doberman pizza. a baha'i (bahai, bahá'í) blog.

Polynesian music group Mana wins the awesomeness award of the month with their new music video pulled straight from the pages of Ruhi Book 1 and the writings of Bahá’u'lláh:

That seeker should also regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul.

Bahá’u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqan (The Book of Certitude), p. 194

A special announcement, issued in the morning, by the family of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Bahá’ís of Haifa, gave the public the news of His passing and of the funeral arrangements for the following day. However, [e]arly on Monday morning . . . the news of this sudden calamity had spread over the city, causing an unprecedented stir and tumult, and filling all hearts with unutterable grief.

In the afternoon this statement appeared:

We all belong unto God and unto Him do we all return. The Islamic Association announces with much regret the passing of the highly-learned, greatly-erudite, generous benefactor, His Eminence ‘Abdu’l-Bahá ‘Abbas. His bier will be carried from His home, to-morrow, Tuesday, at 9 o’clock in the morning. You are requested to accept this announcement as a special invitation to assemble for His funeral procession. May God immerse Him in His boundless mercy, and grant solace unto His family and His people.

In the land that we know as the Holy Land, in all its turbulent history of the last two thousand years, there had never been an event which could unite all its inhabitants of diverse faiths and origins and purposes, in a single expression of thought and feeling, as did the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Jews and Christians and Muslims and Druzes, of all persuasions and denominations; Arabs and Turks and Kurds and Armenians and other ethnic groups were united in mourning His passing, in being aware of a great loss they had suffered.

Hand of the Cause of God H.M. Balyuzi
‘Abdu’l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant, p. 452

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. Otherwise, men are like animals, exhibiting the same proclivities and propensities as the world of animals. What distinction is there? What prerogatives, what perfections? None whatever! Animals are better even — thinking only of themselves and negligent of the needs of others.

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 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.

We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair, and may strive to provide for the comfort of all, that each member of humanity may pass his life in the utmost comfort and welfare. Then this material world will become the very paradise of the Kingdom, this elemental earth will be in a heavenly state and all the servants of God will live in the utmost joy, happiness and gladness. We must all strive and concentrate all our thoughts in order that such happiness may accrue to the world of humanity.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, pp: 42-43

O beloved of the Lord! If any soul speak ill of an absent one, the only result will clearly be this: 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 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 may be, one who hath victory upon his brow, and who is a being sustained by the sweet savours of God.

Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, pp. 230-31

The following phrase, quoted from a prayer written by Bahá’u'lláh, has given me a great deal of solace lately, and helped me to rebuild my confidence when it’s been low:

Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my heart all the world’s afflictions can in no wise alarm me.

I’ve been using it as sort of a mantra, using it whenever I feel anxious, stressed out or otherwise tested, or just whenever the need arises. What are your favourite phrases to help you deal with difficult times?

Saw this quote on a listserv… it neatly sums up my feelings about the perception some people have of religion these days. Religion is not the same thing as imitation or superstition.

Imitation destroys the foundation of religion, extinguishes the spirituality of the human world, transforms heavenly illumination into darkness and deprives man of the knowledge of God. It is the cause of the victory of materialism and infidelity over religion; it is the denial of Divinity and the law of revelation; it refuses Prophethood and rejects the Kingdom of God. When materialists subject imitations to the intellectual analysis of reason, they find them to be mere superstitions; therefore, they deny religion.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 161

Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of sacrifice, he is bereft of every favour and grace; and this plane of sacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the living God may then shine forth.

‘Abdu’l-Baha

Let’s take a moment for a philosophical exercise. I took an interesting training course for work today, entitled “Managing Multiple Priorities”, designed to help me—guess what! Manage multiple priorities. Among the many propositions made during the class was that there is, in effect, no such thing as “time management“. Well, how can that be? Don’t we all have to manage our time to fit in our various responsibilities, such as service, family, work, school, and so on? Not so, young grasshopper. How can you “manage” something as abstract as time? Time is something that happens whether you want it to happen or not; we have 86,400 seconds in every day to do with as we wish. When we speak of “time management”, we’re really talking about managing our own self and our own actions, that those 86,400 seconds may be put to their best use. So rather than “managing time”, we’re managing our own selves and striving to choose the actions and reactions that are right for each second of every day. Sound legit?

‘Abdu’l-Baha was the Master of such “self-management”; wholly detached from all trace of self, his only thought was to serve humankind, putting into the practice the Teachings of Baha’u'llah in all their manifold glory; he did so ceaselessly, thoroughly and systematically. A glance into ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life reveals that the Perfect Exemplar of Bahá’u'lláh’s teachings kept to a rigorous schedule, tending to the poor, the sick and the infirm with clockwork regularity, entertaining rooms full of guests every evening and addressing correspondence to the Bahá’ís throughout the world well into every night, organizing children’s classes to ensure the education of the children in his midst, all the while subsisting on a few hours of sleep and a modest meal each day.

Food for thought. I’ll undoubtedly return to this topic soon, as I strive to bring “self-management” strategies to bear on my own life.

Update: Wikipedia has this to say about self-management:

In business, education, and psychology, self-management refers to methods, skills, and strategies by which individuals can effectively direct their own activities toward the achievement of objectives, and includes goal setting, planning, scheduling, task tracking, self-evaluation, self-intervention, self-development, etc.

So it’s actually a recognized term. Huh. Who knew?

Here’s a very interesting quote from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, taken from a talk he gave on the equality of men and women. It’s rather appropriate given what day it is today. To all those who’ve been celebrating the Christian Holy Week, here’s wishing you a glorious day on this Easter Monday.

After the martyrdom of Christ, to Whom be glory, the disciples were greatly disturbed and disheartened. Even Peter had denied Christ and tried to shun Him. It was a woman, Mary Magdalene, who confirmed the wavering disciples in their faith, saying, “Was it the body of Christ or the reality of Christ that ye have seen crucified? Surely it was His body. His reality is everlasting and eternal; it hath neither beginning nor ending. Therefore, why are ye perplexed and discouraged? Christ always spoke of His being crucified.” Mary Magdalene was a mere villager, a peasant woman; yet she became the means of consolation and confirmation to the disciples of Christ.

His Holiness ‘Abdu’l-Baha
The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 282

Joyeuse journée internationale de la femme! / Happy International Women’s Day! This day, marked on March 8th each year, commemorates the social, economic and political achievements and contributions of women the world over. The theme of this year’s commemoration, as adopted by the UN, is “ending impunity for violence against women and girls“.

Baha’is believe in the equality of women and men, as a matter of principle, and see it as an expression of justice—since we are all members of one human race and are each accountable to one and the same God, it is only just that we manifest a spirit of solidarity and unity in all our dealings with one another, men and women alike. The achievement of equality between the sexes is seen not only as the cornerstone of a society free from domestic violence, but also as a pivotal step in achieving international world peace.

Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed differences and established harmony. Glorified, infinitely glorified is He Who hath caused discord to cease, and decreed solidarity and unity. Praised be God, the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions from between His servants and handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and all-encompassing mercy, hath conferred upon all a station and rank of the same plane. He hath broken the back of vain imaginings with the sword of utterance and hath obliterated the perils of idle fancies through the pervasive power of His might. (Bahá’u'lláh)

When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it… (’Abdu’l-Bahá)

Therefore, as woman advances toward the degree of man in power and privilege, with the right of vote and control in human government, most assuredly war will cease; for woman is naturally the most devoted and staunch advocate of international peace. (’Abdu’l-Bahá)

In the estimate of God there are no English, French, Germans, Turkish or Persians. All these in the presence of God are equal; they are of one race and creation; God did not make these divisions. These distinctions have had their origin in man himself. Therefore, as they are against the plan and purpose of reality, they are false and imaginary. We are of one physical race, even as we are of one physical plan of material body — each endowed with two eyes, two ears, one head, two feet. Among the animals racial prejudice does not exist. Consider the doves; there is no distinction as to whether it is an oriental or an occidental dove. The sheep are all of one race; there is no assumption of distinction between an eastern and a western sheep. When they meet, they associate with perfect fellowship. If a dove from the West should go to the Orient, it will associate with the eastern doves unhesitatingly. There will be no attitude of unwillingness as if saying, “You belong to the East; I am from the West.” Is it reasonable or allowable that a racial prejudice which is not observed by the animal kingdom should be entertained by man?

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 299
Uttered while in Montreal, 1912.

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock. (Ben Hecht)

(Hint: try One Common Faith instead)

O thou who art attracted by the Fragrances of God!

Verily I am in receipt of thy last letter which indicateth thy exceeding love for Abdul-Bahá, thy confidence in God, and thy good and sincere intention in the service of the Cause of God.

Excellent is the statement given by thee in that precious letter — that ye are in need of love and affinity in that country to unite the hearts and spirits.

This is the truth and there is naught beyond the truth save error. Know thou assuredly that-

Love is the mystery of divine revelations!

Love is the effulgent manifestation!

Love is the spiritual fulfillment!

Love is the light of the Kingdom!

Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit inspired into the human spirit!

Love is the cause of the manifestation of the Truth (God) in the phenomenal world!

Love is the necessary tie proceeding from the realities of things through divine creation!

Love is the means of the most great happiness in both the material and spiritual worlds!

Love is a light of guidance in the dark night!

Love is a bond between the Creator and the creature in the inner world!

Love is the cause of development to every enlightened man!

Love is the greatest law in this vast universe of God!

Love is the one law which causeth and controlleth order among the existing atoms!

Love is the universal magnetic power between the planets and stars shining in the lofty firmament!

Love is the cause of unfoldment to a searching mind, of the secrets deposited in the universe by the Infinite!

Love is the spirit of life in the bountiful body of the world!

Love is the cause of the civilization of nations in this mortal world!

Love is the highest honor to every righteous nation!

(Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of Abdu’l-Bahá v3, p. 525)