Paris Talks

PARIS TALKS
(U.K., Eleventh ed., 1972 reprint)
Filename: PT.ZIP (FN)
Filedate: 02/19/94

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PART I

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THE DUTY OF KINDNESS AND SYMPATHY
TOWARDS STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS

October 16th and 17th, 1911
When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine
everywhere. All men are his brothers.
Let not conventionality cause you to seem cold and
unsympathetic when you meet strange people from
other countries. Do not look at them as though you
suspected them of being evil-doers, thieves and boors.
You think it necessary to be very careful, not to expose
yourselves to the risk of making acquaintance with
such, possibly, undesirable people.
I ask you not to think only of yourselves. Be kind
to the strangers, whether come they from Turkey,
Japan, Persia, Russia, China or any other country in
the world.
Help to make them feel at home; find out where
they are staying, ask if you may render them any
service; try to make their lives a little happier.
In this way, even if, sometimes, what you at first
suspected should be true, still go out of your way to be
kind to them--this kindness will help them to become
better.
After all, why should any foreign people be treated
as strangers?
Let those who meet you know, without your proclaiming
the fact, that you are indeed a &Baha'i.

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Put into practice the Teaching of &Baha'u'llah, that
of kindness to all nations. Do not be content with
showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn
with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.
Oh, you of the Western nations, be kind to those
who come from the Eastern world to sojourn among
you. Forget your conventionality when you speak
with them; they are not accustomed to it. To Eastern
peoples this demeanour seems cold, unfriendly. Rather
let your manner be sympathetic. Let it be seen that
you are filled with universal love. When you meet a
Persian or any other stranger, speak to him as to a
friend; if he seems to be lonely try to help him, give
him of your willing service; if he be sad console him,
if poor succour him, if oppressed rescue him, if in
misery comfort him. In so doing you will manifest
that not in words only, but in deed and in truth, you
think of all men as your brothers.
What profit is there in agreeing that universal friendship
is good, and talking of the solidarity of the human
race as a grand ideal? Unless these thoughts are translated
into the world of action, they are useless.
The wrong in the world continues to exist just because
people talk only of their ideals, and do not strive
to put them into practice. If actions took the place of
words, the world's misery would very soon be changed
into comfort.
A man who does great good, and talks not of it, is
on the way to perfection.
The man who has accomplished a small good and
magnifies it in his speech is worth very little.

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If I love you, I need not continually speak of my
love--you will know without any words. On the other
hand if I love you not, that also will you know--and
you would not believe me, were I to tell you in a
thousand words, that I loved you.
People make much profession of goodness, multiplying
fine words because they wish to be thought
greater and better than their fellows, seeking fame in
the eyes of the world. Those who do most good use
fewest words concerning their actions.
The children of God do the works without boasting,
obeying His laws.
My hope for you is that you will ever avoid tyranny
and oppression; that you will work without ceasing
till justice reigns in every land, that you will keep your
hearts pure and your hands free from unrighteousness.
This is what the near approach to God requires from
you, and this is what I expect of you.


THE POWER AND VALUE OF TRUE THOUGHT
DEPEND UPON ITS MANIFESTATION IN ACTION

October 18th
The reality of man is his thought, not his material
body. The thought force and the animal force are
partners. Although man is part of the animal creation,
he possesses a power of thought superior to all other
created beings.
If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards
heavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on

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the other hand his thought does not soar, but is
directed downwards to centre itself upon the things of
this world, he grows more and more material until he
arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.
Thoughts may be divided into two classes:
(1st) Thought that belongs to the world of thought
alone.
(2nd) Thought that expresses itself in action.
Some men and women glory in their exalted
thoughts, but if these thoughts never reach the plane
of action they remain useless: the power of thought is
dependent on its manifestation in deeds. A philosopher's
thought may, however, in the world of progress and
evolution, translate itself into the actions of other
people, even when they themselves are unable or unwilling
to show forth their grand ideals in their own
lives. To this class the majority of philosophers belong,
their teachings being high above their actions. This is
the difference between philosophers who are Spiritual
Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the
Spiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching;
He brings down into the world of action His spiritual
conceptions and ideals. His Divine thoughts are made
manifest to the world. His thought is Himself, from
which He is inseparable. When we find a philosopher
emphasizing the importance and grandeur of justice,
and then encouraging a rapacious monarch in his
oppression and tyranny, we quickly realize that he
belongs to the first class: for he thinks heavenly
thoughts and does not practise the corresponding
heavenly virtues.

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This state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers,
for they ever express their high and noble thoughts in
actions.


GOD IS THE GREAT COMPASSIONATE PHYSICIAN
WHO ALONE GIVES TRUE HEALING

October 19th
All true healing comes from God! There are two
causes for sickness, one is material, the other
spiritual. If the sickness is of the body, a material
remedy is needed, if of the soul, a spiritual remedy.
If the heavenly benediction be upon us while we
are being healed then only can we be made whole, for
medicine is but the outward and visible means through
which we obtain the heavenly healing. Unless the
spirit be healed, the cure of the body is worth nothing.
All is in the hands of God, and without Him there
can be no health in us!
There have been many men who have died at last of
the very disease of which they have made a special
study. Aristotle, for instance, who made a special study
of the digestion, died of a gastronomic malady.
Aviseu was a specialist of the heart, but he died of
heart disease. God is the great compassionate Physician
who alone has the power to give true healing.
All creatures are dependent upon God, however
great may seem their knowledge, power and independence.
Behold the mighty kings upon earth, for they have

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all the power in the world that man can give them,
and yet when death calls they must obey, even as the
peasants at their gates.
Look also at the animals, how helpless they are in
their apparent strength! For the elephant, the largest of
all animals, is troubled by the fly, and the lion cannot
escape the irritation of the worm. Even man, the
highest form of created beings, needs many things for
his very life; first of all he needs air, and if he is
deprived of it for a few minutes, he dies. He is also
dependent on water, food, clothing, warmth, and
many other things. On all sides he is surrounded by
dangers and difficulties, against which his physical body
alone cannot cope. If a man looks at the world around
him, he will see how all created things are dependent
and are captive to the laws of Nature.
Man alone, by his spiritual power, has been able to
free himself, to soar above the world of matter and to
make it his servant.
Without the help of God man is even as the beasts
that perish, but God has bestowed such wonderful
power upon him that he might ever look upward, and
receive, among other gifts, healing from His divine
Bounty.
But alas! man is not grateful for this supreme good,
but sleeps the sleep of negligence, being careless of the
great mercy which God has shown towards him,
turning his face away from the light and going on his
way in darkness.
It is my earnest prayer, that ye be not like unto this,
but rather that ye keep your faces steadfastly turned to

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the light, so that ye may be as lighted torches in the
dark places of life.


THE NEED FOR UNION BETWEEN THE PEOPLES
OF THE EAST AND WEST

Friday, October 20th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
In the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of
Truth has always shone from the horizon of the East.
Abraham appeared in the East. In the East Moses
arose to lead and teach the people. On the Eastern
horizon arose the Lord Christ. &Muhammad was sent to
an Eastern nation. The &Bab arose in the Eastern land
of Persia. &Baha'u'llah lived and taught in the East.
All the great Spiritual Teachers arose in the Eastern
world. But although the Sun of Christ dawned in the
East the radiance thereof was apparent in the West,
where the effulgence of its glory was more clearly seen.
The divine light of His Teaching shone with a greater
force in the Western world, where it has made a more
rapid headway than in the land of its birth.
In these days the East is in need of material progress
and the West is in want of a spiritual idea. It would be
well for the West to turn to the East for illumination,
and to give in exchange its scientific knowledge. There
must be this interchange of gifts.
The East and the West must unite to give to each
other what is lacking. This union will bring about a

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true civilization, where the spiritual is expressed and
carried out in the material.
Receiving thus the one from the other the greatest
harmony will prevail, all people will be united, a state
of great perfection will be attained, there will be a firm
cementing, and this world will become a shining
mirror for the reflection of the attributes of God.
We all, the Eastern with the Western nations, must
strive day and night with heart and soul to achieve
this high ideal, to cement the unity between all the
nations of the earth. Every heart will then be refreshed,
all eyes will be opened, the most wonderful power will
be given, the happiness of humanity will be assured.
We must pray that by the Bounty of God, Persia will
be enabled to receive the material and mental civilization
of the West, and by Divine Grace to give in return
her spiritual light. The devoted energetic work of the
united peoples, occidentals and orientals, will succeed
in establishing this result, for the force of the Holy
Spirit will aid them.
The principles of the Teachings of &Baha'u'llah should
be carefully studied, one by one, until they are realized
and understood by mind and heart--so will you become
strong followers of the light, truly spiritual,
heavenly soldiers of God, acquiring and spreading the
true civilization in Persia, in Europe, and in the whole
world.
This will be the paradise which is to come on earth,
when all mankind will be gathered together under the
tent of unity in the Kingdom of Glory.

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GOD COMPREHENDS ALL: HE CANNOT BE
COMPREHENDED

Friday evening, October 20th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
Numerous meetings are held in Paris every day
for different purposes, to discuss politics, commerce,
education, art, science and many other subjects.
All these meetings are good: but this assembly has
met together to turn their faces towards God, to learn
how best to work for the good of humanity, to seek
how prejudices may be abolished, and the seed of
love and universal brotherhood sown in the heart of
man.
God approves of the motive of our gathering together
and gives us His blessing.
In the Old Testament we read that God said, `Let
us make man in Our own image'. In the Gospel, Christ
said, `I am in the Father, and the Father in Me'.+F1 In
the &Qur'an, God says, `Man is my Mystery and I am
his'. &Baha'u'llah writes that God says, `Thy heart is
My home; purify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My
place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation'.
All these sacred words show us that man is made in
God's image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible
to the human mind, for the finite understanding
cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery. God
contains all: He cannot be contained. That which

+F1 St. John xiv, II

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contains is superior to that which is contained. The
whole is greater than its parts.
Things which are understood by men cannot be outside
their capacity for understanding, so that it is
impossible for the heart of man to comprehend the
nature of the Majesty of God. Our imagination can
only picture that which it is able to create.
The power of the understanding differs in degree in
the various kingdoms of creation. The mineral, vegetable,
and animal realms are each incapable of understanding
any creation beyond their own. The mineral
cannot imagine the growing power of the plant. The
tree cannot understand the power of movement in the
animal, neither can it comprehend what it would mean
to possess sight, hearing or the sense of smell. These
all belong to the physical creation.
Man also shares in this creation; but it is not possible
for either of the lower kingdoms to understand that
which takes place in the mind of man. The animal
cannot realize the intelligence of a human being, he
only knows that which is perceived by his animal
senses, he cannot imagine anything in the abstract. An
animal could not learn that the world is round, that
the earth revolves round the sun, or the construction
of the electric telegraph. These things are only possible
to man. Man is the highest work of creation, the
nearest to God of all creatures.
All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the
inferior; how therefore could it be possible that the
creature, man, should understand the almighty Creator
of all?

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That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God;
He, the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond
the highest conception of man.
All creatures that exist are dependent upon the
Divine Bounty. Divine Mercy gives life itself. As
the light of the sun shines on the whole world, so the
Mercy of the infinite God is shed on all creatures. As
the sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and gives life and
warmth to all living beings, so shines the Sun of Truth
on all souls, filling them with the fire of Divine love
and understanding.
The superiority of man over the rest of the created
world is seen again in this, that man has a soul in
which dwells the divine spirit; the souls of the lower
creatures are inferior in their essence.
There is no doubt then, that of all created beings
man is the nearest to the nature of God, and therefore
receives a greater gift of the Divine Bounty.
The mineral kingdom possesses the power of existing.
The plant has the power of existing and growing.
The animal, in addition to existence and growth, has
the capacity of moving about, and the use of the
faculties of the senses. In the human kingdom we find
all the attributes of the lower worlds, with much more
added thereto. Man is the sum of every previous
creation, for he contains them all.
To man is given the special gift of the intellect by
which he is able to receive a larger share of the light
Divine. The Perfect Man is as a polished mirror
reflecting the Sun of Truth, manifesting the attributes
of God.

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The Lord Christ said, `He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father'--God manifested in man.
The sun does not leave his place in the heavens and
descend into the mirror, for the actions of ascent and
descent, coming and going, do not belong to the
Infinite, they are the methods of finite beings. In the
Manifestation of God, the perfectly polished mirror,
appear the qualities of the Divine in a form that man is
capable of comprehending.
This is so simple that all can understand it, and that
which we are able to understand we must perforce
accept.
Our Father will not hold us responsible for the rejection
of dogmas which we are unable either to believe
or comprehend, for He is ever infinitely just to His
children.
This example is, however, so logical that it can easily
be grasped by all minds willing to give it their consideration.
May each one of you become a shining lamp, of
which the flame is the Love of God. May your hearts
burn with the radiance of unity. May your eyes be
illumined with the effulgence of the Sun of Truth!
The city of Paris is very beautiful, a more civilized
and well-appointed town in all material development
it would be impossible to find in the present world. But
the spiritual light has not shone upon her for a long
time: her spiritual progress is far behind that of her
material civilization. A supreme power is needed to
awaken her to the reality of spiritual truth, to breathe
the breath of life into her dormant soul. You must all

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unite in this work of arousing her, in reanimating her
people by the help of that Superior Force.
When an illness is slight a small remedy will suffice
to heal it, but when the slight illness becomes a terrible
disease, then a very strong remedy must be used by the
Divine Healer. There are some trees that blossom and
bear fruit in a cool climate, others there are which need
the hottest rays of the sun to bring them to perfect
maturity. Paris is one of those trees for whose spiritual
unfoldment a great flaming Sun of the Divine Power
of God is needed.
I ask you all, each one of you, to follow well the
light of truth, in the Holy Teachings, and God will
strengthen you by His Holy Spirit so that you will be
enabled to overcome the difficulties, and to destroy
the prejudices which cause separation and hatred
amongst the people. Let your hearts be filled with the
great love of God, let it be felt by all; for every man is
a servant of God, and all are entitled to a share of the
Divine Bounty.
Especially to those whose thoughts are material
and retrograde show the utmost love and patience,
thereby winning them into the unity of fellowship by
the radiance of your kindness.
If you are faithful to your great work, following the
Holy Sun of Truth without swerving, then will the
blessed day of universal brotherhood dawn on this
beautiful city.

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THE PITIFUL CAUSES OF WAR, AND THE DUTY
OF EVERYONE TO STRIVE FOR PEACE

October 21st

&Abdu'l-Baha said:
I hope you are all happy and well. I am not
happy, but very sad. The news of the Battle of Benghazi
grieves my heart. I wonder at the human savagery
that still exists in the world! How is it possible for men
to fight from morning until evening, killing each other,
shedding the blood of their fellow-men: And for
what object? To gain possession of a part of the earth!
Even the animals, when they fight, have an immediate
and more reasonable cause for their attacks! How
terrible it is that men, who are of the higher kingdom,
can descend to slaying and bringing misery to their
fellow-beings, for the possession of a tract of land!
The highest of created beings fighting to obtain the
lowest form of matter, earth! Land belongs not to one
people, but to all people. This earth is not man's home,
but his tomb. It is for their tombs these men are
fighting. There is nothing so horrible in this world as
the tomb, the abode of the decaying bodies of men.
However great the conqueror, however many
countries he may reduce to slavery, he is unable to
retain any part of these devastated lands but one tiny
portion--his tomb! If more land is required for the
improvement of the condition of the people, for the
spread of civilization (for the substitution of just laws
for brutal customs)--surely it would be possible to

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acquire peaceably the necessary extension of territory.
But war is made for the satisfaction of men's ambition;
for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible
misery is brought to numberless homes, breaking the
hearts of hundreds of men and women!
How many widows mourn their husbands, how
many stories of savage cruelty do we hear! How many
little orphaned children are crying for their dead
fathers, how many women are weeping for their slain
sons!
There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as
an outburst of human savagery!
I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all
the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a
thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought
of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a
more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war
bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness
and content.
Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood,
peace, friendship, and happiness.
When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill,
soldiers of God clasp each other's hands! So may all
the savagery of man disappear by the Mercy of God,
working through the pure in heart and the sincere of
soul. Do not think the peace of the world an ideal
impossible to attain!
Nothing is impossible to the Divine Benevolence of
God.
If you desire with all your heart, friendship with
every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and

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positive, will spread; it will become the desire of
others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches
the minds of all men.
Do not despair! Work steadily. Sincerity and love
will conquer hate. How many seemingly impossible
events are coming to pass in these days! Set your faces
steadily towards the Light of the World. Show love
to all; `Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit in the
heart of Man'. Take courage! God never forsakes His
children who strive and work and pray! Let your hearts
be filled with the strenuous desire that tranquillity and
harmony may encircle all this warring world. So will
success crown your efforts, and with the universal
brotherhood will come the Kingdom of God in peace
and goodwill.
In this room today are members of many races,
French, American, English, German, Italian, brothers
and sisters meeting in friendship and harmony! Let
this gathering be a foreshadowing of what will, in
very truth, take place in this world, when every child
of God realizes that they are leaves of one tree, flowers
in one garden, drops in one ocean, and sons and
daughters of one Father, whose name is love!


THE SUN OF TRUTH

October 22nd
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
It is a lovely day, the sun shines brightly upon the
earth, giving light and warmth to all creatures. The
Sun of Truth is also shining, giving light and warmth

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to the souls of men. The sun is the life-giver to the
physical bodies of all creatures upon earth; without its
warmth their growth would be stunted, their development
would be arrested, they would decay and die.
Even so do the souls of men need the Sun of Truth to
shed its rays upon their souls, to develop them, to
educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the body
of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul.
A man may have attained to a high degree of
material progress, but without the light of truth his
soul is stunted and starved. Another man may have no
material gifts, may be at the bottom of the social
ladder, but, having received the warmth of the Sun of
Truth his soul is great and his spiritual understanding
is enlightened.
A Greek philosopher living in the days of the youth
of Christianity, being full of the Christian element,
though not a professing Christian, wrote thus: `It is
my belief that religion is the very foundation of true
civilization'. For, unless the moral character of a nation
is educated, as well as its brain and its talents, civilization
has no sure basis.
As religion inculcates morality, it is therefore the
truest philosophy, and on it is built the only lasting
civilization. As an example of this, he points out the
Christians of the time whose morality was on a very
high level. The belief of this philosopher conforms to
the truth, for the civilization of Christianity was the
best and most enlightened in the world. The Christian
Teaching was illumined by the Divine Sun of Truth,
therefore its followers were taught to love all men as

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brothers to fear nothing, not even death! To love
their neighbours as themselves, and to forget their own
selfish interests in striving for the greater good of
humanity. The grand aim of the religion of Christ was
to draw the hearts of all men nearer to God's effulgent
Truth.
If the followers of the Lord Christ had continued to
follow out these principles with steadfast faithfulness,
there would have been no need for a renewal of the
Christian Message, no necessity for a re-awakening of
His people, for a great and glorious civilization would
now be ruling the world and the Kingdom of Heaven
would have come on earth.
But instead of this, what has taken place! Men
turned away their faces from following the divinely
illuminated precepts of their Master, and winter fell
upon the hearts of men. For, as the body of man depends
for life upon the rays of the sun, so cannot the
celestial virtues grow in the soul without the radiance
of the Sun of Truth.
God leaves not His children comfortless, but, when
the darkness of winter overshadows them, then again
He sends His Messengers, the Prophets, with a renewal
of the blessed spring. The Sun of Truth appears again
on the horizon of the world shining into the eyes of
those who sleep, awaking them to behold the glory of
a new dawn. Then again will the tree of humanity
blossom and bring forth the fruit of righteousness for
the healing of the nations. Because man has stopped his
ears to the Voice of Truth and shut his eyes to the
Sacred Light, neglecting the Law of God, for this

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reason has the darkness of war and tumult, unrest and
misery, desolated the earth. I pray that you will all
strive to bring each child of God into the radiance of
the Sun of Truth, that the darkness may be dissipated
by the penetrating rays of its glory, and the winter's
hardness and cold may be melted away by the merciful
warmth of its shining.


THE LIGHT OF TRUTH IS NOW SHINING UPON
THE EAST AND WEST

Monday, October 23rd
When a man has found the joy of life in one
place, he returns to that same spot to find more
joy. When a man has found gold in a mine, he returns
again to that mine to dig for more gold.
This shows the internal force and natural instinct
which God has given to man, and the power of vital
energy which is born in him.
The West has always received spiritual enlightenment
from the East. The Song of the Kingdom is first
heard in the East, but in the West the greater volume
of sound bursts upon the listening ears.
The Lord Christ arose as a bright Star in the Eastern
sky, but the light of His Teaching shone more perfectly
in the West, where His influence has taken root more
firmly and His Cause has spread to a greater degree
than in the land of His birth.
The sound of the Song of Christ has echoed over all

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the lands of the Western World and entered the hearts
of its people.
The people of the West are firm, and the foundations
on which they build are of rock; they are steadfast, and
do not easily forget.
The West is like a strong sturdy plant; when the
rain falls gently upon it to give it nourishment and the
sun shines upon it, then does it blossom in due time and
bring forth good fruit. It is a long time since the Sun
of Truth mirrored forth by the Lord Christ has shed
its radiance upon the West, for the Face of God has
been veiled by the sin and forgetfulness of man. But
now again, praise be to God, the Holy Spirit speaks
anew to the world! The constellation of love and
wisdom and power is once more shining from the
Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces
to the Light of God. &Baha'u'llah has rent the veil of
prejudice and superstition which was stifling the souls
of men. Let us pray to God that the breath of the Holy
Spirit may again give hope and refreshment to the
people, awakening in them a desire to do the Will of
God. May heart and soul be vivified in every man: so
will they all rejoice in a new birth.
Then shall humanity put on a new garment in the
radiance of the love of God, and it shall be the dawn of
a new creation! Then will the Mercy of the Most
Merciful be showered upon all mankind and they will
arise to a new life.
My earnest desire is that you will all strive and work
for this glorious end; that you will be faithful and
loving workers in the building of the new spiritual

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civilization; the elect of God, in willing joyful obedience
carrying out His supreme design! Success is truly
near at hand, for the Flag of Divinity has been raised
aloft, and the Sun of the Righteousness of God
appeareth upon the horizon in the sight of all men!


THE UNIVERSAL LOVE

October 24th
An Indian said to &Abdu'l-Baha:
`My aim in life is to transmit as far as in me lies
the message of Krishna to the world.'
&Abdu'l-Baha said: The Message of Krishna is the
message of love. All God's prophets have brought the
message of love. None has ever thought that war
and hate are good. Every one agrees in saying that
love and kindness are best.
Love manifests its reality in deeds, not only in words
--these alone are without effect. In order that love
may manifest its power there must be an object, an
instrument, a motive.
There are many ways of expressing the love principle;
there is love for the family, for the country, for the
race, there is political enthusiasm, there is also the love
of community of interest in service. These are all ways
and means of showing the power of love. Without
any such means, love would be unseen, unheard, unfelt
--altogether unexpressed, unmanifested! Water
shows its power in various ways, in quenching thirst,
causing seed to grow, etc. Coal expresses one of its

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principles in gas-light, while one of the powers of
electricity is shown in the electric light. If there were
neither gas nor electricity, the nights of the world
would be darkness! So, it is necessary to have an
instrument, a motive for love's manifestation, an
object, a mode of expression.
We must find a way of spreading love among the
sons of humanity.
Love is unlimited, boundless, infinite! Material
things are limited, circumscribed, finite. You cannot
adequately express infinite love by limited means.
The perfect love needs an unselfish instrument,
absolutely freed from fetters of every kind. The love
of family is limited; the tie of blood relationship is not
the strongest bond. Frequently members of the same
family disagree, and even hate each other.
Patriotic love is finite; the love of one's country
causing hatred of all others, is not perfect love! Compatriots
also are not free from quarrels amongst
themselves.
The love of race is limited; there is some union here,
but that is insufficient. Love must be free from
boundaries!
To love our own race may mean hatred of all others,
and even people of the same race often dislike each
other.
Political love also is much bound up with hatred of
one party for another; this love is very limited and
uncertain.
The love of community of interest in service is likewise
fluctuating; frequently competitions arise, which

+P37
lead to jealousy, and at length hatred replaces love.
A few years ago, Turkey and Italy had a friendly
political understanding; now they are at war!
All these ties of love are imperfect. It is clear that
limited material ties are insufficient to adequately express
the universal love.
The great unselfish love for humanity is bounded by
none of these imperfect, semi-selfish bonds; this is the
one perfect love, possible to all mankind, and can only
be achieved by the power of the Divine Spirit. No
worldly power can accomplish the universal love.
Let all be united in this Divine power of love! Let
all strive to grow in the light of the Sun of Truth, and
reflecting this luminous love on all men, may their
hearts become so united that they may dwell evermore
in the radiance of the limitless love.
Remember these words which I speak unto you
during the short time I am amongst you in Paris. I
earnestly exhort you: let not your hearts be fettered by
the material things of this world; I charge you not to
lie contentedly on the beds of negligence, prisoners of
matter, but to arise and free yourselves from its chains!
The animal creation is captive to matter, God has
given freedom to man. The animal cannot escape the
law of nature, whereas man may control it, for he,
containing nature, can rise above it.
The power of the Holy Spirit, enlightening man's
intelligence, has enabled him to discover means of
bending many natural laws to his will. He flies through
the air, floats on the sea, and even moves under the
waters.

+P38
All this proves how man's intelligence has been
enabled to free him from the limitations of nature, and
to solve many of her mysteries. Man, to a certain
extent, has broken the chains of matter.
The Holy Spirit will give to man greater powers
than these, if only he will strive after the things of the
spirit and endeavour to attune his heart to the Divine
infinite love.
When you love a member of your family or a compatriot,
let it be with a ray of the Infinite Love! Let
it be in God, and for God! Wherever you find the
attributes of God love that person, whether he be of
your family or of another. Shed the light of a boundless
love on every human being whom you meet,
whether of your country, your race, your political
party, or of any other nation, colour or shade of
political opinion. Heaven will support you while you
work in this in-gathering of the scattered peoples of the
world beneath the shadow of the almighty tent of unity.
You will be servants of God, who are dwelling
near to Him, His divine helpers in the service, ministering
to all Humanity. All Humanity! Every human
being! never forget this!
Do not say, he is an Italian, or a Frenchman, or an
American, or an Englishman, remember only that he
is a son of God, a servant of the Most High, a man! All
are men! Forget nationalities; all are equal in the sight
of God!
Remember not your own limitations; the help of
God will come to you. Forget yourself. God's help
will surely come!

+P39
When you call on the Mercy of God waiting to
reinforce you, your strength will be tenfold.
Look at me: I am so feeble, yet I have had the
strength given me to come amongst you: a poor
servant of God, who has been enabled to give you this
message! I shall not be with you long! One must never
consider one's own feebleness, it is the strength of the
Holy Spirit of Love, which gives the power to teach.
The thought of our own weakness could only bring
despair. We must look higher than all earthly thoughts;
detach ourselves from every material idea, crave for
the things of the spirit; fix our eyes on the everlasting
bountiful Mercy of the Almighty, who will fill our
souls with the gladness of joyful service to His command
`Love One Another'.


THE IMPRISONMENT OF &ABDU'L-BAHA

4 Avenue de &Camoens,
Wednesday, October 25th
I regret much that I have kept you waiting this
morning, but I have so much to do in a short time
for the Cause of the love of God.
You will not mind having waited a little to see me.
I have waited years and years in prison, that I might
come to see you now.
Above all, God be praised, our hearts are always in
unison, and with one aim are drawn to the love of
God. By the Bounty of the Kingdom our desires, our
hearts, our spirits, are they not united in one bond?

+P40
Our prayers, are they not for the gathering together of
all men in harmony? Therefore are we not always
together?
Yesterday evening when I came home from the
house of Monsieur Dreyfus I was very tired--yet I did
not sleep, I lay awake thinking.
I said, O God, Here am I in Paris! What is Paris and
who am I? Never did I dream that from the darkness
of my prison I should ever be able to come to you,
though when they read me my sentence I did not
believe in it.
They told me that &Abdu'l-Hamid had ordered my
everlasting imprisonment, and I said, `This is impossible!
I shall not always be a prisoner. If &Abdu'l-Hamid
were immortal, such a sentence might possibly
be carried out. It is certain that one day I shall be free.
My body may be captive for a time, but &Abdu'l-Hamid
has no power over my spirit--free it must
remain--that can no man imprison'.
Released from my prison by the Power of God I
meet here the friends of God, and I am thankful unto
Him.
Let us spread the Cause of God, for which I suffered
persecution.
What a privilege it is for us to meet here in freedom.
How happy for us that God has so decided that we
may work together for the coming of the Kingdom!
Are you pleased to receive such a guest, freed from
his prison to bring the glorious Message to you? He
who never could have thought such a meeting possible!
Now by the Grace of God, by His wonderful Power,

+P41
I, who was condemned to perpetual imprisonment in
a far off town of the East, am here in Paris talking with
you!
Henceforward we shall always be together, heart and
soul and spirit, pressing forward in the work till all
men are gathered together under the tent of the Kingdom,
singing the songs of peace.


GOD'S GREATEST GIFT TO MAN

Thursday, October 26th
God's greatest gift to man is that of intellect, or
understanding.
The understanding is the power by which man
acquires his knowledge of the several kingdoms of
creation, and of various stages of existence, as well as
of much which is invisible.
Possessing this gift, he is, in himself, the sum of
earlier creations--he is able to get into touch with those
kingdoms; and by this gift, he can frequently, through
his scientific knowledge, reach out with prophetic
vision.
Intellect is, in truth, the most precious gift bestowed
upon man by the Divine Bounty. Man alone, among
created beings, has this wonderful power.
All creation, preceding Man, is bound by the stern
law of nature. The great sun, the multitudes of stars,
the oceans and seas, the mountains, the rivers, the
trees, and all animals, great or small--none is able to
evade obedience to nature's law.

+P42
Man alone has freedom, and, by his understanding
or intellect, has been able to gain control of and adapt
some of those natural laws to his own needs. By the
power of his intellect he has discovered means by which
he not only traverses great continents in express trains
and crosses vast oceans in ships, but, like the fish
he travels under water in submarines, and, imitating the
birds, he flies through the air in airships.
Man has succeeded in using electricity in several
ways--for light, for motive power, for sending
messages from one end of the earth to the other--and
by electricity he can even hear a voice many miles
away!
By this gift of understanding or intellect he has also
been able to use the rays of the sun to picture people
and things, and even to capture the form of distant
heavenly bodies.
We perceive in what numerous ways man has been
able to bend the powers of nature to his will.
How grievous it is to see how man has used his God-given
gift to frame instruments of war, for breaking
the Commandment of God `Thou shalt not kill', and
for defying Christ's injunction to `Love one another'.
God gave this power to man that it might be used
for the advancement of civilization, for the good of
humanity, to increase love and concord and peace.
But man prefers to use this gift to destroy instead of
to build, for injustice and oppression, for hatred and
discord and devastation, for the destruction of his
fellow-creatures, whom Christ has commanded that
he should love as himself!

+P43
I hope that you will use your understanding to promote
the unity and tranquillity of mankind, to give
enlightenment and civilization to the people, to produce
love in all around you, and to bring about the
universal peace.
Study the sciences, acquire more and more knowledge.
Assuredly one may learn to the end of one's
life! Use your knowledge always for the benefit of
others; so may war cease on the face of this beautiful
earth, and a glorious edifice of peace and concord be
raised. Strive that your high ideals may be realized
in the Kingdom of God on earth, as they will be in
Heaven.


THE CLOUDS THAT OBSCURE THE SUN OF
TRUTH

4 Avenue de &Camoens,
Morning of Friday, October 27th
The day is fine, the air is pure, the sun shines, no
mist nor cloud obscures its radiance.
These brilliant rays penetrate into all parts of the city;
so may the Sun of Truth illumine the minds of men.
Christ said, `They shall see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of Heaven'.+F1 &Baha'u'llah said, `When
Christ came for the first time He came upon the
clouds'.+F2 Christ said that He had come from the sky,
from Heaven--that He came forth from God--while
He was born of Mary, His Mother. But when He

+F1 St Matthew xxiv, 30. St Matthew xvi, 27.
+F2 St John iii, 13.

+P44
declared that He had come from Heaven, it is clear
that He did not mean the blue firmament but that He
spoke of the Heaven of the Kingdom of God, and
that from this Heaven He descended upon the clouds.
As clouds are obstacles to the shining of the sun, so
the clouds of the world of humanity hid from the
eyes of men the radiance of the Divinity of Christ.
Men said, `He is of Nazareth, born of Mary, we
know Him and we know his brethren. What can He
mean? What is He saying? That He came forth from
God?'
The Body of Christ was born of Mary of Nazareth,
but the Spirit was of God. The capacities of His human
body were limited but the strength of His spirit was
vast, infinite, immeasurable.
Men asked, `Why does He say He is of God?' If
they had understood the reality of Christ, they would
have known that the body of His humanity was a
cloud that hid His Divinity. The world only saw His
human form, and therefore wondered how He could
have `come down from Heaven'.
&Baha'u'llah said, `Even as the clouds hide the sun
and the sky from our gaze, even so did the humanity
of Christ hide from men His real Divine character'.
I hope that you will turn with unclouded eyes towards
the Sun of Truth, beholding not the things of
earth, lest your hearts be attracted to the worthless and
passing pleasures of the world; let that Sun give you
of His strength, then will not the clouds of prejudice
veil His illumination from your eyes! Then will the
Sun be without clouds for you.

+P45
Breathe the air of purity. May you each and all
share in the Divine Bounties of the Kingdom of
Heaven. May the world be for you no obstacle hiding
the truth from your sight, as the human body of
Christ hid His Divinity from the people of His day.
May you receive the clear vision of the Holy Spirit,
so that your hearts may be illumined and able to
recognize the Sun of Truth shining through all material
clouds, His splendour flooding the universe.
Let not the things of the body obscure the celestial
light of the spirit, so that, by the Divine Bounty, you
may enter with the children of God into His Eternal
Kingdom.
This is my prayer for you all.


RELIGIOUS PREJUDICES

October 27th
The basis of the teaching of &Baha'u'llah is the Unity
of Mankind, and his greatest desire was that love
and goodwill should live in the heart of men.
As He exhorted the people to do away with strife
and discord, so I wish to explain to you the principal
reason of the unrest among nations. The chief cause
is the misrepresentation of religion by the religious
leaders and teachers. They teach their followers to
believe that their own form of religion is the only one
pleasing to God, and that followers of any other persuasion
are condemned by the All-Loving Father and
deprived of His Mercy and Grace. Hence arise among

+P46
the peoples, disapproval, contempt, disputes and hatred.
If these religious prejudices could be swept away, the
nations would soon enjoy peace and concord.
I was once at Tiberias where the Jews have a Temple.
I was staying in a house just opposite the Temple, and
there I saw and heard a Rabbi speaking to his congregation
of Jews, and he spoke thus:
`O Jews, you are in truth the people of God! All
other races and religions are of the devil. God has
created you the descendants of Abraham, and He has
showered His blessings upon you. Unto you God sent
Moses, Jacob and Joseph, and many other great prophets.
These prophets, one and all, were of your race.
`It was for you that God broke the power of Pharaoh
and caused the Red Sea to dry up; to you also He sent
manna from above to be your food, and out of the
stony rock did He give you water to quench your
thirst. You are indeed the chosen people of God, you
are above all the races of the earth! Therefore, all other
races are abhorrent to God, and condemned by Him.
In truth you will govern and subdue the world, and
all men shall become your slaves.
`Do not profane yourselves by consorting with
people who are not of your own religion, make not
friends of such men.'
When the Rabbi had finished his eloquent discourse,
his hearers were filled with joy and satisfaction. It
is impossible to describe to you their happiness!
Alas! It is misguided ones like these who are the
cause of division and hatred upon earth. Today there
are millions of people who still worship idols, and the

+P47
great religions of the world are at war among themselves.
For 1,300 years, Christians and Mussulmans
have been quarrelling, when with very little effort their
differences and disputes could be overcome and peace
and harmony could exist between them and the world
could be at rest!
In the &Qur'an we read that &Muhammad spoke to his
followers, saying:
`Why do you not believe in Christ, and in the
Gospel? Why will you not accept Moses and the
Prophets, for surely the Bible is the Book of God? In
truth, Moses was a sublime Prophet, and Jesus was
filled with the Holy Spirit. He came to the world
through the Power of God, born of the Holy Spirit and
of the blessed Virgin Mary. Mary, His mother, was
a saint from Heaven. She passed her days in the Temple
at prayer and food was sent to her from above. Her
father, Zacharias, came to her and asked her from
whence the food came, and Mary made answer, "From
on high." Surely God made Mary to be exalted above
all other women.'
This is what &Muhammad taught His people concerning
Jesus and Moses, and He reproached them for their
lack of faith in these great Teachers, and taught them
the lessons of truth and tolerance. &Muhammad was
sent from God to work among a people as savage and
uncivilized as the wild beasts. They were quite devoid
of understanding, nor had they any feelings of love,
sympathy and pity. Women were so degraded and
despised that a man could bury his daughter alive, and
he had as many wives to be his slaves as he chose.

+P48
Among these half animal people &Muhammad was
sent with His divine Message. He taught the people
that idol worship was wrong, but that they should
reverence Christ, Moses and the Prophets. Under His
influence they became a more enlightened and civilized
people and arose from the degraded state in which He
found them. Was not this a good work, and worthy of
all praise, respect and love?
Look at the Gospel of the Lord Christ and see how
glorious it is! Yet even today men fail to understand
its priceless beauty, and misinterpret its words of
wisdom.
Christ forbade war! When the disciple Peter, thinking
to defend his Lord, cut off the ear of the servant of the
High Priest, Christ said to him: `Put up thy sword
into the sheath'.+F1 Yet, in spite of the direct command
of the Lord they profess to serve--men still dispute,
make war, and kill one another, and His counsels and
teaching seem quite forgotten.
But do not therefore attribute to the Masters and
Prophets the evil deeds of their followers. If the priests,
teachers and people, lead lives which are contrary to
the religion they profess to follow, is that the fault of
Christ or the other Teachers?
The people of &Islam were taught to realize how
Jesus came from God and was born of the Spirit, and
that He must be glorified of all men. Moses was a
prophet of God, and revealed in His day and for the
people to whom He was sent, the Book of God.
&Muhammad recognized the sublime grandeur of

+F1 St John xviii, 11.

+P49
Christ and the greatness of Moses and the prophets. If
only the whole world would acknowledge the greatness
of &Muhammad and all the Heaven-sent Teachers,
strife and discord would soon vanish from the face of
the earth, and God's Kingdom would come among
men.
The people of &Islam who glorify Christ are not
humiliated by so doing.
Christ was the Prophet of the Christians, Moses of
the Jews--why should not the followers of each prophet
recognize and honour the other prophets also?
If men could only learn the lesson of mutual tolerance,
understanding, and brotherly love, the unity of the
world would soon be an established fact.
&Baha'u'llah spent His life teaching this lesson of Love
and Unity. Let us then put away from us all prejudice
and intolerance, and strive with all our hearts and souls
to bring about understanding and unity between
Christians and Mussulmans.


THE BENEFITS OF GOD TO MAN

4 Avenue de &Camoens,
October 27th
God alone ordereth all things and is all-powerful.
Why then does He send trials to His servants?
The trials of man are of two kinds. (a) The consequences
of his own actions. If a man eats too much,
he ruins his digestion; if he takes poison he becomes

+P50
ill or dies. If a person gambles he will lose his money;
if he drinks too much he will lose his equilibrium. All
these sufferings are caused by the man himself, it is
quite clear therefore that certain sorrows are the result
of our own deeds.
(b) Other sufferings there are, which come upon the
Faithful of God. Consider the great sorrows endured
by Christ and by His apostles!
Those who suffer most, attain to the greatest perfection.
Those who declare a wish to suffer much for Christ's
sake must prove their sincerity; those who proclaim
their longing to make great sacrifices can only prove
their truth by their deeds. Job proved the fidelity of
his love for God by being faithful through his great
adversity, as well as during the prosperity of his life.
The apostles of Christ who steadfastly bore all their
trials and sufferings--did they not prove their faithfulness?
Was not their endurance the best proof?
These griefs are now ended.
Caiaphas lived a comfortable and happy life while
Peter's life was full of sorrow and trial; which of these
two is the more enviable? Assuredly we should choose
the present state of Peter, for he possesses immortal
life whilst Caiaphas has won eternal shame. The trials
of Peter tested his fidelity. Tests are benefits from God,
for which we should thank Him. Grief and sorrow do
not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the
Divine Mercy for our own perfecting.
While a man is happy he may forget his God; but
when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then

+P51
will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and
who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.
Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant
most pruned by the gardeners is that one which,
when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful
blossoms and the most abundant fruit.
The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and
from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest.
The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest
of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is
no good General until he has been in the front of the
fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds.
The prayer of the prophets of God has always been,
and still is: Oh God, I long to lay down my life in the
path to Thee! I desire to shed my blood for Thee, and
to make the supreme sacrifice.


BEAUTY AND HARMONY IN DIVERSITY

October 28th
The Creator of all is One God.
From this same God all creation sprang into existence,
and He is the one goal, towards which everything
in nature yearns. This conception was embodied in the
words of Christ, when He said, `I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end'. Man is the sum
of Creation, and the Perfect Man is the expression of
the complete thought of the Creator--the Word of
God.
Consider the world of created beings, how varied

+P52
and diverse they are in species, yet with one sole origin.
All the differences that appear are those of outward
form and colour. This diversity of type is apparent
throughout the whole of nature.
Behold a beautiful garden full of flowers, shrubs, and
trees. Each flower has a different charm, a peculiar
beauty, its own delicious perfume and beautiful colour.
The trees too, how varied are they in size, in growth,
in foliage--and what different fruits they bear! Yet all
these flowers, shrubs and trees spring from the self-same
earth, the same sun shines upon them and the
same clouds give them rain.
So it is with humanity. It is made up of many races,
and its peoples are of different colour, white, black,
yellow, brown and red--but they all come from the
same God, and all are servants to Him. This diversity
among the children of men has unhappily not the same
effect as it has among the vegetable creation, where the
spirit shown is more harmonious. Among men exists
the diversity of animosity, and it is this that causes
war and hatred among the different nations of the
world.
Differences which are only those of blood also cause
them to destroy and kill one another. Alas! that this
should still be so. Let us look rather at the beauty
in diversity, the beauty of harmony, and learn a lesson
from the vegetable creation. If you beheld a garden in
which all the plants were the same as to form, colour
and perfume, it would not seem beautiful to you at all,
but, rather, monotonous and dull. The garden which
is pleasing to the eye and which makes the heart glad,

+P53
is the garden in which are growing side by side flowers
of every hue, form and perfume, and the joyous contrast
of colour is what makes for charm and beauty. So
is it with trees. An orchard full of fruit trees is a delight;
so is a plantation planted with many species of
shrubs. It is just the diversity and variety that constitutes
its charm; each flower, each tree, each fruit, beside
being beautiful in itself, brings out by contrast the
qualities of the others, and shows to advantage the
special loveliness of each and all.
Thus should it be among the children of men! The
diversity in the human family should be the cause of
love and harmony, as it is in music where many
different notes blend together in the making of a perfect
chord. If you meet those of different race and colour
from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw
yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather
be glad and show them kindness. Think of them as
different coloured roses growing in the beautiful
garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them.
Likewise, when you meet those whose opinions differ
from your own, do not turn away your face from
them. All are seeking truth, and there are many roads
leading thereto. Truth has many aspects, but it remains
always and forever one.
Do not allow difference of opinion, or diversity of
thought to separate you from your fellow-men, or to
be the cause of dispute, hatred and strife in your
hearts.
Rather, search diligently for the truth and make all
men your friends.

+P54
Every edifice is made of many different stones, yet
each depends on the other to such an extent that if
one were displaced the whole building would suffer;
if one is faulty the structure is imperfect.
&Baha'u'llah has drawn the circle of unity, He has
made a design for the uniting of all the peoples, and
for the gathering of them all under the shelter of the
tent of universal unity. This is the work of the Divine
Bounty, and we must all strive with heart and soul
until we have the reality of unity in our midst, and
as we work, so will strength be given unto us. Leave
all thought of self, and strive only to be obedient and
submissive to the Will of God. In this way only shall
we become citizens of the Kingdom of God, and attain
unto life everlasting.


THE TRUE MEANING OF THE PROPHECIES
CONCERNING THE COMING OF CHRIST

October 30th
In the Bible there are prophecies of the coming of
Christ. The Jews still await the coming of the
Messiah, and pray to God day and night to hasten His
advent.
When Christ came they denounced and slew Him,
saying: `This is not the One for whom we wait.
Behold when the Messiah shall come, signs and wonders
shall testify that He is in truth the Christ. We know
the signs and conditions, and they have not appeared.
The Messiah will arise out of an unknown city. He

+P55
shall sit upon the throne of David, and behold, He shall
come with a sword of steel, and with a sceptre of iron
shall He rule! He shall fulfil the law of the Prophets,
He shall conquer the East and the West, and shall
glorify His chosen people the Jews. He shall bring
with Him a reign of peace, during which even the
animals shall cease to be at enmity with man. For
behold the wolf and the lamb shall drink from the
same spring, and the lion and the doe shall lie down in
the same pasture, the serpent and the mouse shall share
the same nest, and all God's creatures shall be at rest'.
According to the Jews, Jesus the Christ fulfilled none
of these conditions, for their eyes were holden and
they could not see.
He came from Nazareth, no unknown place. He
carried no sword in His hand, nor even a stick. He
did not sit upon the Throne of David, He was a poor
man. He reformed the Law of Moses, and broke the
Sabbath Day. He did not conquer the East and the
West, but was Himself subject to the Roman Law. He
did not exalt the Jews, but taught equality and brotherhood,
and rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees. He
brought in no reign of peace, for during His lifetime
injustice and cruelty reached such a height that even
He Himself fell a victim to it, and died a shameful
death upon the cross.
Thus the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not
understand the Scriptures nor the glorious truths that
were contained in them. The letter they knew by
heart, but of the life-giving spirit they understood not
a word.

+P56
Hearken, and I will show you the meaning thereof.
Although He came from Nazareth, which was a known
place, He also came from Heaven. His body was born
of Mary, but His Spirit came from Heaven. The sword
He carried was the sword of His tongue, with which
He divided the good from the evil, the true from the
false, the faithful from the unfaithful, and the light
from the darkness. His Word was indeed a sharp sword!
The Throne upon which He sat is the Eternal Throne
from which Christ reigns for ever, a heavenly throne,
not an earthly one, for the things of earth pass away
but heavenly things pass not away. He re-interpreted
and completed the Law of Moses and fulfilled the Law
of the Prophets. His word conquered the East and the
West. His Kingdom is everlasting. He exalted those
Jews who recognized Him. They were men and
women of humble birth, but contact with Him made
them great and gave them everlasting dignity. The
animals who were to live with one another signified
the different sects and races, who, once having been at
war, were now to dwell in love and charity, drinking
together the water of life from Christ the Eternal
Spring.
Thus, all the spiritual prophecies concerning the
coming of Christ were fulfilled, but the Jews shut their
eyes that they should not see, and their ears that they
should not hear, and the Divine Reality of Christ
passed through their midst unheard, unloved and unrecognized.
It is easy to read the Holy Scriptures, but it is only
with a clean heart and a pure mind that one may understand

+P57
their true meaning. Let us ask God's help to
enable us to understand the Holy Books. Let us pray
for eyes to see and ears to hear, and for hearts that
long for peace.
God's eternal Mercy is immeasurable. He has always
chosen certain souls upon whom He has shed the
Divine Bounty of His heart, whose minds He has illumined
with celestial light, to whom He has revealed
the sacred mysteries, and kept clear before their sight
the Mirror of Truth. These are the disciples of God,
and His goodness has no bounds. You who are servants
of the Most High may be disciples also. The treasuries
of God are limitless.
The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is
food for all who hunger. God Who has given the
revelation to His Prophets will surely give of His
abundance daily bread to all those who ask Him
faithfully.


THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE INTERMEDIARY POWER
BETWEEN GOD AND MAN

4 Avenue de &Camoens,
October 31st
The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless,
Eternal, Immortal and Invisible.
The world of creation is bound by natural law,
finite and mortal.
The Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or
descend. It is beyond the understanding of man, and

+P58
cannot be described in terms which apply to the phenomenal
sphere of the created world.
Man, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by
which he is able to receive help from the Divine
Reality, that Power alone bringing him into contact
with the Source of all life.
An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes
into relation with each other. Riches and poverty,
plenty and need: without an intermediary power there
could be no relation between these pairs of opposites.
So we can say there must be a Mediator between
God and Man, and this is none other than the Holy
Spirit, which brings the created earth into relation
with the `Unthinkable One', the Divine Reality.
The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and
the Holy Spirit to the rays of the sun. As the rays of
the sun bring the light and warmth of the sun to the
earth, giving life to all created beings, so do the `Manifestations'+F1
bring the power of the Holy Spirit from
the Divine Sun of Reality to give light and life to the
souls of men.
Behold, there is an intermediary necessary between
the sun and the earth; the sun does not descend to the
earth, neither does the earth ascend to the sun. This
contact is made by the rays of the sun which bring
light and warmth and heat.
The Holy Spirit is the Light from the Sun of Truth
bringing, by its infinite power, life and illumination to
all mankind, flooding all souls with Divine Radiance,
conveying the blessings of God's Mercy to the whole

+F1 Manifestations of God.

+P59
world. The earth, without the medium of the warmth
and light of the rays of the sun, could receive no
benefits from the sun.
Likewise the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the
life of man; without the Holy Spirit he would have no
intellect, he would be unable to acquire his scientific
knowledge by which his great influence over the rest
of creation is gained. The illumination of the Holy
Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables
him to make discoveries by which he bends the laws
of nature to his will.
The Holy Spirit it is which, through the mediation
of the Prophets of God, teaches spiritual virtues to man
and enables him to attain Eternal Life.
All these blessings are brought to man by the Holy
Spirit; therefore we can understand that the Holy
Spirit is the Intermediary between the Creator and the
created. The light and heat of the sun cause the earth
to be fruitful, and create life in all things that grow;
and the Holy Spirit quickens the souls of men.
The two great apostles, St Peter and St John the
Evangelist, were once simple, humble workmen,
toiling for their daily bread. By the Power of the Holy
Spirit their souls were illumined, and they received the
eternal blessings of the Lord Christ.

+P60
THE TWO NATURES IN MAN

November 1st
Today is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are
celebrating the Festival of `All Saints'. Why do
you think that these people were called `Saints'? The
word has a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads
a life of purity, one who has freed himself from all
human weaknesses and imperfections.
In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher
nature and his material or lower nature. In one he
approaches God, in the other he lives for the world
alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in
men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth,
cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his
lower nature. The attributes of his Divine nature are
shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice,
one and all being expressions of his higher nature.
Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's
spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful
actions are born of his material nature. If a man's
Divine nature dominates his human nature, we have a
saint.
Man has the power both to do good and to do evil;
if his power for good predominates and his inclinations
to do wrong are conquered, then man in truth may be
called a saint. But if, on the contrary, he rejects the
things of God and allows his evil passions to conquer
him, then he is no better than a mere animal.
Saints are men who have freed themselves from the

+P61
world of matter and who have overcome sin. They
live in the world but are not of it, their thoughts being
continually in the world of the spirit. Their lives are
spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth love,
justice and godliness. They are illumined from on
high; they are as bright and shining lamps in the dark
places of the earth. These are the saints of God. The
apostles, who were the disciples of Jesus Christ, were
just as other men are; they, like their fellows, were
attracted by the things of the world, and each thought
only of his own advantage. They knew little of justice,
nor were the Divine perfections found in their midst.
But when they followed Christ and believed in Him,
their ignorance gave place to understanding, cruelty
was changed to justice, falsehood to truth, darkness
into light. They had been worldly, they became
spiritual and divine. They had been children of darkness,
they became sons of God, they became saints!
Strive therefore to follow in their steps, leaving all
worldly things behind, and striving to attain to the
Spiritual Kingdom.
Pray to God that He may strengthen you in divine
virtue, so that you may be as angels in the world, and
beacons of light to disclose the mysteries of the Kingdom
to those with understanding hearts.
God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and
enlighten man, to explain to him the mystery of the
Power of the Holy Spirit, to enable him to reflect the
light, and so in his turn, to be the source of guidance
to others. The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the &Qur'an,
and the other Holy Writings have been given by God

+P62
as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love, justice
and peace.
Therefore I say unto you that ye should strive to
follow the counsels of these Blessed Books, and so order
your lives that ye may, following the examples set
before you, become yourselves the saints of the Most
High!


MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

November 2nd
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
How beautiful the weather is today, the sky is
clear, the sun shines, and the heart of man is made
glad thereby!
Such bright and beautiful weather gives new life and
strength to man, and if he has been sick, he feels once
more in his heart the joyous hope of health renewed.
All these gifts of nature concern the physical side of
man, for it is only his body that can receive material
benefits.
If a man is successful in his business, art, or profession
he is thereby enabled to increase his physical
wellbeing and to give his body the amount of ease and
comfort in which it delights. All around us today we
see how man surrounds himself with every modern
convenience and luxury, and denies nothing to the
physical and material side of his nature. But, take heed,
lest in thinking too earnestly of the things of the body
you forget the things of the soul: for material advantages

+P63
do not elevate the spirit of a man. Perfection in
worldly things is a joy to the body of a man but in no
wise does it glorify his soul.
It may be that a man who has every material benefit,
and who lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort
modern civilization can give him, is denied the all important
gift of the Holy Spirit.
It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress
materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more
important spiritual progress, and close our eyes to the
Divine light shining in our midst.
Only by improving spiritually as well as materially
can we make any real progress, and become perfect
beings. It was in order to bring this spiritual life and
light into the world that all the great Teachers have
appeared. They came so that the Sun of Truth might
be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men, and that
through its wondrous power men might attain unto
Everlasting Light.
When the Lord Christ came He spread the light of
the Holy Spirit on all around Him, and His disciples
and all who received His illumination became enlightened,
spiritual beings.
It was to manifest this light that &Baha'u'llah was
born, and came into the world. He taught Eternal
Truth to men, and shed the rays of Divine Light in all
lands.
Alas! behold how man disregards this Light. He
still goes on his way of darkness, and disunity, and
quarrels and fierce war are still rife.
He uses material progress to gratify his lust for war,

+P64
and he makes destructive implements and appliances
to destroy his brother man.
But let us rather exert ourselves for the attainment of
spiritual advantages, for this is the only way of true
progress, that which cometh from God and is alone
Godly.
I pray for you one and all that you may receive the
Bounties of the Holy Spirit; so will you become in
truth enlightened, and progress ever onward and upward
to the Kingdom of God. Then shall your hearts
be prepared to receive the glad tidings, your eyes shall
be opened and you will see the Glory of God; your
ears shall be unstopped and you will hear the call of
the Kingdom, and with tongue made eloquent shall
you call men to the realization of the Divine Power
and Love of God!


THE EVOLUTION OF MATTER AND DEVELOPMENT
OF THE SOUL

November 3rd
Paris is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall
soon be obliged to go away, but the warmth of
your love still keeps me here. God willing, I hope to
stay among you yet a little while; bodily cold and heat
cannot affect the spirit, for it is warmed by the fire of
the Love of God. When we understand this, we begin
to understand something of our life in the world to
come.

+P65
God, in His Bounty, has given us a foretaste here,
has given us certain proofs of the difference that exists
between body, soul and spirit.
We see that cold, heat, suffering, etc, only concern
the body, they do not touch the spirit.
How often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably
clad, and with no means of support, yet spiritually
strong. Whatever his body has to suffer, his spirit is
free and well! Again, how often do we see a rich man,
physically strong and healthy, but with a soul sick unto
death.
It is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man's
spirit is something very different from his physical
body.
The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress
and development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the
soul, are independent of the physical body.
If we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love
prove true or false, it is the soul that is affected. If our
dear ones are far from us--it is the soul that grieves,
and the grief or trouble of the soul may react on the
body.
Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is
the body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in
torment!
When we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love,
we are happy; but if we meet with lying, faithlessness,
and deceit, we are miserable.
These are all things pertaining to the soul, and are
not bodily ills. Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even
as the body, has its own individuality. But if the body

+P66
undergoes a change, the spirit need not be touched.
When you break a glass on which the sun shines, the
glass is broken, but the sun still shines! If a cage containing
a bird is destroyed, the bird is unharmed! If a
lamp is broken, the flame can still burn bright!
The same thing applies to the spirit of man. Though
death destroy his body, it has no power over his
spirit--this is eternal, everlasting, both birthless and
deathless.
As to the soul of man after death, it remains in the
degree of purity to which it has evolved during life in
the physical body, and after it is freed from the body it
remains plunged in the ocean of God's Mercy.
From the moment the soul leaves the body and
arrives in the Heavenly World, its evolution is spiritual,
and that evolution is: The approaching unto God.
In the physical creation, evolution is from one
degree of perfection to another. The mineral passes
with its mineral perfections to the vegetable; the
vegetable, with its perfections, passes to the animal
world, and so on to that of humanity. This world is
full of seeming contradictions; in each of these kingdoms
(mineral, vegetable and animal) life exists in its
degree; though when compared to the life in a man,
the earth appears to be dead, yet she, too, lives and has
a life of her own. In this world things live and die, and
live again in other forms of life, but in the world of
the spirit it is quite otherwise.
The soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a
law--it only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and
Bounty of God.

+P67
It is my earnest prayer that we may all be in the
Kingdom of God, and near Him.


THE SPIRITUAL MEETINGS IN PARIS

November 4th
All over Europe today one hears of meetings and
assemblies, and societies of all kinds are formed.
There are those interested in commerce, science, and
politics, and many others. All these are for material
service, their desire being for the progress and enlightenment
of the world of matter. But rarely does a breath
from the spirit world breathe upon them. They seem
unconscious of the Divine Voice, careless concerning
the things of God. But this meeting in Paris is a truly
spiritual one. The Divine Breath is poured forth in
your midst, the light of the Kingdom is shining in all
hearts. The Divine love of God is a power among you,
and with souls athirst, ye receive the glad tidings of
great joy.
You are all met here with one accord, heart drawn
to heart, souls overflowing with Divine love, working
and longing for the unity of the world.
Verily this assembly is a spiritual one! It is like unto
a beautiful perfumed garden! On it the Heavenly Sun
sheds the golden rays, and the warmth thereof penetrates
and gladdens each waiting heart. The love of
Christ, which passeth all knowledge, is among you,
the Holy Spirit is your help.
Day by day this meeting will grow and become

+P68
more powerful until gradually its spirit will conquer
the whole world!
Try with all your hearts to be willing channels for
God's Bounty. For I say unto you that He has chosen
you to be His messengers of love throughout the
world, to be His bearers of spiritual gifts to man, to
be the means of spreading unity and concord on the
earth. Thank God with all your hearts that such a
privilege has been given unto you. For a life devoted
to praise is not too long in which to thank God for
such a favour.
Lift up your hearts above the present and look with
eyes of faith into the future! Today the seed is sown,
the grain falls upon the earth, but behold the day will
come when it shall rise a glorious tree and the branches
thereof shall be laden with fruit. Rejoice and be glad
that this day has dawned, try to realize its power, for
it is indeed wonderful! God has crowned you with
honour and in your hearts has He set a radiant star;
verily the light thereof shall brighten the whole world!


THE TWO KINDS OF LIGHT

November 5th
Today the weather is gloomy and dull! In the
East there is continual sunshine, the stars are never
veiled, and there are very few clouds. Light always
rises in the East and sends forth its radiance into the
West.
There are two kinds of light. There is the visible

+P69
light of the sun, by whose aid we can discern the
beauties of the world around us--without this we could
see nothing.
Nevertheless, though it is the function of this light to
make things visible to us, it cannot give us the power
to see them or to understand what their various charms
may be, for this light has no intelligence, no consciousness.
It is the light of the intellect which gives us knowledge
and understanding, and without this light the
physical eyes would be useless.
This light of the intellect is the highest light that
exists, for it is born of the Light Divine.
The light of the intellect enables us to understand
and realize all that exists, but it is only the Divine
Light that can give us sight for the invisible things, and
which enables us to see truths that will only be visible
to the world thousands of years hence.
It was the Divine Light which enabled the prophets
to see two thousand years in advance what was going
to take place and today we see the realization of their
vision. Thus it is this Light which we must strive to
seek, for it is greater than any other.
It was by this Light that Moses was enabled to see
and comprehend the Divine Appearance, and to hear
the Heavenly Voice which spoke to him from the
Burning Bush.+F1
It is of this Light &Muhammad is speaking when he
says, `&Allah is the light of the Heavens, and of the
Earth'.
Seek with all your hearts this Heavenly Light, so

+F1 Exodus iii, 2.

+P70
that you may be enabled to understand the realities,
that you may know the secret things of God, that the
hidden ways may be made plain before your eyes.
This light may be likened unto a mirror, and as a
mirror reflects all that is before it, so this Light shows
to the eyes of our spirits all that exists in God's
Kingdom and causes the realities of things to be made
visible. By the help of this effulgent Light all the
spiritual interpretation of the Holy Writings has been
made plain, the hidden things of God's Universe have
become manifest, and we have been enabled to comprehend
the Divine purposes for man.
I pray that God in His mercy may illumine your
hearts and souls with His glorious Light, then shall
each one of you shine as a radiant star in the dark places
of the world.


SPIRITUAL ASPIRATION IN THE WEST

&Abdu'l-Baha said:
You are very welcome! From Eastern lands I have
come to the West to sojourn awhile among you. In
the East it is often said that the people of the West
are without spirituality, but I have not found it thus.
Thank God, I see and feel that there is much spiritual
aspiration among the Western peoples, and that in
some cases their spiritual perception is even keener than
among their Eastern brothers. If the teaching given in
the East had been conscientiously spread in the West
the world today would be a more enlightened place.

+P71
Although in the past all the great Spiritual Teachers
have arisen in the East, there are still many men there
who are quite devoid of spirituality. With regard to
the things of the spirit they are as lifeless as a stone;
nor do they wish to be otherwise, for they consider
that man is only a higher form of animal and that the
things of God concern him not.
But man's ambition should soar above this--he
should ever look higher than himself, ever upward and
onward, until through the Mercy of God he may come
to the Kingdom of Heaven. Again, there are men
whose eyes are only open to physical progress and to
the evolution in the world of matter. These men prefer
to study the resemblance between their own physical
body and that of the ape, rather than to contemplate
the glorious affiliation between their spirit and that of
God. This is indeed strange, for it is only physically
that man resembles the lower creation, with regard to
his intellect he is totally unlike it.
Man is always progressing. His circle of knowledge
is ever widening, and his mental activity flows through
many and varied channels. Look what man has accomplished
in the field of science, consider his many
discoveries and countless inventions and his profound
understanding of natural law.
In the world of art it is just the same, and this
wonderful development of man's faculties becomes
more and more rapid as time goes on. If the discoveries,
inventions and material accomplishments of the last
fifteen hundred years could be put together, you would
see that there has been greater advancement during the

+P72
last hundred years than in the previous fourteen centuries.
For the rapidity with which man is progressing
increases century by century.
The power of the intellect is one of God's greatest
gifts to men, it is the power that makes him a higher
creature than the animal. For whereas, century by
century and age by age man's intelligence grows and
becomes keener, that of the animal remains the same.
They are no more intelligent today then they were a
thousand years ago! Is there a greater proof than this
needed to show man's dissimilarity to the animal
creation? It is surely as clear as day.
As for the spiritual perfections they are man's birthright
and belong to him alone of all creation. Man
is, in reality, a spiritual being, and only when he lives
in the spirit is he truly happy. This spiritual longing
and perception belongs to all men alike, and it is my
firm conviction that the Western people possess great
spiritual aspiration.
It is my fervent prayer that the star of the East will
shed its brilliant rays on the Western world, and that
the people of the West may arise in strength, earnestness,
and courage, to help their brethren in the East.


LECTURE GIVEN AT A STUDIO IN PARIS

November 6th
This is in truth a &Baha'i house. Every time such a
house or meeting place is founded it becomes one
of the greatest aids to the general development of the

+P73
town and country to which it belongs. It encourages
the growth of learning and science and is known for
its intense spirituality and for the love it spreads among
the peoples.
The foundation of such a meeting-place is always
followed by the greatest prosperity. The first &Baha'i
Assembly that existed in &Tihran was singularly
blessed! In one year it had grown so rapidly that its
members had increased to nine times their original
number. Today, in far-away Persia, there are many
such assemblies where the friends of God meet together
in the fulness of joy, love and unity. They teach
the Cause of God, educate the ignorant, and draw
heart to heart in brotherly kindness. It is they who help
the poor and needy and give to them their daily bread.
They love and care for the sick and are messengers of
hope and consolation to the desolate and oppressed.
Oh, ye in Paris, strive that your assemblies may be
like unto this, and may bear even greater fruits!
Oh, friends of God! If ye will trust in the Word of
God and be strong; if ye will follow the precepts of
&Baha'u'llah to tend the sick, raise the fallen, care for the
poor and needy, give shelter to the destitute, protect
the oppressed, comfort the sorrowful and love the
world of humanity with all your hearts, then I say
unto you that ere long this meeting-place will see a
wonderful harvest. Day by day each member will
advance and become more and more spiritual. But ye
must have a firm foundation and your aims and ambitions
must be clearly understood by each member.
They shall be as follows:

+P74
1. To show compassion and goodwill to all mankind.
2. To render service to humanity.
3. To endeavour to guide and enlighten those in
darkness.
4. To be kind to everyone, and show forth affection
to every living soul.
5. To be humble in your attitude towards God,
to be constant in prayer to Him, so as to grow
daily nearer to God.
6. To be so faithful and sincere in all your actions
that every member may be known as embodying
the qualities of honesty, love, faith, kindness, generosity,
and courage. To be detached from all that
is not God, attracted by the Heavenly Breath--a
divine soul; so that the world may know that a
&Baha'i is a perfect being.

Strive to attain this at these meetings. Then, indeed
and in truth will ye, the friends of God, come together
with great joy! Render help one to the other, become
as one man, having reached perfect unity.
I pray to God that daily ye may advance in spirituality,
that God's love may be more and more manifested
in you, that the thoughts of your hearts may be purified,
and that your faces may be ever turned towards
Him. May you one and all approach to the threshold of
unity, and enter into the Kingdom. May each of you
be like unto a flaming torch, lighted and burning
bright with the fire of the Love of God.

+P75
&BAHA'U'LLAH

November 7th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
I will speak to you today of &Baha'u'llah. In the
third year after the &Bab had declared his Mission,
&Baha'u'llah, being accused by fanatical &Mullas of
believing in the new doctrine, was arrested and thrown
into prison. The next day, however, several ministers
of the Government and other influential men caused
him to be set free. Later on he was again arrested, and
the priests condemned him to death! The Governor
hesitated to have this sentence carried out for fear of a
revolution. The priests met together in the Mosque,
before which was the place of execution. All the people
of the town gathered in crowds outside the Mosque.
The carpenters brought their saws and hammers, the
butchers came with their knives, the bricklayers and
builders shouldered their spades, all these men, incited
by the frenzied &Mullas, were eager to share in the
honour of killing Him. Inside the Mosque were assembled
the doctors of religion. &Baha'u'llah stood before
them, and answered all their questions with great
wisdom. The chief sage in particular, was completely
silenced by &Baha'u'llah, who refuted all his arguments.
A discussion arose between two of these priests as to
the meaning of some words in the writings of the &Bab;
accusing Him of inaccuracy, they challenged &Baha'u'llah
to defend Him if He were able. These priests were

+P76
entirely humiliated, for &Baha'u'llah proved before the
whole assembly that the &Bab was absolutely right, and
that the accusation was made in ignorance.
The defeated ones now put Him to the torture of the
bastinado, and more infuriated than before brought
Him out before the walls of the Mosque unto the
place of execution, where the misguided people were
awaiting His coming.
Still the Governor feared to comply with the demand
of the priests for His execution. Realizing the danger
in which the dignified prisoner was placed, some men
were sent to rescue Him. In this they succeeded by
breaking through the wall of the Mosque and leading
&Baha'u'llah through the opening into a place of safety,
but not of freedom; for the Governor shifted the
responsibility from off his own shoulders by sending
him to &Tihran. Here He was imprisoned in an underground
dungeon, where the light of day was never
seen. A heavy chain was placed about his neck by
which He was chained to five other &Babis; these fetters
were locked together by strong, very heavy bolts, and
screws. His clothes were torn to pieces, also His fez.
In this terrible condition He was kept for four months.
During this time none of His friends were able to
get access to Him.
A prison official made an attempt to poison Him but,
beyond causing Him great suffering, this poison had no
effect.
After a time the Government liberated Him and
exiled Him and His family to &Baghdad, where He
remained for eleven years. During this time He

+P77
underwent severe persecutions, being surrounded by
the watchful hatred of His enemies.
He bore all evils and torments with the greatest
courage and fortitude. Often when He arose in the
morning, He knew not whether He would live until
the sun should set. Meanwhile, each day, the priests
came and questioned Him on religion and metaphysics.
At length the Turkish Governor exiled Him to Constantinople,
whence He was sent to Adrianople; here
He stayed for five years. Eventually, He was sent to the
far off prison fortress of St. Jean d'Acre. Here He was
imprisoned in the military portion of the fortress and
kept under the strictest surveillance. Words would
fail me to tell you of the many trials He had to suffer,
and all the misery He endured in that prison. Notwithstanding,
it was from this prison that &Baha'u'llah
wrote to all the Monarchs of Europe, and these letters
with one exception were sent through the post.
The Epistle of &Nasiri'd-Din &Shah was confided to a
Persian &Baha'i, &Mirza &Badi &Khurasani, who undertook
to deliver it into the &Shah's own hands. This brave man
waited in the neighbourhood of &Tihran for the passing
of the &Shah, who had the intention to journey by
that way to his Summer Palace. The courageous
messenger followed the &Shah to his Palace, and waited
on the road near the entrance for several days. Always
in the same place was he seen waiting on the road,
until the people began to wonder why he should be
there. At last the &Shah heard of him, and commanded
his servants that the man should be brought before him.
`Oh! servants of the &Shah, I bring a letter, which I

+P78
must deliver into his own hands', &Badi said, and then
&Badi said to the &Shah, `I bring you a letter from
&Baha'u'llah!'
He was immediately seized and questioned by those
who wished to elicit information which would help
them in the further persecutions of &Baha'u'llah. &Badi
would not answer a word; then they tortured him,
still he held his peace! After three days they killed him,
having failed to force him to speak! These cruel men
photographed him whilst he was under torture.+F1
The &Shah gave the letter from &Baha'u'llah to the
priests that they might explain it to him. After some
days these priests told the &Shah that the letter was
from a political enemy. The &Shah grew angry and said,
`This is no explanation. I pay you to read and answer
my letters, therefore obey!'
The spirit and meaning of the Tablet to &Nasiri'd-Din
&Shah was, in short, this: `Now that the time has come,
when the Cause of the Glory of God has appeared, I
ask that I may be allowed to come to &Tihran and
answer any questions the priests may put to Me.
`I exhort you to detach yourself from the worldly
magnificence of your Empire. Remember all those
great kings who have lived before you--their glories
have passed away!'
The letter was written in a most beautiful manner,
and continued warning the King and telling him of the
future triumph of the Kingdom of &Baha'u'llah, both
in the Eastern and in the Western World.

+F1 A certain man who was present when &Badi was told he should carry
+F1 the Epistle to the &Shah saw him transfigured; he became radiant.

+P79
The &Shah paid no attention to the warning of this
letter and continued to live in the same fashion until
the end.
Although &Baha'u'llah was in prison the great Power
of the Holy Spirit was with Him!
None other in prison could have been like unto Him.
In spite of all the hardships He suffered, He never
complained.
In the dignity of His Majesty, He always refused to
see the Governor, or the influential people of the town.
Although the surveillance was unremittingly strict
He came and went as He wished! He died in a house
situated about three kilometers from St. Jean d'Acre.


GOOD IDEAS MUST BE CARRIED INTO ACTION

November 8th
All over the world one hears beautiful sayings extolled
and noble precepts admired. All men say
they love what is good, and hate everything that is
evil! Sincerity is to be admired, whilst lying is despicable.
Faith is a virtue, and treachery is a disgrace to
humanity. It is a blessed thing to gladden the hearts
of men, and wrong to be the cause of pain. To be
kind and merciful is right, while to hate is sinful.
Justice is a noble quality and injustice an iniquity. That
it is one's duty to be pitiful and harm no one, and to
avoid jealousy and malice at all costs. Wisdom is the
glory of man, not ignorance; light, not darkness! It
is a good thing to turn one's face toward God, and

+P80
foolishness to ignore Him. That it is our duty to
guide man upward, and not to mislead him and be the
cause of his downfall. There are many more examples
like unto these.
But all these sayings are but words and we see very
few of them carried into the world of action. On the
contrary, we perceive that men are carried away by
passion and selfishness, each man thinking only of what
will benefit himself even if it means the ruin of his
brother. They are all anxious to make their fortune
and care little or nothing for the welfare of others. They
are concerned about their own peace and comfort,
while the condition of their fellows troubles them not
at all.
Unhappily this is the road most men tread.
But &Baha'is must not be thus; they must rise above
this condition. Actions must be more to them than
words. By their actions they must be merciful and
not merely by their words. They must on all occasions
confirm by their actions what they proclaim in words.
Their deeds must prove their fidelity, and their actions
must show forth Divine light.
Let your actions cry aloud to the world that you are
indeed &Baha'is, for it is actions that speak to the world
and are the cause of the progress of humanity.
If we are true &Baha'is speech is not needed. Our
actions will help on the world, will spread civilization,
will help the progress of science, and cause the arts to
develop. Without action nothing in the material world
can be accomplished, neither can words unaided advance
a man in the spiritual Kingdom. It is not through

+P81
lip-service only that the elect of God have attained to
holiness, but by patient lives of active service they
have brought light into the world.
Therefore strive that your actions day by day may
be beautiful prayers. Turn towards God, and seek
always to do that which is right and noble. Enrich
the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the sorrowful, bring
healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue the
oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the
destitute!
This is the work of a true &Baha'i, and this is what is
expected of him. If we strive to do all this, then are
we true &Baha'is, but if we neglect it, we are not
followers of the Light, and we have no right to the
name.
God, who sees all hearts, knows how far our lives
are the fulfilment of our words.


THE TRUE MEANING OF BAPTISM BY WATER
AND FIRE

November 9th
In the Gospel according to St John, Christ has said:
`Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.'+F1 The
priests have interpreted this into meaning that baptism
is necessary for salvation. In another Gospel it is said:
`He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with
fire'.+F2

+F1 St John iii, 5.
+F2 St Matthew iii, 11.

+P82
Thus the water of baptism and the fire are one!
It cannot mean that the `water' spoken of is physical
water, for it is the direct opposite of `fire', and one
destroys the other. When in the Gospels, Christ speaks
of `water', He means that which causes life, for without
water no worldly creature can live--mineral, vegetable,
animal and man, one and all, depend upon water
for their very being. Yes, the latest scientific discoveries
prove to us that even mineral has some form of
life, and that it also needs water for its existence.
Water is the cause of life, and when Christ speaks
of water, He is symbolizing that which is the cause of
Everlasting Life.
This life-giving water of which He speaks is like
unto fire, for it is none other than the Love of God,
and this love means life to our souls.
By the fire of the Love of God the veil is burnt which
separates us from the Heavenly Realities, and with
clear vision we are enabled to struggle onward and
upward, ever progressing in the paths of virtue and
holiness, and becoming the means of light to the
world.
There is nothing greater or more blessed than the
Love of God! It gives healing to the sick, balm to the
wounded, joy and consolation to the whole world, and
through it alone can man attain Life Everlasting. The
essence of all religions is the Love of God, and it is the
foundation of all the sacred teachings.
It was the Love of God that led Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, that strengthened Joseph in Egypt and gave to
Moses courage and patience.

+P83
Through the Love of God, Christ was sent into the
world with His inspiring example of a perfect life of
self-sacrifice and devotion, bringing to men the message
of Eternal Life. It was the Love of God that gave
&Muhammad power to bring the Arabs from a state of
animal degradation to a loftier state of existence.
God's Love it was that sustained the &Bab and brought
him to his supreme sacrifice, and made his bosom the
willing target for a thousand bullets.
Finally, it was the Love of God that gave to the
East &Baha'u'llah, and is now sending the light of His
teaching far into the West, and from Pole to Pole.
Thus I exhort each of you, realizing its power and
beauty, to sacrifice all your thoughts, words and
actions to bring the knowledge of the Love of God
into every heart.


DISCOURSE AT `L'ALLIANCE SPIRITUALISTE'

Salle de &l'Athenee,
St Germain, Paris,
November 9th
I wish to express my gratitude for your hospitality,
and my joy that you are spiritually minded. I am
happy to be present at a gathering such as this, assembled
together to listen to a Divine Message. If you
could see with the eye of truth, great waves of spirituality
would be visible to you in this place. The power
of the Holy Spirit is here for all. Praise be to God that

+P84
your hearts are inspired with Divine fervour! Your
souls are as waves on the sea of the spirit; although
each individual is a distinct wave, the ocean is one, all
are united in God.
Every heart should radiate unity, so that the Light
of the one Divine Source of all may shine forth bright
and luminous. We must not consider the separate
waves alone, but the entire sea. We should rise from
the individual to the whole. The spirit is as one great
ocean and the waves thereof are the souls of men.
We are told in the Holy Scripture that the New
Jerusalem shall appear on earth. Now it is evident that
this celestial city is not built of material stones and
mortar, but that it is a city not made with hands,
eternal in the Heavens.
This is a prophetic symbol, meaning the coming
again of the Divine Teaching to enlighten the hearts of
men. It is long since this Holy Guidance has governed
the lives of humanity. But now, at last, the Holy City
of the New Jerusalem has come again to the world, it
has appeared anew under an Eastern sky; from the
horizon of Persia has its effulgence arisen to be a light
to lighten the whole world. We see in these days the
fulfilment of the Divine Prophecy. Jerusalem had disappeared.
The heavenly city was destroyed, now it is
rebuilt; it was razed to the ground, but now its walls
and pinnacles have been restored, and are towering
aloft in their renewed and glorious beauty.
In the Western world material prosperity has triumphed,
whilst in the East the spiritual sun has shone
forth.

+P85
I am very glad to see such an assembly as this in
Paris, where spiritual and material progress are met
together in unity.
Man--the true man--is soul, not body; though
physically man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his
soul lifts him above the rest of creation. Behold how
the light of the sun illuminates the world of matter:
even so doth the Divine Light shed its rays in the
kingdom of the soul. The soul it is which makes the
human creature a celestial entity!
By the power of the Holy Spirit, working through
his soul, man is able to perceive the Divine reality of
things. All great works of art and science are witnesses
to this power of the Spirit.
The same Spirit gives Eternal Life.
Those alone who are baptized by the Divine Spirit
will be enabled to bring all peoples into the bond of
unity. It is by the power of the Spirit that the Eastern
World of spiritual thought can intermingle with the
Western realm of action, so that the world of matter
may become Divine.
It follows that all who work for the Supreme Design
are soldiers in the army of the Spirit.
The light of the celestial world makes war against
the world of shadow and illusion. The rays of the Sun
of Truth dispel the darkness of superstition and misunderstanding.
You are of the Spirit! To you who seek the truth,
the Revelation of &Baha'u'llah will come as a great joy!
This teaching is of the Spirit, in it is no precept which
is not of the Divine Spirit.

+P86
Spirit cannot be perceived by the material senses
of the physical body, excepting as it is expressed in
outward signs and works. The human body is visible,
the soul is invisible. It is the soul nevertheless that
directs a man's faculties, that governs his humanity.
The soul has two main faculties. (a) As outer circumstances
are communicated to the soul by the eyes,
ears, and brain of a man, so does the soul communicate
its desires and purposes through the brain to the hands
and tongue of the physical body, thereby expressing
itself. The spirit in the soul is the very essence of life.
(b) The second faculty of the soul expresses itself in the
world of vision, where the soul inhabited by the spirit
has its being, and functions without the help of the
material bodily senses. There, in the realm of vision,
the soul sees without the help of the physical eye, hears
without the aid of the physical ear, and travels without
dependence upon physical motion. It is, therefore, clear
that the spirit in the soul of man can function through
the physical body by using the organs of the ordinary
senses, and that it is able also to live and act without
their aid in the world of vision. This proves without a
doubt the superiority of the soul of man over his body,
the superiority of spirit over matter.
For example, look at this lamp: is not the light within
it superior to the lamp which holds it? However
beautiful the form of the lamp may be, if the light is
not there its purpose is unfulfilled, it is without life--a
dead thing. The lamp needs the light, but the light does
not need the lamp.
The spirit does not need a body, but the body needs

+P87
spirit, or it cannot live. The soul can live without a
body, but the body without a soul dies.
If a man lose his sight, his hearing, his hand or his
foot, should his soul still inhabit the body he lives, and
is able to manifest divine virtues. On the other hand,
without the spirit it would be impossible for a perfect
body to exist.
The greatest power of the Holy Spirit exists in the
Divine Manifestations of the Truth. Through the
power of the Spirit the Heavenly Teaching has been
brought into the World of Humanity. Through the
power of the Spirit life everlasting has come to the
children of men. Through the power of the Spirit
the Divine Glory has shone from East to West, and
through the power of the same Spirit will the divine
virtues of humanity become manifest.
Our greatest efforts must be directed towards detachment
from the things of the world; we must strive
to become more spiritual, more luminous, to follow
the counsel of the Divine Teaching, to serve the cause
of unity and true equality, to be merciful, to reflect the
love of the Highest on all men, so that the light of the
Spirit shall be apparent in all our deeds, to the end that
all humanity shall be united, the stormy sea thereof
calmed, and all rough waves disappear from off the
surface of life's ocean henceforth unruffled and peaceful.
Then will the New Jerusalem be seen by mankind, who
will enter through its gates and receive the Divine
Bounty.
I thank God that I have been present amongst you
this afternoon, and I thank you for your spiritual feeling.

+P88
I pray that you may grow in Divine fervour, and
that the power of unity in the Spirit will augment, so
that the prophecies may be fulfilled, and that in this
great century of the Light of God all the glad tidings
written in the Sacred Books may come to pass. This
is the glorious time of which the Lord Jesus Christ
spoke when He told us to pray `Thy Kingdom come,
Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'. I hope
that this is also your expectation and great desire.
We are united in the one aim and hope that all shall
be as one and every heart illumined by the Love of
our Divine Father, God!
May all our actions be spiritual, and all our interests
and affections be centred in the Kingdom of Glory!


THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRIT

15 Rue Greuze, Paris,
November 10th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
Tonight I will speak of the evolution or progress
of the spirit.
Absolute repose does not exist in nature. All things
either make progress or lose ground. Everything moves
forward or backward, nothing is without motion.
From his birth, a man progresses physically until he
reaches maturity, then, having arrived at the prime of
his life, he begins to decline, the strength and powers
of his body decrease, and he gradually arrives at the
hour of death. Likewise a plant progresses from the

+P89
seed to maturity, then its life begins to lessen until it
fades and dies. A bird soars to a certain height and
having reached the highest possible point in its flight,
begins its descent to earth.
Thus it is evident that movement is essential to all
existence. All material things progress to a certain
point, then begin to decline. This is the law which
governs the whole physical creation.
Now let us consider the soul. We have seen that
movement is essential to existence; nothing that has
life is without motion. All creation, whether of the
mineral, vegetable or animal kingdom, is compelled
to obey the law of motion; it must either ascend or
descend. But with the human soul, there is no decline.
Its only movement is towards perfection; growth and
progress alone constitute the motion of the soul.
Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress
of the soul is also infinite. From the very birth of a
human being the soul progresses, the intellect grows
and knowledge increases. When the body dies the soul
lives on. All the differing degrees of created physical
beings are limited, but the soul is limitless!
In all religions the belief exists that the soul survives
the death of the body. Intercessions are sent up for
the beloved dead, prayers are said for their progress
and for the forgiveness of their sins. If the soul perished
with the body all this would have no meaning. Further,
if it were not possible for the soul to advance towards
perfection after it had been released from the body, of
what avail are all these loving prayers, of devotion?
We read in the sacred writings that `all good works

+P90
are found again'.+F1 Now, if the soul did not survive,
this also would mean nothing!
The very fact that our spiritual instinct, surely never
given in vain, prompts us to pray for the welfare of
those, our loved ones, who have passed out of the
material world: does it not bear witness to the continuance
of their existence?
In the world of spirit there is no retrogression. The
world of mortality is a world of contradictions, of
opposites; motion being compulsory everything must
either go forward or retreat. In the realm of spirit
there is no retreat possible, all movement is bound to
be towards a perfect state. `Progress' is the expression
of spirit in the world of matter. The intelligence of
man, his reasoning powers, his knowledge, his scientific
achievements, all these being manifestations of the
spirit, partake of the inevitable law of spiritual progress
and are, therefore, of necessity, immortal.
My hope for you is that you will progress in the
world of spirit, as well as in the world of matter; that
your intelligence will develop, your knowledge will
augment, and your understanding be widened.
You must ever press forward, never standing still;
avoid stagnation, the first step to a backward movement,
to decay.
The whole physical creation is perishable. These
material bodies are composed of atoms; when these
atoms begin to separate decomposition sets in, then
comes what we call death. This composition of atoms,
which constitutes the body or mortal element of any

+F1 i.e.--All good actions bring their own reward.

+P91
created being, is temporary. When the power of attraction,
which holds these atoms together, is withdrawn,
the body, as such, ceases to exist.
With the soul it is different. The soul is not a combination
of elements, it is not composed of many
atoms, it is of one indivisible substance and therefore
eternal. It is entirely out of the order of the physical
creation; it is immortal!
Scientific philosophy has demonstrated that a simple
element (`simple' meaning `not composed') is indestructible,
eternal. The soul, not being a composition
of elements, is, in character, as a simple element, and
therefore cannot cease to exist.
The soul, being of that one indivisible substance, can
suffer neither disintegration nor destruction, therefore
there is no reason for its coming to an end. All things
living show signs of their existence, and it follows that
these signs could not of themselves exist if that which
they express or to which they testify had no being. A
thing which does not exist, can, of course, give no sign
of its existence. The manifold signs of the existence of
the spirit are for ever before us.
The traces of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the influence
of His Divine Teaching, is present with us today, and
is everlasting.
A non-existent thing, it is agreed, cannot be seen by
signs. In order to write a man must exist--one who
does not exist cannot write. Writing is, in itself, a sign
of the writer's soul and intelligence. The Sacred
Writings (with ever the same Teaching) prove the
continuity of the spirit.

+P92
Consider the aim of creation: is it possible that all is
created to evolve and develop through countless ages
with this small goal in view--a few years of a man's
life on earth? Is it not unthinkable that this should be
the final aim of existence?
The mineral evolves till it is absorbed in the life of
the plant, the plant progresses till finally it loses its life
in that of the animal; the animal, in its turn, forming
part of the food of man, is absorbed into human life.
Thus, man is shown to be the sum of all creation, the
superior of all created beings, the goal to which countless
ages of existence have progressed.
At the best, man spends four-score years and ten in
this world--a short time indeed!
Does a man cease to exist when he leaves the body?
If his life comes to an end, then all the previous
evolution is useless, all has been for nothing! Can one
imagine that Creation has no greater aim than this?
The soul is eternal, immortal.
Materialists say, `Where is the soul? What is it?
We cannot see it, neither can we touch it'.
This is how we must answer them: However much
the mineral may progress, it cannot comprehend the
vegetable world. Now, that lack of comprehension
does not prove the non-existence of the plant!
To however great a degree the plant may have
evolved, it is unable to understand the animal world;
this ignorance is no proof that the animal does not
exist!
The animal, be he never so highly developed, cannot
imagine the intelligence of man, neither can he realize

+P93
the nature of his soul. But, again, this does not prove
that man is without intellect, or without soul. It only
demonstrates this, that one form of existence is incapable
of comprehending a form superior to itself.
This flower may be unconscious of such a being
as man, but the fact of its ignorance does not prevent
the existence of humanity.
In the same way, if materialists do not believe in the
existence of the soul, their unbelief does not prove that
there is no such realm as the world of spirit. The very
existence of man's intelligence proves his immortality;
moreover, darkness proves the presence of light, for
without light there would be no shadow. Poverty
proves the existence of riches, for, without riches, how
could we measure poverty? Ignorance proves that
knowledge exists, for without knowledge how could
there be ignorance?
Therefore the idea of mortality presupposes the
existence of immortality--for if there were no Life
Eternal, there would be no way of measuring the life
of this world!
If the spirit were not immortal, how could the Manifestations
of God endure such terrible trials?
Why did Christ Jesus suffer the fearful death on the
cross?
Why did &Muhammad bear persecutions?
Why did the &Bab make the supreme sacrifice and
why did &Baha'u'llah pass the years of his life in prison?
Why should all this suffering have been, if not to
prove the everlasting life of the spirit?
Christ suffered, He accepted all His trials because of

+P94
the immortality of His spirit. If a man reflects he will
understand the spiritual significance of the law of progress;
how all moves from the inferior to the superior
degree.
It is only a man without intelligence who, after considering
these things, can imagine that the great scheme
of creation should suddenly cease to progress, that
evolution should come to such an inadequate end!
Materialists who reason in this way, and contend
that we are unable to see the world of spirit, or to
perceive the blessings of God, are surely like the
animals who have no understanding; having eyes they
see not, ears they have, but do not hear. And this lack
of sight and hearing is a proof of nothing but their
own inferiority; of whom we read in the &Qur'an,
`They are men who are blind and deaf to the Spirit.'
They do not use that great gift of God, the power of
the understanding, by which they might see with the
eyes of the spirit, hear with spiritual ears and also
comprehend with a Divinely enlightened heart.
The inability of the materialistic mind to grasp the
idea of the Life Eternal is no proof of the non-existence
of that life.
The comprehension of that other life depends on
our spiritual birth!
My prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and
aspirations may daily increase, and that you will never
allow the material senses to veil from your eyes the
glories of the Heavenly Illumination.

+P95
THE DESIRES AND PRAYERS OF &ABDU'L-BAHA

November 15th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
You are all very welcome, and I love you all
most dearly.
Day and night I pray to Heaven for you that strength
may be yours, and that, one and all, you may participate
in the blessings of &Baha'u'llah, and enter into the
Kingdom.
I supplicate that you may become as new beings,
illumined with the Divine Light, like unto shining
lamps, and that from one end of Europe to the other
the knowledge of the Love of God may spread.
May this boundless love so fill your hearts and minds
that sadness may find no room to enter and may you
with joyful hearts soar like birds into the Divine
Radiance.
May your hearts become clear and pure like unto
polished mirrors in which may be reflected the full
glory of the Sun of Truth.
May your eyes be opened to see the signs of the
Kingdom of God, and may your ears be unstopped
so that you may hear with a perfect understanding the
Heavenly Proclamation sounding in your midst.
May your souls receive help and comfort, and, being
so strengthened, may they be enabled to live in accordance
with the teachings of &Baha'u'llah.
I pray for each and all that you may be as flames of
love in the world, and that the brightness of your light

+P96
and the warmth of your affection may reach the heart
of every sad and sorrowing child of God.
May you be as shining stars, bright and luminous for
ever in the Kingdom.
I counsel you that you study earnestly the teachings
of &Baha'u'llah, so that, God helping you, you may in
deed and truth become &Baha'is.


CONCERNING BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
Friday morning, November 17th
There are in the world of humanity three
degrees; those of the body, the soul, and spirit.
The body is the physical or animal degree of man.
From the bodily point of view man is a sharer of the
animal kingdom. The bodies alike of men and animals
are composed of elements held together by the law of
attraction.
Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the
senses, is subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.;
unlike the animal, man has a rational soul, the human
intelligence.
This intelligence of man is the intermediary between
his body and his spirit.
When man allows the spirit, through his soul, to
enlighten his understanding, then does he contain all
Creation; because man, being the culmination of all
that went before and thus superior to all previous

+P97
evolutions, contains all the lower world within himself.
Illumined by the spirit through the instrumentality of
the soul, man's radiant intelligence makes him the
crowning-point of Creation.
But on the other hand, when man does not open his
mind and heart to the blessing of the spirit, but turns
his soul towards the material side, towards the bodily
part of his nature, then is he fallen from his high place
and he becomes inferior to the inhabitants of the lower
animal kingdom. In this case the man is in a sorry
plight! For if the spiritual qualities of the soul, open
to the breath of the Divine Spirit, are never used, they
become atrophied, enfeebled, and at last incapable;
whilst the soul's material qualities alone being exercised,
they become terribly powerful--and the
unhappy, misguided man, becomes more savage, more
unjust, more vile, more cruel, more malevolent than
the lower animals themselves. All his aspirations and
desires being strengthened by the lower side of the
soul's nature, he becomes more and more brutal, until
his whole being is in no way superior to that of the
beasts that perish. Men such as this, plan to work evil,
to hurt and to destroy; they are entirely without the
spirit of Divine compassion, for the celestial quality of
the soul has been dominated by that of the material. If,
on the contrary, the spiritual nature of the soul has
been so strengthened that it holds the material side
in subjection, then does the man approach the
Divine; his humanity becomes so glorified that the
virtues of the Celestial Assembly are manifested in
him; he radiates the Mercy of God, he stimulates the

+P98
spiritual progress of mankind, for he becomes a lamp
to show light on their path.
You perceive how the soul is the intermediary between
the body and the spirit. In like manner is this
tree+F1 the intermediary between the seed and the fruit.
When the fruit of the tree appears and becomes ripe,
then we know that the tree is perfect; if the tree bore
no fruit it would be merely a useless growth, serving
no purpose!
When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does
it bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree.
I wish you to try to understand this example. I hope
that the unspeakable goodness of God will so strengthen
you that the celestial quality of your soul, which
relates it to the spirit, will for ever dominate the
material side, so entirely ruling the senses that your
soul will approach the perfections of the Heavenly
Kingdom. May your faces, being steadfastly set towards
the Divine Light, become so luminous that all
your thoughts, words and actions will shine with the
Spiritual Radiance dominating your souls, so that in
the gatherings of the world you will show perfection
in your life.
Some men's lives are solely occupied with the things
of this world; their minds are so circumscribed by
exterior manners and traditional interests that they are
blind to any other realm of existence, to the spiritual
significance of all things! They think and dream of
earthly fame, of material progress. Sensuous delights
and comfortable surroundings bound their horizon,

+F1 A small orange-tree on the table nearby.

+P99
their highest ambitions centre in successes of worldly
conditions and circumstances! They curb not their
lower propensities; they eat, drink, and sleep! Like
the animal, they have no thought beyond their own
physical well-being. It is true that these necessities
must be despatched. Life is a load which must be
carried on while we are on earth, but the cares of the
lower things of life should not be allowed to monopolize
all the thoughts and aspirations of a human being.
The heart's ambitions should ascend to a more glorious
goal, mental activity should rise to higher levels! Men
should hold in their souls the vision of celestial perfection,
and there prepare a dwelling-place for the
inexhaustible bounty of the Divine Spirit.
Let your ambition be the achievement on earth of a
Heavenly civilization! I ask for you the supreme
blessing, that you may be so filled with the vitality of
the Heavenly Spirit that you may be the cause of life
to the world.


THE &BAHA'IS MUST WORK WITH HEART AND
SOUL TO BRING ABOUT A BETTER CONDITION
IN THE WORLD

November 19th
How joyful it is to see such a meeting as this, for it
is in truth a gathering together of `heavenly men'.
We are all united in one Divine purpose, no material
motive is ours, and our dearest wish is to spread the
Love of God throughout the world!

+P100
We work and pray for the unity of mankind, that
all the races of the earth may become one race, all
the countries one country, and that all hearts may beat
as one heart, working together for perfect unity and
brotherhood.
Praise be to God that our efforts are sincere and that
our hearts are turned to the Kingdom. Our greatest
longing is that truth may be established in the world,
and in this hope we draw near to one another in love
and affection. Each and all are whole-hearted and selfless,
willing to sacrifice all personal ambition to the
grand ideal towards which they strive: Brotherly love
and peace and union among men!
Doubt not that God is with us, on our right hand
and on our left, that day by day He will cause our
numbers to increase, and that our meetings will grow
in strength and usefulness.
It is my dearest hope that you may all become a
blessing to others, that you may give sight to the
spiritually blind, hearing to the spiritually deaf and
life to those who are dead in sin.
May you help those sunk in materiality to realize
their Divine son-ship, and encourage them to arise and
be worthy of their birthright; so that by your endeavour
the world of humanity may become the
Kingdom of God and of His elect.
I thank God that we are at one in this grand ideal,
that my longings are also yours and that we work
together in perfect unity.
Today, upon the earth, one sees the sad spectacle of
cruel war! Man slays his brother man for selfish gain,

+P101
and to enlarge his territories! For this ignoble ambition
hate has taken possession of his heart, and more and
more blood is shed!
Fresh battles are fought, the armies are increased,
more cannon, more guns, more explosives of all kinds
are sent out--so does bitterness and hate augment
from day to day!
But this assembly, thank God, longs only for peace
and unity, and must work with heart and soul to
bring about a better condition in the world.
You who are the servants of God fight against
oppression, hate and discord, so that wars may cease
and God's laws of peace and love may be established
among men.
Work! Work with all your strength, spread the
Cause of the Kingdom among men; teach the self-sufficient
to turn humbly towards God, the sinful to
sin no more, and await with glad expectation the
coming of the Kingdom.
Love and obey your Heavenly Father, and rest
assured that Divine help is yours. Verily I say unto you
that you shall indeed conquer the world!
Only have faith, patience and courage--this is but
the beginning, but surely you will succeed, for God is
with you!

+P102
ON CALUMNY

Monday, November 20th
From the beginning of the world until the present
time each `Manifestation'+F1 sent from God has been
opposed by an embodiment of the `Powers of Darkness'.
This dark power has always endeavoured to extinguish
the light. Tyranny has ever sought to overcome
justice. Ignorance has persistently tried to trample
knowledge underfoot. This has, from the earliest ages,
been the method of the material world.
In the time of Moses, Pharaoh set himself to prevent
the Mosaic Light being spread abroad.
In the day of Christ, Annas and Caiaphas inflamed
the Jewish people against Him and the learned doctors
of Israel joined together to resist His Power. All sorts
of calumnies were circulated against Him. The Scribes
and Pharisees conspired to make the people believe
Him to be a liar, an apostate, and a blasphemer. They
spread these slanders throughout the whole Eastern
world against Christ, and caused Him to be condemned
to a shameful death!
In the case of &Muhammad also, the learned doctors
of His day determined to extinguish the light of His
influence. They tried by the power of the sword to
prevent the spread of His teaching.
In spite of all their efforts the Sun of Truth shone
forth from the horizon. In every case the army of
light vanquished the powers of darkness on the battlefield

+F1 i.e.--Divine Manifestation.

+P103
of the world, and the radiance of the Divine
Teaching illumined the earth. Those who accepted the
Teaching and worked for the Cause of God became
luminous stars in the sky of humanity.
Now, in our own day, history repeats itself.
Those who would have men believe that religion
is their own private property once more bring their
efforts to bear against the Sun of Truth: they resist
the Command of God; they invent calumnies, not
having arguments against it, neither proofs. They
attack with masked faces, not daring to come forth
into the light of day.
Our methods are different, we do not attack, neither
calumniate; we do not wish to dispute with them; we
bring forth proofs and arguments; we invite them to
confute our statements. They cannot answer us, but
instead, they write all they can think of against the
Divine Messenger, &Baha'u'llah.
Do not let your hearts be troubled by these defamatory
writings! Obey the words of &Baha'u'llah and
answer them not. Rejoice, rather, that even these falsehoods
will result in the spread of the truth. When these
slanders appear inquiries are made, and those who
inquire are led into a knowledge of the Faith.
If a man were to declare, `There is a lamp in the
next room which gives no light', one hearer might be
satisfied with his report, but a wiser man goes into the
room to judge for himself, and behold, when he finds
the light shining brilliantly in the lamp, he knows the
truth!
Again, a man proclaims: `There lies a garden in

+P104
which there are trees with broken branches bearing no
fruit, and the leaves thereof are faded and yellow! In
that garden, also, there are flowering plants with no
blooms, and rose bushes withered and dying--go not
into that garden!' A just man, hearing this account
of the garden, would not be content without seeing for
himself whether it be true or not. He, therefore, enters
the garden, and behold, he finds it well tilled; the
branches of the trees are sturdy and strong, being also
loaded with the sweetest of ripe fruits amongst the
luxuriance of beautiful green leaves. The flowering
plants are bright with many-hued blossoms; the rose
bushes are covered with fragrant and lovely roses and
all is verdant and well tended. When the glory of the
garden is spread out before the eyes of the just man, he
praises God that, through unworthy calumny, he has
been led into a place of such wondrous beauty!
This is the result of the slanderer's work: to be the
cause of guiding men to a discovery of the truth.
We know that all the falsehoods spread about Christ
and His apostles and all the books written against Him,
only led the people to inquire into His doctrine; then,
having seen the beauty and inhaled the fragrance, they
walked evermore amidst the roses and the fruits of that
celestial garden.
Therefore, I say unto you, spread the Divine Truth
with all your might that men's intelligence may become
enlightened; this is the best answer to those who
slander. I do not wish to speak of those people nor to
say anything ill of them--only to tell you that slander
is of no importance!

+P105
Clouds may veil the sun, but, be they never so dense,
his rays will penetrate! Nothing can prevent the radiance
of the sun descending to warm and vivify the
Divine Garden.
Nothing can prevent the fall of the rain from
Heaven.
Nothing can prevent the fulfilment of the Word of
God!
Therefore when you see books and papers written
against the Revelation, be not distressed, but take
comfort in the assurance that the cause will thereby
gain strength.
No one casts stones at a tree without fruit. No one
tries to extinguish a lamp without light!
Regard the former times. Had the calumnies of
Pharaoh any effect? He affirmed that Moses was a
murderer, that he had slain a man and deserved to be
executed! He also declared that Moses and Aaron
were fomenters of discord, that they tried to destroy
the religion of Egypt and therefore must be put to
death. These words of Pharaoh were vainly spoken.
The light of Moses shone. The radiance of the Law of
God has encircled the world!
When the Pharisees said of Christ that He had
broken the Sabbath Day, that He had defied the Law
of Moses, that He had threatened to destroy the Temple
and the Holy City of Jerusalem, and that He deserved
to be crucified--We know that all these slanderous
attacks had no result in hindering the spread of the
Gospel!
The Sun of Christ shone brilliantly in the sky, and

+P106
the breath of the Holy Spirit wafted over the whole
earth!
And I say unto you that no calumny is able to prevail
against the Light of God; it can only result in causing
it to be more universally recognized. If a cause were
of no significance, who would take the trouble to
work against it!
But always the greater the cause the more do
enemies arise in larger and larger numbers to attempt
its overthrow! The brighter the light the darker the
shadow! Our part it is to act in accordance with the
teaching of &Baha'u'llah in humility and firm steadfastness.


THERE CAN BE NO TRUE HAPPINESS AND
PROGRESS WITHOUT SPIRITUALITY

November 21st
Ferocity and savagery are natural to animals, but
men should show forth the qualities of love and
affection. God sent all His Prophets into the world with
one aim, to sow in the hearts of men love and goodwill,
and for this great purpose they were willing to suffer
and to die. All the sacred Books were written to
lead and direct man into the ways of love and unity;
and yet, in spite of all this, we have the sad spectacle of
war and bloodshed in our midst.
When we look into the pages of history, past and
present, we see the black earth reddened by human

+P107
blood. Men kill each other like the savage wolves, and
forget the laws of love and tolerance.
Now this luminous age has come, bringing with it
wonderful civilization and material progress. Men's
intellects have widened, their perceptions grown, but
alas, in spite of all this, fresh blood is being spilt day by
day. Look at the present Turco-Italian war; consider
for a moment the fate of these unhappy people! How
many have been killed during this sad time? How
many homes are ruined, wives desolate, and children
orphans! And what is to be gained in exchange for
all this anguish and heartache? Only a corner of the
earth!
This all shows that material progress alone does not
tend to uplift man. On the contrary, the more he
becomes immersed in material progress, the more
does his spirituality become obscured.
In times gone by progress on the material plane was
not so rapid, neither was there bloodshed in such
profusion. In ancient warfare there were no cannons,
no guns, no dynamite, no shells, no torpedo boats, no
battleships, no submarines. Now, owing to material
civilization, we have all these inventions, and war goes
from bad to worse! Europe itself has become like one
immense arsenal, full of explosives, and may God
prevent its ignition--for, should this happen, the
whole world would be involved.
I want to make you understand that material progress
and spiritual progress are two very different things,
and that only if material progress goes hand in hand
with spirituality can any real progress come about, and

+P108
the Most Great Peace reign in the world. If men
followed the Holy Counsels and the Teachings of the
Prophets, if Divine Light shone in all hearts and men
were really religious, we should soon see peace on
earth and the Kingdom of God among men. The laws
of God may be likened unto the soul and material
progress unto the body. If the body was not animated
by the soul, it would cease to exist. It is my earnest
prayer that spirituality may ever grow and increase in
the world, so that customs may become enlightened
and peace and concord may be established.
War and rapine with their attendant cruelties are an
abomination to God, and bring their own punishment,
for the God of love is also a God of justice and each
man must inevitably reap what he sows. Let us try to
understand the commands of the Most High and to
order our lives as He directs. True happiness depends
on spiritual good and having the heart ever open to
receive the Divine Bounty.
If the heart turns away from the blessings God offers
how can it hope for happiness? If it does not put its
hope and trust in God's Mercy, where can it find rest?
Oh, trust in God! for His Bounty is everlasting, and
in His Blessings, for they are superb. Oh! put your
faith in the Almighty, for He faileth not and His goodness
endureth for ever! His Sun giveth Light continually,
and the Clouds of His Mercy are full of the Waters
of Compassion with which He waters the hearts of all
who trust in Him. His refreshing Breeze ever carries
healing in its wings to the parched souls of men! Is it
wise to turn away from such a loving Father, Who

+P109
showers His blessings upon us, and to choose rather
to be slaves of matter?
God in His infinite goodness has exalted us to so
much honour, and has made us masters over the material
world. Shall we then become her slaves? Nay,
rather let us claim our birthright, and strive to live the
life of the spiritual sons of God. The glorious Sun of
Truth has once again risen in the East. From the far
horizon of Persia its radiance is spreading far and wide,
dispersing the dense clouds of superstition. The light
of the unity of mankind is beginning to illumine the
world, and soon the banner of Divine harmony and the
solidarity of nations will be flying high in the Heavens.
Yea, the breezes of the Holy Spirit will inspire the
whole world!
Oh, peoples and nations! Arise and work and be
happy! Gather together under the tent of the unity of
mankind!


PAIN AND SORROW

November 22nd
In this world we are influenced by two sentiments,
Joy and Pain.
Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength
is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding
less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the
world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when
sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves
us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence
veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp,

+P110
the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries,
and we become even as dead beings.
There is no human being untouched by these two
influences; but all the sorrow and the grief that exist
come from the world of matter--the spiritual world
bestows only the joy!
If we suffer it is the outcome of material things, and
all the trials and troubles come from this world of
illusion.
For instance, a merchant may lose his trade and
depression ensues. A workman is dismissed and
starvation stares him in the face. A farmer has a bad
harvest, anxiety fills his mind. A man builds a house
which is burnt to the ground and he is straightway
homeless, ruined, and in despair.
All these examples are to show you that the trials
which beset our every step, all our sorrow, pain, shame
and grief, are born in the world of matter; whereas
the spiritual Kingdom never causes sadness. A man
living with his thoughts in this Kingdom knows perpetual
joy. The ills all flesh is heir to do not pass him by,
but they only touch the surface of his life, the depths
are calm and serene.
Today, humanity is bowed down with trouble,
sorrow and grief, no one escapes; the world is wet
with tears; but, thank God, the remedy is at our doors.
Let us turn our hearts away from the world of matter
and live in the spiritual world! It alone can give us
freedom! If we are hemmed in by difficulties we have
only to call upon God, and by His great Mercy we
shall be helped.

+P111
If sorrow and adversity visit us, let us turn our faces
to the Kingdom and heavenly consolation will be outpoured.
If we are sick and in distress let us implore God's
healing, and He will answer our prayer.
When our thoughts are filled with the bitterness of
this world, let us turn our eyes to the sweetness of
God's compassion and He will send us heavenly calm!
If we are imprisoned in the material world, our spirit
can soar into the Heavens and we shall be free indeed!
When our days are drawing to a close let us think of
the eternal worlds, and we shall be full of joy!
You see all round you proofs of the inadequacy of
material things--how joy, comfort, peace and consolation
are not to be found in the transitory things of the
world. Is it not then foolishness to refuse to seek these
treasures where they may be found? The doors of the
spiritual Kingdom are open to all, and without is
absolute darkness.
Thank God that you in this assembly have this knowledge,
for in all the sorrows of life you can obtain
supreme consolation. If your days on earth are numbered,
you know that everlasting life awaits you. If
material anxiety envelops you in a dark cloud,
spiritual radiance lightens your path. Verily, those
whose minds are illumined by the Spirit of the Most
High have supreme consolation.
I myself was in prison forty years--one year alone
would have been impossible to bear--nobody survived
that imprisonment more than a year! But, thank God,
during all those forty years I was supremely happy!

+P112
Every day, on waking, it was like hearing good tidings,
and every night infinite joy was mine. Spirituality was
my comfort, and turning to God was my greatest joy.
If this had not been so, do you think it possible that
I could have lived through those forty years in prison?
Thus, spirituality is the greatest of God's gifts, and
`Life Everlasting' means `Turning to God'. May you,
one and all, increase daily in spirituality, may you
be strengthened in all goodness, may you be helped
more and more by the Divine consolation, be made
free by the Holy Spirit of God, and may the power of
the Heavenly Kingdom live and work among you.
This is my earnest desire, and I pray to God to grant
you this favour.


THE PERFECT HUMAN SENTIMENTS AND VIRTUES

November 23rd
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
You should all be very happy and thankful to
God for the great privilege that is yours.
This is purely a spiritual meeting! Praise be to God,
your hearts are turned to Him, your souls are attracted
to the Kingdom, you have spiritual aspirations, and
your thoughts soar above the world of dust.
You belong to the world of purity, and are not content
to live the life of the animal, spending your days in
eating, drinking, and sleeping. You are indeed men!
Your thoughts and ambitions are set to acquire human
perfection. You live to do good and to bring happiness

+P113
to others. Your greatest longing is to comfort those
who mourn, to strengthen the weak, and to be the
cause of hope to the despairing soul. Day and night
your thoughts are turned to the Kingdom, and your
hearts are full of the Love of God.
Thus you know neither opposition, dislike, nor
hatred, for every living creature is dear to you and the
good of each is sought.
These are perfect human sentiments and virtues.
If a man has none of these, he had better cease to exist.
If a lamp has ceased to give light, it had better be destroyed.
If a tree bear no fruit, it had better be cut down,
for it only cumbereth the ground.
Verily, it is better a thousand times for a man to die
than to continue living without virtue.
We have eyes wherewith to see, but if we do not use
them how do they profit us? We have ears wherewith
to hear, but if we are deaf of what use are they?
We have a tongue wherewith to praise God and
proclaim the good tidings, but if we are dumb how
useless it is!
The All-loving God created man to radiate the
Divine light and to illumine the world by his words,
action and life. If he is without virtue he becomes no
better than a mere animal, and an animal devoid of
intelligence is a vile thing.
The Heavenly Father gave the priceless gift of intelligence
to man so that he might become a spiritual
light, piercing the darkness of materiality, and bringing
goodness and truth into the world. If ye will follow
earnestly the teachings of &Baha'u'llah, ye shall indeed

+P114
become the light of the world, the soul for the body of
the world, the comfort and help for humanity, and the
source of salvation for the whole universe. Strive therefore,
with heart and soul, to follow the precepts of the
Blessed Perfection, and rest assured that if ye succeed
in living the life he marks out for you, Eternal Life and
everlasting joy in the Heavenly Kingdom will be yours,
and celestial sustenance will be sent to strengthen you
all your days.
It is my heartfelt prayer that each one of you may
attain to this perfect joy!


THE CRUEL INDIFFERENCE OF PEOPLE TOWARDS
THE SUFFERING OF FOREIGN RACES

November 24th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
I have just been told that there has been a terrible
accident in this country. A train has fallen into the
river and at least twenty people have been killed. This
is going to be a matter for discussion in the French
Parliament today, and the Director of the State Railway
will be called upon to speak. He will be cross-examined
as to the condition of the railroad and as to
what caused the accident, and there will be a heated
argument. I am filled with wonder and surprise to
notice what interest and excitement has been aroused
throughout the whole country on account of the death
of twenty people, while they remain cold and indifferent
to the fact that thousands of Italians, Turks,

+P115
and Arabs are killed in Tripoli! The horror of this
wholesale slaughter has not disturbed the Government
at all! Yet these unfortunate people are human beings
too.
Why is there so much interest and eager sympathy
shown towards these twenty individuals, while for
five thousand persons there is none? They are all men,
they all belong to the family of mankind, but they are
of other lands and races. It is no concern of the disinterested
countries if these men are cut to pieces, this
wholesale slaughter does not affect them! How unjust,
how cruel is this, how utterly devoid of any good and
true feeling! The people of these other lands have
children and wives, mothers, daughters, and little sons!
In these countries today there is hardly a house free
from the sound of bitter weeping, scarcely can one
find a home untouched by the cruel hand of war.
Alas! we see on all sides how cruel, prejudiced and
unjust is man, and how slow he is to believe in God
and follow His commandments.
If these people would love and help one another
instead of being so eager to destroy with sword and
cannon, how much nobler would it be! How much
better if they would live like a flock of doves in peace
and harmony, instead of being like wolves and tearing
each other to pieces.
Why is man so hard of heart? It is because he does
not yet know God. If he had knowledge of God he
could not act in direct opposition to His laws; if he
were spiritually minded such a line of conduct would
be impossible to him. If only the laws and precepts of

+P116
the prophets of God had been believed, understood and
followed, wars would no longer darken the face of the
earth.
If man had even the rudiments of justice, such a
state of things would be impossible.
Therefore, I say unto you pray--pray and turn your
faces to God, that He, in His infinite compassion and
mercy, may help and succour these misguided ones.
Pray that He will grant them spiritual understanding
and teach them tolerance and mercy, that the eyes of
their minds may be opened and that they may be
endued with the gift of the spirit. Then would peace
and love walk hand in hand through the lands, and
these poor unhappy people might have rest.
Let us all strive night and day to help in the bringing
about of better conditions. My heart is broken by these
terrible things and cries aloud--may this cry reach
other hearts!
Then will the blind see, the dead will be raised, and
Justice will come and reign upon the earth.
I beseech you all to pray with heart and soul that
this may be accomplished.


WE MUST NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY THE
SMALLNESS OF OUR NUMBERS

November 25th
When Christ appeared He manifested Himself at
Jerusalem. He called men to the Kingdom of
God, He invited them to Eternal Life and He told them
to acquire human perfections. The Light of Guidance

+P117
was shed forth by that radiant Star, and He at length
gave His life in sacrifice for humanity.
All through His blessed life He suffered oppression
and hardship, and in spite of all this humanity was His
enemy!
They denied Him, scorned Him, ill-treated Him
and cursed Him. He was not treated like a man--and
yet in spite of all this He was the embodiment of pity
and of supreme goodness and love.
He loved all humanity, but they treated Him as an
enemy and were incapable of appreciating Him. They
set no value on His words and were not illumined by
the flame of His love.
Later they realized who He was; that He was the
Sacred and Divine Light, and that His words held
Eternal Life.
His heart was full of love for all the world, His goodness
was destined to reach each one--and as they began
to realize these things, they repented--but He had
been crucified!
It was not until many years after His ascension that
they knew who He was, and at the time of His ascension
He had only a very few disciples; only a comparatively
small following believed His precepts and
followed His laws. The ignorant said, `Who is this
individual; He has only a few disciples!' But those who
knew said: `He is the Sun who will shine in the East
and in the West, He is the Manifestation who shall give
life to the world'.
What the first disciples had seen the world realized
later.

+P118
Therefore, you who are in Europe, do not be discouraged
because you are few or because people think
that your Cause is of no importance. If few people
come to your gatherings do not lose heart, and if you
are ridiculed and contradicted be not distressed, for
the apostles of Christ had the same to bear. They were
reviled and persecuted, cursed and ill-treated, but in
the end they were victorious and their enemies were
found to be wrong.
If history should repeat itself and all these same
things should happen to you, do not be saddened but
be full of joy, and thank God that you are called upon
to suffer as holy men of old suffered. If they oppose
you be gentle with them, if they contradict be firm in
your faith, if they desert you and flee from before you,
seek them out and treat them kindly. Do harm to
nobody; pray for all; try to make your light shine in
the world and let your banner fly high in the Heavens.
The beautiful perfume of your noble lives will permeate
everywhere. The light of truth kindled in your
hearts will shine out to the distant horizon!
The indifference and scorn of the world matters not
at all, whereas your lives will be of the greatest
importance.
All those who seek truth in the Heavenly Kingdom
shine like the stars; they are like fruit trees laden with
choice fruit, like seas full of precious pearls.
Only have faith in the Mercy of God, and spread the
Divine Truth.

+P119
WORDS SPOKEN BY &ABDU'L-BAHA IN PASTOR
WAGNER'S CHURCH (FOYER DE L'AME) IN PARIS

November 26th
I am deeply touched by the sympathetic words
which have been addressed to me, and I hope that
day by day true love and affection may grow among
us. God has willed that love should be a vital force in
the world, and you all know how I rejoice to speak of
love.
All down the ages the prophets of God have been
sent into the world to serve the cause of truth--Moses
brought the law of truth, and all the prophets of Israel
after him sought to spread it.
When Jesus came He lighted the flaming torch of
truth, and carried it aloft so that the whole world might
be illumined thereby. After Him came His chosen
apostles, and they went far and wide, carrying the light
of their Master's teaching into a dark world--and, in
their turn, passed on.
Then came &Muhammad, who in His time and way
spread the knowledge of truth among a savage people;
for this has always been the mission of God's elect.
So, at last, when &Baha'u'llah arose in Persia, this was
His most ardent desire, to rekindle the waning light of
truth in all lands. All the holy ones of God have tried
with heart and soul to spread the light of love and
unity throughout the world, so that the darkness of
materiality might disappear and the light of spirituality
might shine forth among the children of men. Then

+P120
would hate, slander and murder disappear, and in their
stead love, unity and peace would reign.
All the Manifestations of God came with the same
purpose, and they have all sought to lead men into
the paths of virtue. Yet we, their servants, still dispute
among ourselves! Why is it thus? Why do we not
love one another and live in unity?
It is because we have shut our eyes to the underlying
principle of all religions, that God is one, that He is the
Father of us all, that we are all immersed in the ocean
of His mercy and sheltered and protected by His
loving care.
The glorious Sun of Truth shines for all alike, the
waters of Divine Mercy immerse each one, and His
Divine favour is bestowed on all His children.
This loving God desires peace for all His creatures--
why, then, do they spend their time in war?
He loves and protects all His children--why do they
forget Him?
He bestows His Fatherly care on us all--why do we
neglect our brothers?
Surely, when we realize how God loves and cares for
us, we should so order our lives that we may become
more like Him.
God has created us, one and all--why do we act in
opposition to His wishes, when we are all His children,
and love the same Father? All these divisions we see
on all sides, all these disputes and opposition, are
caused because men cling to ritual and outward observances,
and forget the simple, underlying truth. It is
the outward practices of religion that are so different, and

+P121
it is they that cause disputes and enmity--while the
reality is always the same, and one. The Reality is the
Truth, and truth has no division. Truth is God's
guidance, it is the light of the world, it is love, it is
mercy. These attributes of truth are also human virtues
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
So let us one and all hold fast to truth, and we shall
be free indeed!
The day is coming when all the religions of the world
will unite, for in principle they are one already. There
is no need for division, seeing that it is only the outward
forms that separate them. Among the sons of
men some souls are suffering through ignorance, let
us hasten to teach them; others are like children needing
care and education until they are grown, and some are
sick--to these we must carry Divine healing.
Whether ignorant, childish or sick, they must be
loved and helped, and not disliked because of their
imperfection.
Doctors of religion were instituted to bring spiritual
healing to the peoples and to be the cause of unity
among the nations. If they become the cause of division
they had better not exist! A remedy is given to
cure a disease, but if it only succeeds in aggravating the
complaint, it is better to leave it alone. If religion is
only to be a cause of disunion it had better not exist.
All the Divine Manifestations sent by God into the
world would have gone through their terrible hardships
and sufferings for the single hope of spreading
Truth, unity and concord among men. Christ endured
a life of sorrow, pain and grief, to bring a perfect

+P122
example of love into the world--and in spite of this we
continue to act in a contrary spirit one towards the other!
Love is the fundamental principle of God's purpose
for man, and He has commanded us to love each other
even as He loves us. All these discords and disputes
which we hear on all sides only tend to increase
materiality.
The world for the most part is sunk in materialism,
and the blessings of the Holy Spirit are ignored. There
is so little real spiritual feeling, and the progress of the
world is for the most part merely material. Men are
becoming like unto beasts that perish, for we know
that they have no spiritual feeling--they do not turn to
God, they have no religion! These things belong to
man alone, and if he is without them he is a prisoner
of nature, and no whit better than an animal.
How can man be content to lead only an animal
existence when God has made him so high a creature?
All creation is made subject to the laws of nature, but
man has been able to conquer these laws. The sun,
in spite of its power and glory, is bound by the laws of
nature, and cannot change its course by so much as a
hair's breadth. The great and mighty ocean is powerless
to change the ebb and flow of its tides--nothing
can stand against nature's laws but man!
But to man God has given such wonderful power
that he can guide, control and overcome nature.
The natural law for man is to walk on the earth, but
he makes ships and flies in the air! He is created to
live on dry land, but he rides on the sea and even
travels under it!

+P123
He has learnt to control the power of electricity, and
he takes it at his will and imprisons it in a lamp! The
human voice is made to speak across short distances,
but man's power is such that he has made instruments
and can speak from East to West! All these examples
show you how man can govern nature, and how, as it
were, he wrests a sword from the hand of nature and
uses it against herself. Seeing that man has been created
master of nature, how foolish it is of him to become
her slave! What ignorance and stupidity it is to worship
and adore nature, when God in His goodness has
made us masters thereof. God's power is visible to all,
yet men shut their eyes and see it not. The Sun of
Truth is shining in all His splendour, but man with
fast shut eyes cannot behold His glory! It is my earnest
prayer to God that by His Mercy and Loving Kindness
you may all be united, and filled with the utmost joy.
I beseech you, one and all, to add your prayers to
mine to the end that war and bloodshed may cease, and
that love, friendship, peace and unity may reign in
the world.
All down the ages we see how blood has stained the
surface of the earth; but now a ray of greater light has
come, man's intelligence is greater, spirituality is beginning
to grow, and a time is surely coming when
the religions of the world will be at peace. Let us leave
the discordant arguments concerning outward forms,
and let us join together to hasten forward the Divine
Cause of unity, until all humanity knows itself to be
one family, joined together in love.

+P124
+P125
PART II
+P126
+P127
The Eleven Principles out of the Teaching of
&Baha'u'llah, Explained by &Abdu'l-Baha in Paris.

I.--The Search after Truth.
II.--The Unity of Mankind.
III.--Religion ought to be the Cause of Love and
Affection. (Not given separately.)
IV.--The Unity of Religion and Science.
V.--Abolition of Prejudices.
VI.--Equalization of Means of Existence.
VII.--Equality of Men before the Law.
VIII.--Universal Peace.
IX.--Non-Interference of Religion and Politics.
X.--Equality of Sex--Education of Women.
XI.--The Power of the Holy Spirit.


THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, PARIS

Since my arrival in Paris, I have been told of the
Theosophical Society, and I know that it is composed
of honoured and respected men. You are men of
intellect and thought, men with spiritual ideals, and it
is a great pleasure for me to be among you.
Let us thank God who has drawn us together this
evening. It gives me great joy, for I see that you are
seekers after truth. You are not held in bondage by
the chains of prejudice, and your greatest longing is to
know the truth. Truth may be likened to the sun!
The sun is the luminous body that disperses all

+P128
shadows; in the same way does truth scatter the
shadows of our imagination. As the sun gives life to
the body of humanity so does truth give life to their
souls. Truth is a sun that rises from different points on
the horizon.
Sometimes the sun rises from the centre of the
horizon, then in summer it rises farther north, in winter
farther south--but it is always the self-same sun,
however different are the points of its rising.
In like manner truth is one, although its manifestations
may be very different. Some men have eyes and
see. These worship the sun, no matter from which
point on the horizon it may dawn; and when the sun
has left the winter sky to appear in the summer one,
they know how to find it again. Others there are who
worship only the spot from which the sun arose, and
when it arises in its glory from another place they
remain in contemplation before the spot of its former
rising. Alas! these men are deprived of the blessings of
the sun. Those who in truth adore the sun itself will
recognize it from whatsoever dawning-place it may
appear, and will straightway turn their faces towards
its radiance.
We must adore the sun itself and not merely the
place of its appearance. In the same way men of
enlightened heart worship truth on whatever horizon
it appears. They are not bound by personality, but
they follow the truth, and are able to recognize it no
matter from whence it may come. It is this same truth
which helps humanity to progress, which gives life to
all created beings, for it is the Tree of Life!

+P129
In His teaching &Baha'u'llah gives us the explanation
of truth, and I wish to speak to you briefly about this,
for I see that you are capable of understanding.

I.--The first principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

The Search for Truth

Man must cut himself free from all prejudice and
from the result of his own imagination, so that he may
be able to search for truth unhindered. Truth is one in
all religions, and by means of it the unity of the world
can be realized.
All the peoples have a fundamental belief in common.
Being one, truth cannot be divided, and the differences
that appear to exist among the nations only result
from their attachment to prejudice. If only men would
search out truth, they would find themselves united.


II.--The second principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

The Unity of Mankind

The one all-loving God bestows His divine Grace
and Favour on all mankind; one and all are servants
of the Most High, and His Goodness, Mercy and loving
Kindness are showered upon all His creatures. The
glory of humanity is the heritage of each one.
All men are the leaves and fruit of one same tree,
they are all branches of the tree of Adam, they all have
the same origin. The same rain has fallen upon them
all, the same warm sun makes them grow, they are all
refreshed by the same breeze. The only differences that
exist and that keep them apart are these: there are the

+P130
children who need guidance, the ignorant to be
instructed, the sick to be tended and healed; thus, I say
that the whole of humanity is enveloped by the Mercy
and Grace of God. As the Holy Writings tell us: All
men are equal before God. He is no respecter of
persons.


III.--The third principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

Religion should be the Cause of Love and Affection

Religion should unite all hearts and cause wars and
disputes to vanish from the face of the earth, give birth
to spirituality, and bring life and light to each heart. If
religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division,
it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from
such a religion would be a truly religious act. For it
is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure; but
if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it
had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a
cause of love and unity is no religion. All the holy
prophets were as doctors to the soul; they gave prescriptions
for the healing of mankind; thus any remedy
that causes disease does not come from the great and
supreme Physician.


IV.--The fourth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

The Unity of Religion and Science

We may think of science as one wing and religion as
the other; a bird needs two wings for flight, one alone
would be useless. Any religion that contradicts science

+P131
or that is opposed to it, is only ignorance--for ignorance
is the opposite of knowledge.
Religion which consists only of rites and ceremonies
of prejudice is not the truth. Let us earnestly endeavour
to be the means of uniting religion and science.
&Ali, the son-in-law of &Muhammad, said: `That
which is in conformity with science is also in conformity
with religion'. Whatever the intelligence of
man cannot understand, religion ought not to accept.
Religion and science walk hand in hand, and any
religion contrary to science is not the truth.


V.--The fifth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

Prejudices of Religion, Race or Sect destroy
the foundation of Humanity

All the divisions in the world, hatred, war and bloodshed,
are caused by one or other of these prejudices.
The whole world must be looked upon as one single
country, all the nations as one nation, all men as
belonging to one race. Religions, races, and nations
are all divisions of man's making only, and are necessary
only in his thought; before God there are neither
Persians, Arabs, French nor English; God is God for
all, and to Him all creation is one. We must obey God,
and strive to follow Him by leaving all our prejudices
and bringing about peace on earth.


VI.--The sixth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

Equal opportunity of the means of Existence

Every human being has the right to live; they have a

+P132
right to rest, and to a certain amount of well-being. As
a rich man is able to live in his palace surrounded by
luxury and the greatest comfort, so should a poor man
be able to have the necessaries of life. Nobody should
die of hunger; everybody should have sufficient
clothing; one man should not live in excess while
another has no possible means of existence.
Let us try with all the strength we have to bring
about happier conditions, so that no single soul may
be destitute.


VII.--The seventh principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

The Equality of Men--equality before the Law

The Law must reign, and not the individual; thus
will the world become a place of beauty and true
brotherhood will be realized. Having attained solidarity,
men will have found truth.


VIII.--The eighth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

Universal Peace

A Supreme Tribunal shall be elected by the peoples
and governments of every nation, where members
from each country and government shall assemble in
unity. All disputes shall be brought before this Court,
its mission being to prevent war.


IX.--The ninth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

That Religion should not concern itself with Political
Questions

Religion is concerned with things of the spirit,
politics with things of the world. Religion has to work

+P133
with the world of thought, whilst the field of politics
lies with the world of external conditions.
It is the work of the clergy to educate the people, to
instruct them, to give them good advice and teaching
so that they may progress spiritually. With political
questions they have nothing to do.


X.--The tenth principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

Education and Instruction of Women

Women have equal rights with men upon earth;
in religion and society they are a very important
element. As long as women are prevented from attaining
their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable
to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.


XI.--The eleventh principle of &Baha'u'llah is:

The Power of the Holy Spirit, by which alone Spiritual
Development is achieved

It is only by the breath of the Holy Spirit that
spiritual development can come about. No matter
how the material world may progress, no matter how
splendidly it may adorn itself, it can never be anything
but a lifeless body unless the soul is within, for it is the
soul that animates the body; the body alone has no real
significance. Deprived of the blessings of the Holy
Spirit the material body would be inert.
Here are, very briefly explained, some of the principles
of &Baha'u'llah.
In short, it behoves us all to be lovers of truth. Let
us seek her in every season and in every country, being

+P134
careful never to attach ourselves to personalities. Let us
see the light wherever it shines, and may we be enabled
to recognize the light of truth no matter where it may
arise. Let us inhale the perfume of the rose from the
midst of thorns which surround it; let us drink the
running water from every pure spring.
Since I arrived in Paris, it has given me much pleasure
to meet such Parisians as you are, for praise be to God,
you are intelligent, unprejudiced, and you long to
know the truth. You have in your hearts the love
of humanity, and as far as you are able, you exert
yourselves in the cause of charitable work and in
the bringing about of unity; this is especially what
&Baha'u'llah desired.
It is for this reason that I am so happy to be among
you, and I pray for you, that you may be receptacles
for the Blessings of God, and that you may be the
means of spreading spirituality throughout this
country.
You already have a wonderful material civilization
and in like manner shall spiritual civilization be yours.
Monsieur Bleck thanked &Abdu'l-Baha, and he
replied:
`I am very grateful to you for the kind sentiments
which you have just uttered. I hope that these two
movements will ere long be spread all over the earth.
Then will the unity of humanity have pitched its tent
in the centre of the world.'

+P135
THE FIRST PRINCIPLE--SEARCH AFTER TRUTH

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris
November 10th
The first principle of the Teaching of &Baha'u'llah
is:

The Search after Truth

If a man would succeed in his search after truth, he
must, in the first place, shut his eyes to all the traditional
superstitions of the past.
The Jews have traditional superstitions, the Buddhists
and the Zoroastrians are not free from them, neither
are the Christians! All religions have gradually become
bound by tradition and dogma.
All consider themselves, respectively, the only guardians
of the truth, and that every other religion is
composed of errors. They themselves are right, all
others are wrong! The Jews believe that they are the
only possessors of the truth and condemn all other
religions. The Christians affirm that their religion is
the only true one, that all others are false. Likewise
the Buddhists and &Muhammadans; all limit themselves.
If all condemn one another, where shall we search for
truth? All contradicting one another, all cannot be
true. If each believe his particular religion to be the
only true one, he blinds his eyes to the truth in the
others. If, for instance, a Jew is bound by the external
practice of the religion of Israel, he does not permit
himself to perceive that truth can exist in any other
religion; it must be all contained in his own!

+P136
We should, therefore, detach ourselves from the
external forms and practices of religion. We must
realize that these forms and practices, however beautiful,
are but garments clothing the warm heart and the
living limbs of Divine truth. We must abandon the
prejudices of tradition if we would succeed in finding
the truth at the core of all religions. If a Zoroastrian
believes that the Sun is God, how can he be united to
other religions? While idolaters believe in their various
idols, how can they understand the oneness of God?
It is, therefore, clear that in order to make any progress
in the search after truth we must relinquish
superstition. If all seekers would follow this principle
they would obtain a clear vision of the truth.
If five people meet together to seek for truth, they
must begin by cutting themselves free from all their
own special conditions and renouncing all preconceived
ideas. In order to find truth we must give up
our prejudices, our own small trivial notions; an open
receptive mind is essential. If our chalice is full of self,
there is no room in it for the water of life. The fact that
we imagine ourselves to be right and everybody else
wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards
unity, and unity is necessary if we would reach truth,
for truth is one.
Therefore it is imperative that we should renounce
our own particular prejudices and superstitions if we
earnestly desire to seek the truth. Unless we make a
distinction in our minds between dogma, superstition
and prejudice on the one hand, and truth on the other,
we cannot succeed. When we are in earnest in our

+P137
search for anything we look for it everywhere. This
principle we must carry out in our search for truth.
Science must be accepted. No one truth can contradict
another truth. Light is good in whatsoever
lamp it is burning! A rose is beautiful in whatsoever
garden it may bloom! A star has the same radiance
if it shines from the East or from the West. Be free
from prejudice, so will you love the Sun of Truth from
whatsoever point in the horizon it may arise! You will
realize that if the Divine light of truth shone in Jesus
Christ it also shone in Moses and in Buddha. The
earnest seeker will arrive at this truth. This is what is
meant by the `Search after Truth'.
It means, also, that we must be willing to clear away
all that we have previously learned, all that would clog
our steps on the way to truth; we must not shrink if
necessary from beginning our education all over again.
We must not allow our love for any one religion or
any one personality to so blind our eyes that we become
fettered by superstition! When we are freed
from all these bonds, seeking with liberated minds,
then shall we be able to arrive at our goal.
`Seek the truth, the truth shall make you free.' So
shall we see the truth in all religions, for truth is in all
and truth is one!

+P138
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE--THE UNITY OF
MANKIND

November 11th
I spoke yesterday of the first principle of the Teaching
of &Baha'u'llah, `The Search for Truth'; how it is
necessary for a man to put aside all in the nature of
superstition, and every tradition which would blind his
eyes to the existence of truth in all religions. He must
not, while loving and clinging to one form of religion,
permit himself to detest all others. It is essential that
he search for truth in all religions, and, if his seeking
be in earnest, he will assuredly succeed.
Now the first discovery which we make in our
`Search after Truth', will lead us to the second principle,
which is the `Unity of Mankind'. All men are servants
of the One God. One God reigns over all the nations
of the world and has pleasure in all His children. All
men are of one family; the crown of humanity rests
on the head of every human being.
In the eyes of the Creator all His children are equal;
His goodness is poured forth on all. He does not favour
this nation nor that nation, all alike are His creatures.
This being so, why should we make divisions, separating
one race from another? Why should we create
barriers of superstition and tradition bringing discord
and hatred among the people?
The only difference between members of the human
family is that of degree. Some are like children who are
ignorant, and must be educated until they arrive at
maturity. Some are like the sick and must be treated

+P139
with tenderness and care. None are bad or evil! We
must not be repelled by these poor children. We must
treat them with great kindness, teaching the ignorant
and tenderly nursing the sick.
Consider: Unity is necessary to existence. Love is
the very cause of life; on the other hand, separation
brings death. In the world of material creation, for
instance, all things owe their actual life to unity. The
elements which compose wood, mineral, or stone, are
held together by the law of attraction. If this law
should cease for one moment to operate these elements
would not hold together, they would fall apart, and the
object would in that particular form cease to exist.
The law of attraction has brought together certain
elements in the form of this beautiful flower, but when
that attraction is withdrawn from this centre the flower
will decompose, and, as a flower, cease to exist.
So it is with the great body of humanity. The
wonderful Law of Attraction, Harmony and Unity,
holds together this marvellous Creation.
As with the whole, so with the parts; whether a
flower or a human body, when the attracting principle
is withdrawn from it, the flower or the man dies. It is
therefore clear that attraction, harmony, unity and
Love, are the cause of life, whereas repulsion, discord,
hatred and separation bring death.
We have seen that whatever brings division into the
world of existence causes death. Likewise in the world
of the spirit does the same law operate.
Therefore should every servant of the One God be
obedient to the law of love, avoiding all hatred,

+P140
discord, and strife. We find when we observe nature,
that the gentler animals group themselves together into
flocks and herds, whereas the savage, ferocious creatures,
such as the lion, the tiger, and the wolf, live in
wild forests, apart from civilization. Two wolves, or
two lions, may live amicably together; but a thousand
lambs may share the same fold and a large number of
deer can form one herd. Two eagles can dwell in the
same place, but a thousand doves can gather into one
habitation.
Man should, at least, be numbered among the
gentler animals; but when he becomes ferocious he is
more cruel and malicious than the most savage of the
animal creation!
Now &Baha'u'llah has proclaimed the `Unity of the
World of Mankind'. All peoples and nations are of
one family, the children of one Father, and should be
to one another as brothers and sisters! I hope that you
will endeavour in your lives to show forth and spread
this teaching.
&Baha'u'llah said that we should love even our
enemies and be to them as friends. If all men were
obedient to this principle, the greatest unity and
understanding would be established in the hearts of
mankind.


THIRD PRINCIPLE

['That religion ought to be a Cause of Love and
Affection' is much emphasized in many of the
Discourses of which the Notes are given in this book,

+P141
as well as in the explanation of several of the other
Principles.]

FOURTH PRINCIPLE--THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE
RELATION BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 12th
&Abdu'l-Baha said:
I have spoken to you of some of the principles
of &Baha'u'llah: The Search after Truth and The Unity
of Mankind. I will now explain the Fourth Principle,
which is The Acceptance of the Relation between Religion
and Science.
There is no contradiction between true religion and
science. When a religion is opposed to science it
becomes mere superstition: that which is contrary to
knowledge is ignorance.
How can a man believe to be a fact that which
science has proved to be impossible? If he believes
in spite of his reason, it is rather ignorant superstition
than faith. The true principles of all religions are in
conformity with the teachings of science.
The Unity of God is logical, and this idea is not
antagonistic to the conclusions arrived at by scientific
study.
All religions teach that we must do good, that we
must be generous, sincere, truthful, law-abiding, and
faithful; all this is reasonable, and logically the only
way in which humanity can progress.
All religious laws conform to reason, and are suited

+P142
to the people for whom they are framed, and for the
age in which they are to be obeyed.
Religion has two main parts:
(1) The Spiritual.
(2) The Practical.
The spiritual part never changes. All the Manifestations
of God and His Prophets have taught the same
truths and given the same spiritual law. They all
teach the one code of morality. There is no division in
the truth. The Sun has sent forth many rays to illumine
human intelligence, the light is always the same.
The practical part of religion deals with exterior
forms and ceremonies, and with modes of punishment
for certain offences. This is the material side of the law,
and guides the customs and manners of the people.
In the time of Moses, there were ten crimes punishable
by death. When Christ came this was changed;
the old axiom `an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a
tooth' was converted into `Love your enemies, do
good to them that hate you', the stern old law being
changed into one of love, mercy and forbearance!
In the former days the punishment for theft was the
cutting off of the right hand; in our time this law could
not be so applied. In this age, a man who curses his
father is allowed to live, when formerly he would have
been put to death. It is therefore evident that whilst the
spiritual law never alters, the practical rules must change
their application with the necessities of the time. The
spiritual aspect of religion is the greater, the more
important of the two, and this is the same for all time,
it never changes! It is the same, yesterday, today, and

+P143
for ever! `As it was the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be.'
Now, all questions of morality contained in the
spiritual, immutable law of every religion are logically
right. If religion were contrary to logical reason
then it would cease to be a religion and be merely a
tradition. Religion and science are the two wings upon
which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with
which the human soul can progress. It is not possible
to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly
with the wing of religion alone he would quickly
fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the
other hand, with the wing of science alone he would
also make no progress, but fall into the despairing
slough of materialism. All religions of the present day
have fallen into superstitious practices, out of harmony
alike with the true principles of the teaching they represent
and with the scientific discoveries of the time.
Many religious leaders have grown to think that the
importance of religion lies mainly in the adherence
to a collection of certain dogmas and the practice of
rites and ceremonies! Those whose souls they profess
to cure are taught to believe likewise, and these cling
tenaciously to the outward forms, confusing them
with the inward truth.
Now, these forms and rituals differ in the various
churches and amongst the different sects, and even
contradict one another; giving rise to discord, hatred,
and disunion. The outcome of all this dissension is the
belief of many cultured men that religion and science
are contradictory terms, that religion needs no powers

+P144
of reflection, and should in no wise be regulated by
science, but must of necessity be opposed, the one to
the other. The unfortunate effect of this is that science
has drifted apart from religion, and religion has become
a mere blind and more or less apathetic following of
the precepts of certain religious teachers, who insist
on their own favourite dogmas being accepted even
when they are contrary to science. This is foolishness,
for it is quite evident that science is the light, and,
being so, religion truly so-called does not oppose
knowledge.
We are familiar with the phrases `Light and Darkness',
`Religion and Science'. But the religion which
does not walk hand in hand with science is itself in the
darkness of superstition and ignorance.
Much of the discord and disunion of the world is
created by these man-made oppositions and contradictions.
If religion were in harmony with science and
they walked together, much of the hatred and bitterness
now bringing misery to the human race would be at
an end.
Consider what it is that singles man out from among
created beings, and makes of him a creature apart.
Is it not his reasoning power, his intelligence? Shall he
not make use of these in his study of religion? I say
unto you: weigh carefully in the balance of reason and
science everything that is presented to you as religion.
If it passes this test, then accept it, for it is truth! If,
however, it does not so conform, then reject it, for
it is ignorance!
Look around and see how the world of today is

+P145
drowned in superstition and outward forms!
Some worship the product of their own imagination:
they make for themselves an imaginary God and adore
this, when the creation of their finite minds cannot be
the Infinite Mighty Maker of all things visible and
invisible! Others worship the sun or trees, also
stones! In past ages there were those who adored the
sea, the clouds, and even clay!
Today, men have grown into such adoring attachment
to outward forms and ceremonies that they dispute
over this point of ritual or that particular practice,
until one hears on all sides of wearisome arguments and
unrest. There are individuals who have weak intellects
and their powers of reasoning have not developed, but
the strength and power of religion must not be
doubted because of the incapacity of these persons to
understand.
A small child cannot comprehend the laws that
govern nature, but this is on account of the immature
intellect of that child; when he is grown older and has
been educated he too will understand the everlasting
truths. A child does not grasp the fact that the earth
revolves round the sun, but, when his intelligence is
awakened, the fact is clear and plain to him.
It is impossible for religion to be contrary to science,
even though some intellects are too weak or too immature
to understand truth.
God made religion and science to be the measure, as
it were, of our understanding. Take heed that you
neglect not such a wonderful power. Weigh all things
in this balance.

+P146
To him who has the power of comprehension
religion is like an open book, but how can it be possible
for a man devoid of reason and intellectuality to understand
the Divine Realities of God?
Put all your beliefs into harmony with science;
there can be no opposition, for truth is one. When
religion, shorn of its superstitions, traditions, and unintelligent
dogmas, shows its conformity with science,
then will there be a great unifying, cleansing force in
the world which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements,
discords and struggles--and then will
mankind be united in the power of the Love of God.

THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE

THE ABOLITION OF PREJUDICES

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 13th
All prejudices, whether of religion, race, politics or
nation, must be renounced, for these prejudices
have caused the world's sickness. It is a grave malady
which, unless arrested, is capable of causing the destruction
of the whole human race. Every ruinous war,
with its terrible bloodshed and misery, has been caused
by one or other of these prejudices.
The deplorable wars going on in these days are
caused by the fanatical religious hatred of one people
for another, or the prejudices of race or colour.

+P147
Until all these barriers erected by prejudice are
swept away, it is not possible for humanity to be at
peace. For this reason &Baha'u'llah has said, `These
Prejudices are destructive to mankind'.
Contemplate first the prejudice of religion: consider
the nations of so-called religious people; if they were
truly worshippers of God they would obey His law
which forbids them to kill one another.
If priests of religion really adored the God of love
and served the Divine Light, they would teach their
people to keep the chief Commandment, `To be in
love and charity with all men'. But we find the contrary,
for it is often the priests who encourage nations
to fight. Religious hatred is ever the most cruel!
All religions teach that we should love one another;
that we should seek out our own shortcomings before
we presume to condemn the faults of others, that we
must not consider ourselves superior to our neighbours!
We must be careful not to exalt ourselves lest we be
humiliated.
Who are we that we should judge? How shall we
know who, in the sight of God, is the most upright
man? God's thoughts are not like our thoughts! How
many men who have seemed saint-like to their friends
have fallen into the greatest humiliation. Think of
Judas Iscariot; he began well, but remember his end!
On the other hand, Paul, the Apostle, was in his early
life an enemy of Christ, whilst later he became His
most faithful servant. How then can we flatter ourselves
and despise others?
Let us therefore be humble, without prejudices,

+P148
preferring others' good to our own! Let us never say,
`I am a believer but he is an infidel', `I am near to God,
whilst he is an outcast'. We can never know what
will be the final judgment! Therefore let us help all
who are in need of any kind of assistance.
Let us teach the ignorant, and take care of the young
child until he grows to maturity. When we find a
person fallen into the depths of misery or sin we must
be kind to him, take him by the hand, help him to
regain his footing, his strength; we must guide him
with love and tenderness, treat him as a friend not as
an enemy.
We have no right to look upon any of our fellow-mortals
as evil.
Concerning the prejudice of race: it is an illusion, a
superstition pure and simple! For God created us all of
one race. There were no differences in the beginning,
for we are all descendants of Adam. In the beginning,
also, there were no limits and boundaries between the
different lands; no part of the earth belonged more to
one people than to another. In the sight of God there
is no difference between the various races. Why should
man invent such a prejudice? How can we uphold war
caused by an illusion?
God has not created men that they should destroy
one another. All races, tribes, sects and classes share
equally in the Bounty of their Heavenly Father.
The only difference lies in the degree of faithfulness,
of obedience to the laws of God. There are some who
are as lighted torches, there are others who shine as
stars in the sky of humanity. The lovers of mankind,

+P149
these are the superior men, of whatever nation, creed,
or colour they may be. For it is they to whom God
will say these blessed words, `Well done, My good and
faithful servants'. In that day He will not ask, `Are
you English, French, or perhaps Persian? Do you come
from the East, or from the West?'
The only division that is real is this: There are
heavenly men and earthly men; self-sacrificing servants
of humanity in the love of the Most High, bringing
harmony and unity, teaching peace and goodwill to
men. On the other hand there are those selfish men,
haters of their brethren, in whose hearts prejudice has
replaced loving kindness, and whose influence breeds
discord and strife.
To which race or to which colour belong these two
divisions of men, to the White, to the Yellow, to the
Black, to the East or to the West, to the North or to
the South? If these are God's divisions, why should we
invent others? Political prejudice is equally mischievous,
it is one of the greatest causes of bitter strife
amongst the children of men. There are people who
find pleasure in breeding discord, who constantly endeavour
to goad their country into making war upon
other nations--and why? They think to advantage
their own country to the detriment of all others. They
send armies to harass and destroy the land, in order to
become famous in the world, for the joy of conquest.
That it may be said: `Such a country has defeated another,
and brought it under the yoke of their stronger,
more superior rule'. This victory, bought at the price
of much bloodshed, is not lasting! The conqueror

+P150
shall one day be conquered; and the vanquished
ones victorious! Remember the history of the past:
did not France conquer Germany more than once--
then did not the German nation overcome France?
We learn also that France conquered England;
then was the English nation victorious over France!
These glorious conquests are so ephemeral! Why
attach so great importance to them and to their fame,
as to be willing to shed the blood of the people for their
attainment? Is any victory worth the inevitable train
of evils consequent upon human slaughter, the grief
and sorrow and ruin which must overwhelm so many
homes of both nations? For it is not possible that one
country alone should suffer.
Oh! why will man, the disobedient child of God,
who should be an example of the power of the spiritual
law, turn his face away from the Divine Teaching and
put all his effort into destruction and war?
My hope is that in this enlightened century the
Divine Light of love will shed its radiance over the
whole world, seeking out the responsive heart's intelligence
of every human being; that the light of the Sun
of Truth will lead politicians to shake off all the claims
of prejudice and superstition, and with freed minds to
follow the Policy of God: for Divine Politics are
mighty, man's politics are feeble! God has created all
the world, and bestows His Divine Bounty upon every
creature.
Are we not the servants of God? Shall we neglect
to follow our Master's Example, and ignore His
Commands?

+P151
I pray that the Kingdom shall come on Earth, and
that all darkness shall be driven away by the effulgence
of the Heavenly Sun.


THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE--MEANS OF EXISTENCE

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris
One of the most important principles of the
Teaching of &Baha'u'llah is:
The right of every human being to the daily bread
whereby they exist, or the equalization of the means of
livelihood.
The arrangements of the circumstances of the people
must be such that poverty shall disappear, that everyone,
as far as possible, according to his rank and
position, shall share in comfort and well-being.
We see amongst us men who are overburdened with
riches on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate
ones who starve with nothing; those who possess
several stately palaces, and those who have not where
to lay their head. Some we find with numerous courses
of costly and dainty food; whilst others can scarce find
sufficient crusts to keep them alive. Whilst some are
clothed in velvets, furs and fine linen, others have insufficient,
poor and thin garments with which to
protect them from the cold.
This condition of affairs is wrong, and must be
remedied. Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken.
It cannot be done by bringing to pass absolute
equality between men.

+P152
Equality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable!
Even if equality could be achieved it could not continue
--and if its existence were possible, the whole order of
the world would be destroyed. The law of order must
always obtain in the world of humanity. Heaven has
so decreed in the creation of man.
Some are full of intelligence, others have an ordinary
amount of it, and others again are devoid of intellect.
In these three classes of men there is order but not
equality. How could it be possible that wisdom and
stupidity should be equal? Humanity, like a great army,
requires a general, captains, under-officers in their
degree, and soldiers, each with their own appointed
duties. Degrees are absolutely necessary to ensure
an orderly organization. An army could not be composed
of generals alone, or of captains only, or of
nothing but soldiers without one in authority. The
certain result of such a plan would be that disorder
and demoralization would overtake the whole army.
King Lycurgus, the philosopher, made a great plan
to equalize the subjects of Sparta; with self-sacrifice
and wisdom was the experiment begun. Then the
king called the people of his kingdom, and made them
swear a great oath to maintain the same order of
government if he should leave the country, also that
nothing should make them alter it until his return.
Having secured this oath, he left his kingdom of Sparta
and never returned. Lycurgus abandoned the situation,
renouncing his high position, thinking to achieve the
permanent good of his country by the equalization of
the property and of the conditions of life in his kingdom.

+P153
All the self-sacrifice of the king was in vain. The
great experiment failed. After a time all was destroyed;
his carefully thought-out constitution came to an end.
The futility of attempting such a scheme was shown
and the impossibility of attaining equal conditions
of existence was proclaimed in the ancient kingdom of
Sparta. In our day any such attempt would be equally
doomed to failure.
Certainly, some being enormously rich and others
lamentably poor, an organization is necessary to control
and improve this state of affairs. It is important to
limit riches, as it is also of importance to limit poverty.
Either extreme is not good. To be seated in the mean+F1
is most desirable. If it be right for a capitalist to possess
a large fortune, it is equally just that his workman
should have a sufficient means of existence.
A financier with colossal wealth should not exist
whilst near him is a poor man in dire necessity. When
we see poverty allowed to reach a condition of starvation
it is a sure sign that somewhere we shall find
tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter,
and no longer delay in altering conditions which bring
the misery of grinding poverty to a very large number
of the people. The rich must give of their abundance,
they must soften their hearts and cultivate a compassionate
intelligence, taking thought for those sad
ones who are suffering from lack of the very necessities
of life.
There must be special laws made, dealing with these
extremes of riches and of want. The members of the

+F1 `Give me neither poverty nor riches.'--Prov. xxx., 8.

+P154
Government should consider the laws of God when
they are framing plans for the ruling of the people.
The general rights of mankind must be guarded and
preserved.
The government of the countries should conform
to the Divine Law which gives equal justice to all.
This is the only way in which the deplorable superfluity
of great wealth and miserable, demoralizing,
degrading poverty can be abolished. Not until this is
done will the Law of God be obeyed.


SEVENTH PRINCIPLE--EQUALITY OF MEN

`The Laws of God are not imposition of will, or
of power, or pleasure, but the resolutions of
truth, reason and justice.'
All men are equal before the law, which must reign
absolutely.
The object of punishment is not vengeance, but the
prevention of crime.
Kings must rule with wisdom and justice; prince,
peer and peasant alike have equal rights to just treatment,
there must be no favour shown to individuals. A
judge must be no `respecter of persons', but administer
the law with strict impartiality in every case brought
before him.
If a person commit a crime against you, you have
not the right to forgive him; but the law must punish
him in order to prevent a repetition of that same crime
by others, as the pain of the individual is unimportant
beside the general welfare of the people.

+P155
When perfect justice reigns in every country of the
Eastern and Western World, then will the earth become
a place of beauty. The dignity and equality of
every servant of God will be acknowledged; the ideal
of the solidarity of the human race, the true brotherhood
of man, will be realized; and the glorious light
of the Sun of Truth will illumine the souls of all men.


THE EIGHTH PRINCIPLE

UNIVERSAL PEACE

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris
A Supreme Tribunal shall be established by the
peoples and Governments of every nation, composed
of members elected from each country and
Government. The members of this Great Council shall
assemble in unity. All disputes of an international
character shall be submitted to this Court, its work
being to arrange by arbitration everything which
otherwise would be a cause of war. The mission of
this Tribunal would be to prevent war.
One of the great steps towards universal peace
would be the establishment of a universal language.
&Baha'u'llah commands that the servants of humanity
should meet together, and either choose a language
which now exists, or form a new one. This was revealed
in the &Kitab-i-Aqdas forty years ago. It is there
pointed out that the question of diversity of tongues
is a very difficult one. There are more than eight

+P156
hundred languages in the world, and no person could
acquire them all.
The races of mankind are not isolated as in former
days. Now, in order to be in close relationship with all
countries it is necessary to be able to speak their
tongues.
A universal language would make intercourse possible
with every nation. Thus it would be needful to
know two languages only, the mother tongue and the
universal speech. The latter would enable a man to
communicate with any and every man in the world!
A third language would not be needed. To be able
to talk with a member of any race and country without
requiring an interpreter, how helpful and restful to all!
Esperanto has been drawn up with this end in view:
it is a fine invention and a splendid piece of work, but
it needs perfecting. Esperanto as it stands is very
difficult for some people.
An international Congress should be formed, consisting
of delegates from every nation in the world,
Eastern as well as Western. This Congress should form
a language that could be acquired by all, and every
country would thereby reap great benefit.
Until such a language is in use, the world will continue
to feel the vast need of this means of intercourse.
Difference of speech is one of the most fruitful causes
of dislike and distrust that exists between nations,
which are kept apart by their inability to understand
each other's language more than by any other reason.
If everybody could speak one language, how much
more easy would it be to serve humanity!

+P157
Therefore appreciate `Esperanto', for it is the beginning
of the carrying out of one of the most important
of the Laws of &Baha'u'llah, and it must continue to be
improved and perfected.


NINTH PRINCIPLE

THE NON-INTERFERENCE OF RELIGION WITH
POLITICS

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 17th
In the conduct of life, man is actuated by two main
motives: `The Hope for Reward' and `The Fear
of Punishment'.
This hope and this fear must consequently be greatly
taken into account by those in authority who have
important posts under Government. Their business
in life is to consult together for the framing of laws,
and to provide for their just administration.
The tent of the order of the world is raised and
established on the two pillars of `Reward and Retribution'.
In despotic Governments carried on by men without
Divine faith, where no fear of spiritual retribution
exists, the execution of the laws is tyrannical and unjust.
There is no greater prevention of oppression than
these two sentiments, hope and fear. They have both
political and spiritual consequences.
If administrators of the law would take into consideration

+P158
the spiritual consequences of their decisions,
and follow the guidance of religion, `They would be
Divine agents in the world of action, the representatives
of God for those who are on earth, and they would
defend, for the love of God, the interests of His servants
as they would defend their own'. If a governor realizes
his responsibility, and fears to defy the Divine Law,
his judgments will be just. Above all, if he believes
that the consequences of his actions will follow him
beyond his earthly life, and that `as he sows so must
he reap', such a man will surely avoid injustice and
tyranny.
Should an official, on the contrary, think that all
responsibility for his actions must end with his earthly
life, knowing and believing nothing of Divine favours
and a spiritual kingdom of joy, he will lack the incentive
to just dealing, and the inspiration to destroy oppression
and unrighteousness.
When a ruler knows that his judgments will be
weighed in a balance by the Divine Judge, and that if
he be not found wanting he will come into the Celestial
Kingdom and that the light of the Heavenly Bounty
will shine upon him, then will he surely act with justice
and equity. Behold how important it is that Ministers
of State should be enlightened by religion!
With political questions the clergy, however, have
nothing to do! Religious matters should not be confused
with politics in the present state of the world
(for their interests are not identical).
Religion concerns matters of the heart, of the spirit,
and of morals.

+P159
Politics are occupied with the material things of life.
Religious teachers should not invade the realm of
politics; they should concern themselves with the
spiritual education of the people; they should ever give
good counsel to men, trying to serve God and human
kind; they should endeavour to awaken spiritual
aspiration, and strive to enlarge the understanding and
knowledge of humanity, to improve morals, and to
increase the love for justice.
This is in accordance with the Teaching of
&Baha'u'llah. In the Gospel also it is written, `Render
unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto
God the things which are God's'.
In Persia there are some amongst the important
Ministers of State who are religious, who are exemplary,
who worship God, and who fear to disobey His
Laws, who judge justly and rule their people with
Equity. Other Governors there are in this land who
have no fear of God before their eyes, who think not
of the consequences of their actions, working for their
own desires, and these have brought Persia into great
trouble and difficulty.
Oh, friends of God, be living examples of justice!
So that by the Mercy of God, the world may see in
your actions that you manifest the attributes of justice
and mercy.
Justice is not limited, it is a universal quality. Its
operation must be carried out in all classes, from the
highest to the lowest. Justice must be sacred, and the
rights of all the people must be considered. Desire for
others only that which you desire for yourselves. Then

+P160
shall we rejoice in the Sun of Justice, which shines from
the Horizon of God.
Each man has been placed in a post of honour, which
he must not desert. A humble workman who commits
an injustice is as much to blame as a renowned tyrant.
Thus we all have our choice between justice and
injustice.
I hope that each one of you will become just, and
direct your thoughts towards the unity of mankind;
that you will never harm your neighbours nor speak
ill of any one; that you will respect the rights of all
men, and be more concerned for the interests of others
than for your own. Thus will you become torches of
Divine justice, acting in accordance with the Teaching
of &Baha'u'llah, who, during His life, bore innumerable
trials and persecutions in order to show forth to the
world of mankind the virtues of the World of Divinity,
making it possible for you to realize the supremacy of
the spirit, and to rejoice in the Justice of God.
By His Mercy, the Divine Bounty will be showered
upon you, and for this I pray!


THE TENTH PRINCIPLE--EQUALITY OF SEX

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 14th
The Tenth Principle of the teaching of &Baha'u'llah
is the equality of the sexes.
God has created all creatures in couples. Man,
beast, or vegetable, all the things of these three kingdoms

+P161
are of two sexes, and there is absolute equality
between them.
In the vegetable world there are male plants and
female plants; they have equal rights, and possess an
equal share of the beauty of their species; though indeed
the tree that bears fruit might be said to be
superior to that which is unfruitful.
In the animal kingdom we see that the male and the
female have equal rights; and that they each share the
advantages of their kind.
Now in the two lower kingdoms of nature we have
seen that there is no question of the superiority of one
sex over the other. In the world of humanity we find
a great difference; the female sex is treated as though
inferior, and is not allowed equal rights and privileges.
This condition is due not to nature, but to education.
In the Divine Creation there is no such distinction.
Neither sex is superior to the other in the sight of God.
Why then should one sex assert the inferiority of the
other, withholding just rights and privileges as though
God had given His authority for such a course of
action? If women received the same educational advantages
as those of men, the result would demonstrate
the equality of capacity of both for scholarship.
In some respects woman is superior to man. She is
more tender-hearted, more receptive, her intuition is
more intense.
It is not to be denied that in various directions woman
at present is more backward than man, also that this
temporary inferiority is due to the lack of educational
opportunity. In the necessity of life, woman is more

+P162
instinct with power than man, for to her he owes his
very existence.
If the mother is educated then her children will be
well taught. When the mother is wise, then will the
children be led into the path of wisdom. If the mother
be religious she will show her children how they should
love God. If the mother is moral she guides her little
ones into the ways of uprightness.
It is clear therefore that the future generation depends
on the mothers of today. Is not this a vital responsibility
for the woman? Does she not require every
possible advantage to equip her for such a task?
Therefore, surely, God is not pleased that so important
an instrument as woman should suffer from
want of training in order to attain the perfections
desirable and necessary for her great life's work!
Divine Justice demands that the rights of both sexes
should be equally respected since neither is superior to
the other in the eyes of Heaven. Dignity before God
depends, not on sex, but on purity and luminosity of
heart. Human virtues belong equally to all!
Woman must endeavour then to attain greater
perfection, to be man's equal in every respect, to make
progress in all in which she has been backward, so that
man will be compelled to acknowledge her equality of
capacity and attainment.
In Europe women have made greater progress than
in the East, but there is still much to be done! When
students have arrived at the end of their school term
an examination takes place, and the result thereof
determines the knowledge and capacity of each student.

+P163
So will it be with woman; her actions will show her
power, there will no longer be any need to proclaim it
by words.
It is my hope that women of the East, as well as their
Western sisters, will progress rapidly until humanity
shall reach perfection.
God's Bounty is for all and gives power for all
progress. When men own the equality of women there
will be no need for them to struggle for their rights!
One of the principles then of &Baha'u'llah is the equality
of sex.
Women must make the greatest effort to acquire
spiritual power and to increase in the virtue of wisdom
and holiness until their enlightenment and striving
succeeds in bringing about the unity of mankind. They
must work with a burning enthusiasm to spread the
Teaching of &Baha'u'llah among the peoples, so that
the radiant light of the Divine Bounty may envelop
the souls of all the nations of the world!


THE ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE

THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 18th
In the teaching of &Baha'u'llah, it is written: `By the
Power of the Holy Spirit alone is man able to
progress, for the power of man is limited and the
Divine Power is boundless.' The reading of history

+P164
brings us to the conclusion that all truly great men, the
benefactors of the human race, those who have moved
men to love the right and hate the wrong and who
have caused real progress, all these have been inspired
by the force of the Holy Spirit.
The Prophets of God have not all graduated in the
schools of learned philosophy; indeed they were often
men of humble birth, to all appearance ignorant, unknown
men of no importance in the eyes of the world;
sometimes even lacking the knowledge of reading and
writing.
That which raised these great ones above men, and
by which they were able to become Teachers of the
truth, was the power of the Holy Spirit. Their influence
on humanity, by virtue of this mighty inspiration,
was great and penetrating.
The influence of the wisest philosophers, without this
Spirit Divine, has been comparatively unimportant,
however extensive their learning and deep their
scholarship.
The unusual intellects, for instance, of Plato, Aristotle,
Pliny and Socrates, have not influenced men so
greatly that they have been anxious to sacrifice their
lives for their teachings; whilst some of those simple
men so moved humanity that thousands of men have
become willing martyrs to uphold their words; for
these words were inspired by the Divine Spirit of God!
The prophets of Judah and Israel, Elijah, Jeremiah,
Isaiah and Ezekiel, were humble men, as were also
the apostles of Jesus Christ.
Peter, the chief of the apostles, used to divide the

+P165
proceeds of his fishing into seven parts, and when,
having taken one part for each day's use, he arrived
at the seventh portion, he knew it was the Sabbath day.
Consider this! and then think of his future position;
to what glory he attained because the Holy Spirit
wrought great works through him.
We understand that the Holy Spirit is the energizing
factor in the life of man. Whosoever receives this
power is able to influence all with whom he comes into
contact.
The greatest philosophers without this Spirit are
powerless, their souls lifeless, their hearts dead! Unless
the Holy Spirit breathes into their souls, they can do no
good work. No system of philosophy has ever been
able to change the manners and customs of a people
for the better. Learned philosophers, unenlightened by
the Divine Spirit, have often been men of inferior
morality; they have not proclaimed in their actions
the reality of their beautiful phrases.
The difference between spiritual philosophers and
others is shown by their lives. The Spiritual Teacher
shows His belief in His own teaching, by Himself being
what He recommends to others.
An humble man without learning, but filled with
the Holy Spirit, is more powerful than the most nobly-born
profound scholar without that inspiration. He
who is educated by the Divine Spirit can, in his time,
lead others to receive the same Spirit.
I pray for you that you may be informed by the life
of the Divine Spirit, so that you may be the means of
educating others. The life and morals of a spiritual

+P166
man are, in themselves, an education to those who
know him.
Think not of your own limitations, dwell only on
the welfare of the Kingdom of Glory. Consider the
influence of Jesus Christ on His apostles, then think of
their effect upon the world. These simple men were
enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the
glad tidings!
So may you all receive Divine assistance! No capacity
is limited when led by the Spirit of God!
The earth of itself has no properties of life, it is
barren and dry, until fertilized by the sun and the rain;
still the earth need not bewail its own limitations.
May you be given life! May the rain of the Divine
Mercy and the warmth of the Sun of Truth make your
gardens fruitful, so that many beautiful flowers of exquisite
fragrance and love may blossom in abundance.
Turn your faces away from the contemplation of your
own finite selves and fix your eyes upon the Everlasting
Radiance; then will your souls receive in full measure
the Divine Power of the Spirit and the Blessings of the
Infinite Bounty.
If you thus keep yourselves in readiness, you will
become to the world of humanity a burning flame, a
star of guidance, and a fruitful tree, changing all its
darkness and woe into light and joy by the shining
of the Sun of Mercy and the infinite blessings of the
Glad Tidings.
This is the meaning of the power of the Holy Spirit,
which I pray may be bountifully showered upon you.

+P167
4 Avenue de &Camoens, Paris,
November 28th
In these gatherings where we have met and spoken
together you have all become acquainted with the
principles of this dispensation, and with the reality of
facts. Unto you it has been given to know these things,
but there are many still unenlightened and submerged
in superstition. They have heard but little of this great
and glorious Cause, and the knowledge they have is
for the most part based only on hearsay. Alas, poor
souls, the knowledge they have is not based on truth,
the foundation of their belief is not the teaching of
&Baha'u'llah! There is, assuredly, a certain amount
of truth in what they have been told, but for the most
part their information has been inaccurate.
The true principles of the blessed Cause of God are
the eleven rules which I have given you, and I have
carefully explained these, one by one.
You must endeavour always to live and act in direct
obedience to the teachings and laws of &Baha'u'llah,
so that every individual may see in all the acts of your
life that in word and in deed you are followers of the
Blessed Perfection.
Exert yourselves so that this glorious teaching may
encircle the globe, and that spirituality may be infused
into the hearts of men.
The breath of the Holy Spirit shall confirm you, and
although many will arise against you, they shall not
prevail!
When the Lord Christ was crowned with thorns,
He knew that all the diadems of the world were at His

+P168
feet. All earthly crowns, however brilliant, powerful
and resplendent, bowed in adoration before the crown
of thorns! It was from this sure and certain knowledge
He spoke, when He said: `All power is given unto
Me, in Heaven and in earth'.+F1
Now I say unto you, bear this on your hearts and in
your minds. Verily your light shall illumine the whole
world, your spirituality shall affect the heart of things.
You shall in truth become the lighted torches of the
globe. Fear not, neither be dismayed, for your light
shall penetrate the densest darkness. This is the Promise
of God, which I give unto you. Rise! and serve the
Power of God!


THE LAST MEETING

15 Rue Greuze, Paris,
December 1st
When I arrived in Paris some time ago for the
first time, I looked around me with much
interest, and in my mind I likened this beautiful city
to a large garden.
With loving care and much thought I examined the
soil, and found it to be very good and full of possibility
for steadfast faith and firm belief, for a seed of God's
love has been cast into the ground.
Clouds of Heavenly Mercy showered their rain upon
it, and the Sun of Truth fell warmly upon the young
seeds, and today one can see in your midst the birth

+F1 Matthew xviii, 18.

+P169
of belief. The seed cast into the ground has begun to
spring up, and day by day you will see it grow. The
bounties of the Kingdom of &Baha'u'llah shall indeed
bring forth a wondrous harvest!
Behold! I bring you glad and joyful tidings! Paris
will become a garden of roses! All kinds of beautiful
flowers will spring up and flourish in this garden, and
the fame of their fragrance and beauty will be spread in
all lands. When I think of Paris in the future, I seem
to see her bathed in the light of the Holy Spirit!
Verily, the day is dawning when Paris will receive her
illumination, and the Goodness and Mercy of God will
be visible to every living creature.
Do not allow your minds to dwell on the present,
but with eyes of faith look into the future, for in truth
the Spirit of God is working in your midst.
Since my arrival a few weeks ago, I can see the
growth of spirituality. At the beginning only a few
souls came to me for Light, but during my short sojourn
among you the numbers have increased and
doubled. This is a promise for the future!
When Christ was crucified and left this world, He
had only eleven disciples and a very few followers; but
as He served the Cause of truth, look today at the result
of His life's work! He has illumined the world, and
given life to dead humanity. After His ascension little
by little His Cause grew, the souls of His followers
became more and more luminous, and the exquisite
perfume of their saintly lives spread on all sides.
Now today, thank God, a similar condition has begun
in Paris. There are many souls who have turned to

+P170
the Kingdom of God, and who are attracted to unity,
love and truth.
Try so to work that the goodness and mercy of &Abha
may enfold the whole of Paris. The Breath of the Holy
Spirit will help you, the Celestial Light of the Kingdom
will shine in your hearts, and the blessed angels of God
from Heaven will bring you strength and will succour
you. Then thank God with all your hearts that you
have attained to this supreme benefit. A great part of
the world is plunged in sleep, but you have been
awakened. Many are blind, but you see!
The call of the Kingdom is heard in your midst.
Glory be to God, you have been born again, you have
been baptized by the fire of the Love of God; you have
been plunged in the Sea of Life and regenerated by the
Spirit of Love!
Having received such favour be thankful unto God,
and never doubt His Goodness and Loving Kindness
but have undying faith in the Bounties of the Kingdom.
Consort together in brotherly love, be ready to
lay down your lives one for the other, and not only for
those who are dear to you, but for all humanity. Look
upon the whole human race as members of one family,
all children of God; and, in so doing, you will see no
difference between them.
Humanity may be likened to a tree. This tree has
branches, leaves, buds and fruit. Think of all men as
being flowers, leaves or buds of this tree, and try to
help each and all to realize and enjoy God's blessings.
God neglects none: He loves all.
The only real difference that exists between people

+P171
is that they are at various stages of development. Some
are imperfect--these must be brought to perfection.
Some are asleep--they must be awakened; some are
negligent--they must be roused; but one and all are
the children of God. Love them all with your whole
heart; no one is a stranger to the other, all are friends.
Tonight I come to say farewell to you--but bear this
in your minds, that although our bodies may be far
apart, in spirit we shall always be together.
I bear you one and all in my heart, and will forget
none of you--and I hope that none of you will forget
me.
I in the East, and you in the West, let us try with
heart and soul that unity may dwell in the world, that
all the peoples may become one people, and that the
whole surface of the earth may be like one country--
for the Sun of Truth shines on all alike.
All the Prophets of God came for love of this one
great aim.
Look how Abraham strove to bring faith and love
among the people; how Moses tried to unite the people
by sound laws; how the Lord Christ suffered unto
death to bring the light of love and truth into a darkened
world; how &Muhammad sought to bring unity
and peace between the various uncivilized tribes among
whom he dwelt. And last of all, &Baha'u'llah has
suffered forty years for the same cause--the single noble
purpose of spreading love among the children of men
--and for the peace and unity of the world the &Bab
gave up his life.
Thus, strive to follow the example of these Divine

+P172
Beings, drink from Their fountain, be illumined by
Their Light, and to the world be as symbols of the
Mercy and Love of God. Be unto the world as rain
and clouds of mercy, as suns of truth; be a celestial
army, and you shall indeed conquer the city of hearts.
Be thankful unto God that &Baha'u'llah has given us
a firm and solid foundation. He left no place for sadness
in hearts, and the writings of His sacred pen contain
consolation for the whole world. He had the words of
truth, and anything that is contrary to His teaching is
false. The chief aim of all His work was to do away
with division.
The testament of &Baha'u'llah is a Rain of Goodness,
a Sun of Truth, Water of Life, the Holy Spirit. Thus
open your hearts to receive the full power of His
Beauty, and I will pray for you all that this joy may be
yours.
Now I say `Good-bye'.
This I say only to your outer selves; I do not say it
to your souls, for our souls are always together.
Be comforted, and rest assured that day and night
I shall turn to the Kingdom of &Abha in supplication for
you, that day by day you may grow better and holier,
nearer to God, and more and more illumined by the
radiance of His Love.

+P173
ADDRESS BY &ABDU'L-BAHA

AT THE FRIENDS' MEETING HOUSE, ST MARTIN'S
LANE, LONDON, W.C.

Sunday, January 12th, 1913
About one thousand years ago a society was
formed in Persia called the Society of the Friends,
who gathered together for silent communion with the
Almighty.
They divided Divine philosophy into two parts:
one kind is that of which the knowledge can be acquired
through lectures and study in schools and
colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that of the
Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools
of this philosophy were held in silence. Meditating, and
turning their faces to the Source of Light, from that
central Light the mysteries of the Kingdom were reflected
in the hearts of these people. All the Divine
problems were solved by this power of illumination.
This Society of Friends increased greatly in Persia,
and up to the present time their societies exist. Many
books and epistles were written by their leaders. When
they assemble in their meeting-house they sit silently
and contemplate; their leader opens with a certain
proposition, and says to the assembly `You must meditate
on this problem'. Then, freeing their minds from
everything else, they sit and reflect, and before long the
answer is revealed to them. Many abstruse divine
questions are solved by this illumination.

+P174
Some of the great questions unfolding from the
rays of the Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are:
the problem of the reality of the spirit of man; of the
birth of the spirit; of its birth from this world into
the world of God; the question of the inner life of the
spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the body.
They also meditate upon the scientific questions of
the day, and these are likewise solved.
These people, who are called `Followers of the inner
light', attain to a superlative degree of power, and are
entirely freed from blind dogmas and imitations. Men
rely on the statements of these people: by themselves--
within themselves--they solve all mysteries.
If they find a solution with the assistance of the
inner light, they accept it, and afterwards they declare
it: otherwise they would consider it a matter of blind
imitation. They go so far as to reflect upon the essential
nature of the Divinity, of the Divine revelation, of the
manifestation of the Deity in this world. All the divine
and scientific questions are solved by them through the
power of the spirit.
&Baha'u'llah says there is a sign (from God) in every
phenomenon: the sign of the intellect is contemplation
and the sign of contemplation is silence, because it is
impossible for a man to do two things at one time--he
cannot both speak and meditate.
It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you
are speaking with your own spirit. In that state of
mind you put certain questions to your spirit and the
spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is
revealed.

+P175
You cannot apply the name `man' to any being void
of this faculty of meditation; without it he would be
a mere animal, lower than the beasts.
Through the faculty of meditation man attains to
eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the
Holy Spirit--the bestowal of the Spirit is given in
reflection and meditation.
The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened
during meditation; through it affairs of which man
knew nothing are unfolded before his view. Through
it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives
heavenly food.
Meditation is the key for opening the doors of
mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that
state man withdraws himself from all outside objects;
in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean of
spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves.
To illustrate this, think of man as endowed
with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is
being used the outward power of vision does not see.
This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal
nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in
touch with God.
This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the
sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty
inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are
carried out; through it governments can run smoothly.
Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom
of God.
Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they
are like waves moving in the sea without result. But

+P176
if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner light
and characterized with divine attributes, the results
will be confirmed.
The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you
put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore
if the spirit of man is contemplating earthly
subjects he will be informed of these.
But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards,
the heavenly constellations and the rays of the
Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the
virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained.
Therefore let us keep this faculty rightly directed--
turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly
objects--so that we may discover the secrets of the
Kingdom, and comprehend the allegories of the Bible
and the mysteries of the spirit.
May we indeed become mirrors reflecting the
heavenly realities, and may we become so pure as to
reflect the stars of heaven.


PRAYER

97 Cadogan Gardens, London,
December 26th, 1912
`Should Prayer take the form of action?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`Yes: In the &Baha'i Cause arts,
sciences and all crafts are (counted as) worship. The
man who makes a piece of notepaper to the best of his
ability, conscientiously, concentrating all his forces on
perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly, all effort
and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his

+P177
heart is worship, if it is prompted by the highest
motives and the will to do service to humanity. This is
worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs
of the people. Service is prayer. A physician ministering
to the sick, gently, tenderly, free from prejudice and
believing in the solidarity of the human race, he is
giving praise'.
`What is the purpose of our lives?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`To acquire virtues. We come from
the earth; why were we transferred from the mineral
to the vegetable kingdom--from the plant to the
animal kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in
each of these kingdoms, that we may possess the best
qualities of the mineral, that we may acquire the power
of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned with
the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of
sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the
animal kingdom we step into the world of humanity
and are gifted with reason, the power of invention,
and the forces of the spirit.'


EVIL

`What is evil?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`Evil is imperfection. Sin is
the state of man in the world of the baser nature, for
in nature exist defects such as injustice, tyranny, hatred,
hostility, strife: these are characteristics of the lower
plane of nature. These are the sins of the world, the
fruits of the tree from which Adam did eat. Through
education we must free ourselves from these imperfections.

+P178
The Prophets of God have been sent, the Holy
Books have been written, so that man may be made
free. Just as he is born into this world of imperfection
from the womb of his earthly mother, so is he born
into the world of spirit through divine education.
When a man is born into the world of phenomena he
finds the universe; when he is born from this world to
the world of the spirit, he finds the Kingdom.'


THE PROGRESS OF THE SOUL

`Does the soul progress more through sorrow or
through the joy in this world?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`The mind and spirit of man advance
when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground is
ploughed the better the seed will grow, the better the
harvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth
deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering
and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this
worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete
detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of
divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat
of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back
to the times past and you will find that the greatest men
have suffered most.'
`He who through suffering has attained development,
should he fear happiness?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`Through suffering he will attain to
an eternal happiness which nothing can take from him.
The apostles of Christ suffered: they attained eternal
happiness.'

+P179
`Then it is impossible to attain happiness without
suffering?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`To attain eternal happiness one
must suffer. He who has reached the state of self-sacrifice
has true joy. Temporal joy will vanish.'
`Can a departed soul converse with someone still
on earth?'
&Abdu'l-Baha.--`A conversation can be held, but
not as our conversation. There is no doubt that the
forces of the higher worlds interplay with the forces of
this plane. The heart of man is open to inspiration;
this is spiritual communication. As in a dream one
talks with a friend while the mouth is silent, so is it
in the conversation of the spirit. A man may converse
with the ego within him saying: "May I do this?
Would it be advisable for me to do this work?" Such
as this is conversation with the higher self.'


THE FOUR KINDS OF LOVE

97 Cadogan Gardens, London,
Saturday, January 4th, 1913
What a power is love! It is the most wonderful,
the greatest of all living powers.
Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in
the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless
and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful.
In the world of existence there is indeed no greater
power than the power of love. When the heart of man
is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice

+P180
all--even his life. In the Gospel it is said God is love.
There are four kinds of love. The first is the love that
flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible
graces, the Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination.
Through this love the world of being receives
life. Through this love man is endowed with physical
existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit--
this same love--he receives eternal life and becomes the
image of the Living God. This love is the origin of all
the love in the world of creation.
The second is the love that flows from man to God.
This is faith, attraction to the Divine, enkindlement,
progress, entrance into the Kingdom of God, receiving
the Bounties of God, illumination with the lights of the
Kingdom. This love is the origin of all philanthropy;
this love causes the hearts of men to reflect the rays of
the Sun of Reality.
The third is the love of God towards the Self or
Identity of God. This is the transfiguration of His
Beauty, the reflection of Himself in the mirror of His
Creation. This is the reality of love, the Ancient Love,
the Eternal Love. Through one ray of this Love all
other love exists.
The fourth is the love of man for man. The love
which exists between the hearts of believers is prompted
by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love is
attained through the knowledge of God, so that men
see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each sees in
the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and
finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to
one another in love. This love will make all men the

+P181
waves of one sea, this love will make them all the stars
of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This love will
bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of
real unity.
But the love which sometimes exists between friends
is not (true) love, because it is subject to transmutation;
this is merely fascination. As the breeze blows, the
slender trees yield. If the wind is in the East the tree
leans to the West, and if the wind turns to the West
the tree leans to the East. This kind of love is originated
by the accidental conditions of life. This is not love,
it is merely acquaintanceship; it is subject to change.
Today you will see two souls apparently in close
friendship; tomorrow all this may be changed. Yesterday
they were ready to die for one another, today they
shun one another's society! This is not love; it is the
yielding of the hearts to the accidents of life. When
that which has caused this `love' to exist passes, the
love passes also; this is not in reality love.
Love is only of the four kinds that I have explained.
(a) The love of God towards the identity of God.
Christ has said God is Love. (b) The love of God for
His children--for His servants. (c) The love of man for
God and (d) the love of man for man. These four kinds
of love originate from God. These are rays from the
Sun of Reality; these are the Breathings of the Holy
Spirit; these are the Signs of the Reality.

+P182
TABLET REVEALED BY &ABDU'L-BAHA

August 28th, 1913
O Thou my beloved daughter!
Thine eloquent and fluent letter was perused in a
garden, under the cool shade of a tree, while the gentle
breeze was wafting. The means of physical enjoyment
was spread before the eyes and thy letter became the
cause of spiritual enjoyment. Truly, I say, it was not a
letter but a rose-garden adorned with hyacinths and
flowers.
It contained the sweet fragrance of paradise and the
zephyr of Divine Love blew from its roseate words.
As I have not ample time at my disposal, I will give
herein a brief, conclusive and comprehensive answer.
It is as follows:
In this Revelation of &Baha'u'llah, the women go
neck and neck with the men. In no movement will
they be left behind. Their rights with men are equal in
degree. They will enter all the administrative branches
of politics. They will attain in all such a degree as will
be considered the very highest station of the world of
humanity and will take part in all affairs. Rest ye
assured. Do ye not look upon the present conditions;
in the not far distant future the world of women will
become all-refulgent and all-glorious, For His Holiness
&Baha'u'llah Hath Willed It so! At the time of elections
the right to vote is the inalienable right of women,
and the entrance of women into all human departments

+P183
is an irrefutable and incontrovertible question. No soul
can retard or prevent it.
But there are certain matters, the participation in
which is not worthy of women. For example, at the
time when the community is taking up vigorous defensive
measures against the attack of foes, the women
are exempt from military engagements. It may so
happen that at a given time warlike and savage tribes
may furiously attack the body politic with the intention
of carrying on a wholesale slaughter of its members;
under such a circumstance defence is necessary, but it
is the duty of men to organize and execute such defensive
measures and not the women--because their
hearts are tender and they cannot endure the sight of
the horror of carnage, even if it is for the sake of
defence. From such and similar undertakings the
women are exempt.
As regards the constitution of the House of Justice,
&Baha'u'llah addresses the men. He says: `O ye men
of the House of Justice!'
But when its members are to be elected, the right
which belongs to women, so far as their voting and
their voice is concerned, is indisputable. When the
women attain to the ultimate degree of progress, then,
according to the exigency of the time and place and
their great capacity, they shall obtain extraordinary
privileges. Be ye confident on these accounts. His
Holiness &Baha'u'llah has greatly strengthened the
cause of women, and the rights and privileges of
women is one of the greatest principles of &Abdu'l-Baha.
Rest ye assured! Ere long the days shall come

+P184
when the men addressing the women, shall say:
`Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye! Verily ye are worthy of
every gift. Verily ye deserve to adorn your heads with the
crown of everlasting glory, because in sciences and arts, in
virtues and perfections ye shall become equal to man, and
as regards tenderness of heart and the abundance of mercy
and sympathy ye are superior'.