I have come from distant lands in order to visit the assemblies and meetings of this clime.
I am greatly pleased with what I see of the assemblies here, for I find in every meeting people gathered loving each other. The bond of union among them is evidenced in this assembly which the Power of God has brought together in faith, unity and concord, engaging in the development of the human world.
Just as here we have a large assemblage of people, men and women of all kinds gathered here collectively, likewise it is my hope that the whole world may be united in one gathering of love. Unity, the gathering of accord and union, is indicative of the loving power of God, for the Reality of Divinity is expressed. It is resplendent through the various bestowals of light upon humanity in this day.
That Divine Power is effulgent in endless images and pictures. The world of creation, or of humanity, is likened unto the earth. The Divine Power might well be likened to the sun. This sun has shone upon all humanity. In these endless images His will is reflected. Consider how all created beings are the recipients of the bounty of the same sun. At most the difference is that of degree, but the effulgence is one effulgence. It is the one light which is emanating from the sun.
All that exists in the world is being enlightened, so that all created objects are the recipients of the bounty of this sun. That expresses the oneness of the world of humanity.
There is no created being which is deprived of the bounty of the Divine Sun. The body politic, or the social unity of the world may be likened to an endless ocean and each member, each individual, is likened to a wave. These waves belong to the same ocean.
The light of the sun becomes apparent in each object according to the capacity of that object. The difference is simply a difference of capacity and degree. A certain created object may be of stone. The stone would be a recipient only to a limited extent. Another created thing may be likened to a mirror wherein the sun is fully reflected; but upon both the same sun shines. At most, the important thing to do is to polish the mirrors of the hearts in order that they may become illumined, may become receptive of the light of the sun.
One heart you may find to be expressive of or to have reached the capacity of the polished mirror; another quite rusty, or covered over with dust and dross. Although the same sun is shining upon these, in one, the mirror which is polished, which is pure and sanctified, you will see the sun in its fullness, in its glory, in its power, with all its effulgence and majesty; but the mirror which is full of dross, which is rusted, is not capable of reflecting, though so far as the sun is concerned, it is shining thereon and it is not deprived.
Therefore, our duty lies in endeavors toward polishing the mirrors of our hearts that perchance we may become reflective of that light, so that the Divine bounties may be fully revealed through them.
This means the oneness of the world of humanity. That is to say, when the oneness of humanity, when this human body-politic reaches a state of absolute unity, then the great effulgence of the Eternal Sun will make its fullest light and heat manifest. Therefore we must not make any distinctions between any individual members of the human family. We must not consider any soul as barren or deprived. At most our duty lies in educating, so that the Sun of the bestowal of God will become resplendent therein, and this is possible through the power of the oneness of humanity. The more among mankind love is expressed and the stronger the power of unity, the greater will be this revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God is love. That is the origin of all the bestowals of God. Until love takes possession of the heart, no other great or Divine bounty can be revealed in it.
All the prophets have striven to make love manifest in the hearts of men. His Holiness Jesus Christ endeavored to create this love in the hearts. He suffered all those difficulties, all those ordeals, that perchance the human heart might become the fountainhead of love. Therefore, we must strive with all our heart and with all our soul that this love may take possession of our hearts, so that all humanity, whether it be in the East or in the West may be connected through the great bond of this affection, for we are all the waves of one sea; we have come into being through the same bestowal, and we are recipients from the same center.
The lights which exist upon the earth are all acceptable; but the center of lights is the sun, and we must direct our gaze to the sun.The Center, of the Sun, is God. The more we direct ourselves to this Center of Light, the greater will be our capacity.
In the Orient there were great differences. The various peoples hated each other. There was no association among them. The various and divergent sects were inimical toward one another. The different races were at constant warfare until about sixty years ago Baha’u’llah appeared from the eastern horizon and He caused love and unity to exist among these various peoples. He united these peoples with this bond, and their former animosity and hatred passed away entirely. On the contrary, love and unity took their places. It was a dark world; it became radiant. A new springtime from a new Sun appeared through Him; and through this new springtime there appeared beautiful meadows and pleasant prairies; variegated flowers of inner significance bloomed, and the good fruits of the Kingdom of God became manifest.
I have come here with this mission; that through your endeavors, through your heavenly morals, through your earnest efforts, there may be accomplished a bond of unity between the East and the West; that a perfect bond may be established, so that the bestowals of God may surround all; so that all of you may be seen to be parts of the same tree, and that is the tree of the human family. All mankind may be likened to the branches, the twigs, the blossoms and the fruits of that tree.
The favors of God are endless. The infinite bounties of God have encompassed the whole world. We must emulate the bounties of God; and just as the bounties of God, the bounty of life, for instance, encompasses and surrounds all, so likewise we must become connected together so that each may be a part of the whole.
Consider; we plant a seed. Therefrom appears a whole tree, and from each seed of this tree another tree can be produced; therefore the part is expressive of the whole, for this grain, this seed, was part of the tree, but therein potentially was the whole tree. So each one of us may become expressive or representative of all the bounties of life. This is the unity of the world of humanity. This is the bestowal of God. This is the happiness of the human world, and this is the manifestation of the Divine favor.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Address at Union meeting of Advanced Thought Centers, Carnegie Lyceum, New York, April 14, 1912; Star of the West, vol. 3, no. 10, September 8, 1912)
