Theme: Spiritual Birth – Part I
The Gopaul family, with the help and encouragement of
Mandana Sabet, decided to host a regular devotional gathering in order to unite with
others in prayer and shape a pattern of life distinguished by its devotional
character. We wanted this gathering to be special by combining prayers with
short conversations on related spiritual subjects. Every heart longs to commune
with its Maker. Reading the Holy Verses uplifts our spirit and brings us closer
to God. From these ideas, we hope participation, sharing and learning will
naturally occur.
Each devotional will focus on a particular theme. The themes
build on each other in order to advance our understanding of spiritual topics.
We invite the world to join us through this blog, Facebook or Twitter. At our
first physical meeting, there were only four of us. But from our home we are
able to extend our reach globally, one of the great blessings of living in this
wonderful age.
Moving forward, we’ll split the theme into manageable
portions for our readers. Each blog post will have three sections: Devotion,
Deeper Learning and Deeds (path of service), thus the 3-D Project. You will also see a section
called Reflection which acts like a bridge that takes us from understanding to
action. Depending on the size, each theme will be split into two to three
parts. We are planning to place each section online every Friday, at least
that’s our goal.
Devotion
My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire! What tongue can voice my thanks to Thee? I was heedless, Thou didst awaken me. I had turned back from Thee, Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. I was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. I was withered, Thou didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful. O Divine Providence! All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean of Thy mercy. I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and under all conditions, and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor. Thou art, in truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the kingdom of eternity. - Baha'u'llah (Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 18) |
Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire, Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants. Supply me, then, with the good of this world and of the next. Thou, truly, art the King of all men. There is no God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous. - Baha'u'llah (Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 16) |
Deeper Learning
One thing is certain: every human
being arrives in this world in a naked and fragile body, crying, its parts
barely working. After this physical birth, a newborn is in desperate need of
others for survival. Fortunately, there is always help on standby for the new
arrival, who holds promises of developing physically, emotionally and
intellectually, of being educated, reaching self-sufficiency and hopefully
becoming a productive citizen of society. Then, after a life here, death surely
comes, sometimes unexpectedly. This is the life of a human being on this planet
in a nutshell.
There is another kind of birth. Of
all the religions, Christianity particularly emphasizes this second birth. In
fact, there are even “Born Again” Christians. This has to do with what Jesus
Christ said. According to John, Jesus said: “Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).” Jesus also said, “That which is born
of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John
3:6). These sayings suggest that there are two realities to a human being: the
physical and the spiritual. Through our physical birth we enter this world, but
to gain access to the Kingdom of God, we need to experience a spiritual birth.
According to ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, the
Kingdom of God refers to a world beyond the physical. He said:
“Therefore, in
this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs in
the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here.” - Abdu'l-Baha (The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.
226)
These quotations suggest that we
need to go through a transformation as a way to condition ourselves for the
next world. Just like the womb is a preparation for this world.
To be spiritually born involves
gaining awareness that our existence is not only physical. Those who profess to
have experienced this spiritual dimension understand that their existence is
highly enhanced when they live according to spiritual laws and not only
physical and social impulses. The highest point of this awareness is to
acknowledge there is a supreme divine Being, called God or Allah or Yaheveh,
Who is the creator of the universe. One who goes through this rebirth also
understands that the soul, our inner spirit, must develop a relationship with
this Supreme Power for its own good.
What to do with this knowledge?
For those who take it seriously, life could be a wonderful experience. With it
one can ride the waves of difficulties that life throws at us. It gives meaning
to existence beyond the physical realm. When we die, life does not end. Rather
it continues throughout eternity. Without this understanding, life is only the
here and now. Have a good time. Look after me, me, and me.
Finding God is a personal journey
and our experiences are as unique as us. For example, my friend in Alberta was
looking out at a majestic landscape when suddenly she realized that a Supreme
Power must have created all that she saw. This was her moment of awakening. She
investigated many religions and eventually became a Baha’i.
The second example is my spiritual
birth. At the age of fifteen, I concluded that God did not exist. A few years
later, I came across the Baha’i Faith. The Baha’is eagerly informed me of their
beliefs and gently pressed me to become a member, but, at the time, I had very
little appetite for religion. In 1969, I went from my birthplace of Mauritius
to Pakistan to study. In Karachi I contacted the Baha’is, who were friendly and
hospitable. Nine months later when I decided to leave Pakistan and head towards
Europe by road, one Baha’i suggested that I contract the Baha’is on my journey.
It sounded like a good idea and I immediately accepted. During my travels in
Europe, I was always in touch with the Baha’is and participated in activities
whenever possible. In 1971, I reached Toronto and realized that I was very much
part of this religion, yet I still did not believe in God.
Knowing that religion is
fundamentally about a relationship between the soul and God, I felt
hypocritical in calling myself a Baha’i. Immediately after this realization, I
started my quest for God. After a few months of reflection, as I did when I was
fifteen, I came to the same conclusion: there is no God. I was disheartened,
and wondered what I did wrong. Then the answer came. I was using my mind to
logically satisfy myself of the existence of a spiritual Being. It wasn’t until
later, at a meeting where prayers were being said, that my approach changed. I
began to use my heart to sense the presence of the Almighty. With faith, I had
to make the first move and, sure enough a spiritual awareness came to me.
These two stories show divine
assistance is easier to call upon than dialing 911. In the Qur’án, it is said,
“And whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways will We guide them.” [29:69].
During this second birth,
something else happens that is far more important than what I have just
mentioned. The Holy Spirit, a signal telling the soul of a higher existence,
touches your soul. This is the moment
when a real spiritual life starts. There
is a direct interaction between a willing soul and the Holy Spirit: its
recreation begins. It is a new journey to see and reflect the Beauty of God.
Reflection
For a moment think of your rebirth. Did it happen in one
moment or a long period of time? Share
it with us, if you wish.
Deeds (path of service)
During the reflection of going online with these devotional/deep
learning, it occurred to us to add one more dimension, namely, deeds. Thus the
name 3-D Project came about. It makes sense. Prayers and discussion of a
spiritual subject do give us an opportunity to immerse our soul in the divine
realm and gain understanding of that reality. Yet, practicing what we learn or
preach offers even greater enlightenment. One of the quotations that I like is
this:
Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not
words, be your adorning. (Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
In anything we do, whether it is learning how to swim,
mastering physics or becoming a writer, just reading books and listening to a
teacher is not enough. One has to roll up the sleeves and get the hands dirty.
It is only through action that we gain deeper understanding. Who would better
understand love, compassion or generosity, than one who had practiced these
qualities?
In the Holy Writings of all religions, a lot has been said
about deeds. More importantly, we want participants to share their experiences,
hoping that they will inspire other to achieve a higher level of service.
(Stay tuned, Part II will be coming
to your local browser soon)
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