Saturday, December 21, 2013
“There was God and there was naught beside Him.”
"O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley. And shouldst thou taste of it, thou wilt shield thine eyes from all things else, and drink of the wine of contentment; and thou wilt loose thyself from all things else, and bind thyself to Him, and throw thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul away. However, there is no other in this region that thou need forget: “There was God and there was naught beside Him.”4 For on this plane the traveler witnesseth the beauty of the Friend in everything. Even in fire, he seeth the face of the Beloved. He beholdeth in illusion the secret of reality, and readeth from the attributes the riddle of the Essence. "...
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 30-31
4. Hadíth, i.e. action or utterance traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muḥammad or to one of the holy Imáms.
Friday, December 20, 2013
"Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers; No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it."
... "The pen steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth only a blot. In these planes, the nightingale of the heart hath other songs and secrets, which make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor, but this mystery of inner meaning may be whispered only from heart to heart, confided only from breast to breast.
Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers;
No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it. 2
I am silent from weakness on many a matter,
For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall short. 3
O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries, thou shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley. " ...
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 30
2. | Háfiz: Shamsu’d-Dín Muḥammad, of Shíráz, died ca. 1389 A.D. One of the greatest of Persian poets. |
3. | Arabian poem. |
Thursday, December 19, 2013
"How many a mystic tree hath this whirlwind of wonderment snatched by the roots, how many a soul hath it exhausted."
"Now is he struck dumb with the beauty of the All-Glorious; again is he wearied out with his own life. How many a mystic tree hath this whirlwind of wonderment snatched by the roots, how many a soul hath it exhausted. For in this Valley the traveler is flung into confusion, albeit, in the eye of him who hath attained, such marvels are esteemed and well beloved. At every moment he beholdeth a wondrous world, a new creation, and goeth from astonishment to astonishment, and is lost in awe at the works of the Lord of Oneness."
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 32
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
"Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms and learn a myriad new and wondrous truths."
"Indeed, O Brother, if we ponder each created thing, we shall witness a myriad perfect wisdoms and learn a myriad new and wondrous truths. One of the created phenomena is the dream. Behold how many secrets are deposited therein, how many wisdoms treasured up, how many worlds concealed. Observe, how thou art asleep in a dwelling, and its doors are barred; on a sudden thou findest thyself in a far-off city, which thou enterest without moving thy feet or wearying thy body; without using thine eyes, thou seest; without taxing thine ears, thou hearest; without a tongue, thou speakest. And perchance when ten years are gone, thou wilt witness in the outer world the very things thou hast dreamed tonight."
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, p. 32
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
“O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!”
"All these states are to be witnessed in the Valley of Wonderment, and the traveler at every moment seeketh for more, and is not wearied. Thus the Lord of the First and the Last in setting forth the grades of contemplation, and expressing wonderment hath said: “O Lord, increase my astonishment at Thee!” Likewise, reflect upon the perfection of man’s creation, and that all these planes and states are folded up and hidden away within him.
Dost thou reckon thyself only a puny form
When within thee the universe is folded? 2
Then we must labor to destroy the animal condition, till the meaning of humanity shall come to light."
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys , pp. 33-34
2. ‘Alí.
Monday, December 16, 2013
"O My friend, listen with heart and soul to the songs of the spirit, and treasure them as thine own eyes."
"O My friend, listen with heart and soul to the songs of the spirit, and treasure them as thine own eyes. For the heavenly wisdoms, like the clouds of spring, will not rain down on the earth of men’s hearts forever; and though the grace of the All-Bounteous One is never stilled and never ceasing, yet to each time and era a portion is allotted and a bounty set apart, this in a given measure. “And no one thing is there, but with Us are its storehouses; and We send it not down but in settled measure.” 5 The cloud of the Loved One’s mercy raineth only on the garden of the spirit, and bestoweth this bounty only in the season of spring. The other seasons have no share in this greatest grace, and barren lands no portion of this favor."
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys,pp. 37-38
5. Qur’án 15:21.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
"For whatever the creatures have is limited by their own limits, and whatever the True One hath is sanctified therefrom ..."
"When the qualities of the Ancient of Days stood revealed,
Then the qualities of earthly things did Moses burn away. 1
He who hath attained this station is sanctified from all that pertaineth to the world. Wherefore, if those who have come to the sea of His presence are found to possess none of the limited things of this perishable world, whether it be outer wealth or personal opinions, it mattereth not. For whatever the creatures have is limited by their own limits, and whatever the True One hath is sanctified therefrom; this utterance must be deeply pondered that its purport may be clear. “Verily the righteous shall drink of a winecup tempered at the camphor fountain.” 2 If the interpretation of “camphor” become known, the true intention will be evident. This state is that poverty of which it is said, “Poverty is My glory.” 3 And of inward and outward poverty there is many a stage and many a meaning which I have not thought pertinent to mention here; hence I have reserved these for another time, dependent on what God may desire and fate may seal."
-Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven Valleys And the Four Valleys, pp. 36-37
1. The Mathnaví.
2. Qur’án 76:5.
3. Muḥammad.
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