Baha'i Perspective on Soul

The Twofold Meaning of Life

2006-08-29T10:01:00.000+03:00

After what has now been about a one year lull, I am now going to reinvigorate the life of this blog by sharing quotes that have relation to our original theme.

The first one I would like to share is an explanation from the Gems of Divine Mysteries on the twofold meaning of life used in Holy Scriptures.

Know then that "life" hath a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to the appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant's recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all 48 splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.
The first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an end, as hath been revealed by God: "Every soul shall taste of death."42 But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of God, knoweth no death, as hath been revealed aforetime: "Him will We surely quicken to a blessed life."43 And in another passage concerning the martyrs: "Nay, they are alive and sustained by their Lord."44 And from the Traditions: "He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come."45 Numerous examples of similar words are to be found in the Books of God and of the Embodiments of His justice. For the sake of brevity, however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.
42 Qur'án 3:185.
43 Qur'án 16:97.
44 Qur'án 3:169.
45 From a Hadith.
(Baha'u'llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 47)

Life, Death, Immortality

2005-07-22T04:16:00.000+03:00

1. Psychic Forces:

“They belong to that world”- Abdu’l-Baha
…we are not prepared for them in the world as a child is not prepared to see or walk in the womb. Likewise our capacity and readiness for such talents and abilities will occur in the life to come.

2. Individuality in Afterlife:

“…the soul retains its individuality and consciousness after death…(it) is purely spiritual in character.”- Shoghi Effendi

3. Intercession for those that have passed on:

“…those who are near the Divine court are allowed to intercede and this intercession is approved by God.” -‘Abdu’l-Baha

“…intercession in the other world… is… another reality which cannot be expressed in words… there also they can plead for and receive light through entreaties and supplications.” -‘Abdu’l-Baha

“O Lord! In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost accept the intercession of children in behalf of their parents. This is one of the special infinite bestowals of this Dispensation.”
-‘Abdu’l-Baha

Appendices of the Book

1. Respect for the dead:

“As this physical frame is the throne of the inner temple…Thus, if the latter is accorded respect, it is as if the former is the recipient. The converse is likewise true.” –Bab

2. Marriage:

“When, therefore, the people of Baha undertake to marry, the union must be a true relationship, a spiritual coming together as well as a physical one, so that throughout every phase of life, and in all the worlds of God, their union will endure; for this real oneness is a gleaming out of the love of God.” –‘Abdu’l-Baha

“There is no teaching in the Bahá'í Faith that 'soul mates' exist. What is meant is that marriage should lead to a profound friendship of spirit, which will endure in the next world, where there is no sex, and no giving and taking in marriage; just the way we should establish with our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters and friends deep spiritual bond which will be ever-lasting, and not merely physical bonds of human relationship.” -Shoghi Effendi

posted by soul seeker on behalf of the crew

Personality of the Soul and its Progress

2005-07-14T20:09:00.000+03:00

Personality of the Soul and its Progress

“The personality of the rational soul is from the beginning; it is not due to the instrumentality of the body, but the state and the personality of the rational soul may be strengthened in this world…” –Abdu’l-Baha

One question that came up during class was, “What is the personality of the rational soul”? Obviously this personality is not the one that surrounds the life of the body that roams this world. Its name, shape, skin color, these have no holding on the soul and its true station. Each soul however will shed a unique light. This light that dawns is a reflection of the qualities and attributes of God glittering from the crystal that represents each person’s soul. Every crystal will glorify its Creator in a different dazzle of multicolored rays. Perhaps this could be the personality of the rational soul.

“‘Progress’ is the expression of spirit in the world of matter. “The intelligence of man, his reasoning powers, his knowledge, his scientific achievements, all these being manifestations of the spirit, partake of the inevitable law of spiritual progress and are, therefore, of necessity, immortal.” –Abdu’l-Baha

Cool. A definition of how true progress manifests itself. To determine what could change the intelligence, reasoning powers, knowledge, and scientific achievements of people to the greatest extent then would be to find the most powerful agent to progress of material and spiritual civilization. The Manifestations of God yield this ability and power without a doubt as unbiased history has shone age after age. Progress can then be achieved by turning ones thoughts and actions to Baha’u’llah and illumine one’s personal progress and that of society as a whole.

In summary one nice quotation that takes much of the essence of these sections was a question and answer.

“Question: Through what means will the spirit of man—that is to say, the rational soul—after departing from this mortal world, make progress?

Answer: The progress of man’s spirit in the divine world, after the severance of its connection with the body of dust, is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or through the intercession and the sincere prayers of other human souls, or through the charities and important good works which are performed in its name.”

Eternity Life Beyond This Life

2005-05-29T17:12:00.000+03:00

Eternity Life Beyond This Life

Dreams

Several proofs of the existence of the life beyond were presented in this section. Baha’u’llah transcends that which has been revealed about the soul and its aspects in previous Dispensations of the Religion of God, this One Common Faith. Using the dream as a proof of the existence of the eternal soul He says:

“One of the created phenomena is the dream. Behold how many secrets are deposited therein, how many wisdoms treasured up, how many worlds concealed. Observe, how thou art asleep in a dwelling, and its doors are barred; on a sudden thou findest thyself in a far-off city, which thou enterest without moving thy feet or wearying thy body; without using thine eyes, thou seest; without taxing thine ears, thou hearest; without a tongue, thou speakest. And perchance when ten years are gone, thou wilt witness in the outer world the very things thou hast dreamed tonight.

Now there are many wisdoms to ponder in the dream, which none but the people of this Valley can comprehend in their true elements. First, what is this world, where without eye and ear and hand and tongue a man puts all of these to use? Second, how is it that in the outer world thou seest today the effect of a dream, when thou didst vision it in the world of sleep some ten years past? Consider the difference between these two worlds and the mysteries which they conceal, that thou mayest attain to divine confirmations and heavenly discoveries and enter the regions of holiness.

God, the Exalted, hath placed these signs in men, to the end that philosophers may not deny the mysteries of the life beyond nor belittle that which hath been promised them. For some hold to reason and deny whatever the reason comprehendeth not, and yet weak minds can never grasp the matters which we have related, but only the Supreme, Divine Intelligence can comprehend them.”

(Baha'u'llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 32)

Sacrificial Lives of the Manifestations

Taken from another viewpoint, an eternal life is undeniably established by witnessing the sacrificial life of the Manifestations of God. For They produce lucid signs and evidences that no honest observer can deny!

How could such Souls have consented to surrender themselves unto their enemies if they believed all the worlds of God to have been reduced to this earthly life? Would they have willingly suffered such afflictions and torments as no man hath ever experienced or witnessed?

(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 158)

Can you picture the martyrdom of Christ, the cruel killing of Muhammad, the 750 rifle bullets that pierced the breast of the Bab, a life of 40 years imprisonment and exile by Baha’u’llah? Who can deny the facts that They lived for an eternal life through the Love of God.

Must we wait until the end of our earthly lives to attain the ‘eternal life’?

This present earthly life presents one with a multitude of challenges, tests and trials. When considering the prevailing conditions in the world one is often moved to tears. There is a solution! Understanding that a person must live a spiritual life now and not wait for his death to come upon him! Abdu’l-Baha explains how we can attain unto the ‘second birth’ from this world into the world of the Kingdom:

“The world of the Kingdom is the realm of divine bestowals and the bounties of God. It is attainment of the highest virtues of humanity; it is nearness to God; it is capacity to receive the bounties of the ancient Lord. When man advances to this station, he attains the second birth. Before his first or physical birth man was in the world of the matrix. He had no knowledge of this world; his eyes could not see; his ears could not hear. When he was born from the world of the matrix, he beheld another world. The sun was shining with its splendors, the moon radiant in the heavens, the stars twinkling in the expansive firmament, the seas surging, trees verdant and green, all kinds of creatures enjoying life here, infinite bounties prepared for him. In the world of the matrix none of these things existed. In that world he had no knowledge of this vast range of existence; nay, rather, he would have denied the reality of this world. But after his birth he began to open his eyes and behold the wonders of this illimitable universe. Similarly, as long as man is in the matrix of the human world, as long as he is the captive of nature, he is out of touch and without knowledge of the universe of the Kingdom. If he attains rebirth while in the world of nature, he will become informed of the divine world. He will observe that another and a higher world exists. Wonderful bounties descend; eternal life awaits; everlasting glory surrounds him. All the signs of reality and greatness are there. He will see the lights of God. All these experiences will be his when he is born out of the world of nature into the divine world. Therefore, for the perfect man there are two kinds of birth: the first, physical birth, is from the matrix of the mother; the second, or spiritual birth, is from the world of nature. In both he is without knowledge of the new world of existence he is entering. Therefore, rebirth means his release from the captivity of nature, freedom from attachment to this mortal and material life. This is the second, or spiritual, birth of which Jesus Christ spoke in the Gospels.”

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 304)

Day 10 "Human Soul and Spirit"

2005-05-21T23:05:00.000+03:00

We began the section called "Understanding the Human Soul and Spirit" on p. 58 within part 3 of the book and read till p. 65. Bahá’u’lláh explained how the human soul is "a testimony that beareth witness to the existence of a world that is contingent, as well as to the reality of a world that hath neither beginning nor end." He gave the example of how a dream is after the lapse of a few years finally played out in real life. This example highlights the fact that in the world of dreams our soul witnesses events beyond time. Therefore that world is without a beginning or an end. On the other hand, when we are awake events come to pass in a linear fashion because this world has a timeline.

Bahá’u’lláh also describes how all our physical senses (i.e. sight, hearing, smell) and spiritual perceptions (i.e. will and purpose) derive from one faculty--the rational faculty, which is "a sign of the revelation of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all" and "all else besides it will, when compared with its glory, fade into utter nothingness and become a thing forgotten." This faculty, He explains, is the basis of everything our body depends on and without it the human body would cease to function.

Later the three aspects of human beings are introduced: body, mind, and soul (also called spirit). This great rational faculty that Bahá’u’lláh extols in the paragraph above is probably the mind. In the words of Shoghi Effendi, "the mind forms a link between the soul and the body, and the two interact on each other". It seems to me that this link is like a passageway between the invisible and visible realms, between that aspect of us which emanates from God and that which is born of the flesh.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá brings up the example of the state of sleep also, but this time it is used to explain how the human spirit comprehends things in two ways; one is through the instruments and organs (i.e. eyes, ears) and the other, in dreams, without them. The latter means that "it is evident that this spirit is different from the body" for it acts independently of it. This also means that if the body is destroyed then the spirit will remain unaffected just like "if the pen is abandoned or broken, the writer remains living and present; if a house is ruined, the owner is alive and existing."

Day 9 The Soul a Sign of God

2005-05-21T22:54:00.000+03:00

Recognizing your inner reality:

We have a gem like inner reality that is the reflection of the essence of our Creator. In the spiritual arena of our lives we humankind are spiritual beings first and foremost. It is an inherent quality that we recognize the divine revelation of God no matter the strata in life that we emerge from. With our leaning to the materialistic magnetism of this world our inner reality is clouded with the dross of this baser existence. With spiritual enlightenment we manifest this quality of God thus separating us from the lower instinctual animal kingdom.

Man is of dual nature or state; good and bad, animalistic and spiritual, light and dark. Progress for us spiritually is endless in this plane of existence and also in the nether planes. Like the concept of half-life in chemistry we gradually get near to perfection, but we cannot change state. For example to define a light source we can use a wide array of items from wood through wax up to electrical lights. These are all in the state of light but their perfection is determined by their luminosity. Perfect man may be a final state for man, for once we reach this we can only progress in spiritual perfection. The indication of reaching this state is know only to those that God have made it possible for them to know, such is the bounty from God to His Messengers.

In the state of perfection we reflect the revelation of God with such intensity that there is no shadow of doubt, envy, jealousy, materialism, etc. in our life. It is important for this inner reality to be pristine for it is the controlling force that directs all our actions through our motor and cognitive functions. Inner reality is our source of inspiration, our muse. It is the spark that ignites inventions, arts, cultural communal and global revolution. This separates us from the animal kingdom, for we consult with this inner reality while animals respond according to their instincts.

posted on behalf of tevoro

Day 8 "Balance in Life"

2005-04-30T12:01:00.000+03:00

Day 8 (start p. 43 through p. 51)

Dated April 14th, 2005

The first subject of discussion was bringing oneself to account each day by lining up your actions with that of the “unerring Balance” each moment of one’s life. Baha’u’llah says, “…weigh in that Balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life.” We first defined unerring in one context as being free from error. Then we wanted to find what the “unerring Balance” meant! In the Kitab-i-Aqdas (Book of Laws), Baha’u’llah gives several quotes that helped us understand the “unerring Balance” such as, “for the book is the unerring Balance established among men. ” and “Give ear unto the verses of God which He Who is the sacred Lote-Tree recitheth unto you. They are assuredly the infallible balance, established by God, the Lord of this world and the next. ”. Our general thought was that the “unerring Balance” referred to the Laws and Teachings of the Religion of God and through them we should judge our actions every moment of the day. Two others thoughts were that a keyword connected to this theme is justice and that through the principles of Religion we are safeguarded from acting in such a way that is heedless and sinful.

A great analogy used was that of the Jenga Game. In the game each player slowly pulls out a piece of wood from interconnected pieces. If the wrong piece is pulled out the whole structure falls. In this connection the Teachings of God are related to the Jenga Game. Every Teaching is interconnected in a perfect Balance, tailor made for the human race. If you pull out any one of the Teachings from your life the structure “falls on your head personally”.

We also reflected about how important it was to adhere to the commandments and verses of God with “joy and gladness”. It is one thing to follow a law with a grumpy attitude, an entirely different thing to follow it with vibrant joy. It was important to note that what is meant by the Religion of God, in connection with the Teachings of God, is one eternal Faith that has evolved over the ages and that this Faith upholds that, “The religion of God is for love and unity; make it not the cause of enmity or dissension. ” Most of what is seen in the world today is irreligion, absolutely the fancy of people’s ideas and man-made concepts. It no longer contains the essence of what religion is instead clinging to tradition, dogma, and strictly literal interpretations, thus leading to misery, hate, and war. Religion was described as a racecar or mode of transportation for spirituality. Spirituality is the driving force of Religion in this metaphor. If an unskilled driver takes the wheel of a 300mph-racing car he will easily crash and burn in his attempt. Whereas the professional driver can steer the immense power across the finish line and complete the course. Spirituality works in the same way. When people begin to mesh their own traditions and dogmas into the pure Words of God then you begin to corrupt the driving force. When Religion is guided by completely limited and finite thoughts and twisted theories of people than it has inevitably crashed and burned as can be seen over the last 150 years of Religious history. Even in this class we are careful and understand that our study of the sacred Writings and the conclusions we reach must never be thought of as the definite answer. We can only rely with certitude with the authorized interpretations of the sacred Holy Texts by the Manifestations Themselves, and their appointed Interpreters, namely Abdu’l-Baha, the Mystery of God, and Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith. Though deepenings such as this often lead to the surfacing of different understandings that can help one better know the Faith of God. Especially when you are able to share authorized interpretations of the Holy Writings.

In the last topic we discussed the soul of man. Baha’u’llah describes the soul of each human being as a “mystery no mind, however acute can ever hope to unravel ” Though we might have a conversation with the person right next to us they can never really know the depth of our thoughts or ideas as we know them. When we explain in words they often fail to convey the exact meaning of our idea. How much infinitely harder would it be to try and understand completely the eternal truth of the human soul?

Day 7

2005-04-26T22:16:00.000+03:00

We continued on Unit 3 entitled, “Attaining True Paradise” which we started with an amazing quote from Baha’u’llah: “Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born on your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation.” As humans we try to comprehend “the power born on your belief in the unity of God” with acknowledging that each manifestation, the source of unity in their station, expresses the unity of God, which is one single source that sends manifestations to us.

This section continues on explaining how we will recognize God as The Bab states, “…gain a true understanding of God in thine hearts or hearts, ere He hath manifested Himself, thou wouldst be able to recognize him.” With Acknowledging God, which will gain admittance to the city of certitude. With comprehending the true recognition, acceptance, true understanding, and true knowledge which will guide us to recognize His Manifestation in each Dispensation. As The Bab stated, “There is no paradise more wondrous for any soul than to be exposed to God’s Manifestation in His Day, to hear His verses and believe in them, to attain His presence, which is naught but the presence of God..”

With the fundamental purpose of our creation is to know and to love God, we as humans are qualified with divine characteristics to recognize His station. As Baha’u’llah clearly stated “ As to those that have tasted of the fruit of man’s earthly existence, which is the recognition of the one true god, exalted be His glory, their life hereafter is such as we are unable to describe.”

Day 6

2005-04-20T17:18:00.000+03:00

Within Part 2, we have moved to the section entitled, “The Life of the Spirit Versus Material Life”. This section highlights the fact that humans are, in essence, spiritual beings. Our souls are what make us unique and differentiate us from God’s other creatures.

“Although the material life has existence, it is pure nonexistence and absolute death for the holy saints”(p. 29)—someone in class mentioned that the holy saints are those whose deeds exceed their words.

In naming, on p. 31-32, the qualities and attributes (i.e. detachment, holiness, chastity, truthfulness, steadfastness) that are the means through which we will attain entrance into the Kingdom of God, it sounds as if ‘Abdu’l-Baha is in a sense eulogizing the Dawn-Breakers and martyrs of the Cause. The section goes on to talk about true happiness and how those who put all of their love, trust and faith in God will have lives that are “excellent” and “eternal”. But those who are “veiled from God”, who are separated from God, will have darker, sadder lives.

All of the material things of this world will vanish once we pass on to the next world and all that we’ll have left is who truly are/have become, the qualities we possess, the ways in which we have assisted humanity. This is what we will take with us into the next world – not the money we’ve made or the kind of job we’ve had – we’re left with the person we are, with the relationship we have developed with God. We can only know God through His attributes, so we must do our utmost day by day to develop these attributes within us.

We moved to Unit 3 entitled, “Attaining True Paradise” which opens with the profound quote from Baha’u’llah: “Where is Paradise, and where is Hell? Say: ‘The one is reunion with Me; the other thine own self. . . .’” The spiritual state of “Hell” is complete severance from God, which results in us being alone with only ourselves to rely on; which gives us no light, no joy, no strength. The fundamental purpose of our existence is to know and to love God. God has sent His Manifestations (Prophets) who have been the Divine Educators to humanity for this ultimate purpose.

Day 5

2005-03-22T20:05:00.000+02:00

Last session we finished part 1 titled "Death, A Transition to Life" and started part 2 titled "Earthbound, The Seduction of Human Pleasures, Opportunities for Attaining True Happiness".

The first section in the latter part was "The Illusion of Earthly Life" and we read through it entirely. The title sums up the point of this section, and the supporting quotes basically talk about the ephemeral nature of this material world and how people ignorantly perceive it to be something valuable.

The quote from Bahá’u’lláh in the middle of page 28 says, "Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world... is worth as much as the black in they eye of a dead ant?"

One of the only things we assured of in this life is death. So it should be obvious that our bodies and everything materially we have acquired come to naught in the end. Still, however, mankind continues to fight over these things.

Link to Article: The Soul

2005-03-14T13:53:00.000+02:00

Here is a link to an article that gives a brief, but nice summary of the soul: http://www.upliftingwords.org/Articles/Soul.htm

Day 3 & Day 4

2005-03-13T20:58:00.000+02:00

On the second and third day, we continued on page 13 reading the third section regarding “The continuity of Existence” and started the fourth section on “Understanding Death as a Transition to Eternal Life”

The third section (“The Continuity of Existence”) differentiates between the physical creation and the soul. The passage from ‘Abdu’l-Baha on page 13 states, “The whole physical creation is perishable. These Material bodies are composed of atoms; when these atoms begin to separate decomposition sets in, then comes what we call death.” It illustrates the similarity to a child in the womb, it is considered as a momentary phase, not designed as a permanent place for a child to live forever. The goal of child’s life is to die to the womb and to be born into this world, which constitutes, the next stage of progression. Yet with the soul is different. The Passage from ‘Abdu’l-Baha on page 13 states, “….it is not composed of many atoms, it is of one indivisible subsistence and therefore eternal. …it is immortal.” With a mystery we, as humans wish to inquire the location, and the description of the soul being non-existent, which to many of us is a complex subject to comprehend. For example, the eyes we acquire in the womb are incapable of seeing until the rays of light will bring vision to the eyes. In the same way, as Abdu’l-Baha on page 15 states “ The very existence of man’s intelligence proves his immortality; moreover, darkness proves the presence of light, for without light thee would be no shadow.” The soul and the body will always be associated with each other as long as human beings live in this world.

The fourth section (“Understanding Death as a Transition on Eternal Life”) with the concept of detachment from this world and looking forward to death can dramatize many of us due to the fear and the lack of knowledge of the next world. In this world, we base everything on the concept of time and place. Yet as Abdu’l-Baha on page 17 states “Time with us is measured by the sun. Where there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes form those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.” Unfortunately, death has a bad name, particularly in many societies. What are we afraid of? Suffering is a very uncomfortable but its benefits are profound. As Abdu’l-Baha on page 19 states, “Do not feel grieved or disconsolate, therefore, at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness; nay, under all circumstances pray for that youth, supplicating for him forgiveness and the elevation of his station.” Humanity advances in knowledge and understanding in exactly the same way that a child does at school. However, instead of human teachers being responsible for this learning, divine ones are. In the Hidden Words, Baha’u’llah states “O Son of Dust, all that is in heaven and on earth I have ordained for thee except the human heart.”

Day 2

2005-02-02T22:01:00.000+02:00

This evening we read from the beginning of the numbered pages through the quotation from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá that ends on page 13. This included three concepts/sections: "Returning to God", "The Real World", and "The Continuity of Existence".

The first of these seemed quite appropriate to start off the book. After all, what is the purpose of life, death, and immortality in the Bahá’í context if not for the sake of returning or becoming closer to God? Perhaps the most significant question that confronted us when reading this portion was "what does it mean to return to God?". The passage from Bahá’u’lláh on page 5 states, "Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation...". This paints a picture familiar to most from previous Holy Scripture where God is depicted as the Judge of our doings in the next world. In exchange He will either reward or punish us for what we have done. This may lead you to ask yourself what His decree will be based on. A passage from the Báb on the same page states, "...His revealed Word is the Balance." Although this has many implications, one of them could be that His judgement will be based on those Words (i.e. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Kitáb-i-Íqán) that we have received from Him (Bahá’u’lláh) in this day.

The second section's title ("The Real World") may initially be misleading because of the way people tend to use it in everyday language (especially if you watch MTV). However, at the end of the passage from ‘Abdu'l-Bahá on page 7 it clearly states, "...the Kingdom (Of God) is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out." The other passages from this same section help one glean that this mortal realm and everything related to it are by no means an end in itself. This world is a stage in the greater picture of life and the real world is what awaits us. Therefore, Bahá’u’lláh says, "Sorrow not if, in these days and on this earthly plane, things contrary to your wishes have been ordained and manifested by God, for days of blissful joy, of heavenly delight, are assuredly in store for you."

The third section ("The Continuity of Existence") will surely have many other salient points, which we will read in next class, but the major one in this portion seems to be the idea of existence and nonexistence or perhaps better worded and understood as composition and decomposition. On page 9 and in the context of material phenomena, ‘Abdu'l-Bahá states that "total annihilation is an impossibility. At most, composition is ever subject to decomposition or disentegration--that is to say, existence implies the grouping of material elements in a form or body, and nonexistence is simply the decomposing of these groupings." Therefore, life and death, or existence and nonexistence, in the material realm can be simply viewed as a series of transformations and permutations of elements being composed and decomposed.

I hope that these thoughts will at least whet your appetite if you have not already picked up the book and started reading along. They are by no means a replacement for reading and interpreting the actual text yourself.

Alternative Book Title

2005-01-26T22:09:00.000+02:00

I was speaking with a friend today about the compilation and how we were planning to study it. They mentioned something significant, which was that it could've alternatively been named Life, Immortality, and Death instead of Life, Death, and Immortality. This slightly alters the way you think about it. The traditional religious belief systems depict immortality as something you attain after death, but the Bahá’í Writings state that immortality can be achieved during life on this earth. It should be noted that this state of eternal life is different from the default and innate continual existence of the soul.

Day 1

2005-01-26T21:22:00.000+02:00

This evening we had our first class on the Life, Death, and Immortality compilation. We made some logistical decisions about the format and basically decided to read it in class together as well as discuss things as they came up. This worked quite well because many ideas and comments were prompted from the Writings and it was nice to be able to share them with eachother and gain additional perspectives.

We read through the opening Words of Bahá’u'lláh and the Foreword by John Hatcher. It has definitely set the tone for the rest of the book. You should read it yourself, but here are a few salient points that stood out to me:

The Bahá’í view of afterlife differs from others. It is believed to be a continuation for the development of the human soul in contrast to those that characterize it as a judgement in which we are sent to either heaven or hell for eternity. (page xii)
Bahá’u'lláh said that "the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can exceed." (page xiii)
The soul is eternal and not dependent on the existence of the body. Also, it's progress is not hindered by the frailties of the mind or the body. (page xv)
Reason, memory, abstract thought, inventiveness, and willpower are properties of the human soul that distinguish us from the rest of creation. (page xvi) (cross reference with The Summons of the Lords of Hosts from Bahá’u'lláh, Súriy-i-Ra’ís, paragraph 35)
The purpose of this earthly existence is to provide the soul with a physical stage to develop and grow spiritually. (page xvii)

Life Death and Immortality: The Journey of the Soul

2005-01-20T11:06:00.000+02:00

A group of us will start weekly meetings on the aforementioned compilation. It is available for purchase here: http://www.bahaibookstore.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1263. Thoughts on this book will commence the topic matter of this blog.

I have personally read it once before and recommend it for anyone hoping to gain insight on the meaning of life. I will share more thoughts on it after we have had a chance to dive in.