Pantheism: unity, distinction, and divine transcendence

Now it is evident that the Sufis believe in two stations - God and Creatures. They express this pantheism in the simile of the sea, and the waves.

… But the Baha'is say there is God, the creatures and the medium. They state that the Reality of Divinity is Absolute Independence; if it comes within the circle of necessity, It is not Divinity; the Reality of Divinity is Absolute Perfection but the creatures are pure imperfection. Consequently there are channels between God and man. These channels are the Holy Divine Manifestations.

The real Existence through which all things are realized, that is, the reality of the divine Essence through which all things have come to exist, is acknowledged by all. The difference resides in the fact that the Sufis maintain that the realities of all things are the manifestation of the One, whereas the Prophets say that they emanate therefrom. And great indeed is the difference between manifestation and emanation. Appearance through manifestation means that a single thing becomes manifest in infinite forms. For example, when the seed, which is a single thing endowed with the perfections of the vegetable kingdom, manifests itself, it becomes resolved into the infinite forms of the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit. This is called manifestational appearance, whereas in appearance through emanation the One remains transcendent in the heights of its sanctity, but the existence of the creatures is obtained from it through emanation, not manifestation. It can be compared to the sun: The rays emanate from it and shine forth upon all things, but the sun remains transcendent in the heights of its sanctity. It does not descend; it does not resolve itself into the form of the rays; it does not appear in the identity of things through specification and individuation: The Pre-existent does not become the originated; absolute wealth does not fall captive to poverty; unqualified perfection is not transformed into utter imperfection.

In sum, the generality of the mystics imagine that existence is limited to two conditions: God and creation. They believe God to be the inner reality of all things and creation to be the outward appearance thereof. The people of Truth, however, recognize three realms of existence: God, Command (which is the Primal Will), and creation. The Primal Will, which is the realm of Command, is the inner reality of all things, and all beings are therefore the manifestations of the Divine Will, not the manifestations of the Divine Essence and Reality itself. "His are the realms of Command and creation."

Answer: Know that procession is of two kinds: procession and appearance through emanation and procession and appearance through manifestation. Emanational procession is like the procession of the handiwork from its author. For example, the writing proceeds from the writer. Now, just as the writing emanates from the writer and the discourse from the speaker, so does the human spirit emanate from God. But it does not manifest Him: that is, no part has been separated from the divine Reality to enter into the body of man. No, the human spirit has emanated, just as speech emanates from the speaker, and become manifested in the body of man.

… And know that the procession of the Word and the Holy Spirit from God, which is a manifestational procession and appearance, should not be taken to mean that the reality of the Divinity has been divided or multiplied or has descended from its heights of purity and sanctity. God forbid! If a clear and spotless mirror were placed before the sun, the light and heat, the form and image of the sun would appear therein with such a manifestational appearance that if a beholder were to say, "This is the sun," he would be speaking the truth. But the mirror is the mirror and the sun is the sun. The sun is but one sun, and remains one even if it appears in numerous mirrors. There is no place here for inherence, egress, commingling or descent; for egress, regress, inherence, descent and commingling are among the characteristics and requirements of bodies, not of spirits, how much less of the holy and sanctified Reality of the Divinity. Glorified is God above all that ill beseemeth His holiness and sanctity, and exalted is He in the heights of His sublimity!

In Persian it may be expressed thus: The philosopher's intent by "things" in the aforementioned statement refers to the perfections of existence insofar as it is existence, and by "all" is meant possession - that is, the possession and encompassing of all infinite perfections in a simple way. Such statements have been made in contexts discussing unity, and the power and intensity of existence. The philosopher did not mean that the Necessary Being dissolves into infinite existences - glorified, glorified be He above that! As the philosophers themselves have said: "The Simple Reality is all things yet is not any of the things," and in another context: "The lights of the Simple Reality are seen in all things." This depends on the vision of the beholder and the perspective of the observer. Those of penetrating sight behold in all things the signs of divine unity, for all things are and have ever been manifestations of the divine names, while the Truth has ever been and will ever be sanctified above ascent and descent, limitations, conjunction and connection. Things exist and are witnessed in their limited places, as they have said: "Though the existence of the Necessary Being is of perfect power and intensity such that, were it possible, it would dissolve into infinite existences, yet this is not possible and has not occurred."

There is much that could be said about this statement, and were the full intent of the philosophers to be expressed, the matter would become lengthy. As the hearts of the free are perceived to be subtle and sensitive, therefore the pen has chosen to be brief. Two stations are observed in unity: existential unity, which is the negation of all through "no" and the affirmation of the Truth through "except" - meaning they do not consider anything other than the Truth to exist, in the sense that all things are and will be utter nothingness before His manifestation and mention. "All things perish except His face" means that in His presence, none is worthy of existence nor can existence be attributed to them, as has been said: "God was, and there was nothing else beside Him, and now it is as it was before" - even though things are observed to exist now as they did before. The meaning is that in His presence, nothing has or had existence. In existential unity, all is perishing and evanescent while the Face, which is the Truth, is eternal and everlasting. Witnessed unity is that in all things are beheld the signs of unity, the manifestations of eternity, and the revelations of the light of divine oneness, as has been revealed in the Divine Book: "We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and in themselves." In this station, the manifestations of the signs of the Simple Reality are visible and evident in all things.

When thou didst witness the matter in the essentials of knowledge through what was recited unto thee of traditions shining from the suns of grandeur, there is no doubt that these questions are among the complexities of wisdom whose reality cannot be discerned through the analogies of the Greek philosophers. But God, through His grace, taught me true knowledge through the nature of faith without instruction or explanation. I shall indicate it through a proof of wisdom whereby questions are established at the ultimate station of mystical knowledge, and it concerns the "Simple Reality" which the philosophers have advanced to prove an existence betwixt the existent and the nonexistent -- verily this is, beyond doubt, false in the sight of whoso inhale the fragrance of fairness and weigh with conclusive proofs. Among these proofs is reason itself, which testifieth that the Eternal Essence hath none beside Him and possesseth no attributes distinct in meaning from His very Essence; otherwise, there would ensue composition, conjunction, change, and separation. For the existence of the Pre-Eternal is His very Self and none other; and the existence of created things is His origination of them, a bringing-forth from naught and not from aught beneath Him. There is thus no escape for him who asserteth the contrary save to confess either the pre-eternity of multiplicities within the Essence, or the descent of the Essence unto the rank of dust -- both a sheer impossibility and utter absurdity. For the Essence hath never descended, nor is there, within His station, any mention of other than He. He is the Truth; whatsoever is besides Him is creation -- His creation -- and there is no third besides these twain.

As for what thou hast mentioned in thy poetry about seeing naught but God in everything - this indeed is from God's command, the Sovereign, the Self-Subsisting. However, in all these multiplicities naught can be seen save thy Lord's command, and it is His creation. Speak not of it as the poet hath spoken, for this is not the path of the unitarians. In all mirrors thou seest naught but the sun, yet the sun doth not multiply - these are but reflections in mirrors, each according to its capacity do they indicate.

As to the station of fana in the estimation of the Sufis: they imagined that the originated reality might divest itself of the world of origination and become invested with the attributes of the Ancient One, even as fire and iron, whereof the iron may be stripped of its iron-like quality and the property of fire appear and become manifest in it. This station, they held, might be attained through spiritual discipline and wayfaring, and they fancied within themselves, in the realm of imagination, the manifestation thereof. Therefore would they cry, "I am the Truth!" Whereas that which is originated can never divest itself of the attribute of origination, which is essential unto it, for this is an intrinsic necessity of its being, and an intrinsic necessity can never be separated from the essence of a thing.

In the divine Tablets, however, mention is made of the station of self-effacement and of abiding in God. By fana in the divine Tablets is meant this: that man should wholly efface himself in God, that is, become severed from all things, and sacrifice unto the Truth his spirit and heart, his body, his ease and joy, his blessings and honors, and all the conditions of his personal existence; that he should pass beyond the pleasures and promptings of the world of humanity, detach himself from the attributes of his own human condition, and be kindled with the fire of the love of God; that he should unloose his tongue in the remembrance and praise of the Truth, become resplendent with the qualities of sanctity and holiness, and arise to train himself and guide souls. That is, he should sacrifice and efface all things pertaining unto himself. When he attaineth unto this station, assuredly the radiance of divine grace shall shine forth, the veils of estrangement shall be burned away, no will or purpose shall remain unto him, he shall move beneath the sway of the Divine Will, and shall be quickened by the breaths of the Holy Spirit.

Exalted then be God above what the peripatetic philosophers have fabricated concerning the word of connection between the Lord and creation, taking their ruling from the word of the Christians after God had detailed the signs of His love in their realities. They went astray and led others astray unknowingly, and they were followed in their vain desires by the illuminationist philosophers and some of the divine theologians regarding the word of unity in existence.

There is a theosophist society in India that formed an assembly in the year 1875 in Tibet, and they believe themselves to possess knowledge of the soul, and their philosophy is that of Pantheism.