Good morning and welcome to my Forum
I am so glad that you are here with me still, thank you for your company!
The Teachings on behavour and moral conduct is as everybody knows an important part of religion, yes its main body so, shall we go to the classroom then. We will see that they are always the same. Prayers offered regularly to God is incumbent upon all since the connection between us and God is strengthened by it. We are making a certain effort thereby . The cord, the spiritual navalstring is established through prayer, so why not start with that-
Prayer by Bahaullah:
Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! I am Thy servant who hath laid hold on the cord of Thy tender mercies, and clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness.I entreat Thee by Thy name whereby Thou hast subjected all created things, both visible and invisible, and through which the breath that is life indeed was wafted over the entire creation, to strengthen me by Thy power which hath encompassed the heavens and the earth, and to guard me from all sickness and tribulation. I bear witness that Thou art the Lord of all names, and the Ordainer of all that may please Thee, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
EQUITY
Beware lest ye prefer yourselves above your neighbours.
Be fair to yourselves and to others, that the evidences of justice may be revealed, through your deeds, among Our faithful servants.
Equity is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation of all things must needs depend upon it.
Say! Observe equity in your judgement; ye men of understanding heart! He that is unjust in his judgement is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man's station.
Bahaullah
FIDELITY
The soul that hath remained faithful to the Cause of God, and stood unwaveringly firm in His Path shall, efter his ascension, be possessed of such power that all the worlds which the Almighty hath created can benefit through him. Such a soul provideth, at the bidding of the Ideal King and Divine Educator, the pure leaven that leaveneth the world of being, and furnisheth the power through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Consider how meal needeth leaven to be leavened with. Those souls are the symbols of detachment are the leaven of this world.
Bahaullah
FRIENDLINESS
We love to see you at all times consorting in amity and concord within the paradise of My good-pleasure, and to inhale from your acts the fragrance of friendliness and unity, of loving-kindness and fellowship...We shall always be with you; if We inhale the perfume of your fellowship, Our heart will assuredly rejoice, for naught else can satisfy Us.
Show forbearance and benevolence and love to one another. Should any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend it, show forth, when conversing with him,a spirit of extreme kindliness and good-will. Help him to see and recognize the truth, without esteeming yourself to be in the least superior to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.
Bahaullah
GENEROSITY
The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease.
If ye encounter one who is poor, treat him not disdainfully. Reflect ye upon that whereof ye were created. Every one of you were created of a sorry germ.
O Children of the Dust! Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.
Bahaullah
The amassing of extreme wealth in the world today on the one hand and the state of extreme poverty on the other must be averted. This is, naturally, one of the most important among the principles of Bahaullah. As with all things moderation is needed. That all people should have the same salary iscontrary to the Bahai Faith.
GOOD CHARACTER
The companions of God are, in this day, the lump that must leaven the peoples of the world. They must show forth such trustworthiness and perseverance, such deeds and character, that all mankind may profit by their exemple.
The purpose of the one true God in manifesting Himself is to summon all mankind to truthfulness and sincerity, to piety and trustworthiness, to resignation and submissiveness to the will of God, to forbearance and kindliness, to uprightness and wisdom. His object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds.
The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of men, and refine the character of every living man. Good character is verily, the best mantle for men on the part of God; by this God adorns the temples of His friends. By My life, the light of good character surpasses the light of the sun and its effulgence. He who attains thereto is accounted as the essence of men. Upon this the honour and glory of the world are based and are dependent. Good character is the means of guiding men to the right path and the great message.
Bahaullah
I am studying abook about ,among other things, the refining of one's character, to grow spiritually. I need assistance, I need to understand my motives better, it doen'st matter that I am an "old Bahai" I am the first to declare that. I have foundsome lines in Hatcher's book on the subject: Abdu'l-Baha often responded to Bahai's who felt overwhelmed by the task of refining their character by stressing the necessity of patience and daily striving. 'Be patient, be as I am,' He would say. Spirituality is to be won 'little by little; day by day'. *Let each morn be better than its yesterday' says Bahaullah
He is a true Bahai who strives by day and by night to progress and advance along the path of human endeavour, whose most cherished desire is to live and act as to enrich and illuminate the world, whose source of inspiration is the essence of Divine virtue, whose aim in life is so to conduct himself as to be the cause of infinite progress. Only when he attains unto such perfect gifts can it be said of him that he is a true Bahai. Abdu'l-Baha
At some other place Abdu'l-Baha also says that the perfect man is the one who strives to be perfect, continually, however true perfection is unattainable, because development can be done endlessly.
I also read already long time ago, that it is a good help on the way to always try to do at least one thing correctly and thoroughly as a start to transform one's soul.
Nothing can be achieved if we do not pray. Also the Bahais
"should not look at the depraved condition of the society in which they live, nor at the evidences of moral degradation and frivolous conduct which the people around them display. They, should not content themselves merely with relative distinction and excellence. Rather they should fix their gaze upon nobler heights by setting the counsels and exhortations of the Pen of Glory as their supreme goal. Then it will be readily realized how numerous are the stages that still remain to be traversed and how far off the desired goal lies - a goal which is none other than exemplifying heavenly morals and virtues."
Shoghi Effendi
The Goal is thus very high, extremely high.One has to bow one's head to that. If it were not for God's love and the strength that is derived through prayers and good actions, in the process of maturing, man would never choose to follow the prophets. There is a reward to each action done in the spirit of servitude and good-will. You live your life striving and...suddenly ..out of the air or in a dream comes the breeze of God's love, gently and unexpectedly. It is indeed worth dying for. This is what the world , secretely and openly, is longing for. This is what all the songs of the world are about, though they do not know it.
In the Book of Revelation 2:17 We read "To the one who gains victory I will give the hidden mamma" (My own translation)
When one turns to Bahaullah and receives the first glimmerings of divinity, this manna, you are welcomed with a loving sweet embrace enveloping your soul.
I also like the symbol of honey for this "event". And when you feel that, which is a very unmistakable feeling, you have got contact with the Omnipotent and loving Creator. It is so undoubtful a feeling that you do not ever want it to dissappear,you constantly wish for more of it, and you feel eternity inside of you, so...you wish to strive and do the bidding of God, what ever the goal, whatever you are, whatever your background or prerequisites or culture or religion. And you are forgiven for your trespasses. New sins have to be forgiven through your praying for that. But you are given a new strength to turn to God for forgiveness. You are not forgiven in just one go, one must work on it.
This first connection with God through His Manifestation is called "salvation" among Christians, but unlike what some of them believe, this is the beginning of striving on a road that never ends. Now you have become the "true seeker" which I have described in an earlier article in the words of Bahaullah. Now you have reached the "state of contant meditating" as Abdu'l-Baha has put it, now, through transforming your new energy into action,with the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, you become a steadfast believer.One cannot through just one crucial action of belief be saved, according to the Bahai Faith. It is now that you can begin to strive and better yourself. You will not be alone doing that. The company of Angels above will always be with you.
They are there on duty, to help you.
A man, while maintaining the station of servitude, can ever strive to be more perfect, why, because he is endowed with endless perfections. He is made in the image of God, so,bit by bit he can come ever nearer this goal, but never leave the station of that being a servant. He cannot become the manifestation(the Messenger of God) nor can he become a part of God. Man is a servant and in this condition he may attain endless perfections.
As the divine bounties are endless, so human perfections are endless. If it were possible to reach a limit of perfection, then one of the realities of the beings might reach the condition of being independent of God, and the contingent might attain the condition of the Absolute. But for every being there is a point which it cannot overpass - that is to say, he who is in the condition of servitude, however far he may progress in gaining limitless perfections, he will never reach the condition of Deity... Abdu'l-Baha
Bye for now
Kind regards from Laila
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