Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant - India

Beloved Guardian Mr.Neal Chase is regularly updating a new site www.bahaifireside.org.

He is uploading the covenant firesides there, kindly visits the site and take the benefits of it.

following below is the Guardian message regarding it.



GOOD NEWS!! The Covenant fireside (Fireside 4) is now up online! http://www.bahaifireside.org/

Also the new edit of the Purpose of Life (Fireside 1).

These first four firesides form the educational foundation.


thanks.
Anjum.

"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."

-- 'Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 175.



Dear All,



This 31 day period of NawRuz leading to Ridvan is of special spiritual potency and heavenly gift. Many have recently described the intensity of heightened vibration during these days at this time. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the public Declaration of Baha'u'llah in the Ridvan (Paradise) garden in the year 1863 and the 50th from the 100th anniversary Jubilee in 1963 the birth of the mission of the Establisher of the Baha'i Faith Dr. Leland Jensen.



"Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan." (Lev. 25:10 NIV)



Many outside the world of the Baha'i Faith and outside our current grounding in the Covenant of Baha'u'llah fulfilled in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha remain in awe and caught up along with the ease in which science and religion--the confluence of inner and outer spiritual reality--are practiced by the guides and adepts who have publicly declared their allegiance to this unyielding Cause as servants of the light! I am happy to live in the great day when the spiritual and intellectual giants foretold by Baha'u'llah in His prophecies and eagerly awaited and anticipated by Dr. Jensen in The Most Mighty Document are now arriving on the scene from out all the corners of the world and within the United States of America at this time!



In the Iqan Baha'u'llah states: "Do men think when they say 'We believe' they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?"(Q. 71:26)



"Put to proof" means to "test." Like John says to test the spirits to see if they are true: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God" (1 Jn. 4:1 RSV).



This proving or testing is the foundation of scientific religion. Those steeped and engrossed in human learning are totally unfamiliar with this concept. This concept of scientific religion is a new teaching--of a new paradigm--that was revealed by Baha'u'llah, elucidated by 'Abdu'l-Baha, and established by Dr. Jensen and myself. It cannot be found anywhere else--or in any other school of thought. It is part of the essential remedy for the ills of humanity today--and constitutes a liberated dynamic approach to the process of individual human spiritual growth and evolution as well as that of the group from a scientific standpoint. It forms the basis of the Criterion.



Now other people have worked toward a similar understanding of this type colored through the lamp-glass of their own spiritual-biography and the degree of luminosity apparent in the day and age in which they lived--but their work remained for the most part unfinished and incomplete. As such, they can be considered forerunners to this new understanding and new outlook. Baha'u'llah refers to some of these personalities throughout history in His Tablet of Wisdom. Great persons involved in this struggle in modern times include Isaac Newton, Piazzi Smith, Albert Einstein, Immanuel Velikovsky, William James, and others. The point is this: as each individual has their own personal individual concerns--each person must be addressed individually based on their own context and their own independent views. What this means is that no matter what one person believes or experiences they do this from the standpoint of their own subjective perspective.



For example, 'Abdu'l-Baha tells the story of the King who wished all human knowledge to be condensed into one book. The scholars proceeded and made an vast encyclopedia set. The king stated this was too long. They came back with three volumes. He again said that was too long. They returned with one lengthy book. Again he said too long. They gave him one journal lengthy article. He again complained and after about a year they produced a single paragraph. He said it was still too complicated to understand. So he said he wanted it summed up in one word. They came back and gave it to him. He read the one word, it said: "Perhaps."



Thus the foundation of all human knowledge and human learning rests upon the foundation of maybe, maybe not. This is the modern appearance of ideas like the uncertainty principle in physics and the incompleteness theorem of Gödel in mathematics, and the moral and social relativism in succession to social Darwinism.



While this language may well be new to some, according to the mainstream current argument amongst the people the most advanced thought of the Western mind is infected with what they call "modernism" and "post-modern" critique. This has split current scientific thought of human learning in the West into two main warring groups: (a) the natural scientists and (b) the human scientists. Each group has a different approach, philosophy, language, terminology, and world-view. Each individual person that ascribes to either--or some hybrid of the two--remains in different levels of quandary. While the post-modern authors provide a strong critique against modernism they normally offer no viable alternative. To cite the history, source material, personalities, and cultural roots of this problem or to illuminate it more is beyond the scope of this short letter. To use the terminology of radical-empiricism, phenomenology, and existential and transpersonal studies is too cumbersome for this brief note--though 'Abdu'l-Baha expressly addresses all these points in his writings and talks--if the reader be sagacious and circumscript while reading the pertinent statements of the Master.



For example in Tablets (Vol. II, p. 287) 'Abdu'l-Baha refers to God as the Absent-Present in the world of humanity:



"Regarding thine entrance with thy friend into the gallery lighted with lamps, know thou that gallery is the world of humanity and the lamps His wonderful teaching, His all-wisdom, His perfect bounty and His clear manifestation. He is the Absent-Present in the world of humanity."



Thus Muhammad has declared Atheism: "There is no God"--and thus destroyed all idols of vain imagination and cleansed the doors of perception from falsity. Amin'u'llah then rejoins: "but God". So when we say we know nothing in essence. They say there is no God. They have no scientific or viable conception of the concept of the manifestation of the qualities and attributes of God either in general or specific revelation. Further they do not even know what we mean when we say general or specific revelation. They do not even understand what we mean when we speak of the Varieties of religious experience as did William James. They do not know of noetic pluralism. They remain destitute and ignorant of the scientific understanding of prophecy. They remain outside because they have not had the opportunity to enter within--or if given that opportunity they have refused, or having entered within, they have then left and gone back out.



Thus while science was meant to ground and purify the doors of perception from the dross of vain imaginations, the people have yet to use the grounding of being expressed as both inner and outer science to achieve an accelerated growth pattern in harmony and synergy with the dynamic potential of the Center of Being.



If we take 'Abdu'l-Baha for example we will see that he is caught up in the prophecies of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. He was born on the exact prophesied date for the Bab in 1844 on the same day. His mission is prophesied of as the BRANCH in the Bible (see Is. 11, Zech, 3., etc...). He was on Mt. Carmel and with Baha'u'llah in all his journeys at the prophesied place, and his name is given in various places as well. Now all this gave certitude to both 'Abdu'l-Baha and the believers of the truth of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. But 'Abdu'l-Baha is clear that the Bab and Baha'u'llah are the supreme manifestations and all else are servants.



"His Holiness, the Exalted One (the Bab), is the Manifestation of the Unity and Oneness of God and the Forerunner of the Ancient Beauty. His Holiness the Abha Beauty (may my life be a sacrifice for His steadfast friends) is the Supreme Manifestation of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence. All others are servants unto Him and do His bidding."(W&T, p. 19)



Thus when God opens up the minds of the servants to see how prophecy is fulfilled, and when these servants are intimately associated with the living Promised One who comes in both the lesser and greater Covenant they will be guided by God to sometimes see how their personal role of service in the fleeting moment fulfills important tasks current in the Divine Plan.  The Western people find this idea very foreign. First they are mostly "scientific" and by that they mean materialist (in philosophy and outlook) and atheistic. They view only material objects as the Real. They call this "objective." Second they view this type of religious experience at best as variable and subjective (irreal) and at worst through abnormal psychology.



This is why God has purposed the present Guardian to be knowledgeable about these things. As the world of Islam already experienced the Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha whom they rejected, God has purposed the living Guardian and the loyal active companions of the living Guardian a special mission and special message to convey to the diverse peoples. In so doing he does not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. God is no respecter of persons. We are all pawns in His grasp--including me--and He moves us along the board as he so pleases. The branch cannot boast for it is dependent upon the Root (Romans ch. 11). Thus we are servants, and unlike Iblis who refused to bow down before Adam, we are purposed to serve Adam and all his generations, in each and every generation: that is, that was, and that is yet to come.



"Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion... No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except 'Abdu'l-Baha. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory."--'Abdu'l-Baha



Guardian.


Neal Chase.

WORDS OF `ABDU'L-BAHA FOR NEW YEAR,

NAW RUZ

The Covenant of God and His Testament is a bounty to the righteous and a curse to the wicked. On hearing this Command some faces have rejoiced by this Glowing Lamp, and others become gloomy and in their hearts the fire of jealousy and rebellion hath been kindled. They disobeyed the Command of their Lord the Merciful, endeavored to spread lies and arose to divulge seditious rumors contrary to that which was descended from God. They imagine that they are able to resist this Power, which penetrates into the heart of the contingent world, or to cover the Truth through their false tongues and complicated opinions, and to withhold this Sea from surging, the holy fragrances from being spread, and the breaths of the Spirit of the Ancient from reaching the beloved! No, by no means! Verily, the Word of God penetrates into the core of all things and cannot be resisted either by the hosts of the world or by the armies of the enemies! In the past ages there is a warning to every intelligent one! Ye shall see their banners reversed, their sign abolished, their happiness destroyed in those regions in a similar way to the disappointment of their hopes in the East.

But, as the people of the West are still children in the Cause and have not perfect knowledge of its reality and validity, the Nakazeen thought it to be an easy prey and availed themselves of this opportunity for laying doubts and suspicions, speaking false words, divulging seditious calumnies among the people. Ye shall see all this as scattered dust, and all these thick, dark clouds which were gathered in those far regions, will disappear and the Sun of Certainty and Reality shall shine with the Most Dazzling Light; the darkness will vanish, the firm believers will be in great joy, and the Nakazeen shall be in evident loss.

…I hope that upon the coming of each auspicious day the friends of God may become doubled, that is, may become twofold; that the gentle fragrances of the love of God may be spread so universally that large cohorts enter under the shadow of the Word of God in a short space of time, and arise to serve, according to the heavenly instructions, in order that strife and warfare may vanish wholly from the human world, and the beauty of love, friendship and harmony may appear with such an appearance that all the intellects may become astonished, all the souls entranced and all the hearts attracted. O ye friends! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! Should ye realize in what a state this Tablet is written, assuredly ye will soar heavenward with joy and exultations and begin to cry out: "Glad-tidings! Glad-tidings!"

Today the whole world is heedless and ye are aware; all are in sleep and ye are wide awake; all are deprived and ye are the custodians of the mysteries of the Kingdom! Therefore, to render thanks for these bounties, open ye the tongue of praise and glorification and engage yourselves in the divine commemoration, in order that the confirmation may be added and the assistance may become renewed! O ye beloved! O ye maid-servants of the Merciful! What a wonderful meeting [under the provisions of the Covenant] ye have arranged and longed for the beauty of service and have arisen to spread the fragrances of God! Truly I declare, ye are confirmed by the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse and are reinforced and empowered by the Exalted Realm! When the confirmation of the Holy Spirit descendeth, ye are not a drop, but a roaring sea! Ye are the stars of the horizon of guidance! If this committee become firm, it will grow and develop; if it remain steadfast, it will become a gift of the Almighty to the human world; if it last, it will display marvelous signs for the well-being of the children of man! The hosts of the Kingdom of Abha are drawn and filed up in battle-array on the plain of the Supreme Apex and are expecting that a band of volunteers step upon the field of action with the intention of service; so that they may assist that band and make it victorious and triumphant.

O Thou Almighty God! Confirm Thou these friends and the maid-servants of the Merciful! Grant Thou to them assistance. Open Thou before their faces the closed doors and make them intimate with the fragrances of holiness, so that they may become the confident friends of each other; raise the melody and the song of joy and sing the harmony of heaven, in order that they may exhilarate and gladden the regions of the West and impart attraction and ecstasy! Make Thou them the magnets of love so that they may attract the hearts to the Kingdom of Abha! Verily, Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; and Thou art the Giver, the Seer and the Hearer! There is no God but Thee, the Generous, the Merciful! O ye whom God hath chosen from among those who are called!—know that "many are called but few are chosen"!—upon whom He caused the evident Light to descend; whom He guided into the right Path, and to whom He gave the Glad-tidings of the Great Success! Ye must be sincere and faithful, ye must follow the ordinances which refer to the Covenant of God, who is the solid edifice. O ye beloved of God, know that steadfastness and firmness in this new and wonderful Covenant is indeed the spirit that quickeneth the hearts which are overflowing with the love of the Glorious Lord; verily, it is the power which penetrates into the hearts of the people of the world! Your Lord hath assuredly promised His servants who are firm and steadfast to render them victorious at all times, to exalt their word, propagate their power, diffuse their lights, strengthen their hearts, elevate their banners, assist their hosts, brighten their stars, increase the abundance of the showers of mercy upon them, and enable the brave lions (or teachers) to conquer. Hasten, hasten, O ye firm believers! Hasten, hasten, O ye steadfast! Abandon the heedless, set aside every ignorant, take hold of the strong rope, be firm in this Great Cause, draw light from this Evident Light, be patient and be steadfast in this wise Religion! Ye shall see the hosts of inspiration descending successively from the Supreme World, the procession of attraction falling incessantly from the heights of heaven, the abundance of the Kingdom of El-Abha outpouring continually and the teachings of God penetrating with the utmost power, while the heedless are indeed in evident loss.



OPEN EPISTLE CONCERNING THE SABBATH

Regarding the questions of the Sabbath Day:

"I am interested and bit perplexed with the subject of the Sabbath as I was in a Religion that lead me to believe that this commandment was not to be forgotten as it is the only commandment that says to Remember it. Jesus went into the Temple on the Sabbath as it was his custom and yet I read that Baha'u'llah says He abolished it. I thought Sunday worship came from the pagans and that the early Christians still kept the Sabbath. I left this fear based belief and prayed for direction in finding a faith with the Baha'i beliefs and the next day I found the Faith. Help me have some understanding on this subject as I cannot understand forgetting the Sabbath as I thought this to be the Covenant of God and His Seal.? Help! Thanks and many Blessings"

"One last question. Can I get some understanding on The Lord's day meaning in Rev. and the Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy? I still have stuff crop up on this as I was taught in depth regarding the Sabbath as being the marker of the true faith and their interp. of Rev. Thank you so much and many Blessings to you and your staff delivering the TRUTH to a dark world."

Remembering the Sabbath Day and to keep it holy is a truth that transcends all the religious faiths and forms an integral part of the Revelation of God and the means and mechanism for the creation of the Universe and everything in it in which man ascends through 6 stages and is reunited with God on the seventh plane. Thus in the formation of the calendar of the week (where 7 is the natural fourth of a single lunar month of light 28/4 = 7) it was set forth for both man and beast to rest on this day in commemoration of the completion of purpose of union with God. This was set forth at the foundation of the world by the manifestation of Adam and was reestablished by Noah in the Naochide laws and again upheld by Moses in the Ten Commandments. The truth is the Aqdas of Baha'u'llah – the real one – is set forth in the forma and style of the Ten Commandments – arranged in the Most perfect Form - but this, Shoghi Effendi tells us - has been kept from the people – and thus the Sabbath day is upheld and explained by the Bab, Baha'u'llah and `Abdu'l-Baha in this Great Day.

At the time Moses reiterated this fundamental outpouring of 7 the law was that any boss or owner was to let the people employed rest as well as beast on this day or that boss or slave master would face the death penalty. Thus the people were free to have this day to worship the Lord in any way they saw fit – they could go fishing, farm there own land or garden, second time with family and friends, commune with nature or God whatsoever they saw fit with no one else to force them or compel them. Thus a day of rest fro man and beast. By the time of Jesus' first advent this law which was made for the people was so perverted that the establishment, the powers that be, commanded no one work or even move on that day or they would have them killed! Thus Jesus overturned this corrupt interpretation (interpolation) of the "law" and "violated" the Sabbath commands by healing the sick and picking corn on the day of rest as he was wont to do. When accused of such nonsense he responded that "Man was not made for the Sabbath but that the Sabbath was made for man." This is recorded in the gospel and this is what Baha'u'llah is referring to when he speaks of Jesus abrogation – for it was the abrogation of the pervasion of men and not the abrogation of God's meaning of the meaning of the Day of Rest that God created for man, but of the perversion of the people who lorded it over on others in, as you have said, the fear-based religion of hate and dominance contra to the Wishes and Will of the Living, Loving and caring God that made us all and the universe and everything in it.

This perversion of the Sabbath law of the seventh day, has been passed on down today in certain ignorant Christian Sects that ignore the true Teaching of Jesus Christ on this point as explicitly described in the gospels of the Holy Bible. Instead they pervert the very word of God to attempt to condemn those people who do not hold the "day" they say is Sabbath or do not hold that "day" they way the say it should be held and thus accuse and persecute others in the same way that the Pharisees and Seduces accused and persecuted Jesus. It is such a glaring hypocrisy for them to place that false burden of "seventh day theology" made up by man of current clergy that Jesus lifted off the souls of the people and lovers of God way back when about 2000 years ago! Thus these nefarious ones put back onto the people and innocent ones false thinking to keep them corralled into false and imitation forms of worship within their own congregations and limited view of it all. This is the meaning of the abrogation of the perversion and it is the perversion of the Sabbath that Jesus abolished simultaneous to his resentment of the reality, for it is "the spirit that giveth life an the letter that killeth." Thus sects that "command" strict adherence to some concocted form of "the seventh day" and in opposition of Jesus Christ in the Bible and he himself will judge them. In order to be saved they say they must accept and believe in Jesus. Thus if they don't accept his teaching on the Sabbath they don't believe in him and therefore they are not saved at all.

Now the perpetual calendar which is the entire history of the world according to the weekdays as we now have it going back into antiquity is known to be in great need of reconstitution for this count of days was lost at several different periods in history and in fact is not a valid and established unbroken chain of days of the week. Thus all arguments about which day was the seventh day during the days of Moses or Christ are superficial and fallacious pending the scientific investigation of the reality of the issue. You can deepen yourself in this matter more by studying the perpetual calendar and the works of such as Newton and others who have attempted to work toward establishing accurate chronology in history for historical events from ancient times until today. This is a scientific, mathematical and historical matter, which a future elected House of Justice will investigate and in the end the calendars of the diverse peoples of the world East and West will be rectified in universal manner.

At any rate the reason to keep the Sabbath Day and remember it pertains to the prophecies of God about "entering into His Rest". It is more important to actually enter into the rest than to blindly hold to any one of seven 24 hour days in remembrance of this Great Sabbath and real Sabbath of the Holy Day of the Lord. In order that the people should not forget the true Sabbath which is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, 7 week days were set aside and the seventh marked out in commemoration of the Real Sabbath day. This was done in antiquity in conjunction with the metaphysical reality of the spiritual and material worlds of God "as above so below." Thus this real Sabbath Day is Today – the Day of God – and no one keeps it Holy but those who today seek for God now at this time and to have Him and Him alone live above all within their hearts and minds and souls – the Rest is that God created the world within seven days and then rested on the seventh. Thus Man was created on the sixth Day and on the 7th Day He rested in our heart for all the universe cannot contain Him but the heart of the true believer can contain Him! This is the real meaning for at that point man is reunited with God and the Kingdom is established upon the earth as it is in heaven. "Thy heart is my home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation." (AHW#59)

This is the throne of the inner temple which outwardly is symbolized by the throne of King David which is the executive branch of the true UHJ so we can recognize the true UHJ of Baha'u'llah from fakes, frauds and imitations. These seven days for the Lord are given in the gospel of Peter as 1000 years each. Thus from the time of Adam in 4000 BC we have 6000 years until September 21, 2001 which are the six days of creation of man into the spiritual and everlasting image of God, and then we enter into His Rest, which is the Kingdom, both an inner spiritual mystery of divine union upon which the outer civilization of the Kingdom is founded upon. Thus Christ tells us "the Kingdom of God is within you" yet simultaneously prophesied in the Lord's Prayer "Thy Kingdom Come, It will be done on earth as it is in heaven". That time is now and this Day – God's Day today - is sacred. Yet who is keeping it sacred at this time? Those whom God has raised up for his very own self that's who!

Now Sabbath literally means place, abode, seat, rest and therefore in the Koran it tells us that after 6 days of 6000 years on the 7th day God ascended His throne. Again this is the throne of the Kingdom both of the inner and outer temple - the inner temple the heart of man, the outer temple his UHJ. Thus keeping the Sabbath is keeping the abode or location sacred, both within ourselves and of the true and undefiled UHJ recognized by the executive as it is written in the Book of Revelation "Nothing unclean shall enter it". It is also a physical location in the world – the sacred snow white spot - where it is spoken of in the Book of Revelation of the "Great White Throne" - Thus the location of the snow-white spot is holy and made white, even as Moses took off his sandals, and represents the spot of the crimson shore of reunion and the Sinai of the Mountain of God's Revelation and revealed truth. The sign of God for this is the throne of King David, for wheresoever this is located is known as Zion, for Zion means the location of David's throne and this is the place of His Rest of which the prophecies speak about and of which we explain in the 7th and final fireside which is the entire book of Revelation explained verse by verse with all the 7 seals 7 sets of 7 broken by the Lamb so that the Temple in heaven of prophecy should be opened and that the Covenant and Testament of God may be seen by all.

Now this principle of the Sabbath Day – that is the principle of the Seven Stages- is a physical and spiritual reality uniting both science and revelation – both the material and spiritual worlds into one cohesive integrated unity and principle that permeates every facet of the material and spiritual existence of which man's material, social, and spiritual evolution and advancement and progress is subject to in his journey back to the garden of God. Thus these Sevens are created for man so that man may Ascend to the 7th degree and apex of prosperity, and not the other way around as Jesus rebuked those Pharisees and Sadducees of perversion in his day even as he would rebuke them that perverts such things and foists them with nonsense and fear upon the people in this day.

Baha'u'llah thus reveals these Stages are Will (mashiyyat), Purpose (irádih), predestination (qadar), fate (qadá'), permission (idhn) or execution (imdá'), fixed time (ajal), and the book (kitáb):

"A praise sanctified from the mention of all mankind befitteth the sublime and most holy court of the Desired One, Who hath ordained that the completion of every existence be realized through the Seven Stages: Will, Purpose, Predestination, Fate, Permission, Fixed Time, and the Book - each of which is a bountiful and shoreless sea whose pearls are preserved and concealed within the shells of the inviolability of God, exalted be His glory. In truth, should a man desire to expound upon these stages and stations, each of which is a wellspring of divine knowledge and a dawning-place of heavenly wisdom, he could not exhaust this theme with this pen and paper, and in the realm of true understanding, which is the seat of those who are nigh unto God, the pens and papers of the world would also not suffice him. He is the All-Powerful, Who hath made whatsoever He hath created, whether the atoms, that which is beneath them, or that which is above them, each a sign indicating and proclaiming His grandeur and sovereignty, His power and might, His generosity, bounty, and favor." (Baha'u'llah, Má'idiy-i Ásmání, vol. 8, pp. 191-192).

Thus the final or seventh stage is entitled Kitab which means Book. This is the resting of the Reality (haqq) within the Book of Revelation in this case the Kitab-i-Ahd Book of the Covenant which is contained within the Kitab-i-Aqdas and outwardly manifested in the provisions of the scared Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Baha (The Will, Mashiyyat). Now this Book – Kitab – COMPLETION -  is really the Book of Reality both spiritual and material both science and revelation. `Abdu'l-Baha explains this degree of knowledge as the knowledge of the two books:

"There are two Books: one is the Book of Creation and the other is the Written Book. The Written Book consisteth of the heavenly scriptures which are revealed to the Prophets of God and have issued forth from the lips of His Manifestations. The Book of Creation is the preserved Tablet and the outspread Roll of existence. The Book of Creation is in accord with the Written Book." (`Abdu'l-Baha, Persian Tablets)

And Baha'u'llah confirms, in the Tablet of Wisdom, the Lawh-i-Hikmat: "Nature is God's Will and is its expression in and through the contingent world."

Thus in reality these two books are one Book of Reality which is the final stage of the Sabbath (seat, location, place or rest of God) which, we call, in reality: the Kingdom.

These seven stages therefore exist within all reality as endless permutations of seven sets of seven. The final four in descending order are within the realm of space and time of the contingent world, and the first three correspond to transcendental spiritual states.

Thus in descending order in the fourth stage of fate (qadá') it states that God created the world in seven days or 7 stages. These seven are great epochs of decreasing duration in which the world and life and man eventually came into being and are the 7 epochs of natural history, given variously as: Azoic, Archaeozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, in which the sixth is the period of man's modern physical existence, an the 7th is now at this time the spiritual evolution of the establishment of the Kingdom. These 7 follow the pattern in genesis from azoic period of no life when the earth was without form and void, following the evolution of the plants and animals and then man's physical life upon the "sixth day". These seven stages of creation in Genesis (which means `origins') corresponded to the decreasing geological epochs in natural history and fossil strata amazingly enough as described in scientific literature. The seventh day is today which the spiritual evolution of man into the Kingdom of the Baha'i cycle which will last for 5000 century cycle.

The next set of seven corresponding to permission (idhn) or execution ((imdá') is the execution of the cycles of the 7 Universal Manifestations of God. `Abdu'l-Baha explains that Baha'u'llah is in fact the seventh Universal Manifestation of God withinthe sries of all planetary history going back before recorded time. The first Four Universal Manifestations precede Adam (known as Zydyk) and the Adamic cycle and are the founders of the 4 Great World Civilizations that existed before Anno Lux, the foundation of this 6000 years cycle of Adam. These civilizations are variously known as Titan, Mu, Lemuria, and Atlantis, each one being completely obliterated by global catastrophes of unimaginable proportions and earth changes and almost all traces being destroyed. As each one was obliterated a Universal Manifestation prevailed and lead survivors into the next Universal Cycle to found divine civilization in the next level of spiritual evolution of human kind.  Baha'u'llah mentions their existence in the "Gleanings" which you can refer and explains that over dwelling upon them can lead to fruitless pursuits. The point is the earth is very old and God's Cause is almost as ancient for man upon this terrestrial globe. In the Abha realm all things are made known. The 5th Universal Manifestation of God in planetary history is Adam founder of the Adamic cycle. Jesus Christ, herald of the Kingdom in the sixth and Baha'u'llah is the 7th thus Revealing the Kingdom which is the Day of God's rest. This series of 7 is repeated in the seven establishers (seven angels) of the 6000 years Adamic Cycle which is the next set of seven.

The next set of seven corresponding to fixed time (ajal) is the 6 days of creation of the Adamic cycle wherein Peter tells us in his second epistle chapter three verse 8 that "each day with the Lord is as 1000 years and 1000 years is as one day". Thus this brings us from 4000 BC until 2001 AD wherein it is revealed "We have appointed a FIXED TIME for you O people…" an the 7th Day is now this fixed-time of the Kingdom wherein the Koran gives the same 6000 years cycles and states then God ascends His throne.

The final set of seven stages is that which corresponds the Kitab or Book, wherein all creation physical and spiritual is written within the Book of Man even as each one should know the book of their own self. This is a period of seven 24 hour days in which the sperm of the father inseminate the ovum (egg) of the mother in the fallopian tube and then takes six 24 hour days to travel until the uterus upon which on the 7 days it rests. Thus "thou shalt remember the 7th day the Sabbath day and keep it Holy" for the soul of man alone can contain the throne and seat of God in mystic union as outwardly the throne of David, the point of unity, is the sign of the inner spiritual reality and oneness of being. Thus all the human race is as one family and justice is the power of the knowledge of God united with the pillar of his mercy and love.

Ascending into the world of spirit -  beyond space and time - we have the next set of seven corresponding to the stage of Qadar which has been variously translated as "predestination". This refers to the seven level of the reality of man and his progress, evolution and development in the world of being even as Baha'u'llah has revealed:

"Man observeth these seven stages in his own development. After the appearance of fate, execution becometh evident, and it is the same as the stage of permission. For every created thing its fixed-time, in other words, the duration of its existence, is set. After the fixed-time, the book, which is the stage of the completion of a thing, shall be laid bare and made manifest. To God belongeth praise this day! The foundation of all stations is manifest, and it is detachment from all things and submission to His behest. In this case, these stations themselves are unveiled." (Baha'u'llah, Má'idiy-i Ásmání, vol. 8, pp. 191-192)

These are the seven levels of the reality of man, which we have explained in another epistle corresponding to the evolution of man in the stages of mineral, vegetable, animal, human, angel, cherub and seraphim from physical to spiritual reality. In this epistle we have explained the relation of the seven stages to the seven periods of the atomic structure as well as to the universal principles corresponding to "as above so below" which Baha'u'llah confirms in the Lahw-i-Hikmat. Thus Baha'u'llah has revealed: "In truth, should a man desire to expound upon these stages and stations, each of which is a wellspring of divine knowledge and a dawning-place of heavenly wisdom, he could not exhaust this theme with this pen and paper, and in the realm of true understanding, which is the seat of those who are nigh unto God, the pens and papers of the world would also not suffice him. He is the All-Powerful, Who hath made whatsoever He hath created, whether the ATOMS [arranged in the seven periods], that which is beneath them, or that which is above them, each a sign indicating and proclaiming His grandeur and sovereignty…"

The next level of reality corresponding to the seven sets of seven is the level of the fixed archetypes, the lords of the species which manifest all reality from effulgence of endless qualities and attributes of God manifested through the Divine Will. This corresponds to the realm of Purpose Irada, for it is written and then "God PURPOSED Let US make Man in our Image and Our likeness". This is the everlasting purpose of God to create man into his spiritual image and the `Us' and the `Our' refer to the Nine Divine Archetypes manifested in the nine Divine Revelators of the Adamic Cycle. These are depicted as the Adam Kadmon on the Kabala tree where these Nine and the Tenth corresponding to the land or physical manifestation of the Kingdom on earth are arranged in a hierarchy of seven levels. Here we can see these 9 plus one with the Seven Levels of Ascent/Descent upon the ladder of lights so indicated.

1

2--------2

3--------3

4

5--------5

6

7

The final level of Will, which is Mashiyyat represents the everlasting Covenant of God, that God will always be our God and that we will always be his people. It represents the reunion with God as we ascend from the lowest of the 7 worlds of the Book - Kitab - from the moment of conception and resting within the womb or matrix of the mother to the final stages of evolution from the womb of this world to be born into the next. In the final level of Will or Identity in which our Will becomes identical to the Will of God fully manifest and reveled in its highest potency and form.

These seven levels of Will conform to the 7 Valleys as revealed by Baha'u'llah and are identical to the 7 levels or stages of the 7 Firesides as taught exclusively in our school the waters of life free of price. Thus the soul comes to know the Will of God with their own eyes and not through the eyes of their neighbor; and is prepared for reunion/rest united with God to enter the heavenly Court of both this world and the next and present itself before the throne of being itself.

This is thus 7 sets of 7 confirming that "thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day and Keep it Holy". This is the fabric of the divine ether which permeates all reality and through which man is able to ascend and become created in the spiritual and everlasting image of God. It is the hope, the dream and the fulfillment of all Creation and of all lovers, saints poets, and prophets of yesteryear and the past.

Happy are those that have attained unto this reality!!

In this relation further more, the mystery of the 7 days of the week is also explained and made known. This for the purpose of comprehending the deeper truth expressed herein this open epistle. God willing we can set those forth at another time in writing, though they have been presented at forums. These 7 days of the week have thus been transformed by the spirit and renamed according to the divine attributes of God. They have been corrected and re-ordered by God through His Universal Manifestation in the Book, so that the first corresponds to our Saturday an the 7th – Independence or Freedom to our Friday. Thus is the Sabbath Day – the Day of our Freedom to what we will (refer to Baha'u'llah's Tablets ion freedom for more) – is protected and preserved within the Badi or Baha'i Calendar today and the seven days of the week continue in perpetuality imbued with a new spirit and upon which the 7th day is made for man as remembrance of God and day to do as he pleases for his own self which in the 7 stage is merged with the self of God, even as Jesus saith, "Not will will O Lord but thine!". Thus Free Will is the foundation of love for we cannot have true love without the expression of our free will and the ability to say no. Why some would say no to God and His love is something we will never understand, for we have said "yes!" and our eyes have been closed to this darksome world of materialism and opened to the brightly shining world of Light  and sprit in the love and knowledge of God. So we shall be eternally in the Houses of the Holy – even as Jesus saith "in My Father's House are many mansions"  - reunited with God for all time and for evermore.

In this respect it should be pointed out the 10 commandments which set forth the Sabbath, so set it forth as the fourth commandment of the ten. Thus the first commandment corresponds with Will, the second with purpose, the third of His Name with Qadar or Power and the fourth the Sabbath with fate. These four are perfectly correlated with the four letters of the name "Baha", which is B, H, A and Hamza in which Hamza represents the throne. The first therefore complies with Identity, the second with Quality and Attribute the third with Name and the fourth with function or action in reality - deed. Thus the fourth contains all the final seven within itself. For the cube of space in manifested from the center point of the seat or location or rest and from there extends in six cardinal directions up and down, front and back and left and right. Thus the fourth commandant counting down from the first is the seventh commandment countering up from the last and corresponds with the Sabbath day. `Abdu'l-Baha explain this meaning of the four-letters to the four commandments in the ring stone symbol of the name Baha (BHA') which real meaning if the real Light of God:

"The interpretation of the ring is not the meaning of the letters of its form; the real meaning is a symbol from the Real Light. The word BAHA or the form of this ring gives both ways alike the reality or significance of BAHA, which means Light. The Light of Truth. With this symbol this form of the ring, one can remember the meaning of that Light which means BAHA. When he looks upon the ring he may remember BAHA. This is the cause of remembrance, the form of this engraving on the stone. It can be read from four points the same., BAHA. One is the station of identity second qualities or attributes; third, the name; fourth, deeds, because every thing contains identity, attribute, name and deeds, which is its fragrance. For instance, the sun has identity, qualities, name and function. These four, BAHA, are symbols of four things." (`Abdu'l-Baha, Persian Tablets)

The true Aqdas of Baha'u'llah (KITAB - the Book) is thus in accordance with this pattern, as we have before explained:

[[[The true Aqdas when completed is fashioned after the Most Perfect Form. It is according to the four worlds correlated with the four letters of the most great name and as 1+2+3+4 = 10 it has basic ten parts. It is impossible to get into now at his time due to the enormity of other work and the great financial strain upon us at this time as well as the lack of proper office facilities to engage in that work at this time.

Suffice it to say, that Baha'u'llah revealed the Aqdas in such a way that the Covenant-breakers should never posses it or understand it! Like Moses that smashed the two tablets, what Baha'u'llah gives us are manuscripts fragments and shards that need to be codified into the Most Perfect Form. This is the mission of the Four Letters of the Most Great Name where the first two are twin manifestations and the second two are twin institutions appearing first as zugot in Joshua and Zerubbabel. Thus the fourth letter – hamza - being the throne or Temple, completes the cycles and is able to codify the book that shall be fleshed out by the fully elected UHJ at the appointed time.

From Shoghi Effendi:

"The Persians do not have the complete "Aqdas", nor even a complete compilation, as it is not yet a "book". The laws are encountered in many Tablets written by Baha'u'llah. For example, in a Tablet written to a certain person, He would suddenly announce a new Law. Some day, all of these will be compiled into a single book. "The Aqdas" will have to be translated by experts. The present Guardian will not do it. When the Baha'i State is formed, "The Aqdas" will be promulgated. The Laws are few but very strict….

"There are twenty-six volumes of the Tablets directed to persons, which contain parts of the "Aqdas". These will later be included in the "Aqdas".

"I have indicated some of these laws for present observance. I shall see how the people obey them and give them out gradually. Little by little the Guardian will indicate those Laws which are obligatory, binding, and those which are recommended." (Shoghi Effendi, To a Believer, Jan. 15 - Feb 11, 1956)

By attached and detached at the same time this is like the condition of the real physician who is detached from the disease and suffering of the patients yet is attached to remain in the condition of service in helping them to be cured. If he were not detached from their condition he would suffer from it, so he is attached to only God and detached from all else save God – in this condition of attachment and detachment, it tells us Jesus walked amongst the lepers and healed them, though himself did not have the leprosy nor did he catch it. On the other hind it states he who sits with a leper gets leprosy. Thus the man in activity "walks" and is attached to God to so induce the cure yet in that same activity remains detached from the conditions and circumstances of the people. Both Baha'u'llah and `Abdu'l-Baha have written upon these themes. Detachment is the quality and attribute that Krishna focused upon, even as Muhammad submission and Baha'u'llah Justice; true Justice which the world has never seen before.]]]



Thus if there be justice, `Abdu'l-Baha tells us, all this would be acknowledged by the pure of heart as true for it is a spiritual and intellectual reality a gift from God given to us by a Revelation of Today that came direct from God!

On behalf of all the members active here at the world center I bid you greetings! Love and bounty to you and your son, and we hope to meet with you in person shortly as God's Will permits.

Yours servant in El Abha,

Neal Chase,

Guardian/President of the UHJ.

This is the Age of Woman



I.

Onthe first afternoon, while driving, he expressed much interest in rural England, marvelling at the century-old trees, and the vivid green of the woods and downs, so unlike the arid East. "Though it is autumn it seems like spring," he said. The houses with their little plots of ground, suggested a quotation which 'Abdu'l-Bahá gave from Bahá'u'lláh's writings in which the latter alludes to each family having a house with a piece of land. 'Abdu'l-Bahálikened the country to the soul and the city to the body of man, saying,"The body without the soul cannot live. It is good," he remarked,"to live under the sky, in the sunshine and fresh air." Observing a young woman who rode by on horseback with her hair flying free and several who bicycled past on their bicyles unattended, he said, "This is the age of woman. She should receive the same education as her brother and enjoy the same privilege; for all souls are equal before God.Sex, in its relation to the exigencies of the physical plane, has no connection with the Spirit. In this age of spiritual awakening, the world has entered upon the path of progress into the arena of development, where the power of the spirit surpasses that of the body. Soon the spirit will have dominion over theworld of humanity." (`Abdu'l-Baha, `Abdu'l-Bahain London, p. 81)



II.

Manand woman both should be educated equally and equally regarded. (`Abdu'l-Baha, `Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 28)



III.

Woman's Work



'Abdu'l-Bahá'sinterest in women's work and progress is well known, and among the notable leaders who came to see him, may be mentioned Mrs. Annie Besant, President of the Theosophical Society, the organizers of various suffrage bodies, civic and philanthropic workers, the principals of several woman's colleges and lady doctors.



A spirited conversation due to the visit of an ardent suffragist will be long remembered by those who had the privilege of being present. The room was full of men and women, many Persians being seated in their familiar respectful attitude on the floor.



After contrasting the general position of the Eastern and the Western women, and then describing how in many respects the Eastern woman has the advantage of her Western sister, 'Abdu'l-Bahá turned and said to the visitor: "Give me yourreasons for believing that woman today should have the vote?"



Answer:"I believe that humanity is a divine humanity and that it must rise higherand higher; but it cannot soar with only one wing." 'Abdu'l-Bahá expressed his pleasure at this answer, and smiling, replied: "But what will you do if one wing is stronger than the other?" Answer: "Then we must strengthen the weaker wing, otherwise the flight will always be hampered."



'Abdu'l-Bahásmiled and asked: "What will you say if I prove to you that the woman is the stronger wing?"



The answer came in the same bright vein: "You will earn my eternal gratitude!" at which all the company made merry.



'Abdu'l-Baháthen continued more seriously: "The woman is indeed of the greater importance to the race. She has the greater burden and the greater work. Look at the vegetable and the animal worlds. The palm which carries the fruit is the tree most prized by the date grower. The Arab knows that for along journey the mare has the longest wind. For her greater strength and fierceness, the lioness is more feared by the hunter than the lion.



"Themere size of the brain has been proved to be no measure of superiority. The woman has greater moral courage than the man; she has also special gifts which enable her to govern in moments of danger and crisis. If necessary she can become a warrior."



Zenobia



'Abdu'l-Baháasked the company if they remembered the story of Zenobia and of the fall ofPalmyra. He then continued as follows, using his hands in the grave and simplegesticulations characteristic of him:



"Therewas once a Governor in Ancient Syria, who had a beautiful and clever wife. Shewas so capable that when the Governor died, she was made ruler in his stead.The land prospered under her sway, and men acknowledged that she was a betterruler than her husband. After a time the legions of Rome invaded the country,but again and again she drove them out with great confusion. She let down herbeautiful hair, and herself rode at the head of her army, clad in a scarletcloak, wearing a crown of gold, and wielding a two-edged sword in her hand. The Roman Caesar then withdrew his strength from five otherprovinces in order to subdue her. After a long and brave fight Zenobia retiredinto the city of Palmyra, which she strengthened with wonderful fortifications,and there she endured a siege of four months, Caesar being unable to dislodgeher. The food she had stored within the walls at last was gone, and the miseryof her starving and plague-stricken people compelled her to surrender.



"Caesarwas full of admiration for this great woman, because of her courage andendurance, and he asked her to become his wife. But she refused, saying thatshe would never consent to take as her husband the enemy of her people.Thereupon, Caesar was enraged, and determined to humble her. He took her backwith him in his ships to Rome. For his triumphal entry a great procession wasprepared, and the streets were filled with people. In the procession came firstelephants, after the elephants came the camels, after the camels came thetigers and the leopards, after the leopards came the monkeys, and lastly, afterthe monkeys, walked Zenobia with a gold chain round her neck. Still she carriedher head high, and was firm in her determination. Nothing could break herspirit! She refused to become the Empress of Caesar, so she was thrown into adungeon, and eventually she died."



'Abdu'l-Baháceased. Silence fell upon the room, and it was some time before it was broken.



Uponanother occasion 'Abdu'l-Bahá said to a group of friends around him:"Taken in general, women today have a stronger sense of religion than men.The woman's intuition is more correct; she is more receptive and herintelligence is quicker. The day is coming when woman will claim her superiorityto man.



"Womanhas everywhere been commended for her faithfulness. After the Lord Christsuffered, the disciples wept, and gave way to their grief. They thought thattheir hopes were shattered, and that the Cause was utterly lost, till MaryMagdalene came to them and strengthened them saying: 'Do you mourn the body ofOur Lord or His Spirit? If you mourn His Spirit, you are mistaken, for Jesuslives! His Spirit will never leave us!' Thus through her wisdom andencouragement the Cause of Christ was upheld for all the days to come. Herintuition enabled her to grasp the spiritual fact."



'Abdu'l-Baháthen added: "But in the sight of God sex makes no difference. He or she isgreatest who is nearest to God."



Onemorning 'Abdu'l-Bahá, on entering the room looked about and said: "It isjust like a miracle, our being here together. There is no racial, political orpatriotic tie. We are drawn together by the words of Bahá'u'lláh, and in likemanner will all the races of the earth be drawn together. Of this, restassured!" (`Abdu'l-Baha, `Abdu'l-Bahain London, pp. 101-105)



IV.

"Theconfirmations of the Spirit are all those powers and gifts which some are bornwith (and which men sometimes call genius), but for which others have to strivewith infinite pains. They come to that man or woman who accepts his life withradiant acquiescence." (`Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Bahain London, p. 121)



V.

Heestablishes the equality of man and woman. This is peculiar to the teachings ofBahá'u'lláh, for all other religions have placed man above woman. (`Abdu'l-Baha,Baha'i World Faith, p. 247)



VI.

Allwere shaken but Mary Magdalen. She was a veritable lioness. She gathered theothers together and said, "Why do ye mourn? Did not the Christ foretellhis crucifixion? Arise, and be assured. They have killed but the body; thereality can never die, for it is supreme, eternal, the word of God, the son ofGod. Why, therefore, are ye agitated?" Thus this heroine became the causeof re-establishing the faith of the apostles.



Myhope is that each one of you may become as Mary Magdalen - for this woman wassuperior to all the men of her time and her reality is ever shining from thehorizon of Christ.



Bepure - to be pure is to be selfless. (`Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 50)



VII.

VerilyI read thy letter which showed that thine inner heart is attracted to theBeauty of God and that thou hast entered the Kingdom of God. I beg of God tomake thy feet firm in this right path and to protect thee from violent testsand from calumnies on the part of every woman who hath, like unto JudasIscariot, turned away from the True One and who hath withdrawn herself and isdeprived of the mercy of God. (`Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 356)



VIII.

Asto the question of women being chosen rather than men: In this cycle there weremen who arose through a divine power and who shone forth as the sun from thedawning-point of holiness; and, likewise, there appeared certain women whobecame side by side with men. The expression which you quote, "Every womanwho is directed to the guidance of God in this great age, will surpass men inevery respect," signified that, in this age, certain women will appear whowill surpass some men. It does not mean that they will surpass all the men whohave given their lives as sacrifices in this Cause; for in this wonderful cyclethere appeared such men as his holiness Khudoos, his holiness Bab-el-Bab, hisholiness the "King of Martyrs" and his holiness the "Beloved ofMartyrs," his holiness the great Vaheed, and such ones who have no equalsin the world of existence. (`Abdu'l-Baha, Tabletsof Abdu'l-Baha v2, pp. 335-336)



IX.

JC's Pics:



From Baha'u'llah:



Today the maidservants of God are accountedas men [Imruz ama'u'llah az rijal mahsub].(Payam-i Malakut, p. 231).



Verily, in the eyes of Baha women are thesame as men. All are God's creation, which He created in his image andlikeness, that is, they are manifestations of His names and attributes [Inna an-nisa'a `inda 'l-Baha'i hukmuhunnahukmu 'r-rijal. Fa 'l-kullu khalqun li'llahi, khalaqahum `ala suratihi wamithalihi ay mazahiru asma'ihi wa sifatihi]. (Yazdani, Maqam va Huquq-iZan, p. 12).



O maidservants: Rise for the Cause of theTruth in a masculine way. How many are the women who are mentioned by God inthis day as men, while some men are considered women [Ay kanizan: Mardanih bar amr-i haqq qiyam nima'id. Basi az nisa' kihal-yawm `ind Allah az rijal madhkur va ba`di-yi rijal kih az nisa' mahsub].(Payam-i Malakut,, p. 232).



From `Abdu'l-Baha:



In this most great cycle and this century ofthe preexistent King, human limitations have been lifted and the laws of theworlds of being have been abrogated and annulled. Masculinity and femininity donot depend upon beards, moustaches, athletic strength, and wielding maces.[Masculinity] depends on courage, power, knowledge, steadfastness, uprightness,passion and attraction. How many mistresses of the bridal chamber have beensent forth and how many men have been consigned to headscarves and meekness [Dar in kawr-i a`zam va qarn-i malik-iqidam, hududat-i bashar murtafa` va ahkam-i `avalim-i kawn mansukh va munfasakhast. Dhakuriyyat va anathiyyat va mardanigi va farzanigi bilihyih va sablat vayal va kupal nabudih. Bi himmat va qudrat va ma`rifat va thibat va istaqamat vaishti`al va injidhab budih. Chih bisyar-i rabbat-i hijal mab`uth shudand vabasa mardan kih dar taht-i miqna`ih va havan mahshur shudand] (Yazdani,Maqam va Huquq-i Zan, pp. 13-14).

BAHA'I UNDER THE PROVISION OF COVEVNANT (BUPC) HAS A NEW BEGINNING HERE IN INDIA.

THE FIRST PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL BAHA'I COUNCIL OF INDIA (BUPC) IS OUT IN THE OPEN WITH PREFACE BY BELOVED GUARDIAN.
WE HAVE PROVIDED PHOTOS OF THE COVER AND BACK PAGE HERE ALONG WITH PREFACE OF BELOVED GUARDIAN.
 ANY INTERESTED SOUL IS WELCOME TO WRITE TO US FOR THE BOOK AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL PROVIDE THE SAME.


SAMEER.

ADDRESS BY 'ABDU'L-BAHA
AT THE FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE
ST MARTIN'S LANE, LONDON, W.C.



                                                                     

Sunday, January 12th, 1913

        About one thousand years ago a society was formed in Persia called the Society of the Friends, who gathered together for silent communion with the Almighty.
        They divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind is that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and study in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that of the Illuminati, or followers of the Inner Light. The schools of this philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and turning their faces to the Source of Light, from that central Light the mysteries of the Kingdom were reflected in the hearts of these people. All the Divine problems were solved by this power of illumination.
        This Society of Friends increased greatly in Persia, and up to the present time their societies exist. Many books and epistles were written by their leaders. When they assemble in their meeting-house they sit silently and contemplate; their leader opens with a certain proposition, and says to the assembly `You must meditate on this problem'. Then, freeing their minds from everything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the answer is revealed to them. Many abstruse divine questions are solved by this illumination.
        Some of the great questions unfolding from the rays of the Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are: the problem of the reality of the spirit of man; of the birth of the spirit; of its birth from this world into the world of God; the question of the inner life of the spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the body.
        They also meditate upon the scientific questions of the day, and these are likewise solved.
        These people, who are called `Followers of the inner light', attain to a superlative degree of power, and are entirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men rely on the statements of these people: by themselves-- within themselves--they solve all mysteries.
        If they find a solution with the assistance of the inner light, they accept it, and afterwards they declare it: otherwise they would consider it a matter of blind imitation. They go so far as to reflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine revelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the divine and scientific questions are solved by them through the power of the spirit.
        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 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.
        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.
        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. 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. Butif the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner 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 we become so pure as to reflect the stars of heaven.