Baha’i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson – Ep 53: Sean Hinton (part 1) – The Story of Becoming the Knight of Baha’u’llah for Mongolia

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In this episode, I’m joined by Sean Hinton, the very first Baha’i to ever go to Mongolia, and therefore be given the title ‘Knight of Baha’u’llah’ (which you can learn about here). Sean currently lives in Oxford, England with his family. He trained as a musician, but he’s had an extremely varied and interesting career, and life for that matter! I wanted Sean to share the story of how he ended up being the first Baha’i to go to Mongolia, so stop what you’re doing and listen to his fascinating story!

To find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following:

• What’s a ‘Knight of Baha’u’llah’? Find out more from this Baha’i Blog article: Who Are the Knights of Baha’u’llah?
• Sean mentions Shoghi Effendi and ‘The 10 Year Crusade‘.
• Sean mentions his friend Adam Roberts’ grandparents, John Robarts and Audrey Robarts, who were also Knights of Bahaullah.
• Sean mentions Baha’i pilgrimage, which you can read about here: What Is Baha’i Pilgrimage?
• Sean mentions the Universal House of Justice, which you can find and learn more about here: universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org
• Sean mentions former Universal House of Justice member, Mr. Ian Semple, whom you can read about here: In Memory of Mr. Ian Semple
• Sean mentions the Baha’i World Centre, and you may also find this Baha’i Blog article interesting: Why is the Baha’i World Centre in Israel?
• Sean talks about meeting Amatu’l-Baha Ruhiyyih Khanum.
• Sean mentions the Baha’i 19 Day Feast, which you can read about here: The Nineteen Day Feast and Why it’s Important
• Sean shares this passage from Baha’u’llah:
  “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.”
• Sean mentions The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah.
• Sean mentions The Seven Valleys by Baha’u’llah, which you can also learn about here: An Introduction to The Seven Valleys
• I mention Hands of the Cause, which you can learn about here: Who Were the Hands of the Cause?
• I mention Enoch Olinga, whom you can learn about here: Remembering Enoch Olinga
• Sean shares the following excerpt from a letter by the Universal of Justice:
  “Training alone, of course, does not necessarily lead to an upsurge in teaching activity.
  In every avenue of service, the friends need sustained encouragement. Our expectation is that the Auxiliary Board members, together with their assistants, will give special thought to how individual initiative can be cultivated, particularly as it relates to teaching. When training and encouragement are effective, a culture of growth is nourished in which the believers see their duty to teach as a natural consequence of having accepted Bahá’u’lláh. They “raise high the sacred torch of faith,” as was Abdu’l-Baha’s wish, “labor ceaselessly, by day and by night,” and “consecrate every fleeting moment of their lives to the diffusion of the divine fragrance and the exaltation of God’s holy Word.” So enkindled do their hearts become with the fire of the love of God that whoever approaches them feels its warmth. They strive to be channels of the spirit, pure of heart, selfless and humble, possessing certitude and the courage that stems from reliance on God. In such a culture, teaching is the dominating passion of the lives of the believers. Fear of failure finds no place. Mutual support, commitment to learning, and appreciation of diversity of action are the prevailing norms.”
• We talk about the importance of serving others, which you can read more about here: The Importance of Service in the Baha’i Faith
• Sean shares this quotation by Abdu’l-Baha:
  “Work done in the spirit of service is the highest form of worship….”

You can find all of our episodes here on the Baha’i Blogcast page, and be sure to ‘subscribe’ to the Baha’i Blogcast for more upcoming episodes on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify and Soundcloud.

Thanks for listening!

-Rainn Wilson

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Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.