the soul as soil; cultivation of the soul
Editorial introduction
Anyone can till soft ground free of thorns, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá observes; the skill of the divine Farmer shows in hard soil, ploughed, watered and sown until it bears. The heart, in the Bahá’í writings, is such a field. Bahá’u’lláh calls it the earth in which God has deposited the seeds of His knowledge and love, and bids His followers sow wisdom there and water it with certitude, so that hyacinths spring from the heart and not from mire. Planting, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá warns, is the easy part; strengthening roots is the long labour, and the gardener must cut away withered branches and pull the weeds of self and passion before the trees can fruit for the benefit of others. Beneath black earth lie flowers no one has yet seen, which is why a child’s purity, a seeker’s readiness and a neglected opportunity all belong to the same story. The sower of Luke’s parable, with his shallow ground, his thorns and his patient good soil, keeps the stakes of receptivity in view [1]. The way leads on to the Manifestation of God as gardener, to education and the unfolding of capacity, to the fruit by which a life is known, and back to the old question of original sin and what is truly given at birth.
I beseech God that that divine Farmer may plow every hard soil, irrigate it and scatter seeds therein. This is proof of the skill and power of the Farmer, for any soul can cultivate and irrigate soft soil free of thorns and weeds.
See in the winter how bare and lifeless the trees and plants seem, without leaves and without fruit. Suppose one should pass by at this time who knew nothing of the condition of the earth and saw a man ploughing it up and casting grain in the furrow. Would he not say, "How foolish this man is. He is troubling himself for no result, working for no purpose and wasting that which would give him food"? But in due time the showers descend upon the earth, the sun shines, the breezes blow and we see the result in great beauty and production.
The planting of trees is easy, but their cultivation and training to strengthen their roots and to make them firm is difficult. Now, as thou art a firm tree, thou shalt certainly grow and send out branches, leaves and blossoms and bear fruits.
Human reality is like pure soil - the more thou dost dig and till and turn it over, the greater becomes its bounty and blessing, and the better its vegetation grows.
For if he acquire praiseworthy virtues, these strengthen the individuality of man and call forth his hidden forces; but if he acquire defects, the beauty and simplicity of the individuality will be lost to him and its God-given qualities will be stifled in the foul atmosphere of self.
… A fruitless tree under the influence of a wise gardener becomes fruitful; a slab of marble under the hand of a sculptor becomes a beautiful statue.
This soil's purity or impurity comes from itself. A child is created according to divine nature, the soil is pure, but later becomes defiled.
If we consider the ground it also has two perfections--its innate faculty of growth and that which the gardener brings out. If he leaves a piece of ground to itself he will find it bringing forth all sorts of plants--some good and some bad--and he will never get any blessings from that ground unless it is cultivated.
Each kingdom of nature holds potentialities and each must be cultivated in order to reach its fulfillment.
I hope that day by day the friends will increase in capacity and potential, so that through the downpour of the rain of mercy, the seed of divine gifts will flourish in the soil of the heart.
Knowledge is love. Study, listen to exhortations, think, try to understand the wisdom and greatness of God. The soil must be fertilized before the seed can be sown.
The more the farmer of knowledge and wisdom strives in the soil of souls, the more the bounties and blessings will increase. Until the earth becomes pure and ready through the efforts of the farmer, it will not yield complete fruits and great harvests will not be obtained.
"By the earth and its expanse" - The meaning of "earth" is the earth of hearts, which is vaster than earth and heaven, for the heart is the Most Great Throne for the establishment of thy Lord's revelation, Creator of nations and Fashioner of bones. Verily it is the earth wherein God hath deposited the seeds of His knowledge and love, that from it may spring forth the ears of knowledge and certitude. Say: O people! Today is the day of sowing. Sow ye in your hearts, with the hands of certitude, that which ye have been given by your Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. For "earth" there are countless meanings, and We have chosen but one of them.
However bountiful the heavenly showers nothing will grow unless the soil is pure and goodly; however radiant the reflections of the Sun of Truth, nothing will shine unless the human heart is pure.
O friends! Tend ye the gardens of the Lord of creation and keep them pure from the thorns and weeds that have grown therein. These gardens are your hearts. Whosoever hath planted the tree of divine love in the garden of his heart must needs preserve it, water it with the rain of remembrance, and keep it pure from the weeds of self and passion.
They receive bounties from the clouds of mercy but grow not, for they are black earth and barren salt-marsh - no matter how much rain falls, no flowers or fragrant herbs will grow.
From clean soil it produces flowers and sweet herbs, while from brackish ground nothing grows save worthless thorns and weeds. Therefore praise ye God that, praise be to God, ye were pure and clean soil which brought forth flowers and sweet herbs of faith and certitude.
In a flower garden it produces flowers and fragrant herbs, while in a waste place it brings forth thorns and poisonous weeds. "As for the good land, its vegetation comes forth by permission of its Lord, while that which is bad yields only hardship."
Now praise be to God that Anarak was good land, for its vegetation became roses, sweet basil, hyacinth and thyme, and such blessed souls were raised up in that land who became attracted to holy fragrances and hastened to the shade of the blessed Tree planted in the midst of paradise, and became illumined by the divine fire kindled in the human tree.
The seeds that fall on the path and among weeds and on rocks have no fruit or result, but what is scattered on good soil grows and bears fruit and becomes a source of blessing.
"Some people are ready for education. They are like the fertile ground. Some have not capacity, they are like the barren or salty ground. His Holiness Christ has told a story of the seed that fell on stony ground and so it could not grow. Other seeds fell in the shallow earth, and they soon withered away. But some fell on the good fertile earth, and grew and produced fruit.
Look at the people of the world. Look in a very careful way and then you will observe that all the people are like gardeners. They are all planting the seed in a fertile ground or a very weak ground. The seed sown in sterile ground will not bear fruit--no result.
The trees of loving-kindness have arrived. O beloved of my heart! The tree is present, the earth is present, the water is present - the matter rests with the planter and cultivator. We beseech God that by His blessed will and good-pleasure, He may bring about the means that are expedient.
Now that the clouds of loving providence are pouring forth and the Sun of Truth is shining, now that the breezes of His Providence are blowing in this season of Divine Spring every spiritual farmer must scatter seeds of the spirit too so that he might attain onto true happiness and salvation.
Such seeds, as ordained by the one true God, are none other than goodly attributes and goodly deeds, goodly character and goodly words.
That pure seed is the love of God which must be sown in the field of hearts so that a harvest may be reaped at the end of spring.
Today good soil is rare - blessed is he who findeth it and planteth therein the seed of trustworthiness.
The constitution of some people is knead[ed] with the water of loyalty. They are like unto a pure soil in which the seeds of loyalty are planted and which will grow and bring forth much fruit[s.]
This faith and certitude, like a seed sown in the field of the heart, will soon sprout forth, yielding ears of corn that shall become the blessed harvest of the free ones.
Supplicate to God that the seed of knowledge in the soil of thy heart may soon develop and grow into hyacinths and roses and that the flower-garden of the love of God may be thereby perfumed.
Your fields are hearts. You sow seeds of the love of God and water them from the spring of divine knowledge, trusting in the Sun of Truth that its heat and rays will nurture this blessed crop, and the breeze of bounty will blow and the dew of grace will fall, giving this cultivation freshness, beauty and blessing.
He hath ploughed the land, and sown it with pure seed; and little by little it hath become green and verdant. His object, however, is that it should yield an abundant harvest, sheaf upon sheaf, and that the grace and blessings of heaven should be made apparent. He hath planted the choicest seedlings. … He hath chosen certain souls, saying, 'Do ye tend these seedlings with heart and soul, do ye tend this area of tillage and cultivation, that it may flourish and develop, and ripe ears and heavenly blessings may be reaped.' 'In this wise,' He hath told them, 'Do ye water and nurture the seedlings until they come to fruit.'
"Arise to serve the Cause of God in the vineyard of God and water the developed and flourishing trees with the waters of mysteries which are deposited in the innermost parts of the words of the Books; and be assured that the fountain of assurance will gush out in the hearts of the firm and steadfast women believers, and the divine graces will strengthen them from all sides, and the Lord will enable them to diffuse the fragrances.
Strive ye that they may grow very quickly. Water ye that field and take care of the tender shrubs planted by the hand of 'Abdu'l-Baha so that they may yield luscious fruits, and become the fruit of the spirit.
Water the field of that divine Farmer and tend the garden of that spiritual Friend, so that the harvest may yield abundance and the garden may become the envy of flower beds and meadows.
In truth, you are the gardeners in the divine garden, training the trees of human souls and bringing forth many flowers of delightful hue and fragrance in the garden of the Kingdom.
Praise be unto God! who hath created sanctified souls, illumining them with the reflections of the Sun of Truth, and raising certain persons for the service of the Kingdom and gardening in the divine orchard.
… This very fact denotes that, God willing, thou art to be a fruitful tree; nay, rather, thou wilt become a rose-garden of the hyacinths of realities and significances.
If these Tablets do not move and stir the hearts out of their sleep and do not spur them into insatiable activity they are harder than stones; because in this condition of weakness I am writing to them with such love and devotion.
This effort which he has made is like unto the seed which a farmer sows. That seed will surely receive the benefit of a blessing and thus will form harvests.
O Abu'l-Qasim! The cultivators have, through divine confirmation and grace, sown the seed which hath grown through the water of the mercy of the All-Merciful, and the harvest is nigh.
When this cup of life overfloweth, this robust body becometh weak and incapacitated, and this vibrant morning turneth into a dark night, what fruit wilt thou pluck from the tree of life, what result wilt thou attain, what nectar wilt thou taste, from what snare wilt thou be delivered, and from what chalice wilt thou quaff?
O Muhammad-Husayn! Man is, in the sight of God, even as a tree. His leaves are forbearance and submission, and his fruits are the knowledge of the All-Bountiful Lord.
Consider man as a tree: its fruit hath been and ever shall be the knowledge of God, and its leaves and branches are goodly deeds and spiritual qualities.
O thou tree, developed in the garden of the Love of God!
Be well watered with the abundant rain falling from the clouds of the Testament of God, that thou mayest bring forth fresh and ripe fruits which are beneficial to the hearts and souls.
O Majid!
With My own hands have I reared thee, and in My exalted Paradise have I planted thee, that through My loving care thou mightest bring forth goodly branches, pure boughs, and blessed fruits. And now is the time of thy fruition. Beware lest thou suffer thy leaves, fruits and branches to be withered by the scorching winds of extinction or be brought to naught. Therefore, through remembrance of My glorious Name, keep fresh the fruits of thine own tree and preserve them from violent gales and destroying tempests.
I swear by His peerless Beauty that mention and praise of Him, like the spring rain, makes verdant and joyous the gardens of hearts and bestows abundant blessing upon the field of realities.
You have drunk from the Living Waters and grown and developed through the clear waters and the pure springs of certitude. Now you must ever be stirred and moved by the breezes of bounty from the direction of divine favors, and day by day acquire fresh grace, delicacy and spirituality, so that you may adorn the Abha Paradise with holy fragrances.
Strive night and day and drink from the spring of certitude, that this drop may become a river and the river may join the ocean. Then boundless favors shall appear and the wondrous attributes of the All-Merciful shall become manifest.
The world of existence is like unto an orchard and humanity is like unto the trees. All these trees are planted in the same orchard, reared through the heat of one sun, watered with one rain.
Although the earth is the black soil, yet through the downpour of rain and the heat of the sun, flowers and anemones shall grow therefrom.
Although the black soil has no value or price, yet through the downpour of the vernal shower, the heat and rays of the most great, heavenly luminary and the wafting of the spring breeze the flowers and hyacinths of wonderful and delicate hues grow therein.
The people who come here are divided into two classes. One comes here as dead and returns alive; ignorant and returns wise; withered and returns fresh and fragrant.
My gardens are the hearts and souls. The hearts are everlasting rose gardens.
And spirits are stirred by the breezes of their gardens, delighting in the bounties of their realities, rejoicing in the freshness of their meadows, gladdened by the fragrance of their thickets, made happy by the outpouring from their fountains.
The garden of the soul's delight
Is filled with flowers blooming bright
The nightingale with songs of might
Stands rapt before the rose's sight
Bewildered, wandering in the night
Drunk with the Beloved's face so bright
Both tipsy and inebriated quite
With sighs and cries in sorry plight
To God ascending in its flight.
I will quote the famous saying: "One flower does not make spring" - unless it be a flower that at every moment plants a branch in the stream of mysteries, and with its sweet fragrance perfumes not only the rose garden but the meadow and plain, and adorns the courtyard of the garden.
If its characteristics and conditions become fully realised in a soul then the utterance "Blessed be God, the Best of Creators" will be manifest and evident.
Therefore, give thanks unto God that thy pure heart was a polished mirror that became illumined with the lights of guidance, and thy soul was good and fertile soil that, through the outpourings of the clouds of grace, brought forth the flowers and sweet herbs of guidance.
O thou tender plant in the Garden of God! Happy art thou, Happy art thou! That thou art nurtured and developed by the outpouring of the Cloud of the Most Great Guidance; art stirred into cheerfulness by the wafting of the Breeze of the Divine Spring and art adorned with foliage and blossoms by the gentle rays of the Sun of Truth.
O sapling of the garden of divine knowledge! We hope that through the grace and gift of the Sun of the All-Merciful, and the outpouring of the clouds of the Ancient of Days, and the fecundating winds of the divine springtime, thou mayest become a fruit-laden and bountiful tree, and grow and develop with utmost freshness and delicacy in the rose-garden of the favors of His Holiness the One.
But you are a sapling in the garden of love. I hope that you will grow and develop through the drops of the cloud of grace and will put forth leaves and blossoms from the breeze of divine bestowal and will yield sweet and sugary fruit.
O spiritual friends! The souls who in this age and century have been raised up under the shade of the Word of Unity are like trees planted in the Abha Paradise. Therefore they must, through the bounty of the clouds of mercy, attain such freshness and delicacy that they adorn the realm of existence and become the envy of gardens and meadows.
O young and lowly servant! Although thou art but a tender sapling in the garden of the love of the Most Great Oneness, yet we cherish strong hopes that, through the great bounty and profound favor of the Lord, the Gracious One, thou wilt become a fruitful tree in the meadow and garden of the knowledge of God, and wilt become a crimson tulip, growing and flourishing and casting a far-reaching shade.
O sapling of the garden of divine knowledge! How fortunate and auspicious is thy destiny, that thou hast grown up beside this stream and flourished in this orchard of certitude.
O thou tree planted in the Vineyard of God!
Verily, the clouds of the mercy of thy Lord have poured forth the rain of His greatest gift; the heat of the Sun of Truth hath become intense upon the plains, valleys and hills, and the winds of fecundation of the mercy of thy Lord have blown o'er the gardens, mountains and thickets.
Therefore, O thou tree, be verdant, blossom, put forth leaves and bear beautiful fruits in this most Supreme Paradise!
I ask God to make thee a growing, developing branch in His vineyard, bearing flowers, leaves and fruits, with widespread branches, blooming, verdant and watered by the abundance of the clouds of His Kingdom and the heat of the sun of His Word.
Mayest thou grow and develop in the meadow of graces and become green and verdant in the orchard of understanding; in the Garden of Oneness mayest thou become the incomparable tree and the flower of the Court of Unity.
And from the flowers, which were enclosed in your note, he has smelled the scent of the gardens of your hearts, which are ornamented by the flowers of faith and assurance; and I ask God to continue sending upon you the gifts of His merciful benevolence at all times.
Make my heart to be a pure mirror and my soul faithful. Torment Thou my insistent self, kindle my heart and revive my spirit.
Waft upon me moreover, O my God, a breeze from the garden of the heart of one of the leaves which sprung from the tree of Thy oneness, that perchance my heart is quickened, my soul is refreshed, and my spirit is rejoiced.
O Lord! This is a sweet basil plant grown in the gardens of Thy oneness, and this is a verdant shoot beside the pools of Thy mercy, and this is a branch that hath grown and flourished in the groves of Thy singleness.
O Lord! Through the outpouring of the cloud of Thy bounty, the heat of the Sun of Reality, and the wafting of the breeze of guidance, grant these saplings growth and development. Bestow upon them freshness and grace, that they may bring forth leaves and blossoms and yield fruit.
I beseech God that through the bounty of the Most Great One and the grace and mercy of the Supreme Concourse, the garden of hearts may be so adorned as to become the envy of the most verdant garden and the object of jealousy of the Paradise of Abha.
Yet, since he is as a seed from Thy holy land, he desireth that Thou plant him by the hands of Thy bounty in the soil of Thy Divine Unity, that he may yield the fruits of Thine eternity in the cloud of Thy Lordship and put forth the leaves of Thy oneness in the atmosphere of the intimate fellowship of the heaven of glory of the King of Thy bounty.
I beseech Thee, O Thou through Whose word the world was set in motion and by Whose name the Ancient Sea was made to surge, to send down from the heaven of Thy grace and the clouds of Thy mercy that which will cause to spring forth from the soil of hearts the plants of Thy knowledge and the fruits of Thy love and praise.
Thou knowest, O my God, that this is a plant which hath grown in the soil of Thy acceptance - withhold not from it the rain from the clouds of Thy grace and the heaven of Thy generosity.
These Heavenly Gifts among the people of the world and the Dawning-point of the Lights of His great Providence, so that thou mayest found an Eternal Castle in this mortal world and plant in this low earth a tree the branches of which shall reach up to the very heaven.
Further quotations · supplied wording and references
The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit. The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest.
Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and will ever bee worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless tree is but fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite, highly desired and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character, virtuous deeds and a goodly utterance... The Water for these trees is the living water of the sacred Words uttered by the Beloved of the world. In one instant are such trees planted and in the next their branches shall, through the outpourings of the showers of divine mercy, have reached the skies.
Children must be most carefully watched over, protected and trained; in such consisteth true parenthood and parental mercy. Otherwise, the children will turn into weeds growing wild...
When a person becomes a Baha'i, actually what takes place is that the seed of the spirit starts to grow in the human soul. This seed must be watered with the outpourings of the Holy Spirit. These gifts of the spirit are received through prayer, meditation, study of the Holy Utterances and service to the Cause of God.... service in the Cause is like the plough which ploughs the physical soil when seeds are sown.
For thought and discussion