Seeing the world of the Spirit...

[arthra]

One of the quotes I read this evening in an essay by David Langness was the following quote:

"I wish you to live in the world of the Spirit—to see the Divine Reality in everything—to behold the illumination of the world of the Kingdom beyond and within the gloomy mask of this mortal existence. For the world of the Kingdom is a world of Lights, a world of happiness, a world of accomplishment, the real and eternal world."

– Abdu’l-Baha, Star of the West, Volume 3, p. 222

Abdul-Baha had already spent a good portion of His life in prison and faced the weight of the punishments of the Ottoman prison which still stands today and is known as "Akka" across the Bay from Haifa in Israel.

His life was not a life of ease or privilege and He attended no schools or colleges in the East...yet His life you could say was an example of the wish He expressed in the above quote: "live in the world of the Spirit".

 

[Unity]

Arthra,

The following, taken from a letter of the UHJ to the Friends of Iran, tells us how to connect best with the realm divine. Is there a better way to express it ?

" The Twin Luminaries of this resplendent age have taught us this: Prayer is the essential spiritual conversation of the soul with its Maker, direct and without intermediation. It is the spiritual food that sustains the life of the spirit. Like the morning’s dew, it brings freshness to the heart and cleanses it, purifying it from attachments of the insistent self. It is a fire that burns away the veils and a light that leads to the ocean of reunion with the Almighty. On its wings does the soul soar in the heavens of God and draw closer to the divine reality. Upon its quality depends the development of the limitless capacities of the soul and the attraction of the bounties of God, but the prolongation of prayer is not desirable. The powers latent in prayer are manifested when it is motivated by the love of God, beyond any fear or favour, and free from ostentation and superstition. It is to be expressed with a sincere and pure heart conducive to contemplation and meditation so that the rational faculty can be illumined by its effects. Such prayer will transcend the limitation of words and go well beyond mere sounds. The sweetness of its melodies must gladden and uplift the heart and reinforce the penetrating power of the Word, transmuting earthly inclinations into heavenly attributes and inspiring selfless service to humankind. "

Therefore, sincere and heartfelt prayer is almost perceived as a prerequisite to fruitful contemplation and meditation (which are, in time, conducive to seeing with the eye of the spirit), the fruits being somewhat connected with the concept of wordly usefulness. In other words, right spiritual life is conducive to right attitude (heavenly attributes) and beneficial action (selfless service).

Again, by listening to Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee's talks, one becomes surprisingly aware of the true and profound significance of that Master's vow.