Reflections on Brockway Mountain: Blessed Is the Spot

Left, View from Brockway Mountain, looking over Eagle Harbor and Lake Superior,
Copper Country Cruisin'.

It has been 50 years since I have been to Upper Michigan. Ginger was there just the other day. Here are her reflections:

I went to Copper Harbor, Michigan, with my long-time friend Autumn. It's the most beautiful, pristine place I've ever been within nature. I wish I had more time on the computer, right now, so I could do it justice. I need to write about it. Copper Harbor is this small little town that only exists in the summer; there's too much snow in the winter for people to live there, year-round. Driving up there, we passed a billboard that showed how many feet of snow accumulated in the past year. (Last winter, it was 25 feet.) Apparently, they just stop plowing that road at some point in the winter, so you can't get there by car. In the town, there are a few motels, an ice cream shop, a bar and three restaurants. The ice cream shop sells flavors you've never heard of and makes wild berry sauces for your sundaes. We walked along Lake Superior and saw children feeding pretzels to wild geese. We also went to where the place where US-41 begins, and it stretches 1,990 miles to Miami. I took a picture of the plaque. But then Autumn took me to the most amazing place I've ever been in nature. It's this place on a mountain, where the roads end. You can't travel any further on the peninsula by car, only snowmobile or helicopter. The mountain overlooks Lake Superior and other mountains, covered with evergreens. We got there just as the sun was setting over the lake. The wind rushed over me, knotting my hair. I said a prayer, Blessed is the spot...where mention of God hath been made and His praise
glorified.

Where US 41 begins, in winter
I'm feeling a profound connection to God. I've been reading the Baha'i writings and praying and communing with Him. I've been praying to leave the Valley of Search, in which the seeker looks for God everywhere--in every face, in the dust. I want to enter into the Valley of Love, where the seeker's heart is set ablaze with love and sees God in all things, all faces. I'm getting closer. I'm afraid, in a way. I have to take a hard look at my life, the poor choices I've made. Drinking isn't good for me. There are some relationships, friendships, that aren't good for me. Succumbing to depression, my mind's natural bend towards sad things, isn't good for me. Being unmedicated isn't good for me, though I hate the thought of regulating my feelings with pills. In order to be aligned with God's will, I've got to humble myself and make some changes. I've got to pray for detachment from material things and "quencheth [my spirit] of the fire of self." I've known this for a long time, but actually making those changes is difficult.

Copper Harbor country

I was reading a quote from 'Abdu'l-Baha about speech. He said something about how it's important that all speech is humble and fair. It's a powerful quote that I'll have to find and put in here; I'm really not doing it justice. It made me realize how much I write about sad things and how I get more responses, in person and online, when I write about happy things. I mean, when I write sad things, people leave me beautiful, supportive comments. But when I write with hope or happiness, people tend to respond with their own joys. It made me think about the kind of writer I want to be. I do gravitate towards what's depressing and dark in this world. I'm good at writing about that, for some reason. (As a professor said, "You take nature and human consciousness and slam them together.") But most people don't crave darkness; they want humor and hope, even if it's in the midst of sadness. I remember reading Sartre's The Wall when I was in junior high; the stories gave me a sad, bleak feeling. It made me feel immoral. I don't want to be a writer who leaves a reader with just that. I want to be like Jeanette Winterson, who inspires and makes people laugh and tells great stories and shares sad things, but with a hopefulness. After reading her work or listening to her speak, I feel inspired to be a better person and to make the world a better place. How powerful is that? It makes me wonder at what point, as an artist, I began to think that writing tragic things was more "artistic" than writing with joy....

View from Brockway Mountain Drive,

looking West North West over Lake Superior,

the Musiel Home Page

There's a service that I need to do. I've been avoiding it for a long time, but I really must do it. I'm obligated; it's the right thing. I'm so conflicted about it, but I need to remember to surrender and serve. I just haven't figured out how to serve without losing myself. I've just got to remember that work done in the spirit of service is worship. I've got to remember this: Deny not what My servant asks of thee, for his face is My Face. This whole being-a-better-person thing is proving difficult, but I'm trying to do what's right. I also need to remember this quote, which I'm paraphrasing: Greatest of all virtues in Mine Eye is justice.

~

Ginger, Moments from the World's Edge," MySpace

On News from Haifa: Love from Leila

We get a lot of love from leila in our house via Leila's loving comments on Bonita's blog. Leila spreads her love broadly to our dear friends on the East Coast and the Friends everywhere. Leila serves in Haifa. That's a pic of her to the left and more pics brazonly plucked from her blog below (except the katyushas pic).

here is a list of things that i am feeling:

1. calm, exhausted, achey (but that's very, very specific, if you know what i mean)

2. good in general, even when we're in bomb shelters, but i feel more solid if i'm in the same room as sam and shaun.

3. sad about this situation of people killing other people.

4. sad (but on a completely different scale) because mazidi left israel and i don't know when i'll see her again.{in fact, this is how serious i am. i don't normally post gratuitous photos of myself here, but this one almost makes me cringe. it's got a very Dark and Possibly Dangerous vibe to it?taken on friday arvo, while al fresco dining on the streets of haifa, which means that we shouted at one another over the industrial construction work across the road, held the tables stable between our knees, and avoided being trampled first by the bus and second by its passengers when our tables turned out to be a de facto bustop.}

5. on emergency alert. like, i hear the silent streets very distinctly. i also hear sirens when there are not any. no more fireworks is also very noticable.

6. jammed out to James Brown's version of "War: What is it good for?" abso-LOOLEY-lutely jamming out.

War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War is something that I despise
For it means destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers’ eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War
It’s nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
War is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction destruction
Who wants to die
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
War has shattered many young men’s dreams
Made them disabled bitter and mean
life is too precious to be fighting wars
Each day
War can’t give life it can only take it away
War
It’s nothing but a heartbreaker
War
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must fight to keep our freedom
But lord there’s gotta be a better way
That’s better than
War
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
War
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing

7. less rat-race than usual, actually, since my informal classes are on hold.

8. excited about going to germany next week FOR MY SISTER'S WEDDING!

9. touched by expressions of sympathy or love from fellow beans.

10. embarrassed (a) that i sneezed on myself before lunch, (b) that i spent a chunk of the afternoon hiccoughing like a soap-eating cartoon, and (c) that i turned shaun's breakfast loaf into a heap of collapsing cooked raisins in a slim hoola-hoop of bread.

11. a wee bit chilly about falling asleep to the occasional BOOm. Thud.

12. full-up on shaun's delicious cooking.

13. frustrated that i'm not finding Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" utterly fascinating, like i was expecting.

14. all kinds of mixed-up about destruction in general (and by that i mean The Destructive Impulse) and the hovering sensation of doubt and will when the sirens sound.

15. i just wrote something about my flatmates, but it seems to have jumped ship. here, if i can remember it again: profoundly grateful for living with such a practical, generous and uplifting person as shaun, such a helpful, loving and calming sister as sam, and such an interesting, thoughtful and early riser as mel. and profoundly missing mazidi.

16. like i wish i had more time to write and reflect.

exploding with watermelon, love from leila

On News from Haifa: An Email from a Baha'i Pilgrim

Obelisk marking the site of the future House of Worship in Israel.
May 2006
Photographer: Nancy Wong
Haifa, IsraelThis item, an email from a Baha'i on pilgrimage to Haifa comes from our very own Cluster 19 Almost Daily News:

More from Haifa
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 03:32:52 -0400

We are waiting here at the Nof Hotel until someone from the BWC comes to tell us what do. We are here with other Bahá’ís from all over the world -- Australia, Tanzania, Italy, Canada. This morning we woke up at 6 a.m. to the sound of sirens and went into the basement for about an hour. Apparently, some rockets came in from the North and hit the water outside of Akka,. We heard there were a lot more rockets up north.

With the typical Israeli resilience, everyone has just done what they had to do and are now going about their business. It makes me smile to remember this. Amazingly, I feel right at home here.

Last night they lit up the Shrine of the Báb and we could see it from the patio. We hope that we get closer than the patio. But just seeing it there was comforting. We could also see the lights on at the top windows of the Seat where the Research Department used to be in the 1980's when we were here. It was comforting to know that the dear Friends are in there working.

Being at the top of the mountain, this is a good place to broadcast, so there are some TV crews here. No CNN or anything, but we saw people reporting in Hebrew and in Russian.

We know there are many reasons for us to be here right now -- personal and otherwise. I am hoping that one of the reasons for our visit is to bring some sort of comfort to you who, like us, would be yearning to be here.

Please be assured that when/if we get to the Shrines we will pray for each one of you. Our love and prayers go out to all of you. Renate, Scott, & Shea

On Visiting Haifa: A Baha'i Pilgrim's Notes

Baha'is everywhere are sharing news about Haifa. These "notes" were passed on to me in an email from a fellow believer here at my work. All pictures with this post from the Baha'i Media Bank.

Day 2: A pilgrim's notes

Friends, these notes are from a family, former BWC staff members, who are on pilgrimage right now. They are the last pilgrimage of the summer, a most unusual one indeed. Their purpose in sharing them is to "encourage the friends and to calm their fears." In their words, "That is the service we can provide to you here."

Beginning of Day 2: The last sirens we heard were last night when we were going to bed about 10:30 p.m. So far today, beautiful blue skies, overwhelming heat, and NO sirens!

A few notes about being here ... I get the sense that the Beloved Universal House of Justice is allowing us all here because it doesn't want to prevent us from attaining our hearts' desire when we have been waiting so long. I am filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for being here at this time. This is a historic pilgrimage for all of us.

Our instructions today are to check with the hotel desk at Noon. Then we can go to the Pilgrim Reception Center and to the Shrines until 2 p.m, after which we will go to the Seat to meet with the Beloved Universal House of Justice, the Hand of the Cause, and some Counsellor members of the ITC in the multi-purpose room.

Last night we went into the Mercaz for dinner. There was hardly any one out on the streets and very few stores were open. Interestingly enough, the Israeli's seem to respect the fact that we are here. We are feeling more of a sense of community with the Israelis than we have in the past.

It will be difficult to forget the sound of the clay tiles on the approach to the Shrines yesterday. I want to keep that in my mind forever!

End of Day 2: Only 3 sirens today. We have not been allowed to go to the Shrine of Baha'u'llah due to the danger, but we were again allowed to go to the Shrines of the Bab and of 'Abdu'l-Baha. We were circled by the Supreme Concourse close to the Bab's precious dust as we heard loud booms and then the sirens this afternoon. And we were meeting with Hand of the Cause of God Dr. Varqa as the sirens went off this evening, in the Administrative Center of our Faith.


Now for a few Pilgrim Notes about our day. We met with the Universal House of Justice this afternoon. It was amazing, so many memories walking up the driveway to the Seat -- the driveway that I used to be able to see outside the high rise. Then into the Seat...As I entered, I couldn't move for the flood of memories of that room! They all came back in a rush!

These next notes are my own personal notes from talks and are in no way official. Please read them with that in mind.

A few notes from the meeting with the Universal House of Justice. All nine members were there, Glenford Mitchell spokeperson: We pilgrims bring evidence of the life energy of the Faith, coming from 16 different countries to pay homage to Baha'u'llah during these difficult times. We have not been able to make it to Bahji, but we should not feel deprived -- the Shrine is just across the bay. How many believers in the whole world would give anything they had just to be where we are now? He asked us to remember the Iranian friends who would walk on foot for months just to glimpse Baha'u'llah's hand. (Hmm, sounds familiar.) He said we are at the very center of the administrative order. He also said the House has heard from the Lebanese friends and they are fine. Then he made remarks the Universal House of Justice asked him to make. He said our pilgrimage is taken day by day. The main thing is to meditate and draw closer to our Lord.

We will miss some things. The House is allowing us to reapply for a full pilgimage and be put on a short list if we wish. He also said that we pilgrims represent evidence of Baha'u'lah's words, "Soon will all that dwell on earth be enlisted under these banners." He asked us to return to the field of battle to fight victories untold.

Dr. Varqa spoke of the Hands of the Cause of God.

Counsellor member of the ITC Dr. Penni Walker spoke of the Universal House of Justice's messages. She reminded us of their words that sometimes God's major plan disrupts the minor plan. This is one of those times. But the House says we should not be dismayed.

We should take those anxious feelings and channel that energy into positive goals for the Cause. The Beloved Guardian says in Advent of Divine Justice that "Strife and confusion must never befog our vision."

She emphasized the messages of the Universal House of Justice and the importance of teaching and working on the core activities of the Five Year Plan. She ended with a quote from the Guardian to the effect that "The friends must realize that, having the Cause, they have everything."


These seem to be fitting words to leave you with for the end of the second day of Pilgrimage. It's now 10 p.m. here in Haifa. Will try to write more tomorrow evening.

On Baha'i Apologetics: A New Website in Persian

A Baha'i apologetics site in Persian has been launched. Here is description from its creator, Minoo Faragheh:

New Website

Dear friends and colleagues, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the launch of http://www.noghtenazar.org/ <>, a Bahá’í apologetics site in Persian dedicated to introducing the Bahá’í Faith and offering the Bahá’í perspective on a variety of issues that are important to Iranians living in and outside Iran.

Although, I have the pleasure of serving as the editor of the site, this project could not have come to fruition without the invaluable effort of many of the writers who have contributed content to the site.

Noghtenazar contains five main sections. The first section contains the daily blogs of a few bloggers. This section offers the perspective of these individuals in a less formal, journal-oriented format. I hope to increase the number of blogs and bloggers that will be hosted in this section over time.

The second section of the site contains a range of articles that offer the Bahá’í perspective on various social and moral issues and address biased accusations and allegations that are occasionally leveled against the Bahá'í Faith.

The third section of the site is intended to familiarize those who have a genuine interest in the Bahá’í Faith with basic Bahá’í concepts and principles.

The fourth section of the site is dedicated to answering common questions on the Bahá’í Faith. I hope that as the readership of the site goes up, I could greatly expand this section and make the answers increasingly relevant to the readership.

The last section of the site contains many of the Holy Writings of the Bahá’í Faith. Each of the Writings in this section is preceded with a brief introduction written by one of our writers in order to offer a context for those who may not have much familiarity with the Bahá'í Writings. We are in the process of adding many more of the authorized Bahá'í Writings in Persian and Arabic to this section. All of the works are fully searchable and can be downloaded or printed in part or in whole.

Registration on the site is free. Registered users can post their comments, feedback and questions throughout the site. They can also choose to receive the latest published material in the form of an email newsletter.

I encourage you to refer this site to your Iranian friends and contacts in and outside Iran and encourage them to visit the site.

Minoo Faragheh

On Khalil Greene: Not Jewish, but Baha'i

When I first heard the name "Baha'i," I thought it had something to do with Judaism. I soon learned otherwise.

Was at a Nationals/Padres game this week, and thought for a moment that I found a shortstop for my all-Jewish squad. There was some excited speculation that the Padres' Khalil Greene, who launched a 9th-inning two-run home run to tie the game, is Jewish. After a little googling, I learned that Greene is not Jewish, but is Baha'i.

Ralph Posner, "T.W.I.J.B. (This Week In Jewish Baseball)", Over The Line

On Baha'i Theology: Jack McLean's Contribution

Jack McLean's article in the Journal of Baha'i Studies some years ago, "Prolegomena to a Baha'i Theology," was a great read for me. A recent exchange on another blog brought it to mind. Here is an abstract.

No apologies for the big words. There is a place for them. And they are nothing that a Baha'i should be afraid of, because we are teaching these concepts all the time.

Jack McLean and local Baha'i during visit to Sheffield, England

Theology is intrinsic to the Bahá'í revelation. While community attitudes have tended to view the discipline of theology somewhat suspiciously, the term and field of "Bahá'í theology" remain valid and are indispensable. One can distinguish source theology or revelation theology, contained in holy writ, from derivative theology (commentary), which is more relative and subjective. The relativity of religious truth, while it plays a useful role in deabsolutizing dogmatism and in promoting interreligious dialogue, is itself relative and currently runs the risk of becoming another absolute. Bahá'í theology is both apophatic (negative) and cataphatic (affirmative). An abstruse, apophatic negative theology of a hidden God is explicit as background to Bahá'í theology. Apophasis rejects defining God and honors God by remaining silent about the divine essence. If apophasis does speak of God, it does so by via negativa, by describing God through a process of elimination of what God is not, rather than making affirmations about what God is. The main substance of Bahá'í theology, however, is manifestation theology or theophanology, that is, a theology calculated upon an understanding of the metaphysical reality and teachings of the divine Manifestation. This manifestation theology is cataphatic. Cataphasis dares to speak about God but recognizes that God transcends the human analogies used to describe divinity. Bahá'í theology is, moreover, based in faith rooted in the person of Bahá'u'lláh and his divine revelation, has a strong metaphysical bias, eschews dogmatism, and welcomes diversity.

Jack McLean, Abstract to "Prolegomena to a Baha'i Theology"

On Serving Junior Baha'i Youth: Different Backgrounds, Inexplicably Close

Dan wrasslin' with the much younger generation

Dan is the man in his service to junior youth.

I've not really been doing much traveling, which is a first for me. A week-long trip to Ft. Wayne, Indiana (or as I prefer, NativeAmerican-ana) has thus far served as my only travel experience since work started. Whilst in NativeAmerican-ana, I served at/attended a Baha'i Institute and learned about the moral, scholastic and spiritual education of jr. youth (ages 12-15ish). I also dug a firepit, laughed as hard as I ever had, drove a Denali, chilled with some kids, met an astounding group of youth, broke my foot, played laser tag (on the broken foot), got way too little sleep, and rode the Greyhound back and forth to it all. I was also immensely blessed spend time with and be the guests of the Smits family. Entire blogs could extol the virtue of this family until the internet ran dry, and I'd still have something good to say. Sufficeth to say that they've adopted me, a fact which, I think, brings me up to one blood family, one ceremonially-tied spiritual family, and three or four adopted families.

Either way, I maxxed big time with my kola Bran Smits. He and I might be from as different of backgrounds as two people can have (with the obvious exception of religion) within the US, but we're inexplicably close. Close enough to ride for. Close enough to be my kola.

danpayne, "been a minute," blogdrive

On Becoming a Baha'i: Seung-woo Teaches His Sister

바하이들의 적극적인 행정 참여를 위하여 마련된 곳입니다. 본부회관 신축공사 진척상황을 열람하실 수 있습니다. 바하이 회원은 아래 링크로 로긴하여 주시기 바랍니다. 문의점이 있으시면 바하이 센터로 연락 주시기 바랍니다
Thy Paradise is My love; thy heavenly home, reunion with Me. Enter therein and tarry not. This is that which hath been destined for thee in Our kingdom above and Our exalted dominion. (Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)
~~~~~~~~~
Adalia's posts from South Korea are such an inspiration.

It seems that now is the time for things to come together. My friend Hyun-joo, Seung-woo's sister, became a Baha'i two days ago. The ball is really moving. I always had a feeling that if one of my friends became a Baha'i, they would be able to teach the Faith far better than I ever could. After Seung-woo became a Baha'i I was amazed by his fearlessness and how easily he told others about the Faith. He started telling his family right away and now his sister has become a Baha'i. Both of them immediately got involved in the study circles and devotional gatherings. It has been a beautiful thing to watch the two of them embrace the Faith. Truly a blessing for me.

Adalia Ellis, "The Convergence of Fates," Be Brave and of Good Courage
~~~~~~~~~
Adalia describes her childhood growing up as a Baha'i on another blog:

Baha'i Unit Convention, Conway, SC Baha'i Center, 10/05/2003
For my entire 10 year old life I was surrounded by the most beautiful religious community, the Baha'i community. Growing up in South Carolina could have been potentially difficult for a mixed race child of a wierd named religion yet these years hold a sweetness in my memory. My parents would host bonfires in the backyard of our country home for people living in the Florence-Darlington areas. I think people came up once from as far away as Frogmore, which is about a three hour drive from my parents home. Ahhh, the singing and talking and laughter that filled my house and yard. I would fall asleep cradled by these sounds. I would visit Baha'is with my dad and attend gatherings at the Louis Gregory Baha'i Insitute, which would be a pivotal place in my life as a youth. My identity as a Baha'i was all I knew and all I knew was acceptance and love.

Adalia Ellis, "The Beginning," Memoirs of a Traveled Heart

On Becoming a Baha'i: "And Loie gave me a declaration card, and I signed it."

Kelsey's day was "ever so eventful."

This was the busiest day I've had since school let out. I went to meet up with Loie at WEM. At the bus stop I ran into Heather... I missed my spare buddy. And evidently, she missed me as well. She kept saying as much, in between catching me up on all the stories I've missed.

Then I met Loie to go see a movie.The Devel Wears Prada. It was pretty good. My only flaw with it was that the guy who was supposed to be super-sexy had the world's most disgusting scary eyebrows. Other than that, it was a darn funny movie. And Loie gave me a declaration card, and I signed it. As of this afternoon, I am officially a Baha'i. Heeheehee. I'm a Baha'i, I'm a Baha'i! Now I just have to figure out how to tell my mother that I've converted. Yeehaw.

Kelsey, "Ever So Eventful," LiveJournal

On Beloved Scriptural Passages: Jess' S'Mores for the Soul

Last week Jess of Rambles, Reviews and Rants blogged on some of her favorite scriptural verses:

Yes, when you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot. Jeremiah 29:13-14

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior. Psalms 25:5

I have loved you with and everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save it. John 12:47

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

He that says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness still. 1 John 2:9

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

All who love me, I also love. And those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:17

Jess emailed the other day that she has requested to participate in one of the Ruhi Study Circles offered by the Baha'is in her area. What great news! She believes in feeding her soul, as one of her recent posts is a clear indication. Here is an excerpt from "S'Mores for the Soul."

Imagine that you have three things: Graham Cracker, chocolate (Hershey's for me please!) and marshmallow. All three are very different. Graham crackers are crunchy and crumbly, chocolate is smooth, rich and creamy, and marshmallows are sticky and gooey. But, they are all basically the same thing when broken down- simple carbohydrates. Their ingredients and their characteristics are all different but they are ultimately the same.
Now, compare the three to religions:

Graham Cracker = Judaism (birth of monotheism)

Chocolate = Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc.

Marshmallow = Baha'i

...

So, it is my opinion that God wants to be in harmony and have a relationship with His greatest creation- humans. We have many opportunities and paths that will lead to Him to choose from but ultimately, like the graham cracker, the chocolate and the marshamallow, all the components can be broken down into the same base form. While they appear quite different on the surface and have different properties, colors and flavors, ultimately God lies at the heart of each. It is up to each truth seeker to find their path and to grow their relationship with God however they can.

Jess, "A Message For My Friend Michelle " and "S'mores For Your Soul," Rambles, Reviews and Rants

On Buddhism and the Baha'i Faith: The God of Buddha and Baha'u'llah

All religions look to the same God, Baha'is believe. "Well, how about Buddhism?" some may ask. "Buddhists don't believe in God, do they?" Moojan Moman writes about the relationship betweem Buddhism and the Baha'i Faith.

Although Baha'u'llah uses terms--such as "God"--derived from Judaeo-Christian-Islamic theology, in fact, Baha'u'llah, like the Buddha, discourages his followers from spending too much time trying to understand these matters for, he states, they will never be understood in any absolute sense. Both the Buddha and Baha'u'llah are agreed that all descriptions and attempts to explain this reality are true only in a relative sense and it is possible even for contradictory statements to be true (see, for example, the famous story told by the Buddha of the blind men touching an elephant and their different and contradictory descriptions of it, Udana 6:62ff).

Having established that absolute knowledge of such matters is impossible to attain, the Baha'i position is that the various understandings of these matters in the different religious systems of the world are all aspects of the truth. Each religious system provides an understanding from its own viewpoint and each understanding is correct from its own perspective, even though it may appear to be radically different from others. It is therefore not surprising to find in the Baha'i scriptures passages that are parallel to Buddhist metaphysical conceptions. These Baha'i concepts are often couched in terms that are alien to Buddhism--the terms of Judaeo-Christian-Muslim theology, which was, after all, the only language available to Baha'u'llah with which to communicate with those around him. These terms are only the result of the limitations of the contingent world (samsra) in trying to describe the Absolute. If one looks beyond the terms themselves to the concepts that they are conveying, one can find strong correspondences between many central Buddhist ideas and concepts in the Baha'i scriptures:
...
c. The Absolute. The Buddhas have assured us that behind this impermanent world and its illusion, there is a reality, the Absolute Reality. Because of this, it is possible for us to escape from the sorrow caused by the chances and changes of this world. Gautama Buddha speaks of the Supramundane (lokuttara, lokottara) or Unconditioned (asankhata, asamskrita). Being beyond this world, we have no adequate words to speak of the Absolute. The following is the Buddha's description of it in the famous Udana passage in the Khuddaka Nikaya: "There is, O monks, an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed. Were there not, O monks, this Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, there would be no escape from the world of the born, originated, created, formed. Since, O monks, there is an Unborn, Unoriginated, Uncreated, Unformed, therefore is there an escape from the born, originated, created, formed. What is dependant, that also moves; what is independent does not move" (Udana 8:3). Nagarjuna, the founder of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism, argues from this passage that without the acceptance of an Ultimate Reality (Paramartha) there can be no deliverance (nirvana) (Madhyamika Karikas, cited in Murti 235).

Baha'u'llah similarly speaks of an entity, an Unknowable Essence, of which nothing can be predicated: "To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress . . . He standeth exalted beyond and above all separation and union, all proximity and remoteness. No sign can indicate His presence or His absence" (KI 98). Such passages in the writings of Baha'u'llah correlate strongly with the writings of Nagarjuna where he argues for the emptiness of all dogmatic positions (shunyata of drishti, see Murti 140-142).

Moojan Moomen, "Buddhism and the Baha'i Faith"

On Religion as the Motivational Force in History: The Baha'i Perspective

Is it really the end of faith, as some believe is the case? FromTo the World's Religious Leaders, a message from the world governing body of the Baha Faith, the Universal House of Justice, to the world's religious leaders, comes the following cogent observation:

Religion, as we are all aware, reaches to the roots of motivation. When it has been faithful to the spirit and example of the transcendent Figures who gave the world its great belief systems, it has awakened in whole populations capacities to love, to forgive, to create, to dare greatly, to overcome prejudice, to sacrifice for the common good and to discipline the impulses of animal instinct. Unquestionably, the seminal force in the civilizing of human nature has been the influence of the succession of these Manifestations of the Divine that extends back to the dawn of recorded history.

The Baha'i gardens at Bahjí at night

This same force, that operated with such effect in ages past, remains an inextinguishable feature of human consciousness. Against all odds, and with little in the way of meaningful encouragement, it continues to sustain the struggle for survival of uncounted millions, and to raise up in all lands heroes and saints whose lives are the most persuasive vindication of the principles contained in the scriptures of their respective faiths. As the course of civilization demonstrates, religion is also capable of profoundly influencing the structure of social relationships. Indeed, it would be difficult to think of any fundamental advance in civilization that did not derive its moral thrust from this perennial source. Is it conceivable, then, that passage to the culminating stage in the millennia-long process of the organization of the planet can be accomplished in a spiritual vacuum? If the perverse ideologies let loose on our world during the century just past contributed nothing else, they demonstrated conclusively that the need cannot be met by alternatives that lie within the power of human invention.The implications for today are summed up by Bahá'u'lláh in words written over a century ago and widely disseminated in the intervening decades:

There can be no doubt whatever that the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God. The difference between the ordinances under which they abide should be attributed to the varying requirements and exigencies of the age in which they were revealed. All of them, except a few which are the outcome of human perversity, were ordained of God, and are a reflection of His Will and Purpose. Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you.

Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh at night, May 2004, Nelson Ashberger, Baha'i Media Bank

Baha'i Beliefs
Do the Bahá’ís have a holy book?
What do Bahá'ís believe about God?
What is the purpose of religion?
Is there just one true religion?
How does God reveal Himself to humanity?
What is the relationship of the Bahá’í Faith to Islam?
Do we have souls?
How do Bahá'ís pray?
What is the purpose of life?
Do Bahá’ís believe in Heaven and Hell?
What happens when I die?

On the Religious Boom: Kicking the Secularist Habit

Thanks to Victor of Anxiously Concerned for calling my attention to the article from The Atlantic that appeared a few years ago, the opening paragraphs of which are below. (Photo by Victor as well. See his Beauty in Nature for more amazing shots)

Like a lot of people these days, I'm a recovering secularist. Until September 11 I accepted the notion that as the world becomes richer and better educated, it becomes less religious. Extrapolating from a tiny and unrepresentative sample of humanity (in Western Europe and parts of North America), this theory holds that as history moves forward, science displaces dogma and reason replaces unthinking obedience. A region that has not yet had a reformation and an enlightenment, such as the Arab world, sooner or later will.

It's now clear that the secularization theory is untrue. The human race does not necessarily get less religious as it grows richer and better educated. We are living through one of the great periods of scientific progress and the creation of wealth. At the same time, we are in the midst of a religious boom.

David Brooks, "Kicking the Secularist Habit; A six-step program," The Atlantic Monthly, March 2003

On the Desecularization of the West: Doctoral Research about the Baha'i Faith

The Baha'i Faith provides a fascinating subject for academic study. From the Curriculum Vita of Hutan Hejazi, blogger of th3 4n4lytic nom4d,
is this description:

Doctoral dissertation in progress

My research focuses on the processes through which secular actors become religious adherents in the context of contemporary Spain. This research attempts to shed light on the understudied but increasingly familiar phenomenon of what may be called "desecularization." It focuses in particular on converts to the Bahá'í Faith, a world religion originating in Iran in the mid-nineteenth century promulgating, among other things, spiritual solutions to present social challenges and hence, transforming the meaning and scope of modernity.

What a great term, "desecularization"! The West in general, Europe in particular, has been in the throes of secularism, for centuries actually. Yet the pendulum is now swinging the other way, it can be argued, as secular Westerners "find religion" in the Baha'i Faith.

On the Intersection of Spirituality and Social Identity: A Study of the Lived Experience of 10 Baha'i Women

Here is an abstract of an article that studies the lives of 10 Baha'i women from the following scholarly journal:

Journal of Transformative Education, Vol. 4, No. 1, 27-42 (2006)DOI: 10.1177/1541344605283090© 2006 SAGE Publications

I Am a Human Being, and I Belong to the World:
Narrating the Intersection of Spirituality and Social Identity


Siew Sim Chin
Northern Illinois University

This article explores the relationship between spirituality and learning to cultivate a social identity that is global in its outlook. It considers the lived experiences of 10 women from the Baha'i Faith talking about their search for an inclusive worldview and about how they (re)constructed a broader identity through the teachings of their religion and developed the capacity to be border crossers across cultures and places. Although issues and concerns of identity constitute a major area of deliberation in the field of adult education for social change, less discernible in the discourse is the link between spirituality and the (re)construction of social identity. The narratives of these Baha'i women offer some grounded approaches to address the topic of spirituality that is framed not in the language of religious epiphanies or practices but as social transformative learning.

Key Words: spirituality • transformative learning • imagination • citizenship

Siew-Sim Chin is currently a doctoral student in the Northern Illinois University Department of Adult and Continuing Education. Her interests are in the areas of feminist pedagogy, learning in social context, the global civil society and spirituality in adult education.

On Memories and Dreams: Hearing from Mr Furutan and Abdu'l-Baha

I have this student that has been a pain all year. You know, a disrespectful, talking-back, tough little pre-teen girl. And she asked me if I was going to stay next year, and I said that I was. And she clapped her hands and said, "Yay, we love you." Ginger is visiting her family this summer but has decided to return to teaching in the fall.

Mr. Furutan with children and at the 1992 Baha'i World Congress

I had an important conversations with someone. It helped me realize some things. It helped me remember the many times people have told me about visions, dreams, they've had about me helping children. And the time Mr. Furutan, a spiritual leader in the Baha'i Faith, halted a conversation that he was having with about ten adults to reach his hands out to me, a child standing back, watching. "You are a special girl, a special special girl," he said. "God has given you a special work to do in this world." He embraced me and told me how I had something very important to do, though he didn't explain what I was meant for.

http://www.geocities.com/~quddus/Art/hidwrd/abx007.html

Around the same time, I had a dream about Abdu'l-Baha in which he told me to water this dead rose bush. (He wasn't in the dream, just his voice.) Though I was thirsty, I took my water and poured it on the plant. Then this circle of people, all different ages and races, started following my example, pouring their water on this bush, though we were all thirsty and in the desert. I woke up, knowing that it would blossom, that the rose was alive...I'd forgotten these things until my conversation. I need to remember these things.

Ginger, "Moments," MySpace

Abdu'l-Baha with children

On the 4th of July: Enjoying Fireworks with the Baha'is

It's the 4th of July and I hear the fireworks down on the waterfront and firecrackers going off all over the neighborhood. Of course, in the Eastern time zone the fireworks took place three hours earlier. Here is a post-fireworks 4th of July blog entry from Zephan on MySpace from back East somewhere.

One of Zephan's MySpace pics

Anyway, I went to a 4th of July party in Hillard with a long time friend of mine. It was at a Baha'i woman's house. I haven't seen her in about 10-12 years, so that was nice. Her husband isn't a Baha'i, but her step daughter has been to a few holy day observances. The fireworks were practically right in the backyard, so we got a great view. I haven't seen fireworks in about 4 years, and this was the first year I felt I could watch them in a long time. When we got to the basic area, and because of construction, we ended up parking in the housing division next to theirs and walking. We got kinda lost however, and it was pouring down rain. We found our way there, and thankfully the rain cleared up in time for fireworks. There was a couple from Venezuela, so I got to use a little bit of Spanish. There were also quite a few Persian Bahai's there too. The party wasn't a Baha'i party, but there were quite a few there. One of the people at that party turned out to be a Baha'i from of all places, Baghdad, Iraq. He was married to the sister of the hostess's husband. An interesting situation. I got to practice some Arabic, and we actually got to sit down and discuss places in Baghdad that I've visited, and he grew up in. It was a pretty nice evening.

Zephan, "4th of July," MySpace

On Blog Catch-up: An Evening's Read

Coming back to blogging after a few days away camping, I found these items of interest for my evening's reading.

"Alexandria Baha'is circa 1940," photo from Baha'i Faith in Egypt

Every single post by Bilo on his blog Baha'i Faith in Egypt is absolutely compelling, each contributing to an accurate understanding of the history and present circumstances of the Baha'i community there, circumstances which can change with each passing week. The situation of the Baha'is there deserves the attention of every person who values religious freedom. Bilo's blog deserves the highest readership.

i am mia's "Jump!" default userpic

By the way, don't you just love when Baha'u'llah drops a big fat clue on your lap? Mia writes in a LiveJournal entry that can best be appreciated by reading the drama of previous entries. Last night at dinner...I was kinda feeling useless and wondering what to do with myself since I feel disconnected from the Faith and have no job etc etc. I get a call from LouHelen Baha'i School saying they don't have enough counselors for next week's Youth Eagle session (it's a week long) and they want me to come. I don't even have to fill out the application!! I haven't been to LouHelen in about two years I think. I used to go as a participant all the time and now I get to give back as a counselor!!

~~~~~~~~~

Glad to read jay_s_b and learn that he is devoting more... professional time and energy toward being a graphic designer/ artist and is studying up on economics. Jay writes that with alot of help from the Teachings of the Baha'i Faith he's come to see that As in all areas of human endeavor, we have the potential to improve... limitlessly, so the 'best' form of economics is determined only by the effort we put forth to create better systems, and our place in history.

worldcup.2006.rnd1 Originally uploaded by Jay -B-

Hey, Jay, and thanks for the map of the World Cup 2006 - Round 1. Of course, the World Cup is almost down to the final round, but here were the original nations represented, just in case we've forgotten: 32 Nations/ 8 Groups in Round 1: Costa Rica, Germany, Ecuador, Poland; England, Paraguay, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago; Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Serbia-Montenegro; Angola, Iran, Mexico, Portugal; Czech Republic, Italy, Ghana, United States; Australia, Brazil, Croatia, Japan; France, South Korea, Switzerland, Togo; Saudi Arabia, Spain, Tunisia, Ukraine. Note that every continent was represented. I guess it really was a world cup.

~~~~~~~~~

An article for a Durham NC newspaper provides a glimpse of the diversity of the Baha'i community there. The Baha'is are offering themed devotionals this summer. Because they are about justice and understanding, their summer devotional gatherings are a series aimed at the public to provide an avenue for exploration on the theme "Our Journey Toward Oneness: Exploring Race, Class and Gender." Attending was Bahiyyah Abdul-Wakil. The Durham resident was raised Sunni Muslim. She read a few Baha'i books and made a declaration of faith four years ago. She saw a lot of similarities with Islam, so that helped her believe that Baha'i was essentially the same, she said.

On the LAWH-I-AQDAS (The Most Holy Tablet): Baha'u'llah's Tablet to the Christians

The entire tablet by Baha'u'llah which he directed to Christians, entitled LAWH-I-AQDAS (The Most Holy Tablet), is exceedingly beautiful and a favorite for many Baha'is. This text is available online via the Baha'i Reference Library. It is also available through the Prophecy Fulfilled website. Here is how the tablet concludes:

Give My remembrance to the one named Murád and say: `Blessed art thou, O Murád, inasmuch as thou didst cast away the promptings of thine own desire and hast followed Him Who is the Desire of all mankind.'

Say: Blessed the slumberer who is awakened by My Breeze.

Blessed the lifeless one who is quickened through My reviving breaths.

Blessed the eye that is solaced by gazing at My beauty.

Blessed the wayfarer who directeth his steps towards the Tabernacle of My glory and majesty.

Blessed the distressed one who seeketh refuge beneath the shadow of My canopy.

Blessed the sore athirst who hasteneth to the soft-flowing waters of My loving-kindness.

Blessed the insatiate soul who casteth away his selfish desires for love of Me and taketh his place at the banquet table which I have sent down from the heaven of divine bounty for My chosen ones.

Blessed the abased one who layeth fast hold on the cord of My glory; and the needy one who entereth beneath the shadow of the Tabernacle of My wealth.

Blessed the ignorant one who seeketh the fountain of My knowledge; and the heedless one who cleaveth to the cord of My remembrance.

Blessed the soul that hath been raised to life through My quickening breath and hath gained admittance into My heavenly Kingdom.

Blessed the man whom the sweet savours of reunion with Me have stirred and caused to draw nigh unto the Dayspring of My Revelation.

Blessed the ear that hath heard and the tongue that hath borne witness and the eye that hath seen and recognized the Lord Himself, in His great glory and majesty, invested with grandeur and dominion.

Blessed are they that have attained His presence.

Blessed the man who hath sought enlightenment from the Day-Star of My Word.

Blessed he who hath attired his head with the diadem of My love.

Blessed is he who hath heard of My grief and hath arisen to aid Me among My people.

Blessed is he who hath laid down his life in My path and hath borne manifold hardships for the sake of My Name.

Blessed the man who, assured of My Word, hath arisen from among the dead to celebrate My praise.

Blessed is he that hath been enraptured by My wondrous melodies and hath rent the veils asunder through the potency of My might.

Blessed is he who hath remained faithful to My Covenant, and whom the things of the world have not kept back from attaining My Court of holiness.

Blessed is the man who hath detached himself from all else but Me, hath soared in the atmosphere of My love, hath gained admittance into My Kingdom, gazed upon My realms of glory, quaffed the living waters of My bounty, hath drunk his fill from the heavenly river of My loving providence, acquainted himself with My Cause, apprehended that which I concealed within the treasury of My Words, and hath shone forth from the horizon of divine knowledge engaged in My praise and glorification. Verily, he is of Me. Upon him rest My mercy, My loving-kindness, My bounty and My glory.

Baha'u'llah, "Tablet to the Christians"
~~~~~~~~~
The Prophecy Fulfilled website carries "Apocalypse: An Exegesis of the Book of Revelation" by Robert Riggs" that includes discussion of the final chapters of the Biblical text, inluding Revelation 17:12-14, Revelation 19:11-16, and Revelation 19:19-21. Here is the discussion associated with Revelation 19:13.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God.

His 'vesture dipped in blood' alludes to the cloak of Joseph. In the Genesis story, the brothers of Joseph become jealous over a beautiful multicolored cloak given to him by their father Jacob. They hatch a plot to get rid of Joseph and throw him into a pit in the wilderness. In order to explain the disappearance of Joseph to their father, they soak the cloak in blood as evidence that he had been devoured by a wild beast. The Genesis story goes on to recount the eventual triumph of Joseph over his family in Egypt through the power bestowed upon him by pharaoh.

The story of Joseph is a prophecy of the sufferings of Baha'u'llah and his eventual triumph. As a result of the confiscation of his property, Baha'u'llah was left without even a cloak to wear. His loved ones pieced together a multicolored cloak made of remnants of other garments. The resulting garment was then, literally, dyed red.

Indeed, the sufferings sustained by Baha'u'llah are historic. Though born into a wealthy and powerful family (as was Lord Buddha), his property was confiscated, he was imprisoned in dungeons and jails, bound by massive chains, banished from place to place over a period of 40 years, was the target of numerous conspiracies and attempts on his life, was poisoned twice, and underwent the torture of the bastinado. "By the righteousness of God! The tribulations we have sustained are such that any pen that recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed with anguish. No one of them that truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their recital. So great have been our sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person."

Robert Riggs, "Apocalypse: An Exegesis of the Book of Revelation," Prophecy Fulfilled