Concerning the questions of Manakji Limji Hataria 7 страница
within the wall of self and passion, and clouded them with ignorance and blindness,
and have been veiled from the light of the mystic sun and the mysteries of the Eternal Beloved;
150.
they have strayed afar from the jewelled wisdom of the lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers, have been shut out of the sanctuary of the All-Beauteous One,
and banished from the Ka'bih of splendor.
(The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means "goal.")
151.
Such is the worth of the people of this age!
152.
And if a nightingalesoar upward from the clay of self (implying Bahá-ulláh's own Manifestation)
and dwell in the rose bower of the heart,
and in Arabian melodies and sweet Íránian songs recount the mysteries of God
153.
—a single word of which quickeneth to fresh, new life the bodies of the dead,
and bestoweth the Holy Spirit upon the moldering bones of this existence—
154.
thou wilt behold a thousand claws of envy,
a myriad beaks of rancor hunting after Him and with all their power intent upon His death.
155.
Yea, to the beetle a sweet fragrance seemeth foul,
and to the man sick of a rheum a pleasant perfume is as naught.
156.
Wherefore, it hath been said for the guidance of the ignorant:
157.
Cleanse thou the rheum from out thine head
And breathe the breath of God instead. Jalálu'd-Dín Rúmí
158.
In sum, the differences in objects have now been made plain.
159.
Thus when the wayfarer gazeth only upon the place of appearance
—that is, when he seeth only the many-colored globes—
he beholdeth yellow and red and white;
160.
hence it is, that conflict hath prevailed among the creatures,
and a darksome dust from limited souls hath hid the world.
161.
And some do gaze upon the effulgence of the light;
and some have drunk of the wine of oneness and these see nothing but the sun itself.
162.
Thus, for that they move on these three differing planes, the understanding and the words of the wayfarers have differed; and hence the sign of conflict doth continually appear on earth.
163.
For some there are who dwell upon the plane of oneness and speak of that world, and some inhabit the realms of limitation, and some the grades of self, while others are completely veiled.
164.
Thus do the ignorant people of the day, who have no portion of the radiance of Divine Beauty, make certain claims, and in every age and cycle inflict on the people of the sea of oneness what they themselves deserve.
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165.
"Should God punish men for their perverse doings, He would not leave on earth a moving thing!
But to an appointed term doth He respite them...." Quran 16:63
The Tablets of the Seven Valleys CHAPTER SEVEN
Divisions 166-190
(Valley of Unity)
THE SEVEN VALLEYS
166.
O My Brother!
A pure heart is as a mirror;
cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God,
that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn.
167.
Then wilt thou clearly see the meaning of "Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me,
yet the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me." the Hadíth
(action or words traditionally attributed to the Prophet Muhammad or the holy Imáms)
168.
And thou wilt take up thy life in thine hand,
and with infinite longing cast it before the new Beloved One.
169.
Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness settleth upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in every limb and member.
170.
At that time the mystery of the famed tradition gleameth out of the darkness: "
171.
A servant is drawn unto Me in prayer until I answer him;
and when I have answered him, I become the ear wherewith he heareth...."
172.
For thus the Master of the house hath appeared within His home,
and all the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with His light.
173.
And the action and effect of the light are from the Light-Giver;
so it is that all move through Him and arise by His will.
174.
And this is that spring whereof the near ones drink, as it is said:
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"A fount whereof the near unto God shall drink...." Quran 83:28
175.
However, let none construe these utterances to be anthropomorphism,
nor see in them the descent of the worlds of God into the grades of the creatures;
nor should they lead thine Eminence to such assumptions.
176.
For God is, in His Essence, holy above ascent and descent, entrance and exit;
He hath through all eternity been free of the attributes of human creatures, and ever will remain so.
177.
No man hath ever known Him; no soul hath ever found the pathway to His Being.
178.
Every mystic knower hath wandered far astray in the valley of the knowledge of Him;
every saint hath lost his way in seeking to comprehend His Essence.
179.
Sanctified is He above the understanding of the wise;
exalted is He above the knowledge of the knowing!
180.
The way is barred and to seek it is impiety;
His proof is His signs; His being is His evidence. Sermon by Alí
181.
Wherefore, the lovers of the face of the Beloved have said:
182.
"O Thou, the One Whose Essence alone showeth the way to His Essence,
and Who is sanctified above any likeness to His creatures." the Hadíth
183.
How can utter nothingness gallop its steed in the field of preexistence,
or a fleeting shadow reach to the everlasting sun?
184.
The Friend hath said, (the Prophet Muhammad)
"But for Thee, we had not known Thee,"
185.
and the Belovedhath said, "nor attained Thy presence." (the Prophet Muhammad)
186.
Yea, these mentionings that have been made of the grades of knowledge
relate to the knowledge of the Manifestations of that Sun of Reality,
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which casteth Its light upon the Mirrors.
187.
And the splendor of that light is in the hearts,
yet it is hidden under the veilings of sense and the conditions of this earth,
188.
even as a candle within a lantern of iron,
and when only when the lantern is removed doth the light of the candle shine out.
189.
In like manner, when thou strippest the wrappings of illusion from off thine heart,
the lights of oneness will be made manifest.
190.
Then it is clear that even for the rays there is neither entrance nor exit
—how much less for that Essence of Being and that longed-for Mystery.
The Tablets of the Seven Valleys CHAPTER EIGHT
Divisions 191-215
(Valley of Unity)
THE SEVEN VALLEYS
191.
O My Brother, journey upon these planes in the spirit of search,
not in blind imitation.
192.
A true wayfarer will not be kept back by the bludgeon of words
nor debarred by the warning of allusions.
193.
How shall a curtain part the lover and the loved one?
194.
Not Alexander's wall can separate them! Shamsud-Dín Muhammad, of Shíráz AD 1350, in 'Háfiz'
A notable Persian poet
195.
Secrets are many, but strangers are myriad.
196.
Volumes will not suffice to hold the mystery of the Beloved One,
nor can it be exhausted in these pages, although it be no more than a word, no more than a sign.
197.
"Knowledge is a single point,
yet the ignorant have multiplied it." Hadíth
198.
On this same basis, ponder likewise the differences among the worlds.
199.
Although the divine worlds be never ending, yet some refer to them as four:
200.
The world of time,
which is the one that hath both a beginning and an end;
201.
the world of duration,
which hath a beginning, but whose end is not revealed;
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202.
the world of perpetuity,
whose beginning is not to be seen but which is known to have an end;
203.
and the world of eternity,
neither a beginning nor an end of which is visible.
204.
Although there are many differing statements as to these points,
to recount them in detail would result in weariness.
205.
Thus, some have said that the world of perpetuity hath neither beginning nor end,
and have named the world of eternity as the invisible, impregnable Empyrean.
206.
Others have called these the worlds of the Heavenly Court, of the Empyrean Heaven,
of the Kingdom of the Angels, and of the mortal world.
207.
The journeys in the pathway of love are reckoned as four:
208.
From the creatures to the True [Lord];
from the True [Lord] to the creatures;
209.
from the creatures to the creatures;
from the True [Lord] to the True [Lord].
210.
There is many an utterance of the mystic seers and doctors of former times
which I have not mentioned here, since I dislike the copious citation from sayings of the past;
for quotation from the words of others proveth acquired learning, not the divine bestowal.
211.
Even so much as We have quoted here is out of deference to the wont of men and after the manner of the friends.
212.
Further, such matters are beyond the scope of this epistle.
213.
Our unwillingness to recount their sayings is not from pride,
rather is it a manifestation of wisdom and a demonstration of grace.
214.
If Khidr did wreck the vessel on the sea,
Yet in this wrong there are a thousand rights. Jalálu'd-Dín Rúmí
215.
Otherwise, this Servant regardeth Himself as utterly lost and as nothing,
even beside one of the beloved of God, how much less in the presence of His holy ones.
Exalted be My Lord, the Supreme!
The Tablets of the Seven Valleys CHAPTER NINE
Divisions 216-240
(Valley of Unity)
THE SEVEN VALLEYS
216.
Moreover, our aim is to recount the stages of the wayfarer's journey,
not to set forth the conflicting utterances of the mystics.
217.
Although a brief example hath been given concerning the beginning and end of the relative world,
the world of attributes,
yet a second illustration is now added, that the full meaning may be manifest.
218.
For instance, let thine Eminence consider his own self;
thou art first in relation to thy son, last in relation to thy father.
219.
In thine outward appearance,
thou tellest of the appearance of power in the realms of divine creation;
220.
in thine inward being thou revealest the hidden mysteries which are the divine trust deposited within thee.
221.
And thus firstness and lastness, outwardness and inwardness are,
in the sense referred to, true of thyself,
that in these four states conferred upon thee thou shouldst comprehend the four divine states,
222.
and that the nightingale of thine heart on all the branches of the rosetree of existence,
whether visible or concealed, should cry out:
223.
"He is the first and the last, the Seen and the Hidden." Quran 57:3
224.
These statements are made in the sphere of that which is relative, because of the limitations of men.
225.
Otherwise, those personages who in a single step
have passed over the world of the Relative and the Limited,
and dwelt on the fair plane of the Absolute,
and pitched their tent in the worlds of authority and command
226.
—have burned away these relativities with a single spark,
and blotted out these words with a drop of dew.
227.
And they swim in the sea of the spirit, and soar in the holy air of light.
228.
Then what life have words, on such a plane,
that "first" and "last" or other than these be seen or mentioned!
229.
In this realm, the first is the last itself, and the last is but the first.
230.
In thy soul of love build thou a fire
And burn all thoughts and words entire. Jalálu'd-Dín Rúmí
231.
O my friend, look upon thyself:
Hadst thou not become a father nor begotten a son, neither wouldst thou have heard these sayings.
232.
Now forget them all, that thou mayest learn from the Master of Love in the schoolhouse of oneness, and return unto God, and forsake the inner land of unreality
(the Súfí idea of the inner plane, that when compared to Revealed Truth is unreal)
for thy true station, and dwell within the shadow of the tree of knowledge.
233.
O thou dear one!
Impoverish thyself, that thou mayest enter the high court of riches;
234.
and humble thy body, that thou mayest drink from the river of glory,
and attain to the full meaning of the poems whereof thou hadst asked.
235.
Thus it hath been made clear that these stages depend on the vision of the wayfarer.
236.
In every city he will behold a world,
in every Valley reach a spring, in every meadow hear a song.
237.
But the falcon of the mystic heaven hath many a wondrous carol of the spirit in His breast,
and the Persian bird keepeth in His soul many a sweet Arab melody;
238.
yet these are hidden, and hidden shall remain.
239.
If I speak forth, many a mind will shatter,
And if I write, many a pen will break. Jalálu'd-Dín Rúmí
(This refers to Bahá-ulláh, who had not yet declared his mission.)
240.
Peace be upon him who concludeth this exalted journey
and followeth the True One by the lights of guidance.
The Tablets of the Seven Valleys CHAPTER TEN
Divisions 241-265
Valley of Contentment
THE SEVEN VALLEYS
241.
And the wayfarer, after traversing the high planes of this supernal journey,
entereth the Valley of Contentment.
242.
In this Valley he feeleth the winds of divine contentment blowing from the plane of the spirit.
243.
He burneth away the veils of want, and with inward and outward eye,
perceiveth within and without all things the day of:
"God will compensate each one out of His abundance." Quran 4:129
244.
From sorrow he turneth to bliss,
from anguish to joy.
245.
His grief and mourning yield to delight and rapture.
246.
Although to outward view, the wayfarers in this Valley may dwell upon the dust,
yet inwardly they are throned in the heights of mystic meaning;
247.
they eat of the endless bounties of inner significances,
and drink of the delicate wines of the spirit.
248.
The tongue faileth in describing these three Valleys, and speech falleth short.
249.
The pen steppeth not into this region, the ink leaveth only a blot.
250.
In these planes, the nightingale of the heart hath other songs and secrets,
which make the heart to stir and the soul to clamor,
251.
yet this mystery of inner meaning may be whispered only from heart to heart,
confided only from breast to breast.
252.
Only heart to heart can speak the bliss of mystic knowers;
No messenger can tell it and no missive bear it.
Shamsu'd-Dín Muhammad, of Shíráz, a poet of Persia
253.
I am silent from weakness on many a matter,
For my words could not reckon them and my speech would fall short. Arabian poem
254.
O friend, till thou enter the garden of such mysteries,
thou shalt never set lip to the undying wine of this Valley.
255.
And shouldst thou taste of it,
thou wilt shield thine eyes from all things else,
and drink of the wine of contentment;
256.
and thou wilt loose thyself from all things else, and bind thyself to Him,
257.
and throw thy life down in His path, and cast thy soul away.
258.
However, there is no other in this region that thou need forget:
259.
"There was God and there was naught beside Him." the Hadíth
260.
For on this plane the traveler witnesseth the beauty of the Friend in everything.
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