Befriended Stranger

I’ve been in a clean up mode for a long time now. It is a slow process, in particular, because I am so attached to many things created in the past, and so I never truly throw away boxes of papers, notes, printouts.

Today I dug out the words of a song I wrote in July 1999. It was in response to the suicidal thoughts of two people — one, my own brother, the other, a seeker for spirituality whom I had just met at a Baha’i fireside.I had been driving semi-lost to that fireside hoping that the directions were right, fearing I had missed the right exit, fighting my instinct to turn back and go home where I would have some semblance of control. Luckily I persevered and having stuck to the instructions I arrived at the fireside where I met the seeker whose struggle inspired the song, but how often we lose faith in what seems line a prolonged voyage; how often we diminish the power of God’s work by not fully trusting in Him…

As the message of this song is very relevant to me today, I am posting the words in the hope they might inspire others. And if anyone wants to collaborate in recording the song, let me know.

Brother of Mine

How can I help you, o brother of mine
Fear of death sending shivers down my spine
Although we might feel often alone
There’s loving God with us all along

How can I help you, o brother of mine
Cling to the cord of the heavenly vine
Search for the truth, and you won’t be alone
God is walking with us all along

Though the painting’s not aware of its painter nor its frame
The painter’s art alone is the reason for his fame
Blinded by the search for the Philosopher’s stone
We don’t notice God is with us all along

How can I help you, o brother of mine
Cling to the cord of the heavenly vine
Search for the truth, and you won’t be alone
God is walking with us all along

Rivers divide us, bridges bring us close
With all the technology we still need a rose
To tell our loved ones: we care and pray
That the Lord sends them a sunny ray

How can I help you, o brother of mine
Cling to the cord of the heavenly vine
Search for the truth, and you won’t be alone
God is walking with us all along

It’s like driving through a strange town — it’s so easy to forget
That we need faith and vision to get to where we are set
Though we might feel often we are lost and last in line,
God is with us, o brother of mine

How can I help you, o brother of mine
Cling to the cord of the heavenly vine
Search for the truth, and you won’t be alone
God is walking with us all along

My favorite Red Grammer song written by him and his dear wife Kathy who recently passed away. See this outstanding rendition of “See Me beautiful”, performed by Red Grammer and accompanied on the erhu by the Chinese superstar Cheng Lin during a concert on the Great Wall of China:

Here are the lyrics of the song posted in tribute to Kathy Grammer whose legacy of inspiring music and lyrics lives on:

See me beautiful,
look for the best in me.
That’s what I really am,
and all I want to be.
It may take some time
It may be hard to find,
but see me beautiful.

See me beautiful,
each and every day.
Could you take a chance?
Could you find a way?
To see me shining through
in everything I do
and see me beautiful.

~ by Kathy and Red Grammer

May Baha’u'llah embrace Kathy’s spirit and her loved ones!

Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 94)

I used to take this famous quote from the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith to imply having (almost in a corporate mission statement way) a global vision rather than a narrow one, a tradition-  or nation-based one. But in the past couple of years so many aspects of my understanding of the Baha’i Faith have taken a much more personal level. Thus this quote has become a guidance for personal living, not a policy statement or a corporate strategy.

For when I zoom-in on my self as the origin of my coordinate system, the center of the universe, so to say, it becomes so easy to be preoccupied with my needs, my desires, my sufferings, my shortcomings, my accomplishments, my… you name it. Indeed, it becomes so easy to be confined to the prison of self:

40. O MY SERVANT!
Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more.
(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

It takes perspective, zooming out so to say, to see the relative unimportance of my position when evaluated from the point of view of the Divine Plan;  and at the same time, to see the relative importance of my position — for we all matter, we all have a role to play — which takes its proper place, neither more nor less than what it deserves.

So going through life becomes this constant exercise of refocusing the lenses of the soul on the big picture, the perspective that God wants us to have, while still being aware of who we are and what our proper place in this universe is.

Asking God for help is probably a standard procedure for anyone in need. Helping God, on the other hand, is clearly not because God is being needy. Is the reason to help God simply as returning the favor? Is it because we are all instruments of His will? Is it because the only way to conquer self is through letting God do the work and while He works, we might as well help? Is it from the awareness that without God, we are lost as a boat with no direction in the vast ocean of life? Is it because helping God is our part of the Covenant with Him?

Whatever the reason for helping God, Baha’u'llah provides very clear instructions on how to help God:

O friends! Help ye the one true God, exalted be His glory, by your goodly deeds, by such conduct and character as shall be acceptable in His sight. He that seeketh to be a helper of God in this Day, let him close his eyes to whatever he may possess, and open them to the things of God. Let him cease to occupy himself with that which profiteth him, and concern himself with that which shall exalt the all-compelling name of the Almighty. He should cleanse his heart from all evil passions and corrupt desires, for the fear of God is the weapon that can render him victorious, the primary instrument whereby he can achieve his purpose. The fear of God is the shield that defendeth His Cause, the buckler that enableth His people to attain to victory. It is a standard that no man can abase, a force that no power can rival. By its aid, and by the leave of Him Who is the Lord of Hosts, they that have drawn nigh unto God have been able to subdue and conquer the citadels of the hearts of men.

(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings From the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 272)

Why do you choose to help God? How do you help God?

As much as I often try to find proper words about what I feel or what I am experiencing, Baha’u'llah’s words are always more powerful and inspiring:

By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light. Thus hath it been foreordained in the realm of God’s Revelation, by the behest of Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful.

There lay concealed within the Holy Veil, and prepared for the service of God, a company of His chosen ones who shall be manifested unto men, who shall aid His Cause, who shall be afraid of no one, though the entire human race rise up and war against them. These are the ones who, before the gaze of the dwellers on earth and the denizens of heaven, shall arise and, shouting aloud, acclaim the name of the Almighty, and summon the children of men to the path of God, the All-Glorious, the All-Praised. Walk thou in their way, and let no one dismay thee. Be of them whom the tumult of the world, however much it may agitate them in the path of their Creator, can never sadden, whose purpose the blame of the blamer will never defeat.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 279)

Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord my God! I am Thy servant who hath laid hold on the cord of Thy tender mercies, and clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness. I entreat Thee by Thy name whereby Thou hast subjected all created things, both visible and invisible, and through which the breath that is life indeed was wafted over the entire creation, to strengthen me by Thy power which hath encompassed the heavens and the earth, and to guard me from all sickness and tribulation. I bear witness that Thou art the Lord of all names, and the Ordainer of all that may please Thee. There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

Do Thou ordain for me, O my Lord, what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds. Supply me, then, with what Thou hast written down for the chosen ones among Thy creatures, whom neither the blame of the blamer, nor the clamor of the infidel, nor the estrangement of such as have withdrawn from Thee, hath deterred from turning towards Thee.

Thou, truly, art the Help in Peril through the power of Thy sovereignty. No God is there save Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 223)

Today for me is a day of restoration. President Barrack Obama’s inauguration speech made a personal call to my heart inspiring it to seek with new conviction the restoration of virtue, justice, dignity, nobility and sovereignty. Here is a selection of Holy Writings I am reflecting on as I move forward with the next phase of my life:

1. O SON OF SPIRIT!
My first counsel is this: Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

2. O SON OF SPIRIT!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

22. O SON OF SPIRIT!
Noble have I created thee, yet thou hast abased thyself. Rise then unto that for which thou wast created.
(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

13. O SON OF SPIRIT!
I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.

37. O MY SERVANT!
Abandon not for that which perisheth an everlasting dominion, and cast not away celestial sovereignty for a worldly desire. This is the river of everlasting life that hath flowed from the well-spring of the pen of the merciful; well is it with them that drink!
(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favor and bounty He hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His knowledge, so that none of His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its capacity and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror of His beauty in the world of creation. The greater the effort exerted for the refinement of this sublime and noble mirror, the more faithfully will it be made to reflect the glory of the names and attributes of God, and reveal the wonders of His signs and knowledge. Every created thing will be enabled (so great is this reflecting power) to reveal the potentialities of its pre-ordained station, will recognize its capacity and limitations, and will testify to the truth that “He, verily, is God; there is none other God besides Him.”…

There can be no doubt whatever that, in consequence of the efforts which every man may consciously exert and as a result of the exertion of his own spiritual faculties, this mirror can be so cleansed from the dross of earthly defilements and purged from satanic fancies as to be able to draw nigh unto the meads of eternal holiness and attain the courts of everlasting fellowship. In pursuance, however, of the principle that for every thing a time hath been fixed, and for every fruit a season hath been ordained, the latent energies of such a bounty can best be released,  and the vernal glory of such a gift can only be manifested, in the Days of God. Invested though each day may be with its pre-ordained share of God’s wondrous grace, the Days immediately associated with the Manifestation of God possess a unique distinction and occupy a station which no mind can ever comprehend. Such is the virtue infused into them that if the hearts of all that dwell in the heavens and the earth were, in those days of everlasting delight, to be brought face to face with that Day Star of unfading glory and attuned to His Will, each would find itself exalted above all earthly things, radiant with His light, and sanctified through His grace. All hail to this grace which no blessing, however great, can excel, and all honor to such a loving-kindness the like of which the eye of creation hath not seen! Exalted is He above that which they attribute unto Him or recount about Him!
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 262)

All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth. Say: O friends! Drink your fill from this crystal stream that floweth through the heavenly grace of Him Who is the Lord of Names. Let others partake of its waters in My name, that the leaders of men in every land may fully recognize the purpose for which the Eternal Truth hath been revealed, and the reason for which they themselves have been created.
(Baha’u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u'llah, p. 214)

This Monday, this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the evening before Inauguration Day, seemed a good time for a prayer for America, and for race unity. A group of friends gathered at my apartment to read selections from the Sacred Writings of world religion, but also from the words of the man whose life this day celebrates:

Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
(Martin Luther King)

A few days ago a man moving from New Jersey, having visited the ArlingtonBahai.org website, was seeking contact with the local Baha’is. So we invited him to this prayer meeting and he came and contributed with a lovely recitation of the words of Martin Luther King Jr.

The central message of the prayer gathering was of unity, America, and the hope it brings for the world:

This revered American nation presents evidences of greatness and worth. It is my hope that this just government will stand for peace so that warfare may be abolished throughout the world and the standards of national unity and reconciliation be upraised. This is the greatest attainment of the world of humanity. This American nation is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world and be blest in the East and the West for the triumph of its democracy. I pray that this may come to pass, and I ask the blessing of God in behalf of you all.
(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 103)

The song that opened the readings selections was from Matthew Levine’s CD “A House Divided“. I had written about “A House Divided” already:

No more living in a house divided, lost in the dead of the night.
As one people we will stand united, holding onto the light.

The closing song of this remarkable album is a true  gem which brought a very appropriate ending to an evening of prayers and fellowship – “A Home That Forever Will Stand”.

The readings were dominated by the theme of race unity:

You have written that there were several meetings of joy and happiness, one for white and another for colored people. Praise be to God! As both races are under the protection of the All-Knowing God, therefore the lamps of unity must be lighted in such a manner in these meetings that no distinction be perceived between the white and colored. Colors are phenomenal, but the realities of men are essence. When there exists unity of the essence what power has the phenomenal? When the light of reality is shining what power has the darkness of the unreal? If it be possible, gather together these two races, black and white, into one Assembly, and put such love into their hearts that they shall not only unite but even intermarry. Be sure that the result of this will abolish differences and disputes between black and white. Moreover, by the Will of God, may it be so. This is a great service to humanity.
(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 359)

The culmination was, of course, the prayer for America:

O Thou kind Lord! This gathering is turning to Thee. These hearts are radiant with Thy love. These minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of Thy glad tidings. O God! Let this American democracy become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has aspired to material degrees, and render this just government victorious. Confirm this revered nation to upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations of the world. O God! This American nation is worthy of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy. Make it precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and bestowal.
- Abdu’l-Baha

May tomorrow be a peaceful day of celebrating the potential for healing and for growth. The future of humanity is bright!

We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem Us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment…. That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled — what harm is there in this?… Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the ‘Most Great Peace’ shall come…. Yet do We see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind…. These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family…. Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind….
(Baha’u'llah, The Proclamation of Baha’u'llah, p. viii)

O SON OF MAN! My majesty is My gift to thee, and My grandeur the token of My mercy unto thee. That which beseemeth Me none shall understand, nor can anyone recount. Verily, I have preserved it in My hidden storehouses and in the treasuries of My command, as a sign of My loving-kindness unto My servants and My mercy unto My people.

(Baha’u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

When a year ago I was greeting 2008, I made three wishes none of which came true. We sometimes wish for things that might not be good for us or things whose time might not have arrived yet. Either way, I trust that God provides what is right for us but it takes faith and certitude to discern and accept it. The past year has been a very big test in detachment for me. Thankfully, despite all the things I lost (or maybe because of them), I’ve been gaining a new sense of self rooted in the belief that I was created noble and was given a gift that no one can take away from me:

For every one of you his paramount duty is to choose for himself that on which no other may infringe and none usurp from him. Such a thing — and to this the Almighty is My witness — is the love of God, could ye but perceive it.
(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 261)

I wish for all of you noble souls who read my musings, a healthy and happy 2009 — a new year filled with the love of God!