Part 10: Finding Faith and Finding Yourself, Too

Do you believe, as the majority of religionists do–for example 2.1 billion Christians, 1.5 billion Muslims, 900 million Hindus, 394 million Buddhists and millions of other faith adherents—that God created us in his image?
 
You might find it easier to believe if you think of “image” not as physical but as spiritual, revolving around our souls and spirits, and of course our hearts–the throne of love.

Those-we-love. Whom and what do we love? With a fortunate environment we love our parents, siblings and families, which expands, if we let it, to friends, community, nation and the entire human race. We love those who educate us about ourselves and the world, helping us embark on a lifelong condition of learning. Formal schooling into our teenage years, and hopefully college or trade school beyond, can help us in this modern age to establish our identity and meet its challenges. All of that, of course, depends on the openness of our hearts propelling us forward in our search for self and reality:

    "Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of heedlessness. Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation." – Baha’u’llah, Gleanings From the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 267.

The Baha’i teachings say that “a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind…” are the prerequisites in our search for our inner reality. With a new heart and mind we can discover and mold our own view of ourselves and the world. We can enable the progress of our souls, and unravel the mysteries of the Tree of Knowledge. For our individual and collective search to be fulfilled, the discovery of truth is itself the highest goal. We seek reality. As we’ve discussed, both religion and science are also discoverers of reality:
 
     "The foundation of progress and real prosperity in the human world is reality, for reality is the divine standard and the bestowal of God. Reality is reasonableness, and reasonableness is ever conducive to the honorable station of man. Reality is the guidance of God. Reality is the cause of illumination of mankind. Reality is love, ever working for the welfare of humanity. Reality is the bond which conjoins hearts. This ever uplifts man toward higher stages of progress and attainment. Reality is the unity of mankind, conferring everlasting life. Reality is perfect equality, the foundation of agreement between the nations, the first step toward international peace." – Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 376

Recognizing and accepting truth isn’t easy, or we wouldn’t have such dissension and difference of opinion in the world, too often crippling our ability to improve our individual and collective condition—and recognize reality, both inner and outer. But the signs of positive change and raised consciousness gather more momentum every day. Faith in ourselves and our fellow men and women of the world to do the right thing will attain it.

The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only (Rodney), and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.

Part 9: Passing Mental Tests on the Path to Self

[Reprinted from a post(s) on bahaiteachings.org]

In previous parts of this series I have attempted to lead up to the most challenging question of life for a human being, an innate question built into our very core: “Who am I?”

This fundamental question comes with many variations: “What do I want to do” or “want to be,” or “should I be?”

When we ask ourselves this important question, our minds can inform our bodies and spirits in confidently choosing a direction in life. We will, each one of us, decide to make our own path, follow another’s, or choose none at all, letting happenstance guide our lives.

Regardless of our direction, we need our mind to help direct us. Mental illnesses don’t make it any easier–just look at Wikipedia’s long list of them under “mental disorders." Also:

"One in five Americans experienced some sort of mental illness in 2010, according to a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. About 5 percent of Americans have suffered from such severe mental illness that it interfered with day-to-day school, work or family." [Source: ABC News, Jan. 19, 2012]

Being bipolar myself for more than 35 years, I can attest to the suffering mental illness can cause–but also to the progress medicine has made in effective treatments, both chemical and behavioral.

One of those effective behavioral approaches—mindfulness meditation, which I discovered during a six-week class during my mental illness treatments—helped provide a key to my own self-awareness. I found that a regular practice of mindfulness not only aids treatment, but also allows fuller expansion of normal life activities and brain functioning.

Often we only think about pleasing our outer senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and vision. Yet even comas and REM states prove the mind and spirit still works without them. The Baha’i teachings also name five intellectual, spiritual or inner senses:

…imagination which conceives things; thought, which reflects upon realities; comprehension, which comprehends realities; memory, which retains whatever man imagines, thinks and comprehends. The intermediary between the five outward powers and the inward powers is the sense which they possess in common – that is to say, the sense which acts between the outer and inner powers, conveys to the inward powers whatever the outward powers discern. It is termed the common faculty, because it communicates between the outward and inward powers and thus is common to the outward and inward powers. – Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 216.

Obviously our bodies and minds and spirits use these structural tools for discovering the reality we call Me.

 

Precisely by reason of our discoveries into the realities of our own selves over the millennia, we have developed our five inward powers that are equivalent to our outward powers. Those inner powers have now far surpassed our physical powers alone. Our mental powers created technology, which gave us the ability to see inside our own brains with CAT scans and MRI’s, and increasingly learn what it means to be human.

So–why do I exist? The Baha’i teachings say that we all exist to grow spiritually—to fully develop those inner senses and powers.

We can live like the animal, rely only on our outward five senses, take what we want and not care about others’ feelings, or we can utilize our inward, spiritual senses, and find ways to live in harmony and prosperity with our fellow human beings.

If we fully utilize those inward powers of mind and spirit, especially our collective minds as one human family, we can discover and implement solutions to the most intractable global problems. With time, will, and unity of thought and purpose, everything is not only possible, but probable.

The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BahaiTeachings.org or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.

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IN SERIES:
Global Change for the Next Generation 

 The Creation Story—Balancing Mind and Spirit  

The Seat of the Self—the Human Heart

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written by

Rodney Richards

   Email Rodney Richards

Rodney is a technical writer by profession, having served New Jersey State Government for 39 years. Retiring in 2009 Rod turned his writing skills to prose and poetry, publishing his first in a series of memoirs, Episodes: A poetic memoir, available on Amazon.com. He and his wife of 44 years, Janet, are proud of their successful adult children, and remain active in the community in which they live.