Introductions are in order

Beginning over a decade ago, the creator of this site discovered an approach to the study of Religion in its fundamental architecture and motifs which preoccupied him for some years and resulted in a series of volumes. These volumes were dedicated to the notion that Religion is perennial, that it has always existed and will always exist, and that its recurrent themes are set forth by those who are regarded as the Founders of Faiths, in a pattern that has been best described as Progressive Revelation, insofar that the elucidation of the perennial truths has become progressively more accessible and clear to humanity through the course of untold centuries and millennia.

The Founders of Faiths whose Words of wisdom were studied included Krishna, known from the Bhagavad-Gita; Abraham and Noah, known from Sefer Bereshit in the Tanakh and from Qur'an; Zarathustra, known from Gathas and Zend Avesta; Moses, known from Sefer Shemot, Sefer Vayikra, Sefer Bemidbar in the Torah and from the Qur'an; Buddha, known from the Tripitaka and other Sutras; Jesus, known from the canonical and non-canonical Gospels, Epistles, Apocalypse and from the Qur'an; Muhammad, known from the Qur'an and the hadith; 'Ali Muhammad the Bab, known from the Bayan in its totality; Baha'u'llah, known from the Baha'i Writings in their totality.

Collectively this study received the title "Divine Philosophy" inasmuch as it sought to set forth, in complete harmony with the progressive revelation of the truths discernable only to the Founders of Faiths, and, as through a veil by certain of their followers, a complete and coherent depiction of the themes which are fundamental to Religion. These themes include:

The existence of God
The nature of God
The creation of all things
The Religion of God
The Founders of Faiths
The nature of the human being
The evolution of the soul
The evolution of the human species
The purpose of creation
The purpose of human life

Inasmuch as the tenor of the age in which we live is one of profound scepticism and disbelief, and in view of the reticence of the peoples in every age to recognize and adhere to a larger share of truth than their predecessors were capable of perceiving, the perennial teachings of the Founders of Faiths were set forth with proofs and evidences. These proof texts were not, for the most part, furnished by their followers, but by the Founders of Faiths themselves.

This approach, when properly explained to the open-minded enquirer, attracted interest and even agreement in principle. However, it did not inspire fervor or any desire on the part of the enquirer to venture deeper, to explore the subject in detail and to communicate its insights to others. It did not light a fire in anyone's belly, and so it remained virtually unknown for many years, even to the present.

New perspectives suggested themselves in response to the perusal of a text which inspired Mohandas K. Gandhi to articulate and actualize his satyagraha, his "enforcement of truth". This text is entitled "The Kingdom of God is Within You" and was authored by Leo Tolstoi and first published in English translation in 1896. The convictions and life story of Badshah Ghaffar Khan, the erstwhile Pashtun comrade in Gandhi's campaign of non-violent resistance to British Imperial rule were then explored, along with the innovative Qur'an interpretations of Jawdat Said. Along with these diverse testimonies, the mimetic theory of Rene Girard was studied in several volumes. The perennial truths of Religion were once more apparent, but in altogether different contexts and articulations as these diverse approaches were navigated.

And these byways brought this enquiry back to a primal realization, that progressive revelation could not be grasped in its fullness or with complete certainty except if the viewer were to transcend his or her own vision, and see through the eyes of an Other. This Other could not be any Other, for to see through the eyes of the Other if he or she is as imperfect as we is not an improvement upon our original condition. Indeed, what is intended, and what the Founders of Faiths unanimously advocate is seeing through the eyes of One Other...that Other Who is All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Wise. As long as we cling to our personal perceptions of reality, we will always see differently, for we project our limitations and our conceptions and our knowledge and ignorance, our fears and passions upon the object we perceive. And as long as we imitate or seek to contradict the perceptions of others we are doomed to take on their human limitations and project these upon the object we are seeking to perceive through their eyes.

We can only see God as He is if we see Him through His eyes. We can only see His Manifestation if we see Him through His eyes. We cannot become Him, we should not imitate Him, but we cannot know Him unless we see Him through His eyes. If we try to become or imitate Him, we are projecting our desires upon Him, and that will veil us from His reality. The one way is to close one eye and open the other, to see the Self of God standing within us with Laws.

How is this possible? He tells us. He says to pay attention not to His actions, to His appearance, to His historical circumstances, those attributes which make Him seem more like us, more human, more limited, more accessible. He says to focus on His words, His counsels to us, the Word of God. And what if we don't understand the Word of God? Reflect! Ponder! Consider! Meditate! Immerse ourselves in the Word every day. Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened. Pray for illumination, pray for understanding, pray for the humility and purity to receive the inner light of knowledge and certainty so that His words come alive in our souls. Turn to His chosen interpreters and drink long at the fountain of their elucidation and elaboration. And put into practice what we do understand, what we have already recognized as true.

This blog is devoted to discovering Baha'u'llah In His Own Words, to seeing with His eyes, hearing with His ears, and knowing and loving through His universal knowledge and His universal love. As we begin to see through His eyes, we will see what the Founders of all Faiths have sought to reveal, each to a prescribed measure, to the peoples of their times. We will see that truth is one, is perennial, and, as God said in the beginning, "It is good."