Perhaps my most powerful emotion in direct reaction to the sites we visited during the pilgrimage was a feeling of peace and contentment. From 1853 to His death in 1892, Bahá'u'lláh lived a life of exile and periodic imprisonmnet. The lowest point was His imprisonment in the citadel of 'Akká in Syria — in the heart of a prison city built above the fetid ruins of the Cruisader capital of St. Jean de Acre.
The Citadel of 'Akká
In an epistle extolling the Ridván Gardens outside of 'Akká — more on which in a future post — Bahá'u'lláh wrote that "God's power and the perfection of His handiwork could enjoyably be seen in the blossoms, the fruits, the trees, the leaves and the streams." In that spirit, the time spent out in the various "Bahá'í Gardens" was an integral part of the spiritual experience of the pilgrimage — linking physical sensation with spiritual "praise" of creation †. No matter how handsome the building, I will always feel most alive and aware in natural (or semi-natural) settings.
We returned yesterday from our Bahá'í pilgrimage. Pilgrimage to the Bahá'í holy places is enjoined in Bahá'u'llá's Most Holy Book, if one is able to undertake the travel. I was careful to avoid having too many specific expectations, instead being open to all the experiences I would encounter. For some the pilgrimage is a transformative experience. I would not label it thusly for me, but it was certainly a meaningful and memorable experience that I hope I can use to galvanize myself to further personal development.
Terrace 19 on Mt. Carmel
This post will be the first in a series of posts and photos about my experience. Many people have shared their stories on the web, and I don't expect mine to be particularly unique or illuminating. But compiling them here seems like the best way for me to digest the experience, and stretch it into the future.
For official public information on the "Bahá'í gardens" in Israel (two of the primary locations we visited), there is a very informative (and relatively new) public web site. As I compile my experiences, I plan on linking to many historical stories regarding the various places visited, which illuminate the importance of these sites to Bahá'ís.
The word "confirmation" is used by some in a spiritual sense, something akin to signs and portents: an experience that validates, proves, or explains a previous feeling, decision, or action i.e. "... ask for you all divine guidance and confirmation in the very important work you are directing" [1]. It is natural to ask, "what is the agent of this confirmation?" To the traditionally theistic, that answer is obvious: God. To the athiest, the answer is probably something along the lines of "Whoso seeketh out a thing with zeal shall find it." [2] (self-fulfilling). Truthfully, my attitude towards the concept has traditionally been dismissive.
This devotional program was presented at the Bahá'í House of Worship on September 5, 2010. Before going upstairs into the temple, I joked to my friend that I wanted to go downstairs to the bookstore, to be material before being spiritual. The architecture is inspiring enough, but the devotions and music were, well, heavenly :-).
Did you know that many Bahá'í books are available for free download onto your computer, smartphone, or e-reader?
So asked a new friend (well, something close to this anyway). In a nutshell: it means striving to build unity in our midst, and acting on a path of service that starts "at home" but continues into the whole community, not just the Bahá'ís.
I've done my alloted time now: taught a Bahá'í children's class at a St. Paul public housing community center two weeks running, with around 10 children each time. None of whom are Bahá'ís, and neither are their parents. We learned about service and truthfulness. Well, I learned, and I hope they did too. And they taught me about karma. Perhaps I'll go back and help out some more.
A Pew Forum poll a few years ago included the following analysis: "Finally, while an overwhelming percentage of Christians (79%) say they believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, far fewer see Christ's return as imminent. Overall just 20% of all Christians expect Christ to return to earth in their lifetime; even among those who say that the Bible is the literal word of God, just 37% expect Christ to return to earth in their lifetime."
This year is the tenth anniversary of the charter signing of the United Religions Initiative. To mark the occasion, the URI has launched a brand-new, gorgeously-professional website. If you have interest in the world of interfaith action and cooperation that is "bound for peace", then I invite you to stop by the site. I've not been so involved with the URI's work in the past few years, but I am still proud to call myself a supporter of this dynamic, idealistic-yet-grounded organization.
