Baha I Reference Library Some Answered Questions
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Buddhism and the Bahá'í Writings: an Ontological Rapprochement
Buddhism and the Bahá’í Writings An Ontological Rapprochement * Ian Kluge Buddhism is one of the revelations recognised by the Bahá’í Faith as being divine in origin and, therefore, part of humankind’s heritage of guidance from God. This religion, which has approximately 379 million followers 1 is now making significant inroads into North America and Europe where Buddhist Centres are springing up in record numbers. Especially because of the charismatic leader of Tibetan Prasangika Buddhism, the Dalai Lama, Buddhism has achieved global prominence both for its spiritual wisdom as well as for its part in the struggle for an independent Tibet. Thus, for Bahá’ís there are four reasons to seek a deeper knowledge of Buddhism. In the first place, it is one of the former divine revelations and therefore, inherently interesting, and second, it is one of the ‘religions of our neighbours’ whom we seek to understand better. Third, a study of Buddhism also allows us to better understand Bahá’u’lláh’s teaching that all religions are essentially one. (PUP 175) Moreover, if we wish to engage in intelligent dialogue with them, we must have a solid understanding of their beliefs and how they relate to our own. We shall begin our study of Buddhism and the Bahá’í Writings at the ontological level because that is the most fundamental level at which it is possible to study anything. Ontology, which is a branch of metaphysics, 2 concerns itself with the subject of being and what it means ‘to be,’ and the way in which things are. -
Provisional Translations of Selected Writings of the Báb, Bahá׳U׳Lláh
Provisional Translations of Selected Writings of the Báb, Baháʼuʼlláh, and ʻAbdu’l-Bahá by Peyman Sazedj Translations originally posted at peyman.sazedj.org, reconstructed from archive.org Contents The Báb 1. Order of the Verses (Persian Bayán 3:16) 2. The Seven Stages of Creation 3. On Divine Nonfulfillment (Badá) Baháʼuʼlláh 4. Addressed to an Ancestor: "Forfeit Not the Brief Moments of Your Lives!" 5. The Meaning of Pioneering 6. Tablet of Visitation of Badí 7. The Stages of Contentment (Riḍá) 8. On Divine Tests 9. The Maiden of Divine Mystery 10. A Most Weighty Counsel 11. The Voice of the Heart of the World 12. The Three Types of Attachment 13. From the Kitáb -i-Badí: About the Short Time Span between the Revelation of the Báb and Baháʼuʼlláh 14. The Proof of the Next Manifestation 15. Interpretation of “He Employeth the Angels as Messengers, with Pairs of Wings, Two, Three and Four…” ʻAbdu’l-Bahá 16. What Youth Must Master 17. The Middle Way 18. Both Motion and Stillness are of God 19. Life on other Planets 20. About the Jinn 21. Ignorance of Self 22. The Ruby Tablet and the fifth Tablet of Paradise 23. Allusions to the Covenant in the Hidden Words 24. Interpretation of the Hidden Word: "In the Night Season..." 25. The Five Standards of Acquiring Knowledge 26. Prophets Mentioned in the Qu'rán, Zoroaster, and Mahábád 27. Prayer for Visiting the Shrine of Baháʼuʼlláh The Báb 1. The Order of the Verses (Persian Bayán 3:16) Let him who is able render the order of the Bayán in whatever manner is sweetest, though it be rendered in a thousand ways. -
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi
The Ministry of Shoghi Effendi Will and Testament of `Abdu’l-Baha • He delineated the • `Abdu’l-Bahá revealed a authority of “twin Will and Testament in successor” institutions three parts, 1902 to 1910, • He further defined where He designated responsibilities of the Shoghi Effendi as His Hands of the Cause successor and elaborated on the election of the • `Abdu’l-Bahá almost Universal House of Justice never mentioned to anyone that Shoghi • We’ll look at some Effendi would succeed passages later Him; it was a well kept secret Shoghi Effendi Rabbani • Born March 1, 1897; eldest of 13 grandchildren of `Abdu’l-Bahá • Mother was `Abdu’l-Bahá’s oldest daughter (of 4) • `Abdu’l-Bahá insisted everyone address him with the term Effendi (Turkish for sir) • Education in home school in Akka (in the House of Abbud) first by a Persian man, then by an Italian governess Education • Then went to the College • He was devastated and des Freres in Haifa, a lost weight Jesuit private school • He very strongly disliked • Then went to a Jesuit the French high school, boarding school in Beirut though he learned fluent • Invited to go to America French there with `Abdu’l-Bahá, but he • Started his senior year at was turned back in Syrian Protestant College Naples on the claim his Preparatory School, Oct. eyes were diseased with 1912, when 15 years old trachoma • Graduated in early summer 1913 (age 16) Higher Education • Summer 1913: In Egypt • Bachelor of Arts degree with `Abdu’l-Bahá when he was 20 (the • Syrian Protestant graduating class had college, 1913-17 10!) • The college did relief • Graduate student at work and provided free SPC, fall 1917-summer medical care to Turkish 1918 soldiers, so it was • Sept. -
The Importance of Deepening Our Knowledge and Understanding Of
The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith A compilation of extracts from the Bahá'í Writings Prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice Bahá'í World Centre Baha'i Publishing Trust, Wilmette, Illinois 60091 Copyright by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada 1983 Also in the Compilation of Compilations Vol. I, pp. 187-234 CONTENTS Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh Extracts from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá Extracts from the Utterances of `Abdu'l-Bahá Extracts from Letters written by Shoghi Effendi Extracts from Letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh 1. Recite ye the verses of God every morn and eventide. Whoso faileth to recite them hath not been faithful to the Covenant of God and His Testament, and whoso turneth away from these holy verses in this Day is of those who throughout eternity have turned away from God. Fear ye God, O My servants, one and all. Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 73 2. Were any man to taste the sweetness of the words which the lips of the All-Merciful have willed to utter, he would, though the treasures of the earth be in his possession, renounce them one and all, that he might vindicate the truth of even one of His commandments, shining above the Dayspring of His bountiful care and loving-kindness. Bahá'u'lláh, A Synopsis and Codification of the Laws and Ordinances of Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. -
Some Aspects of Bahá'í Ethics
The 20th Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture Some Aspects of Bahá’í Ethics UDO SCHAEFER I am really overwhelmed and deeply touched by your warm-hearted wel- come and introduction. It is an unexpected, great honor to have been cho- sen by the Association to present the Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture. I would like to express my sincerest gratitude and that of my wife for this invitation. The material that I am presenting—some aspects of Bahá’í ethics—is taken from the draft of a forthcoming book, Bahá’í Ethics in Light of Scripture.1 A systematic presentation of the new standard of values is, as I feel, not only timely, it is rather a matter of urgency in the face of the increasing disintegration of traditional morality and the truly apocalyp- tic dimension of spreading immorality all over the world. When choosing my topic for this conference I had to decide between an outline of the new morality which, in the given time frame, could not have been more than a general survey, or some few central issues that can be dealt with more in depth. I chose the latter option, inasmuch as I can refer to my article pub- lished in the Bahá’í Studies Review, “The New Morality: An Outline.” Let me start with a few general remarks on ethics: The term derives from the Greek ethikos which pertains to ethos (character). Ethics as part of practical philosophy is also called “moral philosophy,”2 and, if it is a religious ethics based on revelation (a revelatory ethics like Bahá’í ethics), one can call it “moral theology,” as it is termed in Catholicism. -
Den John Esslemont (1874 - 1925) a Wéi D‘Muecht Vum Bond Hie Belieft Huet
Den John Esslemont (1874 - 1925) a wéi d‘Muecht vum Bond hie belieft huet Zënter 1998 hunn ech d’Chance, un de Formatioune vum Institut de Formation, Bahá’í Lëtzebuerg, deelzehuelen, sief et als Participant oder als Tuteur. Elo zielen ech iech gär vun engem Léiermoment am Ruhi Buch 8, aus menger Perspektiv, do wou ech haut sinn. An engem Grupp vu 4-5 Leit a mat eisem Tutor, hu mir Sonndes moies tëscht 9:30 an 12:15 d‘Buch 8, De Bond vu Bahá’u’lláh, déi 1. Unitéit: Den Zentrum vum Bond a säin Testament, zesumme gelies, Froen zum Text gestallt an duerch eis Ergänzunge probéiert, den Inhalt besser ze verstoen an ze kucken, wéi mir dat Geléiert an eisem Alldag praktesch ëmsetze kënnen. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ass de Mëttelpunkt vum Bond vu Baháʼu'lláh, an Hie seet, dass dëse Bond allmächteg ass, eng „universal Wo“, e „Magnéit vu Gottes Gnod“, e Bond dee „sengesgläichen, an den hellege Sendunge vun der Vergaangenheet, sicht“. 1 Am Abschnitt 20 gesi mer kuerz, wéi de Glawe sech am Weste verbreet huet. Verantwortlech dofir war virun allem ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. Et gi vill Geschichten, déi mat dëser aussergewéinlecher Period vun der Geschicht vum Glawe verbonne sinn, a Séilen, déi den Appell vu Bahá’u’lláh héieren hunn a sech entschloss hunn, sech fir d’Saach anzesetzen. Mir sollen hei eis eege Recherche maachen iwwer d’Liewe vun engem vun den éischte Gleewegen aus dem Westen an eng kleng Presentatioun fir de Grupp virbereeden. Mir solle versichen ze weisen, wéi d’Muecht vum Bond jiddeere vun hinne belieft huet. -
Examples of the Bahá'í Faith's Outward Expressions
Examples of the Bahá’í Faith’s Outward Expressions Photo taken in 1894 Carmel means “Vineyard of the Lord”. Mount Carmel, of which the prophet Daniel called “the glorious mountain”. (KJV-Daniel 11:45) The New English Bible translation is “the holy hill, the fairest of all hills”. Mount Carmel, the home of the prophet Elijah, who challenged 450 prophets of Baal to prove their religious claims. “Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table. (KJV, 3 Kings 18:19-29) He destroyed them, as well as the pervasive belief in Baalim, a false god. Caves where he lived in this Mountain are still revered. Mount Carmel, of which the Prophet Isaiah extolled “And it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (KJV, Isaiah 2:2-3) And again, “…let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (KJV, Isaiah 11:3) And again, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (KJV, 11:9) Mount Carmel, where Bahá’u’lláh (trans. -
Introduction
Introduction The Danish RENNER project is a REsearch Network on the study of NEw Religions. This research network, which is supported by the Danish Research Council for the Humanities, has been active since 1992. In 1998, a new grant from the Research Council allowed us to conduct a specifi c study on new religions and globalisation, and we initiated the project with several separate studies of new age religion and globalisation. The present book, Baha’i and Globalisation, which is the seventh volume of the book series Renner Studies on New Religion, is the second of the case studies of the project. Another book, which emphasises the theoretical and methodological aspects of the study of new religions and globalisation, will be volume eight in the series, rounding off this special RENNER topic. Globalisation is the conventional term used to describe the present, rapid integration of the world economy facilitated by the innovations and growth in international electronic communications particularly during the last two decades. Globalisation carries with it an increasing political and cultural awareness that all of humanity is globally inter- dependent. However, the awareness of this global interdependency has been aired by philosophers and politicians much before the term globalisation was introduced. Thus, the founder of the Baha’i religion, the Iranian prophet, Husayn-Ali Nuri (1817-1892) called Baha’u’llah, claimed in the late 19th century that the central doctrine of the Baha’i religion is the realisation that the human race is one and that the world should be unifi ed: ‘The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch’. -
The Ten Year Crusade
The 22nd Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture The Ten Year Crusade ALI NAKHJAVANI Abstract This essay will explore how Shoghi Effendi prepared the Bahá’í world for the Ten Year Crusade. It will examine the twenty-seven objectives he formulated and will explain the impediments which prevented the implementation of some of those objectives. Finally, it will consider the place of the Crusade in history as well as future developments destined to flow from it, as seen by Shoghi Effendi. Résumé Cet essai explore comment Shoghi Effendi a préparé le monde bahá’í à la Croisade de dix ans. Il examine les vingt-sept objectifs formulés par Shoghi Effendi et explique les facteurs qui ont empêché la mise en œuvre de certains d’entre eux. Enfin, l’article examine la place de la Croisade de dix ans dans l’histoire et les progrès futurs qui en découleront, selon la vision de Shoghi Effendi. Resumen Este ensayo sondea cómo Shoghi Effendi preparó al mundo bahá’í para la Cruzada de Diez Años. Examinará los veintisiete objetivos que formuló, y explicará los obstáculos que impidieron la implementación de algunos de aquellos objetivos. Finalmente, considerará el lugar de la Cruzada al marco de la historia, como tam- bien acontecimientos futuros destinados como tambien resultantes de ese esfuer- zo, según previstos por Shoghi Effendi. It is not difficult to differentiate the developments achieved under the decade-long Plan launched by Shoghi Effendi—the Ten Year Crusade 1 2 The Journal of Bahá’í Studies 14. 3/4. 2004 (1953–1963)—from the activities in the Bahá’í world that took place prior to the inception of that Crusade. -
Religion Asserts That Its Central Concerns Are Discovering Truth and Implementing the Measures Called for by That Truth
1 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic 2 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic Robert Vail Harris, Jr. First Edition (PDF Version) Copyright 2018 Robert Vail Harris, Jr. Website: truth4skeptic.org Email: [email protected] What is truth? Is there meaning in existence? What are life and death? These and similar questions are explored here. This work draws on techniques and examples from science and mathematics in a search for insights from ancient and modern sources. It is writ- ten especially for the skeptical scientist, the agnostic, and the athe- ist. It is informal but rigorous, and invites careful reflection. 3 Contents Page Questions 4 Answers 84 Actions 156 Notes and References 173 Truth: A Path for the Skeptic 4 Questions Overview The search for truth is a lifelong endeavor. From the time we open our eyes at birth until we close them at the hour of death, we are sorting and sifting, trying to determine what is true and what is not, what is reality and what is illusion, what is predictable and what is random. Our understanding of truth underpins our priorities and all our activities. Every thought we have, every step we take, every choice we make is based on our assessment of what is true. Knowing the truth enriches our lives, while false beliefs impover- ish and endanger us. The importance of truth can be illustrated by countless exam- ples. Contractual arrangements are accompanied by an assertion of truthfulness. Participants in a trial are required to tell the truth. Various implements have been used to try to ascertain truth, from the dunking and burning of accused witches to the use of lie detec- tors. -
Submitting Stories to Bahá'í Canada
Bahá’í Canada FALL/WINTER 2020 | HONOUR 177 B.E. VOL. 33 NO. 4 Seeing the journey through From the Writings over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall romote ye the development of the cities of God and perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, His countries, and glorify Him therein in the joyous when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Paccents of His well-favored ones. In truth, the hearts of Bahá, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead men are edified through the power of the tongue, even ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections as houses and cities are built up by the hand and other upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of means. We have assigned to every end a means for its the world. – Bahá’u’lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p.55-56. accomplishment; avail yourselves thereof, and place your trust and confidence in God, the Omniscient, the All- Wise. – Bahá’u’lláh, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 160. adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God! Let no harm beset me in times of tests, and in moments Iof heedlessness guide my steps aright through Thine his is the day to make mention of God, to inspiration. Thou art God, potent art Thou to do what celebrate His praise, and to serve Him; deprive Thou desirest. No one can withstand Thy Will or thwart Tnot yourselves thereof. -
Qur'án Study Resources and Notes
Qur'án Study Resources and Notes Table of Contents The Qur'án: Renderings by Rodwell & Sale and Multilinear Qur'án MULTILINEAR QUR’ÁN (includes notes and Bahá’í References as well) Six Lessons on Islám by Marzieh Gail Introduction to a Study of the Qur'án: THE KORAN - Translated by George Sale The Meaning of the Glorious Quran The Quranic Arabic Corpus BAHA'U'LLAH: THE GREAT ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE QUR'AN Tablet of the 'Light Verse' (Lawh-i-Áyiy-i-Núr), also known as Commentary on the Disconnected Letters: (eg. alif, lam, mim, sad, ra, kaf,...) Internet Sacred Texts Archive - Islam Disconnected Letters of the Qur'an and the Significance of the Number Nineteen Google Search: “quran site:bahai-library.com” Book: Islam At The Crossroads by Lameh Fananapazir Book: Jesus in the Qur’an by Geoffrey Parrinder Audio Book: Tablets of the Divine Plan Commentary on the Islamic Tradition "I Was a Hidden Treasure..." "By the Fig and the Olive": `Abdu'l-Bahá's Commentary in Ottoman Turkish on the Qur'ánic Sura 95 Tablet of Tribulations (Lawḥ-i Baláyá) Five Pillars of Islam - Power Point by Duane Troxel Muslim guidance for life today The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 Movie: The Message (3 hrs) Starring Anthony Quinn Muhammad: Messenger of God The First Muslim, Opening Chapter, by Lesley Hazelton Video: Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet TED Talk: Lesley Hazleton - The Doubt is Essential TED Talk: Lesley Hazleton - On Reading the Koran TED Blog: 7 fascinating talks on better understanding Islam Life of Muhammad - Power Point PDF from Duane Troxel Islamic Contributions to Society by Stanwood Cobb Qur'ánic references in the Bahá'í Writings compiled by Mr.