ATTENTIVENESS, SENSITIVITY, QUESTIONS - value of the artist's expression

An intriguing perspective on the artist's role and some important questions in this regard by this talented artist.
http://www.nikkinne.com/links.php?17235
View her beautiful artwork here.

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ARTIST QUESTIONS:

What makes someone an artist? Ingredients of talent, knowledge, skill and creativity usually are part whether expressed in dance, theater, writing, visual arts, etc. Why then isn't an accomplished program assistant, bus driver, childcare provider or teacher celebrated with the same intensity as an artist? The question regarding what makes an artist stems from my discomfort in promoting the artist so as to promote the art. My understanding of an artist's function moves me one step closer to a definition.

Artists put into expression current collective existence. In many ways art is a more accurate measure of a society than written history, journals, or even raw video footage.

What is art? I don't know! But, thanks to my mentor, Helen Klebesadel, I've found the purpose for me making art. It is the place I explore questions and find answers. I even create questions to match answers I already have. My approach to art is that of a student of both historical and contemporary masters. Also, I practice extreme artistic discipline. Sometimes days are spent doing tasks that have no marketable value - no measurable progress. Other days a good rendering happens. And, sometimes magic takes place. During those times the only part I play is that of a hollow reed. The art moves through me with a life of its own. It's easy to promote that art because I see it as a gift to us all, and I get as excited as others because of its creation. Humility is the feeling I have when putting my mark on the painting - as if it came from me. On the other hand, I have no problem pricing magical paintings accordingly, nor accepting money for them. Gee, manna came from Heaven for 40 years, and how many magical paintings will I be a conduit for? I don't know, but I'm thankful for being part of "Attention," the painting that is. As I told the owners, "I can die satisfied now!"

JOY - Study: Strangers May Cheer You Up

An interesting study on how happiness transmits!

"Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded."
-'Abdu'l-Baha  http://is.gd/mjnA

Exerpts:

A next-door neighbor's joy increased one's chance of being happy by 34 percent, but a neighbor down the block had no effect.
"You have to see them and be in physical and temporal proximity," Dr. Christakis said.

...when people changed from unhappy to happy in self-reported responses on a widely used measure of well-being, other people in their social network became happy too.

Another surprising finding was that a joyful coworker did not lift the spirits of colleagues, unless they were friends.     (MORAL: We've got befriend the people around us! - A.B.)

Strangers May Cheer You Up, Study Says

By PAM BELLUCK

How happy you are may depend on how happy your friends' friends' friends are, even if you don't know them at all.

And a cheery next-door neighbor has more effect on your happiness than your spouse's mood.

So says a new study that followed a large group of people for 20 years — happiness is more contagious than previously thought.

"Your happiness depends not just on your choices and actions, but also on the choices and actions of people you don't even know who are one, two and three degrees removed from you," said Dr. Nicholas A. Christakis, a physician and social scientist at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study, to be published Friday in BMJ, a British journal. "There's kind of an emotional quiet riot that occurs and takes on a life of its own, that people themselves may be unaware of. Emotions have a collective existence — they are not just an individual phenomenon."

In fact, said his co-author, James H. Fowler, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego, their research found that "if your friend's friend's friend becomes happy, that has a bigger impact on you being happy than putting an extra $5,000 in your pocket."

The researchers analyzed information on the happiness of 4,739 people and their connections with several thousand others — spouses, relatives, close friends, neighbors and co-workers — from 1983 to 2003.

"It's extremely important and interesting work," said Daniel Kahneman, an emeritus psychologist and Nobel laureate at Princeton, who was not involved in the study. Several social scientists and economists praised the data and analysis, but raised possible limitations.

Steven Durlauf, an economist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, questioned whether the study proved that people became happy because of their social contacts or some unrelated reason.

Dr. Kahneman said unless the findings were replicated, he could not accept that a spouse's happiness had less impact than a next-door neighbor. Dr. Christakis believes that indicates that people take emotional cues from their own gender.

A study also to be published Friday in BMJ, by Ethan Cohen-Cole, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and Jason M. Fletcher, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health, criticizes the methodology of the Christakis-Fowler team, saying that it is possible to find what look like social contagion effects with conditions like acne, headaches and height, but that contagion effects go away when researchers factor in environmental factors that friends or neighbors have in common.

"Researchers should be cautious in attributing correlations in health outcomes of close friends to social network effects," the authors say.

An accompanying BMJ editorial about the two studies called the Christakis-Fowler study "groundbreaking," but said "future work is needed to verify the presence and strength of these associations."

The team previously published studies concluding that obesity and quitting smoking are socially contagious.

But the happiness study, financed by the National Institute on Aging, is unusual in several ways. Happiness would seem to be "the epitome of an individualistic state," said John T. Cacioppo, director of the University of Chicago's Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, who was not involved in the study.

And what about schadenfreude - pleasure in someone's misery - or good old-fashioned envy when a friend lands a promotion or wins the marathon? "There may be some people who become unhappy when their friends become happy, but we found that more people become happy over all," Dr. Christakis said.

Professor Cacioppo said that suggested that unconscious signals of well-being packed more zing than conscious feelings of resentment. "I might be jealous of the fact that they won the lottery, but they're in such a good mood that I walk away feeling happier without even being aware that they were the site for my happiness," he said.

The subtle transmission of emotion may explain other findings, too. In the obesity and smoking cessation studies, friends were influential even if they lived far away. But the effect on happiness was much greater from friends, siblings or neighbors who lived nearby.

A next-door neighbor's joy increased one's chance of being happy by 34 percent, but a neighbor down the block had no effect. A friend living half a mile away was good for a 42 percent bounce, but the effect was almost half that for a friend two miles away. A friend in a different community altogether can win an Oscar without making you feel better.

"You have to see them and be in physical and temporal proximity," Dr. Christakis said.

Body language and emotional signals must matter, said Professor Fowler, adding, "Everybody thought when they came out with videoconferencing that people would stop flying across the country to have meetings, but that didn't happen. Part of developing trust with another person is being able to take their hand in yours."

Still, they said, it is not clear if increased communication via e-mail messages and Webcams may eventually lessen the distance effect. In a separate study of 1,700 Facebook profiles, they found that people smiling in their photographs had more Facebook friends and that more of those friends were smiling. "That shows that some of our findings are generalizable to the online world," Dr. Christakis said.

The BMJ study used data from the federal Framingham Heart Study, which began following people in Framingham, Mass., after World War II and ultimately followed their children and grandchildren. Beginning in 1983, participants periodically completed questionnaires on their emotional well-being.

They also listed family members, close friends and workplaces, so researchers could track them over time. Many of those associates were Framingham participants who also completed questionnaires, giving Dr. Christakis and Professor Fowler about 50,000 social ties to analyze. They found that when people changed from unhappy to happy in self-reported responses on a widely used measure of well-being, other people in their social network became happy too.

Sadness was transmitted the same way, but not as reliably as happiness. Professor Cacioppo believes that reflects an evolutionary tendency to "select into circumstances that allow us to stay in a good mood."

Still, happiness has a shelf life, the researchers found.

"Your happiness affects my happiness only if you've become happy in the last year — it's almost like what have you done for me lately," Dr. Christakis said. Plus, the bounce you get lasts a year tops. Better if your friends can spread out their happy news, and not, say, all get married the same year.

Another surprising finding was that a joyful coworker did not lift the spirits of colleagues, unless they were friends. Professor Fowler believes inherent competition at work might cancel out a happy colleague's positive vibes.

The researchers cautioned that social contacts were less important to happiness than someone's personal circumstances. But the effect of social contacts even three degrees removed — friends of friends of friends — was clear, and also occurred with obesity and quitting smoking. More distant contacts exerted no influence.

And people in the center of social networks were happier than those on the fringes. Being popular was good, especially if friends were popular too.

So should you dump melancholy friends? The authors say no. Better to spread happiness by improving life for people you know.

"This now makes me feel so much more responsible that I know that if I come home in a bad mood I'm not only affecting my wife and son but my son's best friend or my wife's mother," Professor Fowler said. When heading home, "I now intentionally put on my favorite song."

Still, he said, "We are not giving you the advice to start smiling at everyone you meet in New York. That would be dangerous."

Standing up in UNITY for JUSTICE - 15 UK comedians

A fantastic news story demonstrating the potential inherent in uniting for a common purpose - in this case JUSTICE and FAIRNESS.

 

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."

- Baha'u'llah

 

Bahá'í News UK

UK's top comedians stand up for Bahá'ís in Iran Posted: 25 Feb 2009 03:05 PM PST 15 of Britain's top comedians have signed an open letter calling for the Iranian government to respect the human rights of its citizens, in particular seven leaders of the Bahá'í Faith who have been imprisoned for more than eight months and now face spurious charges. In a letter published in today's edition of The Times, the comedians – including David Baddiel, Bill Bailey, Sanjeev Bhasker, Jo Brand, Rob Brydon, Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Omid Djalili, Sean Lock, Alexei Sayle and Meera Syal – express their concern for the safety of the seven Bahá'í leaders. "No formal evidence has been brought against them," says the letter, "They have not been given access to their legal counsel, the Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi. She has had no access to their files and has suffered threats and intimidation since taking on their case." Charges that are likely to be filed against the Bahá'ís in the Revolutionary Court include "espionage for Israel, insulting religious sanctities and propaganda against the Islamic republic". "In reality, their only "crime", which the current regime finds intolerable, is that they hold a religious belief that is different from the majority," says the letter. The prosecution of the leaders is the latest development in a 30-year-long systematic effort orchestrated by the government to eliminate the 300,000 member Bahá'í community in Iran, where the faith began in the mid-19th century. Documentary evidence has been provided by United Nations agencies on this campaign of religious persecution against Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. The seven detained Bahá'ís had been looking after the basic needs of Iran's 300,000-strong Bahá'í community after all Bahá'í institutions were banned by the Iranian government following the 1979 Islamic revolution. In the absence of any national governing council, the informal group of seven was formed with the full knowledge of the government who had routine dealings with them. "As artists who strive to uplift the human spirit and enrich society through our work," wrote the comedians, "we register our solidarity with all those in Iran who are being persecuted for promoting the best development of society - be it through the arts and media, the promotion of education, social and economic development, or adherence to moral principles." "Further, we join with the governments, human rights organizations and people of goodwill throughout the world who have so far raised their voices calling for a fair trial, if not the complete release of the Bahá'í leaders in Iran," they wrote. The letter has been signed by David Baddiel, Bill Bailey, Morwenna Banks, Sanjeev Bhasker, Jo Brand, Russell Brand, Rob Brydon, Jimmy Carr, Jack Dee, Omid Djalili, Sean Lock, Lee Mack, Alexei Sayle, Meera Syal and Mark Thomas.

The Symbol of the Greatest Name in God's religion - GLORY

Explanation of the Symbol
of the Greatest Name by A.Q. Faizi

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"From eternity Thou hast been removed far above the reach and the ken of the comprehension of Thy servants, and immeasurably exalted above the strivings of Thy bond-slaves to express Thy mystery." -Baha'u'llah

EXPLANATION OF THE SYMBOL OF THE GREATEST NAME
The identity of the Greatest Name, a mystery concealed from time immemorial "behind the mystic veil" and preserved in the treasure house of the knowledge of God, was to be revealed and manifested to men's eyes at its appointed time in accordance with the Divine Plan, like the other manifold and basic truths of the New Age. Allusions had been made to it by the Messengers of old, under the impact of Whose Revelations, man has made spiritual progress and gradually attained a clearer understanding of its hidden meanings. Like a brilliant sun wrapt in clouds, the Greatest Name remained hidden and unknown. Those who longed to catch a glimpse of its splendor drew close, but enjoyed only a dim vision of its radiance.

Throughout past centuries, in accordance with the inscrutable wisdom of God's progressive revelation of truth, the veils remained until gradually, one by one, were removed from this precious and all-embracing Name.

1. The Greatest Name anticipated in the past religions
The eager followers of past religions, in their deep desire to witness a flickering of the approaching majestic dawn, found that the new Name of the Great One to come meant "light", "splendor" and "glory".

The followers of Krishna, for instance, expected His return under the name of "Vishnu Yasha", which in Sanskrit means "Glory of God". The last chapter of the Shrimad Bhagwad of the Hindu Scripture states:

"Vishnu Yasha will possess great energy, intelligence and prowess .... He will restore order and peace in this world .... Man in general will begin to honor and practice truth." ('The Second coming of Shri Krishna', Prof. Pritam Singh, P. 10)

One of the Baha'i scholars in the Middle East, whose father had formerly superintended a Buddhist Temple, and who was himself well-versed in the writings of that Faith, told me that many times he had read the entire Gospel of Buddha in Sanskrit, every word of which he had understood with the exception of the meaning of a word composed of "b", "h" and "a", which occasionally appears in Buddhist Scripture. When he learned of the Baha'i Faith, the mystery was solved. The letters, joined together, formed the name of "Baha".

The references by Buddha, are exceptionally clear. Ananda, one of His disciples, asked Him:

"Who shall teach us when Thou art gone?" Buddha replied in these clear terms: "I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise .... He shall reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach to you His religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter." (Sermon of the Great Passing)

It is most interesting to note that in Buddhist Scripture, particularly in the Amitayus Sutra, clear reference is made to "AMITABHA" as the "Infinite Light of Revelation", the "Unbounded Light" and the "Source of Wisdom, of Virtue and of Buddha hood." When giving the qualities of a "true follower" Buddha stated that it was he who "relies with his heart upon Amitabha .... the unbounded Light of Truth." ( Shirin Khanum, 'Lord Buddha and Amitabha', pp 13, 17-19 )

The Jewish mystics knew of the significance of the two letters "b" and "h" and attached much importance to them. Their spiritual leaders and philosophers wrote commentaries and drew the attention of seeking souls to these letters. There is a legend among the Jews about Solomon's Seal, a Seal said to have carried the Greatest Name from which it reputedly derived its power over all creation including the animal world.

In Isaiah, we read,

" . . . Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down; Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits." ( Isaiah, chapter 33, verse 9 )

Isaiah also says,

" . . . The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellence of our God." ( Isaiah, chapter 35, verse2 )

It is interesting to compare this last verse with its Arabic version which, when translated literally, into English, reads as follows:

"God will render to Lebanon its glory: the Baha of Carmel and Sharon shall be manifested, and they shall see the glory of God, the Baha of our Lord." ( Holy Bible, Arabic translation, 1881, Third Ed., also: Ishraq Khavari, Rahiq-i-Makhtum (The Sealed Wine) pp. 218-219 )

When Jesus spoke to the Jews who were familiar with these terms, He told them that He would return "in the glory of the Father."

As the Islamic Faith immediately preceded the New Day, followers of Islam found that the veils covering this hidden treasure had become more diaphanous, allowing the heavenly rays of light to penetrate deeper, and to reveal in sharper detail the reality of this mystery. Explicit references had been made to the Greatest Name, and as the seekers found clear indications of these references, they became encouraged to persevere in their search.

The words of Imams and divines of Islam served to draw the longing souls to the fountainhead of true knowledge. There is a very powerful prayer which the Shi'ah Muslims chant as a dawn prayer during the month of the fast. The faithful believer awakens at dawn to catch the melody of its tune as it is chanted from the minarets of mosques or, in these days, is broadcast from the radio stations. In introducing this prayer, Imam Rida has said,

"I swear by God that the Greatest Name is found in this prayer. Had you known this, you would have fought with swords to possess this prayer." ( Mafatihu'l Jenan, 'Keys of Paradise', compilation of Muslim Prayers )

The opening words of this prayer read as follows:

"O God! My God! I beseech Thee by Thy Baha, Thy Baha in its entirety. I beseech Thee by all Thy Baha."

The prayer then goes on mentioning other Names of God including "Beauty", "Splendor", and all the Names which are a part of the Baha'i calendar.

2. Acclaimed by Poets
Poets and philosophers found this mystic secret and openly acclaimed it. At the time of Shah 'Abbes, the Persian King and contemporary of Queen Elizabeth 1, the greatest of all the divines of that age went to Persia from Lebanon and established his residence in Isfahan which was then the royal seat and the country's capital. This man had an encyclopaedic mind and he wrote outstanding books on the arts, sciences, the literature and philosophy of his age. There are many stories about him and his unique erudition and genius. It is even said that he had invented a machine which reproduced voices from distant lands. One of his discoveries was the Greatest Name, and he adopted the name of "Baha'i" for himself. Shaykh Baha'i is unquestionably the most renowned of all Persian divines.

In one of his poetical works he says, "The Greatest Name is unknown to man, but in the list of all the Names of God it stands first." No doubt he had in mind the dawn prayer mentioned above which opens with the name of Baha.

Mawlavi, the greatest of all the mystic poets of the East, whose poems are known for their elucidations of the spiritual journey of man and his attainments in the realms of God, has stated,

"We have found Baha and we hasten to offer our life as a sacrifice to Him. He is our ransom." ( Nabil's Narrative, p. 72, "whoso seeketh Me, shall find Me..." )

Hafiz, the most renowned of all lyric poets of the East, addressed Persia, saying,

"May this land remain forever prosperous. From its sacred soil at every breath the breezes of the Merciful are wafted. Glad tidings to the glorious Kings of Persia ! Glad tidings for a blissful ending ! The power of the Greatest Name has stayed away the hand of evil from that country."

While I was in Arabia, I examined the manuscript of a book on Mystic Philosophy from one of the learned men there. In one chapter the author speaks of the conditions to be observed by the Seeker of the path to God, and says,

"Those who tread the path and knock at the door of the knowledge of the Light are sincere and forbearing. They stand face to face with angels who greet them, cleanse, and purify them. They pour for them water from the fountain head of Baha. When they open their eyes they behold God passing by with great majesty. His name appears above the horizon of the Kingdom. Toss people, though they wander on earth, have their hearts attached to the Exalted Spot and the dwellers in the Great Tabernacle." ( Maqum A'ala is the name given by 'Abdu'l-Baha to the Shrine of the Bab. It means "the Exalted Spot" )

3. The Greatest Name was made known to the Babis
With the inauguration of the New Age and the appearance of its Herald, the Bab, the remaining veils were torn asunder through the movement of His Exalted Pen. The people began to know more and more clearly that "Baha" was, without any shadow of doubt, the name so dearly treasured and destined to be manifested with all splendor and majesty. The explicit nature of the Bab's reference to Baha'u'llah and the glowing terms with which He praised Him, made, 'Baha' the focus of adoration.

The Bab singled out the Greatest Name in the manuscript copies of His matchless Writings. Years ago, I had the honor to read three volumes of His Writings before they were dispatched to the beloved Guardian. The books were written down by Mulla Ali Akbar Ardestani ( Nabil's Narrative, p. 146, Footnote No. 3 ) in the first year of the Bab's Dispensation.

These books were written in black ink, but whenever the many references were made to "Baha", this word always appeared in red. During the very first year of His ministry, the Bab had instructed His amanuensis to write in this manner in order that those who had no time or patience to read all His Writings would be helped to see this Name.

There are innumerable references to "Baha" in all the Writings of the Bab and to quote them all here is beyond the scope of this essay. It is sufficient to note, that He has said,

"Well is it with him who fixeth his gaze upon the order of Baha'u'llah and rendereth thanks unto his Lord." ( Shoghi Effendi, 'God Passes By', p.25 )

When the followers of the Bab gathered under special circumstances at Badasht, it was there that everyone received a new name. It was then that they knew this shining diadem of majesty and might found its eternal manifestation, not on the forehead of one who was clad in the garments of the learned; but shone instead on that of a Youth who was majestic in appearance, glorious in gait and manners, and-godly in every atom of His being. So exalted was He in the eyes of the people, so highly respected and adored, that out of sheer homage and love they did not dare to mention His name. Instead He was referred to as "Ishan." ( Honorific form of Persian pronoun for the third person singular )

The Letters of the Living and the early believers now knew the Bearer of this Name and recognized in Him such heavenly attributes that, even though they had quaffed from the newly-found stream of life, they prayed and longed for the even more glorious day when they could be drowned in the powerful, celestial ocean of the Utterance of this Great One.

Tahirih, in one of her epistles, says,

"O my God! O my God! The veil must be removed from the face of the Remnant of the Lord. O my God! Protect Husayn the mystery of Muhammad and advance the day of reunion with him . . . Make the point of Baha, O my God, to circulate . . . O my God! Protect all who circumambulate the twin points and keep them steadfast in Thy most Great Cause, so that they might behold the point sending forth light upon them."

It was no wonder that so many hundreds of learned and outstanding divines of the East sacrificed their lives with devotion and faith in the path of the promulgation of the Great Name. They waited for its advent, waited for the moment when the effulgence would emanate from it. The instant they felt it was ascending toward the dawning point, they burnt themselves in its light and rose like glowing lamps. They became the "Dawn Breakers."

There are numerous references to the name, the place of birth, the date of declaration, the places of banishment, the imprisonment and the fate of the Central Figures of our Faith. For the purposes of this essay it is sufficient to know this great, authentic Islamic tradition:

"All the followers of the Promised Qa'im shall be put to death except One Whose face shall shine with Abha beauty in the plain of 'Akka."

From this introduction we gather that the Greatest Name is "Baha". This point should be well understood and borne in mind, as we proceed to fathom with our limited means this tremendous divine mystery. It will be necessary to proceed slowly and patiently, step by step, in order to discuss each phase of this essential theme so that we might have a full grasp of all the problems pertaining to the subject.

The Bab adored The name "Baha" and used it profusely in all His Writings. He even made many derivatives from this one word and wrote them out in a Tablet which had the form of a five pointed star, symbolizing the human temple.

Far from attempting to make an exhaustive study of this subject, we merely set forth a few points at random to pave the way for a clearer understanding of this theme, the "Symbol of the Greatest Name".

4. The Symbol of the Greatest Name

Our explanation of the symbol of the Greatest Name is based mainly on Tablets revealed by the beloved Master and will cover the topics as follows in this article.

5. Who Designed the Symbol?
One of the believers who had the bounty and privilege of attaining the presence of the beloved Master has recorded one of His oral statements which shows that this emblem was initiated by Him. No less a person than 'Abdu'l-Baha could have designed this emblem, for who else could have condensed so much of the divine mystery into so little space and into so few letters! Some of the mystic divines among the Israelites have emphatically drawn the attention of their followers to the two letters "b" and "h" indicating that they have some idea about the Greatest Name. It has been said that the Greatest Name was the leading decoration of the Temple. The Muslims were better acquainted with it but not in this form and finality. One finds in the Islamic laws governing worship and reverence that whoever possesses a ring bearing the symbol of the Greatest Name must wear the ring on their right hand.

The friends are not obliged by Baha'u'llah to wear a ring carrying this emblem since there is no specific law by Baha'u'llah in the Aqdas or in His Tablets regarding this. The beloved Master told the friends in the West that the ring should be placed on the right hand, which is a perpetuation of the Islamic law referred to above.

Some Derivatives of the Name Baha:

Baha... Light or Glory
Abha... Most Glorious
Al-Abha (sometimes used as El Abha)... The All Glorious or the Most Glorious
Bahiyyih meaning Full of Glory. The Greatest Holy Leaf.
Allah'u'Abha... God, the All-Glorious

This is-a Baha'i greeting initiated and used since the days of Adrianopole. ( Shoghi Effendi, 'God Passes by', p. 176 ) Its use ninety-five times each day, according to an instruction written on behalf of the beloved Guardian, "is not absolutely binding." "Allah'u'Abha" is to be repeated in the long obligatory prayer where instructions call for use of the Greatest Name.

Ya Baha'u'l-Abha... This is an invocation. It means "O Glory of the All-Glorious."

In this connection we recall the soul stirring message of the Guardian in 1953 to the Intercontinental Conferences where he refers to "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha" and "Ya 'Aliyyu'l-'Ala" as the "battle cry" of the pioneers and teachers in the many fields of this world-embracing spiritual Crusade. The first, as already stated, means "O Glory of the All Glorious", while the second means "O Exalted of the Most Exalted One." (The Bab) There is nothing in the Writings which says we have to repeat such an invocation a specific number of times each day. However, what a thrill it would be for us in times of dire need, to seek God's guidance, His support and strength, by addressing Baha'u'llah and the Bab directly with these beautiful invocations!

6. Explanation of the Greatest Name symbol
We will begin with basic pattern of the design and, as we proceed, the picture will be complete:
The Greatest Name symbol comprises three horizontal lines representing three distinct levels of creation. Together they represent the underlying belief which is the basis of all the religions of God. They are as follows:

(1) The top line represents the World of God-- The Creator
(2) The middle line represents the World of the Prophets or Manifestation Cause, or Command of God
(3) The bottom line represents the World of Man-- The Creation.

The followers of all religions believe that man, left to himself, can never recognize God and attain His presence; nor is man able to fathom the mystery and purpose of his own creation. God, in His unlimited bounty has singled out His Chosen Ones and will continue to do so, sending them to man at different times and ages in order to grant him penetrating insight and to enable him to have a glimpse of the unfading glories of the innumerable worlds beyond.

The Prophets accept descent from their realms on high and suffer the abasement of living in human temples, walking amongst men and speaking their languages. The Manifestations are invariably denied, ridiculed, humiliated and even put to death. Were it not for their spiritual upliftment and leadership, man would have continued to live as a wild beast and would have been eternally doomed to deprivation and loss.

These functions of the Prophets are clearly demonstrated in the design of the Greatest Name by having the world of the Prophets (shown in horizontal line) repeated in vertical line, thus joking the world of the Creator to that of His creation.

Contrary to this, mystics believe in only two worlds; the world of God and the world of man. They proclaim that should man cleanse himself from all worldly desires and earthly attachments, he will be enabled to attain the presence of his Lord, the Creator. The mystics claim there is no need for an intermediary link between God and His creation. They therefore believe in, and practice, ascetic life which sometimes takes them to secluded corners of the world, occasionally in the mountains, forests, and jungles. This hermit's life is utterly forbidden by the mighty Pen of Baha'u'llah because He desires every man to be a fruitful member of the society he lives in.

The Baha'is believe that no matter what height of spiritual, scientific and material success man may reach, he is and will forever be in need of divine guidance bestowed upon him by the Prophets of God. It is only through Them that man can comprehend the secrets of true civilization and recognize the Will of God and His Purpose. The Baha'is also believe that it is through a complete understanding and the full establishment of Their highly valued and vital precepts and teachings that man can attain the highest state of happiness, and eventually rejoice in the presence of his Lord.

Let us ponder once more upon this design and behold with our own eyes the perfect realization of Christ's prayer. The lights of the Kingdom on High are mirrored forth by the Manifestations of God upon the plane of creation, thus fulfilling the promise of the appearance of God's Kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

7. The letters the Greatest Name symbol contains
Let us study the letters in the symbol to discover what they signify. The three horizontal lines and the one vertical line in the Greatest Name symbol are composed of the letters "B" and "H". "B" stands for the name of Baha and "H" stands for the name of Bab. Aboo Basseers says that he asked the Imam Jafar as to the meaning of "BESMELLAH" (In the name of God). The Imam answered,

"The letter "B" stands for Baha'u'llah..." (Fazilat Besmellah, p 44 by Abbass Rezai, Teheran)

To grasp the significance and the important implications of this beautiful and artistic combination, we must bear in mind that among the Near-Eastern people the Phoenicians were the first to sail their boats to distant lands. Wherever they travel led, they established trading centres, and as traders found themselves forced to adopt some practical way of recording their commercial transactions. The characters they adopted became their alphabet and in the course of centuries this alphabet developed and gradually became a pattern of alphabets used in both the East and the West.

Gibbon says

"Phoenicia and Palestine will forever live in the memory of mankind; since America as well as Europe, have received letters from the one, and religion from the other." "The use of letters was introduced among the savages of Europe about fifteen hundred years before Christ; and the Europeans carried them to America about fifteen centuries after the Christian era. But in a period of three thousand years, the Phoenician alphabet received considerable alteration; as it passed through the hands of the Greeks and Roman." ( Gibbon, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", ch.1, P 32 )

Will Durant, in his monumental Story of Civilization, describes this contribution as the most precious legacy of the ancient cultures.

8. Ancient Alphabets
The Phoenicians used their alphabet for both letters and numbers, therefore each letter had a numerical value. Their alphabet starts as follows.

Numerical Letter value:
a= 1, h= 8, b= 2, t= 9, j= 3, i= 10, d= 4, k= 20, h= 5, l= 30, w= 6, m= 40, z= 7, n= 50

When the Phoenicians wished to say, "One house; two years; or nine letters", they would write, "a house; b years; t letters." There are some very interesting remnants of the influence exerted by this very ancient people of the Near East still to be found in the western languages of today. The four letters, "K", "L", "M" and "N" are in the same order in English, French and some other western alphabets just as they appeared in the Phoenician alphabets, illustrated above.

The next stage in the science of numbers was the acquisition of numbers by the Moslems who acquired them from the Indians. To the nine digits of the Indians, the "zero" discovered by the Arabs completed the science of numbers. The world is indebted to the Indians for this very valuable and fundamental contribution.

Had it not been for these numbers, the science of mathematics would have stood still, and without mathematics man could not have progressed in technology, nor could he have fashioned instruments with which he changes the face of the earth today.

The Hebrew alphabet used by Israeli people today is exactly the same. The people of the East continued to give numerical values to the letters of their alphabet even though they had the Indian numbers. Today it is still common to find that poets, doctors of religion and writers convey their thoughts through this symbolic method of letters and their numerical value.

This method was used a great deal by the Bab. He very often gave people and places surnames which had the same numerical value as the original names. For example, he called Mah-ku, "Basis" (open). Mah-ku and Basit have the same numerical value of 72. He called Chihriq, "Shad id" (previous). Both of these have a numerical value of 318. Likewise, the great author of the "Drawn Breakers" was named Muhammad, but surnamed Nabil; both names have a numerical value of 92. It is this same method which is used for the designs of the symbols of the Greatest Name.

9. The Names of the Bab and Baha'u'llah
We repeat that the two letters "b" and "h" stand for the names of Baha'u'llah and the Bab respectively. The numerical value of "Bab" is 5:

B = 2
A = 1
B = 2

The numerical value of Baha is 9:

B = 2
A = 1
H = 5
A = 1

Nine is the perfect number, on the top of the ladder of the numerical progressive elevation. It is very mysterious, and more than any other number, full of special qualities and potencies. The numbers end with nine. After nine whatever we write in the form of digits is repetition of the same figures. Mankind throughout ages will gradually fathom the mysteries of this special number which is the numerical manifestation of the Greatest Name: Baha.

10. The Names of Adam and Eve
Number nine contains all the digits from one to nine and number five from one to five which when added respectively will be:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5+ 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 45

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 = 15

Now the name of Adam and Eve in the Oriental scripts are written as follows: ADM and HWA the numerical values of which are as follows respectively.

A = 1
H = 8
D = 4
W = 6
M = 40
A = 1
------
ADM= 45
HWA= 15

Thus we find that in the two traditional names Adam and Eve, God's first two spiritual creations, referred to in the Scriptures of old and held in such reverence and love by men throughout the ages, are linked with the twin Manifestations referred to in all the Books of God, and Whose appearance was promised to be on the Last Day. Thus Adam and Eve are connected with the Bab and Baha'u'llah in this great symbol, which becomes a token of oneness between the past and the present.

11. The Essence of Sacrifice and the Essence of Servitude
The two five pointed stars on both sides of the Greatest Name symbol represent the human body: a head, two hands and two feet. These two stars represent the twin Manifestation of God in this Day. Their advent is the fulfillment of all the writings of God's prophets in bygone ages, Who, emphatically, repeatedly and often, in a language clearer than the light of sun, assured mankind of the undoubted appearance of these Twin Luminaries, Who would rescue the world from the fetters of prejudice and the dictates of self.

In conclusion, may I venture to suggest another approach to the meaning of the two stars. This approach is merely a personal one, therefore not authoritative. Could we not visualize God as manifested in His most resplendent glory in the majestic figure of Baha'u'llah, and standing on either side of Him, two towering personalities of unsurpassed beauty: the Bab, the Herald, the incarnation of sacrifice and of self-effacement and the highest expression of true love ever possible in this contingent life; and Abdu'l-Baha, the Center of the Covenant, the true Exemplar of the teachings and the highest embodiment of servitude.

These two exemplify the mysteries of sacrifice and servitude, calling on all men to hasten and offer their potentialities as humble gifts for the establishment of God's redeeming Order, the very reflection of His Kingdom on earth.

AQ Faizi is a member of the Baha'i Faith. The opinions expressed in this article constitute his own personal understanding and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Baha'i Faith or its teachings.

---

(The following blinking link leads back to the "Prophecy Fulfilled" webpage)

POETRY - selected - CREATIVITY, BEAUTY

These poems were copied from A.J. Sayyáh's informative and discerning blog, available here.

The Candle

The Candle
By John Wiegley

The candle is a master at love.
He stands tall, and presents himself
before his lover.
He kindles a divine spark in the heart
and sets the core of his being
ablaze with devotion.
The temperature rises:
it burns him with sweet fire.
He begins to melt away
in thought of her;
he sighs in hot wisps
that rise on the air.

As he thinks of his beloved
he weeps away precious tears,
for he soon comes to realize
one of love's mysteries:
that truly to love,
the lover must disappear.

Thus, his hardened self yields to liquid,
then to fire, then to light.
He brightens her face by his feeble flame --
and she calls it romantic;
he grants her a moment's peace
in fighting off the shadows of the night.

And though he burns his life away,
what he is now, is his lover's delight --
for he has found the immortal Way:
her happiness is his happiness.

Ref: http://www.upliftingwords.org/poetry/Candle.htm

2008-07-17

This is faith

This is faith

To walk where there is no path,
To breathe where there is no air,
To see where there is no light,
This is faith.

To cry out in the silence,
The silence of the night,
And bearing no echo, believe,
And believe again and again,
This is faith.

To hold pebbles and see jewels,
To raise sticks and see forests,
To smile with weeping eyes,
This is faith.

To say "God, I believe." when others deny,
"I hear." when there is no answer,
"I see." though naught is seen,
This is faith.

And the fierce love in the heart,
The savage love that cries,
Hidden Thou art, yet there,
Veil Thy face and mute Thy tongue.
Yet I see and hear Thee, love
Beat me down to bare earth
Yet I rise and love Thee, love
This is faith.

By Amatu'l-Baha, Ruhiyyih Khanum

2008-07-13

Tahirih

TAHIRIH

Tahirih the pure one
Consolation of the eyes
What I would give to meet you now
While my life is new

You had the strength I pray for
The courage that life calls for
The Master that I too adore
Revealed Himself to you

In a dream He stood perfection
Your life it changed direction
You knew it then, your life would end
To glorify His name

Tahirih my sister
What right have I to call you so?
Unworthy of the dust beneath your feet
I am I know

With eloquence you stirred them
Your boldness it perturbed them
Your vision reached beyond their ken
To worlds your eyes behold

And your deed would be the trumpet blast
To shake foundations of the past
And lay the groundwork that would last
For centuries to come
You were all a woman
Could hope to attain
On this earthly plane

And my chosen path
Is the shadow you cast
In the brilliance of
His boundless love

Tahirih the letter
No friendly eye could bear your fate
No mortal tongue can thus relate
The evil done to you
You stood before your enemy
And held yourself with dignity

No man could match your bravery
Your final words were sure
And unknowing of your station
The point of adoration
Your crime they'd say with life you'd paid
Was a fearless love of truth.

2008-07-12

O Baha'u'llah!

O BAHÁ'U'LLÁH

O Bahá'u'lláh,
O Bahá'u'lláh, O Bahá'u'lláh
What hast Thou done?
O Bahá'u'lláh,
O Bahá'u'lláh, O Bahá'u'lláh
What hast Thou done?
May my life be sacrificed!
May my life be sacrificed!
May my life be sacrificed for Thee
May my soul be offered up!
May my soul be offered up!
May my soul be offered up
for Thy sake

O Bahá'u'lláh,
O Bahá'u'lláh, O Bahá'u'lláh
What hast Thou done?
O Bahá'u'lláh, O Bahá'u'lláh
How full were Thy days,
how full were Thy days
With trials and tribulations!
How severe the ordeals,
how severe the ordeals
How severe the ordeals Thou didst endure!

O Bahá'u'lláh!
How solid the foundation
Thou hast laid
O Bahá'u'lláh!
How glorious the banner
Thou didst hoist
Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'u'lláh
The glorious banner Thou didst hoist!
O Bahá'u'lláh
O what hast Thou done?
O Bahá'u'lláh!

Behold a Candle

Behold a Candle

Behold a candle
how it gives its light
it weeps it's life away
drop by drop to give it's flame
You must die to the world
and so be born again
and enter to the kingdom of heaven

Look at me, follow me,
be as I am, 'Abdu'l-Bahá,
Abdu'l-Bahá

You are the angels
if your feet be firm,
be steadfast as a rock
that no earthly storm can move
And as you have faith
so shall your powers be
and know that 'till the end
I'm always with you

Look at me.....
Love mankind.....

And how I long
to travel the world
in utmost poverty
and cry out "Ya Bahá"
God willing you may do this for me

Teach mankind....
Serve the cause....
Look at me..

Religions unite to pray for Iran's Bahá'í prisoners - UNITY & COOPERATION

Religions unite to pray for Iran's Bahá'í prisoners

 

An all-day Interfaith prayer vigil has been held in Edinburgh in support of the seven Bahá'í leaders being detained in Iran.

Six members of the Scottish Interfaith Council representing the Sikh, Bahá'í, Hindu and Buddhist faiths, as well as the Church of Scotland and the Salvation Army, took part in the event at the Bahá'í Centre in Edinburgh's Albany Street. A former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Dr Finlay MacDonald, also joined the vigil.

Additional messages of support were received from Cardinal Keith O'Brien, head of the Catholic Church in Scotland and Rabbi Nancy Morris, Scotland's first woman Rabbi.

During the gathering, each representative recited a prayer from his own tradition, many in their original languages. The Hindu representative also chanted for the Bahá'ís in Iran.

"There was a real sense of people's strength of feeling and solidarity with the Bahá'ís," said Mr Allan Forsyth, representative of the Bahá'í Council for Scotland.

A multi-media presentation began the day-long event, explaining the background to the current situation and the long history of persecution which members of the Bahá'í faith have experienced in Iran. The vigil then continued into afternoon and evening as other friends from Scottish faith communities joined the gathering.

"We are greatly encouraged by the heartfelt support shown by people of all faiths in Scotland for our fellow religionists in Iran who are being maltreated simply because of their beliefs," said Mr Forsyth. "It gives us confidence that the world community will no longer tolerate such blatant abuses of human rights."

-- http://bahainews- uk.info/2008/ 09/25/religions- unite-to- pray-for- irans-bahai- prisoners/

Fasting - DETACHMENT, LOVE

The Fast

(click here to view the video "The Baha'i Fast - 51 Reasons Why")

51 "reasons" are given (the last perhaps the best). But actually there is only a single reason in the world to fast (the rest is Grace): love for the Manifestation -
"Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty." (Baha'u'llah)
http://bahai.org/article-1-4-0-3.html

Say: O people of the world! We have enjoined upon you fasting during a brief period, and at its close have designated for you Naw-Ruz as a feast...The traveller, the ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are not bound by the Fast; they have been exempted by God as a token of His grace. He, verily, is the Almighty, the Most Generous...Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the Book.

- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book) http://tinyurl.com/aopx52

(Naw-Ruz is the Baha'i New Year which falls on the spring equinox, usually 21 March)