Today’s post is shared in honor of the search for truth and a life-changing anniversary.
In a remarkable chapter of Some Answered Questions ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ explains beautifully the five kinds of existence or spirit—vegetable, animal, human, heavenly, and Holy Spirit—showing how human consciousness transcends the body and can attain either perfection or deficiency. We also learn of the Holy Spirit as the higher level of existence above the human kingdom, the divine mediator that renews humanity through successive Revelations, including that of Baha’u’llah.
Regarding the human spirit, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ explains that it has two potential orientations:
But this human spirit has two aspects: one divine and one satanic—that is, it is capable of both the greatest perfection and the greatest deficiency. Should it acquire virtues, it is the noblest of all things; and should it acquire vices, it becomes the most vile.
As to the fourth degree of spirit, it is the heavenly spirit, which is the spirit of faith and the outpouring grace of the All-Merciful. This spirit proceeds from the breath of the Holy Spirit, and through a power born of God it becomes the cause of everlasting life. It is that power which makes the earthly soul heavenly and the imperfect man perfect. It cleanses the impure, unlooses the tongue of the silent, sanctifies the bondslaves of passion and desire, and confers knowledge upon the ignorant.
— Chapter 36, Some Answered Questions
What an incredible gift available to all—a power that can make us loving and compassionate, heavenly and confident, strong and wise.
Today marks the completion of 25 years and the beginning of my 26th year as a Baha’i, simply a follower of the latest line of spiritual education. These years, lived mostly within Chinese society and shaped by the Revelation of Baha’u’llah, have led to an awakening and experiential awareness beyond words—one I hope to share someday.
In light of this milestone, I felt moved to look back at my earliest expressions of faith.
The first poem arose from my understanding of the oneness of humanity and how prejudices and hatred stem from ignorance of this truth. I wrote it during graduate school while completing an independent study of racism in America. I am deeply grateful to my professor, who incorporated the arts into the program, and to my dearest friend Olu Oyinlade, who, with love and gentle firmness, challenged me in my first year as Baha’i to face these realities:
The second poem was written after receiving an answer to a question of the heart, capturing the joy of witnessing the veil of my own ignorance burn away:
Several cherished souls will forever be remembered for guiding me in my early steps toward the Baha’i Faith and accompanying me to that blessed threshold of recognition. I share just a few here: Janice Rossing, Ardeshir and Mahnaz Masloum, Flora and Danesh Shams—and countless others whose presence enriched my journey.
Weekend learning together, Reflections on the Life of the Spirit, Taiwan, December 2000.
In closing, I wish to share the first prayer I recited upon wholly embracing the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. May we all be granted the light to see more clearly, the ear to hear more deeply, and the heart to know more fully the truths already within us:
O compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for Thou hast awakened and made me conscious. Thou hast given me a seeing eye and favored me with a hearing ear, hast led me to Thy kingdom and guided me to Thy path. Thou hast shown me the right way and caused me to enter the ark of deliverance. O God! Keep me steadfast and make me firm and staunch. Protect me from violent tests and preserve and shelter me in the strongly fortified fortress of Thy Covenant and Testament. Thou art the Powerful. Thou art the Seeing. Thou art the Hearing.
O Thou the Compassionate God. Bestow upon me a heart which, like unto a glass, may be illumined with the light of Thy love, and confer upon me thoughts which may change this world into a rose garden through the outpourings of heavenly grace.
Thou art the Compassionate, the Merciful. Thou art the Great Beneficent God.
— ‘Abdu’l-Baha’
A prayer for teaching, learning, and the profound responsibility of education.
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