards spiritual things. But unlike the plant, which has no
> control over its growth and development, man has been given the power
> to determine his own destiny. He has been given free will and can choose
> the direction in which he wants to move. If he focuses his attention only on
> material things and becomes attached to this world and its vanities, pomp
> and glory, his soul will remain in relative darkness. But if like a tree, he
> does not direct all his affection towards material things, and reaches a
> state of detachment from this world and allows his soul to aspire towards
> heavenly qualities, he could then receive the rays of the sun of Truth – the
> Manifestation of God. Then and only then can his soul produce a fruit and
> give birth to the spirit of faith which is the ultimate purpose of creation.” 51
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses the analogy of a seed becoming a fruit to explain such
> detachment and sacrifice:
> 
> “. . . If you plant a seed in the ground, a tree will become manifest from
> that seed. The seed sacrifices itself to the tree that will come from it. The
> seed is outwardly lost, destroyed; but the same seed which is sacrificed
> 
> WORKING
> will be absorbed and embodied in the tree, its blossoms, fruits and
> branches. If the identity of that seed had not been sacrificed to the tree
> which became manifest from it, no branches, blossoms or fruits would
> have been forthcoming. . . . ” 52
> 
> EDITION
> The seed must completely disintegrate in the soil before a tree is
> produced. It is amazing to contemplate how a tiny insignificant
> seed can through complete sacrifice be transformed into a small
> sapling and eventually a tree with branches and flowers, and then
> fruit. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that Christ sacrificed Himself for the
> tree of Christianity. He disappeared like a seed disappears, but His
> qualities and perfections were manifest in the Christian community.
> He sacrificed Himself that the tree of Christianity would grow. 53
> 
> He also explains:
> 
> “. . . The moth is a sacrifice to the candle. The spring is a sacrifice to
> the thirsty one. The sincere lover is a sacrifice to the loved one and the
> longing one is a sacrifice to the beloved . . . Man must become severed
> 
> WORKING
> from the human world, be delivered from the contingent gloominess, the
> illumination of mercifulness must shine and radiate in him, the nether
> world become as non-existent and the Kingdom become manifest. He
> must become like unto the iron thrown within the furnace of fire. The
> qualities of iron, such as blackness, coldness and solidity which belong
> 
> EDITION
> to the earth disappear and vanish while the characteristics of fire, such
> as redness, glowing and heat, which belong to the Kingdom become
> apparent and visible. Therefore, iron hath sacrificed its qualities and
> grades to the fire, acquiring the virtues of that element . . .” 54
> 
> In a talk in North America, referring to the significance of sacrifice,
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> “. . . It is the principle that a reality sacrifices its own characteristics.
> Man must sever himself from the influences of the world of matter, from
> the world of nature and its laws; for the material world is the world of
> corruption and death. It is the world of evil and darkness, of animalism
> and ferocity, bloodthirstiness, ambition and avarice, of self-worship,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> egotism and passion; it is the world of nature. Man must strip himself
> of all these imperfections, must sacrifice these tendencies which are
> peculiar to the outer and material world of existence. On the other hand,
> man must acquire heavenly qualities and attain divine attributes. He
> must become the image and likeness of God. He must seek the bounty
> of the eternal, become the manifestor of the love of God, the light of
> 
> WORKING
> guidance, the tree of life and the depository of the bounties of God. That
> is to say, man must sacrifice the qualities and attributes of the world of
> nature for the qualities and attributes of the world of God.” 55
> 
> EDITION
> And so we return once more to the theme of this book – to “let go” of the
> insistent self and to live as spiritual beings. It seems to me that there are
> three aspects of self-sacrifice which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to in His Writings.
> One is to give up personal pleasures for the sake of Bahá’u’lláh. Another
> is to be detached from self, our animal nature. And the third is to sacrifice
> our will for God’s will.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told the friends in Paris:
> 
> “Detachment does not imply lack of means; it is marked by the freedom
> of the heart. In Tihran, we possessed everything at a nightfall, and on
> the morrow we were shorn of it all, to the extent that we had no food to
> eat. I was hungry, but there was no bread to be had. My mother poured
> some flour into the palm of my hand and I ate that instead of bread. Yet,
> we were contented.” 56
> 
> WORKING
> So one of the secrets of detachment is being content:
> 
> “O Quintessence of Passion!
> 
> EDITION
> Put away all covetousness and seek contentment, for the covetous hath ever
> been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised.” 57
> 
> “Contentment is real wealth. If one develops within himself the quality
> of contentment he will become independent. Contentment is the creator
> of happiness. When one is contented he does not care either for riches or
> poverty. He lives above the influence of them and is indifferent to them.” 58
> 
> And in His Words of Wisdom, Bahá’u’lláh states,“ The source of all glory
> is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord hath bestowed, and contentment
> with that which God hath ordained.” 59
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh compares the soul to a bird:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Know also that the soul is endowed with two wings: should it soar in
> the atmosphere of love and contentment, then it will be related to the
> All-Merciful. And should it fly in the atmosphere of self and desire, then
> it will pertain to the Evil One . . .” [our lower nature or insistent self] 60
> 
> WORKING
> And remember that the traveller passes through the Valley of Contentment
> and becomes inwardly rich and endowed with spiritual strength. In the
> final station, the Valley of True Poverty and Utter Nothingness, he becomes
> totally detached and free from his captivity in this world.
> 
> EDITION
> Many of the Bábis, the followers of The Báb, were given the choice
> between sacrificing their lives for their beliefs and recanting their faith,
> thus demonstrating the ultimate detachment and sacrifice. And they had
> the fortitude and power of faith that may seem incomprehensible to us.
> Taherzadeh discusses the dilemma such a believer faces:
> 
> “If at that moment of decision he is unable to sever himself from the
> things of the world, from its delights and pleasures, or from the joys and
> contentment of life at home where he could continue to live among his
> loved ones, then such a person remains fully attached to this world and
> consequently severs his connection with Bahá’u’lláh. It is at this point
> under the threat of death that the individual becomes deprived of the
> sustaining power of Bahá’u’lláh, and as a result becomes filled with such
> fear that he will recant his faith in order to save his life. . .
> 
> WORKING
> This barrier [attachment to this world]. . . stops the flow of divine power
> to the human soul and denudes the individual of the mantle of courage and
> faith . . . if the believer at the hour of his gravest test decides not to barter
> the precious gift of his faith for this transitory life, such a person reaches
> the pinnacle of detachment. This is the absolute limit, for there can be no
> 
> EDITION
> greater detachment than to give one’s life . . . [By] becoming completely
> detached from this world, he becomes filled with such powers from on
> high as to become a spiritual giant. The confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh will
> instantly descend on him and will surround and strengthen him.” 61
> 
> I’m sure this passage will give us much to ponder as we think about the
> many believers who have given up their lives for their beloved faith. And
> perhaps we may have a glimmering of understanding about their ability to
> do so. It is probably very difficult for us to relate to martyrdom for the sake
> of one’s religion. And in fact Bahá’u’lláh has exhorted His followers that
> they should teach the Bahá’í Faith rather than seeking martyrdom. He has
> exalted teaching to the level of martyrdom. Taherzadeh explains that in one
> of His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh has stated explicitly that in His Dispensation
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> it is preferred that an individual should teach the Cause with wisdom to
> those who are interested rather than give up his life.62
> ----------------------------------------------------
> 
> I am now turning to a study of The Hidden Words as part of our discussion
> 
> WORKING
> because so much of this work of Bahá’u’lláh’s relates to our theme.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh’s chief aim in The Hidden Words “is to detach man from this
> mortal world and to protect his soul from its greatest enemy, himself.” 63
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá urged one of the believers in a Tablet addressed to him to
> 
> EDITION
> “peruse the verses of The Hidden Words by day and night, and to supplicate
> God to enable him to carry out the exhortations of the Blessed Beauty.” 64
> So we would be wise to meditate upon His counsels in this treasury and use
> them as a guide for all our actions.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us that we need to cast out the “stranger”, man’s attachment
> to the world, and turn to God:
> 
> “O My Friend in Word!
> 
> Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and foe should abide in one
> heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend may enter His home.” 65
> 
> And He says:
> 
> WORKING
> “O Son of Spirit!
> 
> There is no peace for thee save by renouncing thyself and turning unto
> Me; for it behooveth thee to glory in My name, not in thine own; to put
> thy trust in Me and not in thyself, since I desire to be loved alone and
> 
> EDITION
> above all that is.” 66
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
> 
> “Regarding the statement in The Hidden Words, that man must renounce
> his own self, the meaning is that he must renounce his inordinate desires,
> his selfish purposes and the promptings of his human self, and seek out the
> holy breathings of the spirit, and follow the yearnings of his higher self, and
> immerse himself in the sea of sacrifice, with his heart fixed upon the beauty
> of the All-Glorious . . . he should not seek out anything whatever for his own
> self in this swiftly-passing life, but that he should cut the self away, that is,
> he should yield up the self and all its concerns on the field of martyrdom, at
> the time of the coming of the Lord.” 67
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O Son of Earth!
> 
> Wouldst thou have Me, seek none other than Me; and wouldst thou gaze
> upon My beauty, close thine eyes to the world and all that is therein; for
> My will and the will of another than Me, even as fire and water, cannot
> 
> WORKING
> dwell together in one heart.” 68
> 
> As Taherzadeh explains,69 when we recognize Bahá’u’lláh as the Manifestation
> for this Day we become humble before Him. Humility is an important
> prerequisite so that we can drive the “stranger” gradually out of our hearts.
> 
> EDITION
> “. . . Humble thyself before Me, that I may graciously visit thee,” 70
> Bahá’u’lláh admonishes us.
> 
> Taherzadeh recounts a Persian story to illustrate the degree of detachment
> needed in our lives and the heights of humility we can reach:
> 
> The story is about “a drop of rain falling down from the clouds. The drop
> knows itself to be the water of life, the most precious element that God
> had created, and so it is proud of itself. Boasting all the way down, it
> suddenly sees that it is falling into an ocean, whereupon it recognizes its
> own insignificance and exclaims: ‘If this exists then what am I?’ When the
> ocean hears this expression of humility it attracts the drop to itself and, as
> a reward, makes it a companion of the pearl.” 71
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> WORKING
> “Our requirements of faithfulness is that thou mayest sacrifice thyself
> and, in the divine path, close thine eyes to every pleasure and strive with
> all thy soul that thou mayest disappear and be lost, like unto a drop, in
> the ocean of the love of God.” 72
> 
> EDITION
> Also in The Hidden Words Bahá’u’lláh says:
> 
> “. . . Prefer not your will to Mine, never desire that which I have not
> desired for you, and approach Me not with lifeless hearts, defiled with
> worldly desires and cravings…73
> 
> And He teaches us how we should relate to this mortal world:
> 
> “O Friends!
> 
> Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set
> not your affections on this mortal world of dust.” 74
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And to the “prison of self”:
> 
> “O My Servant!
> 
> Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the
> prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.” 75
> 
> WORKING
> To achieve this detachment from everything save God we need to
> continually beseech Him in prayer:
> 
> EDITION
> “O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit.
> This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.” 76
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us in the closing words of the Persian Hidden Words:
> 
> “Let it now be seen what your endeavours in the path of detachment will
> reveal.” 77
> 
> The Hidden Words are truly a guide for detachment and self-surrender.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh states that recognizing the truth depends on detachment from
> the world:
> 
> “No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding
> except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth . . .
> 
> WORKING
> The essence of these words is this: they that tread the path of faith, they
> that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is
> earthly – their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their
> hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth.
> 
> EDITION
> They should put their trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow
> in His way. They will then be made worthy of the effulgent glories of the
> sun of divine knowledge and understanding, and become the recipients
> of a grace that is infinite and unseen . . .” 78
> 
> We need to surrender ourselves and put ourselves in God’s hands. And
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us about the station of self-surrender:
> 
> “O Shaykh, O thou who hast surrendered thy will to God! By selfsurrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge
> their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter
> nothingness beside His Purpose. Whatsoever the Creator commandeth
> His creatures to observe, the same must they diligently, and with the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> utmost joy and eagerness, arise and fulfil. They should in no wise allow
> their fancy to obscure their judgment, neither should they regard their
> own imaginings as the voice of the Eternal. In the Prayer of Fasting
> We have revealed: ‘Should Thy Will decree that out of Thy mouth these
> words proceed and be addressed unto them, “Observe, for My Beauty’s
> sake, the fast, O people, and set no limit to its duration,” I swear by the
> 
> WORKING
> majesty of Thy glory, that every one of them will faithfully observe it,
> will abstain from whatsoever will violate Thy law, and will continue to
> do so until they yield up their souls unto Thee.’ In this consisteth the
> complete surrender of one’s will to the Will of God. Meditate on this, that
> 
> EDITION
> thou mayest drink in the waters of everlasting life which flow through
> the words of the Lord of all mankind, and mayest testify that the one
> true God hath ever been immeasurably exalted above His creatures. He,
> verily, is the Incomparable, the Ever-Abiding, the Omniscient, the All-
> Wise. The station of absolute self-surrender transcendeth, and wilt ever
> remain exalted above, every other station.” 79
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh then tells us that we need to consecrate ourselves:
> 
> “It behoveth thee to consecrate thyself to the Will of God. Whatsoever
> hath been revealed in His Tablets is but a reflection of His Will. So
> complete must be thy consecration, that every trace of worldly desire will
> be washed from thine heart.” 80
> 
> Consecration, according to the dictionary, means dedication to a goal or
> 
> WORKING
> service and implies something sacred, involving sacrifice, something that
> may be more important than life or death. Until the sacrifice of self is
> made, an individual has no power against the force of inertia. ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá tells us:
> 
> EDITION
> “You must ever press forward, never standing still, avoid stagnation, the
> first step to a backward movement, to decay.” 81
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi refers to it as a natural phenomenon which we must fight:
> 
> “. . . manfully struggle against the natural inertia that weighs him down
> in his effort to arise, shed heroically and irrevocably, the trivial and
> superfluous attachments which hold him back . . .” 82
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh describes the qualities of a true seeker:
> 
> “But, O my brother, when a true seeker determines to take the step of
> search in the path leading to the knowledge of the Ancient of Days [God],
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> he must, before all else, cleanse and purify his heart, which is the seat of
> the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all
> acquired knowledge, and the allusion of the embodiments of satanic fancy.
> He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the
> beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to
> water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so
> 
> WORKING
> cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein,
> lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from
> the truth . . . That seeker must at all times put his trust in God, must renounce
> the peoples of the earth, detach himself from the world of dust, and cleave
> 
> EDITION
> unto Him Who is the Lord of Lords.” 83
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarifies this passage:
> 
> “. . . the seeker must be endowed with certain qualities. First of all, he
> must be just and severed from all else save God; his heart must be entirely
> turned to the supreme horizon; he must be free from the bondage of self
> and passion, for all these are obstacles. Furthermore, he must be able
> to endure all hardships. He must be absolutely pure and sanctified, and
> free from the love or the hatred of the inhabitants of the world. Why?
> Because the fact of his love for any person or thing might prevent him
> from recognizing the truth in another, and, in the same way, hatred for
> anything might be a hindrance in discerning truth. This is the condition
> of seeking, and the seeker must have these qualities and attributes. Until
> he reaches this condition, it is not possible for him to attain to the Sun
> 
> WORKING
> of Reality.[God] 84
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh exhorts humanity to “. . . conduct themselves in such a
> manner that the earth upon which they tread may never be allowed to
> address to them such words as these, ‘I am to be preferred above you. For
> 
> EDITION
> witness, how patient I am in bearing the burden which the husbandman
> layeth upon me. I am the instrument which continually imparteth unto
> all beings the blessings with which He Who is the Source of all grace
> hath entrusted me. Nothwithstanding the honour conferred upon me,
> and the unnumbered evidences of my wealth- a wealth that supplieth the
> needs of all creation – behold the measure of my humility, witness with
> what absolute submissiveness I allow myself to be trodden beneath the
> feet of men. . .” 85
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us how to reach that station:
> 
> “We must strive to attain to that condition by being separated from all
> things and from the people of the world and by turning to God alone.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> It will take some effort on the part of man to attain to that condition,
> but he must work for it, strive for it. We can attain to it by thinking and
> caring less for material things and more for the spiritual. The further we
> go from the one, the nearer we are to the other. The choice is ours. Our
> spiritual perception, our inward sight must be opened, so that we can see
> the signs and traces of God’s spirit in everything. Everything can reflect
> 
> WORKING
> to us the light of the Spirit.” 86
> 
> And again:
> 
> EDITION
> “If thou seekest to be intoxicated with the cup of the Most Mighty
> Gift, cut thyself from the world and be quit of self and desire.
> Exert thyself night and day until spiritual powers may penetrate
> thy heart and soul. Abandon the body and the material, until
> the merciful powers may become manifest, because not until the
> soil is become pure will it develop through the heavenly bounty;
> not until the heart is purified, will the radiance of the Sun of Truth
> shine therein. I beg of God that thou wilt day by day increase the
> purity of thy heart, the cheerfulness of thy soul, the light of thy
> insight and the search for Truth.” 87
> 
> But it is definitely not an easy task to detach ourselves and it is a mighty
> challenge, as Bahá’u’lláh points out:
> 
> “This is not a Cause which may be made a plaything for your idle fancies,
> 
> WORKING
> nor is it a field for the foolish and faint of heart. By God, this is the arena
> of insight and detachment, of vision and upliftment, where none may
> spur on their chargers save the valiant horsemen of the Merciful, who
> have severed all attachment to the world of being.” 88
> 
> EDITION
> -------------------------------------
> 
> Every word, every look, every action of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the epitome
> of selflessness and sacrifice. By studying His life, we can be inspired to
> emulate in some small measure the selflessness He epitomized.
> 
> “The first person singular seldom crept into the Master’s speech. He once
> told a group of New York friends that in the future the words ‘I’ and ‘Me’
> and ‘Mine’ would be regarded as profane.” 89
> 
> “…He disliked photographs of Himself, permitting them only to satisfy
> His friends. ‘But to have a picture of oneself,’ He said, ‘is to emphasize the
> personality, which is merely the lamp, and is quite unimportant. The light
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> burning within the lamp has the only real significance.’” 90
> “. . . He desired no name or title except that of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá – the Servant
> of God. He forbade pilgrims to fall at His feet. In the early days in Akka,
> He cooked for His fellow prisoners, and later, when entertaining visitors at
> His table, He sometimes served His guests Himself . . .” 91
> 
> WORKING
> “When Bahá’u’lláh lived at Bahji – and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at Akka – the Master
> would visit His Father once a week. He liked to do this on foot and when
> asked why He did not ride to Bahji He responded by asking, . .’who am
> I that I should ride where the Lord Christ walked?’ However, His Father
> 
> EDITION
> requested Him to ride, so in order to comply the Master rode out of Akka,
> but when He sighted Bahá’u’lláh’s Mansion, He dismounted.” 92
> 
> “. . . Once, wealthy visitors from the West planned an elaborate pre-meal,
> hand-washing scene for Him – it included a page boy, a clean bowl with
> ‘crystal water’ and even a scented towel! When the Master saw the group
> walking across the lawn, He knew their purpose. He hurried to a small
> water-trough, washed as usual and then wiped His hands on the cloth of
> the gardener. . . . ” 93
> 
> We also have the example of Shoghi Effendi:
> 
> “Shoghi Effendi’s selflessness was not only outstanding but exemplary. He
> never placed his personal interests or desires ahead of his functions as
> Guardian. Those who were near to him inevitably felt that his life was
> 
> WORKING
> something to be fully expended in the service of God and humanity, in
> a dedication unlike that of any other human being. When close to him I
> always felt the powerful process of his sublimation to the reality of the
> unseen world, while his body was there, near to me, like a visible, finelytuned musical instrument whose melodies, imperceptible to the human ear,
> 
> EDITION
> vibrated unseen through the ether.
> 
> He was always ready to give comfort, verbally or in writing, to
> encourage, to praise and to stimulate to such a degree that one felt
> the urge to place at his disposal life, time and possessions within
> the range of one’s capacity and emotional exaltation. This was the
> essence of his detachment from worldly things. The less he thought
> of himself, the higher he soared in the sphere of spiritual authority
> and prestige. This was perhaps the secret of his tremendous
> attraction and influence upon those who came close to him.” 94
> 
> -----------------
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Let us now continue our discussion of sacrifice.
> 
> We have already discussed the need to sacrifice everything for God. The
> Bahá’í Writings state this clearly:
> 
> “That individual, however, who puts his faith in God and believes in the
> 
> WORKING
> words of God – because he is promised and certain of a plentiful reward
> in the next life, and because worldly benefits as compared to the abiding
> joy and glory of future planes of existence are nothing to him – will
> for the sake of God abandon his own peace and profit and will freely
> 
> EDITION
> consecrate his heart and soul to the common good. ‘A man, too, there is
> who selleth his very self out of desire to please God.’” 95
> 
> “The essence of all exhortation is that thou shouldst abandon thyself and
> sacrifice life, body and heart for the Beloved One of the world.” 96
> 
> “O my brother! A pure heart is like unto a mirror; polish it with the purity
> of love and severance from all else save God, until the ideal sun may
> reflect therein, and the eternal morn may dawn. Then wilt thou find clear
> and manifest the meaning of: ‘Neither doth My earth nor My heaven
> occupy Me, but the heart of My faithful servant occupieth Me’ – and wilt
> take thy life in thy hands and sacrifice it, with a thousand longings, to
> the new Beloved.” 97
> 
> And we sacrifice for our fellow humans:
> 
> WORKING
> “Sacrifice thyself for the well-being of the people and be thou a kind
> comforter to all the inhabitants of the world.” 98
> 
> “ . . . we also must strive in this pathway of love and service, sacrificing life
> 
> EDITION
> and possessions, passing our days in devotion, consecrating our efforts
> wholly to the cause of God, so that, God willing, the ensign of universal
> religion may be uplifted in the world of mankind and the oneness of the
> world of humanity be established.” 99
> 
> And here is the prescription, what it means to sacrifice:
> 
> “Man must become evanescent in God, . . . must forget his own selfish
> conditions that he may thus arise to the station of sacrifice. It should
> be to such a degree that if he sleep, it should not be for pleasure, but
> to rest the body in order to do better, to speak better, to explain more
> beautifully, to serve the servants of God and to prove the truths. When
> he remains awake, he should seek to be attentive, serve the Cause of God
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and sacrifice his own stations for those of God. When he attains to this
> station, the confirmations of the Holy Spirit will surely reach him, and
> man with this power can withstand all who inhabit the earth.” 100
> 
> “O maid-servant of God! It is incumbent upon thee, since thou hast
> 
> WORKING
> attained the knowledge of God and His love, to sacrifice thy spirit and all thy
> conditions for the life of the world, bearing every difficulty for the comfort of
> the souls, sinking to the depth of the sea of ordeals for the sake of the love of
> faithfulness and burning with the fire of torture and regret like unto a lamp
> while the light is shining from thee unto the surroundings.
> 
> EDITION
> O maid-servant of God! The mystery of sacrifice is that man should
> sacrifice all his conditions for the divine station of God. The station of
> God is mercy, kindness, forgiveness, sacrifice, favor, grace and giving life
> to the spirits and lighting the fire of His love in the hearts and arteries. I
> ask God to make thee a sign of mercy, the banner of kindness among His
> maid-servants.” 101
> 
> We cannot be near to God without self-sacrifice.:
> 
> “Divine nearness is dependent upon attainment to the knowledge of God,
> upon severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon self-sacrifice
> and to be found only through forfeiting wealth and worldly possessions. .
> . . All the Prophets have drawn near to God through severance. We must
> emulate those Holy Souls and renounce our own wishes and desires. . . .
> 
> WORKING
> nearness to God is possible through devotion to Him, through entrance
> into the Kingdom and service to humanity . . . In a word, nearness to God
> necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him.
> Nearness is likeness.” 102
> 
> EDITION
> And the condition of self-sacrifice is love:
> 
> “In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power than the
> power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he
> is ready to sacrifice all –even his life.” 103
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of sacrifice, he is bereft of
> every favor and grace; and this place of sacrifice is the realm of dying
> to the self, that the radiance of the living God may then shine forth. Do
> all ye can to become wholly weary of self, and bind yourselves to that
> Countenance of Splendors; and once ye have reached such heights
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> of servitude, ye will find, gathered within your shadow, all created
> things. This is boundless grace; this is the highest sovereignty; this
> is the life that dieth not. All else save this is at the last but manifest
> perdition and great loss.” 104
> 
> WORKING
> And so it seems that when we are able to cut our attachments to this world
> and die to our selves, it evokes such power in our hearts that is beyond
> comprehension.105 We eagerly forge ahead, sacrificing our rest and comfort,
> and we are able to change ourselves into spiritual beings.
> 
> EDITION
> But we are told not to overdo the extent of our sacrifice, so that we are
> unable to serve. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cautions . . .“ not that he should allow his
> physical health to deteriorate and his body become infirm.” 106
> 
> Shoghi Effendi also stated in a letter to believer that “he was very glad that
> . . . a visit will give you a chance to rest . . . There should always be a limit
> to self-sacrifice.” 107 After all we are only human. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes
> the level of sacrifice the Manifestations of God achieve:
> 
> “. . . All Divine Manifestations give up all personal conditions,
> considerations and grades in the Cause of God to such an extent that
> there is nothing judged of their personality; that is, they sacrifice their
> personality entirely in the world; their life is only the life of God, their
> thought is the thought of God and their grades are those chosen by God.
> They have nothing. They sacrifice everything in the way of God. They
> 
> WORKING
> suffer every sort of affliction and calamity in the world – that is, the
> afflictions and calamities in addition to those suffered spiritually – in
> order to show that the spiritual equals the material in consecration and
> sacrifice. They sacrifice spiritually in the way of God, and so they sacrifice
> all apparent and outward conditions in order to show the perfection and
> 
> EDITION
> completeness of the truth of their manifestation.
> 
> This is the station of simple radiance which shines forth and makes them
> separate from all worldly things, and this leads them to such a condition
> that while they are walking on the earth, they are moving in the supreme
> Horizon. They have cut themselves off entirely from worldly conditions,
> and while they are on the earth they never see it, but look to the Horizon.
> They close their eyes to their material ease and to all else, and hasten
> with all joy and fragrance to martyrdom in the Cause of God. 108
> 
> The Báb sacrificed His life for the redemption and purification of mankind.
> Bahá’u’lláh was intimately acquainted with sacrifice:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “. . . Bahá’u’lláh . . . declared that imprisonment was no obstacle to Him.
> He said, ‘This imprisonment will prove to be the means of the promotion
> of My Cause. This imprisonment shall be the incentive for the spreading
> of My teachings. No harm shall come to Me because I have sacrificed My
> life, I have sacrificed My blood, I have sacrificed My possessions, I have
> 
> WORKING
> sacrificed all and for Me this imprisonment is no loss.’” 109
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá lived the station of self-sacrifice and selflessness and told
> the friends:
> 
> EDITION
> “Know ye that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá dwelleth in continual delight. To have
> been lodged in this faraway prison is for me exceeding joy. By the
> life of Bahá! This prison is my supernal paradise; it is my cherished
> goal, the comfort of my bosom, the bliss of my heart; it is my refuge,
> my shelter, my asylum, my safe haven, and within it do I exult amid the
> hosts of heaven and the Company on high.
> 
> Rejoice in My bondage, O ye friends of God, for it soweth the seeds of
> freedom; rejoice at my imprisonment, for it is the well-spring of salvation;
> be ye glad on account of my travail, for it leadeth to eternal ease. By the Lord
> God! I would not exchange this prison for the throne of the whole world, nor
> give up this confinement for pleasures and pastimes in all the fair gardens
> on earth. My hope is that out of the Lord’s abundant grace, His munificence
> and loving-kindness, I may in His pathway, be hanged against the sky, that
> my heart may become the target of a thousand bullets, or that I may be cast
> 
> WORKING
> into the depths of the sea, or be left to perish on desert sands. This is what I
> long for most; this is my supreme desire; it refresheth my soul, it is balm for
> my breast, it is the very solace of mine eyes.” 110
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us another example of sacrifice: “It is related
> 
> EDITION
> that once in the days of the Apostle of God [Muhammad] He signified
> the desire that an army should advance in a certain direction, and
> leave was granted unto the faithful to raise contributions for the
> holy war. Among many was one man who gave a thousand camels,
> each laden with corn, another who gave half his substance, and still
> another who offered all that he had. But a woman stricken in years,
> whose sole possession was a handful of dates, came to the Apostle and
> laid at His feet her humble contribution. Thereupon the Prophet of
> God – may my life be offered up as a sacrifice unto Him – bade that
> this handful of dates be placed over and above all the contributions
> that had been gathered, thus asserting the merit and superiority
> thereof over all the rest. This was done because that elderly woman
> had no other earthly possessions but these.” 111
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> This concludes our discussion on sacrifice. But what does the concept of
> sacrifice mean to us and for our lives? It is very difficult for us living in
> this material world to really understand the mystery of sacrifice. Because
> we are attracted to this world and attached to our animal nature, it can be
> painful to detach ourselves. When we sacrifice something in the material
> 
> WORKING
> world which involves suffering or depriving ourselves of worldly benefits,
> we can attain to a higher station spiritually according to the measure of our
> sacrifice. Taherzadeh points out that if we arise eagerly and with devotion
> to serve our faith, if we are ready to give up our interests, our time and our
> possessions for this service, we are truly experiencing sacrifice and we
> 
> EDITION
> receive God’s good-pleasure.112
> 
> For me, sacrifice occurs in the little things we do in our everyday lives in
> which we put others and God and our faith before ourselves. We often make
> jokes about sacrificing sleep to make breakfast for our family or sacrificing
> a TV show to attend a spiritual gathering, but when we act joyfully and with
> sincerity and consciously make a choice in our lives to put others before
> ourselves we are practicing the act of sacrifice. At times we are pushed
> into a corner and given the choice between our wants or letting go of them
> and giving of ourselves. And we are tested to see how we will respond in
> situations that require sacrifice. Being sacrificial in our lives is a bounty and
> an essential component in our path of spiritual growth. When we are not
> conscious of making a decision about whether or not we should sacrifice,
> and instead we just do something that others would label sacrificial, it may
> be an important milestone in our spiritual development. And it may be that
> 
> WORKING
> in our lives we may do some things consciously as a sacrifice and others
> are done without awareness that they could be labelled as “sacrifice”. I
> feel that I am only now beginning to understand the concept of sacrifice. I
> am learning that I am always rewarded when I choose to sacrifice and
> I always gain so much more than I lose (the loss quickly fades away!).
> 
> EDITION
> There is no doubt in my mind that the mystery of sacrifice is that there
> really is no sacrifice; we always gain so much more when we make
> a sacrifice. The link between love and sacrifice is particularly strong,
> I feel. We sacrifice for love, for the love of others and for the love
> of God. We will always be tested when we are given the choice. I’ve
> found that concern about my health has often interfered with my desire
> to do something for others and I am left to weigh the consequences. I
> am reminded about the many times while ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was in North
> America that He would go visit someone who was sick and could not
> attend a meeting. He certainly wasn’t concerned for his own health!
> We are so attached to our fragile bodies and our desires and needs that
> it is a constant battle to keep moving in the direction of sacrifice. We
> need to depend on God’s help. Reading about people who have been
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> sacrificial in their lives such as the martyrs in the Bahá’í Faith can serve
> as inspiration for us.
> 
> To close this chapter, I have two passages from the Writings of
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to share:
> 
> WORKING
> “. . . 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 of these things ye must care not at all.
> 
> EDITION
> Look at Me and be as I am; ye must die to yourselves and to the world,
> so shall ye be born again and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Behold a
> candle how it gives its light. It weeps its life away drop by drop in order
> to give forth its flame of light.” 113
> 
> “Let us put aside all thoughts of self; let us close our eyes to all on earth,
> let us neither make known our sufferings nor complain of our wrongs.
> Rather let us become oblivious of our own selves, and drinking down the
> wine of heavenly grace, let us cry out our joy, and lose ourselves in the
> beauty of the All-Glorious.” 114
> 
> Practical Suggestions:
> 
> 1. Simplify your life. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá practiced simplicity in
> His life. He “. . . kept little clothing – one coat at a time was
> 
> WORKING
> ample. He ate little food. He was known to begin his day with
> tea, goat’s milk cheese and wheat bread. And at the evening
> meal a cup of milk and a piece of bread might suffice. 115
> ‘
> Abdu’l-Bahá’s family was taught to dress in such a way that
> they would be ‘an example to the rich and an encouragement
> 
> EDITION
> to the poor.’ Available money was stretched to cover more
> than the Master’s family needs. One of his daughters wore
> no bridal gown when she married- a clean dress sufficed…”
> Practice “voluntary simplicity” if you wish. Simplifying
> can mean eliminating things that drain your energy and your
> soul and don’t bring contentment and peace. I appreciate
> the voluntary simplicity movement because its proponents
> advocate caring for the earth and resetting our priorities –
> focusing less on materialism and more on our relationships
> with God and people in our lives. There are many valuable
> ideas on the website – www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com
> 
> 2. Get out into nature. See God’s creation and feel a closeness
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> to it and to its Creator. It’s a humbling experience to be in
> the presence of crashing waves or gazing at a mountaintop.
> Appreciate the miracle of life. Looking at the evening sky
> makes any trouble we have seem very small and it makes us
> feel very small in comparison with the infinity of the universe!
> 
> WORKING
> 3. Depend on God. Turn your lives over to Him and ask for
> His guidance. In the words of Rumi:
> 
> “Do you think I know what I’m doing?
> 
> EDITION
> That for one breath or half-breath I belong to myself?
> As much as a pen knows what it’s writing,
> or the ball can guess where it’s going next.” 117
> 
> 4. Challenge yourself to live one full day without thinking
> of yourself. You will not be offended, feel unappreciated or
> upset or not treated fairly. You will just observe the world
> and notice what people do, without making comparisons to
> yourself, you will just give without expectations.
> 5. Take notice of the number of times you use the words “I”, “me”
> or “mine” in a day to attribute merit to yourself and make efforts
> to eliminate some.118 Of course we use those words in everyday
> conversation for clarity, but I think that we can note when we
> are using them and if we are speaking from our lower natures.
> 
> WORKING
> 6. Repeat the phrase (or a similar one from the Writings) in
> your mind as you go through the day,
> 
> “Give me the chalice of selflessness”.
> 
> EDITION
> 7. Increase your awareness when you begin the Long
> Obligatory Prayer that you are asking God for detachment.
> 
> 8. Take on more “difficult” jobs in becoming detached. Bring
> yourself to account and notice the changes, the improvements
> and set the bar higher for yourself. Just as we build muscles
> by picking up heavier and heavier weights, we set ourselves
> more and more difficult tasks to build our spiritual muscles.
> 
> 9. Be patient. There is no doubt in my mind that patience is a
> key to increased spiritual perception and the ability to detach
> from all save God. Rather than pushing ourselves to get to the
> next step, know that God will reveal the next steps. Remember
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> that God doesn’t operate within the constraints of time.
> 
> “He, verily, rewardeth beyond measure them that endure with
> patience.” 119
> 
> WORKING
> 10.        Be conscious of your life – how much of it you
> devote to your own pursuits, how much you devote to others,
> how many times you sacrifice comforts to help your fellowman or to serve the Cause. Practice “sacrifice” – don’t tell
> anyone that you’re doing it. It may be a small thing or a big
> 
> EDITION
> leap in your life. If you begrudge the time spent in sacrifice,
> it’s not sacrifice. Then start smaller. Be aware when you have
> done something you consider a sacrifice and your feelings
> about it, your closeness to the person you’ve sacrificed for,
> your nearness to God. Resolve to continue in the path of
> sacrifice and ask God to help you.
> 
> This is my favourite prayer of detachment:
> 
> “I give praise to Thee, O my God, that the fragrance of Thy lovingkindness hath enraptured me, and the gentle winds of Thy mercy have
> inclined me in the direction of Thy bountiful favors. Make me to quaff, O
> my Lord, from the fingers of Thy bounteousness the living waters which
> have enabled every one that hath partaken of them to rid himself of all
> attachment to any one save Thee, and to soar into the atmosphere of
> detachment from all Thy creatures, and to fix his gaze upon Thy loving
> 
> WORKING
> providence and Thy manifold gifts.
> 
> Make me ready, in all circumstances, O my Lord, to serve Thee and to
> set myself towards the adored sanctuary of Thy Revelation and of Thy
> 
> EDITION
> Beauty. If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the
> meadows of Thy grace,that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up
> and bend me into conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my
> movement and my stillness may be wholly directed by Thee.
> 
> Thou art He, by Whose name the Hidden Secret was divulged, and the
> Well-Guarded Name was revealed, and the seals of the sealed-up Goblet
> were opened, shedding thereby its fragrance over all creation, whether
> of the past or of the future. He who was athirst, O my Lord, hath hasted
> to attain the living waters of Thy grace, and the wretched creature hath
> yearned to immerse himself beneath the ocean of Thy riches.
> 
> I swear by Thy glory, O Lord the Beloved of the world and the Desire of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> all them that have recognized Thee! I am sore afflicted by the grief of my
> separation from Thee, in the days when the Day-Star of Thy presence
> hath shed its radiance upon Thy people. Write down, then, for me the
> recompense decreed for such as have gazed on Thy face, and have, by
> Thy leave, gained admittance into the court of Thy throne, and have, at
> Thy bidding, met Thee face to face.
> 
> WORKING
> I implore Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name the splendors of which have
> encompassed the earth and the heavens, to enable me so to surrender my will to
> what Thou hast decreed in Thy Tablets, that I may cease to discover within me
> 
> EDITION
> any desire except what Thou didst desire through the power of Thy sovereignty,
> and any will save what Thou didst destine for me by Thy will.
> 
> Whither shall I turn, O my God, powerless as I am to discover any other
> way except the way Thou didst set before Thy chosen Ones? All the atoms
> of the earth proclaim Thee to be God, and testify that there is none other
> God besides Thee. Thou hast from eternity been powerful to do what
> Thou hast willed, and to ordain what Thou hast pleased.
> 
> Do Thou destine for me, O my God, what will set me, at all times, towards
> Thee, and enable me to cleave continually to the cord of Thy grace,
> and to proclaim Thy name, and to look for whatsoever may flow down
> from Thy pen. I am poor and desolate, O my Lord, and Thou art the
> All-Possessing, the Most High. Have pity, then, upon me through the
> wonders of Thy mercy, and send down upon me, every moment of my life,
> the things wherewith Thou hast recreated the hearts of all Thy creatures
> 
> WORKING
> who have recognized Thy unity, and of all Thy people who are wholly
> devoted to Thee.
> 
> Thou, verily, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Knowing, the
> 
> EDITION
> All-Wise.” 120
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 34-35
> 2 Ibid., p. 214
> 
> WORKING
> 3 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D. Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences, p. 139-140
> 4 Ibid., p. 140
> 5 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 253
> 6 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Abbas Vol. III, p. 557
> 
> EDITION
> 7 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 135-136
> 8 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 212
> 9 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 1, p. 77
> 10 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D. Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences, p. 141
> 11 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 219
> 12 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 55, p. 16
> 13 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXVIII, p. 276
> 14 Ibid., LX, p. 118
> 15 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p.134
> 16 Ibid., p. 135-137
> 17 Redman, Earl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst, p. 206
> 18 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 55, p. 41-42
> 19 Ibid., Persian no. 53, p. 41
> 20 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 71
> 
> WORKING
> 21 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 4 (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 1988), p. 195
> 22 Ibid.
> 23 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 1, p. 77
> 24 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 96-97
> 
> EDITION
> 25 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 215
> 26 Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing
> Trust), p. 137
> 27 Chodron, Pema, Taking the Leap, p. 22
> 28 Ibid., p. 27
> 29 Ibid., p. 37
> 30 Ibid., p. 25
> 31 Ibid., p. 24
> 32 Ibid., p. 16
> 33 Ibid., p. 38-39
> 34 Ibid., p. 39
> 35 Ibid., p. 40-41
> 36 Ibid., p. 41
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 37 Ibid., p. 42
> 38 Ibid., p. 57-58
> 39 Ghadirian, Abdu’l-Missagh, M.D. Materialism, Moral and Social
> Consequences, p. 141-142
> 40 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 155
> 
> WORKING
> 41 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXVI,
> p. 294-295
> 42 Ibid., LXV, p. 125
> 43 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 188, p.
> 220-221
> 
> EDITION
> 44 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 135
> 45 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh (Oxford: George
> Ronald, 1992), p.22-23
> 46 Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts ( Australia: Bahá’í
> Publications, 2002), [27], p. 152
> 47 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 557
> 48 Ibid, p. 663
> 49 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1267, 19
> December 1923, p. 1
> 50 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 373
> 51 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 287-288
> 52 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 29 November
> 1912, [8], p. 451
> 53 Ibid.
> 54 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. II, p. 354
> 55 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 29 November
> 
> WORKING
> 1912, [9-10], p. 451-452
> 56 Afshin, Mahnaz, The Beloved Master (Klang, Malaysia: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust Committee, 1986), p. 76
> 57 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 50, p.39
> 
> EDITION
> 58 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Wisdom of the Master (Los Angeles: Kalimat Press,
> 2002), p. 66
> 59 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 155
> 60 Bahá’u’lláh, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, [34], p. 154
> 61 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3. p. 193
> 62 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 2, p. 97 63
> Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol.1, p. 75
> 64 Ibid., p. 77
> 65 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 26, p. 31
> 66 Ibid., Arabic no. 8, p. 5
> 67 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 181, p. 207
> 68 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 31, p.33
> 69 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 4, p. 65
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 70 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 42, p. 13
> 71 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Child of the Covenant, A Study Guide to the
> Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Oxford: George Ronald, 2000), p. 406
> 72 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol.III, p. 552
> 73 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 19, p. 28
> 
> WORKING
> 74 Ibid., Persian no. 14, p. 26
> 75 Ibid., Persian no. 40, p. 36
> 76 Ibid., Arabic no. 16, p. 8
> 77 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, p. 52
> 78 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 3
> 
> EDITION
> 79 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLX, p. 337-338
> 80 Ibid., CLX, p.338
> 81 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Evolution of the Spirit, [11], p. 90
> 82 Shoghi Effendi, , The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1336, 19
> July 1956, p. 25
> 83 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 192-193
> 84 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 38-39
> 85 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, V, p. 7-8
> 86 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 89
> 87 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 362
> 88 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, [178], p. 84
> 89 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 6, p. 11
> 90 Ibid., 10, p. 13
> 91 Ibid., 15, p. 15
> 92 Ibid.,16, p. 16
> 93 Ibid., 18, p. 17-18
> 
> WORKING
> 94 Giachery, Ugo, Shoghi Effendi – Recollections (Oxford: George
> Ronald, 1973), p. 19
> 95 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 97
> 96 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 545
> 
> EDITION
> 97 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Scriptures, 171, p. 165
> 98 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 546
> 99 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 231
> 100 Ibid., p. 384
> 101 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 65
> 102 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 26 May 1912,
> [1-2], p. 147-148
> 103 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Four Kinds of Love, [3], p. 179-180
> 104 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 36, p. 76-77
> 105 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 2, p. 233
> 106 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá , 153, p. 180
> 107 Shoghi Effendi in Japan Will Turn Ablaze, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá, Letters of Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice, and
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Historical Notes About Japan (Japan: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1992), p. 62
> 108 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, 958, p. 497-498
> 109 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 5 July 1912,
> [12], p. 224
> 110 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,
> 
> WORKING
> 199, p. 241-242
> 111 Ibid., 63, p. 98-99
> 112 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 2, p. 96
> 113 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 9, p. 12
> 114 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 195, p. 236
> 
> EDITION
> 115 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 26, p. 21
> 116 Ibid., 31, p. 24
> 117 Dyer, Dr. Wayne W., Your Sacred Self, p. 77
> 118 Ibid., p. 74
> 119 Bahá’u’lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries (Bahá’í World Centre, 2002),
> p. 71
> 120 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CL, p. 240-242
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING Chapter 6
> Trials for our Perfecting
> 
> EDITION
> 
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> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
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> EDITION
> Chapter 6
> Trials for our Perfecting
> 
> Human life is one of adversity. Life is meant to be difficult. It is not
> 
> WORKING
> meant to run smoothly, but is meant to be fraught with problems.
> The process of facing problems and solving them is painful. They
> evoke frustration, guilt, anger, regret, anxiety, sadness and other very
> uncomfortable emotions and can be as painful as physical pain, which
> 
> EDITION
> is also another adversity we have to face. It is in dealing with these
> problems that we grow spiritually. The realm of problems, difficulties,
> pain, suffering and trials are referred to as “tests” in the Bahá’í Faith.
> We find ourselves dealing with a variety of tests in our lives, some of
> our own creating such as tests that arise from the desires and passions
> of a lower nature and tests that come from our difficulties in relating to
> others in a spiritual manner. Sometimes God gives us tests for our own
> improvement. Tests help us on our own spiritual journey and teach us
> to become more selfless. So in this chapter we will study the purpose of
> tests, the types of tests we encounter and how we can learn to deal with
> tests in our life, using the Bahá’í Writings as our source.
> 
> Tests are really God’s gifts to us.
> 
> “Verily I say: Whatever befalleth in the path of God is the beloved of
> the soul and the desire of the heart. Deadly poison in His path is pure
> 
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> honey, and every tribulation a draught of crystal water. In the Tablet to
> His Majesty the Shah it is written: ‘By Him Who is the Truth! I fear no
> tribulation in His path, nor any affliction in My love for Him. Verily God
> hath made adversity as a morning dew upon His green pasture, and a
> 
> EDITION
> wick for His lamp which lighteth earth and heaven.’" 1
> 
> “O Son of Man!
> 
> My calamity is My providence, outwardly it is fire and vengeance, but
> inwardly it is light and mercy. Hasten thereunto that thou mayest become
> an eternal light and an immortal spirit. This is My command unto thee,
> do thou observe it.” 2
> 
> Adversity is part of anything we want to accomplish in the world. And
> we grow primarily through our ability to overcome adversity and solve
> difficult problems. Our adversities and difficulties transform us into new
> spiritual beings, reflecting the qualities of God.
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Thou hast written concerning the tests that have come upon thee. To the
> sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the Exalted, for a heroic person
> hasteneth, with the utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent
> battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and
> lamentation. Likewise, an expert student prepareth and memorizeth his
> lessons and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of examination
> 
> WORKING
> he appeareth with infinite joy before the master. Likewise, the pure gold
> shineth radiantly in the fire of test. Consequently, it is made clear that for
> holy souls, trials are as the gift of God, the Exalted; but for weak souls
> they are an unexpected calamity. This test is just as thou hast written: it
> 
> EDITION
> removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun
> of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is greater than egotism and no
> matter how thin that covering may be, yet it will finally veil man entirely
> and prevent him from receiving a portion from the eternal bounty.” 3
> 
> It is human nature to avoid problems, to ignore them or to pretend they
> don’t exist and hope they go away. We may try to skirt around them rather
> than dealing with them directly. I did not learn to deal with problems at
> a young age so later in life I procrastinated in dealing with something,
> hoping it would resolve itself. I did not know how to cope and neglected
> my responsibility in solving problems for myself. And fear intensified my
> avoidance behavior. If we have grown up ill-prepared to cope with the
> trials of life, we are surprised when they happen and treat them as dire
> calamities and misfortunes. We need to have faith and trust in God and
> know that in painful situations we can survive. If we learn to accept tests
> 
> WORKING
> and turn to God for His guidance we will become more spiritually attuned
> and realize that suffering is a gift and for our benefit.
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh writes:
> 
> EDITION
> “. . . the Almighty hath tried, and will continue to try, his servants, so that
> light may be distinguished from darkness, truth from falsehood, right
> from wrong, guidance from error, happiness from misery, and roses
> from thorns. Even as He hath revealed: ‘Do men think when they say
> “We believe” they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?’ 4
> 
> The Universal House of Justice clarifies Bahá’u’lláh’s Words:
> 
> “. . . Every believer needs to remember that an essential characteristic of
> this physical world is that we are constantly faced with trials, tribulations,
> hardships and sufferings and that by overcoming them we achieve our
> moral and spiritual development; that we must seek to accomplish in the
> future what we may have failed to do in the past; that this is the way God
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> tests His servants and we should look upon every failure and shortcoming
> as an opportunity to try again and to acquire a fuller consciousness of
> the Divine Will and purpose.” 5
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi tells us:
> 
> WORKING
> “Suffering is both a reminder and a guide. It stimulates us better to adapt
> ourselves to our environmental conditions, and thus leads the way to self
> improvement. In every suffering one can find a meaning and a wisdom.
> But it is not always easy to find the secret of that wisdom. It is sometimes
> 
> EDITION
> only when all our suffering has passed that we become aware of its
> usefulness. What a man considers to be evil turns often to be a cause of
> infinite blessings. 6
> 
> “Suffering, of one kind or another, seems to be the portion of man in
> this world. Even the Beloved ones, the Prophets of God, have never been
> exempt from the ills that are to be found in our world; poverty, disease,
> bereavement, -they seem to be part of the polish God employs to make us
> finer, and enable us to reflect more of His attributes!” 7
> 
> Justice St. Rain, a Bahá’í author, notes that with spiritual maturity and wisdom,
> we can look forward to tests, knowing that they will assist us on our spiritual
> path.8 If we don’t understand the purpose of tests, we become angry and rebel
> when something goes “wrong” or we feel that we’re being punished and we try
> to avoid a test. Or we just accept the test and do nothing. Justice St. Rain, in his
> 
> WORKING
> book, Why Me, A Spiritual Guide to Growing through Tests,9 uses the analogy
> of four bushes to illustrate this point. The four rose bushes in the garden did
> their best all summer to grow long and produce many blossoms, only to be
> shocked when the gardener chopped off their branches at season’s end. The
> first rose bush was angry and yelled at the gardener about the injustice of being
> 
> EDITION
> cut down after trying to please him. It decided to rebel and concentrated on its
> root system in the spring, so that eventually it had only a few leaves and began
> to die. The second rose bush thought it was being punished for blossoming
> and so decided in the spring not to grow or blossom, but to do nothing so it
> looked as if it was dead. The third rose bush thought that things happened in
> life quite haphazardly and didn’t have to be fair so in the spring it did the same
> thing it had done before, growing long branches with blossoms. Knowing that
> the gardener might just chop it down again at the end of the summer, it did not
> resist when the aphids began munching on leaves and petals. But the fourth
> bush trusted the gardener and wondered what he wanted it to do or learn from
> the experience. In the spring it noticed that it had many nodes on each branch
> and could branch out in many directions and blossom. And so with effort it
> could become a better rose bush with more blossoms rather than a leggy bush
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> with only one blossom at the end of each stalk. Just like the fourth rose bush,
> we need to trust God (the Gardener) and know we can cope with any situation
> as long as we have faith in His love. We need to learn about ourselves in order
> to grow and explore our potential. And we have to make the effort to grow. We
> cannot control everything that happens but we can control our willingness and
> 
> WORKING
> our capacity to respond to situations.
> 
> Taherzadeh 10 explains that Bahá’u’lláh warned people about the tests they
> would experience when they became believers. He also explains that because
> Bahá’u’lláh has released into the world incredible spiritual energies, the tests
> 
> EDITION
> accompanying this Revelation are also great. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
> 
> “The tests of every dispensation are in direct proportion to the greatness
> of the Cause, and as heretofore such a manifest Covenant, written by the
> Supreme Pen, hath not been entered upon, the tests are proportionately
> more severe. These trials cause the feeble souls to waver while those who
> are firm are not affected.” 11
> 
> And we are warned in the West about the kinds of tests we must endure:
> 
> “And yet, how often we seem to forget the clear and repeated warning of
> our beloved Master, [‘Abdu’l-Bahá] who in particular during the concluding
> years of His Mission on earth, laid stress on the severe mental tests that
> would inevitably sweep over His loved ones of the West . . . tests that would
> purge, purify and prepare them for their noble mission in life.” 12
> 
> WORKING
> But we are promised that “the tests and trials of God take place in this
> world, not in the world of the Kingdom.” 13
> 
> In His Mercy, God gives us tests in order that we might remember Him because
> 
> EDITION
> in His wisdom He knows that we can be easily distracted by this material
> world and are always in danger of being submerged in our selfish desires:
> 
> “If adversity befall thee not in My path, how canst thou walk in the ways of
> them that are content with My pleasure? If trials afflict thee not in thy longing
> to meet Me, how wilt thou attain the light in thy love for My beauty?” 14
> 
> “While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and
> sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father Who is in
> Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.” 15
> 
> “These tests, even as thou didst write, do but cleanse the spotting of self
> from off the mirror of the heart, till the Sun of Truth can cast its rays
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> thereon, for there is no veil more obstructive than the self, and however
> tenuous that veil may be, at the last it will completely shut a person out,
> and deprive him of his portion of eternal grace.” 16
> 
> If we don’t experience tests, how can we experience the grace of God?
> St. Rain, in his book Falling from Grace, states that we live “in a state of
> 
> WORKING
> grace”17 when we are constantly aware of God’s love and blessings.
> 
> “The portals of grace are wide open before the face of all men.” 18
> 
> EDITION
> But we don’t experience that feeling of living in a state of grace until we
> fail and feel His hand picking us up and carrying us to grace.
> 
> ”. . . Unasked, I have showered upon thee My grace. Unpetitioned, I have
> fulfilled thy wish. In spite of thy undeserving, I have singled thee out for
> My richest, My incalculable favors. . . . ” 19
> 
> “My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My grace to thee is
> plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee its home, it cannot
> be concealed. My light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured.” 20
> 
> Every time we slip and fall, St. Rain explains, we experience God’s presence
> and unconditional support and we know that He will always be there for
> us.21 We lose our fear that we may fall and with increased confidence we
> slip less. We are confirmed that God will continue to be there for us and
> that it’s okay to make mistakes.
> 
> WORKING
> “. . . do not look upon thy capacity, nay, rather, look upon the infinite
> grace of the Bounty of Abha whose grace is comprehending and whose
> bounty is perfect.” 22
> 
> EDITION
> “Not for a moment hath His grace been withheld, nor have the showers
> of His loving-kindness ceased to rain upon mankind.” 23
> 
> If we do not get the spiritual value from a test we may experience the same
> test again with more severity.
> 
> “Tests are a means by which a soul is measured as to its fitness and
> proven out by its own acts. God knows its fitness beforehand, and also its
> unpreparedness, but man, with an ego, would not believe himself unfit
> unless proof were given him.” 24
> 
> God wants us to master our tests and progress. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said to one of
> the Bahá’ís visiting him in Israel:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “The same test comes again in greater degree, until it is shown that a
> former weakness has become a strength and the power to overcome evil
> has been established.” 25
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains that every test contains a lesson from God for our
> 
> WORKING
> perfection:
> 
> “Tests are benefits from God, for which we should thank Him. Grief and
> sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine
> Mercy for our own perfecting.” 26
> 
> EDITION
> “Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the
> gardeners is that one which, when summer comes, will have the most
> beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit . . . The labourer cuts
> up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and
> plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest
> of spiritual virtues shown forth by him.” 27
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wants us to experience suffering and tribulation because
> He knows how it benefits us:
> 
> “The more difficulties one sees in the world the more perfect one becomes.
> The more you plough and dig the ground the more fertile it becomes. The
> more you cut the branches of a tree the higher and stronger it grows.
> The more you put the gold in the fire the purer it becomes. The more
> 
> WORKING
> you sharpen the steel by grinding the better it cuts. Therefore, the more
> sorrows one sees the more perfect one becomes. That is why, in all times,
> the Prophets of God have had tribulations and difficulties to withstand.
> The more often the captain of a ship is in the tempest and difficult sailing
> the greater his knowledge becomes. Therefore I am happy that you have
> 
> EDITION
> had great tribulations and difficulties . . . Strange it is that I love you and
> still I am happy that you have sorrows.” 28
> 
> Here is a story that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá told related to suffering:
> 
> “A certain ruler wished to appoint one of his subjects to a high office: so,
> in order to train him, the ruler cast him into prison and caused him to
> suffer much. The man was surprised at this, for he expected great favours.
> The ruler had him taken from prison and beaten with sticks. This greatly
> astonished the man, for he thought the ruler loved him. After this he was
> hanged on the gallows until he was nearly dead. After he recovered he
> asked the ruler, ‘If you love me, why did you do these things?’ The ruler
> replied: ‘I wish to make you prime minister. By having gone through
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> these ordeals you are better fitted for that office. I wish you to know how
> it is yourself. When you are obliged to punish, you will know how it feels
> to endure these things. I love you so I wish you to become perfect.’ Even
> so with you. After this ordeal you will reach maturity. God sometimes
> causes us to suffer much and to have many misfortunes that we may
> become strong in His Cause. You will soon recover and be spiritually
> 
> WORKING
> stronger than ever before. You will work for God and carry the Message
> to many of your people.” 29
> 
> In order to benefit from the test given to us, we need to pray for assistance and also
> 
> EDITION
> to read and understand Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, as Shoghi Effendi explains:
> 
> “Naturally there will be periods of distress and difficulty, and even severe
> test; but if that person turns firmly towards the Divine Manifestation,
> studies carefully His Spiritual teachings and receives the blessings of
> the Holy Spirit, he will find that in reality these tests and difficulties have
> been the gifts of God to enable him to grow and develop.” 30
> 
> We need to follow the Bahá’í laws in meeting the difficulties in life:
> 
> “In considering the effect of obedience to the laws on individual lives,
> one must remember that the purpose of this life is to prepare the soul
> for the next. Here one must learn to control and direct one’s animal
> impulses, not to be a slave to them. Life in this world is a succession
> of tests and achievements, of falling short and of making new spiritual
> 
> WORKING
> advances. Sometimes the course may seem very hard, but one can
> witness, again and again, that the soul who steadfastly obeys the Law
> of Bahá’u’lláh, however hard it may seem, grows spiritually, while the
> one who compromises with the law for the sake of his own apparent
> happiness is seen to have been following a chimera: he does not attain
> 
> EDITION
> the happiness he sought, he retards his spiritual advance and often
> brings new problems upon himself.” 31
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Unless one accepts dire vicissitudes, he will not attain. To me prison is
> Freedom, troubles rest me, death is life, and to be despised is honour.
> Therefore, I was happy all that time in prison. When one is released from
> the prison of self, that is indeed release, for that is the greater prison.
> When this release takes place, then one cannot be outwardly imprisoned.
> When they put my feet in stocks, 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
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 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 centre the consciousness upon the limitations, and this is a veritable
> prison. Release comes by making of the will a Door through which the
> confirmations of the Spirit come.” 32
> 
> WORKING
> Let’s take a few minutes to understand the meaning of this passage.
> First of all, we are told that we need to accept “dire vicissitudes”
> to attain. What is a vicissitude? According to various definitions on
> Google, it is a change of circumstance or fortune, typically one that
> 
> EDITION
> is unwelcome and unpleasant that occurs by chance. It is a hardship
> that affects a way of life, a course of action usually beyond one’s
> control. “Dire” means causing or involving great fear or suffering;
> having dreadful or terrible consequences; calamitous. So dire
> vicissitudes are extreme changes of circumstances. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> experienced dire vicissitudes all his life. He lived his early years
> in a mansion, then He and His family lost everything overnight and
> lived in exile the rest of their lives before being banished to the
> Most Great Prison. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that unless we accept such
> dreadful hardships, we cannot grow spiritually. We need to let go
> of our “self”, our selfish nature in order to be able to cope with
> the hardships and progress.When we are experiencing afflictions,
> we tend to think about our limitations and feel we cannot cope.
> But if we centre our will on the will of God, we will receive
> confirmations. When ‘Abdu’l- Bahá said this to his audience in
> 
> WORKING
> London, someone asked him what the confirmations of the Spirit
> were. He replied, “The confirmations of the Spirit are all those
> powers and gifts which some are born with (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
> 
> EDITION
> his life with radiant acquiescence.” 33 And so we learn that by
> accepting our tribulations, detaching from self and our limitations,
> and accepting our lot with faces beaming with joy, we will realize
> our spiritual destiny and receive the confirmations of God.
> 
> “Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success,
> pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of
> trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility.” 34
> 
> We must experience affliction to be ready for the next world.
> 
> “Man’s physical existence on this earth is a period during which the
> moral exercise of his free will is tried and tested in order to prepare his
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> soul for the other worlds of God, and we must welcome affliction and
> tribulations as opportunities for improvement in our eternal selves.” 35
> 
> Tests assist us to acquire virtues in preparation for the next world and
> provide opportunities to practice them. St. Rain36 discusses the need to
> become more aware of the tests confronting us by asking ourselves
> 
> WORKING
> questions – “Is the test from God or as a result of my own behavior? What
> is my attitude to a test – do I perceive it as an opportunity to grow and learn
> or a punishment to be avoided? What is the virtue needed in this situation?
> By doing this exercise, we can identify what areas require growth and we
> 
> EDITION
> are in a better position to nurture our development. We just need to have
> confidence in our capacity and be receptive to tribulations.37
> 
> Some tests, as St. Rain points out, motivate us because we discover in
> certain situations the advantages of developing our virtues.38 We can
> become careless and forget who we really are and our spiritual destiny.
> So we need reminders to polish our virtues. We are always given
> opportunities to practice qualities and each time we try to demonstrate
> a virtue we get closer to our potential. We may “fail” a test in that
> we fail to demonstrate a quality, but we will still learn something new
> about ourselves. And we become more of our true selves and reflect
> more of God’s light. The test helps us to grow, whether or not it is
> “passed”. Our capacity is known only to God and it is infinite so we
> have talents and qualities unknown to ourselves until we are suddenly
> in a situation that requires them.
> 
> WORKING
> St. Rain feels that many problems could be solved more readily if we
> applied simple virtues like love, patience and generosity.39 We are meant
> to reflect God’s qualities.40 If we are not doing well spiritually, God will
> test us to point out where we need to grow and of course invite us to make
> the effort. We are given many opportunities to develop a virtue and He is
> 
> EDITION
> quick to forgive us for our mistakes and give us another opportunity to
> learn; we, on the other hand are much harder on ourselves and experience
> guilt or shame and are quite unforgiving of ourselves. We have to repeat
> the practice of virtues many times so that they become habits and we need
> to be kind to ourselves when we slide backwards. We need to become
> proficient in order for a virtue to become part of our being and therefore be
> applied in service to others.41
> 
> The Bahá’í Writings assure us that God will not test us beyond our capacity:
> 
> “He will never deal unjustly with any one, neither will He task a soul
> beyond its power. He, verily, is the Compassionate, the All-Merciful.” 42
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Whatever hath befallen you, hath been for the sake of God. This is
> the truth, and in this there is no doubt. You should, therefore, leave all
> your affairs in His Hands, place your trust in Him, and rely upon Him.
> He will assuredly not forsake you. In this, likewise, there is no doubt.
> No father will surrender his sons to devouring beasts; no shepherd will
> leave his flock to ravening wolves. He will most certainly do his utmost
> 
> WORKING
> to protect his own.” 43
> 
> “There is no need to fear opposition from without if the life within
> be sound and vigorous. Our Heavenly Father will always give us the
> 
> EDITION
> strength to meet and overcome tests if we turn with all our hearts to Him,
> and difficulties if they are met in the right spirit only make us rely on God
> more firmly and completely.” 44
> 
> “Obedience to the Laws of Bahá’u’lláh will necessarily impose
> hardships in individual cases. No one should expect, upon becoming
> a Bahá’í, that faith will not be tested, and to our finite understanding
> of such matters these tests may occasionally seem unbearable. But
> we are aware of the assurance which Bahá’u’lláh Himself has given
> the believers that they will never be called upon to meet a test greater
> than their capacity to endure.” 45
> 
> As we have stated, we are not given a test impossible for us to pass. But,
> as St. Rain points out, we may refuse a test. God will continue to provide
> opportunities for us to grow, even though He knows we will refuse and this
> 
> WORKING
> behavior will cause deep pain. But it is His duty to give us opportunities to
> grow because this is the one thing of value to us in this world – the capacity
> to reflect God’s qualities in our hearts - and this is our true reality.46
> 
> Tests help us to become detached from this world. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
> 
> EDITION
> “O thou servant of God! Do not grieve at the afflictions and calamities
> that have befallen thee. All calamities and afflictions have been created for
> man so that he may spurn this mortal world – a world to which he is much
> attached. When he experienceth severe trials and hardships, then his nature
> will recoil and he will desire the eternal realm – a realm which is sanctified
> form all afflictions and calamities. Such is the case with the man who is wise.
> He shall never drink from a cup which is at the end distasteful, but, on the
> contrary, he will seek the cup of pure and limpid water. He will not taste of
> the honey that is mixed with poison.
> 
> Praise thou God, that thou hast been tried and hast experienced such a test.
> Be patient and grateful. Turn thy face to the divine Kingdom and strive that
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> thou mayest acquire merciful characteristics, mayest become illumined and
> acquire the attributes of the Kingdom and of the Lord. Endeavour to become
> indifferent to the pleasures of this world and to its comfort, to remain firm
> and steadfast in the Covenant and to promulgate the Cause of God.
> 
> This is the cause of the exaltation of man, the cause of his glory and of his
> 
> WORKING
> salvation.” 47
> 
> “. . . so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this
> worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete detachment. His attitude
> 
> EDITION
> in this world will be that of divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe:
> the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times
> past and you will find that the greatest men have suffered most.” 48
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi reiterates:
> 
> “Whenever you see tremendous personal problems in your private lives . . . you
> must remember that these afflictions are part of human life; and, according
> to our teachings one of their wisdoms is to teach us the impermanence of this
> world and the permanence of the spiritual bonds that we establish with God,
> His Prophet, and those who are alive in the faith of God.” 49
> 
> We have discussed the tests that God gives us for our own perfecting. But
> there are tests that we create for ourselves, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
> 
> WORKING
> “God alone ordereth all things and is all-powerful. Why then does He
> send trials to His servants?
> 
> The trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences of his own
> actions. If a man eats too much, he ruins his digestion; if he takes
> 
> EDITION
> poison he becomes ill or dies. If a person gambles he will lose his
> money; if he drinks too much he will lose his equilibrium. All these
> sufferings are caused by the man himself, it is quite clear therefore
> that certain sorrows are the result of our own deeds. (b) Other
> sufferings there are, which come upon the Faithful of God. Consider
> the great sorrows endured by Christ and by His apostles!
> 
> Those who suffer most, attain to the greatest perfection.” 50
> 
> If a test is the consequence of our own actions, it is within our power to
> avoid it, as St. Rain points out. We must of course look at our behaviors
> and make the decision to change those that are not in harmony with our
> spiritual life.51
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O Son of Spirit!
> 
> Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto
> that for which thou wast created.” 52
> 
> WORKING
> St. Rain states that we can abase or debase ourselves by abusing our bodies
> through neglect, underactivity, overeating; we can debase our spirits through
> lying, gambling, wasting time, neglecting education, and blaming others
> for failures; we can debase our relationships through gossiping, backbiting,
> judging, isolating ourselves, and being prone to fits of temper.53 It requires
> 
> EDITION
> a lot of effort and spiritual guidance in our lives to act differently but it’s
> the only way to avoid these types of tests. We can’t ask God to protect us
> from tests unless we’re asking for help to change our behaviors. The tests
> of our own consequences are the majority of tests we face every day and
> we end up torturing ourselves by not following spiritual laws.54
> 
> Shoghi Effendi writes:
> 
> “He was very sorry to hear that you have had so many tests in your Bahá’í
> life. There is no doubt that many of them are due to our own nature. In
> other words, if we are very sensitive, or if we are in some way brought
> up in a different environment from the Bahá’ís amongst whom we live,
> we naturally see things differently and may feel them more acutely; and
> the other side of it is that the imperfections of our fellow-Bahá’ís can be
> a great trial to us.
> 
> WORKING
> We must always remember that in the cesspool of materialism, which is
> what modern civilization has to a certain extent become, Bahá’ís -- that
> is some of them -- are still to a certain extent affected by the society
> from which they have sprung. In other words, they have recognized the
> 
> EDITION
> Manifestation of God, but they have not been believers long enough, or
> perhaps not tried hard enough, to become ‘a new Creation’. He feels
> that, if you close your eyes to the failings of others, and fix your love
> and prayers upon Bahá’u’lláh, you will have the strength to weather this
> storm, and will be much better for it in the end, spiritually. Although you
> suffer, you will gain a maturity that will enable you to be of greater help
> to both your fellow-Bahá’ís and your children.” 55
> 
> Taherzadeh56 explains that tests for Bahá’ís are mainly from the world
> we live in and from their fellow- Bahá’ís. It is very difficult to live the
> Bahá’í way of life in a world that is becoming increasingly more corrupt
> and spiritually bankrupt. As this world heads towards its destruction,
> Bahá’ís need to be confident in their vision of the society of the future
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and be happy and sincere in their Bahá’í lives, trying to live according
> to Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings while surrounded by the evils of a decadent
> materialistic society. Within the Bahá’í community individuals experience
> tests working within their administrative institutions. Bahá’ís may not fully
> understand the nature of these institutions because their religious traditions
> 
> WORKING
> taught them that such institutions were man-made bodies, rather than part
> of God’s religion and because man-made institutions in society are so often
> the focus of strife and contention. And the requisites for consultation in
> the Assembly meeting and in general are lofty standards difficult to meet.
> When these standards are compromised, one’s faith may be tested. The
> 
> EDITION
> requisites for Bahá’ís consultation are discussed in the next chapter.
> 
> Bahá’ís are challenged by their fellow-believers because, on the one hand,
> they have the glorious vision of the Faith in front of their eyes and, on
> the other hand, they are the pitiful creatures of God falling short in their
> attempts to rise to that vision. Shoghi Effendi gives guidance in this respect:
> 
> “You have complained of the unsatisfactory conditions prevailing in the .
> . . Bahá’í Community; the Guardian is well aware of the situation of the
> Cause there, but is confident that whatever the nature of the obstacles that
> confront the Faith they will be eventually overcome. You should, under no
> circumstances, feel discouraged, and allow such difficulties, even though
> they may have resulted from the misconduct, or the lack of capacity and
> vision of certain members of the Community, to make you waver in your
> faith and basic loyalty to the Cause. Surely, the believers, no matter how
> qualified they may be, whether as teachers or administrators, and however
> 
> WORKING
> high their intellectual and spiritual merits, should never be looked upon
> as a standard whereby to evaluate and measure the divine authority and
> mission of the Faith. It is to the Teachings themselves, and to the lives of
> the Founders of the Cause that the believers should look for their guidance
> 
> EDITION
> and inspiration, and only by keeping strictly to such [a] true attitude can
> they hope to establish their loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh upon an enduring and
> unassailable basis. You should take heart, therefore, and with unrelaxing
> vigilance and unremitting effort endeavour to play your full share in the
> gradual unfoldment of this Divine World Order.” 57
> 
> It takes great spiritual maturity to focus on the Teachings rather than having
> one’s faith dependent on the behavior of individual Bahá’ís or institutions.
> Shoghi Effendi addresses the tests Bahá’ís may experience in dealing with
> each other as Bahá’ís and he provides assurance:
> 
> “Often these trials and tests which all Bahá’í Communities inevitably pass
> through seem terrible, at the moment, but in retrospect we understand that
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> they were due to the frailty of Human nature, to misunderstanding, and to
> the growing pains which every Bahá’í community must experience.” 58
> 
> St. Rain suggests that there is a way to be proactive in dealing with tests and
> becoming more spiritual beings. We can decide to pick a virtue that needs
> 
> WORKING
> developing and practice it.59 This is possible with such virtues as generosity,
> knowledge and kindness but more difficult with those such as forgiveness and
> patience that depend on outside forces to be activated. But as St. Rain points
> out, there are enough spontaneous opportunities to practice those virtues in a
> safe environment where it doesn’t matter if we succeed or fail. Then having
> 
> EDITION
> practiced a virtue, we will have a better chance of succeeding when we need to
> use the virtue at a later time.60
> 
> St. Rain also discusses tests of choice such as volunteering in a difficult situation,
> choosing a lower-paid but humanitarian field of work and adopting children.
> Some choices may involve doing the right thing in a situation regardless of the
> possibility of negative consequences to our well-being, such as standing up
> for justice, answering someone’s cry for help or offering services in a war-torn
> country. These choices clearly require faith and a great deal of courage. And
> they can be avoided if we so choose. But if we make the choice to follow such
> a path, our spiritual development is greatly enhanced.61
> 
> St. Rain asks us to consider why we would choose to experience tests. He
> feels that because we can’t progress spiritually and become closer to God
> without experiencing tests, we might as well embrace them with eyes wide
> 
> WORKING
> open rather than blindly tripping over them or being paralyzed with fear
> or running away like a coward.62 And understanding our tests can be very
> helpful.63 Awareness can make any tests – even those you failed years ago
> – a current success. This discussion puts me in mind of an experience I had
> in Siberia. I had volunteered to work at a children’s camp. In Communist
> 
> EDITION
> Russia there had been pioneer camps for children to learn to be good
> citizens of the state and parents had sent their children every summer. With
> the dissolution of communism, the camps were abandoned. The Bahá’ís
> were asked if they would like to run some camps and the Russian Bahá’ís
> put out the call for assistance from other Bahá’ís in the world. On the
> second day at the camp, just before the children arrived, I went down some
> stairs and twisted my ankle (or so I thought), but I really broke a bone in
> my foot and the doctor put a cast on it. A search went on to find crutches
> I could use because it was not possible to walk on the cast. One crutch
> was found and I could manage to lean on the crutch and hop on the other
> foot. But the camp was very hilly and the buildings were spread out over
> some distance and therefore presented a challenge for someone with one
> good leg. I could not help to patrol the grounds at night and supervise our
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> unruly teenagers. And I started out trying to help a class on protecting the
> environment, led by one of the Russian-speaking Bahá’ís, but I couldn’t
> physically participate in the activities and I eventually stopped going. I
> also helped with a singing group at first, and dropped it, too, not feeling
> that I was contributing much. I felt defeated by my physical limitations,
> 
> WORKING
> even though a lack of mobility had little to do with my ability to lead a
> singing group! I was like the second rose bush, perhaps, trying to figure out
> why this had to happen to me, treating it like a punishment, feeling sorry
> for myself and giving up, rather than accepting my limitations and finding
> a solution. And it took me many years to see how I had failed this test. I
> 
> EDITION
> think I was being tested to see how I could manage without mobility – how
> I could adjust and be of service anyway. Perhaps I was being asked to
> accept my situation and trust the Gardener to help me figure out what He
> wanted me to do.I could not see that Bahá’u’lláh may have been leading
> me to take on a different role. I was even given a few opportunities to
> demonstrate that I could serve in a different role with my listening skills
> and empathy for others. I remember one of the English-speaking Bahá’ís
> venting to me about the difficulties experienced with the youth and the
> language barrier. And I did have some positive experiences in relating to
> the youth. I needed to go home just after my leg healed and could not stay
> for the second camp. I left with a great deal of regret because I thought
> I could contribute more with two good legs. I was still focusing on the
> importance of having mobility to be of any use.
> 
> Years later when it suddenly occurred to me that I had been tested, I
> came to some conclusions about the nature of the test that I had “failed”
> 
> WORKING
> and I learned a great deal just from reliving the experience in my mind
> and determining what I could have done differently. St. Rain notes that
> understanding why we experience specific tests and learning from them
> results in more control, allowing us to take responsibility for things we
> 
> EDITION
> are able to control and leaving to God the things we cannot.64 Later when
> we are in the middle of a test, we do not become consumed by fear, anger,
> sadness, guilt or resentment at a time when we need to think in a clear
> manner to find a solution.
> 
> The concept of awareness can be extended further. It’s important for us to
> know why we respond the way we do. We may think that we’re standing
> in a long line at the checkout counter because we need to practice patience.
> St. Rain explains that maybe we’re not experiencing impatience; maybe we
> feel really agitated or feel stupid or feel angry at God for “picking on” us.65
> Our feelings may be much stronger that the situation warrants. What are
> our perceptions of the situation? What underlying beliefs are they bringing
> up? Or what triggers? You will remember our discussion of triggers in the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> last chapter. If we can identify what is really happening in the situation, we
> can then recognize what the test is really about and the specific qualities
> we’re being asked to develop. Strong feelings in a situation often point to
> similar unresolved tests from the past. Perhaps God gives us the test again
> because He knows that we now have the maturity and resources to pass it.
> 
> WORKING
> Of course in all this discussion I am assuming that we want to develop
> virtues, that we recognize it as the purpose of our lives and that through
> tests we can acquire them. We need to acquire a thirst for spirituality.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us the formula:
> 
> EDITION
> “The first thing to do is to acquire a thirst for Spirituality, then Live the
> Life! Live the Life! Live the Life! The way to acquire this thirst is to
> meditate upon the future life. Study the Holy Words, read your Bible, read
> the Holy Books, especially study the Holy Utterances of Bahá’u’lláh;
> Prayer and Meditation, take much time for these two. Then will you
> know this Great Thirst, and then only can you begin to Live the Life!” 66
> 
> To live the life we must practice the virtues. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us
> four tools to develop our thirst, which will transform our beliefs and
> perceptions – meditating upon the future life, studying the lives of the
> Prophets, studying the Holy Words, and also prayer and meditation.
> And Shoghi Effendi reminds us:
> 
> “. . . as we suffer these misfortunes we must remember that the Prophets
> 
> WORKING
> of God Themselves were not immune from these things which men
> suffer. They knew sorrow, illness and pain too. They rose above these
> things through Their spirits, and that is what we must try and do too,
> when afflicted. The troubles of this world pass, and what we have left is
> what we have made of our souls, so it is to this we must look to becoming
> 
> EDITION
> more spiritual, drawing nearer to God, no matter what our human minds
> and bodies go through.” 67
> 
> It is definitely not easy to deal with the tests that assail us but when we turn
> to the Bahá’í Writings we glean assistance in how to pass the test.
> 
> In one of His Tablets discussed by Taherzadeh,68 Bahá’u’lláh described
> the qualities of “contentment and radiant acquiescence.” He stated that
> one must be resigned to God’s Will to walk the path of contentment and
> accept with radiance whatever is part of his destiny. He must be content
> with himself. This is an impossible task if one is attached to this world
> as he will always be striving for perfection in this world and will resent
> hardships that interfere with his progress. So he must be detached from this
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> world and accept with radiant acquiescence the trials and tests sent to him
> by God. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states:
> 
> “Grieve not at the divine trials. Be not troubled because of hardships
> and ordeals; turn unto God, bowing in humbleness and praying to Him,
> while bearing every ordeal, contented under all conditions and thankful
> 
> WORKING
> in every difficulty. Verily thy Lord loveth His maidservants who are
> patient, believing and firm. He draws them nigh unto Him through these
> ordeals and trials.” 69
> 
> EDITION
> Our prescription for bearing every difficulty is patience and thankfulness.
> Trusting God and turning humbly to Him in prayer are also essential.
> 
> “No matter what happens, nothing is as important as our feeling of
> trust in God, our inner peacefulness and faith that all, in the end, in
> spite of the severity of the ordeals we may pass through will come out as
> Bahá’u’lláh has promised.” 70
> 
> We need to be firm and steadfast.
> 
> “Today, the greatest of all titles and praises are firmness and steadfastness,
> for the tests and trials are of the utmost intensity. I ask God that day by
> day thou mayest increase in steadfastness, so like unto a solid rock thou
> mayest withstand the tempestuous sea of test.” 71
> 
> WORKING
> We need to be happy and more “ignited”:
> 
> “O thou maid-servant of God! Become thou not extinguished by the
> winds of tests, but rather become ignited and be more happy, for then
> thou wilt become a tried believer.” 72
> 
> EDITION
> We need to be composed and confident in God’s grace:
> 
> “When calamity striketh, be ye patient and composed. However afflictive
> your sufferings may be, stay ye undisturbed, and with perfect confidence
> in the abounding grace of God, brave ye the tempest of tribulations and
> fiery ordeals.” 73
> 
> And if we remember how Bahá’u’lláh suffered, our tests may not seem too
> formidable:
> 
> “Remember My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment
> in this remote prison.” 74
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Wrongly accused, imprisoned, beaten, chained, banished from country
> to country, betrayed, poisoned, stripped of material possessions, and at
> every moment tormented with a fresh torment . . . For two score years,
> until the end of His earthly days, He remained a prisoner and exile --
> persecuted unceasingly by the rulers of Persia and the Ottoman Empire,
> opposed relentlessly by a vicious and scheming clergy, neglected abjectly
> 
> WORKING
> by other sovereigns to whom He addressed potent letters. . .
> 
> The voice halts for shame from continuing so deplorable a recitation, the
> heart is torn by mere thought of the Divine Target of such grief -- grief no
> 
> EDITION
> ordinary mortal could endure. But lest we give way to feelings of gloom
> and distress, we take recourse in the tranquil calm He induces with
> such meaningful words as these: ‘We have borne it all with the utmost
> willingness and resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and
> the Word of God be exalted.’ ” 75
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us to join in His suffering to “some slight degree”:
> 
> “Now ye, as well, must certainly become my partners to some slight
> degree, and accept your share of tests and sorrows. But these episodes
> shall pass away, while that abiding glory and eternal life shall remain
> unchanged forever. Moreover, these afflictions shall be the cause of
> great advancement.” 76
> 
> We are promised in The Hidden Words that we may at times have prosperity
> 
> WORKING
> and at other times adversity, and so we must remain detached:
> 
> “Be not troubled in poverty nor confident in riches, for poverty is followed
> by riches, and riches are followed by poverty.” 77
> 
> EDITION
> “Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come
> upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more.” 78
> 
> But Bahá’u’lláh promises us “days of blissful joy”:
> 
> “. . . Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things
> contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God,
> for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store
> for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to
> your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter,
> to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a
> portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them
> you will, no doubt, attain.” 79
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> So we know what our attitude towards tests should be, according to the
> Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> “O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee,
> Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is
> the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the
> 
> WORKING
> sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy
> divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down
> upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh
> unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten
> 
> EDITION
> our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts
> with the brightness of Thy names.” 80
> 
> “The more one is severed from this world, from desires, from human
> affairs, and conditions, the more impervious does one become to the
> tests of God.” 81
> 
> We all know people who have suffered a great deal in their lives. They seem
> to exude warmth, empathy and a depth of character we would espouse to.
> 
> If we don’t go through troubled times it is very difficult for us to relate to
> others and their difficulties. As we grow spiritually through our adversities
> and God comforts us in times of troubles, we are then prepared to reach out
> to comfort others and become close to them. Our world desperately needs
> relationships based on love and understanding and the ability to reach out
> 
> WORKING
> to others when they need help. As Shoghi Effendi said:
> 
> “Indeed the believers have not yet fully learned to draw on each other’s love
> for strength and consolation in time of need. The Cause of God is endowed
> with tremendous powers, and the reason the believers do not gain more from
> 
> EDITION
> it is because they have not learned to draw fully on these mighty forces of
> love and strength and harmony generated by the Faith.” 82
> 
> And when we suffer we join forces with all of mankind, ready to forget
> ourselves and our own problems in our desire to reach out to them:
> 
> “Our willingness to suffer is part of our demonstration of love for all
> mankind. Along with it, however, we must also be able to develop the
> spiritual muse not to dwell on our suffering but to turn our attention
> away to the great and many sources of our joy. For it is in God that
> we place our confidence, it is the life processes which the Faith has
> set in motion which we trust, knowing that it takes time and includes
> many setbacks.” 83
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Our way through all tests and difficulties is service to our faith, as Shoghi
> Effendi points out:
> 
> “We must always look ahead and seek to accomplish in the future what we
> may have failed to do in the past. Failures, tests, and trials, if we use them
> correctly, can become the means of purifying our spirit, strengthening our
> 
> WORKING
> characters, and enable us to rise to greater heights of service.” 84
> 
> “Thus you might look upon your own difficulties in the path of service.
> They are the means of your spirit growing and developing. You will
> 
> EDITION
> suddenly find that you have conquered many of the problems which
> upset you, and then you will wonder why they should have troubled you
> at all. An individual must centre his whole heart and mind on service to
> the Cause, in accordance with the high standards set by Bahá’u’lláh.
> When this is done, the Hosts of the Supreme Concourse will come to the
> assistance of the individual, and every difficulty and trial will gradually
> be overcome.” 85
> 
> Here’s a story that befittingly explains the process by which we are tried
> in our perfecting:
> 
> A couple vacationing in Europe went strolling down a little street and saw a
> quaint little gift shop with a beautiful teacup in the window. The lady collected
> teacups and she wanted this one for her collection so she went inside to pick up
> the teacup, and as the story goes the teacup spoke and said:
> 
> WORKING
> ‘I want you to know that I have not always looked like this. It took the
> process of pain to bring me to this point. You see, there was a time when I
> was just clay and the master came and he pounded me and he squeezed me
> and he kneaded me and I screamed: ‘STOP THAT’. But he just smiled and
> 
> EDITION
> he said, ‘Not yet’.
> 
> Then he took me and put me on the wheel and I went round and round
> and round and round . . . and while I was spinning and getting dizzier and
> dizzier I screamed again and I said, ‘Please get me off this thing . . . please
> get me off!!!’ And the master was looking at me and he was smiling, as he
> said, ‘Not yet’.
> 
> Then he took me and walked toward the oven and he shut the door and turned
> up the heat and I could see him through the window of the oven and it was
> getting hotter and hotter and I thought, ‘He’s going to burn me to death’. And
> I started pounding on the inside of the oven and I said ‘Master, let me out, let
> me out, let me out’, and I could see that he was smiling as he said ‘Not yet’.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Then he opened the door and I was fresh and free and he took me out of
> the oven and he put me on the table and then he got some paint and a
> paintbrush. And he started dabbing me and making swirls all over me and
> I started to gag and I said: ‘Master, stop it . . . stop it . . . stop it please . . .
> you’re making me gag’ and he just smiled as he said ‘Not yet’.
> 
> WORKING
> Then very gently he picked me up again and he started walking toward
> the oven and I said, ‘Master, NO! Not again, pleeeeease’. He opened
> the oven door and he slipped me inside and he shut the door and this
> time he turned the heat up twice as hot as before and I thought, ‘He’s
> 
> EDITION
> going to kill me’, and I looked through the window of the oven and I
> started to pound saying, ‘Master . . . Master, please let me out … please
> let me out . . . let me out . . . let me out’. And I could see that he was
> smiling, but I also noticed a tear trickle down his cheek as I watched
> him mouth the words, ‘Not yet!’
> 
> Just as I thought I was about to die, the door opened and he reached in ever
> so gently and took me out, fresh and free and he went and placed me on a
> high shelf and he said: ‘There, I have created what I intended. Would you
> like to see yourself?’ I said ‘Yes’, so he handed me a mirror and I looked
> and I looked and I looked again and I said, ‘That’s not me, I’m just a lump
> of clay’. And he said: ‘Yes, that IS you, but it took the process of pain to
> bring you to this place. You see, had I not worked you when you were clay,
> then you would have dried up. If I had not subjected you to the stress of
> the wheel, you would have crumbled. If I had not put you into the heat of
> 
> WORKING
> the oven you would have cracked. If I had not painted you there would
> be no color in your life. But, it was the second oven that gave you the
> strength to endure. And now you are everything that I intended you to
> be – from the beginning.’
> 
> EDITION
> And I, the tea cup, heard myself saying something I never thought I
> would hear myself saying: ‘Master, forgive me, I did not trust you, I
> thought you were going to harm me, I did not know you had a glorious
> future and a hope for me. I was too short-sighted, but I want to thank
> you. I want to thank you for suffering. I want to thank you for the
> process of pain. Here I am! I give you myself - fill me, pour from me,
> use me as you see fit. I really want to be a vessel that brings you glory
> within my life.’” 86
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 17
> 2 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no.51, p. 15
> 
> WORKING
> 3 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 371-372
> 4 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 8-9
> 5 The Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, 1226, p. 366
> 6 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 944, p. 280
> 7 Ibid., 2049, p. 603-604
> 
> EDITION
> 8 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests
> (Hiltonville, IN: Special Ideas, 2003). P. 8
> 9 Ibid., p. 1-4
> 10 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 1, p. 129
> 11 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 185, p. 210
> 12 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 450, p. 135
> 13 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 163, p. 194
> 14 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 50, p. 15
> 15 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Benefits of God to Man, [8], p. 50-51
> 16’Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 155, p. 182
> 17 St. Rain, Justice, Falling into Grace (Hiltonville, IN: Special Ideas,
> 2006), p. 1
> 18 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXVI, p. 271
> 19 Ibid, CLII, p. 322
> 20 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 20, p. 8-9
> 
> WORKING
> 21 St. Rain, Justice, Falling into Grace, p. 2
> 22 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 361
> 23 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XIII, p. 18
> 24 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West Vol. 6, no. 6, p. 45
> 25 Hellaby, William and Madeline, Prayer, A Bahá’í Approach, p. 79
> 
> EDITION
> 26 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Benefits of God to Man, [7], p. 50
> 27 Ibid., [9-10], p. 51
> 28 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West Vol. 14, no. 2, p. 41
> 29 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance, 2040, p. 601-602
> 30 Shoghi Effendi, Ibid., 247, p. 70
> 31 The Universal House of Justice, Ibid., 1209, p. 359-360
> 32 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 120
> 33 Ibid., p. 121
> 34 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 363
> 35 The Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, 1228, p. 367
> 36 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests, p. 22
> 37 Ibid., p. 26
> 38 Ibid., p. 27
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 39 Ibid., p. 28
> 40 Ibid., p. 30
> 41 Ibid., p. 31
> 42 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LII, p. 106
> 43 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. 1, 334, p. 171
> 
> WORKING
> 44 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 1378, p. 417
> 45 The Universal House of Justice, Ibid., 1144, p. 341
> 46 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests, p. 34
> 47 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 197, p. 239
> 48 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Progress of the Soul, [1], p. 178
> 
> EDITION
> 49 Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá’í
> Community: Messages from the Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith to the
> Bahá’ís of the British Isles, 10 February 1951, p. 459-460
> 50 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Benefits of God to Mankind, [1-4], p. 49-50
> 51 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests, p. 41
> 52 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 22, p. 9
> 53 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests, p. 41
> 54 Ibid., p. 42
> 55 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 2047, p. 603
> 56 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol.3, p. 48-51
> 57 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1292, 23
> August, 1939, p. 10
> 58 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 2038, p. 601
> 59 St. Rain, Justice, Why Me? A Spiritual Guide to Growing Through Tests, p. 44
> 60 Ibid., p. 45
> 61 Ibid., p. 45-46
> 
> WORKING
> 62 Ibid., p. 48
> 63 Ibid., p. 50
> 64 Ibid.
> 65 Ibid., p. 58-60
> 
> EDITION
> 66 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, 425, p. 204
> 67 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 1014, p. 297
> 68 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 1, p. 108
> 69 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 51
> 70 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 791, p. 237
> 71 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 683
> 72 Ibid., p. 591
> 73 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 35, p. 74
> 74 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers, p. 309
> 75 The Universal House of Justice, A Wider Horizon: Selected Messages
> of the Universal House of Justice 1983-1992 (Riviera Beach, FL: Palabra
> Publications, 1992), p. 239-240
> 76 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 196, p. 238-239
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 77 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian, no. 51, p. 40
> 78 Ibid., Arabic no. 52, p. 16
> 79 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII, p. 329
> 80 Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXIII,
> p. 220-221
> 
> WORKING
> 81 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West Vol. 6, no. 6, p. 45
> 82 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 321, p. 93
> 83 The Universal House of Justice, Quickeners of Mankind- Pioneering
> in a World Community (National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of
> Canada, 1980), p. 121
> 
> EDITION
> 84 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 2039, p. 601
> 85 Ibid., 2042, p. 602
> 86 Unknown author. Variation submitted to local Bahá’í calendar
> by Daryush Yazdani; the story can be found on several websites,
> including http://www.turnbacktogod.com/story-teacup-speaks-%20%20
> about-its-potter.
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKINGChapter 7
> Ignite a Candle of Love
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 7
> Ignite a Candle of Love
> 
> “Act in accordance with the counsels of the Lord . . . So far as ye are
> 
> WORKING
> able, ignite a candle of love in every meeting, and with tenderness
> rejoice and cheer ye every heart. Care for the stranger as for one of
> your own; show to alien souls the same loving kindness ye bestow
> upon your faithful friends. Should any come to blows with you, seek
> 
> EDITION
> to be friends with him; should any stab you to the heart, be ye a
> healing salve unto his sores; should any taunt and mock at you, meet
> him with love. . .” 1
> 
> The Bahá’í Writings give us the formula for living our lives and
> contributing to the well-being of humanity. How do we relate to others
> and serve mankind? By practicing the virtues of love and kindness and on
> every occasion seeing all as members of our family, loving and serving all
> regardless of how they behave towards us. If this seems like a tall order, it
> is still the high standard we are called to:
> 
> “I desire distinction for you. The Bahá’ís must be distinguished from
> others of humanity. But this distinction must not depend upon wealth
> -- that they should become more affluent than other people. I do not
> desire for you financial distinction. It is not an ordinary distinction
> I desire; not scientific, commercial, industrial distinction. For you
> 
> WORKING
> I desire spiritual distinction -- that is, you must become eminent
> and distinguished in morals. In the love of God you must become
> distinguished from all else. You must become distinguished for loving
> humanity, for unity and accord, for love and justice. In brief, you
> 
> EDITION
> must become distinguished in all the virtues of the human world --
> for faithfulness and sincerity, for justice and fidelity, for firmness and
> steadfastness, for philanthropic deeds and service to the human world,
> for love toward every human being, for unity and accord with all
> people, for removing prejudices and promoting international peace.
> Finally, you must become distinguished for heavenly illumination
> and for acquiring the bestowals of God. I desire this distinction for
> you. This must be the point of distinction among you.” 2
> 
> “They should not content themselves merely with relative distinction
> and excellence. Rather they should fix their gaze upon nobler heights
> by setting the counsels and exhortations of the Pen of Glory as their
> supreme goal.” 3
> The Insistent Self
> 
> In this chapter we will investigate how to behave in a spiritual manner
> with others, according to the Bahá’í Writings: the importance of love and
> forgiveness, establishing relationships “that nothing can shake” 4, reflecting
> spiritual qualities, dealing with our negative emotions, the significance of
> our words and the importance of deeds over words. Perhaps through this
> study, we can imbue our lives with an increased sense of our purpose. Let
> 
> WORKING
> us keep in our minds and hearts the words of the opening quotation, which
> are now reiterated in the instructions we are now going to study, ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá’s description of a Bahá’í. First, here is the full passage:
> 
> EDITION
> “You must manifest complete love and affection toward all mankind.
> Do not exalt yourselves above others, but consider all as your equals,
> recognizing them as the servants of one God. Know that God is
> compassionate toward all; therefore, love all from the depths of your
> hearts, prefer all religionists before yourselves, be filled with love for
> every race, and be kind toward the people of all nationalities.
> 
> Never speak disparagingly of others, but praise without distinction. Pollute not
> your tongues by speaking evil of another. Recognize your enemies as friends,
> and consider those who wish you evil as the wishers of good. You must not see
> evil as evil and then compromise with your opinion, for to treat in a smooth,
> kindly way one whom you consider evil or an enemy is hypocrisy, and this is not
> worthy or allowable. You must consider your enemies as your friends, look upon
> your evil-wishers as your well-wishers and treat them accordingly. Act in such
> a way that your heart may be free from hatred. Let not your heart be offended
> with anyone. If some one commits an error and wrong toward you, you must
> 
> WORKING
> instantly forgive him. Do not complain of others. Refrain from reprimanding
> them, and if you wish to give admonition or advice, let it be offered in such a
> way that it will not burden the bearer. Turn all your thoughts toward bringing
> joy to hearts. Beware! Beware! lest ye offend any heart. Assist the world of
> humanity as much as possible. Be the source of consolation to every sad one,
> 
> EDITION
> assist every weak one, be helpful to every indigent one, care for every sick
> one, be the cause of glorification to every lowly one, and shelter those who
> are overshadowed by fear.
> 
> In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of
> the virtues of the world of humanity. Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate
> and replete with chastity. Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious,
> be quickened of God, be a Bahá’í.” 5
> 
> Let’s study the passage section by section.
> 
> “You must manifest complete love and affection toward all mankind.”
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> We are to demonstrate complete love to all – not “some” love to “some”
> people but complete love- fully loving everyone.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explains:
> 
> ”God is the Father of all. He educates, provides for and loves all; for they
> 
> WORKING
> are His servants and His creation. Surely the Creator loves His creatures. It
> would be impossible to find an artist who does not love his own production.
> Have you ever seen a man who did not love his own actions? Even though
> they be bad actions, he loves them. How ignorant, therefore, the thought that
> 
> EDITION
> God, Who created man, educated and nurtured him, surrounded him with
> all blessings, made the sun and all phenomenal existence for his benefit,
> bestowed upon him tenderness and kindness and then did not love him.
> This is palpable ignorance, for no matter to what religion a man belongs,
> even though he be an atheist or materialist, nevertheless, God nurtures
> him, bestows His kindness and sheds upon him His light. How then can we
> believe God is wrathful and unloving? How can we even imagine this, when
> as a matter of fact we are witnesses of the tenderness and mercy of God upon
> every hand? All about us we behold manifestations of the love of God. If,
> therefore, God be loving, what should we do? We have nothing else to do but
> to emulate Him. Just as God loves all and is kind to all, so must we really love
> and be kind to everybody”. 6
> 
> “Bahá’u’lláh . . . founded the oneness of the world of humanity, proclaimed
> that all are servants of the loving and merciful God who has created,
> nourished and provided for all; therefore why should men be unjust and
> 
> WORKING
> unkind to each other, showing forth that which is contrary to God? As He
> loves us, why should we entertain animosity and hate? If God did not love
> all, He would not have created, trained and provided for all. Loving-kindness
> is the divine policy. Shall we consider human policy and attitude superior to
> the wisdom and policy of God? This would be inconceivable, impossible.
> 
> EDITION
> Therefore, we must emulate and follow the divine policy, dealing with each
> other in the utmost love and tenderness.” 7
> 
> We continue the passage.
> 
> “Do not exalt yourselves above others, but consider all as your equals,
> recognizing them as the servants of one God.”
> 
> We are asked not to exalt ourselves above others. As Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “O CHILDREN OF MEN!
> 
> Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts
> how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same
> substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the
> same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from
> your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and
> 
> WORKING
> the essence of detachment may be made manifest.” 8
> 
> We are created from the same dust. We are all equal in His eyes and in the
> eyes of each other. Through our actions we demonstrate that we see all men
> as equals and we are detached from ourselves and our accomplishments,
> 
> EDITION
> but ever mindful of serving others.
> 
> Continuing our discussion on the passage, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advices:
> 
> “Know that God is compassionate toward all; therefore, love all from
> the depths of your hearts, prefer all religionists before yourselves, be
> filled with love for every race, and be kind toward the people of all
> nationalities.”
> 
> Just as God demonstrates compassion to us all, we also love all, from every
> religion, race and nationality.
> 
> And again He says:
> 
> “Consort with all the peoples, kindreds and religions of the world with
> 
> WORKING
> the utmost truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness, kindliness, good-will
> and friendliness; that all the world of being may be filled with the holy
> ecstasy of the grace of Bahá [God’s grace], that ignorance, enmity, hate
> and rancor may vanish from the world and the darkness of estrangement
> amidst the peoples and kindreds of the world may give way to the Light
> 
> EDITION
> of Unity.” 9
> 
> In this Dispensation we are called to reach out to everyone from all
> walks of life:
> 
> “In every dispensation, there hath been the commandment of fellowship
> and love, but it was a commandment limited to the community of those
> in mutual agreement, not to the dissident foe. In this wondrous age,
> however, praised be God, the commandments of God are not delimited,
> not restricted to any one group of people, rather have all the friends been
> commanded to show forth fellowship and love, consideration and generosity
> and loving-kindness to every community on earth. Now must the lovers of
> God arise to carry out these instructions of His: let them be kindly fathers to
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> the children of the human race, and compassionate brothers to the youth,
> and self-denying offspring to those bent with years.” 10
> 
> Once again, our directive is to accept all men and love them from the
> depths of our hearts.
> 
> WORKING
> “But some souls are weak; we must endeavor to strengthen them. Some
> are ignorant, uninformed of the bounties of God; we must strive to make
> them knowing. Some are ailing; we must seek to restore them to health.
> Some are immature as children; they must be trained and assisted to
> 
> EDITION
> attain maturity. We nurse the sick in tenderness and the kindly spirit of
> love; we do not despise them because they are ill. Therefore, we must
> exercise extreme patience, sympathy and love toward all mankind,
> considering no soul as rejected. If we look upon a soul as rejected, we
> have disobeyed the teachings of God. God is loving to all. Shall we be
> unjust or unkind to anyone? Is this allowable in the sight of God? God
> provides for all. Is it befitting for us to prevent the flow of His merciful
> provisions for mankind? God has created all in His image and likeness.
> Shall we manifest hatred for His creatures and servants? This would be
> contrary to the will of God . . .” 11
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá demonstrates how deep our love should be for our fellow
> creatures as we continue our study of the passage:
> 
> “Never speak disparagingly of others, but praise without distinction.
> 
> WORKING
> Pollute not your tongues by speaking evil of another. Recognize your
> enemies as friends, and consider those who wish you evil as the wishers
> of good. You must not see evil as evil and then compromise with your
> opinion, for to treat in a smooth, kindly way one whom you consider evil
> or an enemy is hypocrisy, and this is not worthy or allowable. You must
> 
> EDITION
> consider your enemies as your friends, look upon your evil-wishers as
> your well-wishers and treat them accordingly. Act in such a way that
> your heart may be free from hatred.”
> 
> We need to pour out lavish amounts of encouragement and praise on
> everyone, as did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. For example, while in America, He
> praised the black and the white races for their close association with
> each other at a time when the black Bahá’ís and the white Bahá’ís had
> separate Feasts. He praised and exalted it into being! And we sincerely
> perceive enemies as friends, not pretending that they are friends but
> making them friends, loving them all because we do not see them as
> different – we do not see their “otherness”. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarifies this in
> the following Writing:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O ye lovers of this wronged one! Cleanse ye your eyes, so that ye behold
> no man as different from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather see all
> men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on
> otherness. And in this new and wondrous age, the Holy Writings say that
> we must be at one with every people; that we must see neither harshness
> nor injustice, neither malevolence, nor hostility, nor hate, but rather turn
> 
> WORKING
> our eyes toward the heaven of ancient glory. For each of the creatures
> is a sign of God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that
> each did step into the world; therefore they are not strangers, but in the
> family; not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such.” 12
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá reinforces the need to see all men as friends and family:
> 
> “So intense must be the spirit of love and loving-kindness, that the
> stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference
> whatsoever existing between them . . .” 13
> 
> Back to our passage:
> 
> “Let not your heart be offended with anyone. If some one commits an
> error and wrong toward you, you must instantly forgive him.”
> 
> We do not become offended and forgive anyone who tries to hurt us.
> 
> The Báb states:
> 
> “There is no paradise, in the estimation of the believers in the Divine
> 
> WORKING
> Unity, more exalted than to obey God’s commandments, and there is no
> fire in the eyes of those who have known God and His signs, fiercer than
> to transgress His laws and to oppress another soul, even to the extent of
> a mustard seed. . .” 14
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “. . . he must return good for evil, and not only forgive, but also, if
> possible, be of service to his oppressor.” 15
> 
> And this is from a note of one of the Bahá’ís attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “In truth nothing is sweeter in man’s taste than to do good toward those
> who have done him ill. For, whenever one remembers such kindness to
> one’s enemies, one feels highly rejoiced.” 16
> 
> But we need to clarify when forgiveness should be the remedy and when
> justice needs to be upheld:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “. . . the constitution of the communities depends upon justice, not upon
> forgiveness. Then what Christ meant by forgiveness and pardon is not
> that, when nations attack you, burn your homes, plunder your goods,
> assault your wives, children and relatives, and violate your honor, you
> should be submissive in the presence of these tyrannical foes and allow
> them to perform all their cruelties and oppressions. No, the words of
> 
> WORKING
> Christ refer to the conduct of two individuals toward each other: if one
> person assaults another, the injured one should forgive him.” 17
> 
> It is clear from this Writing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that when two individuals
> 
> EDITION
> are dealing with each other, forgiveness is the correct behavior. It does not
> apply to abhorrent behavior in a community that is unjust.
> 
> “To forgive him will not be easy, and this is not something to which
> either you or the members of your family can force yourselves.
> Nevertheless, you should know that forgiveness is the standard which
> individual Bahá’ís are called upon to attain. It is an essential part
> of the spiritual growth of a person who has been wronged. To nurse
> a grievance or hatred against another soul is spiritually poisonous
> to the soul which nurses it, but to strive to see another person as a
> child of God and, however heinous his deed, to attempt to overlook his
> sins for the sake of God, removes bitterness from the soul and both
> ennobles and strengthens it.” 18
> 
> And again, referring to bettering the conditions of the poor, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
> 
> WORKING
> “Do not be satisfied until each one with whom you are concerned is to
> you as a member of your family. Regard each one either as a father, or
> as a brother, or as a sister, or as a mother, or as a child. If you can attain
> to this, your difficulties will vanish, you will know what to do. This is the
> teaching of Bahá’u’lláh.” 19
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá demonstrated this in His own life:
> 
> “‘Abdu’l-Bahá looked at everyone whom He met as a member of His own
> family. One day when He was sitting with two ladies in England, one of
> them said to Him, ‘Master, are You not longing to get back to Haifa and be
> with Your beloved family?’
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá smiled and said, ‘I want you to understand that both of you are
> my daughters, and you are just as dear to me as my own daughters in Haifa.’
> 
> The ladies could hardly believe their ears and they wondered how they
> could be worthy of so high and honour, but it made them realize what
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh meant by the Oneness of Mankind and that all men are part
> of one family.” 20
> 
> Now we continue our study of the passage:
> 
> WORKING
> “Do not complain of others. Refrain from reprimanding them, and if you
> wish to give admonition or advice, let it be offered in such a way that it
> will not burden the bearer. Turn all your thoughts toward bringing joy
> to hearts. Beware! Beware! lest ye offend any heart. Assist the world
> of humanity as much as possible. Be the source of consolation to every
> 
> EDITION
> sad one, assist every weak one, be helpful to every indigent one, care
> for every sick one, be the cause of glorification to every lowly one, and
> shelter those who are overshadowed by fear.”
> 
> We don’t offend others. We don’t complain about them or reprimand them,
> only giving a little advice “with words as mild as milk”.21 Our only thought
> is to make everyone happy. We try to help everyone by consoling sad ones,
> helping the poor and weak, caring for the sick, raising up the lowly ones and
> sheltering the fearful. And we do it for the sake of God, following His divine
> example and demonstrating our gratitude for His mercies and blessings.
> 
> “Be in perfect unity. Never become angry with one another. Let your
> eyes be directed toward the kingdom of truth and not toward the world of
> creation. Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves.
> You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of
> 
> WORKING
> God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human
> being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people
> themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind
> to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete
> mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with
> 
> EDITION
> the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The
> eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of souls. He created them,
> trains and provides for them, endows them with capacity and life, sight
> and hearing; therefore, they are the signs of His grandeur. You must love
> and be kind to everybody, care for the poor, protect the weak, heal the
> sick, teach and educate the ignorant.” 22
> 
> Shoghi Effendi reiterates this:
> 
> "We must love God, and in this state, a general love for all men becomes
> possible. We cannot love each human being for himself but our feeling
> towards humanity should be motivated by our love for the Father who
> created all men.” 23
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “. . . we must reach a spiritual plane where God comes first and great
> human passions are unable to turn us away from Him. All the time we see
> people who either through the force of hate or the passionate attachment
> they have to another person, sacrifice principle or bar themselves from
> the path of God.” 24
> 
> WORKING
> To what extent are we to love our fellow-man? ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “O ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the nations and
> communities of the world, even the enemies, put their trust, assurance
> 
> EDITION
> and hope in you; that if a person falls into errors for a hundred- thousand
> times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful that you will forgive his
> sins; for he must not become hopeless, neither grieved nor despondent.
> This is the conduct and the manner of the people of Bahá. This is the
> foundation of the most high pathway! Ye should conform your conduct
> and manners with the advices of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” 25
> 
> “First of all, be ready to sacrifice your lives for one another, to prefer the
> general well-being to your personal well-being. Create relationships that
> nothing can shake; form an assembly that nothing can break up; have a
> mind that never ceases acquiring riches that nothing can destroy. If love
> did not exist, what of reality would remain? It is the fire of the love of
> God which renders man superior to the animal. Strengthen this superior
> force through which is attained all the progress in the world.” 26
> 
> WORKING
> As we continue our discussion of this theme, we will look at more Writings that
> help us to learn how to be like this. And step by step, day by day, we learn to be
> more spiritually attuned as we continue our journey here and through eternity.
> 
> Dorothy Baker said that she had two rules to guide her life. “One is this:
> 
> EDITION
> Look not to the creatures. Let your heart be supremely attached to our
> Beloved; then you can serve all of His children with detachment and joy,
> and never fail any of them, no matter what they do. When people make
> mistakes, you are only witnessing moments that are hook-ups between
> states of consciousness. It doesn’t matter. The second rule is this: Make a
> joyous thing of the little services because you can never tell which is little
> and which is big in God’s sight.” 27
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh said:
> 
> “Shouldst thou step a little way into the worlds of severance, thou wilt
> testify that no day greater than this Day and no resurrection mightier
> than this Resurrection can be imagined, and that one deed in this Day
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> is equivalent to deeds performed during a hundred thousand years --
> nay, I ask pardon of God for this limitation, because deeds done in this
> Day are sanctified beyond any limited reward.” 28 “One righteous act is
> endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass
> beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath
> 
> WORKING
> the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished. . . .” 29
> 
> One simple act of unselfish love can make a difference, as Anita
> Moorjani noticed when she had her near-death experience described in
> her book, Dying to be Me.30 When she “reviewed” her life on the other
> 
> EDITION
> side, it was the small things, the tiniest acts of kindness which were
> most significant.
> 
> K.Sri Dhammananda says:
> 
> “We are potentially storehouses of love. The spirit of love is more important
> than good work.” ‘All good works whatever are not worth an iota of love
> which sets free the heart. Love which sets free the heart comprises good
> work. It shines, gives light and radiance.’” (Buddha)31
> 
> Marianne Williamson explains that we are capable of doing what God is asking
> us to do. It is arrogance not humility if we think we can’t do it.32 Who are we
> to think we know ourselves better than God who created us? “Whatever it is
> you are guided to do, don’t be concerned about your own readiness; just be
> consistently aware of His.”33 She also says that when we see negative behavior
> in someone we may have difficulty seeing God reflected in a person but we
> 
> WORKING
> need to believe in their basic goodness. We can try imagining someone as they
> were as a child to have more empathy.34 Recognizing that someone may come
> into our lives to teach us something, to test us, to force us to learn a difficult
> lesson or virtue may help us, also. Every encounter is a learning experience
> and an opportunity to demonstrate love.35 We need to love all – even those who
> 
> EDITION
> hurt us – after all, they are learning, as we are. When we come to the realization
> that we are alike, and pass beyond that stage to realize that we “actually are
> each other, then we will begin to find life outside the realm of love no longer
> acceptable.” 36 We learn to love the way God does – to love everyone, an
> impersonal love, unconditional, not based on what they do but who they are in
> essence.37 Our purpose is to invoke each other’s greatness and work a miracle
> in each other’s lives.38
> 
> At this point, you might be wondering what happened to our discussion of
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passage about being a Bahá’í. Let’s go back to it:
> 
> “In brief, let each one of you be as a lamp shining forth with the light of
> the virtues of the world of humanity. Be trustworthy, sincere, affectionate
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and replete with chastity. Be illumined, be spiritual, be divine, be glorious,
> be quickened of God, be a Bahá’í.”
> 
> Let us look at the importance of virtues. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says:
> 
> “Verily, it is better a thousand times for a man to die than to continue
> 
> WORKING
> living without virtue. . . . The All-loving God created man to radiate the
> Divine light and to illumine the world by his words, action and life.” 39
> 
> Shoghi Effendi espouses the importance of virtues on men’s souls:
> 
> EDITION
> “First and foremost, one should use every possible means to purge
> one’s heart and motives, otherwise, engaging in any form of enterprise
> would be futile. It is also essential to abstain from hypocrisy and blind
> imitation, inasmuch as their foul odour is soon detected by every man
> of understanding and wisdom. Moreover, the friends must observe the
> specific times for the remembrance of God, meditation, devotion and
> prayer, as it is highly unlikely, nay impossible, for any enterprise to
> prosper and develop when deprived of divine bestowals and confirmation.
> One can hardly imagine what a great influence genuine love, truthfulness
> and purity of motives exert on the souls of men. But these traits cannot be
> acquired by any believer unless he makes a daily effort to gain them . . .” 40
> 
> And these are the virtues mentioned by Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “The virtues and attributes pertaining unto God are all evident and
> 
> WORKING
> manifest, and have been mentioned and described in all the heavenly
> Books. Among them are trustworthiness, truthfulness, purity of heart while
> communing with God, forbearance, resignation to whatever the Almighty
> hath decreed, contentment with the things His Will hath provided, patience,
> nay, thankfulness in the midst of tribulation, and complete reliance, in all
> 
> EDITION
> circumstances, upon Him. These rank, according to the estimate of God,
> among the highest and most laudable of all acts. All other acts are, and will
> ever remain, secondary and subordinate unto them . . .” 41
> 
> We will discuss a few of the virtues here that relate specifically to our study
> passage. Although purity of heart is not mentioned in the passage, it is listed in
> the quotation above – “purity of heart while communing with God”. And in
> the study passage ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asks us to be “replete with chastity”.
> 
> “O SON OF SPIRIT!
> My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that
> thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.” 42
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “O Friends of the Pure and Omnipotent God! To be pure and holy
> in all things is an attribute of the consecrated soul and a necessary
> characteristic of the unenslaved mind. The best of perfections is
> immaculacy and the freeing of oneself from every defect. Once the
> 
> WORKING
> individual is, in every respect, cleansed and purified, then will he
> become a focal centre reflecting the Manifest Light.
> 
> First in a human being’s way of life must be purity, then freshness,
> 
> EDITION
> cleanliness, and independence of spirit. First must the stream bed be
> cleansed, then may the sweet river waters be led into it. Chaste eyes
> enjoy the beatific vision of the Lord and know what this encounter
> meaneth; a pure sense inhaleth the fragrances that blow from the
> rose gardens of His grace; a burnished heart will mirror forth the
> comely face of truth.” 43
> 
> “Blessed thou art and more blessed thou shalt be if thy feet be firm, thy
> heart tranquil through the fragrance of His Holy Spirit and thy secret
> and hidden thoughts pure before the Lord of Hosts!” 44
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “Let your eye be chaste, your hand faithful, your tongue truthful and
> your heart enlightened.” 45
> 
> WORKING
> Shoghi Effendi discussed the importance of chastity as a spiritual requisite
> in his book The Advent of Divine Justice. “A chaste and holy life must
> be made the controlling principle in the behavior and conduct of all
> Bahá’ís, both in their social relations with the members of their own
> 
> EDITION
> community, and in their contact with the world at large.” 46
> 
> “Such a chaste and holy life, with its implications of modesty, purity,
> temperance, decency, and clean- mindedness, involves no less than
> the exercise of moderation in all that pertains to dress, language,
> amusements, and all artistic and literary avocations. It demands daily
> vigilance in the control of one’s carnal desires and corrupt inclinations.
> It calls for the abandonment of a frivolous conduct, with its excessive
> attachment to trivial and often misdirected pleasures”. 47
> 
> Truthfulness was specifically mentioned in Bahá’u’lláh’s list of virtues
> “pertaining unto God”. And in our study passage, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá mentioned
> that we should be sincere. There are differences in the meanings of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> truthfulness and sincerity because sincerity seems to be more allencompassing, including being honest and genuine, earnest, frank, genuine
> and without pretense. But we need truthfulness to be sincere. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> said: “Sincerity is to be admired, whilst lying is despicable.” 48 Lying
> is definitely the opposite of truthfulness. And we know how important
> 
> WORKING
> truthfulness is: “Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of the
> world of humanity. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of
> the worlds of God are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute is
> established in man, all the divine qualities will also become realized.” 49
> 
> EDITION
> Shoghi Effendi clarifies:
> 
> “As to the question whether it is right to tell an untruth in order to save
> another, he feels that under no condition should we tell an untruth
> but at the same time try and help the person in a more legitimate
> manner. Of course it is not necessary to be too outspoken until the
> question is directly put to us.” 50
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said: “. . . if a doctor consoles a sick man by saying:
> ‘Thank God you are better, and there is hope of your recovery’,
> though these words are contrary to the truth, yet they may become the
> consolation of the patient and the turning-point of the illness. This is
> not blameworthy.” 51
> 
> Juliet Thompson, a New York Bahá’í and successful painter, tells a story
> 
> WORKING
> about truthfulness in her diary. As we pick up the threads of the story, note
> that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had already praised Juliet for her truthfulness:
> 
> “He spoke again of my ‘truthfulness’.
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Oh,’ I prayed, ‘may I some day have all the virtues so that in every way I
> can make you happy.’
> 
> ‘But he who possesses truthfulness possesses all the virtues,’ said the
> Master. Then He went on to tell us a story.
> 
> There was once a disciple of Muhammad who asked of another disciple, ‘What
> shall I do to please God?’ And the other disciple replied: ‘Do not kill. Do not steal.
> Do not covet, ‘etc., etc., etc. A great many ‘do nots’. the Master laughed. He asked
> still another, ‘What shall I do to become nearer to God?’ And this one said: ‘You
> must supplicate and pray. You must be generous. You must be courageous,’ etc.,
> etc., etc. Then the disciple went to ‘Ali. ‘What do you say I should do in order to
> please God and to become nearer to Him?’ ‘One thing only: be truthful.’
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘For,’ continued the Master, ‘if you are truthful, you cannot commit murder.
> You would have to confess it! Neither can you steal. You would have to
> confess it. So, if one is truthful, he possesses all the virtues.’
> 
> ‘I may tell you this,’ He said to me, and He told me a thing so wonderful
> that, even to keep and cherish His words and read them over in the time to
> 
> WORKING
> come, I cannot repeat it here.
> 
> ‘My Lord,’ I said, ‘if ever I have told You an untruth it was because I
> deceived myself.’
> 
> EDITION
> ‘There are degrees of truth,’ He answered, ‘but that word of yours which
> has so pleased Me was absolute, perfect, extraordinary truth.’” 52
> 
> I have always thought of myself as a truthful person. I don’t go out of
> my way to tell someone the truth if it would hurt their feelings, but I
> don’t like exaggeration and have been criticized for being a stickler
> for details when someone is relating events. So, imagine me in this
> situation and the way I responded. I was attending a week-long summer
> school and was excited on the first evening when a man and a few
> others with instruments got up to perform and asked if anyone knew the
> words to “Daniel” by Elton John and would like to come up and sing
> with them. I jumped up eagerly because I liked the song and liked to
> sing. It was clear in a few short moments that I did not know the words
> to the song and I stood there, singing the words I did know (mainly the
> chorus). I remember the look of surprise, confusion and yes, disdain
> 
> WORKING
> on the face of the man who was leading the sing-along. I enjoyed my
> week, not really giving the incident much thought, but knowing that I
> was out of favour with that man! I even got involved teaching a song
> to the school’s participants. We practiced every morning until everyone
> knew all the words and actions. So the incident didn’t really stop me from
> 
> EDITION
> participating and even doing something musical. And I have thought about
> it now and again since that time, wondering why I did it but recognizing
> the impulsiveness and enthusiasm that precipitated my behavior and lack
> of truthfulness. Imagine that man’s perplexity! Why would I deliberately
> lie? I’m sure that he was aware that I really didn’t know the words of the
> song, that it wasn’t just nervousness or shyness that had interfered. He
> may still be trying to figure out why someone would do such a thing. I
> was certainly a test for him – the lying Bahá’í- and it was another lesson in
> humility for one who prided herself in being truthful!
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá exhorts us to be trustworthy in our study quote. Taherzadeh
> explains that Bahá’u’lláh “placed a special emphasis on trustworthiness” 53
> out of all the qualities.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh states: “The most precious of all things in the estimation of
> Him Who is the Sovereign Truth is trustworthiness: thus hath it been
> recorded in the sacred Scroll of God. Entreat ye the one true God to
> enable all mankind to attain to this most noble and lofty station.” 54
> 
> He deemed it more meritorious that someone be trustworthy than to attain
> 
> WORKING
> His presence:
> 
> “Were a man in this day to adorn himself with the raiment of
> trustworthiness it were better for him in the sight of God than that he
> 
> EDITION
> should journey on foot towards the holy court and be blessed with meeting
> the Adored One and standing before His Seat of Glory. Trustworthiness
> is as a stronghold to the city of humanity, and as eyes to the human
> temple. Whosoever remaineth deprived thereof shall, before His Throne,
> be reckoned as one bereft of vision.” 55
> 
> And He states, “. . . trustworthiness . . . is the door of security for all that
> dwell on earth and a token of glory on the part of the All-Merciful. He
> who partaketh thereof hath indeed partaken of the treasures of wealth
> and prosperity. Trustworthiness is the greatest portal leading unto the
> tranquillity and security of the people. In truth the stability of every affair
> hath depended and doth depend upon it. All the domains of power, of
> grandeur and of wealth are illumined by its light.” 56
> 
> In one of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets to a devoted Bahá’í, He indicated that a
> believer could carry out many good deeds but if he were not trustworthy
> 
> WORKING
> his good deeds would come to naught:
> 
> “If a man were to perform every good work, yet fail in the least
> scruple to be entirely trustworthy and honest, his good works would
> become as dry tinder and his failure as a soul-consuming fire. If, on
> 
> EDITION
> the other hand, he should fall short in all his affairs, yet act with
> trustworthiness and honesty, all his defects would ultimately be
> righted, all injuries remedied, and all infirmities healed. Our meaning
> is that, in the sight of God, trustworthiness is the bedrock of His Faith
> and the foundation of all virtues and perfections. A man deprived
> of this quality is destitute of everything. What shall faith and piety
> avail if trustworthiness be lacking? Of what consequence can they
> be? What benefit or advantage can they confer? “ 57
> 
> And again He reiterates its importance:
> 
> “You have written on the question of how the friends should proceed in
> their business dealings with one another. This is a question of the greatest
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> importance and a matter that deserveth the liveliest concern. In relations of this
> kind, the friends of God should act with the utmost trustworthiness and integrity.
> To be remiss in this area would be to turn one’s face away from the counsels of
> the Blessed Beauty [Bahá’u’lláh] and the holy precepts of God. If a man in his
> own home doth not treat his relations and friends with entire trustworthiness
> and integrity, his dealings with the outside world -- no matter how much
> 
> WORKING
> trustworthiness and honesty he may bring to them -- will prove barren and
> unproductive. First one should order one’s own domestic affairs, then attend to
> one’s business with the public. One should certainly not argue that the friends
> need not be treated with undue care, or that it is unnecessary for them to attach
> 
> EDITION
> too great importance to the practice of trustworthiness in their dealings with
> one another, but that it is in their relations with strangers that correct behaviour
> is essential. Talk like this is sheer fantasy and will lead to detriment and loss.
> Blessed be the soul that shineth with the light of trustworthiness among the
> people and becometh a sign of perfection amidst all men.” 58
> 
> We have completed our study of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passage on being a
> Bahá’í. I thought it would be fitting to finish this section of the chapter
> with examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s love for others:
> 
> “[This was] Abdu’l-Bahá’s answer to one who asked Him why it was that
> those who came from His presence possessed a shining face. He said, with
> that sublime smile and humble gesture of the hands which once seen may
> never be forgotten, that if it were so it must be because He saw in every
> face the face of His Heavenly Father.” 59
> 
> WORKING
> And again Howard Colby Ives (a Unitarian minister who became a Bahá’í as a
> result of his meetings with Abdu’l-Bahá): “I have mentioned several times the
> impression He always made upon me of an all- embracing love. How rarely we
> receive such an impression from those around us, even from our nearest and
> 
> EDITION
> dearest, we all know. All our human love seems based upon self, and even its
> highest expression is limited to one or to a very few. Not so was the love which
> radiated from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Like the sun it poured upon all alike and, like it,
> also warmed and gave new life to all it touched.” 60
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> We have examined many of the Bahá’í Writings that teach us to “ignite a
> candle of love in every meeting.” And we do it out of obedience and by
> following the requisites for spiritual growth. But how do we overlook the
> faults of others and not take offence? How do we learn not to take offense,
> get angry, feel jealous or envious and complain about others? The Bahá’í
> Writings provide guidance to help us.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Buddha identified four kinds of wrong speech, which provide a framework for
> the Bahá’í teachings on this topic.61 The first wrong speech is lying. We have
> already discussed the importance of truthfulness. The second is backbiting.
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us:
> 
> “O SON OF MAN!
> 
> WORKING
> Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner.
> Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be,
> and to this I bear witness.” 62
> 
> EDITION
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states:
> 
> “The worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting,
> more especially when it emanates from the tongues of the believers
> of God. If some means were devised so that the doors of backbiting
> were shut eternally and each one of the believers unsealed his lips
> in praise of others, then the Teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh
> would spread, the hearts be illumined, the spirits glorified, and the
> human world would attain to everlasting felicity.” 63
> 
> “I hope that the believers of God will shun completely backbiting,
> each one praising the other cordially and believe that backbiting is
> the cause of Divine Wrath, to such an extent that if a person backbites
> to the extent of one word, he may become dishonored among all
> the people, because the most hateful characteristic of man is fault-
> 
> WORKING
> finding. One must expose the praiseworthy qualities of the souls and
> not their evil attributes. The friends must overlook their shortcomings
> and faults and speak only of their virtues and not their defects.
> 
> It is related that His Holiness Christ -- May my life be a sacrifice to Him!
> 
> EDITION
> -- one day, accompanied by His apostles, passed by the corpse of a dead
> animal. One of them said: ‘How putrid has this animal become!’ The other
> exclaimed: ‘How it is deformed!’ A third cried out: ‘What a stench! How
> cadaverous looking!’ but His Holiness Christ said: ‘Look at its teeth!
> how white they are!’ Consider, that He did not look at all at the defects of
> that animal; nay, rather, He searched well until He found the beautiful
> white teeth. He observed only the whiteness of the teeth and overlooked
> entirely the deformity of the body, the dissolution of its organs and the
> bad odour.
> 
> This is the attribute of the children of the Kingdom. This is the conduct
> and the manner of the real Bahá’ís. I hope that all the believers will
> attain to this lofty station.” 64
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi adds:
> 
> “The condemnation of backbiting could hardly be couched in stronger
> language than in these passages, and it is obviously one of the foremost
> obligations for Bahá’ís to set their faces against this practice. Even if what
> is said against another person be true, the mentioning of his faults to others
> 
> WORKING
> still comes under the category of backbiting, and is forbidden.” 65
> 
> And so backbiting is the “worst human quality and the most great sin”
> and fault-finding is “the most hateful characteristic of man.” Strong and
> 
> EDITION
> persuasive words to motivate us to behave in the opposite way. Bahá’u’lláh
> addresses the issue of fault-finding in The Hidden Words. Since The Hidden
> Words contain the gems of guidance for our lives, it is significant to me that
> this specific issue is addressed several times:
> 
> “O SON OF BEING!
> 
> How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults
> of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.” 66
> 
> “O COMPANION OF MY THRONE!
> 
> Hear no evil, and see no evil, abase not thyself, neither sigh and weep.
> Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear it spoken unto thee, and
> magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear
> great; and wish not the abasement of anyone, that thine own abasement
> 
> WORKING
> be not exposed. Live then the days of thy life, that are less than a fleeting
> moment, with thy mind stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure,
> and thy nature sanctified, so that, free and content, thou mayest put away
> this mortal frame, and repair unto the mystic paradise and abide in the
> 
> EDITION
> eternal kingdom for evermore.” 67
> 
> Shoghi Effendi said:
> 
> “If we Bahá’ís cannot attain to cordial unity among ourselves, then we
> fail to realize the main purpose for which the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and the
> Beloved Master lived and suffered.
> 
> In order to achieve this cordial unity one of the first essentials insisted on
> by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l- Bahá is that we resist the natural tendency
> to let our attention dwell on the faults and failings of others rather than
> on our own. Each of us is responsible for one life only, and that is our
> own. Each of us is immeasurably far from being perfect as our heavenly
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> father is perfect and the task of perfecting our own life and character
> is one that requires all our attention, our will-power and energy. If we
> allow our attention and energy to be taken up in efforts to keep others
> right and remedy their faults, we are wasting precious time. We are like
> ploughmen each of whom has his team to manage and his plough to
> direct, and in order to keep his furrow straight he must keep his eye on
> 
> WORKING
> his goal and concentrate on his own task. If he looks to this side and that
> to see how Tom and Harry are getting on and to criticize their ploughing,
> then his own furrow will assuredly become crooked.
> 
> EDITION
> On no subject are the Bahá’í teachings more emphatic than on the
> necessity to abstain from faultfinding and backbiting while being
> ever eager to discover and root out our own faults and overcome
> our own failings.
> 
> If we profess loyalty to Bahá’u’lláh, to our Beloved Master and our dear
> Guardian, then we must show our love by obedience to these explicit
> teachings. Deeds not words are what they demand, and no amount of
> fervour in the use of expressions of loyalty and adulation will compensate
> for failure to live in the spirit of the teachings.” 68
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh gives us the prescription for this “disease”:
> 
> “If any differences arise amongst you, behold Me standing before your
> face, and overlook the faults of one another for My name’s sake and as a
> 
> WORKING
> token of your love for My manifest and resplendent Cause.”69
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá also assists us in combating a tendency to backbite:
> 
> “If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this:
> 
> EDITION
> he will dampen the zeal of the friends and tend to make them indifferent.
> For backbiting is divisive, it is the leading cause among the friends of a
> disposition to withdraw. If any individual should speak ill of one who is
> absent, it is incumbent on his hearers, in a spiritual and friendly manner,
> to stop him, and say in effect: would this detraction serve any useful
> purpose? Would it please the Blessed Beauty, contribute to the lasting
> honour of the friends, promote the holy Faith, support the Covenant,
> or be of any possible benefit to any soul? No, never! On the contrary, it
> would make the dust to settle so thickly on the heart that the ears would
> hear no more, and the eyes would no longer behold the light of truth.
> 
> If, however, a person setteth about speaking well of another, opening
> his lips to praise another, he will touch an answering chord in his
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> hearers and they will be stirred up by the breathings of God.
> Their hearts and souls will rejoice to know that, God be thanked,
> here is a soul in the Faith who is a focus of human perfections,
> a very embodiment of the bounties of the Lord, one whose tongue
> is eloquent, and whose face shineth, in whatever gathering he
> 
> WORKING
> may be, one who hath victory upon his brow, and who is a being
> sustained by the sweet savours of God.
> 
> Now which is the better way? I swear this by the beauty of the Lord:
> whensoever I hear good of the friends, my heart filleth up with joy;
> 
> EDITION
> but whensoever I find even a hint that they are on bad terms one with
> another, I am overwhelmed by grief. Such is the condition of ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá. Then judge from this where your duty lieth.” 70
> 
> Because of His grief after the ascension of Bahá’u’lláh and His dismay
> concerning the misdeeds of faithless family members, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> withdrew to Tiberias. While He was away, Munirih Khanum, His wife,
> was used as a scapegoat. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advised her that if something was
> related about a person, “the hearer should observe complete silence,
> engage in communion with the True One and say that the remembrance
> of God is best.” 71
> 
> And He said:
> 
> “Remember, above all, the teaching of Bahá’u’lláh concerning
> 
> WORKING
> gossip and unseemly talk about others. Stories repeated about others
> are seldom good. A silent tongue is the safest. Even good may be
> harmful, if spoken at the wrong time, or to the wrong person.” 72
> 
> And here is guidance from the Universal House of Justice:
> 
> EDITION
> “You ask in your letter for guidance on the implications of the
> prohibitions on backbiting and more specifically whether, in
> moments of anger or depression, the believer is permitted to turn
> to his friends to unburden his soul and discuss his problem in
> human relations. Normally, it is possible to describe the situation
> surrounding a problem and seek help and advice in resolving it,
> without necessarily mentioning names. The individual believer
> should seek to do this, whether he is consulting a friend, Bahá’í or
> non-Bahá’í, or whether the friend is consulting him.” 73
> 
> We are told to focus on our own faults and imperfections.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “O EMIGRANTS!
> 
> The tongue I have designed for the mention of Me, defile it not with
> detraction. If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults
> and not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you
> 
> WORKING
> knoweth his own self better than he knoweth others.” 74
> 
> “It is my hope that you may consider this matter, that you may search
> out your own imperfections and not think of the imperfections of
> anybody else. Strive with all your power to be free from imperfections.
> 
> EDITION
> Heedless souls are always seeking faults in others. What can the
> hypocrite know of others’ faults when he is blind to his own?. . . As
> long as a man does not find his own faults, he can never become
> perfect. Nothing is more fruitful for man than the knowledge of his
> own shortcomings. The Blessed Perfection says, ‘I wonder at the man
> who does not find his own imperfections.’ ” 75
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us to be silent about the faults of others:
> 
> “To be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and to
> help them, through kindness, to correct their faults. To look always at
> the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities and one
> bad one, to look at the ten and forget the one; and if a man has ten bad
> qualities and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten. Never
> to allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though
> 
> WORKING
> that other be our enemy.” 76
> 
> These are concrete examples that we can practice.
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi reiterates the importance of practice:
> 
> EDITION
> “He heartily agrees with you that unless we practise the Teachings we
> cannot possibly expect the Faith to grow, because the fundamental
> purpose of all religions -- including our own -- is to bring man nearer to
> God, and to change his character, which is of the utmost importance. Too
> much emphasis is often laid on the social and economic aspects of the
> Teachings; but the moral aspect cannot be over- emphasized.” 77
> 
> And to centre our energies on our beloved Faith:
> 
> “We must never dwell too much on the attitudes and feelings of our
> fellow believers towards us. What is most important is to foster love
> and harmony and ignore any rebuffs we may receive; in this way the
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> weakness of human nature and the peculiarity or attitude of any particular
> person is not magnified, but pales into insignificance in comparison with our
> joint service to the Faith we all love.” 78
> 
> The third wrong speech is harsh speech.
> 
> WORKING
> “A harsh word is like unto a sword, but gentle speech is like unto milk. The
> children of the world attain to knowledge and better themselves through this.” 79
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us that if someone starts an argument with us, we should not
> 
> EDITION
> use harsh words because we all know that it is generally the retort that starts a
> battle. We should talk quietly and approach the other in a gentle manner.
> 
> “Should anyone wax angry with you, respond to him with gentleness; and
> should anyone upbraid you, forbear to upbraid him in return, but leave him to
> himself and put your trust in God, the omnipotent Avenger, the Lord of might
> and justice.” 80
> 
> We must not be insolent, rude, angry or cruel. We also know that we are not to
> engage in conflict, in acts that hurt others, as Bahá’u’lláh points out:
> 
> “Ye have been forbidden in the Book of God to engage in contention and
> conflict, to strike another, or to commit similar acts whereby hearts and souls
> may be saddened.” 81
> 
> WORKING
> “This Wronged One hath forbidden the people of God to engage in
> contention or conflict and hath exhorted them to righteous deeds and
> praiseworthy character.” 82
> 
> “Contend not with your neighbor, and be ye of them that do good.” 83
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá adds:
> 
> “Be not a cause of grief, much less of strife and sedition.” 84
> 
> Sedition means rebellion, resistance to authority. Contention refers to quarrelling,
> arguments and disputes.
> 
> “Amity and rectitude of conduct, rather than dissension and mischief, are the
> marks of true faith.” 85
> 
> “Say: Sow not, O people, the seeds of dissension amongst men, and contend
> not with your neighbor. Be patient under all conditions, and place your
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> whole trust and confidence in God. Aid ye your Lord with the sword of
> wisdom and of utterance.” 86
> 
> So we are told to demonstrate friendliness and good conduct, to be patient
> and trust God and be wise in our speech.
> 
> WORKING
> And we are asked to obey the Golden Rule, the teaching given to us by all
> the Manifestations of God:
> 
> “O SON OF BEING!
> 
> EDITION
> Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed to
> thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My command unto
> thee, do thou observe it.” 87
> 
> “Lay not on any soul a load which ye would not wish to be laid upon you,
> and desire not for any one the things ye would not desire for yourselves.
> This is My best counsel unto you, did ye but observe it.” 88
> 
> And if we have difficulties we refer to the Writings and His directions for us:
> 
> “Should differences arise amongst you over any matter, refer it to God
> while the Sun still shineth above the horizon of this Heaven and, when it
> hath set, refer ye to whatsoever hath been sent down by Him.” 89
> 
> WORKING
> It is difficult to discipline our selfish nature to turn away from anger and
> conflict. If we can be aware of our lower nature creeping in with its desire
> to respond negatively, perhaps we can quickly say a prayer and ask for
> God’s help to handle the situation in a spiritual manner. And the following
> discussion will hopefully provide more answers for us.
> 
> EDITION
> Blame is a difficulty that results in contending with others. Buddha 90 said
> that we tend to blame others if they talk too much; we blame them if they
> talk in moderation; we blame them for being silent. No one is exempt
> from blame. So we need to accept blame. We need to be prepared to
> receive blame and accept it with resignation. Dhammananda says that the
> “ugliness” that we may see in people reflects our own nature. We need to
> be patient and not criticize, but put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, to
> see their circumstances and what could have led to their actions. Through
> such a path, we adopt an attitude of forbearance, tolerance and acceptance.
> 
> Anger is conquered through loving kindness. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has told us not
> to become angry but to love others for the sake of God. Loving them for
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> the sake of God helps us to be patient and tolerant, rather than expressing our
> anger. Bahá’u’lláh tells us “not to lose one’s temper” 91 but “should anyone
> wax angry with you, respond to him with gentleness . . .” 92 And “if he cometh
> upon wrath he shall manifest love.” 93
> 
> WORKING
> But ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes a distinction between anger at injustice and anger for
> other reasons:
> 
> “If he exercises his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty tyrants who
> are like ferocious beasts, it is very praiseworthy; but if he does not use these
> 
> EDITION
> qualities in a right way, they are blameworthy.” 94
> 
> We are also given the remedy for many negative emotions:
> 
> “Verily the most necessary thing is contentment under all circumstances; by
> this one is preserved from morbid conditions and from lassitude. Yield not
> to grief and sorrow: they cause the greatest misery. Jealousy consumeth the
> body and anger doth burn the liver: avoid these two as you would a lion.” 95
> 
> In chapter 5, we discussed contentment as one of the secrets of detachment.
> Contentment also helps us to avoid negative emotions.
> 
> “Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success,
> pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of
> trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility.” 96
> 
> WORKING
> We need to become peaceful, to learn to feel calm inside, to use peaceful
> language even when we’re angry, to speak gently, courteously and respectfully.
> If we can learn to create inner peace through our daily prayer and meditation,
> we will learn contentment. Even if we are angry about an injustice, we cannot
> 
> EDITION
> determine a course of action if we are in a distracted state of mind. We can
> try to observe it as a mental state and try not to direct it to the object of the
> anger. With more awareness, we gain confidence in controlling ourselves.
> The Buddha had suggestions for controlling anger. One was to recall the
> person’s good qualities, just as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá has advised us. Also, we
> may feel compassion for the person when we realize that he has to face the
> consequences of his actions.97 We can also remember that we suffer more from
> the hatred or negativity we carry around in our minds than what others can do
> to us, so getting rid of our anger removes our real “enemy” from our lives.
> And we learn as much from those who treat us as enemies as we do from our
> friends and perhaps more, because our friends may not want to tell us about
> our weaknesses and we will certainly learn from our “enemies” how we can
> improve if we are only willing to pay attention. 98
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> There are always going to be situations where we are put to the test and we
> have a choice to react with anger and negativity or with loving-kindness.
> Relying on God’s help, we can learn to make the right choice, perhaps not
> the first time but as we keep practicing, it will get easier.
> 
> WORKING
> Bahá’u’lláh also warns us not to be envious:
> 
> “O SON OF EARTH!
> 
> Know, verily, the heart wherein the least remnant of envy yet lingers,
> 
> EDITION
> shall never attain My everlasting dominion, nor inhale the sweet savors
> of holiness breathing from My kingdom of sanctity.” 99
> 
> Strong words! And again He says:
> 
> “Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of
> waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the
> dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the
> heavens of My divine knowledge.” 100
> 
> We have already mentioned that “jealousy consumeth the body” and
> should therefore be avoided.
> 
> “That it is one’s duty to be pitiful and harm no one, and to avoid jealousy
> and malice at all costs.” 101
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us further:
> 
> “At the same time those who show forth envies, jealousies, etc. toward a
> servant, are depriving themselves of their own stations, and not another of
> 
> EDITION
> his, for they prove by their own acts that they are not only unworthy of being
> called to any station waiting them, but also prove that they cannot withstand
> the very first test – that of rejoicing over the success of their neighbour, at
> which God rejoices . . . Envy closes the door of Bounty, and jealousy prevents
> one from ever attaining to the Kingdom of Abha.” [the next world ] 102
> 
> But it is difficult for us not be envious or jealous of others, particularly
> because in our materialistic society we are pitted against each other and are
> encouraged to be competitive in terms of our lifestyle and in the workforce.
> Hushidar Motlagh, a Bahá’í writer, tells us that envy “is a deadly spiritual
> disease and a barrier to divine grace and assistance; moreover it spreads
> like a dark cloud, obscuring the radiance of unity and love among the
> believers.” 103 He discusses various levels of intensity in relation to envy:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 1. “You are better than me. Perhaps you are more educated,
> perhaps you teach better, or write better or speak better. And you
> are in my way! I wish God would take you ‘somewhere else’ or
> something would happen to you , so I would be the best.
> 
> WORKING
> 2. You surely stand out! I don’t want anything to happen to
> you, but I wish you were out of my sight and out of my way.
> Whenever I see you I feel uneasy, insecure, perturbed.
> 
> 3. You seem quite capable, and I respect you for that. But you are
> 
> EDITION
> in my way! Frankly, I am surprised by your success and hope you
> will stay near where you are now. I know you have a right to be your
> best, but still I feel uneasy about all the respect and recognition you
> receive. I have somewhat mixed feelings about you. Perhaps I can
> only tolerate you, perhaps I feel indifferent toward you. I really don’t
> know, and I would rather not think about it.”
> 
> Let us now see envy subdued by love:
> 
> “You are great, and everyone should be proud of you. Seeing
> you growing gives me joy, for you have actualized my hopes
> and dreams. You have set an example for me to emulate. You
> have taught me what is possible. I know I can’t be like you, but
> I will do my best to become my own true self- to become what
> I am potentially capable of becoming.” 104
> 
> WORKING
> I think that Motlagh’s description really brings the problem of envy
> to light and gives us an example of doing the opposite: being proud of
> someone and cherishing the gifts they can bring to help others to meet
> their potential.
> 
> EDITION
> Gratitude can be a substitute for jealousy and envy:
> 
> “From amongst all mankind hath He chosen you, and your eyes have
> been opened to the light of guidance and your ears attuned to the music
> of the Company above; and blessed by abounding grace, your hearts and
> souls have been born into new life. Thank ye and praise ye God that the
> hand of infinite bestowals hath set upon your heads this gem-studded
> crown, this crown whose lustrous jewels will forever flash and sparkle
> down all the reaches of time.
> 
> To thank Him for this, make ye a mighty effort, and choose for yourselves
> a noble goal. Through the power of faith, obey ye the teachings of God,
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and let all your actions conform to His laws. Read ye The Hidden
> Words, ponder the inner meanings thereof, act in accord therewith.
> Read, with close attention, the Tablets of Tarazat (Ornaments),
> Kalimat (Words of Paradise), Tajalliyyat (Effulgences), Ishraqat
> (Splendours), and Bisharat (Glad Tidings), [Writings of Bahá’u’lláh]
> and rise up as ye are bidden in the heavenly teachings. Thus may
> 
> WORKING
> each one of you be even as a candle casting its light, the centre of
> attraction wherever people come together; and from you, as from a
> bed of flowers, may sweet scents be shed . . .” 105
> 
> EDITION
> We can practice gratitude even when we’re struggling because there is
> always something to be grateful for:
> 
> “If we should offer a hundred thousand thanksgivings every moment
> to the threshold of God for this love . . . we would fail to express our
> gratitude sufficiently.” 106
> 
> Another way to conquer negativity is by smiling and doing so sincerely.
> One of the essential conditions for Bahá’ís when they are consulting with
> one another is radiance of spirit. It is difficult to have radiance of spirit if
> we are not smiling and joyous. Bahá’u’lláh remarked on several qualities
> which He loved to see in people. One of them was enthusiasm and courage
> and another was “a face wreathed in smiles and a radiant countenance” 107
> 
> And He said:
> 
> WORKING
> “Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright
> and friendly face.” 108
> 
> Smiling and doing so sincerely helps us to conquer any negative emotions,
> 
> EDITION
> even fear and anxiety, which are rampant in our society. We can help to
> conquer our fears by thinking of others, rather than dwelling on our own
> problems. “I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no
> feet.” (Persian proverb) 109 If your mind is occupied with a desire to help
> someone else, fear can’t be present at the same time.
> 
> Serving others is a practical and loving way of demonstrating our gratitude
> and appreciation, according to the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> “O SON OF MAN!
> 
> Deny not My servant should he ask anything from thee, for his face is My
> face; be then abashed before Me.” 110
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes towards your neighbor.” 111
> 
> “Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.” 112
> 
> “The more we search for ourselves, the less likely we are to find ourselves;
> 
> WORKING
> and the more we search for God, and to serve our fellow-men, the more
> profoundly will we become acquainted with ourselves, and the more
> inwardly assured. This is one of the great spiritual laws of life.” 113
> 
> And if we realize the Day in which we are living, we are more likely to live
> 
> EDITION
> our lives in confidence.
> 
> “O ye beloved of the Lord! Beware, beware lest ye hesitate and waver.
> Let not fear fall upon you, neither be troubled nor dismayed. Take ye
> good heed lest this calamitous day slacken the flames of your ardour,
> and quench your tender hopes. Today is the day for steadfastness and
> constancy. Blessed are they that stand firm and immovable as the rock
> and brave the storm and stress of this tempestuous hour. They, verily,
> shall be the recipients of God’s grace; they, verily, shall receive His
> divine assistance, and shall be truly victorious. They shall shine amidst
> mankind with a radiance which the dwellers of the Pavilion of Glory
> laud and magnify.” 114
> 
> “Wherefore are ye downcast and dejected? Why remain despondent
> when the Pure and Hidden One hath appeared unveiled amongst you?
> 
> WORKING
> He Who is both the Beginning and the End, He Who is both Stillness and
> Motion, is now manifest before your eyes.” 115
> 
> The fourth wrong speech is idle babbling. Bahá’u’lláh exorts us about
> being careful in our speech in many Tablets:
> 
> EDITION
> “Say: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence
> and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon
> refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and
> pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom
> as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets. Meditate upon that which
> hath streamed forth from the heaven of the Will of thy Lord, He Who is the
> Source of all grace, that thou mayest grasp the intended meaning which is
> enshrined in the sacred depths of the Holy Writings.” 116
> 
> “Not everything that a man knoweth can be disclosed, nor can everything
> that he can disclose be regarded as timely, nor can every timely utterance
> be considered as suited to the capacity of those who hear it.” 117
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Every word is endowed with a spirit, therefore the speaker or expounder should
> carefully deliver his words at the appropriate time and place, for the impression
> which each word maketh is clearly evident and perceptible. The Great Being saith:
> One word may be likened unto fire, another unto light, and the influence which
> both exert is manifest in the world. Therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should
> primarily speak with words as mild as milk, that the children of men may be nurtured
> 
> WORKING
> and edified thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which
> is the station of true understanding and nobility. And likewise He saith: One
> word is like unto springtime causing the tender saplings of the rose-garden of
> knowledge to become verdant and flourishing, while another word is even as
> 
> EDITION
> a deadly poison. It behoveth a prudent man of wisdom to speak with utmost
> leniency and forbearance so that the sweetness of his words may induce everyone
> to attain that which befitteth man’s station.” 118
> 
> “O SON OF DUST! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a
> hearing, even as the cup- bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a
> seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he
> gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom
> and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the
> hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and
> clay.” 119
> 
> “He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from
> the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vainglory, must cling unto
> patience and resignation, observe silence, and refrain from idle talk. For the
> tongue is a smouldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison. Material
> 
> WORKING
> fire consumeth the body, whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth both heart
> and soul. The force of the former lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of
> the latter endure a century.” 120
> 
> EDITION
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who was our example, said:
> 
> “Follow thou the way of thy Lord, and say not that which the ears cannot
> bear to hear, for such speech is like luscious food given to small children.
> However palatable, rare and rich the food may be, it cannot be assimilated
> by the digestive organs of a suckling child. Therefore unto every one who
> hath a right, let his settled measure be given.” 121
> 
> Instead of idle talk, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá listened, really listened. In the following
> passage, Bahá’u’lláh extolled ‘Abdu’l-Bahá for his powers in listening:
> 
> “Consider the way in which the Master teaches the people. He listens very
> carefully to the most hollow and senseless talk. He listens so intently that
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> the speaker says to himself, ‘He is trying to learn from me.’ Then the
> Master gradually and very carefully, by means that the other person does
> not perceive, puts him on the right path and endows him with a fresh
> power of understanding.” 122
> 
> Motlagh explains,“. . . The Master listened with enduring patience. He
> 
> WORKING
> listened as though He were becoming aware of truths never known to Him.
> And no matter how irrational, biased, or unjust the ideas appeared to Him,
> He listened with deep interest and respect. He also demonstrated the mode
> and meaning of moderation in speech, never overpowering others with an
> 
> EDITION
> excess of words.” 123
> 
> Here is Howard Colby Ives’ description of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s gift:
> 
> “How differently ‘Abdu’l-Bahá met the questioner, the conversationalist,
> the occasion: To the questioner He responded first with silence-an outward
> silence. His encouragement always was that the other should speak and He
> listen. There was never that eager tenseness, that restlessness so often met
> showing most plainly that the listener has the pat answer ready the moment
> he should have a chance to utter it. I have heard certain people described
> as good listeners, but never had I imagined such a listener as Abdu’l-Bahá.
> It was more than a sympathetic absorption of what the ear received. It was
> as though the two individualities became one; as if He so closely identified
> Himself with the one speaking that a merging of spirits occurred which
> made a verbal response almost unnecessary, superfluous. As I write, the
> 
> WORKING
> words of Bahá’u’lláh recur to me: When the sincere servant calls to Me in
> prayer I become the very ear with which He heareth My reply. That was
> just it! Abdu’l-Bahá seemed to listen with my ears . . . And when, under His
> encouraging sympathy, the interviewer became emptied of his words, there
> followed a brief interval of silence. There was no instant and complete
> 
> EDITION
> outpouring of explanation and advice. He sometimes closed His eyes a
> moment as if He sought guidance from above himself; sometimes sat and
> searched the questioner’s soul with a loving, comprehending smile that
> melted the heart. And when He finally spoke, and that modulated, resonant
> voice of music came, the words were so unexpected, often, so seemingly
> foreign to the subject, that the questioner was at first somewhat bewildered,
> but always, with me at least, this was followed by a calmness, an understanding
> which went much deeper than the mind.” 124
> 
> I’ll mention a few more words about the issue of giving or taking offense
> which we discussed earlier in studying ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s definition of a
> Bahá’í. It is important to be clear that Bahá’ís are asked not to give or
> take offense, both of which can lead to conflict and contention. They
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> are told that they must not give or take offense when consulting in
> their Assemblies.
> 
> “The second principle is that of detachment in consultation. The members
> of an Assembly must learn to express their views frankly, calmly, without
> passion or rancour. They must also learn to listen to the opinions of their
> 
> WORKING
> fellow members without taking offence or belittling the views of another.
> Bahá’í consultation is not an easy process. It requires love, kindliness,
> moral courage and humility. Thus no member should ever allow himself
> to be prevented from expressing frankly his view because it may offend
> 
> EDITION
> a fellow member; and, realizing this, no member should take offence at
> another member’s statements.” 125
> 
> Bahá’ís are advised to consult in all their affairs:
> 
> “Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is
> the lamp of guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of
> understanding.” 126
> 
> “The question of consultation is of the utmost importance, and is one of
> the most potent instruments conducive to the tranquillity and felicity of
> the people. For example, when a believer is uncertain about his affairs,
> or when he seeketh to pursue a project or trade, the friends should
> gather together and devise a solution for him. He, in his turn, should
> act accordingly. Likewise in larger issues, when a problem ariseth, or a
> 
> WORKING
> difficulty occurreth, the wise should gather, consult, and devise a solution.
> They should then rely upon the one true God, and surrender to His
> Providence, in whatever way it may be revealed, for divine confirmations
> will undoubtedly assist. Consultation, therefore, is one of the explicit
> ordinances of the Lord of mankind.” 127
> 
> EDITION
> More information about the requirements for Bahá’í consultation are given
> in the next chapter.
> 
> Taking offence is a response to someone’s lower nature. If we can remember
> that the person is being held captive by their lower nature at that moment in
> time, we can more readily forgive them.
> 
> St. Rain128 reprinted an editorial originally published in Canadian Bahá’í
> News August 1969 on taking offense. The author clearly indicates the
> fallacies we are operating under both by giving and taking offence.
> Perceiving our enemies as friends, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asks us to do, is important
> and it becomes easier for us to do if we realize that we need to experience tests
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> from people in our lives in order to grow spiritually and to learn how to love
> all of humanity. We need to love all people because of our love for God and
> not just love those who are “easy” to love. We need to love those who are
> difficult to love, who may push people away from them, who are filled with
> loneliness, fear, guilt and shame and need a tender, sincere love to “thaw
> 
> WORKING
> their frozen hearts”.129 We are not doing very well if we can love only those
> who love us. If this is the case, the author states that we need to immerse
> ourselves in the Bahá’í Writings, to pray to be able to love all people,
> “to seek reconciliation”,130 to serve our fellow-believers regardless of how
> painful it may be and to teach the Bahá’í Faith. The author continues:
> 
> EDITION
> “Many people took offence at ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Himself. Was the Perfect
> Exemplar responsible for their being offended? In such a case it is clear
> that offence can be taken when none is intended nor any cause given.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the object of the most despicable behaviour which men
> are capable of, yet did He ever assume the role of a man offended? It
> is possible to exercise the spiritual muscles of forbearance, forgiveness,
> mercy and to refuse to take offence or be hurt . . .
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh says that He desires to see us as one soul in many bodies.
> The one who hurts us is simply stuck on a different hurdle in the spiritual
> race. And we, in being hurt, are stuck on another. If we truly believe in the
> oneness of mankind we must love wisely enough and well enough to pray
> that we will both learn to take our separate hurdles in our stride, and in the
> meantime, love, love and love again.”
> 
> WORKING
> This is the ideal that we aim for. But there is something about the idea of
> taking offence that makes us jump up and declare that we’re not going to
> take it; it’s not just and has to be dealt with. If someone did me wrong, I
> felt that I needed to deal with it and instant forgiveness was not what came
> 
> EDITION
> to mind. Even if I didn’t deal with such a problem right away and gave
> myself time to think about what to do, I always came back to the idea
> of seeking justice. Erica Toussaint-Brock referred to the need to instantly
> forgive, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us to do, in her 2010 talk at a Social and
> Economic Development Conference. Someone asked her the question:
> What if someone is taking advantage of you? There it is again – the idea
> of someone walking all over us and getting away with it. Someone has to
> teach that person a lesson. And of course in our society, that will be the
> perception. Erica stated that individuals are not to fight it out individually
> with each other; they are to overlook each other’s faults. We must still
> treat that person kindly and with compassion, and instantly forgive him
> but we can take action when justice needs to be done, such as reporting an
> incident that has repercussions for other people or, if it is within the Bahá’í
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> community and is a reflection on the Bahá’í Faith, consulting with the
> Assembly. Here I am reiterating ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s explanation of Christ’s
> meaning about forgiveness and pardon, cited previously. When we are
> dealing one-on-one with an individual, our instructions are clear. We have
> only to obey. When we are concerned about being taken advantage of,
> 
> WORKING
> who is worried? We can ask ourselves – who is in charge here, my lower
> nature or my higher nature because if we are detached and dependent on
> God, our hearts will be happy and contented that we are in God’s hands
> and He has promised us that He won’t harm our souls. And, by the way,
> speaking of teaching someone a lesson, how did ‘Abdu’l-Bahá teach a
> 
> EDITION
> lesson? I’m not talking about the incidences where justice was violated
> and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá became angry and dealt with the situation directly. I’m
> taking about his dealings with individuals. He encouraged, he overlooked
> faults and praised without distinction. Howard Colby Ives tells us this story
> about ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “I was present at an interview sought by a Unitarian clergyman, who
> was preparing an article on the Bahá’í Cause . . . The minister was quite
> advanced in age . . . The Master sat quite silent throughout the interview,
> listening with unwearied attention to the long hypothetical questions of the
> reverend doctor. . . ‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered mainly in monosyllables.
> He never flagged in interest but it seemed to be more an interest in the
> questioner than in his questions. He sat perfectly relaxed, His hands in
> His lap with palms upward, as was characteristic of Him. He looked
> at the interviewer with that indescribable expression of understanding
> 
> WORKING
> love which never failed. His face was radiant with an inner flame.
> 
> The doctor talked on and on. I grew more and more impatient . . . Why
> did not ‘Abdu’l-Bahá recognize the superficial nature underlying all
> these questions? Could He not see that their object was only to gain
> 
> EDITION
> substantiation for a critically adverse magazine article for the writing of
> which a substantial check might be anticipated? Why was not the interview
> cut short and the talker dismissed? But if others in the group grew impatient
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá did not. He encouraged the doctor to express himself fully. If
> the speaker flagged for a moment ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke briefly in reply to a
> question and then waited courteously for him to continue.
> 
> At last the reverend doctor paused. There was silence for a moment,
> and then that softly resonant voice [of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá] filled the room
> . . . He spoke of ‘His Holiness Christ,’ of His love for all men, strong
> even unto the Cross; of the high station of the Christian ministry ‘to
> which you, my dear son, have been called’; of the need that men called
> to this station should ‘characterize themselves with the characteristics
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> of God’ in order that their people should be attracted to the divine life
> . . . He spoke, too, of the coming Kingdom of God on earth for which
> Christ had told us to pray and which, in accordance with His promise,
> Bahá’u’lláh . . . had come to this world to establish.
> 
> WORKING
> Within five minutes, His questioner had become humble, for the moment,
> at least, a disciple at His [‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s] feet. He seemed to have been
> transported to another world, as indeed we all were. His face shone faintly as
> though he had received an inner illumination. Then ‘Abdu’l-Bahá rose . . . He
> lovingly embraced the doctor and led him towards the door. At the threshold
> 
> EDITION
> He paused. His eyes had lighted upon a large bunch of American Beauty roses
> which one of the friends had brought to Him that morning. There were at least
> two dozen of them, perhaps three. There were so many and their stems so
> long that they had been placed in an earthenware umbrella stand . . .
> 
> No sooner had ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s eyes lighted upon them than He laughed
> aloud; His boyish hearty laughter rang through the room. He stooped,
> gathered the whole bunch in His arms, straightened and placed them all
> in the arms of His visitor. Never shall I forget that round, bespectacled
> head above that immense bunch of lovely flowers. So surprised, so
> radiant, so humble, so transformed! Ah! ‘Abdu’l-Bahá knew how to
> teach the Love of God!” 131
> 
> We may take offence because we are sensitive beings but
> perhaps we have not yet learned that tenderness – that essence of
> vulnerability in exposing our hearts and being confident that all
> 
> WORKING
> will be well. I will refer more to “tenderness” later in the chapter.
> It is our animal nature, our egos, that take offence, because they
> do not want to be exposed or demonstrate their fragility. It is only
> when our spiritual nature is in charge that our openness, our ability
> 
> EDITION
> to be attuned to God and our fellow-man has the power to shrug off
> enmity and darts that are thrown our way. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asks us to
> do it for Him:
> 
> “Perhaps the greatest test Bahá’ís are ever subjected to is from each
> other; but for the sake of the Master [Abdu’l-Bahá] they should be ever
> ready to overlook each other’s mistakes, apologize for harsh words they
> have uttered, forgive and forget.” 132
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi always reminds us of the right actions:
> 
> “You should not allow the remarks made by the Bahá’ís to hurt or depress
> you, but should forget the personalities, and arise to do all you can, yourself,
> to teach the Faith.” 133
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “. . . if you close your eyes to the failings of others, and fix your love and
> prayers upon Bahá’u’lláh, you will have the strength to weather this storm,
> and will be much better for it in the end, spiritually. Although you suffer, you
> will gain a maturity that will enable you to be of greater help to both your
> fellow-Bahá’ís and your children.” 134
> 
> WORKING
> “We must never dwell too much on the attitudes and feelings of our fellow
> believers towards us. What is most important is to foster love and harmony
> and ignore any rebuffs we may receive; in this way the weakness of human
> nature and the peculiarity or attitude of any particular person is not
> 
> EDITION
> magnified, but pales into insignificance in comparison with our joint service
> to the Faith we all love.” 135
> 
> And so we conclude our discussion about the four wrong speeches. It is
> easy to see how we can affect our relationships negatively with our words.
> It will always be a struggle for us to speak and behave lovingly towards
> one another. But it is clear from the Bahá’í Writings and our discussion in
> this chapter that it is our deeds, not our words that take precedence. We
> started this chapter with the words “act in accordance with the counsels
> of the Lord”. It is our actions that distinguish us. And it is easy to speak
> about how we should behave but we need to prove it through our deeds,
> according to Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “O SON OF MY HANDMAID!
> 
> Guidance hath ever been given by words, and now it is given by deeds.
> 
> WORKING
> Every one must show forth deeds that are pure and holy, for words
> are the property of all alike, whereas such deeds as these belong only
> to Our loved ones. Strive then with heart and soul to distinguish
> yourselves by your deeds. In this wise We counsel you in this holy and
> 
> EDITION
> resplendent tablet.” 136
> 
> “Say: Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose
> words differ from their deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest
> to the peoples of the earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His
> commandments. Let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the
> professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct.
> It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others.
> Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon the whole
> earth. Happy is the man that heedeth My counsel, and keepeth the
> precepts prescribed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” 137
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh is very clear about the importance of deeds:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds; he whose
> words exceed his deeds, know verily his death is better than his life.” 138
> 
> “Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.” 139
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advised:
> 
> “Love ye all religions and all races with a love that is true and sincere
> and show that love through deeds and not through the tongue; for the
> latter hath no importance, as the majority of men are, in speech, well-
> 
> EDITION
> wishers, while action is the best.” 140
> 
> And He said:
> 
> “What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship is good, and
> talking of the solidarity of the human race as a grand ideal? Unless these
> thoughts are translated into the world of action, they are useless.
> 
> The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of
> their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the
> place of words, the world’s misery would very soon be changed into comfort.
> 
> A man who does great good, and talks not of it, is on the way to perfection.
> 
> The man who has accomplished a small good and magnifies it in his
> 
> WORKING
> speech is worth very little.
> 
> If I love you, I need not continually speak of my love -- you will know
> without any words. On the other hand if I love you not, that also will you
> know -- and you would not believe me, were I to tell you in a thousand
> 
> EDITION
> words, that I loved you.
> 
> People make much profession of goodness, multiplying fine words
> because they wish to be thought greater and better than their fellows,
> seeking fame in the eyes of the world. Those who do most good use
> fewest words concerning their actions.
> 
> The children of God do the works without boasting, obeying His laws.” 141
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá provides us with a clear mandate:
> 
> “Therefore 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.
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the sorrowful, bring healing
> to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue the oppressed, bring hope to
> the hopeless, shelter the destitute!
> 
> This is the work of a true Bahá’í, and this is what is expected of him.
> If we strive to do all this, then are we true Bahá’ís, but if we neglect
> 
> WORKING
> it, we are not followers of the Light, and we have no right to the name.
> 
> God, who sees all hearts, knows how far our lives are the fulfilment
> of our words.” 142
> 
> EDITION
> “Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the
> human race . . . Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each
> one of God’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s
> mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every
> person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him.” 143
> 
> Generosity is a virtue that can only be expressed through our deeds and it is
> highly praised by Bahá’u’lláh. “To give and to be generous are attributes
> of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.” 144
> 
> When we provide service to our fellow-men, we are being generous. In
> any situation we can be observant and sensitive to the needs of others
> and extend a helping hand to all people, not just people who are easy
> to help or friends. Generosity awakens our appreciation and feelings of
> gratitude because we become aware of how we’ve been helped as we
> 
> WORKING
> extend similar assistance to others. It also deepens our empathy and
> compassion for our fellow-man.
> 
> “‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s generosity was natural to Him already in childhood. A
> story is recorded of the time when young Abbas Effendi [‘Abdu’l-Bahá]
> 
> EDITION
> went to the mountains to see the thousands of sheep which His Father then
> owned. The shepherds, wishing to honour their young Guest, gave Him
> a feast. Before Abbas was taken home at the close of the day, the head
> shepherd advised Him that it was customary under the circumstances to
> leave a present for the shepherds. Abbas told the man that He had nothing
> to give. Yet the shepherd persisted that He must give something. Whereupon
> the Master gave them all the sheep.
> 
> We are told that when Bahá’u’lláh heard about this incident,
> He laughed and commented, ‘We will have to protect ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá from Himself – some day he will give himself away.’” 145
> 
> And of course He did!
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “‘Friday mornings at seven there is another picture. Near the tent in the
> garden one may see an assemblage of the abject poor – the lame, the halt and
> the blind – seldom less than a hundred. As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá passes among them
> He will be seen to give to each a small coin, and to add a word of sympathy or
> cheer; often an inquiry about those at home; frequently He sends a share to an
> 
> WORKING
> absent one. It is a sorry procession as they file slowly away, but they all look
> forward to this weekly visit, and indeed it is said that this is the chief means
> of sustenance for some of them. Almost any morning, early, He may be
> seen making the round of the city, calling upon the feeble and the sick;
> many dingy abodes are brightened by His presence.” 146
> 
> EDITION
> --------------------------
> 
> If you go back and read the first quotation in this chapter, you will notice
> the use of the word “tenderness”. The word “tenderness” struck a cord for
> me and reminded me that I had encountered it elsewhere in the Writings.
> One of these was the prayer:
> 
> “O God, my God! Aid Thou Thy trusted servants to have loving and tender
> hearts. Help them to spread, amongst all the nations of the earth, the light
> of guidance that cometh from the Company on high. Verily Thou art the
> Strong, the Powerful, the Mighty, the All-Subduing, the Ever-Giving. Verily
> Thou art the Generous, the Gentle, the Tender, the Most Bountiful.” 147
> 
> This is a prayer which embodies ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s instructions about how we
> 
> WORKING
> should treat each other. How important is tenderness! Perhaps a focus on
> “tenderness” will help those of us who become discouraged by the daunting
> standards of virtue and behavior mentioned in the Bahá’í Writings and
> turn away, saying that these are standards of perfection and they can only
> do their best or they stay busy in all facets of their life to avoid thinking
> 
> EDITION
> about it. In the Oxford dictionary and definitions in Google, “tender” is
> defined as “soft, not tough or hard; frail and delicate; easily hurt and
> sensitive; susceptible to pain or grief (tender heart); characterized by
> or expressing gentleness, given to sympathy, tendency to express warm
> and affectionate feeling; compassionate, considerate and protective;
> demonstrating benevolence, kindness, mildness and mercy.” It seems to
> have a different component to it in comparison to love, a softness and
> gentleness, a vulnerability and openness of heart. It takes a great deal from
> us personally as we are touched, moved to pity and feel something deeply.
> Perhaps it is something that we do not want to experience. We want to run
> away because we feel our vulnerability and are afraid our hearts will be
> broken. But if we can feel tenderness we are truly in touch with our hearts,
> that deepest part of us that belongs to God. As Bahá’u’lláh explains:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent.” 148
> 
> “All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except
> the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty
> and glory . . .” 149
> 
> WORKING
> I am reminded of Bahá’u’lláh’s daughter and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s sister,
> Bahiyyih Khanum, when I think about living a life of tenderness, feeling
> it deeply, coping with fortitude through extremes of pain and grief. And if
> we can turn to others with tenderness, we can endure all difficulties from
> 
> EDITION
> the people; we will have learned to accept it all graciously; we will have
> manifested tenderness, as The Greatest Holy Leaf did:
> 
> “You were sure that if one tried to hurt her she would wish to console
> him for his own cruelty. For her love was unconditioned, could penetrate
> disguise and see hunger behind the mask of fury, and she knew that the
> most brutal self is secretly hoping to find gentleness in another. She had
> that rarest heart- courage, - to uncover the very quick of tenderness to any
> need. And so deep was her understanding that she plumbed all the miseries
> of the human heart and read their significance, blessing both the victim
> and the valid pain itself.
> 
> So alive was she to the source of all bounty that she had no consciousness
> of her own bounty. When she made a gift she seemed to be thanking
> you for it. The prompting included gratitude. When she gave joy she
> 
> WORKING
> blessed you for it. It was almost as if she did not distinguish giving from
> receiving . . . she took nothing for granted in the way of devoted service
> and even in her last hours she whispered or smiled her thanks for every
> littlest ministration . . .
> 
> EDITION
> And as she would not lock away her small treasures, neither would she
> store up her wisdom and her riches of experience. In her, experience left
> no bitter ash. Her flame transmuted all of life, even its crude and base
> particles, into gold. And this gold she spent. Her wisdom was of the heart.
> She never reduced it to formula or precept; we have no wise sayings of hers
> that we can hang motto-like on our walls, just by being what she was she
> gave us all she knew.
> 
> . . . Something greater than forgiveness she had shown in meeting
> the cruelties and strictures in her own life. To be hurt and to forgive
> is saintly but far beyond this is the power to comprehend and not be
> hurt. This power she had . . . She was never known to complain or
> lament. It was not that she made the best of things, but that she found
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> in everything, even in calamity itself, the germs of enduring wisdom.
> She did not resist the shocks and upheavals of life and she did not run
> counter to obstacles. She was never impatient. She was as incapable
> of impatience as she was of revolt. But this was not so much longsuffering as it was quiet awareness of the forces that operate in the
> 
> WORKING
> hours of waiting and inactivity. Always she moved with the larger rhythm,
> the wider sweep, toward the ultimate goal. Surely, confidently, she followed
> the circle of her orbit around the Sun of her existence, in that complete
> acquiescence, that perfect accord, which underlies faith itself.” 150
> 
> EDITION
> And we have Shoghi Effendi’s description of the bonds between The Báb
> and Bahá’u’lláh:
> 
> “Especially, we notice the feeling and life in the work; authentic
> everywhere, he is particularly sensitive when recording tenderness and
> love, which he understood so well that in the end he could not live with
> the knowledge of it, could not contain it. There is, for instance, that
> passage where he explains the bonds between the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh,
> and shows how they matched agony for agony; then he says: ‘Such love
> no eye has ever beheld, nor has mortal heart conceived such mutual
> devotion. If the branches of every tree were turned into pens, and all
> the seas into ink, and earth and heaven rolled into one parchment, the
> immensity of that love would still remain unexplored, and the depths
> of that devotion unfathomed.’”151
> 
> And this description of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> WORKING
> “Tea was brought in -- in the little clear glasses always used in ‘Akká --
> and He served us with His own hands. Then, seating Himself again on the
> divan, He called the four children who were with us . . . and with a lavish
> tenderness, a super abundance of overflowing love, such as could only have
> 
> EDITION
> come from the very Centre and Source of Love, He drew all four to His knees,
> clasped them in His arms, which enclosed them all, gathered and pressed and
> crushed them to His Heart of hearts . . . He sat on the floor in their midst,
> He put sugar into their tea, stirred it and fed it to them, all the while smiling
> celestially, an infinite tenderness playing on the great Immortal Face like white
> light. I cannot express it! In a corner sat an old Persian believer, in a state
> of complete effacement before his Lord, his head bowed, his eyelids lowered,
> his hands crossed on his breast. Tears were pouring down his cheeks.” 152
> 
> And Shoghi Effendi:
> 
> “These details are few and incomplete. They say nothing of Shoghi Effendi’s
> tenderness toward the believers: cables when they were ill, tributes when
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> they died. All too often, every affliction from which they suffered made its
> way straight to him. They say nothing of the sums he disbursed for the poor,
> denying himself, traveling inexpensively when he was abroad for a brief
> rest, carrying little luggage along. They say nothing of how, when Howard
> Carpenter fell mortally ill in Tehran, the Guardian, unasked, sent me
> 
> WORKING
> money through the Tehran Assembly; or how, in California one year later,
> on the day and at the very moment when I came home from Howard’s burial
> to a life that had collapsed, I was handed a cable from Shoghi Effendi.” 153
> 
> And this is how we are asked to be with others:
> 
> EDITION
> “ . . . I ask God to make thee a new creature so that the lights of human
> perfections may shine through thee and to make thee kind hearted unto
> all human beings so that thou mayest be a mercy unto souls, absolute
> goodness to all, a sign of kindness, a word of tenderness . . .” 154
> 
> “If thou wishest to guide the souls, it is incumbent on thee to be firm, to
> be good and to be imbued with praiseworthy attributes and divine qualities
> under all circumstances. Be a sign of love, a manifestation of mercy, a
> fountain of tenderness, kind-hearted, good to all and gentle to the servants
> of God, and especially to those who bear no relation to thee, both men and
> women. Bear every ordeal that befalleth thee from the people and confront
> them not save with kindness, with great love and good wishes.” 155
> 
> And we take the tenderness that comes from Heaven and bestow it
> 
> WORKING
> upon all men:
> 
> “O ye my loved ones! The world is wrapped in the thick darkness of open
> revolt and swept by a whirlwind of hate. It is the fires of malevolence that
> have cast up their flames to the clouds of heaven, it is a blood-drenched flood
> 
> EDITION
> that rolleth across the plains and down the hills, and no one on the face of
> the earth can find any peace. Therefore must the friends of God engender
> that tenderness which cometh from Heaven, and bestow love in the spirit
> upon all humankind. With every soul must they deal according to the Divine
> counsellings and admonitions; to all must they show forth kindness and
> good faith; to all must they wish well. They must sacrifice themselves for
> their friends, and wish good fortune to their foes. They must comfort the
> ill-natured, and treat their oppressors with loving- kindness. They must be
> as refreshing water to the thirsty, and to the sick, a swift remedy, a healing
> balm to those in pain and a solace to every burdened heart. They must be
> a guiding light to those who have gone astray, a sure leader for the lost.
> They must be seeing eyes to the blind, hearing ears to the deaf, and to the
> dead eternal life, and to the despondent joy forever.” 156
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Here are some practical things to try to keep us on the path of loving kindness:
> 
> 1. “Every morning, establish the intention to be kind and loving that
> day.” 157 “Throughout the day, deliberately and actively bring kindness
> into your actions, your speech and most of all, your thoughts.” 158
> 
> WORKING
> 2. Think of a world in which there is only love. Hold that thought
> for several minutes every day.
> 
> 3. “Walk into a room and silently bless everyone in it.” 159
> 
> EDITION
> 4. “Every day, try to have compassion for five kinds of people:
> someone you’re grateful to . . . a loved one or a friend, a neutral
> person, someone who is difficult for you – and yourself.” 160
> 
> 5. “Each day make an attempt to serve others in some small way
> and do not tell anyone.” 161
> 
> 6. “Defend the absent . . .You can wonder out loud how that person
> would explain the ways of being that are being criticized, and suggest
> that there may be more than what is seen on the surface. . . Always ask,
> ‘Who here is defending the person who isn’t here to defend himself?’162
> 
> 7. Begin to keep track of judgement thoughts you allow yourself
> each day. Redirect your thoughts. Consider the fullness of God in the
> 
> WORKING
> person.163 This increases your awareness of a tendency to judge others.
> When you notice that you are judging someone, start to break this habit
> and replace it with thoughts of being connected with all you meet.
> 
> 8. “Set some time aside each day specifically to practice not
> 
> EDITION
> making other people wrong. Instead of attacking when you find
> yourself in disagreement, try saying something like ‘Tell me
> more – that’s a point of view I’ve never considered before.’ Your
> detachment from the need to be right will defuse suffering and
> antagonisms and help you to create a more peaceful inner life.
> You already know that most people are not going to have the
> same opinion. By detaching yourself from the need to disagree,
> you open up the lines of communication, end your frustration
> at the people who disagree with you, and find yourself more
> in balance. It can be done without much of a struggle. Simply
> open yourself up by offering others your comments and
> thoughts, rather than jumping down their throats with your
> opinions and your attachment to proving them wrong.” 164
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 9. It is important to move slowly on the inside when things on
> the outside are moving fast, as Williamson points out in her book,
> The Gift of Change. We need to be slow, conscious and prayerful
> when things are happening, to take time to think, meditate and
> pray. We need to recognize that time is not that important and to
> 
> WORKING
> take time for others, to give them all the time that they need and
> to really listen to them. It is not easy to do because our world
> seems to be moving so fast and we are all affected by the speed,
> but it is what we are called to do.
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1’Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 16, p. 34
> 2 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 15 June 1912,
> 
> WORKING
> [4], p. 190
> 3 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1268, 30
> October 1924, p. 2
> 4 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 112
> 5 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 2 December
> 
> EDITION
> 1912, [2-3], p. 453
> 6 Ibid., 17 August 1912, [8], p. 267
> 7 Ibid., 12 May 1912, [8], p. 120
> 8 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 68, p. 20
> 9 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 445
> 10 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 7, p. 20-21
> 11 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 27 August
> 1912, [7], p. 286-287
> 12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 8, p.24
> 13 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 445
> 14 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 79
> 15 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 269
> 16 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Pilgrim Notes of Ali Kuli Khan, p. 47-48
> 17 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 270-271
> 18 The Universal House of Justice to an individual believer (1992,
> 
> WORKING
> January 5), Gammage, Susan http://susangammage.com
> 19 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 91
> 20 Blomfield Lady, The Chosen Highway (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1967), p. 171
> 21 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 173
> 
> EDITION
> 22 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 5 May 1912, [4], p. 93
> 23 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1327, 4
> October 1950, p. 22
> 24 Ibid.
> 25 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. II, p. 436
> 26 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 112
> 27 Gilstrap, Dorothy Freeman, From Copper to Gold, The Life of Dorothy
> Baker, p. 492
> 28 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Scriptures, 26, p. 38
> 29 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXI, p. 287
> 30 Moorjani, Anita, Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer to Near
> Death, to True Healing (Hay House, 2012)
> 31 Dhammandanda, K. Sri, How to Live Without Fear
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and Worry (www.the bestfriend.org/wp- content/uploads/
> ThawkaDorThaAtTaBawaAhkhetAhkair.pdf)
> 32 Williamson, Marianne, The Gift of Change, p. 219
> 33 Ibid.
> 34 Ibid., p. 165
> 
> WORKING
> 35 Ibid., p. 169
> 36 Ibid., p. 157
> 37 Ibid., p. 161
> 38 Ibid., p. 183
> 39 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Perfect Human Sentiments and
> 
> EDITION
> Virtues, [6; 9], p. 113
> 40 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1267,
> 19 December 1923, p. 1-2
> 41 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh,
> CXXXIV, p. 290
> 42 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 1, p. 3
> 43 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 129, p. 146
> 44 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. III, p. 704
> 45 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 138
> 46 Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, Spiritual Prerequisites, p. 25
> 47 Ibid.
> 48 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Good Ideas must be Carried into Action, [1], p. 79
> 49 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 384
> 50 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1273, 21
> December 1927, p. 4
> 51 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 215-216
> 
> WORKING
> 52 Thompson, Juliet, The Diary of Juliet Thompson (Los Angeles:
> Kalimat Press, 1983), p. 332-333
> 53 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, Vol. 4, p. 17
> 54 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 2046, p. 335-336
> 
> EDITION
> 55 Ibid., 2024, p. 329-330
> 56 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 37
> 57 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 2058, p. 339-340
> 58 Ibid., 2059, p. 340
> 59 Ives, Howard Colby, Portals to Freedom (Oxford: George Ronald,
> 1983), p. 46
> 60 Ibid., p. 45
> 61Dhammananda, K.Sri, How to Live Without Fear
> and Worry http://www.thebestfriend.org/wp-%20content/uploads/
> ThawkaDorThaAtTaBawaAhkhetAhkair.pdf
> 62 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 27, p. 10
> 63 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Lights of Guidance, 305, p. 88
> 64 Ibid., 312, p. 91
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 65 Shoghi Effendi, Ibid., 305, p. 88
> 66 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 26, p. 10
> 67 Ibid., Persian no. 44, p. 37
> 68 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1272, 12
> May 1925, p. 3-4
> 
> WORKING
> 69 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXLVI, p. 315
> 70 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 193, p. 230-231
> 71 Ma’ani, Bahárieh Rouhani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees (Oxford:
> George Ronald, 2011), p. 331
> 72 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, p. 125
> 
> EDITION
> 73 The Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, 311, p. 90
> 74 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 66, p. 45
> 75 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 25 July 1912, [4], p. 244
> 76 Esslemont, Dr. J.E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 83
> 77 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1311, 6
> September 1946, p. 16
> 78 Shoghi Effendi, Ibid., 1320, 19 September 1948, p. 19
> 79 Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Scriptures, 50, p. 132
> 80 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, [153], p. 75
> 81 Ibid., [148], p. 72-73
> 82 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 88
> 83 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXVIII, p. 277
> 84 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, A Traveller’s Narrative (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1980), p. 84
> 85 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, C, p. 205
> 86 Ibid., CXXXVI, p. 296
> 
> WORKING
> 87 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 29, p. 10
> 88 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXVI, p. 128
> 89 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, [53], p. 38
> 90 Dhammananda, K.Sri, How to Live Without Fear and Worry, p. 178
> 
> EDITION
> 91 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 161
> 92 Ibid., [153], p. 75
> 93 Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, p. 13
> 94 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 320
> 95 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, 1020, p. 460
> 96 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 363
> 97 Dhammananda, K.Sri, How to Live Without Fear and Worry, p. 153-154
> 98 Ibid., p. 187
> 99 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 6, p. 24
> 100 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLIII, p. 327
> 101 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Good Ideas must be Carried into Action,
> [1], p. 79
> 102 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. 6, no. 6, p. 44
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 103 Motlagh, Hushidar, Teaching, The Crown of Immortal Glory (Mt.
> Pleasant, Michigan: Global Perspective, 1993), p. 370
> 104 Ibid., p. 370-371
> 105 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 17, p. 35-36
> 106 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 21 April 1912,
> 
> WORKING
> [1], p. 37
> 107 Furutan, Ali-Akbar, Stories of Bahá’u’lláh (Oxford: George Ronald,
> 1986), p. 51
> 108 Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93
> 109 http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/TM/WS_back_to_
> 
> EDITION
> school_quotes.shtml
> 110 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 30, p. 11
> 111 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, V, p. 9
> 112 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 71
> 113 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 391, p. 114-115
> 114 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 5, p. 17-18
> 115 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXXV, p. 168
> 116 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 143
> 117 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXXIX, p. 176
> 118 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 172-173 119 Bahá’u’lláh, The
> Hidden Words, Persian no. 36, p. 34-35
> 120 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXV, p. 264-265
> 121 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 214, p.
> 268-269
> 122 Motlagh, Hushidar, Teaching, The Crown of Immortal Glory, p. 124
> 123 Ibid,, p. 124-125
> 
> WORKING
> 124 Ives, Howard Colby, Portals to Freedom, p. 194-196
> 125 The Universal House of Justice, Lights of Guidance, 590, p. 179-180
> 126 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 168
> 127 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, 179, 96-97
> 
> EDITION
> 128 St. Rain, Justice, Falling into Grace, p. 63
> 129 Ibid.
> 130 Ibid., p. 64
> 131 Ives, Howard Colby, Portals to Freedom, p. 47-49
> 132 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1308, 18
> December 1945, p. 15
> 133 Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Bahá’í
> Community, 15 August 1957, p. 462
> 134 Shoghi Effendi, Lights of Guidance, 2047, p. 603
> 135 Ibid., 397, p. 116
> 136 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 76, p. 48-49
> 137 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXIX, p. 305
> 138 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 156
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 139 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 5, p. 24
> 140 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 34, p. 69
> 141 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, The Duty of Kindness and Sympathy
> towards Strangers and Foreigners, [9-15], p. 16-17
> 142 Ibid., Good Ideas must be Carried into Action, [7-9], p. 81
> 
> WORKING
> 143 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1, p. 3
> 144 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 49, 39
> 145 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 32, p. 58
> 146 Ibid., 46, p. 70
> 147 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 7, p. 22
> 
> EDITION
> 148 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 59, 17
> 149 Ibid., Persian no. 27, p. 31
> 150 Ma’ani, Bahárieh Rouhani, Leaves of the Twin Divine Trees, p. 222-223
> 151 Gail, Marzieh, Dawn over Mount Hira (Oxford: George Ronald,
> 1976), p. 101
> 152 Thompson, Juliet, The Diary of Juliet Thompson, p. 40-41
> 153 Gail, Marzieh, Arches of the Years (Oxford: George Ronald, 1991), p. 316
> 154 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 50
> 155 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol.III, p. 619-620
> 156 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 236, p.
> 318-319
> 157 Hanson, Rick, Buddha’s Brain, p. 158
> 158 Ibid., p. 160
> 159 Williamson, Marianne, The Gift of Change, p. 213
> 160 Hanson, Rick, Buddha’s Brain, p. 145
> 161 Dyer, Dr. Wayne W. Your Sacred Self, p. 25
> 
> WORKING
> 162 Ibid., p. 270-271
> 163 Ibid., p. 312
> 164 Dyer, Dr. Wayne W. in Motlagh, Hushidar, Teaching, The Crown of
> Immortal Glory, p. 140
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> Chapter 8
> Becoming a Channel
> 
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> Chapter 8
> Becoming a Channel
> 
> Now we have come full circle. We began by examining the insistent
> 
> WORKING
> self, referring to our lower nature, the promptings that are part of our
> heritage as human beings and will always be present, requiring us to
> be ever-vigilant and to use our volition and effort in order to stay tuned
> to our noble selves and follow a spiritual path.This is particularly true
> 
> EDITION
> in the western world as its rampant materialism continues unabated. A
> few days ago I saw a TV program with a count-down of the ten most
> commonly eaten foods. Numbers 1 and 2 were hamburgers and French
> fries and the list included chocolate, potato chips, fried chicken and
> ice-cream. And how did they get to be the most common? Through
> availability, through marketing and through our tendency to be gullible
> and to be lulled in our materialistic culture to follow the trends and
> take the easy way out without questioning our choices or lifestyle. And
> because they are fast foods well-suited to our pace of life that keeps us
> running faster and faster on the treadmill of this life and less conscious
> of our souls and the purpose of our being.
> 
> In the following chapters, we studied the requisites for our souls. We
> discussed prayer, meditation and fasting, to counteract the forces of our
> lower nature as well as materialism. We stressed the need for detachment
> from the things of the world, to turn away from selfish needs and surrender
> 
> WORKING
> ourselves and make sacrifices for God and for mankind. We discussed the
> significance of tests. Having investigated thoroughly the work we need to
> do on ourselves, we then turned to the purpose of our being, our need to
> make a spiritual connection with others and to love all with pure, unselfish,
> 
> EDITION
> tender care. What more do we need to include? Having a plan for our
> personal transformation and dedicating our lives to our fellow-man, what
> more is required of us? We learn to know and love God, we acquire virtues
> and we love all as we are commanded to do. So this chapter only serves
> to reinforce the others – to stress our obligation and responsibility to serve
> mankind and to impart the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh to others, at the same
> time recognizing that our aims can not be realized without unity. And
> in following these guidelines, we become channels for God’s grace to
> flow through us:
> 
> “Bahá’u’lláh (may my life, my soul, my spirit, be offered up as a sacrifice
> unto His lowly servants) hath, during His last days on earth, given the
> most emphatic promise that, through the outpourings of the grace of
> The Insistent Self
> 
> God and the aid and assistance vouchsafed from His Kingdom on high,
> souls will arise and holy beings appear who, as stars, would adorn the
> firmament of divine Guidance; illumine the dayspring of loving kindness
> and bounty; manifest the signs of the unity of God; shine with the light of
> sanctity and purity; receive their full measure of divine inspiration; raise
> high the sacred torch of faith; stand firm as the rock and immovable as
> 
> WORKING
> the mountain; and grow to become luminaries in the heavens of His
> Revelation, mighty channels of His grace, means for the bestowals of
> God’s bountiful care, heralds calling forth the name of the one true God,
> and establishers of the world’s supreme foundation.” 1
> 
> EDITION
> Our responsibility is service to mankind. Bahá’u’lláh has emphasized its
> importance:
> 
> “How great the blessedness that awaiteth him that hath attained the
> honor of serving the Almighty! By My life! No act, however great, can
> compare with it, except such deeds as have been ordained by God, the
> All-Powerful, the Most Mighty. Such a service is, indeed, the prince of
> all goodly deeds, and the ornament of every goodly act. Thus hath it been
> ordained by Him Who is the Sovereign Revealer, the Ancient of Days.” 2
> 
> “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the
> entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth
> to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.” 3
> 
> WORKING
> “Spread abroad the sweet savors of thy Lord, and hesitate not, though it
> be for less than a moment, in the service of His Cause.” 4
> 
> And it is our purpose:
> 
> EDITION
> “This Wronged One testifieth that the purpose for which mortal men
> have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they
> may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord
> and harmony.” 5
> 
> “Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of
> wealth and riches.” 6
> 
> “O MY SERVANT!
> 
> The basest of men are they that yield no fruit on earth. Such men are
> verily counted as among the dead, nay better are the dead in the sight of
> God than those idle and worthless souls.” 7
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that this service is a sign of nobility:
> 
> “. . . is there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to
> the common good?” 8
> 
> WORKING
> “And the honor and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he
> among all the world’s multitudes should become a source of social good.
> Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking
> within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has
> become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage
> 
> EDITION
> to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no
> more complete delight.” 9
> 
> “Man is he who forgets his own interests for the sake of others. His own
> comfort he forfeits for the well-being of all. Nay, rather, his own life
> must he be willing to forfeit for the life of mankind. Such a man is the
> honor of the world of humanity. Such a man is the glory of the world of
> mankind. Such a man is the one who wins eternal bliss. Such a man is
> near to the threshold of God. Such a man is the very manifestation of
> eternal happiness . . .
> 
> Consider how the greatest men in the world -- whether among prophets
> or philosophers -- all have forfeited their own comfort, have sacrificed
> their own pleasure for the well-being of humanity. They have sacrificed
> their own lives for the body politic. They have sacrificed their own wealth
> 
> WORKING
> for that of the general welfare. They have forfeited their own honor
> for the honor of mankind. Therefore it becomes evident that this is the
> highest attainment for the world of humanity.” 10
> 
> And it is through his faith that he is able to accomplish this:
> 
> EDITION
> “Whoso hath recognized Me, will arise and serve Me with such
> determination that the powers of earth and heaven shall be unable to
> defeat his purpose.” 11
> 
> “Sincerity is the foundation-stone of faith. That is, a religious individual
> must disregard his personal desires and seek in whatever way he can
> wholeheartedly to serve the public interest; and it is impossible for a
> human being to turn aside from his own selfish advantages and sacrifice
> his own good for the good of the community except through true religious
> faith . . . That individual . . . will for the sake of God abandon his own
> peace and profit and will freely consecrate his heart and soul to the
> common good.” 12
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us:
> 
> “Faith is the magnet which draws the confirmation of the Merciful One.
> Service is the magnet which attracts the heavenly strength. I hope thou
> wilt attain both.” 13
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá raises service to the rank of worship:
> 
> “. . . all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his
> heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do
> 
> EDITION
> service to humanity. This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to
> the needs of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the
> sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and believing in the solidarity
> of the human race, he is giving praise.” 14
> 
> By serving mankind, we are serving God, as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clearly points out:
> 
> “With hearts set aglow by the fire of the love of God and spirits refreshed
> by the food of the heavenly spirit you must go forth as the disciples
> nineteen hundred years ago, quickening the hearts of men by the call of
> glad tidings, the light of God in your faces, severed from everything save
> God. Therefore, order your lives in accordance with the first principle
> of the divine teaching, which is love. Service to humanity is service to
> God.” 15
> 
> WORKING
> “I have come to this country in the advanced years of my life, undergoing
> difficulties of health and climate because of excessive love for the friends
> of God. It is my wish that they may be assisted to become servants of
> the heavenly Kingdom, captives in the service of the will of God. This
> captivity is freedom; this sacrifice is glorification; this labor is reward;
> 
> EDITION
> this need is bestowal. For service in love for mankind is unity with God.
> He who serves has already entered the Kingdom and is seated at the right
> hand of his Lord.” 16
> 
> “If thou seekest eternal glory, let thyself be humble and meek in the
> presence of the beloved of God; make thyself the servant of all, and serve
> all alike. The service of the friends belongs to God, not to them. Strive to
> become a source of harmony, spirituality and joyfulness to the hearts of
> the friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful. This is a cause of great
> satisfaction to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.” 17
> 
> “There is no greater result than bonds of service in the divine Kingdom
> and attainment to the good pleasure of the Lord.” 18
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> And there is a sense of urgency:
> 
> “On the outspread tablet of this world, ye are the verses of His singleness;
> and atop lofty palace towers, ye are the banners of the Lord. In His
> bowers are ye the blossoms and sweet-smelling herbs, in the rose garden
> of the spirit the nightingales that utter plaintive cries. Ye are the birds
> 
> WORKING
> that soar upward into the firmament of knowledge, the royal falcons on
> the wrist of God.
> 
> Why then are ye quenched, why silent, why leaden and dull? Ye must
> 
> EDITION
> shine forth like the lightning, and raise up a clamouring like unto the
> great sea. Like a candle must ye shed your light, and even as the soft
> breezes of God must ye blow across the world. Even as sweet breaths
> from heavenly bowers, as musk-laden winds from the gardens of the
> Lord, must ye perfume the air for the people of knowledge, and even
> as the splendours shed by the true Sun, must ye illumine the hearts of
> humankind. For ye are the life-laden winds, ye are the jessamine-scents
> from the gardens of the saved. Bring then life to the dead, and awaken
> those who slumber. In the darkness of the world be ye radiant flames;
> in the sands of perdition, be ye well-springs of the water of life, be ye
> guidance from the Lord God. Now is the time to serve, now is the time to
> be on fire. Know ye the value of this chance, this favourable juncture that
> is limitless grace, ere it slip from your hands.
> 
> Soon will our handful of days, our vanishing life, be gone, and we shall
> pass, empty-handed, into the hollow that is dug for those who speak no
> 
> WORKING
> more; wherefore must we bind our hearts to the manifest Beauty, and
> cling to the lifeline that faileth never. We must gird ourselves for service,
> kindle love’s flame, and burn away in its heat.” 19
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that we need to serve with extreme humility:
> 
> “The ones in real authority are known by their humility and self-sacrifice
> and show no attitude of superiority over the friends. Some time ago a
> tablet was written stating that none are appointed to any authority to
> do anything but to serve the Cause as true servants of the friends-and
> for this no tablet is necessary; such service when true and unselfish,
> required no announcement, nor following, nor written document. Let the
> servant be known by his deeds, by his life! To be approved of God alone
> should be one’s aim.” 20
> 
> “. . . In the religion of Bahá’u’lláh all are servants and maidservants,
> brothers and sisters. As soon as one feels a little better than, a little
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> superior to, the rest, he is in a dangerous position, and unless he casts
> away the seed of such an evil thought, he is not a fit instrument for the
> service of the Kingdom.” 21
> 
> Our service to mankind is crucial:
> 
> WORKING
> “. . . we must never forget that our service is a spiritual one. Mankind is
> dying for lack of true religion and this is what we have to offer to humanity.
> It is the love of God, manifest in the appearance of Bahá’u’lláh, which
> will feed the hungry souls of the world and eventually lead the peoples
> 
> EDITION
> out of the present morass into the orderly, uplifting, and soul-inspiring
> task of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.” 22
> 
> And so we consecrate our lives in service:
> 
> “O army of God! Make ye a mighty effort: perchance ye can flood this
> earth with light, that this mud hut, the world, may become the Abha
> Paradise. [the Kingdom of God] The dark hath taken over, and the brute
> traits prevail. This world of man is now an arena for wild beasts, a field
> where the ignorant, the heedless, seize their chance. The souls of men
> are ravening wolves and animals with blinded eyes, they are either deadly
> poison or useless weeds -- all except for a very few who indeed do nurture
> altruistic aims and plans for the well-being of their fellow men: but ye
> must in this matter -- that is, the serving of humankind -- lay down your
> very lives, and as ye yield yourselves, rejoice.” 23
> 
> WORKING
> Here is a story about Grace Robarts Ober and how she learned about
> service at the hands of the Master. Grace was a dedicated Bahá’í, described
> as a “friend to all the world” with the “habit . . . of considering the welfare
> of everyone.” 24 “So she went to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and begged that, when he
> 
> EDITION
> returned to New York, she might help with that household . . . ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> looked at her very searchingly and said, ‘Greece (His loving nickname for
> Grace) Greece, are you SURE you wish to serve ME?’ Grace said, ‘Oh,
> YES! More than anything else in the world!’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá made no
> answer but walked away. The next morning this scene was repeated.
> On the third morning, Grace . . . went to Him a third time – and this
> time He became very stern. Are you VERY SURE you wish to SERVE
> ME? Grace was startled at the sternness but she didn’t waver. ‘YES I
> am VERY SURE!’
> 
> So then he nodded. ‘Very well go, settle up your affairs, and we will meet
> in New York.’ Jubilant and radiant, Grace settled up her ‘affairs’. Then
> with wings on her feet, she went to New York. Lua was already there and
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> together they prepared for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s arrival. [Lua Getsinger was
> another devoted and well-known Bahá’í who travelled extensively for the
> Bahá’í Faith and spent some time with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the Holy Land.]
> The day came . . . He came in. He welcomed Lua warmly, glanced at Grace
> as at a complete stranger, and turned away. Grace was appalled, shocked.
> 
> WORKING
> Hadn’t He recognized her? Had He forgotten her? Had she misunderstood
> the permission to come to New York? Or had she displeased Him and was
> this punishment?
> 
> Whatever it was, it continued with no let-up . . . She worked in that
> 
> EDITION
> household until long after midnight – cleaning, cooking, scrubbing, and
> then she would rise at five in the morning to begin all over again. She
> worked as she had never worked before in all her life and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
> ignored her completely.
> 
> [One day, when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had gone out], she thought of the white
> roses that had been delivered that morning, as they were daily, for ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá’s room. The one bright spot in these dreadful days for Grace had
> been that she was the one to arrange these roses each morning. So, with
> the long florists’ box in her arms, she climbed up to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s room
> at the top of the house, where He had wished to be. She reached the top
> of the third flight – and found the door not only closed, but locked against
> her. And always before it had stood wide open! This, for Grace, was the
> last straw . . . she sank down on the floor and wept with the fallen roses
> scattered around her. At last, the sobs faded, her tears spent themselves,
> 
> WORKING
> and, exhausted, she gathered up the roses and went back downstairs.
> 
> . . . Grace- it was now past noon – was hungry. So, she went down to the
> kitchen to get something to eat. And in that house that fed, each day, so
> many dozens of people, there was nothing to eat but one egg and a small
> 
> EDITION
> piece of leftover bread in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s breadbox . . . So Grace boiled her
> one egg and put her small portion of bread on a plate. Putting the egg in
> an egg cup, she chipped the shell – and the egg, as bad as an egg can get,
> exploded in her face. She cleaned up the mess and returned to her bit of
> leftover bread. And, as she crumbled the bread, eating it crumb by crumb,
> she realized, suddenly, exactly what she was doing – she was, blessedly,
> eating the crumbs of the bread of life from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s table. She began
> to eat even more slowly as the spirit of prayer came to possess her.
> 
> Not long after this the household returned . . . and that evening Lua came
> to Grace and said, ‘The Master has asked me to tell you that He knows
> you wept.’ And this was the first time it had occurred to Grace that all this
> dreadful experience might have a reason, a pattern. And – if this were true
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> she must find out what the reason could be. So she went up to her room to
> pray about it. To pray for illumination and wisdom and the selflessness to
> understand. And as she prayed she heard a small voice saying ‘Are you
> as happy scrubbing the garbage pails as you are arranging the roses?’
> And she suddenly realized what the spirit of true service was. It was to
> 
> WORKING
> rise to selfless joy in offering the service, no matter what form that service
> might take. And as this truth swept over her, suffusing her, illuminating her,
> the door opened, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá walked into the room. His arms were
> outstretched; His dear face was glorified. ‘Welcome!’ He cried to Grace,
> ‘Welcome to the Kingdom!’ And He held her close, embracing her deeply.
> 
> EDITION
> And never did He withdraw Himself from her again.” 25
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was truly a Servant. It was said that He would write up to
> ninety letters a day and “pass many a night, from dusk to dawn, alone
> in His bed-chamber engaged in a correspondence which the pressure
> of His manifold responsibilities had prevented Him from attending to
> in the day-time.” 26 And we have the description of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s
> letter-writing service in this report from Ahmad Sohrab, a secretary
> who travelled with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “The many difficult problems of the Bahá’í world are solved by him.
> Now he writes to Persia on how to hold an election, then to far-off
> America on how to rent a hall. One Bahá’í desires to know whether she
> should cook food for her child; another person asks how to proceed to
> buy a piece of land. There are some misunderstandings in this assembly
> 
> WORKING
> to be removed; the feelings of some person are ruffled, and must be
> smoothed down. One man’s mother or father is dead, he requests a
> Tablet of visitation, another desires to have a wife. To one a child is
> born; she begs for a Bahá’í name; another has taught several souls, he
> asks for Bahá’í rings for them. This man has had business reverses, he
> 
> EDITION
> must be encouraged, another has fallen from a ladder, he implores for a
> speedy recovery. One has quarrelled with his wife, and he wants advice
> on how to be reconciled; another supplicates for blessings upon his
> marriage. The Master goes over these one by one with infinite patience
> and with his words of advice, creates order out of chaos. The sorrows
> of the world troop along in review before him, and as they pass, lo,
> the transformation happens! The sorrowful becomes joyful, the illtempered good-natured, the lazy active, the sleepy one awakened. With
> magical words he transmutes iron into gold and darkness into light. At
> last he rises from his seat and for a while walks to and fro, still dictating
> Tablets to the philosopher and to the simple; soaring toward the empyrean
> of spirituality, giving us a vision of sanctity, and of the roses of Paradise,
> and for a while we roam, guided by him, in those delectable gardens of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Abha, intoxicated with the fragrance of God; and then we find ourselves in
> the streets, walking home upborne on the wings of light.” 27
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes the importance of respecting and serving our parents:
> 
> WORKING
> “The fruits that best befit the tree of human life are trustworthiness
> and godliness, truthfulness and sincerity; but greater than all, after
> recognition of the unity of God, praised and glorified be He, is regard for
> the rights that are due to one’s parents.” 28
> 
> EDITION
> “Verily, We have enjoined on every son to serve his father. Such is the
> decree which We have set forth in the Book.” 29
> 
> “Show honor to your parents and pay homage to them. This will cause
> blessings to descend upon you from the clouds of the bounty of your
> Lord, the Exalted, the Great.” 30
> 
> “Beware lest ye commit that which would sadden the hearts of your
> fathers and mothers. Follow ye the path of Truth which indeed is a
> straight path. Should anyone give you a choice between the opportunity
> to render a service to Me and a service to them, choose ye to serve them,
> and let such service be a path leading you to Me.” 31
> 
> And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá advises:
> 
> WORKING
> “Assuredly engage in service to thy father, and as well, whenever thou
> findest time, diffuse the divine fragrances.” 32
> 
> But we must not allow service to our parents to deter us from our spiritual path:
> 
> EDITION
> “If thou wouldst show kindness and consideration to thy parents so that
> they may feel generally pleased, this would also please Me, for parents
> must be highly respected and it is essential that they feel content, provided
> they deter thee not from gaining access to the Threshold of the Almighty,
> nor keep thee back from walking in the way of the Kingdom. Indeed it
> behoveth them to encourage and spur thee on in this direction.” 33
> 
> We must look after the poor, according to the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> “O YE RICH ONES ON EARTH!
> 
> The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent
> only on your own ease.” 34
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “Service to the friends is service to the Kingdom of God, and consideration
> shown to the poor is one of the greatest teachings of God.” 35
> 
> “What could be better before God than thinking of the poor? For the
> poor are beloved by our heavenly Father. When His Holiness Christ
> 
> WORKING
> came upon the earth those who believed in him and followed him
> were the poor and lowly, showing the poor were near to God. When a
> rich man believes and follows the Manifestation of God it is a proof that
> his wealth is not an obstacle and does not prevent him from attaining
> the pathway of salvation. After he has been tested and tried it will be
> 
> EDITION
> seen whether his possessions are a hindrance in his religious life. But
> the poor are especially beloved of God. Their lives are full of difficulties,
> their trials continual, their hopes are in God alone. Therefore you must
> assist the poor as much as possible, even by sacrifice of yourself. No deed
> of man is greater before God than helping the poor. Spiritual conditions
> are not dependent upon the possession of worldly treasures or the
> absence of them. When physically destitute, spiritual thoughts are more
> likely. Poverty is stimulus toward God. Each one of you must have great
> consideration for the poor and render them assistance. Organize in an
> effort to help them and prevent increase of poverty.” 36
> 
> And Bahá’u’lláh tells us to receive God’s blessings:
> 
> “If ye meet the abased or the down-trodden, turn not away disdainfully
> from them, for the King of Glory ever watcheth over them and surroundeth
> 
> WORKING
> them with such tenderness as none can fathom except them that have
> suffered their wishes and desires to be merged in the Will of your Lord,
> the Gracious, the All-Wise. O ye rich ones of the earth! Flee not from the
> face of the poor that lieth in the dust, nay rather befriend him and suffer
> him to recount the tale of the woes with which God’s inscrutable Decree
> 
> EDITION
> hath caused him to be afflicted. By the righteousness of God! Whilst
> ye consort with him, the Concourse on high will be looking upon you,
> will be interceding for you, will be extolling your names and glorifying
> your action. Blessed are the learned that pride not themselves on their
> attainments; and well is it with the righteous that mock not the sinful,
> but rather conceal their misdeeds, so that their own shortcomings may
> remain veiled to men’s eyes.” 37
> 
> And it is our duty to teach the Cause of God:
> 
> “Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, O people of Bahá, for God hath
> prescribed unto every one the duty of proclaiming His Message, and
> regardeth it as the most meritorious of all deeds.” 38
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Teaching is regarded as the most meritorious deed because in doing so we
> are bringing a soul to its God. What could be more precious in life?
> 
> ”O SON OF BEING!
> 
> Make mention of Me on My earth, that in My heaven I may remember
> 
> WORKING
> thee, thus shall Mine eyes and thine be solaced.” 39
> 
> “Of all the gifts of God the greatest is the gift of Teaching. It draweth
> unto us the Grace of God and is our first obligation.” 40
> 
> EDITION
> But as Taherzadeh explains, there are prerequisites for teaching this
> beloved Cause. He summarizes them as “living one’s life in accordance
> with Bahá’í teachings”.41 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that “the intention of the
> teacher must be pure”. 42
> 
> And so we approach our duty with extreme humility and deep love in our
> hearts for others:
> 
> “Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should
> any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be
> striving to comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him, a spirit
> of extreme kindliness and good-will. Help him to see and recognize the
> truth, without esteeming yourself to be, in the least, superior to him, or to
> be possessed of greater endowments.” 43
> 
> WORKING
> “A kindly approach and loving behavior toward the people are the first
> requirements for teaching the Cause. The teacher must carefully listen
> to whatever a person has to say – even though his talk may consist only
> of vain imaginings and blind repetitions of the opinions of others. . . .
> 
> EDITION
> The teacher must avoid disputes which will end in stubborn refusal or
> hostility, because the other person will feel overpowered and defeated.
> Therefore, he will be more inclined to reject the Cause. One should
> rather say, ‘Maybe you are right, but kindly consider the question from
> this point of view.’ Consideration, respect and love encourage people to
> listen and do not force them to respond with hostility. They are convinced
> because they see that your purpose is not to defeat them, but to convey
> truth, to manifest courtesy, and to show forth heavenly attributes. This
> will encourage the people to be fair. Their spiritual natures will respond
> and, by the bounty of God, they will find themselves re-created.” 44
> 
> “Consort with all men, O people of Bahá, in a spirit of friendliness and
> fellowship. If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost
> kindliness and goodwill. If it be accepted, if it fulfill its purpose, your
> object is attained. If anyone should refuse it, leave him unto himself,
> and beseech God to guide him. Beware lest ye deal unkindly with him. A
> kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the
> spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of
> 
> WORKING
> wisdom and understanding.” 45
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá admired Juliet Thompson and Lua Getsinger, both Bahá’ís
> who were strong in their faith, because they taught with their hearts and
> 
> EDITION
> souls. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá said:
> 
> “I have met many people who have been affected by you, Juliet. You are not
> eloquent, you are not fluent, but your heart teaches. You speak with a feeling,
> an emotion which makes people ask: ‘What is this she has?’ Then they inquire;
> they seek and find. It is so too with Lua. You never find Lua speaking with dry
> eyes!” 46 And He also said to Juliet, “You teach with ecstasy. You ignite the souls.
> A great bounty will descend upon you. I have perfect confidence in you as a
> teacher. Your heart is pure, absolutely pure.” 47
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote a letter to a woman indicating how she should live her
> life and, therefore demonstrate Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings to others:
> 
> “To live the Life you must be the very kindest woman, you must be the
> most pure, you must be absolutely truthful, and live a perfectly moral life.
> 
> WORKING
> Visit your neighbors when they are sick or in trouble, offer your services
> to them, try to show them that you are longing to serve them.
> 
> Feed the poor, divide what you have. Be contented to remain where God
> 
> EDITION
> has placed you; be faithful in your care of those to whom He has trusted
> you, never waver in this – show by your life you have something different,
> so that all will see and will say, ‘What has this person that I have not?’
> 
> Show the world that in spite of the utmost suffering, poverty, sickness,
> you have something which gives you comfort, strength and peace – that
> you are happy – serene- satisfied with all that is in your life.
> 
> Then they, too, will want what you possess and will need no further
> teaching after you tell them what it is.” 48
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gives us the method of bringing the Message to others and
> explains that we are teaching for the sake of God:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “The teacher should teach as though offering a gift to a king, humbly
> and submissively, not with force of insistence . . . but with gentleness
> and sweetness: submitting the argument and truth to the heart and
> intellect of the hearer as the servant of God, and therefore His servanttaking care at all times to adapt the offered food to the condition and
> 
> WORKING
> station of the listener, giving milk for babes and meat for those grown
> stronger. This food is to be offered for the sake of God only, not for
> the hearer’s sake, not for the benefit of yourself, but simply because
> God wishes His Manifestations to become known and to become loved
> by those who come to know Him.
> 
> EDITION
> If one teaches one whom he loves because of his love for him, then he will
> not teach one whom he loves not; and that is not of God. If one teaches
> in order to derive the promised benefits to himself, this too is not of God.
> If he teaches because of God’s will that God may be known- and for that
> reason only, he will receive knowledge and wisdom and his words will
> have effect- being made powerful by the Holy Spirit, and will take root in
> the soul of those who are in the right condition to receive them. In such
> a case the benefit to the teacher in growth is as ninety per cent compared
> to the ten per cent of gain to the hearer, because he becomes like a tree
> bearing fruit through the power of God.
> 
> We are urgently instructed that the only real way to attain growth in the
> knowledge of the Truth of God, is not be hearing, but by doing; by being
> alive with the on fire of the love of God and imparting as best we can
> 
> WORKING
> to others the Tidings of the coming of the Kingdom. This is the day of
> teaching. We are all commanded to teach, but only in the way and for the
> purpose above named.
> 
> It is plain that this means entire self-abnegation, cutting the self from the
> 
> EDITION
> world, abandoning all else save God and His Will, and in all humbleness
> doing His service for His sake only.” 49
> 
> When we teach this Beloved Faith, we are promised assistance and
> confirmation from the Heavenly Kingdom:
> 
> “Arise in the name of Him Who is the Object of all knowledge, and, with
> absolute detachment from the learning of men, lift up your voices and
> proclaim His Cause. I swear by the Day Star of Divine Revelation! The
> very moment ye arise, ye will witness how a flood of Divine knowledge
> will gush out of your hearts, and will behold the wonders of His heavenly
> wisdom manifested in all their glory before you.” 50
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “It is better to guide one soul than to possess all that is on earth, for as
> long as that guided soul is under the shadow of the Tree of Divine Unity,
> he and the one who hath guided him will both be recipients of God’s
> tender mercy, whereas possession of earthly things will cease at the
> time of death.” 51
> 
> WORKING
> “By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and
> maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration
> shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All- Knowing,
> the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each
> 
> EDITION
> bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. Thus hath it been foreordained
> in the realm of God’s Revelation, by the behest of Him Who is the All-
> Glorious, the Most Powerful.” 52
> 
> But we may not feel confident that we can teach the Cause and that we will
> receive confirmations. Shoghi Effendi explains:
> 
> “Perhaps the reason why you have not accomplished so much in the field
> of teaching is the extent you have looked upon your own weaknesses and
> inabilities to spread the Message. Bahá’u’lláh and the Master have both
> urged us repeatedly to disregard our own handicaps and lay our whole
> reliance upon God. He will come to our aid if we only arise and become
> an active channel for God’s Grace.
> 
> Do you think it is the teachers who make converts and change human
> 
> WORKING
> hearts? No, surely not. They are only pure souls who take the first steps
> and then let the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh move and make use of them. If any
> one of them should even for a second think or consider his achievements
> as due to his own capacities, his work is ended and his fall starts. This
> is the fact why so many competent souls have, after wonderful services,
> 
> EDITION
> suddenly found themselves utterly impotent and perhaps thrown aside
> by the spirit of the Cause as useless souls. The criterion is the extent to
> which we are ready to have the will of God work through us.” 53
> 
> It seems to me that often Bahá’ís do not consider their obligation to
> teach the Faith in a balanced manner. They are called to love all of
> God’s creatures and to be ready to serve them. If someone is interested,
> a Bahá’í can then tell that person about Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings. But
> it is necessary to have the utmost consideration for every soul who is
> encountered and to serve each one according to his or her needs and
> wants. If a dear soul wants to hear about the Bahá’í Faith, having come
> to know a Bahá’í and to appreciate his way of life, spiritual qualities
> and spirit of service, and subsequently asks him for the source of his
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> inspiration, then it is incumbent upon that Bahá’í to tell his friend
> about Bahá’u’lláh and His Message. And only if someone is interested
> are they to give this Message. I feel that often Bahá’ís may be in a
> hurry to convey the Teachings of the Bahá’í Faith because they know
> it is their obligation. And in that process, they lose sight of the person
> 
> WORKING
> sitting beside them. They know that proselytization (or trying to
> persuade someone to change their beliefs or way of life) is forbidden
> in the Bahá’í Faith. But if someone asks them something about the
> Bahá’í Teachings, and they bombard him with everything they can
> remember to share, perhaps it is indeed proselytization and they are
> 
> EDITION
> then not following the commandment of God. And it is so much against
> Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to hurt a precious soul who may wish to know
> something about the Bahá’í Faith but needs to be respected and loved
> first, then given the pure essence of the Teachings to which he or she
> may aspire. And of course every individual must investigate for himself.
> Let us not lose sight of the purpose of teaching, that of guiding a soul to
> Bahá’u’lláh, Whose Teachings assist us in living our individual lives as
> spiritual beings and help us to build a new world.
> 
> ----------------------------
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh tells us that it is impossible for us to serve and to teach the
> Cause of God without unity among the believers of God.
> 
> “O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which ye have been
> endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not your
> 
> WORKING
> labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts
> have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze
> that stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must
> depend the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred
> 
> EDITION
> scroll. With the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert
> yourselves, that ye may be enabled to achieve that which beseemeth
> this Day of God. Verily I say, strife and dissension, and whatsoever the
> mind of man abhorreth are entirely unworthy of his station. Center your
> energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so
> high a calling, let him arise and promote it.” 54
> 
> When Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed His Message He made it clear that the first
> step for mankind is its unity.
> 
> “O ye children of men”, He writes, “the fundamental purpose animating
> the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and
> promote the unity of the human race...” 55
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable
> unless and until its unity is firmly established.” 56
> 
> “So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth . .
> . Exert yourselves that ye may attain this transcendent and most sublime
> 
> WORKING
> station, the station that can insure the protection and security of all
> mankind. This goal excelleth every other goal, and this aspiration is the
> monarch of all aspirations.” 57
> 
> Most people in our society who are working to help the less fortunate, to
> 
> EDITION
> remedy the ills of mankind, perceive unity as the ultimate goal. But Bahá’ís
> have been taught that we must have unity first, which is a great challenge in
> a stressful world where people are pitted against each other in causes and
> revenge and retribution are common actions. It is acceptable and often the
> norm to formalize a grievance against a co-worker or even a friend. In the
> midst of this chaos, Bahá’ís must have unity among themselves to be able
> to assist mankind to achieve unity.
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá spoke to the friends in France about unity in response to a
> problem between two believers:
> 
> “In this Cause, hundreds of families have sacrificed themselves. There
> have been more than twenty thousand martyrs. The breast of His
> Highness the Báb was riddled by dozens of bullets; Bahá’u’lláh suffered
> years and years in prison; and We have had all these difficulties and
> 
> WORKING
> borne all these trials that the canopy of Oneness might be uplifted in the
> world of humanity, that Love and Unity might be established amongst
> mankind, until all countries become as one country, all religions be
> merged into one religion, all the continents be connected and between
> all hearts a perfect understanding and love may appear.
> 
> EDITION
> The people of Bahá must be the cause of uniting all the nations. They
> must dispel inharmony and dispute. So now we must consider deeply how
> the Bahá’ís must really be, what characteristics they must have and what
> actions they must perform. And if there is not this love and harmony
> among Bahá’ís how can they cause it to appear among the inhabitants
> of the earth? How can an ill man nurse others? . . . the first thing the
> Bahá’ís must do is to feel love and unity in their hearts before they can
> spread it among others.
> 
> Is it possible to conceive that all the troubles, all the trials of Bahá’u’lláh
> and the martyrs have been without result? Surely you will not have it
> so! If you would all act entirely in accordance with the Teachings of
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh no discord would ever appear. Then all disagreements will
> vanish, and be certain that the pavilion of Unity will be hoisted in the
> world of man . . .
> 
> I know you would not have all these trials and difficulties produce
> nothing. Therefore I am waiting and expecting to hear that love and
> 
> WORKING
> harmony have blossomed in the hearts of all the Bahá’ís in America.
> 
> Now the Bahá’ís must be occupied in spreading the Cause of God and
> furthering the instructions of Bahá’u’lláh, and not spend their time in
> 
> EDITION
> disputing with one another. If they do the first, all will be happy; they
> will be assisted by the Breath of the Holy Spirit and become the beloved
> of His Heart.” 58
> 
> It is also a test for Bahá’ís to allow their compassion and concern for their
> fellow-man to divert their energies into channels which are ultimately
> doomed to failure because they do not arise out of unity. The Báb was the
> first to alert us to the need for unity:
> 
> “Become as true brethren in the one and indivisible religion of God, free
> from distinction, for verily God desireth that your hearts should become
> mirrors unto your brethren in the Faith, so that ye find yourselves
> reflected in them, and they in you. This is the true Path of God, the
> Almighty, and He is indeed watchful over your actions.” 59
> 
> WORKING
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to a spiritual unity which is more than the unity of
> mankind. This is the highest ideal of unity:
> 
> “The unity which is productive of unlimited results is first a unity
> of mankind which recognizes that all are sheltered beneath the
> 
> EDITION
> overshadowing glory of the All-Glorious; that all are servants of one
> God; for all breathe the same atmosphere, live upon the same earth,
> move beneath the same heavens, receive effulgence from the same sun
> and are under the protection of one God. This is the most great unity,
> and its results are lasting if humanity adheres to it; but mankind has
> hitherto violated it, adhering to sectarian or other limited unities such
> as racial, patriotic or unity of self-interests; therefore no great results
> have been forthcoming. Nevertheless it is certain that the radiance and
> favors of God are encompassing, minds have developed, perceptions
> have become acute, sciences and arts are widespread and capacity exists
> for the proclamation and promulgation of the real and ultimate unity of
> mankind which will bring forth marvelous results. It will reconcile all
> religions, make warring nations loving, cause hostile kings to become
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> friendly and bring peace and happiness to the human world. It will
> cement together the Orient and Occident, remove forever the foundations
> of war and upraise the ensign of the ‘Most Great Peace’. These limited
> unities are therefore signs of that great unity which will make all the
> human family one by being productive of the attractions of conscience
> in mankind.
> 
> WORKING
> Another unity is the spiritual unity which emanates from the breaths
> of the Holy Spirit. This is greater than the unity of mankind. Human
> unity or solidarity may be likened to the body whereas unity from
> 
> EDITION
> the breaths of the Holy Spirit is the spirit animating the body. This
> is a perfect unity. It creates such a condition in mankind that each
> one will make sacrifices for the other and the utmost desire will be
> to forfeit life and all that pertains to it in behalf of another’s good.
> This is the unity which existed among the disciples of His Holiness
> Jesus Christ and bound together the prophets and holy souls of the
> past. It is the unity which through the influence of the divine spirit is
> permeating the Bahá’ís so that each offers his life for the other and
> strives with all sincerity to attain his good-pleasure. This is the unity
> which caused twenty thousand people in Persia to give their lives
> in love and devotion to it. It made the Báb the target of a thousand
> arrows and caused Bahá’u’lláh to suffer exile and imprisonment
> forty years. This unity is the very spirit of the body of the world. It is
> impossible for the body of the world to become quickened with life
> without its vivification. His Holiness Jesus Christ -- may my life be
> a sacrifice to him! -- promulgated this unity among mankind. Every
> 
> WORKING
> soul who believed in Jesus Christ became revivified and resuscitated
> through this spirit, attained to the zenith of eternal glory, realized
> the life everlasting, experienced the second birth and rose to the
> acme of good fortune.” 60
> 
> EDITION
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá tells us that there are three conditions that must be met before
> we can attain that exalted state of “incarnate light and personified spirit”, 61
> of becoming an “Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh”.62 One of these is fellowship
> and love among the believers of God:
> 
> “The second condition: Fellowship and love amongst the believers. The
> divine friends must be attracted to and enamored of each other and ever
> be ready and willing to sacrifice their own lives for each other. Should
> one soul from amongst the believers meet another, it must be as though
> a thirsty one with parched lips has reached to the fountain of the water
> of life, or a lover has met his true beloved. For one of the greatest divine
> wisdoms regarding the appearance of the holy Manifestations is this:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> The souls may come to know each other and become intimate with each
> other; the power of the love of God may make all of them the waves of
> one sea, the flowers of one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven.
> This is the wisdom for the appearance of the holy Manifestations!
> When the most great bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the
> believers, the world of nature will be transformed, the darkness of
> 
> WORKING
> the contingent being will vanish, and heavenly illumination will be
> obtained. Then the whole world will become the Paradise of Abha,
> every one of the believers of God will become a blessed tree, producing
> wonderful fruits.
> 
> EDITION
> O ye friends! Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love! Unity, unity! -- so that
> the power of the Bahá’í Cause may appear and become manifest in the
> world of existence. My thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart
> leaps within me at your mention. Could ye know how my soul glows with
> your love, so great a happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you
> to become enamored with each other.” 63
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá refers to the importance of unity among the believers many
> times. He states that if we become true believers, we will demonstrate a
> tenderness that is otherworldly:
> 
> “In the same way, when any souls grow to be true believers, they will attain
> a spiritual relationship with one another, and show forth a tenderness
> which is not of this world. They will, all of them, become elated from
> 
> WORKING
> a draught of divine love, and that union of theirs, that connection, will
> also abide forever. Souls, that is, who will consign their own selves to
> oblivion, strip from themselves the defects of humankind, and unchain
> themselves from human bondage, will beyond any doubt be illumined
> with the heavenly splendours of oneness, and will all attain unto real
> 
> EDITION
> union in the world that dieth not.” 64
> 
> And with such unity we do everything to make the other believers happy:
> 
> “O ye beloved of God! As long as ye can strive to set aglow the hearts
> with love, be attracted to one another and be members of each other.
> Every soul of the beloved ones must adore the other and withhold not
> his possession and life from them, and by all means he must endeavor
> to make that other joyous and happy. But that other (the recipient of
> such love) must also be disinterested and life- sacrificing. Thus may this
> Sunrise flood the horizons, this melody gladden and make happy all the
> people, this divine remedy become the panacea for every disease, this
> Spirit of Reality become the cause of life for every soul.” 65
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> Through our unity we will attract others to the Cause:
> 
> “. . . for the foundation of Bahá’u’lláh is love . . . you must have infinite love
> for each other, each preferring the other before himself. The people must be
> so attracted to you that they will exclaim, What happiness exists among you!
> and will see in your faces the lights of the Kingdom; then in wonderment
> 
> WORKING
> they will turn to you and seek the cause of your happiness.” 66
> 
> Shoghi Effendi wrote many letters to the believers to assist them to strive
> towards unity among themselves and with all mankind:
> 
> EDITION
> “He was very pleased to hear that the Convention was so well attended, and
> the believers enthusiastic and united. One of the most paramount needs of
> the Cause in . . . is that the friends should unite, should become really keenly
> conscious of the fact that they are one spiritual family, held together by bonds
> more sacred and eternal than those physical ties which make people of the
> same family. If the friends will forget all personal differences and open their
> hearts to a great love for each other for the sake of Bahá’u’lláh, they will
> find that their powers are vastly increased; they will attract the heart of the
> public, and will witness a rapid growth of the Holy Faith.” 67
> 
> Shoghi Effendi explains that this unity is more important than selflessness,
> detachment, the exercise of prudence and caution, carrying out God’s will
> and constant awareness of Bahá’u’lláh’s Presence and the example He
> gave us of how to live our lives. But please read it for yourselves:
> 
> WORKING
> “Unity amongst the friends, selflessness in our labors in His Path,
> detachment from all worldly things, the greatest prudence and caution
> in every step we take, earnest endeavor to carry out only what is His Holy
> Will and Pleasure, the constant awareness of His Presence and of the
> 
> EDITION
> example of His Life, the absolute shunning of whomsoever we feel to be
> an enemy of the Cause . . . these, and foremost among them is the need
> for unity, appear to me as our most vital duties, should we dedicate our
> lives for His service.” 68
> 
> Bahiyyih Khánum, Bahá’u’lláh’s daughter wrote:
> 
> “May the Light of Union radiate with greater clearness and brilliancy
> day by day among the people in your great country -- for to this country
> God has given much and much is expected from it. But without harmony
> and love existing among those who call themselves Bahá’ís, nothing will
> be seen from it whatsoever; for verily the Believers are the pivots upon
> which the fate of nations hang; and a difference among two believers is
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> quite sufficient to consume and destroy a whole country. The one who
> works for harmony and union among the hearts of the people in these
> days will receive the greatest blessings and the most abundant bounties.
> There is no greater work for one to do upon this earth than to try and
> unite the hearts of the people -- and especially those who are calling
> upon the Holy Name of God.” 69
> 
> WORKING
> Doris McKay, another Bahá’í, in her book, Fires in Many Hearts, referred
> to unity as “a light-giving essence”.70 She stated that “unity must change
> the believers before the believers could change the world.” Howard Colby
> 
> EDITION
> Ives, a Bahá’í mentioned in the last chapter, wrote in a letter to Doris,
> “Unity is the great key to spiritual progress. The unity of believers must
> be of such a character that never, NEVER must one single thought of
> anything but love and sympathy and kindness and severance enter into
> such a heart. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that when we see even the slightest traces
> of love for Bahá’u’lláh in any soul, we must reverence that soul. How great
> then must the reverence we have for those souls who are fully confirmed
> in the Cause of God and have arisen for service. But our great task, as
> individual believers, is to see that, in the group in which God has called us
> to serve, never does the slightest breath of anything but love arise. And that
> constantly, at every moment of our spiritual journey, every selfish desire,
> every human attachment [must be banished and we must] find our greatest
> joy in becoming ‘as dust beneath the feet of the friends’. This is the station
> of unity in this Day to which the believers of God are called . . .” 71
> 
> A prayer of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s demonstrates this love explicitly:
> 
> WORKING
> “O God, my God! Have mercy then upon my helpless state, my poverty,
> my misery, my abasement! Give me to drink from the generous cup of
> Thy grace and forgiveness, stir me with the sweet scents of Thy love,
> gladden my bosom with the light of Thy knowledge, purify my soul with
> 
> EDITION
> the mysteries of Thy oneness, raise me to life with the gentle breeze that
> cometh from the gardens of Thy mercy -- till I sever myself from all
> else but Thee, and lay hold of the hem of Thy garment of grandeur, and
> consign to oblivion all that is not Thee, and be companioned by the sweet
> breathings that waft during these Thy days, and attain unto faithfulness
> at Thy Threshold of Holiness, and arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be
> humble before Thy loved ones, and, in the presence of Thy favoured
> ones, to be nothingness itself.
> 
> Verily art Thou the Helper, the Sustainer, the Exalted, the Most Generous.” 72
> 
> If we are unsuccessful in trying to reconcile our differences and become
> estranged from each other, we are doomed and must do all we can to
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> overcome this problem, as Bahá’u’lláh reminds us:
> 
> “Nothing whatsoever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon
> this Cause than dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and
> apathy, among the loved ones of God.” 73 “. . . should the least trace of
> 
> WORKING
> estrangement prevail the result shall be darkness upon darkness . . .” 74
> 
> Thoughts of enmity and intolerance can arise in us because we’re caught
> in our lower natures. Our society is submerged in negativity, blame
> and proving that “I am right; you are wrong”. Because we may have
> 
> EDITION
> been taught this or at least are exposed to it daily and we may blindly
> imitate what we see around us, it is easy for individuals to become
> alienated and estranged. Bahá’ís know that it is important to strive for
> unity but without role models they may cling to such emotions as anger
> and bitterness and vent them freely to others. They need to immerse
> themselves in the Writings and pray for guidance to see things in a new
> way and from their higher nature. And they can find fellow-believers
> in the Bahá’í community and other spiritual communities to become
> their new role models for unity. Shoghi Effendi wrote many letters to
> believers about dealing with estrangement and lack of unity.
> 
> “They must endeavor to promote amity and concord amongst the friends,
> efface every lingering trace of distrust, coolness and estrangement
> from every heart, and secure in its stead an active and whole- hearted
> cooperation for the service of the Cause.” 75
> 
> WORKING
> “The thing the friends need -- everywhere -- is a greater love for each
> other, and this can be acquired by greater love for Bahá’u’lláh; for if
> we love Him deeply enough, we will never allow personal feelings and
> opinions to hold His Cause back; we will be willing to sacrifice ourselves
> 
> EDITION
> to each other for the sake of the Faith, and be, as the Master said, one
> soul in many bodies.” 76
> 
> “A greater degree of love will produce a greater unity, because it enables
> people to bear with each other, to be patient and forgiving.” 77
> 
> If Bahá’ís sometimes feel discouraged about a lack of unity in their
> communities, The Guardian promises that they can still have an effect:
> 
> “One soul can be the cause of the spiritual illumination of a continent. Now
> that you have seen, and remedied, a great fault in your own life, now that you
> see more clearly what is lacking in your own community, there is nothing
> to prevent you from arising and showing such an example, such a love
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> and spirit of service, as to enkindle the hearts of your fellow Bahá’ís.” 78
> If Bahá’ís are to be living examples of the Bahá’í teachings, they must
> have unity and remove all traces of estrangement:
> 
> “Most important of all is that love and unity should prevail in the Bahá’í
> 
> WORKING
> Community, as this is what people are most longing for in the present
> dark state of the world. Words without the living example will never be
> sufficient to breathe hope into the hearts of a disillusioned and often
> cynical generation.” 79
> 
> EDITION
> “All should be ready and willing to set aside every personal sense of grievance
> -- justified or unjustified -- for the good of the Cause, because the people will
> never embrace it until they see in its Community life mirrored what is so
> conspicuously lacking in the world: love and unity.” 80
> 
> “. . . The people of the world are carefully watching the Bahá’ís today, and
> minutely observing them. The believers must make every effort, and take
> the utmost care to ward off and remove any feelings of estrangement . . .” 81
> 
> The practice of Bahá’í consultation provides opportunities for unity and
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá outlines the method:
> 
> “The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members
> of the assembly. They must be wholly free from estrangement and must
> manifest in themselves the Unity of God, for they are the waves of one
> 
> WORKING
> sea, the drops of one river, the stars of one heaven, the rays of one sun,
> the trees of one orchard, the flowers of one garden.” 82
> 
> “The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of
> motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction
> 
> EDITION
> to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved
> ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His
> exalted Threshold.” 83
> 
> “The purpose is to emphasize the statement that consultation must have
> for its object the investigation of truth. He who expresses an opinion
> should not voice it as correct and right but set it forth as a contribution
> to the consensus of opinion, for the light of reality becomes apparent
> when two opinions coincide. A spark is produced when flint and steel
> come together. Man should weigh his opinions with the utmost serenity,
> calmness and composure. Before expressing his own views he should
> carefully consider the views already advanced by others. If he finds that
> a previously expressed opinion is more true and worthy, he should accept
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> it immediately and not willfully hold to an opinion of his own. By this
> excellent method he endeavors to arrive at unity and truth. Opposition
> and division are deplorable . . . Therefore, true consultation is spiritual
> conference in the attitude and atmosphere of love. Members must love
> each other in the spirit of fellowship in order that good results may be
> 
> WORKING
> forthcoming. Love and fellowship are the foundation.” 84
> 
> We should expect to have difficulties and conflict in our relationships with
> others because we are all unique and have different views based on our
> personalities and our life experiences. But difficulties in a relationship are
> 
> EDITION
> opportunities for us to practice our virtues – patience, tolerance, acceptance,
> empathy, understanding, sincerity, tenderness, wisdom and generosity. Our
> relationships help us to grow. We are forced to face our issues, family history,
> personality dynamics and methods of communicating. Through relationships
> we can become more fully alive as they bring forth the goodness and the
> strength already in us, enhanced by our relationship with God and our daily
> practices of prayer and meditation. We are given the opportunity to practice
> awareness, gentleness and courage with ourselves and the willingness to
> tolerate and accommodate different views. We need to forget every insult and
> remember every kindness. We will never be able to fully understand another
> human being, but we can learn to accept the person as he is.
> 
> Mirza Abu’l-Fadl, whom I have mentioned previously in this book because of
> his extreme humility, once gave a talk in which he analyzed the ideal of love
> for humanity. He said it was easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and say we
> 
> WORKING
> love humanity. But he stated that love can only become real when tested.
> He stated that we need to have fought many battles and been wounded for
> love to be able to claim that we love with any authority or assurance.85
> 
> I believe as a fitting ending for this enterprise I would like to refer to the
> 
> EDITION
> early teachers of the Faith who had learned to “walk above the world by
> the power of the Greatest Name”. 86
> 
> “In His presence and through His Teachings, they had found a new range of
> spirit- an altitude of station beyond the human kingdom . . . a higher plane
> of existence.” Doris McKay referred to it as “the plus level”. ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá called it “the Spirit of Faith . . . The rising and falling between the
> higher and lower levels of Nearness is part of the process by which maturity
> is won. It was their firmness of intention that never wavered. Even while
> swept by emotional tests, they remained firm as a rock.” 87
> 
> Related to our theme is this excerpt from a talk by Mr. Ali Nakhjavani,
> former member of the Universal House of Justice:
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> “I thought I could tell you about a tablet, a very short tablet, revealed by
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The contents of this Tablet are as follows: the Master says the
> relationships of the believers to the Cause of God are of two kinds. One kind is
> like the relationship of the flower to the garden. The other relationship is that
> of the ray of the sun to the sun. ‘I hope,’ the Master says, ‘that your relationship
> 
> WORKING
> will be of the second kind.’ And that is the end of the Tablet.
> 
> Now, I have been thinking about this Tablet, and I have been wondering
> why ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says that he prefers the second kind to the first kind.
> There is nothing wrong in being a flower in the garden of Bahá’u’lláh. In
> 
> EDITION
> fact, we have prayers, ‘O God, make me a flower in Thy garden’. Why is it
> that ‘Abdu’l-Baháprefers the other type, which is the ray of the sun? The
> sun is the Cause of God, and the ray emanates from it. So I am offering
> my views, my humble views, about this beautiful, simple Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-
> Bahá. I thought like this, I said, OK, we have a flower in a garden, the
> flower says, ‘I like this garden’, in other words, we say, we like the Cause.
> ‘I like this garden, I grow in this garden, I am proud of my garden, I am
> named after this garden’. (I am a Bahá’í) OK, this is all good. We take the
> ray of the sun. The ray says exactly all these things, he says, ‘I am from
> the sun, I am proud of the sun, I depend everything, all my life on the sun,’
> etc,etc, exactly the same thing. But, if you bring one ray and you bring the
> second ray, what happens? The two rays become one. But if you bring one
> flower and you bring another flower, they remain two flowers.
> 
> If on an Assembly or a Bahá’í committee, you bring nine rays and bring them
> 
> WORKING
> together, they become one strong united ray. But if you bring nine flowers
> and bring them together, they are a beautiful bouquet, a beautiful flower
> arrangement, but they are nine different flowers, and, if we credit the flower
> with some thinking, some intelligence and some ego, the flower will say,
> ‘Really, I don’t want to say, but I think I’m better than the others. I think I’m
> 
> EDITION
> more beautiful, I think I have a more beautiful scent. I don’t want to talk about
> it, but . . .never mind . . .’ This is what the flower will do. Why, because of the
> ego. The ego is inside. And believe me, this animal ego is in all of us. If we
> have 20 people in this room, there are 20 egos, no exception. And this ego will be
> with us till the very last breath. When we go to the next world, we separate, we say
> goodbye. But until that day, it is with us, it suggests things to us, it deviates us from
> the right path, because that is the animal in us, it wants everything for itself.
> 
> OK, let’s go to the ray now. The ray says, ‘I have no name, it doesn’t matter. I don’t
> have colour, it doesn’t matter. I am from the sun. My job is to be faithful and to carry
> the light of the sun, the heat of the sun. That is my duty. And I am doing it.’ It is
> so pure that if you take a chair, and you go outside where there is the sun, you
> say, ‘I am sitting in the sun.’ Ha! You are not sitting in the sun. The sun is up
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> there! But the ray is so faithful, so pure, that it carries all the qualities of the
> sun, in a pure way, so much so that you say I am sitting in the sun.
> 
> Now, another difference is that the flower is on the receiving end. ‘Soil, give me
> good soil, water, give me good water, light and sun, I want more light.’ It’s all
> the time receiving. ‘Give me.’ What does the ray do? It doesn’t want anything,
> 
> WORKING
> the ray gives, it helps the flowers to grow. Big difference between the two!
> 
> So, that is why I think ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says, ‘It’s good to be a flower in the
> garden, but better still is to be the ray of the sun. This is my first choice for
> 
> EDITION
> you, this is what I prefer you to be. To be a ray from the sun, so that you give to
> others, you are a way of helping others. You are not thinking of yourself. You
> are thinking of others, to assist others all the time, to give the light, to give the
> heat, the warmth.’” 88
> 
> And now, parting words from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
> 
> “If you are sincere in your love for me, then love and serve the believers of
> God; then love and serve your fellow-men.
> 
> These days, I do not feel very well. My remedy is to hear that the believers
> love each other. Any other news makes me sick and unhappy. Let everyone
> speak to me about love and I will love him more. The friends must be the
> real peacemakers; not stirrers up of strife nor sowers of seeds of discord, nor
> acting with superiority one over another.
> 
> WORKING
> I am now growing old. O, very old! All through my life I have carried on my
> back, gladly, the burdens of the believers; but now I ever anticipate hearing
> the good news of service actually accomplished by them. Save this, I have no
> other joy in the world.
> 
> EDITION
> Will they not make me happy?
> 
> Will they not answer my call, when the shadow of the last night of my earthly
> life is falling slowly across my path?
> 
> Will they not arise with superhuman energy and united effort to spread the
> Cause and impart to me new vigor?
> 
> Will they not listen to me?
> 
> How my heart leaps with joy when I hear the friends love each other,
> always overlooking one another’s small mistakes; and that they are
> forgiving their enemies!” 89
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> 1 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 354-355
> 2 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CLVII, p. 334
> 
> WORKING
> 3 Ibid., CXVII, p. 250
> 4 Ibid., XVII, p. 43
> 5 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 2032, p. 332
> 6 Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 138
> 7 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 81, p. 51
> 
> EDITION
> 8 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 103
> 9 Ibid., p. 2-3
> 10 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity. Cooperation, p. 42-43
> 11 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, LXXI, p. 137
> 12 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p.96-97
> 13 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol I, p. 62
> 14 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, Prayer, [1], p. 176-177
> 15 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 12 April 1912, [2], p. 8
> 16 Ibid., 11 June 1912, [6], p. 186
> 17 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol. I, p. 61-62
> 18 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 24 April 1912, [1], p. 54
> 19 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 210, p. 266-267
> 20 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lights of Guidance, 120, p. 33
> 21 Esslemont, Dr. J.E., Bahá’u’lláh and the New Era, p. 84
> 22 The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986 (Wilmette,
> 
> WORKING
> IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1986), 275.11, p. 479
> 23 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 35, p. 72
> 24 Redman, Earl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst, p. 132
> 25 Ibid., p. 133-135
> 26 Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 6-7
> 
> EDITION
> 27 Redman, Earl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst, p. 326-327
> 28 Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, 106, p. 139
> 29 Ibid., 104, p. 138
> 30 Bahá’u’lláh, Developing Distinctive Bahá’í Communities: Guidelines
> for Spiritual Assemblies
> (Evanston, IL: The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the
> Unites States, 1998), 11.5
> 31 Bahá’u’lláh, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, 824, p. 387
> 32 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 116, p. 140
> 33 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, 843, p. 392
> 34 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Persian no. 54, p. 41
> 35 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,11, p. 27
> 36 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, The Spirit of Justice, p. 36
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 37 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXLV, p. 314-315
> 38 Ibid., CXXVIII, p. 278
> 39 Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words, Arabic no. 43, p. 13
> 40 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 448-449
> 41 Taherzadeh, Adib, The Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh Vol. 3, p. 331
> 
> WORKING
> 42 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 427
> 43 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, V, p. 8
> 44 Abu’l-Qasim Faizi, Stories from the Delight of Hearts (Los Angeles:
> Kalimat Press, 1980), p. 109-110,
> 45 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXII, p. 289
> 
> EDITION
> 46 Thompson, Juliet, The Diary of Juliet Thompson, p. 281
> 47 Ibid., p. 286
> 48 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 19, no. 3 (1928, June), p.69
> 49 Ibid., Vol. III, no. 19 (2 March 1913), p. 1
> 50 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXXV, p. 84
> 51 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 77
> 52 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXIX, p. 280
> 53 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 25-26
> 54 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XCVI, p. 196-197
> 55 Bahá’u’lláh, The Proclamation of Bahá’u’lláh (Bahá’í World Centre,
> Haifa: The Universal House of Justice, 1967), p. x
> 56 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXXXI, p. 286
> 57 Ibid., p. CXXXII, p. 288
> 58 Redman, Earl, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in their Midst, p. 22-23
> 59 The Báb, Selections from the Writings of The Báb, p. 56
> 60 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, Eternal Unity, p. 66-67
> 
> WORKING
> 61 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of the Divine Plan, (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1977), April 19, 1916, p. 48
> 62 Ibid., p. 48
> 63 Ibid., p. 50
> 
> EDITION
> 64 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 84, p. 117-118
> 65 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbás Vol I, p. 146-147
> 66 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 1 July 1912, 2, p. 218
> 67 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1296, 26
> October 1943, p. 11-12
> 68 Shoghi Effendi, Bahá’í Administration (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í
> Publishing Trust, 1974), p. 16
> 69 Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf (Haifa: The Bahá’í World
> Centre Research Department, 1982), 10, p. 104-105
> 70 McKay, Doris, Fires in Many Hearts, p. 112
> 71 Ibid., p. 113
> 72 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 2, p.4-5
> 73 Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, V, p.9
> 
> The Insistent Self
> 
> 74 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 45, p. 88
> 75 Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahá’í Administration, p. 39
> 76 Shoghi Effendi, The Compilation of Compilations Vol. II, 1310, 5
> September 1946, p. 16
> 77 Ibid., 1299, 7 July 1944, p. 12-13
> 
> WORKING
> 78 Ibid., 1323, 30 September 1949, p. 20
> 79 Ibid., 1307, 20 October 1945, p. 15
> 80 Ibid., 1306, 13 May 1945, p. 15
> 81 Bahiyyih Khanum, The Greatest Holy Leaf, 77, p. 207
> 82 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 45, p. 87-88
> 
> EDITION
> 83 Ibid., 43, p. 87
> 84 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, 2 May 1912, 5, p. 72-73
> 85 From Book 6, Teaching the Cause by the Ruhi Foundation, Columbia
> (Riviera, FL: Palabra Publications, 1998), p. 32
> 86 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Scriptures, p. 193
> 87 McKay, Doris, Fires in Many Hearts, p. 19
> 88 http://www.bahaistories.com/quotepage.php?Stories%2FUnity
> 89 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West, Vol. IV, No. 15, 12 December 1913,
> words uttered at Ramleh, Egypt, October 28, 1913
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
> 
> WORKING
> EDITION
>
> — *The Insistent Self: How to Nurture Our Spirit (Used by permission of the curator)*