East and West: learning to meet as one human family

One of my greatest hopes is the connection between East and West, for this is the greatest service to the world of humanity. In reality, there is no East and West - all points on the earth have the same status, and each point is west in relation to one point and east in relation to another point. Therefore these are relative and conventional matters. All points are one sphere and one homeland, and humanity is one race and one family.

Therefore I am very pleased to observe this assembly that is the cause of progress for Easterners and their fellowship and harmony with Westerners.

Abdul-Baha said: "The two words, East and West, are imaginary words; there is no East and there is no West."

Therefore, a divine universal good cause cannot be confined to either East or West, for the Sun of Reality sheds its rays upon both East and West and its heat penetrates both South and North. It is not specific to one region rather than another.

Now, praised be God, the light of love hath spread in both East and West, and the tabernacle of fellowship amongst hearts and souls is raised in the midmost heart of the world. The teachings of Baha'u'llah have been spread in the East and the West, the fame of the Kingdom hath encompassed the earth, and the tidings of the world's Great Peace have created tumult in the realm of the hearts.

… It is because the East and the West are illumined by the one sun, all races, nations and creeds are the servants of the one God. The whole earth is one home, and all the people are bathed in the ocean of God's mercy.

Now in the world of being, we have a sublime goal ahead and we have a lofty mission enshrined in our hearts; and that is the illumination of the whole earth through the light of harmony, so that the East and the West may embrace each other like unto two lovers.

Cooperation and mutual assistance are the basis of the religion of God. The East must assist the West and the West must assist the East.

It is for this reason that I have accepted this long journey and come here, that East and West may find complete harmony, achieve the utmost connection, assist one another, and become the cause of each other's comfort. If East and West become united, the banner of universal peace will wave and the oneness of humankind will be manifested, and comfort and tranquility will be achieved for all.

My chief aim is remove the present misunderstanding between the nations of the East and West, so that we may express cordial love toward each other and promote the essentials of the heavenly civilization. I hope that such a confirmation may be vouchsafed us, so that we may become united."

Here we are from the East and you are from the West. This very fellowship and assembly is proof that harmony between East and West is possible, for it is the first radiance of love.

This is a very joyous evening, an evidence in itself of the possibility of uniting the East and the West -- an eastern man appearing before an assemblage of reverent western people. The East and West, the Orient and Occident, shall be united.

We see an Eastern guest received with love and courtesy in the West.

Thou must thank God that, although I am a Person from the East and you are a revered lady from the West, yet we are gathered in this place with the utmost of spiritual affection.

This is indeed a blessed meeting, for the East and the West are joined here in love and harmony. This was the Will of the Blessed Perfection."

I am an Eastener and you are from the West. It is the power of the Spirit that has gathered us together.

Praise be to God that in this gathering are assembled people from East and West. All are as one kind - there is no difference in their thoughts.

The holding of meetings at which people from the East come to the far West and sit together with you with such love and affection was impossible but through His penetrative power Baha'u'llah has made this easy and has joined the East and the West.

An especial meeting was held in Mrs Whyte's house for the Oriental students. They were from China, Japan, Persia, India Turkey, Syria, Arabia, Turkey, etc. It was a wonderful demonstration of the union of the East and of the West.

Fourth, this meeting provides a tangible demonstration of the love and unity that is possible between the East and the West.

His Excellency the Ambassador is from the East, while his wife is an American. Similarly, His Excellency the Ambassador of Persia is from the nobility of the Orient, while his wife is also an American. This is a proof that the Orient and Occident can meet, love and unite.

My hope is that this union will be eternal - both physical and spiritual, both outward and inward - so that you may pass your days together in the utmost joy and delight, and offer thanks to Baha'u'llah who has made the East and West intimate companions and has established such a connection between Iran and America that Iranian and American have become as one soul.

Consider what a difference exists between his country and thine and what a great effect this Bahai spirit hath manifested that an Oriental sacrificeth his life for an Occidental!

The feeling that existed between the East and the West is changing in the Light of Baha'u'llah's teaching. It used to be that if a Westerner drank from the cup of an Easterner the cup would be thought polluted, and the Easterner would break it. Now it is, with believers, that when a Westerner dines with an Easterner, the vessels and the plates that he has used are kept apart and reverenced in his memory.

Since the people of the East have not treated the attendants of this ship well, they now look upon those people with contempt.

See! the Americans and the Germans have been hostile and yet how the Germans, are receiving the Americans! This is because they arc the lovers of the Holy Cause, and its principles, striving for the fulfilment of its great purpose. National prejudices cannot interfere in their religion.

Otherwise how would Westerners show such consideration to us Easterners?

Otherwise, what have we Persians in common with the Americans on top of this mountain and valley in Dublin?

Consider thou how the power of the Word of God has united the East and the West and bestowed spiritual communication, that a blessed soul from the inhabitants of America, while in the Holy Land, mentioned to Abdul-Baha the name of a man living in Asia, and with the utmost devotion requests the writing of a Tablet.

It is through the grace of the Divine Unity that the friends of the East are occupied with thoughts of the friends of the West, and the beloved ones of the South are intimate with the faithful ones of the North.

During this period, although I was in the West, my face was always turned towards the friends in the East, and I would beseech confirmation for them from the Abha Kingdom.

O friends of this yearning one! Though the distance is great and the boundless ocean lies between us, you are companions and confidants, friends and intimates. For the power of the Word of God has brought the far near and made distant spaces close. East and West have become as one gathering, as one feast adorned.

Therefore we are intimate companions and confidants, of one breath and one voice. The power of the Abha Kingdom has established connection - East has embraced West, distant regions have drawn near, the face of the earth has taken on the character of a single gathering.

He has made strangers into friends and brought the distant near, bestowing through spiritual power such connection that East and West are contained in one gathering.

O ye dear friends of mine! It is incumbent upon the assemblies of those regions to be connected one with another and to correspond with one another, and also to communicate with the assemblies of the east, thus to become agencies for union throughout the world.

The correspondence of the believers of God with all parts of America and from America to all directions is very acceptable and seasonable. It will be the means of drawing the hearts together. Unquestionably show ye the utmost of effort in this matter and correspond with every part.

Communication of the beloved of God from all parts of the world with America, and the correspondence of America with all parts is most agreeable and the cause of attracting the hearts. Endeavor greatly to accomplish this important matter and write to all parts.

Correspondence between the believers of the Orient and the Occident, as well as between the different states of America, is of the utmost importance and is conducive to the enkindlement and attraction of the hearts.

Regarding what thou wrote about correspondence between East and West - this is very beneficial and causes enthusiasm and joy on both sides.

I hope that thou wilt correspond and communicate with them so that a divine connection and heavenly relationship may be established between the East and the West.

...the message from the friends in the West to the loved ones in the East was perused. Its contents were replete with diverse meanings and indicated the utmost love, steadfastness and constancy.

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The question of correspondence with other assemblies, both native and foreign is of the utmost importance - thus they may learn of each other methods and ways.

Even travelling and passing through these foreign lands is beneficial, for there are some places so isolated from others that the friends do not receive news from anywhere. If they hear any reports it is by accident. Now if the believers were to travel and give glad tidings to the friends and stay a night or two in each place and share the news of the Holy Land and other parts of the East and the West with the people of that place and associate with them with the utmost happiness, joy and love, the result will be enkindlement and attraction.

In reality this trip will become the cause of joy to all the Friends, will be the evidence to the unity between the East and the West, the fire of the Love of God will become more brilliant and the souls will become more attracted. It is my hope that the Orient and the Occident may embrace each other like unto two beloved, be mixed with each other like unto honey and sugar, and be mingled like water and wine so that the unity of the human race may illumine all the regions like unto the rays of the sun.

This prisoner thinketh that if a suitable time cometh and there be no hindrance or consideration, thou mayest undertake a journey to America and Europe under the pretext of traveling to India and Japan, for the receptivity of the West increaseth day by day and the lights must shine from the East.

If possible, please assemble the translations of the tablets of Tajalliyat, Kalimat, Ishraqat, Bisharat and Tarazat along with translations of some of my detailed letters regarding the oneness of mankind and the unity of the East and West and send them to Lord Curzon along with the original-language texts. Otherwise, please translate some of Lord Curzon's talks regarding the unity of the East and West into Persian and send them to me so that by these means I may communicate with him.

Praise be to God! This is the dawn of the light of unity between the Eastern and Western people. In Persia the English language is being studied widely and in America the Persian tongue is beloved by some dear souls. In both countries the respective languages are being studied. This is in itself a proof that the East and the West (literally, place of sunrise and sunset) shall clasp hands as two families. The standard of unity shall be raised, and the means of love and friendship will be accomplished.

Consider and thank God that the Power of Baha'u'llah has so united and bound the East and the West together that the Persian poetess translated the poem of the American composer.

Unquestionably, this publication shall serve the world of humanity. If it is continued, its arena shall become broadened and it shall attain to such a station as to bring about the unity of the East and of the West.

O ye near servants of the Blessed Beauty!

The question of East-West relations has assumed importance. Some souls are exerting their utmost efforts in this regard, and an executive committee for East-West relations should be elected so they may engage in this work.

Should the circle of this Society be widely extended and its various branches well organized and systematized it will remain firm and become established, and if its members arise with perfect unity and agreement, know ye of a certainty that at the end, it will become the greatest Society of the world, produce inexhaustible results and benefits, become the tree of the oneness of the realm of humanity and cast its all-encircling shade over the people of the East and the West.

In truth, although the importance of this association may not be apparent outwardly at present, if it remains firm and steadfast, in the future it will become an association for the unity of the human world and will give perfect connection and harmony between East and West, rendering a great service to the human world.

Today the most important affair in the world is co-operation between the East and the West. Is it possible that I may be against such a great principle? The Orient Occident Unity has undertaken to carry out this wonderful idea and it needs the assistance of all the friends."

Any undertaking by the believers of God and which directly or indirectly helps the promotion of the Cause, and the diffusion of Brotherhood between the East and the West, is commendable.

Particularly in the matter of the Tarbiyat School, the friends of the East assisted the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of America despite being in utmost straitened circumstances and internal upheaval. If the friends of the West likewise render assistance to the Tarbiyat School in Tehran, this will surely bring joy....

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It is not permissible to solicit contributions from Iran in the name of the school, but if the Americans themselves undertake to make contributions with the utmost gratitude, for the sake of connecting East and West there is no harm in this.

When I return to the East, I shall encourage and urge all to acquire sciences and arts. My hope is that you too will strive and establish important schools in the Eastern lands. Likewise, the children of the East who are here from India, China, Japan, Arabia, and Armenia are acquiring sciences and arts. When they return to their homelands, they will promote sciences, crafts and innovations so that the countries of the East may also become like the countries of the West.

The hope is that they will take the lead in virtues and attainments, in closeness to the Court of Almighty God, in faith and certitude--and that the women of the East will become the envy of the women of the West.

The East and the West should unite to give to each other what is lacking in each.

We have much to learn from the East, especially, culture, humanity and spirituality. In its place, we can offer science, technology and industry."

The East and the West are becoming one and showing the signs of Unity and Love. The hopes of Baha'u'llah are that there be no more separation or discord, for ye are all the waves of one sea, the birds in one heaven and mirrors of the same Bounty.

… I hope that the Western people will now receive this New Light and become illuminated by it, and that the East may have improved civilization from the West.

All the great Spiritual Teachers arose in the Eastern world.

… We must pray that by the Bounty of God, Persia will be enabled to receive the material and mental civilization of the West, and by Divine Grace to give in return her spiritual light. The devoted energetic work of the united peoples, occidentals and orientals, will succeed in establishing this result, for the force of the Holy Spirit will aid them.

The East has been the Founder of Divine Civilization but the West the spreader of material civilization. The East has been the scatterer of the seeds, the West the irrigator.

The East has ever been the dawning point of the Sun of Reality. All the Prophets of God have appeared there. The religions of God have been promulgated, the teachings of God have been spread and the law of God founded in the East. The Orient has always been the center of lights. The West has acquired illumination from the East, but in some respects the reflection of the light has been greater in the Occident.

From the beginning of time until the present day, the light of Divine Revelation hath risen in the East and shed its radiance upon the West. The illumination thus shed hath, however, acquired in the West an extraordinary brilliancy. Consider the Faith proclaimed by Jesus. Though it first appeared in the East, yet not until its light had been shed upon the West did the full measure of its potentialities become manifest.

Always from the beginning until now it has been thus that the divine light has shone from East to West, but in the West its rays have been greater.

The Christ rose like a star in the horizon of the East, but the Light of His influence has taken root more firmly in the West. This shows us how that the people of the West are very faithful in their hearts and they do not easily forget. The West is like a good plant. When the rain falls gently upon it to give it nourishment and the sun shines upon it to give it warmth, then does it blossom forth and bear good fruit.

Physical power when it touches a thing will have effect upon it, but the spiritual power in order to have effect does not require direct contact. For instance, while this spiritual power is in the East, its effect is felt in the West.

For instance, Christ appeared in the East, but the effect of the Holy Spirit manifested in the West.

Once more the West must receive the Breeze of God from the East. It cannot be stayed or hindered, it will blow from the East to the West; but it will be most beautiful if you will be the avenue through which it comes. If you are not that avenue, it will seek another channel, but blessed will be your privilege if through you it wins its way into the hearts of the West, rousing into fragrant life all the spiritual bloom and richness of that great country, and bringing new life to the world.

For the East is the dawning-place of the Sun of Truth and the growing place of the Blessed Tree.

Christ says that when the Promised One appears from the East, His signs will be manifest in the West. Now give thanks to God that when the Most Great Light rose from the East, its radiant lights shone upon the West, illuminating the western world.

Praise be to God, the eastern horizon is illumined and the nostrils of the people of the West are perfumed. The Sun of the East has cast such rays upon the West that it has illumined it. The divine call has been raised in that land and the divine religion has been spread.

The Sun of Truth dawned in the East, thousands of devoted ones in the Orient hastened to the field of sacrifice, and now from the invisible horizon of the Most Glorious Kingdom, an intense ray has been cast upon the regions of the West.

In these days, in the western land, with utmost joy, the Star of the East has granted a new confirmation. A few friends were seen with the power of attraction of the friends of Iran. It is hoped that such self-sacrifice, spiritual attraction, and flame of heart and soul will also be made manifest in the western clime, that East and West may both embrace, becoming full of excitement and fervor, and that the divine light may illumine and enlighten all horizons.

Hearts were filled with joy at this news and souls and consciences were gladdened, for it is the heart's desire that in that country the Sun of the All-Merciful heaven would shine forth and manifest such splendor that India would become a rose-garden, the East would illuminate the West and the West would transmit lights to the East.

Thus, hope lies in the lights of the dawn of guidance which will again rise from the East and spread across the horizons.

The East hath verily been illumined with the light of the Kingdom. Ere long will this same light shed a still greater illumination upon the West. Then will the hearts of its people be vivified through the potency of the teachings of God and their souls be set aglow by the undying fire of His love.

The day is approaching, when ye shall witness how, through the splendor of the Faith of Baha'u'llah, the West will have replaced the East, radiating the light of Divine Guidance.

Although that brilliant ray brightened the eyes of some of the people of that region, the results have not yet been achieved as they ought to be.

Glory be to God! The West became the envy of heaven through the radiance of that Joy, while the East has not yet been illumined by this Most Great Bounty as it deserves to be.

And unto thee, O Prince, it behoveth to abandon the things of the flesh and the concerns of politics, for beneath them lieth neither profit nor abiding gain, and to immerse thyself in the ocean of spiritual things, to enter the Kingdom, and to detach thyself from the world of dust; to raise aloft the banner of the Lord of Hosts; to bestow the spirit of everlasting life upon every created thing; to be born of the Spirit; and to become a heavenly, spiritual, merciful, and godly teacher, from whose tongue the teachings of the Kingdom may pour forth even as a torrent rusheth down from the lofty mountain. Then shalt thou blossom in the gardens of the Most Great Bestowal like unto a crimson rose, and from thee shall a sweet musk-laden fragrance be diffused, perfuming all regions with the breaths of thy Lord, the Most High. Thereupon shall every difficulty be dissolved, every hope be fulfilled, souls be educated, the morals of all men be refined, minds advance, and chastity and the love of goodness be firmly established in hearts made mindful through the remembrance of God; and the divine fragrances shall perfume every country and every land. Wherefore, cleave thou unto the way of Christ and walk in His spacious field, and follow the people of God in every age and clime. As to political affairs, they are but transient and partial matters, yielding neither fruit nor true advantage; no man who hath tasted the sweetness of the love of God will busy himself therewith.

And as for converse with one who is free to choose as he chooseth, speak not with him save in briefest fashion, saying only this: that the Blessed Tree hath grown and sprung up, hath waxed tall, put forth branches and leaves, blossomed, and cast its shade over most of the cities of America and over some cities of Europe; that it possesseth a wondrous growth and a hidden mystery; and that all men speak in praise of the East, of its dawning light, of its peoples and tribes, of its kings and ministers, and look upon them with admiration and reverence, whereas aforetime they mocked them, held them in contempt, and deemed the nations of the East to be the barbarians of the earth, bereft of reason, a rude and ignorant multitude, without judgment, without understanding, without resolve, and without perception. But now the whole matter hath been reversed. Glorified be He Who caused the horizons of the East to smile after their weeping, and made manifest their felicity after their misery.

Then do thou confine thyself unto this word and speak with him only in calmness, dignity, reflection, and deliberation. Be thou one who listeneth, not one who disputeth. Show him courtesy by commending his composition, its importance, and the loftiness of his thought. Then say: "According to what hath been heard, certain governments, the Anglican Church and others, slandered them before the kings and exerted themselves with their utmost endeavor until the imperial command was issued for their confinement in the fortress. Yet it is not known by what means the Protestants attained this their desire, seeing that no cause existed to call for such a measure. For they had dwelt in Syria for five and thirty years, and from them there had proceeded not the least attempt to propagate their way in those regions, nor any interference with the various classes dwelling in those lands. Rather did they live apart, while the local government continually knew their condition and conduct and never for a moment neglected to observe them. Naught occurred save that their fame was spread abroad in America and their influence appeared among the higher classes of that land. And those among the peoples of America and Europe whose hearts were turned toward them rejoice in the mention of the Sublime State and of the Persian government, and in their gatherings and exalted assemblies pray for the success and prosperity of both."

This is why you observe that, praise be to God, through these means the spirit of unity has been breathed and signs of connection between Eastern and Western nations have somewhat appeared. What service is greater than this - that Western nations used to consider Easterners savage, but now they praise them and count them as founders of human virtues?

The people of the West say: "Though we are strangers, yet we hope that through the bounties and favors of the Ancient Beauty we may become the envy of the East, and that the West may become as the East, and that much blood may turn to perfumed musk. Though we are people of the West, yet in intelligence, knowledge, freedom and wisdom we are leaders over the people of the East. If this Most Great Luminary had risen from our horizon, by now the regions of the West would have become the illumined morn, the embodied spirit, and the manifest light."

We have absolutely no involvement in Iran's political affairs, but if this Cause had appeared among any of the nations and kingdoms of the West, that nation would have boasted of it before all the peoples of the world.

The Cause of God has always dawned from the East, but its spread has been greater in the West, like the Cause of Christ whose influence was more intense in the West. The Eastern Christians say that Christ's Cause was from the East but the Westerners took it from us. Even Badri Pasha, one of the Ottoman ministers, said in a gathering, "Do you know what I fear? The Westerners have taken everything we had - they took our sciences, our industries, our laws, they took everything from us. I fear they will take this Cause of Baha'u'llah from us too."

The Cause of God has always appeared from the East but it has been more effective in the West. Once Badri Pasha said in an address, 'Gentlemen, Westerners have taken everything from us: the sciences, the arts and the laws they took from the East. Now we fear that they may wrest from us the Cause of Baha'u'llah, as well.'

At present, the East is captive to the West, and Europe and Asia are in constant warfare. The mighty army of European commerce continually invades Asia. The forces of European industry break Asia's back. The host of European knowledge causes dominion over Asia. The political army of Europe destroys Asia's national foundations. The assault of these armies is continuous, the conquest of these forces successive, and the waves of these consecutive armies attack like successive breakers, while Asia has no power to resist any of these forces.

The basic difference between western and eastern legal concepts lies in the different relationship of the Occidental and the Oriental to one God and Creator.

To the Occidental his God is - if he even acknowledges a God above him - a metaphysical Being in a remote, strange and nebulous beyond, to Whom one pays homage on Feasts and Holy Days, and Who does not count in every-day life, in commerce and politics, in general behaviour. But to the Oriental the Godhead is a real personality, present in everything and everywhere.

One of the organizers of the Races Congress present spoke of the Western ideals of Baha'u'llah as differing from those of former prophets which were tinged with the ideas and civilization of the East. He then asked whether Baha'u'llah had made a special study of Western writings, and founded his teachings in accordance with them.

Abdu'l-Baha laughed heartily, and said that the books of Baha'u'llah, written and printed sixty years ago, contained the ideals now so familiar to the West, but, at that time, they had not been printed or thought of in the West. Besides, he continued, supposing that a very advanced thinker from the West had gone to visit Baha'u'llah and to teach Him, would the name of such a great man and the fact of his visit have been unknown and unrecorded? No!

"Persia was the center of one of the oldest civilization and religion in the East."

"Yes." Our Beloved concludes "The lights of the Sun have ever shone forth from the East."

Europe is submerged in the ocean of materialism; its inhabitants are even as cows that have busied themselves with grazing in the pasture. They can see nothing at all, for their gaze is ever cast down. America, at least, fares better than they.

Since we discerned no fruit from the counsel we gave our countrymen, nor could we find a hearing ear among them, we felt it necessary to turn our attention to the West.

The wisdom of my sojourn here in Paris, as well as the results it will yield, consist in the admonitions I have imparted to the people of the East, and the awareness I have instilled in the Persians -- and this to a degree greater than has been achieved with the inhabitants of Paris themselves!

The foundation of these [Azalís] is chaos and confusion. From this act which their very leader committed, one can discern the conduct of the others in their ranks. These foolish people wish, in their depraved state, to oppose a Cause that has stirred both East and West and directed the attention of humanity to the kingdom of sanctity.

He has praised Christ, honored Christ, exalted Him, called Him the Word of God, the Spirit of God, raised the Name of Christ to supreme summits of glorification. Throughout the Orient Bahais have illumined the lamp of Christ and spread His mention.

He saith: "I have educated all men, that they may recognize this Revelation, and yet the people of the Bayan refuse to concede even the name believer to that blessed Tree that belongeth neither to the East nor to the West."

O ye companions of the Kind Friend! The effulgence of the Sun of Truth, the Daystar of the heaven of mercy, illumineth the world and His benevolence hath encompassed both the East and West. The clouds of His bounty overshadow all and the showers of His mercy shed their floods of rain upon all.

I hope that through the intensity of the heat of the Great Luminary, religious prejudices, racial prejudices, patriotic prejudices and political prejudices will melt away like snow, and the meadow of reality will attain the utmost verdancy, freshness, delicacy and grace, so that the world will become the envy of Paradise, the world of nature will become the manifestation of heavenly bounties, East and West will embrace, North and South will become beloved and lover, mankind will become the waves of one sea and the flowers of one garden and the trees of one orchard.

The basis of the Call [i.e., teaching and delivering addresses] must be the Oneness of the world of humanity, so that religious fanaticism, sectarian bias, racial prejudice and political prejudice may be removed and all mankind may enter under the uni-colored tent of the Oneness of the World of Humanity, the hearts may affiliate with each other, the souls be attracted, and the East and West may embrace each other.

We must strive until East and West find harmony with each other, the darkness of prejudices is completely eliminated, and the unity of the human world becomes apparent. East and West will embrace like two lovers and engage in the utmost love, for all are God's sheep and God is the true Shepherd, kind to all.

Today the happiness of all is solely dependent on concord and harmony; therefore all must strive so that the decaying outdated blind imitations may be eradicated and the truth, which consists in the unity of the human race, may be established, so that all people of the East and West may become brothers and sisters, that the illumination emanating from the Kingdom of God may develop all, and that the banner of the unity of the human race may wave on the highest summit of the world.

And I proclaimed that the foundation of divine religions is one and these differences are from traditions - if the people of religions abandon traditions, all will unite.

In brief, I invited all to love and unity and guided them toward the promotion of universal peace so that struggle and conflict may not remain between human beings, all may become one family, and associate and behave with one another in utmost love and harmony, and East and West may embrace.

He has assisted all with heavenly confirmation and has pitched such a tent under which all nations and people will gather. He commands us to unfurl the banner of the oneness of the World of Humanity and become the means of the closer relationship between the East and the West, and practicing the doctrine of human solidarity and brotherhood; thus the lights of the Kingdom may illumine the hearts of the inhabitants of the Orient and the Occident.

Therefore, you must become the manifestations of these lights, become bright lamps, shine forth like brilliant stars, and be the cause of love amongst all nations, so that the world may testify that the East has always been the source of illumination and the cause of fellowship among humanity. Be at peace with all the peoples of the world, love all, serve all, for all are the servants of God.

May the East embrace the West, may Europe hasten without delay along the path of love, may the Turk consider the Tajik an intimate companion and count him as dear and kind.

I hope that through divine power, heavenly bounties, and merciful inspirations these two seas of East and West may become one, and these two branches may be grafted to become a single branch, so that through the confirmations of the Kingdom the pavilion of the oneness of the world of humanity may be raised at the apex of the horizons, and all humanity in general may find rest and tranquility of heart, soul and body beneath its shade.

He hath joined East and West in close embrace, and brought all horizons beneath the canopy of concord. This is through the bounty and bestowal of the Sun of Truth.

We are in Haifa and thou in Tokyo, nevertheless how (our) hearts have become related to one another! This is through the power of the Kingdom which has made the East and West embrace each other.

Thus, thou dost behold the East and the West in close embrace, and dost witness how the Occident and the Orient are attracted like unto two lovers.

In the future the East and the West shall become one. They shall be united. I have said in My letters that the East and the West will become as two lovers. That each is beloved of the other. That the East and the West will take one another in their arms will give one another their hands, each as the beloved of the other, each embracing the other.

Erelong shalt thou witness East and West embracing each other as two lovers, and Eastern and Western nations being intoxicated with the same cup.

Soon thou shalt see that the East hath embraced the West and that the Occident and Orient are attracted to each other. They will become as one soul, one heart and one body."

Holy and sanctified is the Most Great Name that, through one divine subtlety and merciful breeze, has joined East and West hand in hand and made them intoxicated and bewildered with the wine of fellowship and love, such that like the rays of the brilliant sun shining upon diverse horizons, they have attained the station of one soul and one consciousness.

Let this be cause for thanksgiving to the Divine Unity that praise be to God, such confirmation has been granted that East has embraced West. Know the value of this great bounty, that such an impossible matter has become easy and simple through the assistance and favor of the Blessed Beauty.

Praise be to God that through the bounty of the Ancient Beauty, East and West are in connection and are quickened.

This cooperation and collaboration between the East and the West provideth sufficient and irrefutable proof that this blessed aim will be achieved.

'Abdu'l-Baha: "The Blessed Beauty has gathered the East and West together. For this reason we are very happy. It is not in fun, but is a serious matter. It is beyond comprehension. From the beginning of time to the present day such an event has never happened, that the hearts of the East and West should be united. There should be no differences between them."

Today the force for Unity is the Holy Spirit of Baha'u'llah. He manifested this Spirit of Unity. Baha'u'llah brings East and West together. Go back, search history, you will not find a precedent for this.

Consider the Power of the Covenant! Where is Acca and where is Los Angeles? Yet the Power of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah has united these two distant points!

Some of the ignorant scorned us, saying, 'How can the East and the West be illumined with the light of the Cause and the whole world be perfumed by the sweet fragrance of the Word of God?' Now behold how this great union has come about and how the hearts of the people of the East and the ' West have been enlightened with this manifest light.

Now praise be to God that His Principles have illumined the East, the souls and the intellects are delivered from morbid dogmas, the Flags of Guidance are unfurled and the people of the Orient and the Occident are increasingly united through the bond of spiritual brotherhood.

When He promulgated this principle in the Orient, the people were astonished.

...equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world, and be blest in both the East and the West

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This your social gathering on the Great Feast is like unto a Mother who will in future beget many Heavenly Feasts, so that all eyes may be amazed as to what effulgence the true Sun of the East has shed on the West. How it has changed the Occidentals into Orientals, and illumined the Western Horizon with the Luminary of the East!

Shortly after the ascension [of Baha'u'llah], when the difficulties had reached their zenith, I wrote a poem, which included these two verses:

In the Orient scatter perfumes, [And shed splendors on the West].

Carry light unto the Bulgar, And the Slav with life invest.

In a letter I wrote, "Soon will the East and the West embrace each other like two lovers."

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The East and the West will then have a feast, and in one direction the song of the nightingale will be heard, and in the other direction you will hear the songs of other birds.

The fragrance there- of is reaching even this remote district, and may this cause the rose garden of the East to be proud of this, that, praise be to God, the rose garden of the West, in a short space of time, has assumed most delightful freshness. Most magnificent flowers have become ap- parent therein. Variegated flowers can be seen there. White flowers have grown in it; colored flowers have grown in it; red flowers can be seen in it; and yellow flowers can be seen in it, and all of these together are in the utmost of freshness and verdure, and each lends a charm and harmony to the others.

Trees, stones and clay were moved to joy and ecstasy. Land and sea became adorned and delightful. The seas became the manifestation of mighty signs. The air became the place of ascent and flight of weighty bodies. Great mountains began running across plains, hills and deserts. East and West began to hear each other's secrets.

Today, if it be said that the whole world is but a single eye, or a single ear, it would be true, for not an atom's weight of deeds remaineth concealed or hidden. Should any movement arise in the East, the people of the West become aware of it.

We have come from the distant Orient to create the bond of amity between the East and the West, hoping that by this means humanity at large may advance to an extraordinary degree, for if the Orient and the Occident would unite to hold aloft the banner of international peace, tyranny and oppression and

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in the mediaeval ages they were cruelly persecuted.

The Keynote of this forthcoming trip will be entire self-sacrifice, its watchword will be social service and its fundamental object the ultimate union of the East and the West.

He has come from the East and all spiritual souls of the West pray that He may promote spiritual teachings, universal brotherhood and the power of love in the world, for only this spiritual power of love can unite East and West.

And praise be unto Thee for having bound the East to the West, as they cleave to each other with all love, ardor, attraction and joy, cooperating and supporting one another, arising for Thy Cause and vying with each other in good deeds and benevolent acts out of love for Thy Beauty.

We are striving for the East and West to attain complete bonds, and this coming of mine to these places is an introduction to that.

The effulgence of God's splendrous mercy hath enveloped the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and the whole world is bathed in its shining glory... The day will soon come when the light of Divine unity will have so permeated the East and the West that no man dare any longer ignore it.

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