Baha'i House of Worship

The Baha'i House of Worship for the North American continent is truly an encompassment of art and spirituality. The giant white building is engraved with symbols from major world religions as well as different phrases that are important in the Baha'i faith. My favorite of these quotes is: "The light of good personality surpasseth the light of the sun". Baha'i is a world religion that believes in tolerance, acceptance, and equality for all people. The space reflects these ideals. This particular faith also puts a great emphasis on beauty because they believe in finding beauty in all. Gardens are referenced often in Baha'i teachings so therefore it would not be surprising that this space would be surrounded by gardens and meditation pools.

A service at the Baha'i temple is rather short (only about half an hour) but so moving and tranquil. Because cameras are not permitted in the

sanctuary space, here is a website with pictures of the ceiling, which is magnificent:

http://www.cwauth.smugmug.com/gallery/2972833#160808903_yr3RH

The space is totally silent, allowing you to meditate or just be with yourself and then suddenly somewhere in the vast ceiling, the choir begins to sing. This starts the service. After a song from the choir, members from the faith offer readings for consideration. Readings are chosen from the Qur'an, the Bible, the Torah, the writings of Baha'u'llah, etc. At the service I attended, one of the members also sang an Arabic chant that was absolutely beautiful. After the choir sings for the third time, the service is over yet hardly anyone leaves right away. Why is this? Well, first of all, there is no formal procession or breakout of conversation. Besides these logistics, however, the service itself was so rich that I found I did not want it to end. I found this to be a deeply tranquil and spiritual experience.

Here is the Baha'i website:

http://www.bahai.us/