The shortcut to spiritual growth

"O SON OF SPIRIT!
My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting."

-- Baha'u'llah in the Hidden Words

The above Hidden Word was the subject of some discussion during Tarry's highly illuminating talk on justice yesterday. I'd like to highlight some of his thoughts on this, as I found them particularly striking.

Once someone asked Baha'u'llah if there was a spiritual shortcut, a way to achieve spiritual growth without having to go through the myriad writings and teachings of Baha'u'llah, which are probably surpassed in sheer volume only by their profundity. To this question, Baha'u'llah responded that of course there was one, and that it was, in fact, the first Hidden Word - the verse above. And so, if we truly understood and practiced what this verse says, we'd be well on the path to spiritual growth!

Of course, this sounds much simpler than it actually is, but lets try and unpack that quote a little more to see why Baha'u'llah said that this really is the key. We are asked to possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart. Now each of these qualities has a special significance. Purity is really a state - its a state of the heart, a condition, and is related to our intention with respect to any action. It is entirely internal to us, and is deeply connected to our thoughts, our instinctive reactions to situations, our feelings...

Kindliness, on the other hand, is the outward manifestation of purity. Someone with pure intentions, and a pure heart, will express kindliness towards one and all. Kindliness, therefore, is the expression of our internal purity, and is reflected in all our interactions with the world and our fellow beings.

Finally, radiance, is the consequence of the above two qualities - possessing a pure heart, and exhibiting kindliness. Someone who conquers purity and kindliness exudes a radiance, a brilliance which is there for everyone to see.

To me, radiance also implies two other qualities - one, the outward flowing nature of it, and two, the fact that a radiant object radiates uniformly in all directions. A radiant person, therefore, affects one and all around him - and his knowledge, wisdom, and love flow outwards, touching the hearts of everyone who comes into contact with him.

There is of course much that could be said about each of these three qualities - and there are many layers of meaning to purity, kindliness and radiance. But that is something we each need to reflect on in our lives, see how we can each be as pure, kindly and radiant as possible, given our own life conditions. Getting back to the quote, however, Baha'u'llah then goes on to say that once we possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, we shall be sovereign. Now this question of sovereignty is one that demands some thought. What shall we be sovereign of, king of, once we acquire these qualities? It is clearly not a material concept - rather, it refers to the Kingdom of God. But again, what is this Kingdom - it is not a place up in the clouds, which we shall enter through pearly white gates. The Kingdom of God really lies in our own hearts, and it is the Kingdom of all those virtues and qualities of God that we have the potential to manifest. All religious teachings talk in great depth about how man is created in the image of God, how we have the potential to reflect all the attributes of God. Baha'u'llah says,

"Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own self."

Therefore what a pure, kindly and radiant heart gives us is sovereignty over this Kingdom of the attributes of God - and this, as Tarry said, is what the oft-thrown-around word empowerment really means. It is when we have the power over our selves, over all these most amazing qualities and attributes and virtues, that we are truly empowered. And this really is the purpose of spiritual growth - to be able to reflect, as best as possible, all these qualities of God. This potential to reflect the attributes of God is the soul's essential reality, and spiritual growth is the process of understanding and manifesting this reality.

Additionally, this is a sovereignty that has existed for all time, and will continue to exist for all time. It is always within our grasp, should we only turn to God and walk along the yellow brick road He has laid down for us. And the shortcut that puts us right on that road is attempting to understand, and possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart.