Thankfulness -- Buddha and His disciples A story told by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Buddha had disciples and he wished to send them out into the world to teach, so he asked them questions to see if they were prepared as he would have them be. “When you go to the East and to the West,” said the Buddha, “and the people shut their doors to you and refuse to speak to you, what will you do?” -The disciples answered and said: “We shall be very thankful that they do us no harm.”-“Then if they do you harm and mock, what will you do?”-“We shall be very thankful that they do not give us worse treatment.”-“If they throw you into prison?”-“We shall still be grateful that they do not kill us.”-“What if they were to kill you?” the Master asked for the last time. “Still,” answered the disciples, “we will be thankful, for they cause us to be martyrs. What more glorious fate is there than this, to die for the glory of God?” And the Buddha said: “Well done!”

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 63

Establishing a Spiritual Civilization

Baha'u'llah taught that hearts must receive the Bounty of the Holy Spirit, so that spiritual civilization may be established. For material civilization is not adequate for the needs of mankind and cannot be the cause of its happiness. Material civilization is like the body and spiritual civilization is like the soul. Body without soul cannot live.

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 29

Photo by: Marco Abrar, www.bahaipictures.com

When asked about the individual persistence of the animal’s personality after death...

Even the most developed dog has not the immortal soul of the man; yet the dog is perfect in its own place. You do not quarrel with a rose-tree because it cannot sing!

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 97

True Spirituality is....

Know, O thou possessors of insight, that true spirituality is like unto a lake of clear water which reflects the divine. Of such was the spirituality of Jesus Christ. There is another kind which is like a mirage, seeming to be spiritual when it is not. That which is truly spiritual must light the path to God, and must result in deeds. We cannot believe the call to be spiritual when there is no result. Spirit is reality, and when the spirit in each of us seeks to join itself with the Great Reality, it must in turn give life.

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 107

Why Not Try Peace?

During the last six thousand years nations have hated one another, it is now time to stop. War must cease. Let us be united and love one another and await the result. We know the effects of war are bad. So let us try, as an experiment, peace, and if the results of peace are bad, then we can choose if it would be better to go back to the old state of war! Let us in any case make the experiment. If we see that unity brings Light we shall continue it. For six thousand years we have been walking on the left-hand path; let us walk on the right-hand path now. We have passed many centuries in darkness, let us advance towards the light.

'Abdu'l-Baha, 'Abdu'l-Baha in London, pp. 61-62