Alliance Spiritualiste of Paris
9 November 1911
Paris, France
I am very grateful for the words and sentiments expressed by
the general secretary. I give thanks to God to find myself in Paris in such a
spiritual assembly.
If we look at the atmosphere of this meeting, we see that
the spirit floats in it, the bounties of God descend, the aid of the Holy
Spirit is seen. Thanks to God, these hearts are endowed with spiritual
sentiments; the vibrations of the soul make themselves felt.
The spirit is like the sea, this assembly like the waves -- though
they are numerous, they all come from the same sea; though they apparently have
different forms and aspects, the unity of the spirit is manifest.
All the prophets and Divine Manifestations have come to
educate men, in order that the unity of the human world may shine clearly and
distinctly, so that there remains no authority to the waves; that the authority
be peculiar to the sea, for the spirit is like the sea and the bodies are like
the waves.
It is said in the Gospels, "Jerusalem will come down
out of heaven from God." This heavenly Jerusalem is not made of stone, of
lime and of clay, but it is made of the divine teachings which shine among men
by the power of the spirit. For a long time, the divine teachings had been
forgotten, no trace remained of the light of the heavenly Jerusalem. When
Bahá'u'lláh manifested Himself from the Orient, the light of His divine
teachings shone forth in Persia unto other parts of the world. This divine
teaching is the heavenly Jerusalem which has again "come down out of
heaven". Although that edifice had fallen to pieces, it is founded anew. The
corporal and material forces ruled over the Orient; now the spiritual forces
have taken their place.
Thanks to God, I see at Paris a respectable assembly which lives by the breath of the soul. Man is not man by the body, he is man by the spirit, for by the body he is the associate of the animal; that which distinguishes him is the spirit. As the sun illumines the earth, so the spirit illumines the body. It renders man celestial; gives him kindness by the breath of the Holy Spirit; makes him understand the reality of things; discovers all sciences; offers eternal life; unites the nations; joins the Orient and the Occident, and changes the human world into a divine world. Consequently, those who receive the bounties of the Spirit give life to others.
Now, you who are spiritual ought to be glad and joyful for
the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, who is the founder of spirituality in this age. The
teachings of Bahá'u'lláh are only spiritual. One should seek the Truth, which
is the cause of the manifestations of the spirit, for the spirit will not make
itself felt by the senses, but it will manifest itself by the hidden faculties.
Though the human body is sensitive, its spirit is hidden; it is the spirit
which commands the body.
The spirit acts in two ways: One way is by instruments; that
is, it sees with the eyes, it hears with the ears and speaks with the tongue. These
instruments work by the spirit, which is their motor; though its senses are
manifested by the body, they come from the faculty of the spirit. The other way
is that of being and acting without instruments; as in dreams and visions, it
sees without eyes, hears without ears, speaks without the tongue, walks without
feet. All the faculties of the spirit are clear and distinct in the world of
visions. Hence it is evident that the spirit acts in two ways: First, by the
instruments of the body; second, without the instruments of the body.
Thus it is that one's body may be in the Occident and the
spirit finds out the situation in the Orient, and it directs and conducts the
affairs there. Therefore it is evident that the spirit is powerful and the body
weak.
The body is like the crystal and the spirit is like the
light. Though the crystal be extremely
transparent, its brilliancy and splendour belong to the brightness of the
light. To be luminous, the light does
not need the crystal, but the crystal to be bright needs the light. Even so the spirit does not live by the body,
but the body lives by the spirit.
If the body is mutilated, the spirit conserves always its
greatness and power. For example: If the hand of a man is cut off, the spirit
keeps its authority and sovereignty; if the eye becomes blind, the spirit
remains clear sighted; but if the attributes of the spirit leave the body,
immediately the body becomes nothing. Thus it is affirmed that man is man only
by the spirit and not by the body.
This spirit is one of the divine bounties, a manifestation
of the Sun of Truth; but if the human spirit receives the breath of the Holy
Spirit, then it is a pure spirit. The breath of the Holy Spirit is the divine
teaching; in it the spirit finds eternal life. It is the heavenly light and
illumines the human world by the divine qualities. Hence we must endeavour to
act according to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh.
Let us endeavour from day to day to become more spiritual,
to bring about the unity of the human world, to practice human equality, to
diffuse the divine mercy, to show the love of God to all those who are on the
earth, so that the spiritual faculties may shine in all their splendour; that
no authority remain to the body, so that the spirit, which sustains and rules
the human world, may form one being, one person. Differences and disputes will
exist no longer. The divine Jerusalem will be founded universally. All men will
be the inhabitants of the same kingdom and they will take their part in the
divine bounties.
I thank God to find myself in your assembly and I am
grateful for your spiritual sentiments. I pray God to increase your sentiments
each day; to strengthen this union and accord, so that the prophecies of the
Holy Scripture become visible, for this epoch will be great, this century will
be divine; the traces of all the scriptures will be seen; the signs given by
Christ will became manifest. It will be
the great day of the Lord. Divine justice will shine. It will be the time of
peace, of justice, of union and of happiness. I hope that at this epoch the
corporal world will become the reflection and echo of the divine world. Such is our hope, and, thanks to God, we
agree in this desire.
I ask God that you may live by the breath of the Holy
Spirit, that you be united, that all the hearts be filled with the love of God,
that your tongue pronounce often the Name of God, that your actions be
spiritual, that your sentiments be like those of the inhabitants of the
Kingdom, in order that the human light, which is the image of God, may shine
brilliantly.
O God! Kind,
generous, merciful; illumine this assembly with the light of Thy love; vivify
these souls with the breath of the Holy Spirit, offer the heavenly lights and
the great bounties, give us Thy help, show us spirituality, give us the light
of a good conduct, give to the spirits infinite bounties and generosity.
O Creator! We are
poor, give us of the treasure of the Kingdom; we are humble, glorify us in Thy
Kingdom; we are homeless, protect us, shelter us; we are seekers, lead us by
Thy limitless favours; we are silent, give us an eloquent tongue; we are weak,
give us the strength of the Kingdom.
O Creator! He who
pardons! Pardon our faults; grant us
bounties; forgive us our sins, teach us divine politeness. Thou art the One who gives; Thou art the One
who offers; Thou art kind!
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Star of the West, vol. 2, no. 17, January 19,
1912)
