Befriended Stranger

I spent three peaceful days in the Claymont mansion in West Virginia, once owned by the George Washington family. I spent three peaceful days in nature, nurtured by friends who practice Yang style T’ai Chi Chuan, ate delicious locally grown organic food, picked cherries from an old tree, and practiced Qi Gong. A great way to rejuvenate the body and the spirit!

A brief summary of the lessons learned:

• harmony with body is health
• harmony with others is peace / love
• harmony with the universe is spirituality
• the ego shouts; the soul whispers

Chi-ers to spending time with nature and the real self!

Sometimes you get stuck and try as you might, nothing comes out of it — it might be the wrong time for a solution or just the wrong approach to a solution. Stepping back and seeing things in perspective helps but sometimes all you can do is persevere… and ask for help — from friends, strangers, and God.

These days the world seems stuck. And badly needs unstucking…

In Iran, the 7 Baha’i leaders are stuck in a jail, falsely accused of crimes they never committed and we all fear for their lives. Please pray for them!

I will not even comment on the insanity of the battle in which I am stuck in my attempts to be a father…

All of this while Washington, DC, is stuck under record amounts of snow.

This morning on my way to pick my baby sitter, my car got stuck on her street as I was driving back towards the cleared road. It took me an hour and a half trying so many different ways to get unstuck. I pushed, I pulled, I tried forward, I tried backward. A nice lady let me borrow her shovel on three occasions, each attempt getting me closer to the goal but never actually enabling me to be free. What a metaphor for my life these past years! The harder I was trying, the deeper I was getting into the snow. At some point I asked for help from some Pakistani men. They came and tried to help to no avail. Then I decided to walk to the store to buy some sand (the idea of buying sand sounds insane to me but on a snowy day you do not have much choice). They did not carry sand but they had cat litter crystals so I tried that — again, to no avail. Finally I asked a group of young men from Nicaragua to help me and after a good wait during which they uncovered somebody else’s car, they came to my rescue and off I went…

So, I’ve been thinking to myself about the connection between stuckness and unstuckness, freedom and detachment.

Like water on a lotus leaf, like a mustard seed on the point of a pin, he who is not stuck to the senses – that is what I
call a brahmin.
(Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha)

The Virtues cards I peruse each day give good insights and suggestions. The one on peacefulness suggests giving up the love of power for the power of love. A beautiful friend send me today this quote to reflect on as I was sharing about my difficulties:

The more difficulties one sees in the world the more perfect one becomes. The more you plough and dig the ground the more fertile it becomes. The more you cut the branches of a tree the higher and stronger it grows. The more you put the gold in the fire, the purer it becomes. The more you sharpen the steel by grinding …the better it cuts. Therefore, the more sorrows one sees the more perfect one becomes. That is why, in all times, the Prophets of God have had tribulations and difficulties to withstand. The more often the captain of a ship is in the tempest and difficult sailing the more greater his knowledge becomes. Therefore I am happy that you have had great tribulations and difficulties . . .

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

So, all these tests and tribulations are a good sign that God indeed loves me! Much to be grateful for! So, I decided to be grateful and I baked two banana breads this afternoon to take to the people who helped me in my attempts to unstuck my car from the snow. The Pakistani men were not at home but two shy yet kind ladies opened the door and while giving them the freshly baked banana bread, I told them of my gratitude for the help I received from strangers. The American lady who gave me a shovel was very kind as well and I gave her also a Baha’i prayer for peace — we both agreed that the world needs more helping strangers, shovels, banana bread and prayers

So, for every one who is stuck in this world, let’s give them a spiritual push. And a prayer:

Thou knowest full well, O my God, that tribulations have showered upon me from all directions and that no one can dispel or transmute them except Thee.  I know of a certainty, by virtue of my love for Thee, that Thou wilt never cause tribulations to befall any soul unless Thou desirest to exalt his station in Thy celestial Paradise and to buttress his heart in this earthly life with the bulwark of Thine all-compelling power, that it may not become inclined toward the vanities of this world.  Indeed Thou art well aware that under all conditions I would cherish the remembrance of Thee far more than the ownership of all that is in the heavens and on the earth.

Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and in Thy love, and grant that I may be clear of the entire company of Thine adversaries.  Verily, I swear by Thy glory that I yearn for naught besides Thyself, nor do I desire anything except Thy mercy, nor am I apprehensive of aught save Thy justice.  I beg Thee to forgive me as well as those whom Thou lovest, howsoever Thou pleasest.  Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Bountiful.

Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens and earth, above the praise of all men, and may peace be upon Thy faithful servants and glory be unto God, the Lord of all the worlds.

The Báb

Last night’s Prayer Station was attended by me alone… and of course, Abdu’l-Baha. In a way, being by myself with the prayers, the Holy Writings and the presence of the Center of the Covenant of God made it a perfect occasion to reflect on the bounty I have had by experiencing divine healing myself, and to pray for the healing of others.

And divine healing I experienced indeed, some two months ago.  What is fascinating is how it happened — not as an automatic switch but as the result of a crystal clear choice I was aware I had to make. So, having made many bad choices in life, I experienced the benefit of making the right choice. Very profound, very awe-inspiring. With a certainly I cannot explain in words, I found myself immersed in God’s love, grace and healing. So, while I have, of course, benefited from the care of professionals, in the end it was God’s power that provided that miraculous, divine healing. And for those who want to question this, I can assure you with that same certitude I have in my heart that Baha’u'llah is the Messenger of God for this day and age, that I have been healed:

There was an illness, and then it was gone.

Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
(King James Bible, Jeremiah)

O mankind! there hath come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts — and for those who believe, a Guidance and a Mercy.

(The Holy Qur’an, Surah 10)

Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy.
(Baha’u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha’u'llah, p. 262)

So, having experienced divine healing myself, now I am praying for such healing to be granted to others I love and to those I have crossed path with and have probably hurt throughout my life. The freedom I have experienced in the past two months can never be compared to anything I am aware of from the past 30 years of my life. I wish such healing and freedom to everyone. I trust such healing and freedom is possible for everyone!

So that was the main thing about the Prayer Station — reflecting on what divine healing means for me. Other that this, of course, I had the usual menu — banitza, banana bread and salad. Music was served by:

• Eric Harper – “Cura” from the CD “Romper a madrugad”
• Eric Dozier & JB Eckl -”Healing Suite” from the CD “Badasht”
• Tara Ellis – “Healing” from the CD “Devotions by Tara Ellis”
• Adrienne Ewing-Roush & Harry Beall – “Healer of the Hearts” from the CD “Eastwind”

This is how the announcement went:

Dear friends!

What nurtures your soul? What makes your heart tender? Prayer, music, fellowship, food cooked with love, tea poured in peace, cake shared with smile? Whatever the answer might be, sharing prayers with friends gets us all closer to the Creator and recharges us for the week ahead.

I invite you and your loves ones to the regular Monday evening interfaith Prayer Station!
I have many books of prayers from different faith traditions but if you wish, feel free to BYOP (bring your own prayer).

We’ll read and reflect on selected writings on the theme of Divine Healing, uplift and refresh our souls with music, and offer prayers as the spirit moves us.  We’ll conclude with tea and refreshments.

Next week, the Prayer Station will be indeeed special. TaliaSafa and New Creation will come and perform a house concert “Let All Associate“. Would you come and join me? Let the healing begin!

The body of the human world is sick. Its remedy and healing will be the oneness of the kingdom of humanity. Its life is the Most Great Peace. Its illumination and quickening is love. Its happiness is the attainment of spiritual perfections. It is my wish and hope that in the bounties and favors of the Blessed Perfection we may find a new life, acquire a new power and attain to a wonderful and supreme source of energy so that the Most Great Peace of divine intention shall be established upon the foundations of the unity of the world of men with God. May the love of God be spread from this city, from this meeting to all the surrounding countries. Nay, may America become the distributing center of spiritual enlightenment, and all the world receive this heavenly blessing! For America has developed powers and capacities greater and more wonderful than other nations. While it is true that its people have attained a marvelous material civilization, I hope that spiritual forces may animate this great body and a corresponding spiritual civilization be established. May the inhabitants of this country become like angels of heaven with faces turned continually toward God. May all of them become the servants of the Omnipotent One. May they rise from present material attainments to such a height that heavenly illumination may stream from this center to all the peoples of the world.

(Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 19)

The past two months have been a fascinating ride. God granted me one freedom and I lost a different one. I gained new insights and found that they open the door to yet deeper insights. In many ways I have grown a lot; in many ways I am still back to where I started. What used to help me run away from myself is thankfully left behind for good but I still need to find myself, to face myself. I discovered that my fear and selfishness are tremendous obstacle in front of my progress and growth and an enormous source of pain to those I love. I am starting to realize that the only way to conquer this selfishness is to love others selflessly. To love selflessly is the freedom I have longed for. To love selflessly is only possible by loving God. To love God is the only source for such freedom.

Now is the moment in which to cleanse thyself with the waters of detachment that have flowed out from the Supreme Pen, and to ponder, wholly for the sake of God, those things which, time and again, have been sent down or manifested, and then to strive, as much as lieth in thee, to quench, through the power of wisdom and the force of thy utterance, the fire of enmity and hatred which smouldereth in the hearts of the peoples of the world.
(Baha’u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 12)

Now is the time for selfless love, detachment and faith:

ASL-I-KULLU’L-KHAYR

(Words of Wisdom)

In the Name of God, the Exalted, the Most High

THE source of all good is trust in God, submission unto His command, and contentment with His holy will and pleasure.

The essence of wisdom is the fear of God, the dread of His scourge and punishment, and the apprehension of His justice and decree.

The essence of religion is to testify unto that which the Lord hath revealed, and follow that which He hath ordained in His mighty Book.

The source of all glory is acceptance of whatsoever the Lord hath bestowed, and contentment with that which God hath ordained.

The essence of love is for man to turn his heart to the Beloved One, and sever himself from all else but Him, and desire naught save that which is the desire of his Lord.

True remembrance is to make mention of the Lord, the All-Praised, and forget aught else beside Him.

True reliance is for the servant to pursue his profession and calling in this world, to hold fast unto the Lord, to seek naught but His grace, inasmuch as in His Hands is the destiny of all His servants.

The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand as witness before Him.

The essence of understanding is to testify to one’s  poverty, and submit to the Will of the Lord, the Sovereign, the Gracious, the All-Powerful.

The source of courage and power is the promotion of the Word of God, and steadfastness in His Love.

The essence of charity is for the servant to recount the blessings of his Lord, and to render thanks unto Him at all times and under all conditions.

The essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds; he whose words exceed his deeds, know verily his death is better than his life.

The essence of true safety is to observe silence, to look at the end of things and to renounce the world.

The beginning of magnanimity is when man expendeth his wealth on himself, on his family and on the poor among his brethren in his Faith.

The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy. This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed.

The source of all evil is for man to turn away from his Lord and set his heart on things ungodly.

The most burning fire is to question the signs of God, to dispute idly that which He hath revealed, to deny Him and carry one’s self proudly before Him.

The source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His Glory, and this cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His Divine Manifestation.

The essence of abasement is to pass out from under the shadow of the Merciful and seek the shelter of the Evil One.

The source of error is to disbelieve in the One true God, rely upon aught else but Him, and flee from His Decree.

True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self.

The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye.

Thus have We instructed thee, manifested unto thee Words of Wisdom, that thou mayest be thankful unto the Lord, thy God, and glory therein amidst all peoples.

(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 153)

27. O SON OF DUST!
All that is in heaven and earth I have ordained for thee, except the human heart, which I have made the habitation of My beauty and glory; yet thou didst give My home and dwelling to another than Me; and whenever the manifestation of My holiness sought His own abode, a stranger found He there, and, homeless, hastened unto the sanctuary of the Beloved. Notwithstanding I have concealed thy secret and desired not thy shame.
(Baha’u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)

The purpose of justice is the appearance of unity among men.
(Baha’u'llah, Tablets of Baha’u'llah, p. 66)

For years I thought that unity should come first. I am finally starting to see that justice is required before there can be hope for unity. Better later than never! What a gift for the Baha’i New Year! Happy Naw Ruz!

The essence of all that We have revealed for thee is Justice, is for man to free himself from idle fancy and imitation, discern with the eye of oneness His glorious handiwork, and look into all things with a searching eye. Thus have We instructed thee, manifested unto thee Words of Wisdom, that thou mayest be thankful unto the Lord, thy God, and glory therein amidst all peoples.
(Baha’u’llah, Tablets of Baha’u’llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas)

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)