Pick up a flower and try to say what it is. Colour, scent and shape come readily; the reality beneath them does not, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá uses that ordinary failure to open the hardest question. If we know even a petal only by its qualities, what are we doing when we call God knowing, powerful, living or one? Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb answer with a steadying distinction: some attributes are nothing other than the divine Essence itself, eternal and prior to any object known or ruled, while others name God’s action toward creation. To say Creator is already to speak of creatures. The distinction guards against a God assembled from parts, or merely ourselves enlarged, while leaving room to recognise His signs in creation and in the Manifestations, mirrors of a sun that never descends into the glass. Maimonides’ argument for attributes that exclude imperfection without introducing plurality offers a philosophical companion [1]. From here the way leads toward the unknowability of God, the meanings of divine oneness, and the names and attributes through which He is still praised.
When we consider the world of existence, we find that the essential reality underlying any given phenomenon is unknown. Phenomenal, or created, things are known to us only by their attributes. Man discerns only manifestations, or attributes, of objects, while the identity, or reality, of them remains hidden. For example, we call this object a flower. What do we understand by this name and title? We understand that the qualities appertaining to this organism are perceptible to us, but the intrinsic elemental reality, or identity, of it remains unknown.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Parsons home on 1912-Nov-10 -- ABU0102)
02
As our knowledge of things, even of created and limited ones, is of their attributes and not of their essence, how then can it be possible to understand in its essence the unbounded Reality of the Divinity? For the inner essence of a thing can never be known, only its attributes. For example, the inner reality of the sun is unknown, but it is understood through its attributes, which are heat and light. The inner essence of man is unknown and unfathomed, but it is known and characterized by its attributes.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 59, Man's Comprehension of God, 1904 ca. -- AB00395)
03
We say God is Creator. This name Creator appears when we connote creation. We say God is the Provider. This name presupposes and proves the existence of the provided. God is Love. This name proves the existence of the beloved. In the same way God is Mercy, God is Justice, God is Life, etc.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Public address given at Theosophical Lodge on 1912-May-30 -- ABU0041)
04
The Invisible and Inaccessible can never be known; the absolute Essence can never be described.
… It is not that we can understand His knowledge, His sight, His hearing, His power or His life as they are in themselves: This is assuredly beyond our comprehension, for the essential names and attributes of God are identical with His Essence, and His Essence is sanctified above all understanding. If the essential attributes were not identical with the Essence, then there would be a multiplicity of pre-existences and the distinction between the Essence and the attributes would therefore also be firmly established and pre-existent. But this would imply an infinite chain of pre-existences, which is an evident error.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 37, The Connection between God and His Manifestations, 1904 ca. -- AB00105)
05
Furthermore, knowledge is of two kinds: One knowledge relates to the Divine Essence - it is essential divine knowledge, identical with the Essence, not distinct from it, for in that station there is pure unity, and the Essence comprises all names and attributes. That essential divine knowledge is incomprehensible. The other knowledge is in the realm of action, meaning it is identical with what is known, and that is realization externally.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1910-Oct-17, to Jadhdhab, Azizullah son of Isma'il Namdar -- AB00954)
06
Similarly befitting unto God, glorified and exalted be He, are all the attributes of perfection and names of glory, and whatsoever name is attributed to Him pertaineth to the modes of His action, and these are the modes of His command. The names of the Divine Essence have ever described God, and the names of Divine Action shall forever glorify God. Yet the former is eternally ancient, while the latter is mentioned in connection with creation and origination.
… That whereby God is described in terms of knowledge is other than what ye describe. That which is described as God's hearing is other than what you describe. That which is described as God's sight is other than what you describe. And likewise you witness in all that is attributed to God.
(The Báb, Panj Sha'n (Book of the Five Modes), 1266-04 ca. [1850-Feb] -- BB00005)
07
He was, in the pre-eternity of pre-eternities, All-Knowing, without the existence of an object known. Whoso maketh a distinction, within the Essence, between Life and Knowledge hath verily strayed, for within the Essence there is no differentiation -- according to the purport of the tradition recorded in al-Kafi, wherein the Imam declared: "God, exalted and glorified, hath ever been Lord; Knowledge is His very Essence without an object known; Hearing is His Essence without an object heard; and Sight is His Essence without an object seen; and power is His essence with nothing over which to exercise power. When He brought things into being, knowledge occurred between Him and the known, hearing between Him and the heard, sight between Him and the seen, and power between Him and that over which power was exercised."
(The Báb, Tablet to Mirza Sa'id Ardistani on Basitatu'l-Haqiqah, qadim wa hadith, to Mirza Sa'id Ardistani -- BB00064)
08
I testify that the essence of creation is the essence of knowledge in the realm of possibility, but knowledge in the Divine Essence is the Essence Itself - none knoweth how it is save Him, and He is God, the All-Witnessing.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Suratu'l-Kifaya, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to People from Ha et al -- BH00952)
09
In this station, the attributes and names are not distinct from the Essence, and the realities of known things remain in the concealment of non-existence. Rather, the attributes are identical with the Essence, without any trace of distinction. Indeed, all are conditions considered within the Essence in a mode of simplicity and unity, without any trace of otherness. This is the station concerning which He, peace be upon Him, said: "God was, and there was nothing else besides Him."
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Commentary on a verse by Ibn al-Farid, 1886-Aug-18 or < -- AB03551)
10
We further bear witness that He is One in His attributes, and all attributes are severed from His holy court. … Know thou that the multiplicities of the worlds of attributes and names can never be associated with His Essence, for His attributes, exalted be He, are identical with His Essence, and none shall ever know how this is save Him.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Madinatu't-Tawhid (the City of Unity), to Shaykh Salman Hindijani et al -- BH00134)
11
If I say Thou art All-Knowing, I mean but to declare Thy sanctity from the existence of any known thing in relation to Thy knowledge, and if I say Thou art All-Powerful, I seek but to proclaim Thy holiness from mention of anything ruled alongside Thee. Thou art as Thou art - no description, no attribute, no quality belongeth to Thy Court, no measure, no name to Thy Being, no mark, for Thy Essence is known through Thy Being and Thy Being described through Thine Essence.
(The Báb, Tafsir al-Ha II (Tafsir sirr al-ha) (Commentary on the Mystery of Ha'), unknown (late Shiraz) -- BB00029)
12
Through mention of power, life, grandeur and attributes is His remembrance of His creation, lest they harbor doubts about their Lord or question their God, that He is He, not encompassed by what they have encompassed in contingent existence - far be such thoughts from God, the Lord of all worlds.
(The Báb, Prayers for the days of the week, 1262 or 1261 [1845-1846] -- BB00062)
13
We refer to Him as Self-Existent because we need to make use of a term but we do not mean that that Being can be contained within our comprehension. What is intended is the Reality from Whom all things emanate, the Reality through Whom all things exist.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Answer to questions, Dublin, 1912-Aug-08 -- ABU1537)
14
There is no doubt that these infinite beings and the association of these diverse elements arranged in countless forms must have proceeded from a Reality that could in no wise be bereft of will or understanding. This is clear and proven to the mind and no one can deny it. It is not meant, however, that that Universal Reality or the attributes thereof have been comprehended. Neither its Essence nor its true attributes hath any one comprehended.
… As it hath previously been mentioned, these attributes and perfections that we recount of the Divine Essence, these we have derived from the existence and observation of beings, and it is not that we have comprehended the essence and perfection of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Lawh-i-Dr Forel (Tablet to Dr Forel), 1921-Sep-21, to Auguste Forel -- AB00020)
15
Rather, in truth His holy Essence has no attribute other than His Essence. And the attributes which the Holy Household, peace be upon them, have explained are, by the explicit word of His Holiness Rida, peace be upon him, for sweeping away delusions. God has ever been Knowing while nothing was known with Him. His Knowledge is His Essence.
… All attributes are but mention of the existence of His Will. All names are but the name of His Purpose. He is sanctified from all else besides Himself through His own Essence.
(The Báb, Sahifiy-i-'Adliyya = Risaliy-i-'Adliyyih (Epistle of Justice: Root Principles), 1262-01 [1845-Dec], to Sulayman Khan ? -- BB00017)
16
No one hath ever been able befittingly to recognize Him nor will any man succeed at any time in comprehending Him as is truly meet and seemly, for any reality to which the term “being” is applicable hath been created by the sovereign Will of the Almighty, Who hath shed upon it the radiance of His Own Self, shining forth from His most august station.
(The Báb, Bayan-i-Farsi (Persian Bayan) -- BB00001)
17
His essential eternity is in itself indicative of the presence of His being, that it is as it is. Created things are cut off from the station of knowledge, and contingent beings are precluded from the station of explanation.
(The Báb, Fi Istifhamat al-Qur'an, to Siyyid Ahmad-i-Isfahani -- BB00173)
18
He has ever been Lord without a subject, Knower without an object of knowledge, Powerful without object of power, Existent without any existent thing. And now God is as He has ever been: He is the Being without subject, He is the Knower without object known, He is the Powerful without object of power, He is the Existent without existent thing.
He has no name, no description, no attribute, and no token. All are cut off from His essence and all are separated from His being.
(The Báb, Sahifiy-i-Radaviyyih (Epistle of Rida'), 1262-01-15 [1846-Jan-13] -- BB00137)
19
Since it has been established that knowing the Essence of the Absolute is impossible then knowing the Knowledge which is identical to the Essence of the Absolute is also impossible since [we have already shown that] no difference whatsoever exists between the Essence and the Attributes. And so in this respect no-one can penetrate that Knowledge which is identical to the Essence in order to be able to determine the relationship between the Knowledge of the Absolute and things, whether it calls for objects of knowledge or not; whether it is dependent on the realities and potentialities of things or not. Certainly knowledge without an object of knowledge is not possible in the contingent world, but no-one knows [how the matter stands within] the Essence [of the Absolute].
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tafsir-i-Kuntu Kanzan Makhfiyyan (Commentary on the Hadith of the Hidden Treasure), 1868 or <, to Ali Shawkat Pasha -- AB00006)
20
Question: What is the meaning of the Trinity and of its three Persons?
Answer: The reality of the Divinity is sanctified and exalted beyond the comprehension of all created things, can in no wise be imagined by mortal mind and understanding, and transcends all human conception. That reality admits of no division, for division and multiplicity are among the characteristics of created and hence contingent things, and not accidents impinging upon the Necessary Being.
The reality of the Divinity is sanctified above singleness, then how much more above plurality. For that divine reality to descend into stations and degrees would be tantamount to deficiency, contrary to perfection, and utterly impossible.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 27, The Trinity, 1904 ca. -- AB00713)
21
Unity is to know the One as One and to consider Him sanctified above numbers, not to regard two as one.
Into the abyss (primal depths) of the aloneness of God sink all duality, plurality and individuality.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Words spoken in the house of Abdu'l-Baha ca. 1909-1910 -- ABU0218)
23
And if I attempt to describe Thee by glorifying the oneness of Thy Being, I soon realize that such a conception is but a notion which mine own fancy hath woven, and that Thou hast ever been immeasurably exalted above the vain imaginations which the hearts of men have devised.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Haydar Qabl-i-Ali -- BH03850)
24
From eternity Thou hast, in Thy transcendent oneness, been immeasurably exalted above Thy servants' conception of Thy unity, and wilt to eternity remain, in Thine unapproachable singleness, far above the praise of Thy creatures. … All who adore Thy unity have been sore perplexed to fathom the mystery of Thy oneness, and all have confessed their powerlessness to attain unto the comprehension of Thine essence and to scale the pinnacle of Thy knowledge.
Verily the truth, according to the All-Bountiful, exalted be His mention, is that the servant should not ascribe to Him any name in the station of His Essence, nor attribute in the reality of His Self, nor description in the station of His Identity, for in that station He cannot be known by the how, nor described by the where, nor limited by indication, nor qualified by worship.
(The Báb, Risalata'l-Ishraq, to Mulla Muhammad Tabrizi -- BB00042)
26
To every discerning and illumined heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the divine Being, is immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence, ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory that human tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend His fathomless mystery. He is and hath ever been veiled in the ancient eternity of His Essence, and will remain in His Reality everlastingly hidden from the sight of men.
… And wert thou to soar in the holy realm of "God was alone, there was none else besides Him," thou wilt find in that Court all these names utterly non-existent and completely forgotten.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Kitab-i-Iqan (The Book of Certitude), 1278 ca. [1861-1862], to Haji Mirza Siyyid Muhammad, great uncle of the Bab (Khal-i-Akbar) -- BH00002)
27
Nay rather, the denizens of the city of immortality, who dwell in the celestial garden, see not even "neither first nor last": They fly from all that is first and repulse all that is last. For these have passed over the worlds of names and, swift as lightning, fled beyond the worlds of attributes. Thus is it said: "The perfection of belief in Divine Unity is to deny Him any attributes." And they have made their dwelling-place in the shadow of the Divine Essence.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Haft Vadi (The Seven Valleys), to Shaykh Muhiyid-Din Judge of Khaniqayn et al -- BH00047)
28
Were I to attempt to describe Thee by Thy names, I would readily recognize that the kingdom of these names is itself created through the movement of Thy fingers, and trembleth for fear of Thee. And were I to venture to extol Thine attributes, I would be forced to admit that these attributes are Thine own creation, and lie within Thy grasp.
Say: Lordship is My Name, whereof I have created manifestations in the world of being, while We Ourself remain sanctified above them, would ye but ponder this truth. And Godhead is My Name, whereof We have created exponents whose power shall encompass the people of the earth and make them true worshippers of God, could ye but recognize it. Thus should ye regard all Our Names, if ye be endued with insight.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Suriy-i-Haykal (Surih of the Temple) -- BH00007)
30
Nay, loftiness and sublimity are themselves the creations of His Word, if ye choose to see with My sight not with yours.
Far greater art Thou than the Great One men are wont to call Thee, for such a title is but one of Thy names all of which were created by a mere indication of Thy will.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Havva -- BH08852)
32
If I describe Thee, O my God, as Him Who is the All-Perceiving, I find myself compelled to admit that They Who are the highest Embodiments of perception have been created by virtue of Thy behest.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Aqa Muhammad Hasan brother Of Aqa Muhammad Ismullah -- BH00652)
33
Who is there, O my Lord, that, when Thou revealest the first glimmerings of the signs of Thy transcendent sovereignty and might, hath the power to claim for himself any existence whatever? Existence itself is as nothing when brought face to face with the mighty and manifold wonders of Thine incomparable Self.
All things, according to their ranks, have been and shall ever be divine verses.
… Truth, in its essence, hath no nearness or remoteness. It is sanctified above such stations, and its relationship to all things is on the same level. This nearness and remoteness are made manifest through Its Manifestations.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Commentary on a verse from Sa'di -- BH00245)
35
Thus, among created beings, man is the most perfect of creatures. By man is meant the perfect individual, and that perfect individual is like a mirror wherein divine perfections appear and are visible. However, the Sun does not descend from its height of sanctity and enter into the mirror, but when the mirror is pure and faces the Sun of Reality, the perfections of the Sun of Reality - which are its rays and heat - become manifest and visible in that mirror.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1919-Jul-20, to John Wolcott -- AB01382)
36
Thou hast written concerning the Impersonality of the Divinity. Personality is in the Manifestation of the Divinity, not in the Essence of the Divinity.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1907-Apr or <, to Aseyeh Wellesca Dyar -- AB00448)
37
And despite His manifestation in all things, He hath ever been sanctified above them and exalted beyond that which the people of mystical knowledge have uttered. Whoso hath recognized Him in His Manifestation hath attained unto Divine Unity, and whoso hath remained heedless is of the people of the veil.
Know that infallibility is of two kinds: infallibility in essence and infallibility as an attribute. The same holds true of all other names and attributes: for example, there is the knowledge of the essence of a thing and the knowledge of its attributes. Infallibility in essence is confined to the universal Manifestations of God, for infallibility is an essential requirement of their reality, and the essential requirement of a thing is inseparable from the thing itself.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 45, The Most Great Infallibility, 1904 ca. -- AB00227)
39
Answer: The changing and transformation of conditions and the succession and revolution of ages are among the essential requirements of the contingent world, and essential requirements cannot be separated from the reality of things. Thus it is impossible to separate heat from fire, or wetness from water, or the rays from the sun, for these are essential requirements. And since change and transformation are among the requirements of all contingent things, the commandments of God are also changed in accordance with the changing times.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Chapter 20, Baptism and the Changing Law of God, 1904 ca. -- AB00211)
40
64. O SON OF MAN!
My eternity is My creation, I have created it for thee. Make it the garment of thy temple. My unity is My handiwork; I have wrought it for thee; clothe thyself therewith, that thou mayest be to all eternity the revelation of My everlasting being.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words - Arabic, 1274 ca. [1857-1858] -- BH00386)
41
And at whatever time my pen ascribeth glory to any one of Thy names, methinks I can hear the voice of its lamentation in its remoteness from Thee, and can recognize its cry because of its separation from Thy Self.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Mirza Muhammad Haraj -- BH07661)
42
Let him then kneel and, bowing his forehead to the ground, say:
Too high art Thou for the praise of those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend unto the heaven of Thy nearness, or for the birds of the hearts of them who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of Thy gate. I testify that Thou hast been sanctified above all attributes and holy above all names.
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43
Be thou apprised also that the manifold realms of names and attributes can never be identified with His Essence, inasmuch as His most august attributes constitute His very Essence and none else save God can ever fathom this mystery.... Moreover, all these names and attributes are applicable to His Prophets, His Messengers and His chosen ones, for they are the sanctified Mirrors reflecting the divine attributes, and the Exponents that reveal His Name; for God -- glorified is He -- is unknowable in His exalted essence and attributes, therefore His Prophets are the Bearers of His most excellent names and the embodiments of His sublime attributes, that haply no one in the kingdom of names may be deprived of recognizing these heavenly attributes....
His Attributes are verily His Essence (i.e. inseparable), not as the followers of Abu'l-Hasan al-Ash'ari maintain in that their numerousness in existence calls for a corresponding number of eternals, and not as the Mu'tazillites maintain by rejecting their origin but accepting their vestiges, and render the Essence as proxy, but through those firm in knowledge who maintain that His Existence is His very Essence, which is the confirmation of His Attributes of Perfection [kamaliyyah] and the manifestation of those Attributes of Beauty [jamaliyyah] and Majesty [jalaliyyah].
(Mulla Sadra, al-Masha'ir, in History of Islamic Philosophy (Nasr, ed.) pp. 125-126)
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46
Thou hast asked concerning the fundamentals of religion and its ordinances: Know thou that first and foremost in religion is the knowledge (ma'rifat) of God. This attaineth its consummation in the recognition of His divine unity (tawhid), which in turn reacheth its fulfilment in acclaiming that His hallowed and exalted Sanctuary, the Seat of His transcendent majesty, is sanctified from all attributes. And know thou that in this world of being the knowledge of God can never be attained save through the knowledge of Him Who is the Dayspring of divine Reality.
SWB.117; GOH.244-245 (From the Dala'il-i-Sab'iy-i-Farsi. Cf. AvK1.014)
As to names: though they appear to refer to that which is named, this is only at the level of creation. As for God, He is sanctified above all name and reference. Every name reacheth it highest consummation in the Most Exalted Word, and every attribute referreth to the Primal Will: Every soul that attaineth unto it hath attained and will ever attain unto all names.
The second kind of attributes are actional attributes, which are quite different from essential attributes. Actional attributes come into being when God acts in the realm of Possible Being.... In contrast to essential attributes, actional attributes are new and created. Will (mashi'a), decree (irada), and speech (kalam)... are actional attributes....
(Vahid Ra'fati, The Development of Shaykhi Thought in Shi'ih Islam, pp. 75-76, giving the views of Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim from Sharhal-Ziyarat al Jami'a, p. 134 and Usul-i 'Aqa'id, p. 31)
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49
The attributes of God were divided by the Mu'tazilah and their rivals into essential, including knowledge, life, power, hearing and sight, and active, including will, speech and justice, all of which, according to the Mu'tazilah, were inseparable from God's essence. The first group of attributes did not, on the whole, raise any serious difficulties. When it came to relationalizing the second or active group of divine attributes and their relation to God, through, they ran into insuperable hurdles, especially regarding the two attributes of will and speech. These two attributes, which clearly bear on the mutable panorama of created objects or accidents, posed a serious threat to God's unquestioned immutability.
(Majid Fakhry, in A Short Introduction to Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism, p. 19 and ff.)
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50
Shaykh Ahmad distinguishes between two types of divine knowledge: that which pertains to the level of the divine Essence, and that which corresponds to the level of divine Action. God's knowledge at the level of His Essence is the same as the Essence itself. Such knowledge has no object of knowledge and is not dependent on the existence of the essences of things in the Essence of God. God's knowledge at the level of divine Action, in contrast, is associated with the objects of knowledge, and becomes the cause of the creation of the world. This second knowledge, however, is not eternal but originated and created.
(N. Saiedi, in GOH.193)
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51
God, verily, created the Will from nothing through itself, then He created through it all that to which the name "thing" can be applied. The cause of its existence, in truth, is its own self and naught else. Those who believe that the Essence is the cause of creation have made themselves partners with Him, as He cannot be known. … He hath ever been the All-Knowing, even though nothing was with Him; and He is now the All-Knowing, despite the fact that nothing is with Him in His exalted station. The attributes of power and knowledge, and all the other names and attributes, are signs belonging to His creation and the musings of the imaginations of His servants that they may not doubt their Creator in anything.
(The Bab, provisional translation, Tafsir-i-Ha, AvK1.100-102, quoted in K. Brown's selections on the Seven Stages)
Concerning thy question about the meaning of the philosopher's saying, "From the One proceedeth only One": The statement is incorrect when the Cause is meant to be the Absolute Essence... However, when the intention behind the statement is to refer to the Primal Utterance, which is created by God by Itself, for Itself, then verily it is the truth... … There is no doubt that the Eternal Essence hath ever been immeasurably exalted above any association with His creatures; how much less could it become the source out of which things proceed. Though the statement is discussed in philosophy, the truth is that it must refer to the grades of the creative Action itself.
(The Bab, provisional translation, GOH.095-096; GOH.197-198)
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53
Any comparison is a verity emanating from the thoughts of Thy creatures. Thou art immeasurably exalted above all these and Thou art independent of that which the highest and purest minds among the distinguished of Thy chosen ones hope to attain in the apex of glory and majesty. For people contemplate lofty concepts and exalted attributes with which they praise Thine ever-abiding quintessence, whereas all those sublime stations, peerless realities, and unsurpassed and luminous ascriptions refer to the divine truth that shineth resplendent within the right side of the Sacred Spot in the Vale of Towa. All else is verily vain imaginings conceived in the world of creation and Thou art inaccessible and exalted above the plane of comprehension and art not discerned even through the most refined truths in the realms of idle fancies. 'The way is barred, and all seeking rejected'. There is neither a connection nor a disconnection, neither existence nor non-existence. Thou hast, therefore, fashioned a luminous Being and an effulgent Truth, and Thou hast referred the world of creation to It and hast summoned all beings to bow down before It and hast bidden them to arrive and enter Its court. All else is verily trivial vain imaginings and hollow images. PA01513, in Makatib 1:220 and
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54
The Master uses this term "the Divine Reality is sanctified from singleness" in order to forcibly impress us with the fact that the Godhead is unknowable and that to define It is impossible; we cannot contain It in such concepts as singleness and plurality which we apply to things we know and can experience. He uses the method of exaggerated emphasis in order to drive home His thought that we know the sun indirectly through its rays, the Godhead indirectly through the Manifestations of God.
(20 Feb. 1960 on behalf of Shoghi Effendi)
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55
The way that can be spoken of is not the constant way; The name that can be named is not the constant name. The nameless was the beginning of heaven and earth; The named was the mother of the myriad creatures. (Lao Tzu, Tao te Ching, i.1-2)
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We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.' We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.' We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.' With these three qualities, it cannot be made the subject of description; and hence we blend them together and obtain The One. (Tao Te Ching)
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57
The Way has its reality and its signs but is without action or form. You can hand it down but you cannot receive it; you can get it but you cannot see it. It is its own source, its own root. … It exists beyond the highest point, and yet you cannot call it lofty; it exists beneath the limit of the six directions, and yet you cannot call it deep. It was born before Heaven and earth, and yet you cannot say it has been there for long; it is earlier than the earliest time, and yet you cannot call it old.
(Chang Tzu, Basic Writings, p. 77)
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58
"Not this, not this" (Neti, Neti); for there is no other and more appropriate description than "Not this". Now the designation of Brahman: "The Truth of truth." The vital breath is truth and "Brahman" is the Truth of that. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad)
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59
...that which is before this Intellect, this marvel of the One, ... which in truth has no fitting name, but if we must give it a name, "one" would be an appropriate ordinary way of speaking of it...
Plotinus, Enn.VI.9.5
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60
It is completely able to discern itself; it has life in itself and all things in itself, and its thinking of itself is itself, and exists by a kind of immediate self-consciousness, in everlasting rest and in a manner of thinking different from the thinking of Intellect.
Plotinus, Enn.V.4.2
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