Sermon in the Shrine

The Sermon in the Shrine

By John Taylor; 2009 Aug 28, Asma 09, 166 BE

Abdu'l-Baha Touches Montreal, Part II

(Second part of a revision of an essay originally posted on 9 September, 2005. Page numbers are from the 1987 edition of the compilation of Abdu'l-Baha's collected talks, The Promulgation of Universal Peace)

During the first few days in Montreal `Abdu'l-Baha stayed at the home of a Baha'i couple, May and Sutherland Maxwell. Later, He moved to the Windsor Hotel, a magnificent building that no longer stands in its entirety, though the grand ballroom and other features have been preserved in the present building. This was the hotel where visiting royalty stayed when in Montreal. After returning from the church of the Messiah on that first Sunday to the Maxwell's domicile, He gave an informal talk in their drawing room. Mahmud in His diary described it in glowing terms, saying:

"This evening a great multitude assembled to hear `Abdu'l-Baha. He unfolded the mysteries of the evolution of humanity, the divine civilization and the new birth so impressively and with such majesty that His taj fell from His head and His hair tumbled down. He continued to speak in this state for more than half an hour and at last He passed through the crowd to His room." (Mahmoud, 236-7)

This must have been a very impassioned talk, for I know of only one or two other occasions when He allowed his headgear to come off. One was when the non-Baha'i mother of Juliet Thompson, one of His most faithful disciples, had the audacity to ask to see what he looked like bareheaded. "It is not the custom," He told her for men to bare their heads before women in a public place. However, since He had such great affection for this elderly lady, he consented. As Juliet Thompson describes in her diary, the two Western women were impressed by His majestic brow. For this to happen in a public talk was unheard of and it is a sign of how carried away he had become by the theme. He started off by saying, "I am exceedingly happy to meet you." This he must have said sincerely, for a cursory word-search shows that in no other talk did he use this expression. At another time He privately confided that here in Montreal he felt happier and more at ease than in any other city in North America. He continued,

"Praise be to God! I see before me souls who have unusual capability and the power of spiritual advancement. In reality, the people of this continent possess great capacity; they are the cause of my happiness, and I ever pray that God may confirm and assist them to progress in all the degrees of existence. As they have advanced along material lines, may they develop in idealistic degrees, for material advancement is fruitless without spiritual progress and not productive of everlasting results. For example, no matter how much the physical body of man is trained and developed, there will be no real progression in the human station unless the mind correspondingly advances." (Abdu'l-Baha, Promulgation, 302)

His theme during the rest of this remarkable disquisition in the drawing room of what is now a Baha'i shrine in Montreal was the exalted station of the human being. Even today with the advance of science and all our sensitivity to political correctness, we tend to devalue what is good about being a human. We are not in touch with the great accomplishments that we can rightly be proud of as people. Indeed, few can say what precisely makes us different from animals. What points of pride might make us want to rise above our crass materialism and corrupt politics? What can stop us from remaining satisfied with physical progress and rise up to spiritual perfection? A reader of this talk can answer questions like this. Here are some more:

Upon what does a person depend for virtues?

What is the difference between purity in a child and the fully developed power of an adult?

What does the biblical term "Kingdom" mean, and what is its relevance to the way we think today?

What is perfection? How do we attain it?

The climax of this peroration comes as he puts his finger on our collective pulse and prescribes a diagnosis. Although it probably took place much earlier, I like to think that this is where His fez fell to the ground.

"Today the world of humanity is walking in darkness because it is out of touch with the world of God. That is why we do not see the signs of God in the hearts of men. The power of the Holy Spirit has no influence. When a divine spiritual illumination becomes manifest in the world of humanity, when divine instruction and guidance appear, then enlightenment follows, a new spirit is realized within, a new power descends, and a new life is given. It is like the birth from the animal kingdom into the kingdom of man. When man acquires these virtues, the oneness of the world of humanity will be revealed, the banner of international peace will be upraised, equality between all mankind will be realized, and the Orient and Occident will become one. Then will the justice of God become manifest, all humanity will appear as the members of one family, and every member of that family will be consecrated to cooperation and mutual assistance. The lights of the love of God will shine; eternal happiness will be unveiled; everlasting joy and spiritual delight will be attained." (Promulgation, 424)

His words were received with such acclamation that though He was both ill and utterly exhausted -- how many of our vaunted professional lecturers today give three major speeches extempore on a single day? -- He was called back after an hour so of repose to give yet another talk, this time on the life of the soul after physical death.

I like to think of the day soon to come when all Canadians will pay attention to His words in this drawing room. Surely then our effort for a real and lasting peace will make our present accomplishments, such as universal education and our medical insurance, will pale in comparison.

Here is how Abdu'l-Baha ended that unforgettable first talk given bareheaded in the Maxwell home.

"I will pray, and you must pray, likewise, that such heavenly bounty may be realized; that strife and enmity may be banished, warfare and bloodshed taken away; that hearts may attain ideal communication and that all people may drink from the same fountain. May they receive their knowledge from the same divine source. May all hearts become illumined with the rays of the Sun of Reality; may all of them enter the university of God, acquire spiritual virtues and seek for themselves heavenly bounties. Then this material, phenomenal world will become the mirror of the world of God, and within this pure mirror the divine virtues of the realm of might will be reflected." (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 425)

John Taylor

email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/

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