The Sky Is Clear
The Sun Shines

Gifts of Nature and The Spirit

“How beautiful the weather is today, the sky is clear, the sun shines, and the heart of man is made glad thereby!  Such bright and beautiful weather gives new life and strength to man, and if he has been sick, he feels once more in his heart the joyous hope of health renewed.  All these gifts of nature concern the physical side of man, for it is only his body that can receive material benefits.

If a man is successful in his business, art, or profession he is thereby enabled to increase his physical wellbeing and to give his body the amount of ease and comfort in which it delights.  All around us today we see how man surrounds himself with every modern convenience and luxury, and denies nothing to the physical and material side of his nature.  But, take heed, lest in thinking too earnestly of the things of the body you forget the things of the soul:  for material advantages do not elevate the spirit of a man. 

Perfection in worldly things is a joy to the body of a man but in no wise does it glorify his soul.  It may be that a man who has every material benefit, and who lives surrounded by all the greatest comfort modern civilization can give him, is denied the all important gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is indeed a good and praiseworthy thing to progress materially, but in so doing, let us not neglect the more important spiritual progress, and close our eyes to the Divine light shining in our midst.

Only by improving spiritually as well as materially can we make any real progress, and become perfect beings.  It was in order to bring this spiritual life and light into the world that all the great Teachers have appeared.  They came so that the Sun of Truth might be manifested, and shine in the hearts of men, and that through its wondrous power men might attain unto Everlasting Light.  When the Lord Christ came He spread the light of the Holy Spirit on all around Him, and His disciples and all who received His illumination became enlightened, spiritual beings.   

It was to manifest this light that Baha'u'llah was born, and came into the world.  He taught Eternal Truth to men, and shed the rays of Divine Light in all lands.”

(`Abdu'l-Baha, "Paris Talks", pp. 62-63)

The difference between the happiness which is real and the one which is mere illusion is that once we reach to the former and earn it, we treasure it dearly, do not want it to vanish, eagerly trying and pursuing to have more; when in the case of the later, once we possess it we feel satisfied and often even without enjoying it in full, we lose interest and focus and start wondering around, desiring and wishing for happiness!  The one that is real and its eagerness and sentiments are of holistic joy, as it enriches both the soul and the mind, adorns both the spiritual and material abodes of ones being; while the passing and illusionary one only meets the material, temporary and fleeting needs and pursuits and thus itself becomes and is passing and mortal with no lasting trace and enduring effect. The world of matter, therefore, sheds on us disappointments, sorrows and despair along with its pleasures and happiness; where ""the spiritual world bestows only joy."

You are welcome to visit the recent posts on my two other blogs—English and bilingual—below:

Inked ThinkPenhttp://inkedthinkpen.blogspot.ca/
Timeless Treasures: Words with Meanings
http://timelesstreasureswordswithmeanings.blogspot.ca/