Truth and perspective: learning to see in relation

Thus when the wayfarer gazeth only upon the place of appearance-that is, when he considereth only the glass-he seeth yellow and red and white. And so it is that conflict hath prevailed amongst men, and a darksome dust from limited souls hath settled over the world. Others gaze upon the effulgence of the light, while yet others have drunk of the wine of oneness and see naught but the sun itself.

42 As the wayfarers traverse these three differing planes, their understanding and their words differ accordingly, and hence the sign of conflict hath ever appeared on earth.

In another connection He saith: "O Sun-like Mirrors! Look ye upon the Sun of Truth. Ye, verily, depend upon it, were ye to perceive it. Ye are all as fishes, moving in the waters of the sea, veiling yourselves therefrom, and yet asking what it is on which ye depend." And likewise, He saith: "I complain unto thee, O Mirror of My generosity, against all the other Mirrors. All look upon Me through their own colors."

We have variously and repeatedly set forth the meaning of every theme, that perchance every soul, whether high or low, may obtain, according to his measure and capacity, his share and portion thereof. Should he be unable to comprehend a certain argument, he may, thus, by referring unto another, attain his purpose. "That all sorts of men may know where to quench their thirst."

But to this servant all these expositions and questions, stations and states are complete in their own station without defect or flaw. For although the object being viewed is the same, nevertheless the viewpoints and stations of these mystic knowers are different. Each viewpoint, with respect to the person who is in that station is perfect and complete.

It behoveth thine eminence in this station to consider each created thing in its own place, neither abasing nor exalting its true rank. For instance, if thou wert to reduce the unseen world to the realm of creation, this would be an act of sheer blasphemy, and the converse would likewise be the essence of impiety. Wert thou, however, to describe the unseen world and the realm of creation within their own stations, this would be the undoubted truth.

… Comprehend, in like manner, every station, sign, and allusion, that thou mayest perceive all things in their own place and consider all matters in their proper light.

Another question raised by the distinguished Sahib is the following: "There are four schools of thought in the world. One school affirmeth that all the visible worlds, from atoms to suns, constitute God Himself and that naught can be seen but Him. Another school claimeth that God is that Essence that must of necessity exist, that His Messengers are the intermediaries between Him and His creatures, and that their mission is to lead humanity unto Him. Yet another school holdeth that the stars were created by the Necessary Being, whilst all other things are their effect and outcome. These things continually appear and disappear, even as the minute creatures that are generated in a pool of water. A further school maintaineth that the Necessary Being hath fashioned Nature through whose effect and agency all things, from atoms to suns, appear and disappear without beginning or end. What need then for an account or reckoning? As the grass groweth with the coming of the rain and vanisheth thereafter, so it is with all things. If the Prophets and the kings have instituted laws and ordinances, the proponents of this school argue, this hath merely been for the sake of preserving the civil order and regulating human society. The Prophets and the kings, however, have acted in different ways: the former have said 'God hath spoken thus' that the people might submit and obey, whilst the latter have resorted to the sword and the cannon. Which of these four schools is approved in the sight of God?"

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.

O Salman! Consider the Cause of God: a single word issues forth from the tongue of the Manifestation of Divine Unity - that word in itself is one and has appeared from a single source. Yet after the Sun of the Word dawns from the horizon of the mouth of God upon His servants, it appears in each soul according to its own condition. Thus in one it produces rejection, in another acceptance; similarly love and hatred and the like. … The radiance of this same divine Word appears in the accepting soul with the color of acceptance, and in the rejecting soul with the color of rejection, even though the original radiance was sanctified above all colors.

For if God, glorified be His Name, should today speak a word that all people have spoken heretofore and shall speak hereafter, that word would still be new, were ye to reflect upon it. Consider the term "Divine Unity", which the Manifestations of God have uttered in every Dispensation, a goodly term which all the divers peoples and kindreds of the world have spoken. Nevertheless, in each Dispensation, it hath been made new and hath in no wise been divested of its novel character. Into every word that God doth speak a new spirit is breathed, and the breezes of life are wafted therefrom upon all things both outwardly and inwardly.

Whatsoever instilleth assurance into the hearts of men, whatsoever exalteth their station or promoteth their contentment, is acceptable in the sight of God.

For particulars in relation to what is below them are universals, and what are great universals in the eyes of the veiled ones are in fact particulars in relation to the realities and beings which are superior to them. Universal and particular are in reality incidental and relative considerations.

In short, the point is this, that the world of man is supernatural in its relation to the vegetable kingdom, though in reality it is not so. Relatively to the plant, the reality of man, his power of hearing and sight, are all supernatural, and for the plant to comprehend that reality and the nature of the powers of man's mind is impossible.

Now the greatest doubt of the deniers is this: where is that world? And everything which has no concrete external existence is mere imagination. However, the world of existence is one world, but it becomes manifold in relation to diverse realities. For example, the mineral, vegetable and animal worlds are one world, but the animal world in relation to the vegetable world is a spiritual reality and another realm, another condition.

The spirit is a divine bounty that has shone upon all created things, and all created things have received a portion and share of that bounty, like the sun which shines upon all earthly creatures, for all existing things on earth are nurtured by the sun's bounty and receive its rays and light. However, this bounty appears in each rank according to the capacity of that rank.

… But when spiritual people speak of the spirit, they do not mean this spirit. They mean that eternal spirit, that life of faith, that spirit of which Christ says man must be baptized with it, and until he is baptized with that spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

The sophists hold that all existence is illusory, indeed, that each and every being is an absolute illusion that has no existence whatsoever--in other words, that the existence of created things is like a mirage, or like the reflection of an image in water or in a mirror, which is merely an appearance devoid of any basis, foundation or ascertainable reality.

This notion is false, for although the existence of things is an illusion compared to the existence of God, yet in the contingent world it is established, proven, and undeniable.

… It is therefore evident that although created things have no existence compared to that of God, being instead like a mirage or an image reflected in a mirror, yet in their own degree they exist.

The second consideration is that existence and non-existence are both relative. If it be said that a certain thing was brought forth from non-existence, the intent is not absolute non-existence; rather it is meant that the former condition was non-existence in relation to the present one. … Though the dust--the mineral--enjoys existence in its own station, yet in relation to man it is non-existence.

Some define existence as the expression of reality or being and nonexistence as nonbeing, imagining that death is annihilation. This is a mistaken idea, for total annihilation is an impossibility. At most, composition is ever subject to decomposition or disintegration—that is to say, existence implies the grouping of material elements in a form or body, and nonexistence is simply the decomposing of these groupings. This is the law of creation in its endless forms and infinite variety of expression.

For instance, the world of elements cannot be annihilated, because pure existence cannot be annihilated; and what we observe are but transformative modifications in the composition of the essence.

Universal existences can be likened and compared to particular ones, for both are subject to one natural order, one universal law, and one divine arrangement. For instance, you will find the smallest atoms to be similar in their general structure to the greatest entities in the universe, and it is clear that they have proceeded from one laboratory of might according to one natural order and one universal law, and can therefore be compared to one another.

As for what thou hast mentioned concerning the end of the physical world, the recognition of this station dependeth upon the vision of the beholder. In one respect it is finite, and in another it is sanctified therefrom.

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.

Now consider how closely this interpretation conforms to reality: For when the spirit and the self of Adam became attached to the material world, they passed from the realm of freedom into the realm of bondage, this condition was perpetuated with each succeeding generation, and this attachment of spirit and self to the material world, which is sin, was inherited by His descendants.

… This sin in Adam, moreover, is relative to His station: Although this worldly attachment produced substantial results, yet in relation to attachment to the spiritual realm it is nonetheless regarded as a sin, and the truth of the saying "The good deeds of the righteous are the sins of the near ones" is established.

"He didn't understand You the other day, my Lord. He thinks that You teach asceticism, that the spirit and the flesh are two separate things."

"That is not what I said," the Master replied. "I said that the spiritual man and the materialist were two different beings. The spirit is in the flesh."

In a Tablet Baha'u'llah says that even though absolute being can be attributed only to God we cannot say that other objects have no being.... Compared to God nothing has existence but this does not mean that even stones do not have being. It is speaking relatively. … This however does not mean that all things are parts of God as the pantheist believes. The pantheist says that only God exists, objects are mere modes of His attributes. Baha'u'llah however says that objects have a separate reality that is created by God.

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...things appear through the creative power of God. They are not His manifestations nor the incarnations of His reality.... The purpose of the world of contingency, therefore, is to attain to the station of existence, and this existence is caused by God's infinite divine bounty.

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Therefore, nonexistence is only relative and absolute nonexistence inconceivable.

… For existence there is neither change nor transformation; existence is ever existence; it can never be translated into nonexistence. It is gradation; a degree below a higher degree is considered as nonexistence.

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No matter how much the mineral has existence and life, yet in comparison to man, is it entirely non-existent and deprived of life.

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When the reflection or physical bounty of the world of creation is infinite how is it possible to circumscribe the reality, or spiritual bounty, which is the basis of the divine creation? The spiritual world is so much greater than the physical world that in comparison with it the physical world is non-existent.

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What is intended by pre-existence [qidam] is temporal [zamani] pre-existence, not essential [dhati] pre-existence, since the former is preceded by a cause. Far exalted be God from being connected with the world of contingency! We testify that that same pre-existence perceived by the devoted and near ones is contingent [hadith] in the eyes of God, that He hath ever been sanctified above terms denoting pre-existence and contingency, that He is holy above mention and explanation...

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In brief, existence hath one signification, but its manifestations, appearances, and attributes vary in every grade and station. As for the kinds of spirit, these are fixed realities each having its own specification and individualization, particular perfections and attributes, which distinguish one from another. They differ with respect to their essential qualities and what they signify. The mineral spirit, therefore, cannot be compared to the plant spirit, because the latter is the power of growth. The animal spirit, also, is a specialized reality distinct from all besides itself through its attributes and significations, for it is the power of sense perception and volitional movement.

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One questioned Him about spirit and matter. The Master replied: "This question may be answered in two ways, philosophically as well as spiritually. Philosophically, the answer is easy because in philosophy the spirit is energy and all matter is endowed with energy; and this power is inseparable from matter, as in electricity. In other words, matter is a vehicle for spirit but the transformation of matter does not involve the extinction of that power because transformation and transference are in the properties of matter. Immaterial beings or realities, however, are protected and preserved and their essential power remains unaltered. The manifestation or appearance of the spirit varies due to changes in matter and bodies. This, however, does not mean that spirit itself is subject to extinction." (Mahmud's Diary, 17 Oct. 1912, p.335) [alternative translation:] One of those present asked about the relationship between spirit and matter. `Abdu'l-Baha replied: 'This question has two answers: one is philosophical and the other is divine. The philosophical answer is easy because in philosophy 'spirit' is defined as a force belonging to every material thing which cannot be dissociated from it. For example, the power of electricity, or to use another expression, the 'spirit of instruments', is material, but through the transformation of matter the destruction of that force is not required, since transformation and transferal are among the concomitants of material things. As for immaterial realities and spirits, they are inviolable and impregnable, for these fundamental powers are eternal, and it is through the transformation of bodies and corporeal forms that the manifestation of spirit is diversified. It is not possible for spirit itself to become annihilated.'

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The best, most perfect, and clearest of these is that spirit is an abstract substance separate from matter in essence but not in act. It will not be hidden from the wise that this definition, insofar as it is a definition by negation, fails to elucidate the reality of the essence of the thing described. … Yet it remains in need of matter in all acts, and inseparable from it in all conditions, for it is unimaginable that matter be stripped from it. No act can issue from spirit except through matter, and it is inconceivable that an effect could be produced by spirit save through the instrumentality of matter.

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No matter how high the soaring ones fly in the utmost degrees of knowledge and understanding, ... they are but reading letters from the book of their own selves, and reaching only to the brilliant unseen signs that are enshrined in the reality of their own beings, and circling round the centre of their own entities.

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...one person envisages the Unseen, the Transcendent, the Inaccessible One (God; ghayb-i-mani' la yudrak) in the Person (haykal) of the Manifestation (of God; zuhur) without making any distinction (fasl; or division) or connection (between them; wasl/union). Others there are who recognize the Person (haykal) of the Manifestation as the Appearance of God ([Himself] or theophany, zuhur'u'llah) and consider the commands and prohibitions of the Manifestation to be identical with such as originate with the One True God. These two positions (maqam) are both acceptable before the throne of God.

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When He revealeth, "I am verily the Mirror of God," a mirror is created in which naught is seen save the Countenance of God. Therefore he [a person] would gaze upon the Bayan, and would always refer to these words, inasmuch as his inmost reality is verily created by this verse. He, therefore, would consider those who fail to believe in those words to be of a lower spiritual station. And he is correct at his own level of existence.

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This one sayeth, "Thou art an extremist (ghali)," and the other one sayeth, "Thou art intolerant (qali)." This one adduceth evidence from a word of God, and that one reasoneth by another word of God. But I affirm unto them: Ye both are true and right, on the condition that thou not say unto him, "He is an extremist," and he not say unto thee, "Thou art intolerant." As to thee who art in the lower station, thou verily art created by this verse, and thus thou wouldst not comprehend above it. As to thee who art in the highest station, thou art fashioned by that verse and thou canst understand the station beneath thine existence.... Thus, wert thou to acquire wisdom, thou wouldst not reject anyone because of his limitation, but must foster the growth of all in the palm of thy mercy.

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Indeed, all who have endeavoured to explain the problem of Destiny have advocated either absolute divine determinism or human choice, and thus all the philosophers have confessed their powerlessness to explain the truth of this question. Indeed, this verily is the truth, inasmuch as the philosophers wanted to explain the divine truth, the Middle Path between absolute determinism and absolute freedom, by proofs of reason, which is, however, impossible. For, verily, reason, even in its utmost level of abstraction, is confined to understanding mere limited phenomenona, which fail to guide humans unto the summit of the delight of their heart. Thus, he who abideth upon the throne of the kingdom of reason hath no recourse but to believe in either determinism or absolute freedom.

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Things are patterned after archetypes, but the nature of the resemblance is different than that between two similar things: we must consider the virtues by which we assert that we are made like, in order that we may discover this one and the same reality which when we possess it as an imitation is virtue, but There, where it exists as an archetype, is not virtue. We should note that there are two kinds of likenesses...

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Some [of the mystics] have supposed the One true God to be as the ocean, and His creatures as its waves.... In a similar vein, the mystics have likened Him Who is the Sovereign Truth to ink, and all else but Him to letters.... Likewise, they have supposed the Sovereign Truth to be as the number one, and all else but Him as higher numbers; and again they have supposed Him to be as water, and all else but Him as snowflakes.... … O Salman! The Pen of the All-Merciful affirmeth that, in this Day, both the defender and upholder of these theories and their repudiator stand in the same degree, inasmuch as the Sun of Truth itself hath dawned, and now shineth forth resplendently from the apex of heaven. Assuredly, then, whoever occupieth himself in the discussion of such matters will remain deprived of recognizing the beauty of the All-Merciful.

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The writings of the Bab ... represent a complex approach which does not correspond to either monism or dualism... The two concepts of immanence and transcendence are both integral aspects of the Bab's theology that are reconciled and unified in the concept of the Primal Will or the Point.

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...when the heart of the 'knower' becomes strengthened and mounts a step higher, the object of the 'witnessing' becomes visible to the internal, spiritual eye (basirah), though as yet no vision occurs to his physical eye. As the 'knower' goes up to the next degree, the object becomes visible to both his physical eye and his spiritual eye. And if he still goes up and reaches finally the ultimate and highest stage, the one who 'witnesses' and the object 'witnessed' become completely unified. At this stage it is no longer the human heart that 'witnesses' its object; but it is the Absolute itself 'witnessing' itself in itself. And this is the stage of the 'saint' (waliy).

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We live in succession, in division, in parts, in particles. Meantime within man is the soul of the whole; the wise silence; the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal ONE. And this deep power in which we exist and whose beatitude is all accessible to us, is not only self-sufficing and perfect in every hour, but the act of seeing and the thing seen, the seer and the spectacle, the subject and the object, are one. We see the world piece by piece, as the sun, the moon, the animal, the tree; but the whole, of which these are shining parts, is the soul. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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At the level of the contingent world, true worship is realized for those who worship God through Him and submerge themselves in the Sea of Absolute Unity. For in that Sea, the worshipper and the words of worship are annihilated, and thus there remaineth naught for the worshipper but the very revelation of God and the pure Countenance of the Beloved.... He who worshippeth God through any one but Him, by gazing at his own self as the Worshipper and at God as the Object of his worship, hath joined partners with God and hath never worshipped Him. (The Bab, provisional translation,

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The advocates of the doctrine of the unity of existence are joining partners with God by virtue of the testimony of the idea of existence itself. For the "unity" affirmed by them is derivative of the existence of duality; otherwise why would they deny the duality and affirm the unity? Likewise, those who advocate that the cause of the existence of the contingent beings is the Essence of God, and thus believe in some form of relation between the two, are disbelievers. For causation is dependent on the association with the effect, and relation is dependent on the existence of duality, whereas both conditions are utterly false.

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