For the tongue is a smoldering fire

Steffi, reading a prayer

During our Ruhi Book 6 study circle two days ago, our group came across this Writing by Bahá'u'lláh, which encourages all of us to memorize phrases and passages from the Holy Writings, because there is no more powerful tool in touching the hearts of men:

“The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts regarding the methods of teaching. From the texts of the wondrous, heavenly Scriptures they should memorize phrases and passages bearing on various instances, so that in the course of their speech they may recite divine verses whenever the occasion demandeth it, inasmuch as these holy verses are the most potent elixir, the greatest and mightiest talisman. So potent is their influence that the hearer will have no cause for vacillation. I swear by My life! This Revelation is endowed with such a power that it will act as the lodestone for all nations and kindreds of the earth. Should one pause to meditate attentively he would recognize that no place is there, nor can there be, for anyone to flee to.”

We talked about the words "elixir" --meaning magical or medicinal, and "talisman" -- meaning something that brings good luck, and how they were used to describe the power of the Holy Verses. How lucky are we that the hundreds of books and the thousands of Tablets written by the hands of Bahá'u'lláh have been preserved and are accessible to us not just on our book shelves but now on our little gadgets in our pockets! They are there for everyone; not just for Bahá'is - so there is no longer a need to interpret and paraphrase the verses in our own words or understanding, when they are openly available in its purest forms, for all of humanity to consume!

A few sections later, we came across a paragraph by the Guardian (the authoritative interpreter of the Bahá'i Writings), who further explains to us one of the wisdoms behind memorizing the Sacred Texts: 

“Surely the ideal way of teaching is to prove our points by constant reference to the actual words of Baha’u’llah and the Master. This will save the Cause from being misinterpreted by individuals… The more deep our studies the more we can understand the significance of the Teachings… To deepen in the Cause means to read the Writings of Baha’u’llah and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in its pure form.”

Then in our group, we asked each other, do you have a favorite quotation you ALWAYS share whenever you are teaching the Faith to others? We laughed when we remembered the story behind my Dad's favorite quotation, which my Mom shared with us last meeting "The earth is but one country and mankind's its citizens" (story is two blogposts ago -- click here). 

My mom looked at me and said, I know you know mine. I smiled and said, is it the one about being created rich?! “O SON OF SPIRIT! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another? Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty, powerful and self-subsisting.”

Steff said she'd have to think more about it. Ruhiyyih said the quote she always loves to share is from Abdu'l-Bahá: "When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love."

When it came to my turn, I shared that I don't usually quote directly from Bahá'u'lláh when I introduce the Faith to others. I usually share lines from some of the talks given by Abdu'l-Bahá. I almost always start with the three main tenets (the Oneness of God, Oneness of Religion and the Oneness of Mankind), so when I elaborate on the third tenet, I present Abdu'l-Bahá's explanation of unity in diversity: 

“Consider the flowers of a garden. Though differing in kind, color, form and shape, yet, inasmuch as they are refreshed by the waters of one spring, revived by the breath of one wind, invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and addeth unto their beauty. How unpleasing to the eye if all the flowers and plants, the leaves and blossoms, the fruit, the branches and the trees of that garden were all of the same shape and color! Diversity of hues, form and shape enricheth and adorneth the garden, and heighteneth the effect thereof. In like manner, when divers shades of thought, temperament and character, are brought together under the power and influence of one central agency, the beauty and glory of human perfection will be revealed and made manifest. Naught but the celestial potency of the Word of God, which ruleth and transcendeth the realities of all things, is capable of harmonizing the divergent thoughts, sentiments, ideas and convictions of the children of men.”

I now realized that I definitely need to make more conscious effort to memorize some of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, to be able to share with others during my conversations. Whenever I come across quotations that I really love, or really speak to me at that moment, I design a simple photo for my laptop's background. My current desktop is this:

background by Joe Paczkowski

This is the wall on top of my bedroom desk - it's filled with posters/cards
with Bahá'i Writings. They were all given to me as gifts from
friends around the world (India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Chile and Guam!)

My favorite card on the wall is the big one with pink borders, it was given to me on the night of my farewell dinner after completing my year of service in India (as a Junior Youth Empowerment Program volunteer teacher at City Montessori School, Lucknow). It reads:

"To teach is to learn, 

To learn is to work, 

To work is to serve, 

To serve is to love, 

To love is to die, 

To die is to live, 

To live is to strive, 

To strive is to rise above 

all early limitations

and enter the Eternal Realm."

-'Abdu'l-Bahá

I also remember that for the longest time, this quotation from the Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh "O SON OF MAN! Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more" was my absolute favorite, because it always gave me peace and comfort. It's very similar to the latest prayer I memorized/put into chant:

“O My servants! Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you. Worlds, holy and spiritually glorious, will be unveiled to your eyes. You are destined by Him, in this world and hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.” 

✴✷ ✴ ✷✴

What about you? What's your favorite quotation? What's a line/verse from the Bahá'i Writings you always quote whenever you introduce the Bahá'i Faith?

Book 6 study group, Makati, Metro Manila