Existence, Metaphor, Analogy

The world of existence came into being through the heat generated from the interaction between the active force and that which is its recipient. These two are the same, yet they are different. Thus doth the Great Announcement inform thee about this glorious structure. Such as communicate the generating influence and such as receive its impact are indeed created through the irresistible Word of God which is the Cause of the entire creation, while all else besides His Word are but the creatures and the effects thereof. Verily thy Lord is the Expounder, the All-Wise.

(Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 140)

Creation, the world of existence, this unending physical universe, is, I believe, a vast, infinitely rich metaphor and analogy for the spiritual world.  The structure of metaphor is A is B: e.g. He is a lion.  This is the level of radical unity, where the “B” and the “E” are “joined and knit together” into BE.   It is also, if taken literally, logically absurd.  How can he be a lion when he is not a lion?  That is, the man and the lion are identical, except that one is a man and the other an animal—i.e. when they are not identical.  Thus, differentiation is present though it is manifestly absent.  Difference within a structure of unity is brought out by analogy, where “is” is replaced by “is to”.

The metaphor “He is a lion” is a more compressed version of a more extended analogy: the courage he exhibits is analogous to the courage ascribed to a lion. The quality of courage, or strength, is what unites, in this example, two different forms of life, human and animal, which exhibit it. Here unity is present though it is manifestly absent. This relation of one being absent when the other is present may be behind Bahá’u’lláh’s characterization of God as “the most manifest of the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden.” (Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 248)

The full structure of analogy, the one that includes both unity and difference, is, A is to B as C is to D, there being an analogical proportion between the pairs (AB and CD) as well.  These are the levels of differences—all differences are analogs of each other—that manifest the unity holding them all together.  Their unity is structural, of likeness, of reality to its image, their difference is that of their natures.

One will notice in the lead-in quote the two levels of unity and diversity that are intrinsic to metaphor and analogy.  First, “the active force and that which is its recipient” are the same, yet they are different.  Second, “such as communicate the generating influence and such as receive its impact” are both created by the Word of God, the cause of the entire creation, so they, too, as communicators and receivers, are the same (i.e. they are from the same source, the Word of God), yet each is also an unique creation of God.  The two pairs, also, are the same yet they are different.  It seems that the active force and that which is its recipient are the glorious structure, and such as communicate and such as receive is a mirror image and likeness of that structure.  They all resonate together to more completely manifest the Creator of all, while simultaneously hiding Him from view.

This is the divine metaphor, the secret synthesis, of the archetype of creation and analogical knowledge about it, for the modes of knowing are proportional to the modes of being.

A like relationship of unity and difference, metaphor and analogy, binds together God and His Manifestations.  For example, Jesus said in one place: “I and my Father are one.” (King James Bible, John 10:30)  But in another: “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” (King James Bible, Luke 18:19)

Bahá’u’lláh wrote in this connection: “These sanctified Mirrors, these Day-springs of ancient glory are one and all the Exponents on earth of Him Who is the central Orb of the universe, its Essence and ultimate Purpose. From Him proceed their knowledge and power; from Him is derived their sovereignty. The beauty of their countenance is but a reflection of His image, and their revelation a sign of His deathless glory. They are the Treasuries of divine knowledge, and the Repositories of celestial wisdom. Through them is transmitted a grace that is infinite, and by them is revealed the light that can never fade. Even as He hath said: "There is no distinction whatsoever between Thee and them; except that they are Thy servants, and are created of Thee." This is the significance of the tradition: "I am He, Himself, and He is I, myself."”  (The Kitab-i-Iqan: 99-100)

To see this clearly, though, one must attain a certain level or kind of perception where the unity of creation can be perceived: that is, being and knowledge about being are direct and proportional.  Bahá’u’lláh wrote: “And when this stage of the journey is completed and the wayfarer hath soared beyond this lofty station, he entereth the City of Divine Unity, and the garden of oneness, and the court of detachment. In this plane the seeker casteth away all signs, allusions, veils, and words, and beholdeth all things with an eye illumined by the effulgent lights which God Himself hath shed upon him. In his journey he seeth all differences return to a single word and all allusions culminate in a single point. Unto this beareth witness he who sailed upon the ark of fire and followed the inmost path to the pinnacle of glory in the realm of immortality: "Knowledge is one point, which the foolish have multiplied." This is the station that hath been alluded to in the tradition: "I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is." (Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries: 29)