Inspiration from the Mahatma Gandhi

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Seven Lights of Unity

In one of His Tablets 'Abdu'l-Bahá, elucidating further His noble theme, reveals the following:

"In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet, owing to the absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of thought were well nigh impossible. Consequently intercourse, understanding and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds of the earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of communication have multiplied, and the five continents of the earth have virtually merged into one... In like manner all the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this past ages have been deprived, for this century -- the century of light -- has been endowed with unique and unprecedented glory, power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn in the assemblage of man."

"Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world's darkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which will ere long be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion which is the corner-stone of the foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candle is the unity of nations -- a unity which in this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realization."

~ Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah

Attitude to adopt when entering a city

"Should any one of you enter a city, he should become a center of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and loving-kindness towards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of that city may cry out and say: “This man is unquestionably a Bahá’í, for his manners, his behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá’ís.”
~ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Wilmette: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1997), p. 71

Why do Bahais NOT go on strike or demonstrate?

Below are notes from a talk by Michael Karlberg given at the Eastside Bahá'í Center in Bellevue, Washington, on 27 June 2009, as part of a larger public program organized in support of the Bahá'í prisoners in Iran.

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As you know, one year ago, seven Iranian Baha’is were arrested and imprisoned for the
crime of believing that there is only one God; that all of the world’s great religions spring from this same Divine Source and have all contributed to humanity’s collective spiritual evolution; and that the most important spiritual lesson humanity is facing in this day is the need to recognize our unity and interdependence – across all of the lines that have historically divided us – so that we can create a new social order based on the principle of the oneness of humanity.

For holding these beliefs, these seven Bahá'ís that we are remembering tonight have been charged with the crime of “spreading corruption on earth” and they face possible
execution. Over 200 Iranian Bahá'ís have been killed by the Iranian government since
the revolution in 1979, as a result of similar charges. Many of us know the stories of some of these Bahá'ís. For instance, one story that stands out most of our memories is the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a 17-year old girl who was arrested 26 years ago this month, and was hung in the dead of night, after watching nine other Bahá'í women being hung for the same crime – being a Bahá'í.

But these persecutions trace back much deeper than the current regime in Iran. One
hundred and fifty seven years ago, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith – Bahá'u'lláh – who was the author of the beliefs for which those we are remembering tonight were
persecuted, was himself arrested and thrown in a dark underground pit for four months to languish near death, and then sent into a forty year-long imprisonment and exile that would last until his death. One hundred and fifty nine years ago, the herald of the Bahá'í Faith – the Bab – was likewise arrested, imprisoned, and executed by a firing squad of 750 riflemen, for proclaiming the birth of this Faith.

In the period from the execution of the Báb to the arrest of the seven Bahá'í friends one year ago over twenty thousand believers have been killed in the most brutal and inhumane ways; many more have had their property plundered, their livelihoods taken from them, their gravesites desecrated, and their holy places destroyed. Bahá'í students have been denied access to higher education. Bahá'í children have been vilified in their schools. And all Iranian Bahá'ís have been systematically vilified from the pulpit and through the media.

It is no easy thing to be a Bahá'í in Iran.

But I am not here today to solicit your pity on behalf of the Iranian Bahá'ís. I want to put their suffering in a larger context so that you can understand the purpose of this suffering – and why the Bahá'ís accept these hardships with patience and long-suffering.

As I’ve already mentioned, Bahá'ís believe in the oneness of humanity. But this concept of oneness is not merely a vague or naïve expression of idealism. It is a social reality that Bahá'ís all around the world are actively and intelligently working to create. Bahá'ís are working to create this reality through the moral and spiritual education of children, through the spiritual empowerment of adolescents, and through training processes that foster the capabilities for community service in youth and adults. Bahá'ís are working to create this reality through inclusive worship with people of all Faiths, through social action directed at the betterment of our society, through the construction of a new model of participatory governance that is unifying rather than divisive, and through attention to the underlying spiritual disciplines – such as prayer and meditation, fasting, and calling
oneself to account each day – that are essential to processes of deep personal and social transformation.

If you step back and look at all of these processes as a whole, you can see that they
constitute an approach to social change – or a model of social change – directed at
bringing about the oneness of humanity.

Skeptics might ask: will it work? Ultimately, there is only one way to find out. The
approach has to be tried. The experiment has to be run.

This is what the Bahá'ís are doing all over the world, in ever-growing numbers. They are engaged in a vast social experiment, testing the hypothesis that humanity can learn to live as one family, in a single social order, characterized by unity and justice. It will take many generations before any conclusions can be drawn about the success of this vast social experiment. But the early results, in my opinion, are promising. And the experiment warrants the attention of anyone interested in peace and social justice.

But what about those seven Bahá'ís languishing in an Iranian prison, who we are here
tonight to remember? It might seem, on the surface, that the experiment is not working so well for them. Clearly they are suffering deeply, and their lives are at great risk, just like so many Baha’is before them.

When I first began writing and speaking out about the Bahá'ís in Iran, and the suffering they are experiencing, some people asked me: Why don’t the Bahá'ís in Iran fight back? Why aren’t they willing to confront their oppressors by organizing politically? Or by engaging in acts of civil disobedience? And more recently, people might ask: Why are the Bahá'ís of Iran not taking to the streets in protest – like their fellow citizens this past week following the Iranian election? After all, there are over 300,000 Bahá'ís in Iran.
That’s a small army – if it was mobilized in opposition to the current regime.

To answer these questions, we need to look closer at the Bahá'í approach to social
change. The Bahá'í approach to social change has one more element that needs to be
carefully examined to fully understand what is going on.

If the goal of the Bahá'í Faith is to bring about the oneness of humanity – to promote unity across all of the lines that have historically divided humans from one another – clearly this cannot be accomplished through methods that are divisive or adversarial, because the means would not be consistent with the ends. Therefore violent revolution is not an option for Bahá'ís. But neither is non-violent confrontation. Confrontation of any form is divisive and incompatible with the goal of unity.

Furthermore, the methods of non-violent confrontation were tried by others throughout
the twentieth century. These methods led to some significant social advances, such as
independence in India and advances in the field of civil rights in this country. But these methods have proven to be limited because the methods, in themselves, do not construct lasting alternatives to the oppressive systems they seek to replace. After the non-violent independence movement in India threw off the oppressive yoke of the British empire, the country descended into a sectarian bloodbath in which millions were killed and millions more were turned into refugees. After the non-violent civil rights movement in the US threw off the Jim Crow laws in the south, racism assumed more subtle expressions – even as the growing chasm between the richest and poorest people in this country created other forms of widespread oppression.

In this regard, while the methods of non-violent confrontation have led to some
remarkable achievements, they are arguably reaching a point of diminishing returns, and it is unlikely that these methods alone can lead us to the world of unity and justice we seek.

In this context, Bahá'ís are pioneering a radical model of social change that is unifying rather than divisive, that focuses on constructing the framework of a new social order, and that works even in the face of violent oppression. If I could describe this model in one phrase, I would call it “constructive resilience” (note: this phrase was used by the Universal House of Justice in a letter to the Bahá'í students deprived of access to higher education in Iran, dated 9 September 2007).

The model is constructive because all of the energy of the Bahá'í community goes into constructing a new social order, rather than attacking or tearing down the old order or those who benefit from it. It is resilient because it has proven itself capable of withstanding the most violent opposition. The Bahá'í community bends, but never breaks. It is like a palm tree that can withstand the hurricane winds that assail it from time to time, while the tree continues to grow, and thrive, and ultimately yield its fruit.

This model of constructive resilience is already proving itself to be remarkably effective. It enables the Bahá'í community to survive its birth in Iran, in the face of immediate, brutal, and sustained violence directed against it. From those humble origins the community has now taken root in every nation on earth. Its steadily growing membership numbers in the millions and in its diversity, the international Bahá'í community has become a microcosm of humanity.

With the Iranian revolution in 1979, a fresh wave of violent persecution was unleashed on the Bahá'í community there. Since then the principled response of the Iranian Bahá'í community has attracted the admiration of many Iranians. And it has denied the authorities any pretext with which to launch a much more violent, genocidal attack on the Bahá'ís.

Meanwhile, the worldwide Bahá'í community has been inspired to new heights of
achievement by the courageous and principled example of the Iranian Bahá'ís. This
worldwide community has also been galvanized in support of their Iranian brothers and
sisters and it has been able to shine a spotlight on the situation in Iran. As a result, governments and leaders of thought throughout the world have appealed for justice on behalf of the Bahá'ís of Iran. Countless resolutions of support have been passed by United Nations agencies, national governments, and international human rights organizations – and they have had a positive effect. A growing number of Iranian citizens outside and even inside Iran are also beginning to appeal for justice on behalf of the Bahá'ís – often at great personal risk.

Meanwhile, also inside Iran, every effort the government makes to eradicate the Bahá'í community spurs the development of creative, constructive responses. For instance, when the authorities denied Bahá'í students access to higher education, the Bahá'í community created a decentralized virtual university. It operates in Bahá'í living rooms across the country, and over the internet. Top faculty from inside Iran and around the world offer over a dozen university degrees that are recognized by prestigious graduate programs in many other countries.

This is constructive resilience. This is a force for progress that cannot be arrested and will not be denied. This is the big picture.

With this picture in mind, I want to turn our attention back to the seven friends in Iran who are languishing in prison, awaiting their sentence, with little hope of a fair trial.
These seven Bahá'ís are willing to pay the highest price of all – they are willing to
sacrifice their own lives – for the cause of the oneness of humanity. But these sacrifices may no longer be necessary because humanity is arriving at a new stage in its collective development. All around the world, people of conscience are recognizing that injury to one means injury to all, and that justice must become the reigning principle of human affairs. In this regard, the oneness of humanity is fast becoming a universally accepted ideal.

The Bahá'ís in Iran have made tremendous sacrifices, for over 150 years, to advance this ideal. It is time for humanity to lift the burden of sacrifice from their shoulders. It is time for people everywhere to speak out with a unified voice and say: enough is enough.

These oppression can no longer be tolerated – in any country, against any people.
Enough is enough.

So I urge all of you here to use every channel of communication and legitimate influence at your disposal to speak out. Speak out to your elected representatives and to your fellow citizens. Speak out through conversations, and emails, and letters, and the media. Speak out on behalf of our common humanity. Enough is enough.

Through their sacrifices, the Bahá'ís in Iran are offering humanity an opportunity to take the next step down the path toward unity and justice. It is time for humanity to move beyond the point of leaving persecuted and oppressed minorities to struggle in isolation for their own survival. It is time for all people of conscience, everywhere, to begin to speak out, with a unified voice, in support of the victims of oppression, everywhere. This is what the oneness of humanity looks like. This is where we are headed.

The Bahá'ís in Iran have made such painful sacrifices, for over 150 years, to bring about the reality of the oneness of humanity. It is time for humanity to lift the burden of sacrifice from their shoulders.

One Word: God

“The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.” Baha’u’llah. One day I was walking along Charles River in Cambridge when I noticed two men in suites and yamakas looking for someone to take their picture with the Boston skyline behind them. I offered to take their picture. After I took a few photographs and was returning the camera, one of them spoke to me in Hebrew. I said: ‘I am afraid I do not speak Hebrew’. The man said: ‘but you are Jewish, right?’ Smiling and impressed, I replied: ‘Good guess! My ancestry is Jewish; in fact both sides of my family have included a couple of rabbis and are descended from Ecbatana, the ancient Persian city where Ester was from – but, I am not Jewish!’ The man gave me his card that identified him as the rabbi at one of the local colleges and asked: ‘so your great grandmother, grandmother and mother were Jewish?’ I replied, ‘yes.’ He said: ‘then you are Jewish!’ The young Spanish priest walked into our house in Needham with some urgency. ‘Where is your mother?’ he asked. I explained that it was my Mexican mother-in-law that was in need of his services and led him to her room. She had been seriously ill and very close to the end of her life. One of her friends visiting her earlier that day had become alarmed and had asked that we immediately find a Spanish speaking priest to perform her last rites. Through St. Joseph, where she was a parishioner, the Spanish padre was contacted and arrived at our door in an hour or so. I watched him say some prayers lovingly and tenderly and perform some rites that were completely unfamiliar to me. After a while, he stopped and said something to the effect that he could not perform the last rites since she was not close enough to passing. I asked what we should do for her meanwhile, and if he was going to come back again? He replied that we should pray for her. I said that we do, but out of respect for her, since she was a Catholic, we felt that it should also be done in a Christian way. He asked some questions such as, ‘do you believe in God, the Father’ and, ‘do you believe that Jesus was the Savior’, to which I replied in the affirmative. He said, ‘you can pray for her, you are a Christian!’ I have been in similar situations when I was also told by “good authority” that I must be a Muslim! Far from being offended or even uncomfortable I find these occasional mistaken attributions to other religions to be a confirmation of my Faith rather than its denial. I am a Baha’i which means I try to follow the teachings of Baha’u’llah in my day to day life. Baha’u’llah, who lived in the nineteenth century, was born to a noble and wealthy family. He taught that we are fundamentally spiritual beings and life is part of the journey of the human soul to acquire and perfect spiritual qualities such as love, justice, humility, selflessness and kindness. He taught that the Creator, known by different names at different times and places, has revealed himself to humanity throughout the ages by individuals who Baha’u’llah called “Manifestations of God”. It was through these Manifestations that humanity could learn about its Creator and acquire the spiritual perfections that it needs for its happiness, tranquility and peace. Baha’u’llah taught that there is only one human race and the spiritual foundations of the religions that were founded by Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha’u’llah are all the same. They only differ in their “social” teachings because the needs of each age are different. He claimed to be the latest in this progressive revelation. As a result of his claim and teachings, Baha’u’llah was arrested, stripped of all his worldly belongings, imprisoned in the Black Pit of Tehran and suffered 40 years of further exile and imprisonment finally ending in the Ottoman penal colony of Akka, in the present day Israel. Despite all his suffering and the intrigues of the Persian and Ottoman empires to silence him and destroy the movement that he had started, Baha’u’llah in over 100 volumes of books, letters and epistles outlined the spiritual and intellectual principles that are needed to relieve a suffering humanity from “the tumult of religious dissension and strife” and establish the Peace for which the followers of all religions have been praying and waiting for.

Ramin Abrishamian www.boston.com June 2, 2009


We must recognize the sun no matter from what dawning-point it may shine forth, be it Mosaic, Abrahamic or any personal point of orientation whatever, for we are lovers of sunlight and not of orientation. We are lovers of illumination and not of lamps and candles. We are seekers for water no matter from what rock it may gush forth. We are in need of fruit in whatsoever orchard it may be ripened. We long for rain it matters not which cloud pours it down. We must not be fettered. If we renounce these fetters we shall agree, for all are seekers of reality. The counterfeit or imitation of true religion has adulterated human belief and the foundations have been lost sight of. The variance of these imitations has produced enmity and strife, war and bloodshed. Now the glorious and brilliant twentieth century has dawned and the divine bounty is radiating universally. The Sun of Truth is shining forth in intense enkindlement. This is verily the century when these imitations must be forsaken, superstitions abandoned and God alone worshiped. We must look at the reality of the prophets and their teachings in order that we may agree.
~ Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 15

The Fire of Love

Create, then, in their hearts, O my Beloved, the fire of Thy love, to such an extent that the mention of all save Thee may be consumed by it, that they may witness within their selves that Thou hast ever been in the loftiness of eternity, and that there has never been anything with Thee, and that Thou art as Thou bast ever been; no God is there save Thee, the Generous, the Mighty.

~ Baha'u'llah

Buddhism in Asian civilization

Buddhism began as an intellectual and ethical movement in the sixth century B.C in India. It spread during the life time of the Buddha in India. At the time of the Buddha’s parinibhana almost all the important states of India seemed to have been deeply influenced by the new teaching. He had many disciples and accumulated a large public following by the time of his parinibhana in 483 B.C.

The spread of Buddhism

Buddhism has been significant not only in India, but also in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, where Theravada has been dominant. Mahayana has had greatest impact in China, Afghanistan, Japan, Taiwan, Tibet, Nepal, Mongolia, Korea and Vietnam as well as in India. Tibetan Buddhism which developed in isolation of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism is functioning as a separate sect since the 19th century. The number of Buddhists world wide has been estimated as between 150 and 300 million.

The fascinating philosophy which became a religion

The marvel of Buddhism is that it has lasted for more than 2500 years. It has a philosophy as well as a religion. The philosophy of the Buddha fascinates the intellectual. As a religion it illuminates the lives of millions of men, women and children. All the more wonderful, it has never been imposed by force.
Today many universities in Asia, the Buddha’s doctrine has been made a subject of philosophical research. Vivid dialogues and sayings of the Buddha, recordings, edicts, scriptures originated in Asian civilization. Two and half centuries after the parinibhana of the Buddha, a council of monks collected his teachings and the oral traditions of the faith into written form, called the Tripitake (The Three Baskets). The Tripitake which is translated to English and other languages form one great prime source of Buddhism in Asian civilization.

Buddhism and the Eightfold Path

The contribution which Buddhism has made to the spiritual, moral, social and intellectual advancement of man and woman in Sri Lanka and in Asian Civilization is needed notable. Buddhism is a moral code based on compassion, universal love, non-violence, equanimity and a practical philosophy for daily life. The essence of Buddhism is the Eightfold Path, which includes morality, mind, culture and wisdom.
Buddhism is also an institution of well-laid rules and regulations formulated for its functioning. Thus a community of men, women, male and female, disciples who are known to hold the same views dedicated to the same cause, opinion and principles and following the same religious teaching emerged. It was a highly organized community possessing stability and a high degree of efficiency without any loss of functions to the individual members whether man or woman. Woman had the right to freely participate in the social life of the religion. Given the diversity of target groups and educational tasks, the Buddha made effective use of informal education to teach and educate the fourfold Buddhist community.

Impact of Buddhism

Impact of Buddhism in Asian civilization can be attributed to the unswerving faithfulness of the bhikkhu and bhikkunie groups, the Tripitake and the scriptures. There were a sufficient number of faithful, erudite monks to preach the doctrine undefiled and to fill millions with its spirit. The transforming power of Buddhism made new personalities of all kinds of people -- from kings to peasants. It has changed individual men and women, it has changed entire nations. Emperor Asoka of India, King Tissa of Sri Lanka were history’s greatest examples of transformation. The Indian missionaries led by Rev. Mahinda brought not only Buddhism to the Island, but also the culture and civilization of Buddhist India. Almost all the Buddhist rites, ceremonies, festivals, architecture, arts and crafts were introduced into countries of Asia.

Emperor Asoka’s great contributions to Buddhism

The Emperor Asoka is history’s greatest example in the impact of Buddhism in Asian Civilizations. Inspired by Buddhism in 200 B.C. he sent missionaries to many lands. As a result Buddhism played a vital role in Asian Civilization. Vincent Smith in his book “Asoka, Buddhist Emperor of India” states “the transformation of the local sect into a world religion is the work of Asoka alone.” He passed on the Teaching in its original purity. The extent of the accomplishment of Emperor Asoka, would not have been known today were it not for some 5000 inscriptions that he had carved on pillars, rocks and caves throughout his empire. The inscriptions contain Buddhist rules for the laity. These inscriptions explain the meaning of this religion and reveal what Emperor Asoka accomplished in social welfare in his empire.
Missionaries were sent to Sri Lanka while others went to Burma to Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Macedonia and Epirus. So from generation to generation tales of the glory of Emperor Asoka, man of peace, in Asian civilizations were handed down from parent to child. He put the teaching into practice. One inscription includes the references to; “an absence of self-indulgence, many good actions, kindness, generosity, truthfulness and parity.”
Emperor Aoska recorded: All men are children. And just as I wish my children every kind of prosperity and happiness, in this world and the next, so do I wish for all other men.” Hundreds of monasteries arose, and subjects were encouraged to make pilgrimages to them. He built hospitals for men and animals. He was the pioneer in introducing the profession of veterinary surgery. He established gardens for the cultivation of healing herbs and rest houses at intervals along travel routes. He was a pioneer educationalist and urged Buddhist monks to raise the national level of instruction. He championed and financially supported the education for women.
The most glorious mission of Asoka was carried out by Rev. Mahinda in Sri Lanka. This was followed by the arrival of Rev. Sangamitta. These two visits brought about a renaissance in Sri Lanka. Buddhism, education, arts and craft, sculpture, agriculture and the economy developed. The social, cultural intellectual and moral development of the individuals would not have been a possibility if not for the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Buddhism was equated to governance and every king who ruled in Sri Lanka was dedicated to Buddhism and contributed to the welfare of the country.

Buddhism in other Asian societies

A Buddhist environment prevails in countries like Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. Buddhism played a predominant role in Asian civilization. Theory and practice of Buddhism have made happier and more confident people as confirmed by other great individuals. Thomas Huckey stated, “It spread over a considerable portion of the world with marvelous rapidity, and is still the dominant creed of a large fraction of mankind.”
As a result of the spread of Buddhism, Asian civilizations remained devoted and dedicated to transient spiritual standards and values of a more lasting character. It may be rightly said that Emperor Asoka’s outstanding service to Asian mankind is the missionary zeal that he displaced both within and outside his vast domain. Sri Lanka profiting by his missionary activities, dedicated itself whole-heartedly to the observance, preservation and the custodianship of the Buddha-Dhamma writing down of the doctrine during the 1st century A.D. is the greatest contribution that Sri Lanka had made to the intellectual heritage of mankind. Asian civilizations are not only proud of its past Buddhist cultural attainments but they are also conscious that the present day world society sadly needs the most comforting message of peace and loving kindness declared by the Buddha as a panacea for all ills of the world.

The foundations: philosophy, ideology, concepts, and attitudes.

His philosophy was that everything in the world is transient -- it changes. It is so with the infant, the child, the youth, man and women. It is very philosophical and has a special appeal to mankind. His ideology is truthfulness, peace, compassion, justice and love. His attitudes are very positive such as respect, regard and recognition. These noble principles have been retained in Asian civilizations, where force and coercion dominate. The impact of Buddhism in Asian civilization cannot be underestimated. Its impact has been significant, where Therovada, as well as Mahayana traditions have had the greatest impact.
Dr (Mrs) Tilokasundari Kariyawasam www.dailymirror.lk May 08, 2009



One of the organizers of the Races Congress present spoke of the Western ideals of Bahá'u'lláh as differing from those of former prophets which were tinged with the ideas and civilization of the East. He then asked whether Bahá'u'lláh had made a special study of Western writings, and founded his teachings in accordance with them.

'Abdu'l-Bahá laughed heartily, and said that the books of Bahá'u'lláh, written and printed sixty years ago, contained the ideals now so familiar to the West, but, at that time, they had not been printed or thought of in the West. Besides, he continued, supposing that a very advanced thinker from the West had gone to visit Bahá'u'lláh and to teach Him, would the name of such a great man and the fact of his visit have been unknown and unrecorded? No! In former days, in the time of the Buddha and Zoroaster, civilization in Asia and in the East was very much higher than in the West and ideas and thoughts of the Eastern peoples were much in advance of, and nearer to the thoughts of God than those of the West. But since that time superstitions had crept into the religion and ideals of the East, and from many differing causes the ideals and characters of the Eastern peoples had gone down and down, lower and lower, while the Western peoples had been constantly advancing and struggling towards the Light. Consequently, in these days, the civilization of the West was much higher than that of the East, and the ideas and thoughts of the people of the West were much nearer to the thought of God than those of the East. Therefore, the ideals of Bahá'u'lláh had been more quickly realized in the West.

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 68