The Book of Existence Exercise

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1.  Explain in your own words why destroying a book cannot destroy its contents?

2.  What forms can a book take, including modern communications technologies?

3.  Every book can be presented in numerous formats and in hundreds of languages. How does this help explain the true reality of a book?

4.  Explain the steps from hatching an idea to writing a poem, a story or a book. (Note that letters and words are symbols.)

5.  How are the steps in writing a book mirrored in the book of existence?

6.  Discuss what is actually happening when we read. Drill down into the process beginning with squiggles on a page.

7.  Consider a cherry blossom in spring. In prose, in a brief address or in a poem, tell its story.

8.  Select one inanimate thing from the world of existence and explain what it symbolizes to you.

9. Select on living thing from Nature and explain what it symbolizes to you.

10. EXTRA CHALLENGE  "...all these signs [of God] are reflected and can be seen in the book of existence," are the words of Baha'u'llah. The difference between human speach and that of the Manifestation of God, is that the words of the Manifestation hold the creative power to bring the things expressed into being. "In like manner, the moment the word expressing My attribute “The Omniscient” issueth forth from My mouth, every created thing will, according to its capacity and limitations, be invested with the power to unfold the knowledge of the most marvelous sciences, and will be empowered to manifest them in the course of time at the bidding of Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing."

 

Discuss in your group the utterance of the words "book of existence" in this light.