For one friend's mother, and another's grandmother

O Lord, O Thou Whose mercy hath encompassed all, Whose forgiveness is transcendent, Whose bounty is sublime, Whose pardon and generosity are all-embracing, and the lights of Whose forgiveness are diffused throughout the world! O Lord of Glory! I entreat Thee, fervently and tearfully, to cast upon Thy handmaiden who hath ascended unto Thee the glances of the eye of Thy mercy. Robe her in the mantle of Thy grace, bright with the ornaments of the celestial Paradise, and, sheltering her beneath the tree of Thy oneness, illumine her face with the lights of Thy mercy and compassion.
Bestow upon Thy heavenly handmaiden, O God, the holy fragrances born of the spirit of Thy forgiveness. Cause her to dwell in a blissful abode, heal her griefs with the balm of Thy reunion, and, in accordance with Thy will, grant her admission to Thy holy Paradise. Let the angels of Thy loving-kindness descend successively upon her, and shelter her beneath Thy blessed Tree. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Song of the Soul

I just discovered this poem by Kahlil Gibran, and it seems an appropriate and useful addition to my earlier posts today about love.

Song of the Soul
-Kahlil Gibran

In the depth of my soul there is
A wordless song - a song that lives
In the seed of my heart.
It refuses to melt with ink on
Parchment; it engulfs my affection
In a transparent cloak and flows,
But not upon my lips.

How can I sigh it? I fear it may
Mingle with earthly ether;
To whom shall I sing it? It dwells
In the house of my soul, in fear of
Harsh ears.

When I look into my inner eyes
I see the shadow of its shadow;
When I touch my fingertips
I feel its vibrations.

The deeds of my hands heed its
Presence as a lake must reflect
The glittering stars; my tears
Reveal it, as bright drops of dew
Reveal the secret of a withering rose.

It is a song composed by contemplation,
And published by silence,
And shunned by clamor,
And folded by truth,
And repeated by dreams,
And understood by love,
And hidden by awakening,
And sung by the soul.

It is the song of love;
What Cain or Esau could sing it?

It is more fragrant than jasmine;
What voice could enslave it?

It is heartbound, as a virgin's secret;
What string could quiver it?
Who dares unite the roar of the sea
And the singing of the nightingale?
Who dares compare the shrieking tempest
To the sigh of an infant?
Who dares speak aloud the words
Intended for the heart to speak?
What human dares sing in voice
The song of God?

The Ideal Relationship with Another Human

Clearly it is quite difficult to love other people for the sake of God rather than just for their own sake. And yet, the following poem has always moved me greatly; it paints the perfect image of what, for me, would be the ideal relationship.

The Day Sky
-Hafiz

Let us be like
Two falling stars in the day sky.

Let no one know of our sublime beauty
As we hold hands with God
And burn

Into a sacred existence that defies -
That surpasses

Every description of ecstasy
And love.

Loving One Another for the Sake of God

Lately, I have been thinking about the notion of loving another person for the sake of God, rather than for the person's sake (which will inevitably lead to discontent, given that all of us humans have faults). Here's a nice summary of this concept (thanks N):

"There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if ye look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness." - Abdu'l Baha

This quote makes a great deal of sense. And yet, I love to love people for their own sake. People are very loveable! And loving them in this way makes absolute sense in the material reality that I know. At the same time, I understand all too well from experience that it is easy to become frustrated and discontent with people when we “look toward the people themselves.” As Leila recently aptly put it on Nikhil’s blog, “we are incapable of rising above the characteristics of the lower nature, including envy and covetousness. It is only through His assistance, and specifically, the ‘power of the breaths of the Holy Spirit’ that we are enabled to rise above them.”

I totally agree with this, but I also wonder to what extent it’s really possible for us humans to attain this credo of loving other humans for the sake of God?

This morning I read the following quote from the Hidden Words, which makes me skeptical:

"O SON OF DESIRE!
Give ear unto this: Never shall mortal eye recognize the everlasting Beauty, nor the lifeless heart delight in aught but in the withered bloom. For like seeketh like, and taketh pleasure in the company of its kind." -Baha'u'llah

Clearly the phrasing of the "mortal eye" is key and aligns perfectly with Abdu'l-Baha's quote. But if we mortal humans can never truly recognize God (the "everlasting Beauty"), shan't we humans always seek other humans ("like seeketh like") and get caught up in loving them as humans? That's not to say that we shouldn't try to love people for the sake of God, or that we shouldn’t try our very best to recognize God. Surely only good can come of both attempts.

But what does it truly mean to love another person for the sake of God? How is this different than merely loving them for their goodness and virtues while choosing to overlook their faults with patience, forgiveness, mercy, compassion, justice, and loving-kindness? Are we capable of making this distinction between material and spiritual love?

Holding the Light

"Never underestimate the power in simply enduring in holding the Light, which has its greatest use whenever negativity is most prominent."
- John Morton (From You Are the Blessings: Meditations and
Reflections on Life, God and Us)

The Energy of Prayer

I'm currently reading an excellent book called The Energy of Prayer by Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.

Here are a few snippets directly related to the energy of prayer that have stood out to me.

"When we send the energy of love and compassion to another person, it doesn't matter if they know we are sending it. The important thing is that the energy is there and the heart of love is there and is being sent out into the world. When love and compassion are present in us, and we send them outward, then that is truly prayer. In sending love outward, we may notice a change in our own heart. That prayer has begun to have a result inside us."

"Buddhism teaches that we need to have a practice to go along with our prayer. In prayer there has to be mindfulness, concentration, insight, loving kindness, and compassion. Anger, blame, jealousy, and spite are not enough. We need the energy of mindfulness, concentration, understanding, and love to put electric current in the wire. Otherwise, how can the words of our prayer reach the ears of the one to whom we are praying?" (see proceeding quote for greater context about the idea of this electric current)

"We know that when we want to use our telephone, it needs to have a wire and there has to be electricity in that wire. Prayer works in the same way. If our prayer doesn't have the energy of faith, compassion, and love, it is like trying to use a telephone when there is no electricity in the wire. The mere fact that we pray doesn't lead to a result."

How Prayer May Work

"Something unknown is doing we don't know what." -Sir Arthur Eddington (regarding the Uncertainty Principle)

I'd be curious to hear your thoughts, dear reader, on whether this is a good metaphor for how prayer works. It makes a good deal of sense to me.

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)

Wisdom from Hafiz

Tonight the following verse from a poem by Hafiz (a Sufi poet from 14th century Persia, also one of my favorite poets and spiritual teachers) came to mind:

"This place where you are right now
God circled on a map for you."

The rest of the poem is lovely too. But it is precisely this place that I'm reflecting upon, this place (literally and metaphorically) where I am at this moment in time. Moving to Santa Cruz has been challenging for me in some ways. I have, at times, felt frustrated with the slow pace of getting to know people here, frustrated that I'm not easily making the kinds of connections and friendships I yearn to be creating in my life. I hosted a housewarming party today and felt a bit disappointed by the turnout (a courageous act, considering that I don't know all that many people here yet), though I had a wonderful time with each of the dear people who did attend. And reflecting on the experience of the party made me think about this poem...

For though I've at times felt sad and lonely here in Santa Cruz, I am much happier in my current job than I was in my previous one in Cambridge. And I'm much much happier in my wonderful new apartment than I have been in any other place for a long time. I feel more centered and healthier than I have in a long time (despite tummy woes). I feel a sense of progress, of peace even amidst distress. I feel a great sense of abundance for living in a place of such natural beauty.

Most importantly, this evening -- in thinking about the day, my life of late, and this poem -- I have discovered a sense of certainty that this place that God has chosen for me right now has been constructed to propel me back deeply into spiritual growth, and for this I am incredibly thankful. I really trust and know that this is exactly where I'm meant to be right now. That this situation and the people who are currently strongly present in my life were destined to be here Now for my greatest spiritual growth.

Seeing God Today

"May God show Himself to you today in some specific way that you recognize as His hand at work." -Melinda

My dear friend Melinda wrote this to me in an email yesterday, after a morning that involved waking up to another overcast start to the day only to discover I'd left the faucet slightly on in the middle of the night (the conservationist's nightmare!), after milk spilled all over my counter because I hadn't properly reassembled my blender... it has been an up-and-down week for me emotionally (more on the down towards the beginning of the week), but it's incredible how at any instant we can choose a different reality for ourselves. We can choose to see God, choose joy and love, choose to see beauty, choose to open our hearts, choose to receive. Melinda's quote definitely helped set my week right. Thank you dearest.
May you each discover such delights today. May you discover the God of Small (and All) Things. Happy Friday.