On the Path of Faith

Thanks to L for sending me this quote related to certitude. It provides some clear guidance about the importance of detachment for developing certitude and faith.

"…they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly - their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth."
- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 1

On searching and developing certitude

Thank you to my dear friend L for sharing this beautiful quote with me!

"Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker's heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being."

- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 266

A Prayer for Fellow Seekers of Certitude

Thank you N & V.

"Cast upon this poor and desolate creature, O my Lord, the glance of Thy wealth, and flood his heart with the beams of Thy knowledge, that he may apprehend the verities of the unseen world, and discover the mysteries of Thy heavenly realm, and perceive the signs and tokens of Thy kingdom, and behold the manifold revelations of this earthly life all set forth before the face of Him Who is the Revealer of Thine own Self. Direct, then, his eyes, O my God, towards the horizon of Thy loving-kindness, and make steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, and unloose his tongue to praise Thee, and make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love, and to cling to the hem of Thy bounteousness, and to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy creatures...

Hold Thou the hand of this seeker who hath set his face towards Thee, O my Lord, and draw him out of the depths of his vain imaginations, that the light of certainty may shine brightly above the horizon of his heart..." -Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations

I love the mystical nature of this prayer, particularly the image of the heart being flooded with the light of divine knowledge (a useful image for centering in prayer and meditation).

On Developing Certainty

O FLEETING SHADOW!
Pass beyond the baser stages of doubt and rise to the exalted heights of certainty. Open the eye of truth, that thou mayest behold the veilless Beauty and exclaim: Hallowed be the Lord, the most excellent of all creators!
-Bahá'u'lláh (from The Hidden Words)