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Bahai Story Library
The Plane of Sacrifice
“Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of sacrifice, he is bereft of every favour and grace; and this plane of sacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the living God may then shine forth.”
O ye two favoured handmaids of the Lord! The letter from
Mother Beecher hath been received, and truly it spoke for you both,
wherefore I address the two of you together. This seemeth very good
to me, for ye two pure beings are even as a single precious gem, ye
are two boughs branched from a single tree; ye both adore the same
Beloved, ye both are longing for the same resplendent Sun.
1 / 8
My hope is that all the handmaids of God in that region
will unite like unto the waves of one unending sea; for although
blown about as the wind listeth, these are separate in themselves,
yet in truth are they all at one with the boundless deep.
2 / 8
How good it is if the friends be as close as sheaves of
light, if they stand together side by side in a firm unbroken line. For now have the rays of reality from the Sun of the world of
existence, united in adoration all the worshippers of this light; and
these rays have, through infinite grace, gathered all peoples
together within this wide-spreading shelter; therefore must all souls
become as one soul, and all hearts as one heart.
3 / 8
Let all be set free
from the multiple identities that were born of passion and desire,
and in the oneness of their love for God find a new way of life.
4 / 8
O ye two handmaids of God! Now is the time for you to
become as bounteous cups that are filled to overflowing, and even as
the reviving gusts that blow from the Abhá Paradise, to
scatter the fragrance of musk across that land. Release yourselves
from this world’s life, and at every stage long ye for
non-existence; for when the ray returneth to the sun, it is wiped
out, and when the drop cometh to the sea, it vanisheth, and when the
true lover findeth his Beloved, he yieldeth up his soul.
5 / 8
Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of
sacrifice, he is bereft of every favour and grace; and this plane of
sacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the
living God may then shine forth. The martyr’s field is the
place of detachment from self, that the anthems of eternity may be
upraised.
6 / 8
Do all ye can to become wholly weary of self, and bind
yourselves to that Countenance of Splendours; and once ye have
reached such heights of servitude, ye will find, gathered within your
shadow, all created things. This is boundless grace; this is the
highest sovereignty; this is the life that dieth not. All else save
this is at the last but manifest perdition and great loss.
7 / 8
Praise be to God, the gate of boundless grace is opened
wide, the heavenly table is set, the servants of the Merciful and His
handmaids are present at the feast. Strive ye to receive your share
of this eternal food, so that ye shall be loved and cherished in this
world and the next.