The quote below is a provisional translation of a question-and-answer interaction between Baha’u’llah and his amanuensis (that is, the man who wrote down the words Baha’u’llah dictated to him). It begins with the amanuensis asking Baha’u’llah about a hypothetical situation where a person, during prayer, changes a pronoun from “him” to “me” in order to…
Blog
Spiritual nearness
The relationship between Baha’u’llah and the heart is a tricky one to grasp because it involves spiritual concepts of nearness and distance and not everyday ones. Typically, a person on the other side of the world is considered far away, and the person next door is considered near. But when looked at from the point…
Is there a Baha’i mysticism?
Is there a Baha’i mysticism? Strictly speaking, Baha’u’llah has rendered the question redundant by making the process of acquiring mystical insight into God fundamental to his religion. One of the most important books Baha’u’llah wrote is called the Most Holy Book. In it, he sets out the principles, observances, exhortations and laws of his faith….
The benefits of meditation
In the same talk as the one I discussed in the previous post, Abdu’l-Baha gives a list of benefits that come out of meditation. The benefits are so powerful and comprehensive that they could sustain and render successful any undertaking that a person commits to. All that a person needs to do is draw on…
Narrowing down Baha’i meditation
A letter written on behalf of the Guardian says: “There are no set forms of meditation prescribed in the teachings, no plan, as such, for inner development.” (Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Live, in Compilation of Compilations, vol 2, no 1771, p240) However, I think we have an indication of what Abdu’l-Baha thought meditation was….
Vaccinations are spiritual
Some people who are against vaccinations see healing as a spiritual thing, and think that vaccinations, being unnatural, are not spiritual. I also believe that healing is spiritual, but I also believe that vaccinations are spiritual. But how does spiritual healing work? How does the Divine Spirit impact on a physical body? Answer, it uses…
My new blog
I’ve decided to set myself up with a new blog on my own website. I’ve already got a blog, which I began in 2007, but it is no longer where I am. I stopped regularly writing for it many years ago. I want to start afresh, particularly now that I am working on a book,…