Such
is the potency of the Divine Elixir, which, swift as the twinkling of an eye,
transmuteth the souls of men!...Likewise, these souls, through the potency of
the Divine Elixir, traverse, in the twinkling of an eye, the world of dust and
advance into the realm of holiness; and with one step cover the earth of
limitations and reach the domain of the Placeless.
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan: 156)
I have referenced ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s statement
that: “Bahá'u'lláh has appeared and so resuscitated spirits that they have
manifested powers more than human….Therefore, the question arises: How is this
resuscitation to be accomplished?
“There are certain means for its
accomplishment by which mankind is regenerated and quickened with a new birth.
This is the second birth mentioned in the heavenly Books. Its accomplishment is
through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The resuscitation or rebirth of the
spirit of man is through the science of the love of God.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 277)
That there exists a science that brings about
spiritual rebirth is something to ponder.
We should inquire into the nature and content of this science, being
careful not to confuse the purpose of science with science itself. I have in the following bold-faced some parts
for emphasis.
First, what is meant by science? As we know the term, science is a rational
way of studying and knowing phenomena that is shared and communicable, that has
common rules of inference and deduction, well understood criteria that define accepted
facts and evidence from which theoretical knowledge can be generated. Thus, rebirth,
while an overpowering, life-changing experience, can never by itself be a
science of anything. Like any inner experience that changes the person, the
transcendent experience of rebirth cannot be taught. It can only be suggested. A science or body of knowledge can be taught,
but understanding cannot. Understanding
is the result of a certain alchemy between knowledge, learning and innate
potential
For example, exposure to math and language
stimulates into action and reality these potentials for numbers and words
residing innately within the human intelligence. When such knowledge is learned advances in
mental capacity and ability, in intellectual awareness and skill, forever
change the world because they change the person’s relationship with the world. Now, the content and procedures that make up
what is taught do not bring the mental leap about. Rather, they prepare the
conditions for the mind to leap into understanding what it knew but did not
know that it knew. The “leap” (i.e.
understanding) is a bringing forth of some new part of oneself that marks the
transformation of mentality and intelligence.
I believe that while ‘Abdu’l-Baha says there
exists a science of the love of God this is a different kind of science, however
much the same principles just discussed apply.
It is more like true Scientia, true gnosis. Its purpose is not to bring forth any part of
self, but to bring forth a new self.
This sort of change is not something that human beings can bring about unaided. In that same talk where He mentions the
science of the love of God, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, in His opening prayer, asked: “O God!
Verily, the world is in need of reformation. Bestow upon it a new existence.
Give it newness of thoughts, and reveal
unto it heavenly sciences.” (The Promulgation
of Universal Peace: 276) “Heavenly
sciences” are revealed. Hence the leap into
new being is an act of will based on faith that is met in midflight, so to
speak, by the divine Will that carries one over the abyss. What is the content of heavenly sciences?
The
Master is reported to have said: “May Europe become the divine university
wherein heavenly sciences and divine arts are taught and learned! By heavenly sciences I mean divine philosophy
and spiritual teachings….” (Abdu'l-Baha, Divine
Philosophy: 139)
Divine philosophy, as we know, is one of the
signs stated by Baha’u’llah in the Kitab-i-Aqdas that would indicate that the
maturity of the human race had been obtained.
But, again, this philosophy has been around for quite some time, growing in depth and complexity with every Revelation. “The sages
aforetime acquired their knowledge from the Prophets, inasmuch as the latter
were the Exponents of divine philosophy and the Revealers of heavenly
mysteries.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 144-145) So divine philosophy is an expanding body of knowledge
based upon divine Revelation that humanity must relearn as a science.
The
first thing to relearn is the truth of Divinity. ’Abdu’l-Baha explained: “People speak of Divinity, but the ideas and
beliefs they have of Divinity are, in reality, superstition. Divinity is the
effulgence of the Sun of Reality, the manifestation of spiritual virtues and
ideal powers. The intellectual proofs of Divinity are based upon observation
and evidence which constitute decisive argument, logically proving the reality
of Divinity, the effulgence of mercy, the certainty of inspiration and
immortality of the spirit. This is, in
reality, the science of Divinity. Divinity is not what is set forth in dogmas
and sermons of the church. Ordinarily when the word Divinity is mentioned, it
is associated in the minds of the hearers with certain formulas and doctrines,
whereas it essentially means the wisdom and knowledge of God, the effulgence of
the Sun of Truth, the revelation of reality and divine philosophy.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 328)
The
major reason that humanity knows so little of divinity, heavenly sciences,
science of divinity, or science of the love of God, and the like, is that it
has been immersed in material sciences and knowledge. He laments: “But according to the evidence of
present world conditions divine
philosophy—which has for its object the sublimation of human nature, spiritual
advancement, heavenly guidance for the development of the human race,
attainment to the breaths of the Holy Spirit and knowledge of the verities of
God—has been outdistanced and neglected. Now is the time for us to make an
effort and enable it to advance apace with the philosophy of material
investigation so that awakening of the ideal virtues may progress equally with
the unfoldment of the natural powers.” (Promulgation
of Universal Peace:326-327) Notice
the change of process: ideal virtues are awakened but natural powers unfold.
The science of the love of God is another
name for divine philosophy, for heavenly science, for science of divinity. It foundational to and inclusive of all other
spiritual sciences. It holds within
itself in embryonic form all those dynamic relations between Ontos, epistos, ethos—being, knowing and
doing, as new paradigms of knowing, new states of being, new contexts of action.
The
kind of knowledge the mind awakens to is an expression of the level or inner
state of being attained to. Only
Revelation awakens the divine within us. Now whereas changes and advances in natural
science emphasize changing contexts of knowing and advances in knowledge of outer
phenomena, and human or cultural sciences advance understanding of the inner self,
and social philosophy focuses on new contexts of collective action for social
transformation, the science of the love of god, heavenly sciences, the science
of divinity, change the state of being. That
is, the rebirth of spirit is the transmutation, not just transformation, of
soul. Or, rather, it is a special kind of transformation. Baha’u’llah calls the transmutation of soul a
“mystic transformation.” Let’s probe
more deeply into this term “mystic transformation.”
Transmutation means to change the nature of
something by changing its state of being (i.e. essence) into another form,
especially a higher form, of itself. The change is so complete as to leave nothing
of the old essence, else the new thing would be a hybrid. Transmutation is an old alchemical term
referring to the changing of an element into gold by applying the elixir of
life, the Philosopher’s Stone. The word
remains useful. In physics transmutation
is still the changing of one element into another, but now by radioactive
decay, nuclear bombardment, or similar processes. Biological transmutation is the
transformation of one species into another.
Transmutation by natural means over time cannot occur until all the partial and incomplete
transformations within a system that advance it toward completion or maturity
have been undergone. But with the Elixir complete change is instantaneous. Baha’u’llah says of elemental transmutation: “Is it within
human power, O Hakim, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the
minute and indivisible particles of matter so
complete a transformation as to
transmute it into purest gold?” (Gleanings:
200) He says about changing copper to gold—which under the proper natural conditions would take place in seventy years—that “the real elixir will, in one instant, cause the substance of copper to attain the state of gold, and will traverse the seventy-year stages in a single moment.” (The Kitab-i-Iqan; 157)
Within human beings and human society a similar
change of state, not change within a state, occurs at maturity. Shoghi Effendi
explains: “That mystic, all-pervasive, yet indefinable change, which we associate
with the stage of maturity inevitable in the life of the individual and the
development of the fruit must, if we would correctly apprehend the utterances
of Bahá'u'lláh, have its counterpart in the evolution of the organization of
human society.” (The World Order of Baha'u'llah:
163)
Thus the transmutation of something is to
effect “so complete a transformation.” It is a “mystic, all-pervasive, yet
indefinable change” in its character and essential reality. It is changing the essence of something, but
that change is brought about from within, a bringing forth of a latent form and
higher expression of essence. Baha’u’llah
says of His Revelation: “The highest essence and most perfect expression of
whatsoever the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through this
most potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven of the Will of the
All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God.” (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: 95)
The changing of nature which is transmutation
is to change the state of being, to transcend to a higher form, to bring forth the
essence of the essence. Transmutation is
rebirth when undergone by the individual soul.
But there is a collective epistemic
advance, a mystic transformation in understanding, when certain practices are
used. Baha’u’llah says: “Consultation bestoweth greater awareness and
transmuteth conjecture into certitude. It is a shining light which, in a dark
world, leadeth the way and guideth. For everything there is and will continue
to be a station of perfection and maturity. The maturity of the gift of
understanding is made manifest through consultation.” Bahá'u'lláh, in Consultation: A Compilation: 3)
Finally, there is the transmutation of action. Individually: “It is evident that nothing
short of this mystic transformation could cause such spirit and behaviour, so
utterly unlike their previous habits and manners, to be made manifest in the
world of being. For their agitation was turned into peace, their doubt into
certitude, their timidity into courage.” (Kitab-i-Iqan:
156) And collectively: “'It is not his to
boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.' Through the
power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse and set a
new direction to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of
restriction and limitation from God's holy Book.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah: 87-88)
The reason that this mystic transformation,
this all-pervasive change, is also “indefinable” was set forth by Baha’u’llah
in the opening words of His Most Holy Book: “The first duty prescribed by God
for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His
Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both
the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good; and whoso is
deprived thereof hath gone astray, though he be the author of every righteous
deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this most sublime station, this
summit of transcendent glory, to observe every ordinance of Him Who is the
Desire of the world. These twin duties are inseparable. Neither is acceptable
without the other. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Source of Divine
inspiration.” (Baha'u'llah, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas: 19)
Attaining unto all good, is not yet to be good,
and inseparable does not mean identical.
Rebirth is neither purely on faith nor on works alone. The change of state that is rebirth is both
recognition and obedience. These define
the righteousness of deeds, and not the deeds themselves. For regarding recognition
and the change of state of perception it brings, He wrote: “Never shall mortal
eye recognize the everlasting Beauty, nor the lifeless heart delight in aught
but in the withered bloom.” (Baha'u'llah, The
Persian Hidden Words #10) These are
some first principles of the science of the love of God.
An all-pervasive change of soul is the
transmutation into a new state of being.
No matter how similar on the surface one’s before and after states may
appear, a mystic transformation has taken place, an indefinable qualitative difference
now obtains, that changes everything.
Attaining that qualitative difference is what the science of the love of
God, all heavenly sciences, and the science of divinity open to the soul.
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