Tranformation - Be the change you wish to see in the world
compiled by Sally Walker
1. You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
-Mahatma Gandhi
2. A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive -Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah
3. First one must change. I first watch myself, check myself, then expect changes from others.
- The Dalai Lama
4. At the heart of the Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is the force of transformation, both of the individual and of society. The transformation of the individual is not an isolated process, not ascetic nor centered wholly on one’s self-fulfillment. In Bahá'í terms, the process of one’s individual development and fulfillment is tied to the centering of one’s energies on the betterment of humankind and serving the needs of the community and the larger society. Prayer and meditation, fighting one’s spiritual battles, living according to spiritual laws and teachings—all are essential elements in fulfilling life’s purpose, but such efforts reach their fullest transformative effect when they are dedicated to service. -Bahai International Community
5. Question: But there shouldn’t be any hunger and starvation in the first place. How can we create a better world without tackling evils such as hunger and violence first? All evils are the effect of unconsciousness. You can alleviate the effects of unconsciousness, but you cannot eliminate them unless you eliminate their cause. True change happens within, not without. If you feel called upon to alleviate suffering in the world, that is a very noble thing to do, but remember not to focus exclusively on the outer; otherwise, you will encounter frustration and despair. Without a profound change in human consciousness, the world’s suffering is a bottomless pit. -Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now
6. The transformation called for by Bahá'u'lláh is directed to the inner life and character of every human being and to the organization of society--a transformation that engenders cooperation, compassion, rectitude of conduct, and justice. –Baha’i International Community
7. All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. -Bahá'u'lláh
8. Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self. -Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, XLIII)
9. That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. -Bahá'u'lláh
10. Were man to appreciate the greatness of his station and the loftiness of his destiny he would manifest naught save goodly character, pure deeds, and a seemly and praiseworthy conduct. -Bahá'u'lláh
11. Spiritual consciousness is the generating power of human society. -Abdu'l-Bahá
13. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then
14. Your mind creates your reality. You can choose to accept this or not. You can be conscious of it, and get your mind working for you, or you can ignore it, and allow it to work in ways that will hinder and hold you back. But your mind will always, and forever be creating your reality. - John Kehoe, Mind Power
15. When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness.” - Joseph Campbell
16. Because the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's message are both social and spiritual, His teachings redefine the very concept of religion. He is not the Founder of a religion as religion is conventionally understood, but rather the Prophet of civilization and collective transformation--the "Originator of a new universal cycle" in human history.2 His message transcends all religious categories. His vision of the oneness of humankind involves not just the deepening of human solidarity, the safeguarding of human rights, or the establishment of an enduring peace, but rather "an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced."3 His prescriptions for the moral reformation of human nature are unique in their approach and universal in their applicability -Bahai International Community
17. The more we search for ourselves, the less likely we are to find ourselves; and the more we search for God, and to serve our fellow-men, the more profoundly will we become acquainted with ourselves, and the more inwardly assured. This is one of the great spiritual laws of life. –Shoghi Effendi
18. Humanity … is now entering the period of its collective maturity. Fundamental to the challenge of maturity is for all the peoples of the world to embrace the consciousness of their oneness as a single human family whose homeland is the earth itself. –Baha’i International Community
19. True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his self. -Baha'u'llah
20. "He hath known God who hath known himself." -Baha'u'llah
21. So think as if your every thought were to be etched in fire upon the sky for all and everything to see, for so, in truth, it is. -Book of Mirdad
22. Then comes the reconciliation of outer and inner purpose: to bring that essence – consciousness – into the world of form and thereby transform the world. The ultimate purpose of that transformation goes far beyond anything the human mind can imagine or comprehend. And yet, on this planet at this time, that transformation is the task allotted us. That is the reconciliation of outer and inner purpose, the reconciliation of the world and God. -Eckart Tolle, A New Earth
23. And yet, is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions? For if the character of mankind be not changed, the futility of God's universal Manifestations would be apparent. -Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, 1861
24. Ask and ye shall receive. Knock and the door will be opened. -Matthew 7:7
25. All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition. -Baha'u'llah
26. You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result” - Mahatma Gandhi
27. “If you are called to be a street sweeper, sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”
- Martin Luther King
28. Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one. - Marianne Williamson
29. I think much of what ails the inner city involves a breakdown in culture that will not be cured by money alone, and that our values and spiritual life matter at least as much as our GDP. – Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope
30. It would be unrealistic to imagine that the challenges lying ahead may not exact an even greater toll of a human race that still seeks, by every means in its power, to avoid the spiritual implications of the experience it is undergoing. -The Universal House of Justice, Century of Light 2001
31. We know that the working of the material world is merely a reflection of spiritual conditions and until the spiritual conditions can be changed there can be no lasting change for the better in material affairs. -The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1974
32. Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb. Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect, yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his soul. Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is the Source of power and wisdom. -Baha'u'llah