Love

Ponder, O reader, the true nature of love, as expressed in this quote of Abdu'l Baha's:

"Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God's holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven's kindly light, the Holy Spirit's eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul. Love is the cause of God's revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul. Love is the most great law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the diverse elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation."

Why?

Why is detachment the hardest lesson of all?

Humility

This was a week of humility.

Of being humble in thought and action
Of accepting my limitations
Of acknowledging the existence of a greater, far more potent reality
Of submission and faith
Of accepting people for who they are
Of not imposing my wants on others
Of realizing that everything in this world is a gift from God
Of understanding that any talent or virtue I have comes from God
Of recognizing that I am not the center of the universe :)
Of realizing that I am but a cog in the wheel of society
Of trying to accept compliments
Of listening patiently to others
Of sacrifice
Of accommodation
Of giving in
Of contentment
Of accepting my finitude, and God's infinitude
Of asking for His guidance
Of being thankful for His grace

This was a week of humility.

Things happen for the best

P once told me about H's grandfather (or uncle?) who, whenever he was asked how he was doing, would reply, "I'm the best I could possibly be, for if I could have been better, then God would have made it so." I've often pondered over how one can say this, and whether there are specific prerequisites for the best to happen to us. Clearly we often find ourselves in circumstances not of our making, in situations where we need to make a certain decision. How can we be sure that our actions in such circumstances lead to the best possible result for us? How can we be sure that even if the immediate consequences of our decisions and actions are not to our liking, in the long run, they are the best thing for us spiritually?

After much thought and observation of people like P, M and V, I've come to the conclusion that there are two prerequisites for being sure, in any situation, that whatever happens is for our best.

1. We make the utmost effort we can in that situation, sincerely try and figure out what the right decision is, and leave no stone unturned.
2. Once we make all the effort that we need to, we turn to God, supplicate unto Him, and ask for His guidance through prayer. We sincerely submit the consequences of our decision to Him, and detach ourselves from the results of our actions completely. We pray not for a particular result/consequence, but pray that whatever is best for us happen (this is key).

Both, I believe, are necessary. Not studying before an exam, but just sitting and praying to God to help us pass will get us nowhere. Likewise, with complex decisions, we can never know all sides of the issue - and so just trying to come up with our own solution may not lead to the best answer. However, trying hard and then praying to God for inspiration will ensure that we are guided along the right path.

Like most spiritual things, this too, I think lies on a continuum - to the extent that we make an effort, and to the extent that we are able to submit to the will of God, we can be sure that that which has happened is for the best. And over time, with more and more such experiences, as our faith is reinforced, and our detachment becomes more steadfast, we align ourselves more and more with that which God has destined for us.

Which brings me to another very interesting point - the notion of destiny. Usually fate and destiny are interpreted as concepts that rob us of our free will. Therefore if there is something like destiny, I am at its mercy, and so my decisions don't really matter, for the consequences are already predestined.

The Baha'i teachings, however, give a very different meaning to destiny. Baha'u'llah, in the Gleanings, says, "How lofty is the station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny, can attain!"

Interesting choice of words, no? Man can choose to fulfill his destiny. Now what does that mean? In the context of the rest of the Baha'i teachings, I believe this is what it means - God has created everything with a destiny in mind for it. That destiny is fundamentally for it to grow until it becomes the fullest possible expression of its latent capacities. The destiny of a tree, therefore, is to grow and bear fruit. The destiny of an animal is to grow, bear offspring, and utilize its senses to their fullest capacities. The destiny of man is not just to fulfill the needs of his material existence, but to transcend that and to recognize his essential spiritual nature, and to know God. Every man, however, can choose not to do this. By exercising our free will, we can choose to act in a way that will turn us away from this destiny that God has prepared for us.

How can we align ourselves with our destiny? Ironically (or maybe, fittingly), by ultimately letting go of the control we seek to have over every aspect of our lives, and allowing God to take charge of the reins. We do the best we can in this world, but ultimately leave the consequences to God, and don't get hung up on the results of our actions. We allow God to guide us when it comes to making decisions, and then accept whatever comes out of it, and use it as a way to grow, learn and progress. Therefore we use our free will to choose to submit to the will of God - and by deciding that in our minds, we allow God to direct us.

Understanding this, and reaching that state, is enabled by religion and the teachings of the various manifestations of God. Shoghi Effendi states that "it is the relationship of the individual soul to God and the fulfillment of its spiritual destiny that is the ultimate aim of the laws of religion." So the laws and the teachings of the manifestations of God are maps that help us navigate through the worlds of God. We, of course, must choose whether to accept this guidance or to set our course without regard to His counsels. In other words, we apply our free will primarily in choosing whether to embrace our high destiny or to deny it.

Detachment

This started out as a response to an email, but I figured I might as well blog it so as to get more opinions on it.

Detachment is something I've wondered about a lot over the years, and figuring out what it really means is still an ongoing process. But here are some of my current thoughts on this concept.

First, lets consider the notion of detachment when it comes to the consequences of our actions. Often we commit a certain action, or make a certain decision, and then have expectations of what the result of that action/decision should be. However in many instances our expectations are not met, and can cause us a lot of grief. So you might be kind to someone, and expect them to be thankful, and it hurts you if they are not. Or you might decide to join the masters program at Stanford, and expect it will be a fulfilling course, and are disappointed when it is not. Detachment in these situations, I think, then boils down to ridding oneself of all expectation. And there are 2 reasons why one should do this. One involves realizing that in essence, we aren't really the doer of our actions - but rather, everything we do is enabled by God's grace. And so we don't really "own" our actions (or their consequences). Second, the consequences of any action are hugely influenced by the actions of other people, and existing circumstances - and so though we might expect a certain consequence, the interaction between different people's actions might result in something else. Therefore from both these perspectives, it makes sense to detach ourselves from expectation, and from the consequences of our actions. We do what we need to do in any situation - and then leave the consequences to God. I think there are a few more nuances to this, especially in relation to how the combination of prayer/submission/detachment can affect the consequences of actions, but I'll leave it at this for now.

There is a pretty famous verse from the Bhagavad Gita (one of the Hindu holy texts) where Krishna says,

"Karmanye vaadhi kaa raste maa phaleshu kadaachana
Maa karma phal hetu bhurma te sangostva vikarmani"

Loosely translated, this means, "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty."

So though we can act, we are not the cause of the results of those actions - and so we should not be attached to them. This, of course, is not a reason to not act at all.

The other situation where detachment comes into play is when we talk of detachment from people/material objects - and here I see it largely in terms of being the opposite of attachment. For the longest time, however, this confused me a little - for, I wondered, does not being attached to people mean we don't love them? But I think there is a subtle difference between love and attachment - and here's my understanding of it. I believe one should love everyone to the utmost possible, as all religious teachings enunciate - but one should never be so attached to someone or something that it deters one from the spiritual path. Attachment can detract one from the spiritual path in two ways - one, we are so attached to someone that we expend all our energies on fostering that attachment, and have little left to focus on our spiritual growth. Second, in a situation where we are separated from the loved one (through distance or death), our attachment is so strong that it produces an intense sadness/depression that again causes one to lose sight of the broader spiritual objective. Therefore we need to find the right balance between love and detachment when it comes to all our relationships. And detachment of course does not mean that we do not express our love for someone, that we do not miss them when they are not with us, that we are not full of joy to be with them - but it does mean that all these feelings are never so intense that they cloud our vision, and are ultimately subservient to the greater goal of spiritual growth. As long as one always keeps that in perspective, one can find that balance between love and detachment.

Its interesting to think about how developing this attitude would affect our relationships/friendships with people. We would still continue to love them just as much, and do all we can do for them - but the greater spiritual perspective that detachment gives us would enable us to handle problems/separation with much greater ease, And ultimately if one has to let go of certain relationships because they contribute negatively to one's growth, or because other kinds of problems arise, it would be much easier to do so again, because the final objective would always remain at the forefront.

Attachment can also be expressed in other ways - one can get attached to one's dislike for certain things, or to inaction in certain situations. In general this sort of attachment can lead to rigidity, and prevents one from being flexible or accommodating. Its therefore important to realize why one holds on to certain things, or refuses to do certain things - whether it comes from holding on to a principle or value, or whether it arises purely from a personal dislike. For example, my holding on to eating vegetarian food is a matter of principle - but my dislike for eggplant is purely a psychological attachment. It is therefore probably better, in the longer spiritual run, to detach myself more from the latter.

All this is of course easier said than done :)

Faith

This was a week of faith and trust.

In myself
In God
In the right thing happening
In consequences of actions being for the best
In the assured presence of guidance
In friends
In their intentions, even if their actions might speak otherwise
In their love
In knowledge
In wisdom
In the transitory nature of uncertainty
In our ability to overcome our doubts and fears
In the power of the spiritual word
In the power of prayer
In the power of love
In time, and its healing powers
In the inherent goodness of people
In knowledge of the sacred writings
In my own actions as a result of that knowledge, and their consequences
In virtue
In being able to learn from mistakes
In God's mercy and forgiveness
In His infinite grace and benevolence

This was a week of faith and trust.

Prayer for healing

For V

"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beg of Thee by Thy Name through which He Who is Thy Beauty hath been stablished upon the throne of Thy Cause, and by Thy Name through which Thou changest all things, and gatherest together all things, and callest to account all things, and rewardest all things, and preservest all things, and sustainest all things—I beg of Thee to guard this handmaiden who hath fled for refuge to Thee, and hath sought the shelter of Him in Whom Thou Thyself art manifest, and hath put her whole trust and confidence in Thee.

She is sick, O my God, and hath entered beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy healing; afflicted, and hath fled to the City of Thy protection; diseased, and hath sought the Fountainhead of Thy favors; sorely vexed, and hath hasted to attain the Wellspring of Thy tranquillity; burdened with sin, and hath set her face toward the court of Thy forgiveness.

Attire her, by Thy sovereignty and Thy loving-kindness, O my God and my Beloved, with the raiment of Thy balm and Thy healing, and make her quaff of the cup of Thy mercy and Thy favors. Protect her, moreover, from every affliction and ailment, from all pain and sickness, and from whatsoever may be abhorrent unto Thee.

Thou, in truth, art immensely exalted above all else except Thyself. Thou art, verily, the Healer, the All-Sufficing, the Preserver, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful."

-- Bahá’u’lláh

Generosity

This was a week of generosity.

Of giving
Of sharing
Of donating
Of thankfulness
Of being aware of how fortunate we are
Of being conscious of all that we can do to benefit the world
Of taking time out for others
Of trying to be accommodating
Of flexibility
Of forgiving and forgetting
Of letting things go
Of kindness
Of sacrifice
Of letting go
Of trying to give the benefit of the doubt
Of trying to put oneself in others' shoes
Of accepting mistakes
Of appreciating the benevolence of others
Of appreciating God's grace and bounty

This was a week of generosity.

The green eyed monster

A friend recently asked me what I thought of the following quote, and so I thought I'd pen my impressions down. Baha'u'llah, in The Tabernacle of Unity, says:

"O children of understanding! If the eyelid, however delicate, can deprive man’s outer eye from beholding the world and all that is therein, consider then what would be wrought if the veil of covetousness were to descend upon his inner eye. Say: O people! The darkness of greed and envy becloudeth the radiance of the soul even as the clouds obstruct the light of the sun. Should anyone hearken unto this utterance with a discerning ear, he will unfurl the wings of detachment and soar effortlessly in the atmosphere of true understanding."

In general most of us would agree that envy/covetousness is detrimental to us, but this quote, I think conveys exactly why that is so through the most beautiful and compelling imagery. Our physical eyes enable us to look upon the world in all its glory and splendor. Yet, just one delicate, flimsy eyelid is sufficient to cover our eyes and block out every bit of our vision. Envy here is likened to an eyelid that covers the inner eye, blocking out the rays of the spiritual sun that would otherwise illumine our inner sight. To me, this image really conveys with shocking certainty how dangerous and debilitating envy and jealousy can be - even a little bit would be sufficient to turn us away from the spiritual path. And the reason this is probably so, I think, is because envy is a negative spiral - once you get started, there is no stopping. Its a slippery slope, and the more you slip down it, the harder it becomes to pull yourself back up. When we covet something, we might either get it, or we might not. If we do, that might temporarily sate us, but it engenders further greed and envy; and if we don't, that envy itself consumes us entirely. It is the doorway to unleashing our lower selves, and is the surest way to closing the door to divine virtues and opening ourselves out to the satanic. For envy and covetousness breed passion, anger, jealousy, hate and greed - and will only impel us to commit actions that deviate from the spiritual path. The soul is inherently radiant, and its natural state is one of brilliance. However envy is like a cloud, that darkens this radiance and prevents it from being perceived - both by ourselves and by others.

So how does one get out of this cycle? I think the answer lies in examining the root cause of covetousness. As Anthony Hopkins said in the Silence of the Lambs (in a different context, of course :)), "you covet that which you do not possess". So envy and covetousness arises from a very materialistic and selfish world view, where one finds oneself in the possession of certain things, and not in the possession of certain others. And so when we see others with things we ourselves wish we had, it leads to envy.

Instead, suppose we are able to develop an understanding of our underlying spiritual reality - that of the eternal nature of our soul, and all the heavenly virtues we are potentially capable of reflecting. Then we would realize that each and every one of us possesses all that we shall ever need on this eternal spiritual journey. Material possessions will come and go - but that which is our inner being, our inner potential, our inner essence, is something that we can never lose. And that is what will stay with us through all eternity. For all that belongs to the material world will be left behind at the moment of death - but the attributes of our soul, which reflect the attributes of God, are ours forever.

Another way of phrasing all the above, of course, is detachment - and that is exactly what the quote says as well. For once we achieved an understanding of how detrimental our envy can be to us - when we not just hear and understand the above quote, but actually do so with a discerning ear, and internalize it - and once we realize our true spiritual nature, then we will naturally realize that the solution is to "unfurl our wings of detachment". Once we detach ourselves from the vicissitudes and distractions of this material world, and fixate ourselves on the goal of spiritual growth, we shall be able to effortlessly rise above the clouds of envy that block the sun of truth, and fly high above them, basking in the rays of God's grace. This state here is likened to the atmosphere - one of true understanding. Just like we are now entirely immersed in the atmosphere, just like the air we breathe completely surrounds us and constantly flows through our body, detachment will enable us to reach that state where truth and understanding will completely envelop us, and become an intrinsic part of our existence.

All this is of course easier said than done, right? :)

Faith

Ponder these words, O spiritual companion and wayfarer on the path of truth -

"By faith is meant, first,conscious knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds."

-- Abdu'l Baha

Forgiveness

This was a week of forgiveness and mercy.

Of asking forgiveness from God
Of accepting mistakes
Of apologizing
Of repenting
Of forgiving friends who hadn't kept in touch
Of letting go
Of not holding things against anyone
Of not judging anyone
Of accepting everyone as they are
Of giving the benefit of the doubt
Of being patient with others
Of being forgiving of myself
Of striving for unity and harmony
Of understanding justice and mercy
Of asking for God's grace
Of being thankful for His mercy

This was a week of forgiveness and mercy

True religion

"An essential principle of Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching is that religion must be the cause of unity and love amongst men; that it is the supreme effulgence of Divinity, the stimulus of life, the source of honor and productive of eternal existence. Religion is not intended to arouse enmity and hatred nor to become the source of tyranny and injustice. Should it prove to be the cause of hostility, discord and the alienation of mankind, assuredly the absence of religion would be preferable. Religious teachings are like a course of treatment having for its purpose the cure and healing of mankind. If the only outcome of a course of treatment should be mere diagnosis and fruitless discussion of symptoms, it would be better to abandon and abolish it. In this sense the absence of religion would be at least some progress toward unity.

Furthermore, religion must conform to reason and be in accord with the conclusions of science. For religion, reason and science are realities; therefore, these three, being realities, must conform and be reconciled. A question or principle which is religious in its nature must be sanctioned by science. Science must declare it to be valid, and reason must confirm it in order that it may inspire confidence. If religious teaching, however, be at variance with science and reason, it is unquestionably superstition. The Lord of mankind has bestowed upon us the faculty of reason whereby we may discern the realities of things. How then can man rightfully accept any proposition which is not in conformity with the processes of reason and the principles of science? Assuredly such a course cannot inspire man with confidence and real belief. "

-- Abdu'l Baha

The temporary nature of life

"O SON OF MAN!

Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more."

-- Baha'u'llah