Philosophy that becomes a way of life

It is of two kinds: material and spiritual. Material science is the investigation of natural phenomena; divine science is the discovery and realization of spiritual verities. The world of humanity must acquire both. A bird has two wings; it cannot fly with one. Material and spiritual science are the two wings of human uplift and attainment.

Philosophy consists in comprehending, so far as human power permits, the realities of things as they are in themselves.

Philosophy is of two kinds: natural and divine. Natural philosophy seeks knowledge of physical verities and explains material phenomena, whereas divine philosophy deals with ideal verities and phenomena of the spirit. … Now is the time for us to make an effort and enable it to advance apace with the philosophy of material investigation so that awakening of the ideal virtues may progress equally with the unfoldment of the natural powers. In the same proportion that the body of man is developing, the spirit of man must be strengthened; and just as his outer perceptions have been quickened, his inner intellectual powers must be sensitized so that he need not rely wholly upon tradition and human precedent. In divine questions we must not depend entirely upon the heritage of tradition and former human experience; nay, rather, we must exercise reason, analyze and logically examine the facts presented so that confidence will be inspired and faith attained.

In brief, since most of the people of the world were ignorant, Baha'u'llah proclaimed that all must acquire sciences and arts, and that all children must be placed in schools, whether in cities or in villages; and this is obligatory. Should the father of a child be unable, the community of mankind must assist him, that no soul may remain without education. And in the schools there must be both physical and spiritual training; for material sciences are as the body, and divine sciences as the spirit.

Teachers are of two kinds: universal and special. The universal Instructors are the Prophets of God, and the special teachers are the philosophers. The philosophers are capable of educating and training a limited circle of human souls, whereas the holy, divine Manifestations of God confer general education upon humanity.

The greatest virtue in the human world is divine wisdom, and wisdom consists of knowledge of the realities of things as they truly are. Knowledge and comprehension of the realities of things is impossible except through divine wisdom, for knowledge is of two kinds: conceptual and realized--in other words, acquired and immediate. For example, we know that water exists, but this is mere conception.

They divided Divine philosophy into two parts: one kind is that of which the knowledge can be acquired through lectures and study in schools and colleges. The second kind of philosophy was that of the Illuminati, or followers of the inner light. The schools of this philosophy were held in silence.

… Some of the great questions unfolding from the rays of the Sun of Reality upon the mind of man are: the problem of the reality of the spirit of man; of the birth of the spirit; of its birth from this world into the world of God; the question of the inner life of the spirit and of its fate after its ascension from the body.

… They go so far as to reflect upon the essential nature of the Divinity, of the Divine revelation, of the manifestation of the Deity in this world.

But the divine philosophers say: No, this is not so. Although man shares the same outward powers and senses in common with the animal, there exists in him an extraordinary power of which the animal is deprived. All sciences, arts, inventions, crafts, and discoveries of realities proceed from this singular power. This is a power that encompasses all created things, comprehends their realities, unravels their hidden mysteries, and brings them under its control. It even understands things that have no outward existence, that is, intelligible, imperceptible and unseen realities, such as the mind, the spirit, human attributes and qualities, love and sorrow, all of which are intelligible realities.

By materialists, whose belief with regard to Divinity hath been explained, is not meant philosophers in general, but rather that group of materialists of narrow vision who worship that which is sensed, who depend upon the five senses only, and whose criterion of knowledge is limited to that which can be perceived by the senses. All that can be sensed is to them real, whilst whatever falleth not under the power of the senses is either unreal or doubtful. The existence of the Deity they regard as wholly doubtful.

The philosophers of the West say that man is an animal. But the philosophers of the East, such as Aristotle and Plato and the philosophers of Persia, say that the whole world of existence is resolved into two worlds---that is, two great worlds; other realms, such as the mineral and vegetable, are of lesser importance.

The materialists hold to the opinion that the world of nature is complete. The divine philosophers declare that the world of nature is incomplete. There is a wide difference between the two. The materialists call attention to the perfection of nature, the sun, moon and stars, the trees in their adornment, the whole earth and the sea -- even unimportant phenomena revealing the most perfect symmetry.

The philosophers also each say that a force or universal reality is the source of all created things. Their difference with the Prophets is only in this: that the Prophets say that universal reality and all-encompassing aspect is the absolutely wealthy, perceiving and choosing by will, while the philosophers consider it poor, non-perceiving and powerless.

The philosophers of the world are divided into two classes: materialists, who deny the spirit and its immortality, and the divine philosophers, the wise men of God, the true illuminati who believe in the spirit and its continuance hereafter.

The divine philosophers proclaim that the spirit of man is ever-living and eternal, and because of the objections of the materialists, these wise men of God have advanced rational proofs to support the validity of their statement.

In the heavenly books mention is made of the immortality of the spirit, which is the very foundation of the divine religions. For rewards and punishments are said to be of two kinds, one being existential rewards and punishments and the other, ultimate rewards and punishments. Existential paradise and hell are to be found in all the worlds of God, whether in this world or in the heavenly realms of the spirit, and to gain these rewards is to attain life eternal.

As each component atom or element in the physical organisms of existence is subject to transference through endless forms and stages, possessing virtues peculiar to those forms and stations, it is evident that all phenomena of material being are fundamentally one. In the mineral kingdom this component atom or element possesses certain virtues of the mineral; in the kingdom of the vegetable it is imbued with vegetable qualities or virtues; in the plane of animal existence it is empowered with animal virtues -- the senses; and in the kingdom of man it manifests qualities peculiar to the human station.

Man is indestructible. The man you see before your eyes has travelled through all the worlds of existence. Those molecular atoms which go into the make-up of the human body were originally in the mineral world, and these atoms have had journeyings and coursings through all the various phases of the mineral kingdom, appearing under various forms and images.

… In brief these primordial atoms have coursings and transferences in infinite images. In every image they had a certain peculiar virtue. Therefore, these primordial atoms, which have now appeared in man, have had myriads of transferences in phenomena, and in each degree appearing with certain virtue and function.

The Master: "The Blessed Beauty Baha'u'llah has set down in His Writings the oriental natural philosophy that we share with the Persian Sufis.

The metaphysical concepts of Mulla Sadra and Muhyi'd-Din are largely fanciful. For instance, the concept of the Universal Spirit is but fancy and imagination, not reality. For example, Mulla Sadra's ten intellects were derived from the idol-worshipping Greek philosophers.

… Man is distinguished from all created things; nature - all things are its captive. The sun, for all its greatness, is its captive. But man, whose body is so small, God hath created within him a sacred power that can break the laws of nature.

… From the first day of Mulla Sadra until this day, what result hath been achieved?

The unseen Hand of God has now opened the portals of discovery, and reality hath emerged from behind the veils of mysteries and it is manifest even within natural philosophy. It is such that should any soul contemplate in the mysteries of divine philosophy, he will surpass Aristotle in discovering reality.

In the Tablets of His Holiness Baha'Ullah, there are many philosophic questions. … In His Tablets He has encouraged and rather urged (the people) to study philosophy. Therefore, in the region of Baha'Ullah philosophy is highly esteemed.

In any case, move with the utmost wisdom in Egypt and keep this hidden pearl safe and protected from poisoned hearing. And if you find attentive ears, speak of the teachings of the Blessed Beauty and discuss the truths and meanings that have issued from the Supreme Pen. Make philosophical matters the basis of discussion, not beliefs.

Abdu'l-Baha: Philosophy develops the mind. Christ and the Word of God are revealed through the Spirit. Plato says, "The mental conclusions are so and so." Christ says, "Be led of the Spirit."

By heavenly sciences I mean divine philosophy and spiritual teachings; by the songs and fragrances of the rose garden I mean the mysteries of the kingdom of kingdoms, the secrets of the degrees of existence and the knowledge of the results of human life.

Q. How can we compare philosophical thoughts with religious thoughts?

A. Know that this nether world is the mirror of the kingdom, and the former is exactly the counterpart of the latter. The sound opinions of the world, which are the results of philosophical right thinking, correspond to the Traces of the Kingdom, and there does not exist any difference whatever between them.

Natural philosophy is not sufficient - it must be in conformity with divine philosophy.

Later it became clear that he was not an earthly bird but a heavenly bird, not a natural philosopher but a divine philosopher.

It is true that philosophy in this age consists in the fact that man is out of touch with God; he is out of touch with the Kingdom of God; he is out of touch with spiritual susceptibilities; he is out of touch with the Holy Spirit, and out of touch with the ideal verities. To wit: he may be an agnostic and a captive of the tangibilities.

In reality her highness the Cow enjoys this attribute and quality. The Cow is naturally a denier of God, a denier of the Kingdom, a denier of spiritualities and a denier of the heavenly verities. She has attained to these virtues without labor. Therefore she is the philosopher emeritus.

Our philosophers of this age after twenty years of study and reflection in the universities attain to the station of the Cow. They know only the senses as the verities.

Is the materialistic philosophy of this Europe, so much praised by contemporary agnostics and atheists, a philosophy to be admired? Are these people wooers of the spirit? Nay, they have drowned that capacity and are out of touch with the kingdom of reality. Is this an enviable goal to which humanity may aspire? Is this a system of philosophy through which people may become glorified? No, by God, the philosophy of glory needs no scholastic curriculum.

I talked with some of their wise women and their minds quickly grasped my meaning[,] although we were discussing the profound subjects of divine philosophy. I have spoken on similar topics with the Professors of El Azkar and they were as far from understanding my talk as the tadpole is from visualizing the condition of man!

The mission of the Prophets, the revelation of the Holy Books, the manifestation of the heavenly Teachers and the purpose of divine philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they may become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the Sun of Reality.

The most important principle of divine philosophy is the oneness of the world of humanity, the unity of mankind, the bond conjoining East and West, the tie of love which blends human hearts.

The greatest philosophers without this Spirit are powerless, their souls lifeless, their hearts dead! Unless the Holy Spirit breathes into their souls, they can do no good work. … Learned philosophers, unenlightened by the Divine Spirit, have often been men of inferior morality; they have not proclaimed in their actions the reality of their beautiful phrases.

The difference between spiritual philosophers and others is shown by their lives.

This is the difference between philosophers who are Spiritual Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the Spiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching; He brings down into the world of action His spiritual conceptions and ideals.

This is the difference between philosophers who are Spiritual Teachers, and those who are mere philosophers: the Spiritual Teacher is the first to follow His own teaching; He brings down into the world of action His spiritual conceptions and ideals. … When we find a philosopher emphasizing the importance and grandeur of justice, and then encouraging a rapacious monarch in his oppression and tyranny, we quickly realize that he belongs to the first class: for he thinks heavenly thoughts and does not practise the corresponding heavenly virtues. This state is impossible with Spiritual Philosophers, for they ever express their high and noble thoughts in actions.

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...I have a firm hope that there is something in store for those who have died, and, as we have been told for many years, something much better for the good than for the wicked.... Ordinary people seem not to realize that those who really apply themselves in the right way to philosophy are directly and of their own accord preparing themselves for dying and death. If this is true, and they have actually been looking forward to death all their lives, it would of course be absurd to be troubled when the thing comes for which they have so long been preparing and looking forward.

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No son of man will ever come to a settled fear of God until he has grasped the two truths we are now affirming, the soul's dateless anteriority to all things generable, her immortality and sovereignty over the world of bodies, and moreover that presence among the heavenly bodies of a mind of all things of which we have spoken so often already.

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...if we are ever to have pure knowledge of anything, we must get rid of the body and contemplate things by themselves with the soul by itself. Phaedo 66e ...the desire to free the soul is found chiefly, or rather only, in the true philosopher. In fact the philosopher's occupation consists precisely in the freeing and separation of soul from body.

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