Ramona's Record of Abdu’l-Baha's Visit to California
Scanned and proofed by John Taylor; 2007 September 05, 16 Asma, 164 BE
(this is the balance of the chapter called: The Master in California in: Memories of Abdu'l-Baha, By Ramona Brown Allen, Baha'i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Ill, 1980, pp. 47-88)
On one of His visits to Golden Gate Park with a few friends 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke to my father about health:
['Abdu'l-Baha.]: Man must not imagine disease but must ever trust God. Anyway, a man's life here in this world is temporary. He is in a world that is like a house, susceptible to every invasion, and God must protect man -- man must be submissive to God. He must not occupy himself with the thoughts of things -- imaginings. If a man thinks too much of his health, he will become afflicted ...
The spiritual life of man is important. The everlasting life of man is of the utmost importance. A man must be thinking of that. ...
Dr. Allen: Why should we pay attention to the everlasting life? We give up all of our time to this, and why should we be thinking about the rest of it?
Mrs. [Lua] Getsinger: You mean why should we not wait until we get there and take it up then?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Because whatsoever a man soweth here he reapeth there. This world is like a school. He must learn lessons here so that when he issues from this school he may become learned. He must not be ignorant.
For phenomena in general, there is one virtue. It is innate virtue. For example, this tree: its verdure is innate; its flowers are innate; they are creational. It does not interfere with them. It has no will of its own.
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As to animals, all their virtues are innate. The sun, its virtues are innate; therefore, there is no credit to be given it. ... Are you grateful to any of these? Not especially, as they are innate, involuntary virtues. But the virtues of man are acquired .... Therefore, for man there is need of the acquiring of virtues.
All the philosophers have come with the intention of teaching man to acquire virtues. All the prophets who have come have come to endow man with acquired virtues ....
When the party returned from the park to Abdul-Baha's home, He continued:
I have traversed long distances to see you. Baha'is traverse long distances to see one another. His Holiness Baha'u'llah says: "My comfort, My ease, My life, My honor, My faith, My family, My household, all have I sacrificed in order that blessed souls may appear, souls that might be centers of the virtues of mankind. May they be the souls of the Kingdom, so heavenly, so lordly, and freed from the attachments of the nether world, sanctified from all the vices of human nature, acquiring beauties from the perfections of God." Thus He endured every difficulty. All these ordeals He suffered, and He sacrificed Himself for all of us.
On October 12, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha was invited by Rabbi Martin A. Meyer to speak at Temple Emmanu-EI in San Francisco. Time has not dimmed my memory of the Master as He stood in the temple between two lovely palm trees while a shaft of light from a window fell across Him and bathed Him in the morning sunshine. There were two thousand Jews present as 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke about "The Fundamental Unity of Religious Thought." Listening to the words of the Master, I realized that in that vast temple there was absolute silence except for His pleasing, vibrant voice calling all to unity and urging the congregation to respect the names of Jesus and Muhammad and above all to be kind to all mankind. He gave proof of Jesus' claim
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and asked the people to set aside all religious prejudice. In closing He said:
The age has dawned when human fellowship will become a reality.
The century has come when all religions shall be unified.
The dispensation is at hand when all nations shall enjoy the blessings of International Peace ....
For all mankind shall dwell in peace and security beneath the shelter of the great tabernacle of the one living God.
Later that Saturday afternoon, October 12, Helen and Ella held a party at their Oakland home for the children to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha. It was a lovely and amusing sight to see the little ones rush to Him. The Master would take them in His arms, kiss them, and hold them on His lap. He gave them candy and flowers. To each of us He gave an envelope containing rose petals from the Holy Shrines. The children welcomed 'Abdu'l-Baha by singing "Softly His Voice Is Calling Now." Then the Master spoke to the children:
What radiant children these are! How radiant! What radiant and beautiful children!
These will become very good, because they will receive Baha'i education. They will be reared beneath the shelter of Baha'u'llah. They are just like fresh plants which have been sown in the Garden of Abha. They will be reared through the heat of the Sun of Reality. Assuredly, amongst them will appear souls -- most blessed souls -- each one of whom will be a radiant candle in the world of humanity, souls who will shine from the Eternal Horizon even as stars shine.
They are very, very (charming) indeed -- exceedingly (charming). A tree is different in its various states of development, such as when it is nigh unto fruitage, when it comes under the education of the gardener, when a fresh plant, from the very beginning is to be
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reared and cultured by a skilled gardener, because the latter -- the fresh plant -- can be educated according to the wishes of the gardener, and the gardener can train each branch just as he wishes it to grow.
Now, these children are fresh plants which have fallen into the hands of the gardener. Therefore, they will be very well educated; they will become fruitful trees; they will become very blessed trees; they will become most delectable trees. The Gardener is blessed, and the skill of the Gardener will become manifest in them.
A beautiful photograph was taken of 'Abdu'l-Baha, the children, and the friends at the time of this party.
On another joyous occasion in San Francisco the Master again addressed the children:
You are all my grandchildren.
I feel the utmost joy to be present here with you, especially to be surrounded with such radiant children. They are the very flowers of the Paradise of Abha.
Surely, a man in a rose garden is to be happy, and now I am in a rose garden. On one side, trees most fruitful and delightful do I see, and, on the other hand, I see my children who are flowers and most delightful to look at, and, assuredly, that gives joy in such a place.
In San Francisco, through the hand of the Gardener of God, who has appeared in the Orient, to see such a garden as the result of His handiwork in the West -- this is a source of great thanksgiving in the East. Hence I am hopeful, through the favors of that Real Gardener, that He may ever care for these trees, and water them; that He may ever refresh, through His Holy Dewdrops, His flowers; may shower upon them from His clouds of Mercy. May the Sun of His Reality shine upon them all. May they bask in the sunshine of His praises. May, day by day, this garden become more green and verdant, its trees become mightier and more beautiful, its flowers become more delicate and fresh, in order that the delightful fragrance of this garden shall refresh the
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nostrils of the longing ones, both in the East and the West.
An Oriental personage, having come from the most remote part of the Orient, were he to inhale the fragrances which are wafting from the distant parts of the West, he would say: "How fragrant are they! Evidently the rose garden of the West is most beautiful. Its flowers blossomed delightfully. The fragrance thereof is reaching even this remote district, and may this cause the rose garden of the East to be proud of this, that, praise be to God, the rose garden of the West, in a short space of time, has assumed most delightful freshness. Most magnificent flowers have become apparent therein. Variegated flowers can be seen there. White flowers have grown in it; colored flowers have grown in it; red flowers can be seen in it; and yellow flowers can be seen in it, and all of these together are in the utmost of freshness and verdure, and each lends a charm and harmony to the others. Each one is a cause of adornment to the others.
This is my hope, and so do I wish through the favors of Baha'u'llah, may He bless these children.
[Going to each child separately] May He bless this child.
'Abdu'l-Baha never let a heart be hurt, and He never left anyone without making him happy. He was always extremely courteous to everyone. Shortly before the Master's departure my mother, with the Master's consent, invited a group of friends to meet Him in her home in Berkeley. Time passed, but 'Abdu'l-Baha did not appear, and she and her guests were greatly disappointed. Later we learned that a believer had driven Him to the California redwoods and failed to return in time for the meeting. Afterward the following message, dated December 2, 1912, was received by Ella Cooper from the Master:
"Convey most wonderful greetings of Abha to the maidservant of God Mrs. Allen, and show unto her the utmost kindness on My behalf. Although in body I did not go to
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her house, yet in spirit and soul I was present in her assemblage."
There were times when 'Abdu'l-Baha disciplined the friends, but always with love and mercy. He gave to each one what was best for him, as well as often what they most wished for. His daily life was an example of His Teachings to all of us. Surely He knew how much we longed to be like Him, even to the slightest degree.
'Abdu'l-Baha spent three days in the country at the home of Phoebe Hearst in Pleasanton. Phoebe arrived at the Master's home [on October 14], to escort Him there. Before they drove off in a big black limousine, the chauffeur drew the shades down, I suppose to protect 'Abdu'l-Baha from the public's gaze. We stood on the sidewalk and watched as the car pulled away. We felt lonesome, and it seemed that the sunshine had left us. I was told later that, upon the Master's departure from the Hacienda, He gave Phoebe a most precious and priceless Persian rug.
Arriving back from Pleasanton on October 16, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke to friends from Portland who were gathered in His home:
Allah-u-Abha! You are very welcome. Be seated. You are very, very welcome! Because I longed to see you, I have shortened my visit to the country, and here am I. All be seated. I longed very much to see you all and (to the children) to see you and to kiss you. At Pleasanton the air was very good, very pleasant, elevated and beautiful surroundings. The views are delightful. Are you all well?
May you always be happy. All My endeavors are for the purpose that you may be happy. Praise be to God you are beneath the shelter of Baha'u'llah. Praise be to God the doors of the Kingdom are open for you. Praise be to God the Light of the Sun of Reality is shining upon you.
Praise be to God heavenly manna is descending for you, and if you be not happy who is to be happy? If you
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be not attracted, who is to be attracted? If you be not thankful, who is to be thankful? If you appreciated the Great Bestowal, you would surely fly -- absolutely fly; out of excessive joy, you would soar. For that which was the greatest desire of the Saints you have attained to without any trouble (laughing), without any trials, without any ordeals, without any difficulties -- out of absolute mercy.
In the late afternoon of October 16 the Master was host for a wonderful Feast at Helen Goodall's home in Oakland. There were one hundred and twenty present from California, Oregon, and Washington. There were Dutch, French, Swiss, Persian, English, Japanese, and Canadian friends. A young Hindu attended, and Abdul-Baha said of him, "This Hindu son is a son of Mine."
The three large rooms -- the drawing room, the library, and the dining room -- and the spacious entrance hall held long tables where the friends sat. The tables were decorated with yellow and gold chrysanthemums and fall-colored flowers. Large bowls filled with luscious fruits, candies, and cakes were in abundance. When we were all seated, the Master invited us to partake of the delicious food that was served. He stood between the spacious hall and the drawing room so that all of the friends could hear Him, and He said:
Praise be to God! you are the guests of Mrs. Goodall.
With the utmost love has she prepared this feast, and every kind of food is before you ....
This is a heavenly feast, an excellent meeting ....
The Supreme Concourse is now beholding this assemblage, proclaiming aloud: "Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye! Blessed are ye who are the servants of BAHA' O'LLAH! Blessed are ye who are the manifestors of faith! Blessed are ye who have such radiant countenances! Blessed are ye whose hearts are like unto rose gardens.
We were blessed, He told us, for we had the bounty of His
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presence commemorating Baha'u'llah among us.
'Abdu'l-Baha strolled from room to room, pausing now and then to take a piece of fruit or a sweet and put it on someone's plate. I was seated next to Madame Khan. I remember that He placed candy on our plates. She took hers and, as is the custom in Persia when one receives a precious gift, raised it to her heart, her lips, and her forehead before eating it. When He passed by or paused near us, we stopped eating; but He asked us to continue enjoying the bountiful repast while He talked.
As the Master walked through the rooms, He spoke of His Father's Revelation, telling us how we could become followers in His path. The rooms seemed filled with His radiance, and His smile included us all. The feeling of happiness was almost overpowering! Each one felt His love pouring over us.
Praise be to God! you are imbued with spiritual susceptibilities, for verily you have been gathered together in this meeting through the love of God. It is the bounty of the Kingdom which has summoned you here. It is the Most Great Guidance which has called you here. It is the power of attraction which has drawn you together here, and it is the bestowal of the Kingdom of ABHA which has invited you to this feast. These are spiritual susceptibilities, and these are emanations of the conscience. Because of these susceptibilities, this radiant youth is seated here, and in the utmost of love I am patting him on the shoulder.
The young man 'Abdu'l-Baha mentioned was Mr. Robinson, the husband of Ella's cousin Alice Robinson. I wondered why 'Abdu'l-Baha had chosen this young man for such a blessing.
Later Mr. John W. Matteson, who was seated with me at the same table, told me this story. Those were days of spiritual investigation for many of the friends, and Mr. and Mrs. Matteson were searching for truth. When he saw the Master put His hands on that young man's shoulder,
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Mr. Matteson thought to himself "If 'Abdu'l-Baha did that same thing to me, I would believe." However, the Master strolled into the other rooms. Presently He returned to that room, walked straight to Mr. Matteson, and placed His hands upon the young man's shoulders. From that moment Mr. Matteson became, until his death in 1958, one of the most faithful followers of Baha'u'llah. He and his wife, Berdette, served in outstanding ways, and their son and daughter-in-law, Lorne and Eleanor, and their sons, are all ardent and active Baha'is in the Bay Area. Berdette Matteson passed away in Hayward, California, in January 1971.
The Feast was almost over when suddenly Abdul-Baha started up the stairway leading from the hall. There was a hush as we watched Him go, and we thought that He was leaving us. The Master, stopped on a small balcony, halfway to the second floor, in front of a beautiful stained glass window. Then He stepped forward and, extending His arms with palms upturned, chanted this beautiful benediction:
O kind Lord, verily this assemblage is longing for Thee and loving Thy beauty. Verily, these friends are set aglow with the fire of Thy love and are joyful because of Thy presence. They have turned to Thy Kingdom, seeking naught but Thy good pleasure, desiring naught but to pursue Thy pathway, and seeking naught save Thy good will. Not a day passes but they are occupied with Thy commemoration and are ever ready to serve Thee.
O God, illumine these hearts. O God, make joyous these lives. O Lord, suffer these souls to attain to the superlative degree of spirituality in the world of humanity. O Lord, suffer these souls to become truly distinguished, and make them the manifestors of Thy favor and the recipients of Thy good gifts. Shine upon them with Thy radiant splendor, waft over them the breeze of Thy providence, and pour upon them the rain of bestowals from the clouds of Thy generosity. Thus these souls, like the flowers of the rose garden, shall grow in
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verdure and freshness, and among all mankind shall they be redolent of delightful fragrance.
O Lord, confirm them all in Thy service, and aid them in guiding others to Thee. Brighten the eyes through witnessing Thy great signs; fill the ears with harmonies through Thy melodies; and refresh the nostrils through the fragrances of Thy Kingdom. Confer upon these souls the life everlasting, gathering them all together beneath the tabernacle of the oneness of the world of humanity.
Verily, Thou art the Almighty! Verily, Thou art the Powerful! Verily, Thou art the Giver of good gifts.
The Master continued up the stairs. Soon we all departed with hearts and minds filled with the wonder of Abdul-Baha.
I was present at the Master's house on the afternoon of October 17 when He addressed a group of the friends, including those from Seattle, Portland, and Spokane:
You are all welcome, very welcome. The friends from Seattle and Portland have labored very much to have come such a long distance here (laughing). I am very much ashamed because it was my part to go there and see them. But what could I have done? I did not have the time.
The purpose was to have a visit, to meet. Praise be to God, that is obtained. Whether I go there or you come here, the end is meeting. God has brought the hearts there together. Although the bodies are distant and far apart, the spirits are very near. Though we may be in the Orient and you in the Occident, praise be to God the hearts are connected, the spirits are near to each other, the consciences are inclined toward each other. The hearts are attracted.
We are all the waves of one sea. We are all the flowers of one garden. We are all the trees of one mountain. We are together. We are associating. We are affiliating in the utmost of happiness.
If two or more people in one country, one city, and of
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one race, associate with each other, it is not astonishing. They have not accomplished a great thing. It is a natural thing.
Amongst the animals this sort of fellowship exists.
The animals which live in the same pasture, they exercise fellowship toward each other.
This, however, is astonishing, that souls from the Orient and souls from the Occident should be in the utmost of love and fellowship. Doves from Asia, from America, from Europe, from India and from Japan -- if these should flock together, associate with each other, fly together, enjoy themselves, and pick up grains together, this is very good. This is astonishing. How did these come together?
Some philosophers, who were among the divine philosophers, were capable of causing fellowship to exist among a certain number of people, although the fellowship was outward and temporary; but they were unable to establish universal education, but the Holy Divine Manifestations of God accomplished universal education. They united the East and the West. They improved the morals of man. They changed the thoughts of man. They transformed the conduct of man. This is not possible through human power. This is possible through the dominion of the Kingdom. It is possible through the Breath of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, thank God that you are confirmed in this Cause and that you will be instrumental in bringing about the existence of amity and love amongst all humanity.
Cathryn O'Reilly, my cousin from Portland, had brought the Master a large bouquet of white roses. He said to her: "This is a good gift. White is very good, excellent. Thank you!" Then 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote on a photograph of Himself for her: "O Thou kind God! Confer shelter to this maidservant of Thine in the neighborhood of Thy most Great Bestowal."
Cathryn asked: "Have I any special work? I have no home ..." The Master replied: "What do you want? A
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placeless person is better off .... The whole world belongs to you. A placeless man has the whole world. A nestless bird is sheltered by every tree and can rest on every branch."
On the afternoon of October 17 Ella Cooper arranged for her "Peaches" to have an interview with 'Abdu'l-Baha. We were very happy and excited to think that we were to be in His presence and that He would speak to us. We went to His home and waited for Him to return from a walk. We were standing when He entered the room where we were to meet Him. I glanced at my friends, and seeing the expression of great anticipation on their radiant, smiling faces, I realized how joyfully we all had looked forward to this precious moment With the Master. He smiled as He welcomed us and seemed pleased to see a group of young ladies so eager to be with Him. I think that this was the first time that 'Abdu'l-Baha had ever addressed a group composed only of young ladies. The Master gave a wonderful talk about "implements" which we should use for teaching the Faith:
Be seated! How are you?
We have been for a walk. San Francisco is a good city.
San Francisco is a good garden, fresh and verdant. Skilled gardeners are needed to cultivate this garden, to plant fresh trees, to plant tender flowers, and to arrange delightful flower beds. The gardeners must then become birds, nightingales, and singing canaries, warbling melodiously in this garden.
[To Ramona Allen] I have instructed you with your friends how to teach. You must act in accordance with my teachings, and then confirmations will attend your efforts. At each season a certain work is especially confirmed. The seasons differ, and at each specific season a special work is required and confirmed. There is a time for seed sowing. There is a time for irrigation. There is a time for the care of the harvest, and there is a time for the ultimate fruitage. In the time for seed sowing, whosoever sows seeds is confirmed, but if at that time, you should seek to reap, you would find no
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harvest. There is a time for irrigation, and then that work is confirmed, but if you should wish to harrow, it is good, but it would be out of place. There is a time for reaping, when that work is confirmed, but if you should sow seeds or irrigate at that time, it would not be confirmed. There is a time for harvesting, and then that is confirmed.
Now is the time when no confirmations descend except for seed sowing. Whosoever sows seeds at this time is confirmed -- that is, whosoever teaches is confirmed. That means that whosoever sows the seeds of faith in the fertile soil of hearts, such a one is confirmed.
The friends of God are all sowers. They are all gardeners. He who is the most accomplished sower, and who gardens most successfully, will reap the greatest results. If the gardener be not skilled, he will gather no harvest. If the sower be not skilled, although he labor very hard, he will reap no harvest. Therefore, each one of you must endeavor to become a skilled sower, a skilled gardener, so that many harvests may be gathered.
The gardeners of God need certain implements wherewith they may work well.
The first implement, the most essential one, is severance. Severance means that the heart must be detached from the things of the world. By this I do not mean that man must not have a business, that he must not be occupied, that he must not be in commerce. In this dispensation, these things constitute devotion. It is incumbent upon every man to be occupied; but his heart must be free and detached. Occupation is identical with devotion.
The second implement is the love of God. This is the great implement. It is the implement that ploughs the ground. The soil which was hidden beneath will be thrown out, and the surface soil will go down. In this manner the soil of the hearts is fertilized and blessed.
The third implement is the knowledge of God. When the servant becomes awakened to the knowledge of God and confirmed therein, then he can teach.
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The fourth implement is endeavor. The servant must endeavor. Without endeavor he can accomplish nothing.
The fifth implement is praiseworthy attributes. The teacher must be adorned with infinite virtues, and his attributes must be radiant.
The sixth implement is eloquence. The servant must be possessed of eloquence ...
When possessed of all these implements, he is a real gardener and he will gather many harvests. The trees will yield fruit and the meadows will become glorified.
When 'Abdu'l-Baha had finished speaking my heart was filled with happiness and warm love for Him. We departed with the lingering memory of the Master's words, spoken in His soft, beautiful voice, so kindly uttering His instructions to us. Silently I prayed that the hearts of my dear friends had been touched by meeting 'Abdu'l-Baha, and I hoped with all my heart that they had been inspired to follow His Teachings and be forever under His shadow.
Addressing the friends from Seattle and Portland on another occasion, 'Abdu'l-Baha said:
I am exceedingly happy to see you. Your faith is as the faith of Peter when His Holiness Christ addressed him thus: "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church."
Praise be to God you are believers and assured. You are firm and confident. Faith must be like a rock. It must be like a mountain which withstands every torrent, test, and trial.
I am very pleased with the believers in California and the states surrounding. I witness that they are believers in Reality. Their faith is cordial, not only faith by mere words. No differences exist among them. The utmost unity and accord prevail, and on this account I am exceedingly rejoiced, for the aim of the appearance of
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the Manifestation of God has been to bring the dawn of the light of love. If there is no love among the believers of God, as it ought and should be, then how can they establish that love among the children of humanity?
His Holiness Christ, addressing His disciples said:
"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" Now if the believers of God do not exercise the utmost love and fellowship amongst each other, and if they are not united and harmonious, and if they are not attracted to each other, then how can they bring about that universal era of brotherhood and love?
I am exceedingly pleased with the believers of California and the other Western states. You must establish a bond of unity and agreement among yourselves to such extent that you may love each other.
If a believer enter a city, the believers of that city must receive him with the utmost cordiality. They must be happy that one of the believers of God has entered into that city. They must show him the greatest hospitality, present him in their assembly, and exercise toward him the utmost kindness and consideration. This is the qualification of the Baha'is. It is My utmost hope that you may be assisted therein.
In Persia such a state of love exists among the Baha'is that they are ready to sacrifice their lives for each other, and they have such an ideal communication like unto communication of flowers gathered together in a bouquet. This is the condition of the Baha'is, and this is befitting their claims and love.
I am exceedingly pleased with you all, and praise be to God you are exercising love and unity among yourselves.
It is customary, among the Persians, when they have visitors to offer something to eat.
Abdu'l-Baha then distributed a basket of fruit among the friends. Some of those present had questions they wished to ask of Him.
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Mrs. Latimer: We have come to supplicate for those loved ones in Portland asking if He [the Master] could come north.
'Abdu'l-Baha: I have the utmost longing to meet the friends there. For this purpose I have crossed the great length of the continent; and from Syria did I come to this state. My longing to meet them is inexpressible. But it is impossible: I must go.
I am very well pleased with you. Convey to the believers of God my Abha greetings. I will pray for them. They are in my heart. With my spirit do I associate with them. Physical meeting has no importance. The meeting is spiritual. Therefore, they should not be unhappy. They should be rejoiced ....
For the Seattle Assembly: I ask special blessings, and I bring a greeting from Abha.
The Assembly at Seattle is under the protection of the Blessed Perfection.
Mrs. Monroe: ... what to do in the future to make me more worthy in the Cause?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Walk in My pathway. Observe how day and night I am engaged in serving the Cause.
One evening the friends gathered in the drawing room of the Goodall home, and the Master told us of His visit to the beach in San Francisco. He said that all humanity is like the sea: at times it is smooth; at other times it is in motion. He said that the sea in motion is most like life, even when it is violent. When the sea is in motion, after a time, results occur. He said, 'Seek to dive in the spiritual sea and bring up pearls; seek to find that sea.'
Another time 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke of musical instruments, observing that all are imperfect instruments but that Baha'u'llah brought to earth a heavenly, divine instrument whereon each soul could find and strike his own note, and whose music would be a heavenly, eternal chorus.
My mother had several interviews with the Master.
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During one of them, at His home in San Francisco on the 21st of October, she asked about Baha'i service.
Mrs. Allen: I want to consecrate my life to the service of Baha'u'llah. Have I the capacity?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Because you have this intention, that is capacity. The intention is capacity. If you did not have this intention, you would not ask for the capacity.
Mrs. Allen: I want to know if my home in Berkeley may become a Baha'i Center with your blessing?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Very good. The very fact that you wish to have your home in Berkeley as a Baha'i Center is an indication of capacity. May God aid you and bless you and that which is your intention may be achieved.
For many years after that my mother held Baha'i meetings in our home.
That afternoon the Master spoke to Mr. Takeshi Kanno, who was a poet and well-known sculptor:
The war between Japan and Russia came about after the departure of Baha'u'llah, but before these events occurred Baha'u'llah often mentioned kindly the name of the Mikado and his people, saying that among the reigning monarchs of the world he was distinguished. He was constantly thinking of the upbuilding of the country. He willingly passed over his own authority and despotic rules so that the country and the people might progress.
On another occasion, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke about devotion to the Cause:
This is a meeting the members of which are strung together like pearls, and all the pearls are brilliant, for all are Baha'is. The brilliancy of these pearls is not known for the present; that will be known later on.
Thank ye God that He has drawn you together
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through the Blessed Perfection. He has made you fruitful, like unto trees: He has made you like unto a rose garden, the freshness of which will be known in the future. When the heat and the rays of the Sun of Reality shine in the future, then the freshness and beauty of these flowers will be realized.
In brief, render thanks to God, for your spirits are gladdened with the glad tidings of God. Be forgetful of all other thoughts. Be filled with the Spirit of Baha'u'llah. Your thoughts must be of Baha'u'llah; your mention must be of Baha'u'llah; your life must be devoted to Baha'u'llah; your firmness must be evident in Baha'u'llah; for Baha'u'llah has endured for your sake infinite vicissitudes. All His life He was subject to persecutions. During the nights He was not at rest. He did not sleep in peace for one night -- not one. Never did He find peace and composure. All His life He was subject to persecution. All His life He was exiled. All His life He was imprisoned.
Therefore, we must be loyal to Him, turn our faces to Him, praise His mention in this world, expound His Teachings, quicken people with His Spirit, so that His Heavenly Image may descend and His Heavenly Power affect the hearts. Thus, every day may we find a new spirit. Every day may we make a new resolution. Every day may we be confirmed, and illumine the world of humanity.
We must supplicate day and night, beg assistance and confirmation from His Holiness Baha'u'llah, that we may become pure mirrors, that the rays of sincerity may perfect them, the virtues of the human world appear, the moralities of the Kingdom be reflected, and that we may attain the high station of happiness.
This is My advice to you. This is My request for you.
This is My hope for you.
One day I spoke to a young man about 'Abdu'l-Baha and the Teachings of Baha'u'llah, telling him that due to the power of the clergy and rulers of Persia and Turkey He had been, with His Father and Family, imprisoned for
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over forty years. Despite this, when 'Abdu'l-Baha was released from prison, He traveled to spread His Father's Faith from 'Akka to San Francisco. As we parted that evening, my friend said to me, "Ramona, I believe in these Teachings, and I accept 'Abdu'l-Baha as the leader of this Faith." I was astonished that my friend had so quickly accepted the Teachings. He was Joseph Grandin Bray, one day to become my husband and the father of my two children, Allen and Barbara.
On one very happy occasion Ella arranged for 'Abdu'l-Baha to speak to the "Peaches" and their young men friends in His home. I invited Joseph Bray. The Master spoke to us of the very important role which Baha'i youth would be called upon to play in that day and in the future. Then the Master spoke about two kinds of teaching:
About teaching. You may teach in two ways. One way is limited teaching; another way is the unlimited teaching.
Teaching in a limited way consists of the following, namely: explaining the proofs and evidences in regard to the principles of Baha'u'llah, quoting prophecies from the Old and New Testaments, stating that that Day has come. Moreover the intellectual proofs and evidences are this and this, etc. The principles of Baha'u'llah have been set forth with such potency and penetration that no one can deny them. While He was in prison, He was in chains, and He wrote important Epistles to the Kings and Rulers of the world. All that which He wrote in these letters came to pass later on. The Tablets of Baha'u'llah do exist quoting therein wonderful signs which appeared to Baha'u'llah during the various periods of His life.
While in prison He withstood two despotic kings, and He gained victory over both. In prison He raised His Banner, He spread His Teachings and spiritually defeated two despotic kings. They could not prevent the spread of His Teachings. In brief, while in prison, He raised the Ensign of His Principles. This is impaneled in the history of the world. Such dominion appeared from
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Him, and such potency manifested from His personality. There are many instances of such, and when a person explains these things, He is guiding. He is teaching, He is crying out. This is teaching in a limited sense.
Teaching in an unlimited sense consists of the following and is very good, very great: the teacher himself (or herself) becomes the standing proof of Baha'u'llah -- that he (or she) may become a miracle of Baha'u'llah with such power and such knowledge and desire such actions and such words and character, and such heavenly powers, that you may live amongst the people, that you may be a proof, undeniable proof, of Baha'u'llah.
If someone ask: "What is the proof of Baha'u'llah?" one may say such a person -- there is the proof; look at her. Baha'u'llah has educated this person. He has awakened this soul. He has quickened this life. He has made this person a speaker; He has given her knowledge, made her holy, made her sanctified -- a shining light -- He has made her a sun.
This is the unlimited teaching.
God willing, each one of you may become a sun.
At that time in the Bay Area a very few young people besides the "Peach Tree" and two or three young men were interested in the Teachings. We were the youth of that day. How very thrilling it is to me to see many youth coming into the Faith and taking responsibility for teaching other youth. They are fortunate to have for study and teaching the advantage of the sacred Writings of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha (which have been translated by Shoghi Effendi), and of the many books written by the Guardian, by some of the Hands of the Cause, and by a few of the early believers. It gives me great happiness that two of my grandsons [David Lee and Richard Allen West] are busily engaged in Baha'i activities.
One evening Joseph asked if we might have an interview with 'Abdu'l-Baha. It was arranged by Ella, our "Mother Peach." The Master welcomed us warmly and
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invited us into a small room where, except for His interpreter, we were alone with Him. We stood before 'Abdu'l-Baha while He spoke of the teaching work to be done in California -- work that required firmness and steadfastness. He said we should pray ardently and each day spread the Message of Baha'u'llah. Then, looking kindly and lovingly at us, He asked us to tell Him what was in our hearts.
Words did not come easily, for we both felt the sacredness of that moment. 'Abdu'l-Baha walked a few steps from us, then came back, and again said, "Tell Me what is in your hearts." He looked at us in such a tender manner that my heart was deeply touched. He then listened intently while each of us expressed our thoughts and wishes. Afterwards, He spoke kindly and wisely of matters concerning us alone. Taking one of each of our hands in His and holding them gently, He said He would pray that we would both reach the apex of happiness.
After receiving a cable from 'Abdu'l-Baha with His blessings, Joseph Bray and I were married in November 1916. "Mother Peach" was my matron of honor, and Joseph's brother, Arthur, was his best man. We were very happy in our Berkeley home where we held Baha'i Feasts and meetings and where many outstanding Baha'i teachers spoke of the Faith.
I am sure that Joe reached the apex of happiness in meeting 'Abdu'l-Baha and through years of devoted, steadfast, self-sacrificing service to the Cause of Baha'u'llah until his untimely death in San Francisco on May 23, 1938.
The apex of my happiness has been reached over a period of many years in many ways. I have had the blessed privilege of being in the presence of the Master, of making a pilgrimage to Haifa as the guest of Shoghi Effendi, of having four generations of Baha'is in my family, and, above all, of being able to serve the Faith. The love, the guidance, and the blessings which the Master bestowed upon me and my family have been a guiding might throughout my life and will, I pray, continue into all the worlds of God.
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In San Francisco my father, Dr. Woodson Allen, my brother, Dr. Warren Allen, and his best friend, Dr. Joseph Catton, had an interview with the Master at His home on the evening of October 21st. As all three were medical doctors, 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke to them of healing:
'Abdu'l-Baha: Did you have any questions, Dr. Allen?
Dr. Woodson Allen: I want to ask one question. Most of my life has been given to the study and practice of medicine and surgery, and ever in that field of activity I must look for the handiwork of God, and the question that is puzzling me is simply this: can I give a man any assurance that he can be healed through the power of the Holy Spirit? For instance, I tell a man that he needs a surgical operation and he immediately believes me, but if I say that I believe he might be healed through the power of the Holy Spirit he would probably say to me that I was a fanatic and go to some other doctor.
'Abdu'l-Baha: Diseases are of two kinds. There are some which are due to material cause, and such diseases should be treated according to material methods. For instance, supposing there shall be some sort of process in the liver that is tissue pathology. Its treatment should be entirely physical. On the other hand, another disease may be spiritual in character. For example, fear is a nervous disease resulting not from any material cause. It is psychological neurosis. That sort of disease has to be treated spiritually.
God has not created all the plants you know and all the various metals for nothing. They are for some purpose. They have their physiologic findings, and each one of them has its physiologic result. They are not for useless purposes. And if we deny pharmaceutics and therapeutics, then it would mean that all these things are without physiologic effect, when there is use for each one of these plants. For example, if a man is stricken with fever, we will say with ague, if we give him quinine, it acts as a specific, and we know it is a remedy. Or a man may have
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smallpox, and we vaccinate him. We know vaccination is a preventive. Nobody can deny that .... You see that would be foolishness. Everything has its use and its place. A man may be stricken with a certain form of skin disease -- psoriasis, for example, and we use a certain form of remedy. You cannot deny that sort of thing.
Can you deny the effect of these medicines? No!
What do you think of that? Don't you think that is so?
Dr. Allen: It is true.
'Abdu'l-Baha.: But, on the other hand, there may be some diseases due to some spiritual cause. For example, a man may be subjected to excessive joy. Out of that excessive joy may result mental derangement -- a sort of emotional shock. It will be an emotional upsetting. That has to be treated spiritually. Or, fear may cause a tremendous shock to the nervous system and then that should be treated according to psychotherapy. And so on. There are many diseases which are neuroses and have to be treated accordingly.
Suppose a man has an abscess that is suppurating.
Unless we do something for that abscess, it may go and become gangrened; it may become diseased. Suppose we leave this abscess. If we say prayers over that abscess -- the prayer for that is the knife -- the surgeon's knife -- it is the lance. We should lance it out.
You see both have their places. Those diseases that are due to psychological neurosis, treat them according to psychological neurosis and suggestive therapeutics, and those that are due to material causes then you have to give them the material treatment. For example, an abscess has to be incised. If you do not lance it, it will go on and become gangrenous, because the origin of that is entirely material pathology.
This is the truth of the matter: to discard medicine is nonsense. Medicine is perfectly reasonable.
Even the animals when they are sick, though they
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are not intelligent, know where certain grasses grow, and nature leads them to certain herbs, and they taste those herbs, and they smell them, and certain grasses that seem to please their taste they eat and get well. This is natural is it not?
For example, when your finger is wounded, you naturally stick it in your mouth. Evidently the saliva has something to do with that and seems to act as a salve. The animals, whenever they have a wound, lick it with their tongue and get well. This is natural. This is not a process of thought.
There are a number of diseases which are psychological. They have to be treated according to suggestive therapeutics.
Your hand may become wounded. Suppose you just imagine that there is not a wound there. You say:
"My hand is not wounded." Would that help it? Would that help it? Would that cure it? You agree with that, don't you?
Dr. Allen: There is one point I want to make. Take, for instance, a child that is sick. Everything has been done for the illness -- in a surgical case -- in a therapeutic way. The doctors have given up, but when some prayers are said for the child, it gets well. How is that?
The child had whooping cough. It got wet in the evening, and took cold and got pneumonia, and the doctor treated the child for several hours, and gave all the remedies he could think of, and the child kept getting worse. He called for me, and from all appearances it did not seem the child could possibly live. Every paroxysm seemed to be its last, and the pulse could not be felt at the wrist, and when it did come it was simply a flutter. He asked me what I thought, and I said I thought the child was dying. He said, what should we do? I suggested some simple remedy, and he gave that along with the one he had been giving. I sat by the child and took its hand, and said the Greatest Name, and in a few hours the child began to improve. As far as my mentality goes I
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cannot see that the remedy did the child any good.
The question that came to me is: Did the saying of the Greatest Name make it well?
In the morning, the doctor was tired, and he asked me if I would stay with the child while he went home. I stayed a few hours, and the child improved so well I went home, and the doctor called next morning and said: "That was wonderful medicine you gave the child, for the child is practically well."
Now, what I want to know is what cured that child?
Dr. Farid: The Greatest Name.
Dr. Allen: That is what I want to know -- how can I say that to those people?
'Abdu'l-Baha: The first thing for us to find out is whether the two forms of treatment -- the spiritual and material -- are real or not. We must investigate that first: whether the material medicine, or spiritual medicine, has a basis for that or not; whether they are real or not. That is the foundation.
We find that in the creation of God there is a basis for material medicine. Even in the animals, which are devoid of thought, there is an instinct which propels them when they are sick. They go to certain herbs which are physiologically suited, and they eat them. That is one thing.
Secondly, a man may have malaria, and as soon as we give him quinine it seems to have its specific effect; or, in diarrhea, opium has its effect, stopping it; or, in psoriasis, if we give a form of mercurial treatment, it may heal it; or, in the case of a wound, if we wash it with carbolic acid, it gets well. So you see there is a basis for material medicine. We cannot deny that. It is not so?
Then we come to the spiritual medicine. We find that it often happens that a man gets sick, and we pray, and he gets well. It often happens. That happens in numerous cases. A man has become insane, and we pray, and he gets well. It often has happened. A man has, day by day, become emaciat-
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ed, and we pray, and he gets well, gets strength. And so on in many cases.
Therefore, both of these have their provinces.
Hence, both of them should be used -- both the one material and the other the spiritual. Neither of them has to be given up.
Dr. Catton: The doctor wanted to know whether this whooping cough, which is a material thing, was benefited by a spiritual thing. (To Dr. Fareed) Does he want to treat the material side with material things?
'Abdu'l-Baha: It is possible to treat not _every_ material, not _all_ the material. Some can be treated spiritually. There can be some spiritual disease and material medicine will help it. Both are possible. The spiritual can help the material, too. But there are some diseases that are material that must receive entirely material or physical treatment, just like an abscess, for example. While an abscess is coming to a head, is suppurating -- that has to be lanced. But before inflammation has set in, and it is not suppurating, the beginning of it can properly be treated spiritually, but when suppuration has taken place, then you have to lance; otherwise it will become gangrenous, because it is already corrupted -- it has to be evacuated. For example, suppose there is an abscess in My hand, suppuration has taken place, and the hand is swollen and has come to a heading. It has to be evacuated.
Dr. Catton: Then the spiritual side can protect the side which is not destroyed? You can hope to cure diseased tissue, but not destroyed tissue?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Sometimes a disease may become very predominant, like melancholia. That can be spiritually cured. Most of the nervous diseases can be treated spiritually, because they are psychical.
Dr. Catton: The question is the spiritual curing of the material. I want to draw the line where you can cure and where you cannot. Take a given cell in the body, and start to treat it wrongly, so as to destroy it. Up to a certain place, that cell can still be brought back to
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life: past a certain stage, it dies. Where it is capable of regeneration, can it be cured spiritually?
Dr. Farid: There is no line of demarcation.
Dr. Catton: An abscess is only a stage in the disease of a material thing, and if there is a general underlying law that spiritual treatment should be employed to treat material things, it does not seem right that there should be a stage where spiritual treatment is of no use, unless you come to a stage where the tissue is actually destroyed.
'Abdu'l-Baha: Is there any law which is not limited? God alone is unlimited. There is no process which is not limited. For instance, whether spiritual or material, can you hinder a man from dying? Therefore, it is limited.
Dr. Catton: Spiritual treatment will help a man that is alive and will not help a man who is dying?
'Abdu'l-Baha: Use both of them. Do not limit. Use both, and get results. (To Dr. Allen) I gave you spiritual treatment. I will tell you that. When you came to me, you were sick. You are quite well now. Without letting you know I treated you. Your pulse was not so good. Your pulse is improved, and now you are a different man. Get up and look in the looking glass. I did not let you know about it. The spiritual treatment has its effect, of course. I am not saying that this is impossible to be treated spiritually. I am saying that all these are to be used. Pray and give medicine, too. You pray that the medicine will work, and the medicine will work. One of them will do it.
It is very humorous!
The people who say medicine is not right ... are off. If a man gets hungry, he has to have food. He cannot say: "I am not hungry." If he says: "I am not hungry," he does not get satisfied, because hunger is a sort of disease, too. Or, if he says: "I am not thirsty," will his thirst be quenched, do you think? Likewise sleep. If he is sleepy and says: "I am not
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sleepy," and affirms he is not sleepy, he still wants sleep. That is natural.
The point is this, that when a man is hungry, or thirsty, give him his bread and water, his food. There is a void that has to be filled, and something has to go there. A vacuum is there. Give him water. Praying over it will not fill him.
Good-bye. Bless you! Bless you!
In 1912 when He told us this, doctors generally did not use or perhaps understand the method of healing through psychological means. Dr. Warren Allen became an outstanding neurosurgeon, and Dr. Joseph Catton became a well-known psychiatrist in the Bay area ..
'Abdu'l-Baha invited my father and me to visit Him one evening at His home in San Francisco. When we entered His room the Master was reclining against the pillows on His bed and one of His secretaries was massaging His feet and ankles. The Master explained that His feet caused Him great pain, which was eased by massage. We know that 'Abdu'l-Baha suffered much as a result of frostbite from walking and riding in the snow during the exile of the Holy Family in Turkey, and also because of the heavy chains which He had been forced to wear part of the time on His ankles while in prison.
The Master greeted us most cordially and lovingly, smiled His wonderful smile, and invited my father to be seated. I stood with my arm over my father's shoulder. They spoke of conditions in the world and of many other things. 'Abdu'l-Baha, knowing that my father was a physician and surgeon, suddenly said:
Dr. Allen, you understand healing. You understand healing. You understand healing! You know that many diseases can be cured through simple medicines and remedies and by suggestions to the patients, but when there is an abscess on the hand you must cut it out and clean it so that it will heal. [He demonstrated with His hands.] You understand there is spiritual healing and material healing, and unless these two work together, a
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cure is impossible. The material healing is surgery and medicine, and the spiritual healing is of God.
'Abdu'l-Baha continued to explain the methods of healing which would be used in the future, such as the use of varying temperatures of water and the eating of fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
My father often suffered severe attacks of asthma.
When their conversation was finished I asked Abdul-Baha what I could do to help my father when he was ill. The Master looked at me and smiled in an amused way. Then He became very serious and said: "Rub him. Rub him." Many times after that interview I relieved my father's suffering by rubbing him. At the moment of his death in 1918 I was rubbing his forehead. In a vision at the moment my father died, I saw 'Abdu'l-Baha come toward my father with a wonderful smile and with arms extended, and embrace him, welcoming him into the Abha Kingdom. As they walked away the Master put His arm around my father's shoulder; then they turned, smiled, and my father said: "Tell Warren to have no regrets that he is not here. Tell him to call upon me in moments of need, and I will help him always." 'Abdu'l-Baha led my father to His chair, a handsome, high-backed, throne-like chair of a light brown material, elaborately carved, and with dark green velvet on the back and arms. He seated my father in His chair and stood near him. Both were smiling lovingly. Then my vision vanished.
Shortly before this Warren had left for Europe to serve as a neurosurgeon in World War I. He told us later that he was in France, walking down a street with a friend, when he turned to his friend and asked, "What time is it?" The friend answered. Then Warren said, "My father has just died." When Warren returned to his quarters that evening, he found a cable stating that our father had died at exactly that hour.
Warren told me that several times in his practice he remembered the promise our father had made and called upon him for assistance, always receiving the help and guidance he sought. Recalling one such incident, Warren
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told me that one day he had been called to the hospital to see a boy about nine years old who had what was diagnosed to be a dangerous brain tumor. The patients had been to a prominent neurosurgeon in San Francisco who told them that he could do nothing for their boy and suggested that they consult Dr. Allen. As Warren stood at the child's bedside, he realized that it would be practically impossible to operate on him with the hospital's existing facilities. He knew that he must help him, but how?
Warren went and sat in his car and tried to think of some way in which he could possibly operate. Suddenly he recalled Father's promise that in time of need, if Warren prayed and called on him for help, he would answer. Then as a picture before him, Warren saw a most unusual operating table. It was the answer to his dilemma! The hospital built the table according to his instructions, and Warren was able to perform on the boy what was said to be a miraculous operation. The boy lived and after many, many months of patient therapy was able to take his place with children of his own age.
Another time, after the war in Europe was over and Warren had returned home, a very prominent man living in Texas who had been a close friend and former patient of my father's, became very ill with a throat infection. He required a very serious operation and insisted upon traveling to Oakland to be under Warren's care. Everything went well during the operation until suddenly a problem arose. Warren hesitated a second, perhaps with a tinge of apprehension and the realization of his responsibility for the success of the operation. Then he remembered the promise Father had made. He prayed, and then he felt assured that all would be well. Warren completed the brilliant operation, after which the patient recovered fully. These two accounts from my brother serve as further proof to me that, when we make ourselves open channels through prayer and meditation, God can work through us, and our departed loved ones can aid us.
On October 22 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke to an audience of children gathered at His home on California Street. Passing from one to another, the Master gave each child
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two handsful of marshmallows, saying, "Two hands, two hands." Then He addressed the children:
May God assist and comfort all of them. Good children, good children. I am pleased with meeting the children. They are the plants of the Rose Garden of Abha. I will pray to God that He may bestow upon them a Baha'i training and education so that each one of them may become a very good Baha'i. They are very good children, excellent children. They are all illumined.
On the morning of October 23, at the home of Helen Goodall, I asked if I might take two of my best friends to meet 'Abdu'l-Baha. They were Marie Barr and Betty Vent, both members of the "Peach Tree" group. Marie and I had been friends since we were four years old, and years later we married brothers. We still enjoy our friendship.
When we entered the room, 'Abdu'l-Baha was seated in a large comfortable chair, and we three sat in a large chair opposite Him. He welcomed us with His beautiful smile and began speaking to us about teaching the Faith. Marie told Him that she did not have a college education and, therefore, did not feel qualified to teach the Faith. He told her not to be concerned, saying: "When you wish to teach, turn your heart to Baha'u'llah, and say what enters your mind."
'Abdu'l-Baha seemed pleased that we were serious and anxious to have Him instruct us. He answered our questions graciously and courteously, always with a loving smile and warm understanding of the enthusiasm of youth. Sometimes He nodded His head as His words were being translated. He was happy to see these youth show their love for Him, their eagerness to serve Him and to learn from Him by absorbing His every word and gesture. The Master often laughed when He was speaking to the "Peach Tree" and on other occasions as well. I knew He was not laughing at us but with us. He had a fine sense of humor. Once 'Abdu'l-Baha laughed so heartily at our questions and observations that His turban became disar-
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ranged. As He lifted His hands to straighten it, He smiled as though we had a little joke between us. Then the Master said:
Welcome, very welcome.
These young ladies have asked Me how to teach and the method of teaching. I have told them a few days ago, and now I will recapitulate.
You must first be assured of the fact that whosoever heralds the Cause of God, the Kingdom of Abha, will be confirmed. This has been tried heretofore. Whosoever has stepped forth in this arena, the hosts of the Supreme Concourse have aided. He has been confirmed and assisted. He has achieved extraordinary progress. Upon him the door of Knowledge has been opened. His eyes were opened, and the Breath of the Holy Spirit aided him, and he was instrumental in guiding others. It has been tried. No one has advanced toward this Cause without receiving this confirmation.
Secondly: when a man sings a beautiful melody, he, himself, more than his audience, will be moved by his song. Hence, when a man commences guiding souls, when he expounds the Teachings, he, himself, will experience keenly the sense of joy.
Thirdly: everything in the world of existence is limited. There is nothing which is unlimited, except the eternal confirmation of God, and that eternal confirmation of God through teaching, will be attained by man.
Consequently, His Holiness Christ says, when you speak that which is in your heart, you are inspired to say, that you must expound, and that is the Breath of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I say to you, and to all of you: If you seek the eternal Bestowal, teach. If you seek entrance at the Threshold of God, teach. If you seek eternal glory, teach. If you wish to win eternal life, teach. If you wish the supremacy of heaven, teach. And be confident that confirmation will attend you and that Divine assistance will uphold you. Because it has been tried many, many times.
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But it requires firmness, it requires steadfastness. Consider the disciples of Christ, and their steadfastness. They were exposed to the sword, and they were not afraid; they were firm and steadfast. When a man drinks from a fount of salubrious waters, naturally he wants to convey the water to others. If a man reaches a tree bearing luscious fruits, he wishes to enjoy them with others. If a man hears a beautiful voice, he wishes others to hear it also.
If you seek to attain the everlasting bounties, and occupy yourselves conveying the message of God, and to be the means of guiding souls, do not look at your capacity, do not look at your dessert. If Peter had looked at his own capacity, he would have remained a fisherman. He was quite devoid of knowledge. But he did not look at his own capacity. Nay, rather, he looked at the divine bounty. And you must not look at your own capacity. You must not say that you are young, that you have not entered college, that you have not attained an extraordinary education. Nay, rather, consider the bounties of the Kingdom of Abha. What beautiful fruits are produced by the black soil. This is not due to the capacity of the soil, but because of the great heat of the sun and of the rain from the clouds. Likewise, you must not say that you are dust. Nay, rather, you must look at the effulgence of the Sun of Reality, which ever shines upon you. You must look at the cloud of the Kingdom that ever pours down its rain upon you. You must feel the breeze of Providence that ever blows toward you.
We three sat spellbound as 'Abdu'l-Baha impressed upon us in simple and beautiful language the great importance of teaching the Faith and assured us of wonderful confirmations. For a moment, as we remained seated, I silently prayed that I would ever remain firm and steadfast. Then we stood, and just as the Master started to leave the room, I asked Him what I should teach. He smilingly replied, "Memorize the talk I gave at Stanford University." His answer left me breathless; I had heard
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Him give that lecture on October 8 and now realized what an important talk it was to use in teaching. Many times later the Master was asked how to teach, and He would reply: "Teach as I teach. Teach as I teach!" To me this means teaching not only with words but with the deeds of our daily lives.
After the interview with 'Abdu'l-Baha was over, we followed Him downstairs and out to the sidewalk, as He wished to walk in the California sunshine He so enjoyed. Soon the Master was surrounded by a group of friends, among them some East Indian students who were studying at the University of California.
I approached Abdu'l-Baha and asked permission to take His photograph, which He granted. When my picture was printed, it showed a group of people standing with the Master, but only He was surrounded by a light which covered His head and shoulders. In both Europe and America whenever I have this photograph printed the photographers invariably ask what kind of flash I used to take the picture. I reply that I took the photograph in 1912 before the time of flash bulbs and I had used only a simple Brownie box camera. Moreover, I took the picture on a morning when the sun was shining upon all alike. When the Tablets of Abdul-Baha were published I found a reference He made to a picture of Himself, possibly bearing some relation to my extraordinary photograph of Him:
"Verily, thou hast seen the physical picture of Abdul-Baha printed by the rays of the phenomenal sun (i.e., his photograph) and thine eyes became overflowing with tears. Beg thou of God that He may show unto thee his (Abdul-Baha's) spiritual picture printed by the ray shining forth from the Merciful Kingdom. Then the attractions of God shall overtake thee and make thee as a spark of fire aflame with the heat of the love of God."
After a few minutes the Master walked away from the Group, and I caught a picture of Him strolling alone in front of Mrs. Goodall's home.
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On the morning of October 24 the friends from Seattle gathered in the house of the Master. He greeted them, saying:
All are welcome; all are very welcome!
I was longing to see you very much. Praise be to God you came, and here we are meeting. For us to meet is one of the greatest favors of God, as the fire of yearning flames in every heart; and I offer thanks to the Kingdom of Abha that this was made feasible. He brought many of you from a distant country here. He aided you to come and be present, and made it possible for us to assemble and be here, seated in the utmost of love and to speak thus. Thereby, the means of happiness is afforded, and it should make all of you very happy.
The Glad Tidings of the Kingdom of Abha are abroad, the summons of Baha'u'llah is aloft, the Sun of Reality is shining, the cloud of mercy is showering, the breezes of Providence are blowing, and the graces of God from every standpoint are revealed.
Therefore, we should be very joyous indeed, very grateful. We must ever thank God.
How many people were the souls that dwelt in the city of Baha'u'llah, how many souls that were traveling on the journey with Baha'u'llah, and just as Christ says:
"A prophet is not without honor save in his own country," they were deprived, and you who are from this distant region have attained. You have become intimate with the mysteries. Consider what a bestowal He has revealed, what a bounty He has conferred upon you.
From various regions of the world, hosts and hosts are entering the Kingdom of God. I pray for you daily, seeking for yours ideal progress, requesting for you the power of insight, the enlargement of your perceptions, that ideal bounties may continuously reach you and that all of you shall advance along all the degrees of endeavor, towards God's perfection.
May you become illumined, each as candles through the Light of Guidance, and like unto an ocean -- by the
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winds of the love of God shall you surge. May you become green and fresh and verdant by the breezes of the favor of God. May you yield the fruits of the Kingdom, being the cause of guidance to the people of the earth. Such is my hope.
Praise be to God, you have heard the summons of the Kingdom; you have witnessed the bounty of the outpouring of Abha; you have advanced to the Kingdom; and you have acquired a power from the Great Guidance. You have become radiant. ...
Be happy. Do not weep. Be happy. You should be joyous. I hope that day by day you will advance in ideal ways, that you may progress every instant. Thus may you attain to that which is the superlative desire of the saints and holy ones.
This is My greatest wish for you.
Speaking further to one of the Seattle friends, Mr. King, 'Abdu'l-Baha said:
Unless a man give his whole thought to a subject, he cannot comprehend it fully. He must give his mind to the thing, be free, and then he will understand it. You will know it fully. When a pupil enters the school first, he will not understand a thing at all, but when he persists in his studies, he will learn his first lessons. Even so it is with the Kingdom of God. When a person enters, when he concentrates his thought and is steadfast, he will learn good lessons, very good lessons indeed.
Tuesday evening, October 24, the friends all gathered at the home of Helen Goodall. It was to be our farewell meeting with 'Abdu'l-Baha, and our hearts were heavy at the thought of the separation. When we entered the room, the Master was seated. There was a reverent silence as He started speaking in soft tones. Again, He seemed enveloped in a golden light, and His face reflected love and sweetness. He repeated how happy He was to be with the friends in California and that our love had drawn Him to
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us. He praised the friends for spreading and establishing the Faith. He said He had done what He could to spread His Father's Revelation. He offered us good cheer and hope, and assured us of His prayers at the Holy Shrines.
One felt His great humility as He told of Baha'u'llah's life and suffering, His banishment with His Family from Iran, their native land. Tears filled His eyes and ran down His cheeks, and with a catch in His voice He told of the deprivations and hardships endured by His beloved Father and Family and the little band of followers who had accompanied them. He said that during their exile from Constantinople to Adrianople, they had to walk in the snow. His delicate Mother, Navvab, was forced to melt ice to get water for drinking and for washing clothes. He reminded us of the two years of lonely solitude Baha'u'llah had spent in Sulaymaniyyih, and He said that Baha'u'llah's only aim was to unite mankind. The Master seemed to be reliving those days of heartbreak. Sadness filled our hearts; tears streamed down our faces while He told us of the cruelties and great injustices inflicted upon His Father. In that quiet room one felt the love and deep sympathy pouring from our souls to our blessed Abdu'l-Baha.
All at once His voice became strong and firm, His eyes luminous, and with great authority He told of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah in the Garden of Ridvan -- that He was the Promised One for this day! He told how later, in 'Akka, Baha'u'llah gave the Principles of His Revelation and explained that the establishment of His Covenant would forever safeguard His Cause. Abdul-Baha said that His Father had written: '... I have appointed one who is the Center of my Covenant. All must obey him; all must turn to him; he is the expounder of my book. ... '
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room became electrified. 'Abdu'l-Baha rose majestically from His chair and in a powerful voice declared: "I am the Center of that Covenant! I am the Center of that Covenant!" The friends stood up. They seemed stunned by this great announcement and filled with indescribable emotion. Wonder, joy, and
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happiness showed in their faces. Gradually we became aware in Whose presence we stood: "The Mystery of God," God's special gift to all mankind. Several moments passed before 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke again. Then, looking at each one, almost pleading, He asked those who believed to spread the Teachings, to be firm and steadfast, to teach not by words alone but by deeds. He said, "These wonderful days are passing swiftly; and, once gone, they will never come again."
When He finished speaking, we knew that our last meeting with our beloved Master was over. The moment of parting had come. As we passed before Him, one by one, with tears in our eyes, and filled with emotion, He took each of us by the hand, smiled into our eyes, and uttered the Greatest Name in farewell.
On the morning of October 25 the friends gathered to bid 'Abdu'l-Baha good-bye at the Mole, the railroad terminal in Oakland from which His train would depart. He was to stop in Sacramento to meet the friends there and speak at two public meetings before proceeding to New York. Despite the pleas of the believers the Master was seated in a chair car. As usual He refused the comfort of a Pullman, saying, "We are the army of God." The friends crowded near Him; each one seemed to long for a few last words with 'Abdu'l-Baha. My cousin, Cathryn, and I were standing near Him, happy just to be in His presence a few minutes longer.
Suddenly we looked at each other with the same thought. I said, "Let's go to Sacramento!" We discussed it only a moment, for at once we realized that the train was moving. The decision had been made for us; we were on our way to Sacramento. Imagine how excited and happy we were to be traveling in the same car as the Master! Ella Cooper and a few other believers were accompanying Him for the last hours of His visit in California.
When 'Abdu'l-Baha and His party arrived in Sacramento, to His astonishment He was driven to the home of one of the Baha'is, where Ella had arranged a luncheon for a group of ladies. During luncheon the Master conversed with the ladies; He listened to their questions, answered
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them, told a few amusing stories, then excused Himself and retired to a room to rest. Then He sent for Ella. She told me: "He was reclining on the bed when I entered. He said to me: 'What have you done? The friends are waiting for me at the hotel!' I knelt by His bedside and wept bitterly, for He scolded me so hard I thought my heart would break. Then the Master said: 'Never again arrange anything for 'Abdu'l-Baha without first consulting Him. Now we must go. You have kept the friends waiting for Me too long.'" Later, the Master comforted Ella with the compassion which He showed for everyone in sorrow or trouble. He gave comfort to all, and everyone felt the warmth of His deep love. He said constantly: "No tears! No tears! Be happy! Be happy!"
In the Master's first public address in Sacramento, He spoke of the followers of His Holiness Christ and how they were with Jesus, watching and observing His conduct and thoughts. They saw the persecutions which were heaped upon Him. Then, after His ascension, they scattered the teachings and instructions which Jesus had given them. "Through their instrumentality the east was illumined and the light ... flooded the west. ... Through His Holiness Christ the oneness of the world of humanity received its expression and proved to be the cause of spiritual illumination for mankind. The breaths of the Holy Spirit became effective in the hearts of people."
'Abdu'l-Baha explained that He had come from the Orient to announce the appearance of Baha'u'llah:
We have observed his life and beheld his deeds. We have been witnesses of his ordeals and sufferings; observers of his Imprisonment and exile .... Therefore we who are his disciples have been scattered throughout the world in order that his teachings may be widespread and be heard by every ear. Thus may the people receive the glad-tidings of the dawn of his great dispensation, become aware of the divine evidences manifest in him, be informed ... of the might of his spirit in upholding under all circumstances the standard of the oneness of the world of mankind.
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The Master gave a brief epitome of Baha'u'llah's life in order that all would be informed of the history of His great Revelation and know His Teachings.
'Abdu'l-Baha had luncheon with some of the friends in Sacramento. He spoke to them of His love for them and His hope that they would spread the Faith, sowing seeds -- as He did -- everywhere He went. He said, "The greatest bestowal of God to man is the capacity to attain human virtues."
Early on the morning of October 26 Mrs. Latimer told the Master of a message which she had brought for Him from some Japanese believers in Portland, Oregon. Replying to them through her, 'Abdu'l-Baha said: "Convey on My behalf kindness to each one of them, and say that Mrs. Latimer conveyed to Me your message. I am exceedingly pleased with you and have prayed for you that God will surround you with His Heavenly confirmation and assistance. Rest assured that He will surround you with His bounties."
On that same day the Master spoke to a large audience at the Hotel Sacramento, saying in part:
may the people of California become the most exalted and perfect altruists of the world. California is indeed a blessed country ... The Californians are a noble people; therefore I hope they may make extraordinary progress and become renowned for their virtues ...
Inasmuch as the Californians seem peace-loving and possessed of great worthiness and capacity, I hope that advocates of peace may daily increase among them until the whole population shall stand for that beneficent outcome. May the men of affairs in this democracy uphold the standard of international conciliation. Then may altruistic aims and thoughts radiate from this center toward all other regions of the earth and may the glory of this accomplishment forever halo the history of this country. May the first flag of International Peace be upraised in this State. May the first illumination of reality shine gloriously upon this soil. May this center
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and capitol become distinguished .... for the virtues of humanity and the possibilities of human advancement are boundless."
I heard 'Abdu'l-Baha utter these words in Sacramento in 1912. Imagine my great happiness when I had the special good fortune to be present in the audience at the Conference of the United Nations on June 26, 1945, in San Francisco! It was a sunny California morning. Excitement filled the air, for on this day the United Nations Charter was to be signed in the San Francisco Memorial Opera House. It was a day of worldwide interest and anticipation. People crowded the sidewalk to see representatives of fifty nations, including President Harry S. Truman, enter the Opera House foyer.
The setting on the stage was most unusual. On the curtain at the back was a large gold seal of the United Nations, and in a semicircle on the stage were the faintly waving flags of many, many nations. President Truman presided at the conference and was seated at a large oval table. After addresses were made by several important statesmen, the time came for the signing of the Charter. Then, in the most thrilling moment of the conference, a flag was brought onto the stage: the flag of the United Nations. To my great astonishment I saw the fulfillment of prophecy. The wish of 'Abdu'l-Baha had come true; the flag of international peace was unfurled in California. On this unforgettable occasion `The Baha'i Peace Program' booklet was presented to every person attending the conference.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Master in California, Part I
Abdu'l-Baha in California
Scanned and proofed by
Part II of Memories of Abdu'l-Baha, By Ramona Brown Allen, Baha'i Publishing Trust,
In 1908 we received the exciting news that, due to the Young Turk Revolution, the gates of the Most Great Prison [in 'Akka] had been opened and 'Abdu'l-Baha was free. We were overjoyed. Then we learned that the Master was planning to travel to
When 'Abdu'l-Baha finally arrived in
When the Master arrived in
'Abdu'l-Baha was sixty-six years of age and in frail health when He started on His arduous travels. He made
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great sacrifices to spread His Father's Teachings, summoning the people of the world to promote universal peace. He had come to bless us by His presence. How little did we understand in those days the mystery of His visit.
It was
"And how are you? Welcome, very welcome! I am greatly rejoiced at meeting you all. Praise be to God you came now." Then 'Abdu'l-Baha continued:
Meetings are various in kind. One meeting is like the meeting of people, an ordinary meeting, which is so easily forgotten. Howsoever kind they may be to each other they will forget it. For example, a brother meeting another brother, the father meeting his son, sisters meeting, the mother meeting a daughter, or the daughter the mother, when separation takes place in the course of time gradually that relation will be forgotten. Such a meeting is without result; eventually it sinks into forgetfulness.
Another meeting is similar to the meeting of the sun with the mirror. The rays of the sun shine upon the mirror. Again, there may be a meeting like the coming together of combustible wood with fire, or the mingling of oil with fire. As soon as contact is effected, combustion takes place. Ah, such a meeting is good!
Again, there is a meeting which is like unto the contact of the gentle zephyrs with the trees, which exhilarates the trees, which bestows freshness and verdure; such a meeting is verily a meeting resulting in fruits and flowers.
I hope that our meeting will be of this last type. May
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it be like unto the meeting of the gentle zephyrs with the trees. I will supplicate that you will be fully aided in this.
A number of persons coming from the Orient to the Occident for this purpose: this is very wonderful. You cannot find a record of it in any history of any nation. At the utmost, a person, or a number of persons, may go across the continent for sightseeing, for trade or commerce, but simply to travel for the meeting of the friends and for the sake of spiritual communion, this is very rare.
This is brought about through the favors of the Blessed Perfection. This is through the bounty of Baha'u'llah. We witness how He has brought about this spiritual connection among the hearts and how He has attracted these hearts together.
This is one of the evidences of Baha'u'llah. No other except Baha'u'llah could bring about such a condition. No one could achieve such a colossal work, that a Persian personage and a Japanese gentleman should associate together in the utmost love here in
In brief, you are very, very welcome, most welcome!
You have traveled yourselves to come so far. For this I am made very happy.
I will meet you again tonight. I did not sleep last night on the train. I arrived this morning and am a little fatigued. I will meet you again soon.
On 'Abdu'l-Baha's first day in
That exhilarating, magic moment of seeing 'Abdu'l-
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Baha for the first time was like seeing the sun burst forth through the soft, rosy glow of dawn. It brought the nearness of God, and my heart was filled with praise and gratitude for the bounty of being with Him. I knew that His visit to
The Master took my mother's hands and said, "Welcome, Mrs. Allen, welcome, very welcome! You have a very united family, a very united family, and you will all be united through all the worlds of God." His words to my mother made us very happy. Then in His warm, gentle hands He took the hand of each one of us and welcomed us. When I gave 'Abdu'l-Baha some yellow roses I had gathered from our garden, He was very pleased. He smiled as He thanked me and seemed happy with my small gift, for He knew that my love went with it. As He looked into my eyes, His gentle, smiling eyes touched my soul; they seemed to tell me that He knew what was in my heart and everything about me. I felt as though I were in another world. At that moment I silently gave my heart and dedicated my life to Him.
He invited us to be seated, and continued speaking, telling us how happy He was to meet the
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tea which He had brought with Him. To this day I can remember its fragrance and taste its sweetness.
The happiness of that first meeting has remained with me all of my life. We knew that we were blessed and privileged to be in the presence of 'Abdu'l-Baha. We were full of deep joy as we basked in His love. Soon it was time to take our leave, for other people were waiting to greet Him.
Friends have asked me to describe 'Abdu'l-Baha.
How can anyone describe Him? Each one of us saw Him with our own spiritual and physical eyes. It seemed that in Him we found what we most longed for. In the Master's presence I felt as though I were in another world. In those moments I seemed most conscious of His overpowering love for all mankind. From childhood 'Abdu'l-Baha had been endowed with physical beauty, we are told. Despite His advanced age and the vicissitudes He had endured, His carriage was majestic and His posture remarkable. He seemed to me to be about five feet, nine inches tall, although His long 'aba and His white turban may have caused Him to appear taller than He was. He was strong and vibrant. He walked lightly, so that there were moments when He seemed hardly to touch the ground.
'Abdu'l-Baha enjoyed walking. His secretaries usually accompanied Him. On the street people would turn and glance at Him, and many curious eyes followed Him as He strolled along with great dignity and grace in His Eastern robe and turban. 'Abdu'l-Baha always wore His native dress, which was a full-length, light-colored robe, over which He wore an 'aba, or cloak, of beige, tan, brown, or cream color. His shoes were of soft brown leather, partly covering the instep and heel. He wore a low turban wound around with folds of soft white material from under which His wispy silver hair fell to His shoulders. Encircling His often-smiling lips was a white mustache and a short, rounded beard. The Master had well-defined, slightly bushy, white eyebrows. To the astonishment of each person who talked with Him, His eyes seemed to change color as He spoke. Sometimes they looked blue or
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hazel or grey, with a tiny white line encircling the iris. On the day He spoke to the "Peach Tree" His eyes were very blue, and they sparkled. Once, when 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke of the terrible treatment and exile of Baha'u'llah, His eyes looked black and shiny.
When the Master's face was in repose, deep lines often appeared on His cheeks and between His brows, and His eyes looked sad and showed the suffering He had endured. However, when 'Abdu'l-Baha smiled, the sadness vanished, and one saw only glorious beauty in His face, especially when He spoke of His Father's principles. The Master's complexion was a warm, light tan. His hands were square, strong, yet delicate; when He held your hand, His clasp felt warm and friendly.
As with His eyes so did 'Abdu'l-Baha's voice change when He spoke on different subjects. At times it was soft and gentle, low and penetrating; or it was loud and firm. His language was always exquisite. His pleasing, musical tones touched our hearts as He chanted a prayer. Despite the Master's fatigue at times, and His physical ailments, He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile, and in His pleasing and vibrant voice would ask, "Are you happy?"
He loved the sound of laughter and often told stories and anecdotes to make us laugh. When we heard Him laugh, we knew that He or someone else had told an amusing story, and the sound of His laughter made us all happy. Once the Master told us that during the most dangerous and trying times of His imprisonment Baha'u'llah would ask each member of the family to relate the most amusing incident or story they had experienced or heard that day. After the tale had been told, they would all roar with laughter.
Later on the day of 'Abdu'l-Baha's arrival we went to the home of Helen Goodall in
In the world many people go from one country to another. ... such journeys are for travel, or commer-
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cial purposes, or for some political reason, or the motive may be some scientific achievement, or they go on journies [sic] in order to meet friends. All such meetings are accidental; they are concerned with the exigencies of the world of nature.
But I have come from the Orient to the Occident -- this vast distance have I crossed with no commercial purpose in view, nor travel as an object, nor politics as a reason. It has been simply to meet you .... our meeting is real, essential-for the hearts are connected and the souls are attracted and the spirits are exhilarated, and such a meeting is real in character, and great are the results therefrom. The results are everlasting.
Praise be to God! We have assembled here, and the cause of our gathering here is the love of God ....
I am hopeful that the hearts may be moved, the souls may be attracted, and that all will act in accordance with the teachings of BAHA'O'LLAH. (Sep 27, 1913, SW IV, No. 11, 190, 194)
That evening, when more of the friends had come to be with Him, the Master said: "I am going to say, 'Welcome,' to you, instead of your welcoming me. I am most happy to be here with you. I am exceedingly joyous, and I offered thanks to His Holiness BAHA' O'LLAH that the potency of His Word was instrumental in bringing about such a meeting."
Summoning superhuman strength, courage, and resolution, the Master sacrificed Himself to spread the Teachings of Baha'u'llah. Before He made this trip, He had never given a public speech or addressed audiences made up of both men and women. Yet He accustomed Himself to the ways and manners of the Western world. 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke with great eloquence, wisdom, and brilliance. He spoke in simple language to professors, teachers, clergy, youth, and people in all walks of life. He seemed to have a mysterious power to win the love and respect of all. The Master spoke with such authority and explained profound subjects in such a clear and simple
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way, that often no one questioned what He said. He always spoke in a kindly, loving manner. At times 'Abdu'l-Baha was seated as He spoke. At other times He would walk back and forth or stand quietly. He seemed always to be surrounded by a lovely, celestial radiance.
During the three weeks that the Master stayed in
'Abdu'l-Baha was invited to speak at many places. He spoke at colleges, in churches, at the School for the Blind in
The Master often spoke at three or four meetings in one day. We were amazed at His ceaseless activity. Whenever He spoke, He gave to the audience what they most needed to hear and what would help them. He satisfied each listener's spiritual longing with His love. The overpowering conviction in His words made a deep impression upon His listeners.
While He was in
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crowded. I sat in the balcony above the pulpit where the Master stood. All at once I realized that He was very fatigued. Instead of listening I began to say a healing prayer for Him. Suddenly, 'Abdu'l-Baha seemed to grow in stature and become strong, and His voice grew loud and clear. I knew that He had, before our eyes, drawn on the 'Power of the Great Ether.' He gave a brilliant talk and later met with the friends, appearing quite rejuvenated.
On October 7 'Abdu'l-Baha spoke in
"We are all under very great obligation to Abdul-Baha for this illuminating expression of the brotherhood of man and the value of international peace. I think we can best show our appreciation by simply a rising vote of thanks."
After the meeting we all went outside of the Chapel.
There I saw the Master standing alone in the quadrangle. Hesitatingly I approached Him and asked permission to take His photograph. Courteously He granted me the privilege; and I took a picture showing 'Abdu'l-Baha with the Stanford Chapel in the background.
That day Dr. Ernest Rogers, a Baha'i who was head of the
Professor Rogers had been a Baha'i for a long time,
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having first heard about the Faith in a letter which Mrs. Brittingham wrote to his mother. In 1900 he had received this Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Baha:
To Mr. Ernest A. Rogers:
O thou who art advancing toward God!
Verily, I am informed of the text of thy letter, which contained how thou art confessing the
Thank God, for that He hath made thee of the "Chosen Ones," not of those who were only "called"; hath assigned thee to the knowledge of His Manifest Beauty, during the Great Century; hath guided thee to the right Way; hath exhilarated thee from the Cup which is overflowing with the choice Wine of the Love of God; hath dilated thy breast with the light of knowledge of God; hath favored thee with His Gifts; and hath attracted thee from this world through the Magnet of the Kingdom. Therefore, speak eloquently the praise of God, for this Greatest Gift and excellent favor.
May Greetings and praise be upon thee!
'Abdu'l-Baha 'Abbas
After the talk [at Stanford] 'Abdu'l-Baha was the guest of President Jordan with whom He drove in the afternoon. Later He visited the home of Mrs. I. C. Merriman in
(p. 42)
During the Master's stay in
Although I lived in
'Abdu'l-Baha possessed a power that made me long to be an exemplary Baha'i. Each time I was in the presence of the Master, He awakened in my heart a new kind of love for all people. His every word was an inspiration to me to be a better Baha'i. He treated each person very specially, and He showered His love over all of the friends. No one could resist His radiant happiness. To
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hear 'Abdu'l-Baha say, "Are you happy? Are you happy?" filled our day with joy. He lived the perfect Baha'i life. He inspired each soul to follow in His path. This was His magic.
Every day the atmosphere was filled with thrilling excitement, and everyone was happy just to be in the Master's home. Everything seemed to be suspended during those precious days, and often I lost all sense of time. When I could, I went wherever 'Abdu'l-Baha was to speak because I did not want to miss being in His presence or hearing His words and exhortations to the friends and the people.
Believers were constantly arriving from
Soon after George's passing, my aunt received this letter from the National Spiritual Assembly:
Dear Ruhaniyyih:
Now we can see and recognize the extraordinary spiritual unity of the great Baha'i services rendered by you, your husband and your son. Such work could never have been done by any three individuals striving alone. It could only be a family accomplishment, a unity -- one inspiration flowing through three harmonious instruments ....
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With loving greetings from each member,
Affectionately yours,
Horace Holley
Secretary
'Abdu'l-Baha provided the inspiration for such unity. Whenever we were in His presence, He made us feel secure and assured of His love for us. He showed such love that, if one were sad, He gently made him happy. The Master always spread good cheer. One of the friends was not able to hold back her tears in His presence. He said to her, "Weep on. Beyond the tears is sunshine." In those days we all felt united in our devoted love for Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha often told us, "Love is the greatest of all living powers."
It was a joyous time for all of us. The friends from near and far gathered in the home of 'Abdu'l-Baha, hoping to have a word with Him or just to see Him pass through the rooms and hallways, saying in Persian, "Marhaba! Marhaba!" (Welcome! Welcome!). One day, while I was sitting in the hall, I heard my name called. When I responded, I learned that the Master had invited me to have lunch with Him. My heart leaped with joy, and I was so excited that I could scarcely move.
'Abdu'l-Baha stood at the door of the dining room with a loving, tender smile of welcome on His happy face as I entered. He seated Mrs. Anna Monroe to His right and me next to her. He urged us to eat and enjoy our lunch, telling amusing stories to make us laugh. At one point, to my surprise, He reached for a slice of bread, broke off a large piece, and put it on Mrs. Monroe's plate. Then He put a tiny portion on my plate. He looked at me and laughed, and so did I as I ate my tiny portion. Mrs. Monroe did not touch her piece of bread. We know that every word and act of 'Abdu'l-Baha's had a special meaning. I remember that Mrs. Monroe [who introduced us to the Faith] did not remain interested in it during the last years of her life.
Later, the Master reached for a bunch of grapes and dropped them into my glass of water. I looked at them,
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and He laughed as He saw that I was puzzled as to what to do. I felt it would be rude to put my hand into the glass to take them out, but I ate two grapes which hung over the rim of the glass and sadly left the rest. During the luncheon 'Abdu'l-Baha would lean over, look at me, and laugh; and so did I. He conversed with others at the table, but I was too overwhelmed to remember what was said.
The Master was fond of
On October 10 in
The Master told him:
You must not be sad. This affliction will make you spiritually stronger. ... you are dear to me. I will tell you a story:-
A certain ruler wished to appoint one of his subjects to a high office; so, in order to train him, the ruler cast him into prison and caused him to suffer much. The man was surprised at this, for he expected great favors. The ruler had him taken from prison and beaten with sticks. This greatly astonished the man, for he thought the ruler loved him. After this he was hanged on the gallows until he was nearly dead. After he recovered he asked the ruler, "If you love me, why did you do these things?" The ruler replied: "I wish to make you prime minister. By having gone through these ordeals you are better fitted for that office. I wish you to know how it is yourself. When you are obliged to punish, you will
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know how it feels to endure these things. I love you so I wish you to become perfect.
'Abdu'l-Baha then said to Charles:
Even so with you. After this ordeal you will reach maturity. God sometimes causes us to suffer much and to have many misfortunes that we may become strong in His Cause.
You will soon recover and be spiritually stronger than ever before. You will work for God and carry the Message to many of your people.
After this visit, the Master told Helen Goodall and Dr. Woodson Allen, with whom He was riding in an automobile, "Nothing makes a man so happy as love." He continued:
There will come a day when you will see how the nightingales of
When the Master was in the city Mrs. Goodall would drive Him and some of the friends (often including my
(p. 47)
father) to
Monday, September 03, 2007
Temperence
Prayer Plastered
By
"Drunkenness (is) an expression identical with ruin." (Pythagoras, cited by Diogenes Laertius, The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. tr: C. D. Yonge)
Many years ago, I had an argument where I asserted that alcohol was no ordinary drug like tobacco because even though it is legal it is implicated as a cause of most crime, if not most of it. Years later I found proof that that was the case, but, frustratingly, the person with whom I had the argument had forgotten the discussion completely. What is the good of knowing something if you cannot use it to put somebody down? Anyway, even though it is useless trivia, I lately came across the following news item proving that point even more incontrovertibly.
"Five months ago, a report by a British commission found that the financial health costs of alcohol and tobacco were equal. Tobacco was by far the bigger killer, but when the analysis moved beyond self-destruction to harming others, the annual death toll from alcohol-related car accidents exceeded the toll from secondhand smoke in the workplace. Drinking, unlike smoking, played a role in 78 percent of assaults and 88 percent of criminal damage. The commission concluded that if legal drugs were classified like illegal ones, alcohol would be judged more serious than tobacco. Instead, British law allows advertising of booze but not cigarettes." (Slate Magazine, "Kicking Butt; The international jihad against tobacco." William Saletan
One of the most important elements of wisdom, in my opinion, is to act upon the understanding that knowledge is contextual. For example, imagine that you are introduced to a speaker with these words: "Our group knew that X would soon be speaking here and we have been keeping a close eye on him. We have observed over the past week that he has picked his nose x number of times and pumped x quarts of sewage to our already overtaxed environment. It is therefore with a great sense of awe that we introduce, X." What would you think of such a person? Would you pay attention to what he had to say? Yet the same discreditable data, with minor differences, could be said of anybody. So this should not prejudice us, but it does. The context in which a person comes out of an information background is all-important.
Yet, you hear people all the time dividing the human race into good and bad, or criminals and good citizens. In the media and politics, such labeling goes unchallenged. That is why it is important to go back to those psychology experiments where they divided random students into guards and concentration camp prisoners (where the resultant sadism was so severe that the experimenters had to stop the exercise for ethical reasons). They were living proof for all time that it is circumstances that make for good or evil, not some inner quality. If we want to eliminate evil in the world, we need just to improve the circumstances that give rise to wrong.
And, getting back to booze as cause of crime, surely one of the quickest and easiest ways to change the internal factors that lead to outer circumstances would be to keep a clear head as often as possible. The quickest way to do that would be eliminate alcohol from social interaction, and from individual cogitation. As it is, one third of the lives of people you meet have been fractured at one point by alcohol.
"Alcohol problems hit nearly 1 in 3 adults. Nearly one in three recently surveyed
That is just the severe fractures, it says nothing about the minor contusions, cuts, bruises and infections far too numerous to count in a society where over 90 percent of the population drink.
It is wise to bear this problem in mind. Intoxication first of all degrades the soul, and circumstances most often are an expression of the state of many souls in a state of intoxication. Thus it is not addiction itself that is the problem (if it were, cigarette smoking would be the more harmful social problem). The problem is that inebriation weakens our already glimmering tie to reason. And power is of the essence of the soul -- it was no coincidence that MLK's motto for washing away the inner ravages of slavery without violence was "soul power." This is because of the nature of soul is dealing with power; once the soul takes power, circumstances change of themselves. Consider the Qu'ran's definition of the soul:
"And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is one of the commands of my Lord, and you are not given aught of knowledge but a little." (Q17:85, Shakir)
We have tiny, interspersed moments in life to change things. The quantity of knowledge and power given the soul are flimsy to begin with. But at least we can, sometimes, given the right attitude, rule a percentage of our thoughts. That is why we pray. We beg to be inspired to change our thoughts, and then our circumstances. We are not asking for magic, just a tiny spark of love and knowledge that, with divine confirmations, may start a fire of soul energy to change circumstances for the better. Here my favorite Baha'i writer, Marzieh Gail, points to the opposition between prayer and alcohol,
"And if, as often happens, people are longing for God, trying to pray and yet not succeeding, they will easily find Him through service in accordance with the dictates of His Manifestations. It is not surprising that a prayerless people are driven to drugs and stimulants and a hundred forms of useless activity. They have no antidote for life, and no effective means of achieving the 'respite and nepenthe' for which they long. It is not surprising that people cheat one another, desert one another, kill one another, because only universal prayer can make the world safe for us to live in. No doubt future generations will look back at this prayerless age with the same uneasiness with which we contemplate the unwashed courtiers of Queen Elizabeth." (Marzieh Gail, Dawn Over
Soul power is especially endangered by alcohol because it works through words. It is not a coincidence that an increase in drinking leads to the spread not only of punishable crimes, but also of the kind of crime that cannot be touched by human law, backbiting, gossip, profanity and all round truculence in the public forum. Issues that should be approached with concern and a common purpose are, when bad language predominates, politicized, polarized and neutered. This happens because a soul whose power is compromised tends to assert its will directly, ignoring the intermediation of reason. In other words, we lie, we hold that might makes right.
"When I use a word, Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, it means just what I choose it to mean neither more or less. The question is, said
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Huqquq
Canadian Sovereignty, I
By
Friday nights I am the second volunteer assistant at the Youth Impact Centre, along with its live-in youth pastor, Richard -- they have a rule that there must be at least two adults supervising at all times. Every time we meet, Richard asks me: "What did you write about today?" Better still, he is more than ready to listen to my answer. What comes out of that serves as our conversation while we hit the ping pong ball back and forth. Even though he does it every time, it still comes as a shock to have to verbalize what I wrote that day. Shock in a good way, because I learn from it. (Richard, as a Christian can ask me this question guilt-free. My Baha'i friends shy away, perhaps feeling that they should have read the Badi' blog entry for themselves, even though it comes out too late in the day for me to reasonably expect even the most avid reader to have seen it yet) My writing is too private, it is meant to be shared. I could not enjoy anything more than going over this daily essay, my pride and joy, as often as possible.
After I got over my usual surprise at being asked what I wrote, I told him about the theme of yesterday's essay, about Manbiot's book "Heat," and his ideas for solving global warming, and how Mo Tzu's proposals for a government that acts as an applied teacher ("...the task of the leader lies nowhere but in increasing the numbers of the talented.") jibes perfectly with what Manbiot says we need right away, a carbon rationing system, which would mean the formation of a body of officials of great integrity and initiative.
In the literal give and take, tit for tat, ping for pong of our table tennis discussion, Richard asked at one point a question he has asked a few times in the past, "What do you think of Canadian sovereignty?" I did not have a ready answer, nor did we have the chance to discuss it at length, so frequent are the interruptions. I could only comment that I find the answers that you encounter Ad Nausium in the media tedious. English Canadians usually end up defining our identity in contrast to Americans, which leads nowhere. But I slept on it and now will try now to give a better thought out answer to the question.
The first thing we should ask is: what is sovereignty? This time I will talk about that question in general, in a future essay about Canadian sovereignty in particular.
As Baha'is we are reminded by our holy Badi Calendar on a monthly and yearly basis that Sultan, sovereignty is an attribute of God. It comes almost at the end, in the winter season, and as such is a "golden," senior, or mature virtue. It is a virtue we expect to see in old age, whereas spring virtues like Jamal, Beauty, tend to be found in youth. Sovereignty, then, is above all a capital "S" sovereignty, a quality of God, and our own, human, small "s" sovereignty follows from that.
So, what is capital "S" Sovereignty? It surely means that God is our Sovereign, or King. A king is different from other sorts of leader. A king rules by inherent, inherited right, while other leaders serve in a limited, temporary capacity. I have read a few contemporary royals make this point: a sovereign is more, not less dependent upon the opinion of the people than a democrat. A king is born to his station and bears its burden over the long term. It is a family thing. A prince can often rule from cradle to grave. Power is born to them as a heritage, not as a reward or attainment.
In this age, princes are constitutional monarchs, meaning that they are relieved of the burden of direct power. They operate by personal knowledge, not theoretical (connaitre not savoir, to use the distinction built into the French language); they use charisma, inspiration and influence, similar to how the learned function in the Baha'i Administrative Order. But still, Baha'u'llah left a place for royalty in His Order, and we can imagine a Baha'i prince in future knowing personally and "having the ear" of several generations of members of the Universal House of Justice during his lifetime. This would lend the consistency and stability of tradition to the rule of the House from one generation to the next, just as royals do for lower levels of government.
Be that as it may, the fact is that since we were all created in God's image, we are meant to reflect His Kingship or Sovereignty. As Paul put it,
"For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and to him." (
This bond is the basis of creativity, our greatest human heritage. From the highest to the lowest, all are mirrors of God's holy sovereignty. That is what we radiate out when we think of human rights, personal responsibility, and say things like: "there is no accounting for tastes." Eccentricity, ownership, independence, all are images of sovereignty in the individual, all flickering images of our reflective relation to the Most Great Sovereign. The Master put it as a motto: nearness is likeness. We are close to God insofar as we participate in His sovereignty as a family right. As members of His royal family, we gain independent privileges, such as the right to rule our own bodies and our own lives. This is Sultan.
Family is the first sovereignty, our basic expression as what Aristotle called "political animals." Family is the only political institution that is truly universal. As an Egyptian novelist recently expressed it: "No matter who it is, they are always somebody's son or daughter; that links us all, no matter what country we live in." I may not serve at the United Nations, but as a family member I know sovereignty intimately.
The touchstone of all virtues is love. To talk of sovereignty without love is to profane human relationships; it is to ignore the imperative behind the Parable of the Talents. Love by nature turns respect for a person's sovereignty into a family obligation that expects a long term return on every investment. This is why the Master taught that we should see everybody we meet as a family member, either a mother, father, brother, sister, son or daughter.
Mo Tzu made an important contribution to our understanding of the role of universality in sovereignty. The Confucians had argued that we must love our family members first and foremost. But Mo Tzu asked the pointed question of genius: what good does it do to respect and pay homage to my father and mother if everybody else treats their elders like bilge? Chances are, mom and pop are going to spend most of their time with people who are not their immediate kin. If so, the thing that will help them most is universal love, not filial duty. If love were universal, all would treat their elders with the respect and kindness that they do their own parents. This would benefit my parents far more than anything I can offer them as help. Even were I go to extraordinary, superhuman lengths to help, the fairness and kindness of strangers is what is most likely to do them most good.
Abdu'l-Baha, using an image used also by the stoic philosophers, pictured the degrees and relations among the various sovereignties as a series of concentric circles. First there is a point, the individual, then it widens out to family, then city, province, country, continent, and then the whole planet. There are other circles of unity, such as the language we speak, our ethnicity, skin color, whether we are male or female, and so forth. None of the circles crosses any other because there is one God, one truth, one planet, one people.
There can never be contradiction or conflict as long as the truth stays where it has sovereign right: foremost in our minds. Each circle of unity is an element of the other. But we can and do cross the circles. We short circuit sovereignties every time we forget principle and break our sacred covenant with truth, the invisible agreement that vivifies all levels of sovereignty.
A video I saw lately really helped me understand how these circles are centered out by a unique new law established in the Aqdas. It is called "Huququ'llah, The Right of God." I highly recommend this two-part video presentation. Drop this essay and order it right away. The first section consists of the most concise history of the Faith I have ever seen. While talking about the Siyyih Chal, for example, it actually shows a video of that horrible but holy location (this footage must have been smuggled in from
In sum, the message of the talking heads in the video, based on the Writings, is that Baha'u'llah established Huqquq as a unique, direct link between the point, the individual, and the center of the Faith, the House of Justice. Unlike other funds in the Cause, this goes by right, 19 percent of equity, with no earmarking or any other say in how it is spent, straight to the
So, the picture of other sovereignties is like a point surrounded with concentric circles, but the Huqquq is a fountain or underground river leading straight from the point to the center of the world, unifying the other circles from top down as well as bottom up; giving it joyfully unites our heart with all hearts through Him, in His paradise.
"As to the Righteous, they shall drink of a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Kafur,- A Fountain where the Devotees of God do drink, making it flow in unstinted abundance. They perform (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil flies far and wide. And they feed, for the love of God, the indigent, the orphan, and the captive,- (Saying), `We feed you for the sake of God alone: no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks. We only fear a Day of distressful Wrath from the side of our Lord.'" (Qu'ran 76:5-10, tr: Yusuf Ali)
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