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Poststructuralist
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 Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:50 am Post subject: Methods of Meditation |
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While there is Baha'i dhikr, the repetition of `Allah'u'Abha 95 times
per day, there are no formal methods of meditation in the Baha'i Faith.
I was wondering what methods of meditation, including on the devotional
passages in the Baha'i Sacred Texts, Baha'is have developed.
Here are a couple of statements on this general subject:
"Through meditation the doors of deeper knowledge and inspiration may be
opened. Naturally, if one meditates as a Baha'i he is connected with the
Source; if a man believing in God meditates he is tuning in to the power
and mercy of God; but we cannot say that any inspiration which a person,
not knowing Baha'u'llah, or not believing in God, receives is merely
from his own ego. Meditation is very important, and the Guardian sees no
reason why the friends should not be taught to meditate, but they should
guard against superstitious or foolish ideas creeping into it."
-- From a letter, dated November 19, 1945, written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual Baha'i
He [Shoghi Effendi] thinks it would be wiser for the Baha'is to use the
Meditations given by Baha'u'llah, and not any set form of meditation
recommended by someone else; but the believers must be left free in
these details and allowed to have personal latitude in finding their own
level of communion with God.
-- From a letter, dated January 27, 1952 written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual Baha'i
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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Susan Maneck
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 1:50 AM, Poststructuralist
<drfosternotfromgloucester@nospamgmail.com> wrote:
| Quote: | While there is Baha'i dhikr, the repetition of `Allah'u'Abha 95 times per
day, there are no formal methods of meditation in the Baha'i Faith. I was
wondering what methods of meditation, including on the devotional passages
in the Baha'i Sacred Texts, Baha'is have developed.
|
Dear Mark,
The Arabic term often translated as meditation is fikr which literally
means "to think." I'm not sure we need any special methods for that.
;-}
warmest, Susan |
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Poststructuralist
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:34 am Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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Susan Maneck wrote:
| Quote: | The Arabic term often translated as meditation is fikr which literally
means "to think." I'm not sure we need any special methods for that.
;-}
|
Hi, Susan:
I had in mind statements such as the following:
"... the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man
with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and
maintained by means of meditation and prayer."
-- From a letter, dated December 8, 1935, written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual Baha'i (Baha'i News, no. 102, page 3)
Meditation, as the term is commonly used in the English-language Baha'i
literature, is thought or fikr, but it is, IMO, a special devotional
type, or application, of our thinking processes.
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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Kent Johnson
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 5:44 pm Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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Hi Mark, perhaps you missed my exposition of "the place that is not a place,
and the feeling that is not a feeling"
I will re-post some of it here in case you think it applies to the "mystic
feeling" you are talking about.
-------------------------------------
Baha'u'llah presents a use of words that I have called "the feeling that is
not a feeling, and the place that is not a place". I use the example from
the Tablet of Ahmad: "Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs
of the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies, proclaiming ...
calling ... informing .... guiding the lovers to the seat of sanctity and to
this resplendent Beauty. Verily this is that Most Great Beauty
(Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 208)
"This resplendent Beauty" is that. It is "this" that Baha'u'llah is
communicating to us, calling us, informing us, proclaiming to us and guiding
us. It is a difficult "feeling" to communicate or "place" to bring us, but
it is to this He is calling, proclaiming, informing and guiding us.
Is it logical? Is it real? Does it exist? Is it a feeling? Maybe, depending
on how we individually understand those words. Ideologically and otherwise
it might best be called "faith".
----------------------------------
Here is something else I wrote that I believe applies to your quote about
the "mystic feeling":
----------------------------------
Take any quote and it will tell you that the administration or the
interpretations are not the point: it is THIS, the unexplainable but
entirely understandable HERE and NOW, This Resplendent Beauty. If you got
that, then hold it. The more you got the more you have of Eternity. THIS
is what God wants for you.
So I don't care if my religion is illegal, stupid, not really a religion,
or contradictory. It is THIS that I care about, and only THIS. If you
don't have THIS then how can I care about you? Except to say: here; take
THIS. I want you to have it too.
And if you understand me, then what do we have to disagree about? Doesn't
God want us to have THIS? Isn't THIS the whole thing?
--------------------------------
--Kent
"Poststructuralist" <drfosternotfromgloucester@nospamgmail.com> wrote in
message news:wrWdnbrGd_9MUuDVnZ2dnUVZ_qDinZ2d@giganews.com...
Susan Maneck wrote:
| Quote: | The Arabic term often translated as meditation is fikr which literally
means "to think." I'm not sure we need any special methods for that.
;-}
|
Hi, Susan:
I had in mind statements such as the following:
"... the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling that unites man
with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and
maintained by means of meditation and prayer."
-- From a letter, dated December 8, 1935, written on behalf of Shoghi
Effendi to an individual Baha'i (Baha'i News, no. 102, page 3)
Meditation, as the term is commonly used in the English-language Baha'i
literature, is thought or fikr, but it is, IMO, a special devotional
type, or application, of our thinking processes.
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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Poststructuralist
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:12 am Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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Kent Johnson wrote:
| Quote: | Hi Mark, perhaps you missed my exposition of "the place that is not a p
lace,
and the feeling that is not a feeling"
|
Kent:
I would call what you wrote an type of a meditation. In my own case, my
best meditations are through writing.
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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Kent Johnson
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 3:35 am Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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Hi Mark, yeah well what I wrote does fit the academic definition of a
meditation, but the writing of it was not the value of it.
I wrote it to try to communicate "that mystic feeling that unites man with
God'. We could call it my meditation on how one can live one's life in
prayerful attitude and mystic feeling.
--Kent
"Poststructuralist" <drfosternotfromgloucester@nospamgmail.com> wrote in
message news:tfGdnfdsovfwEePVnZ2dnUVZ_uudnZ2d@giganews.com...
Kent Johnson wrote:
| Quote: | Hi Mark, perhaps you missed my exposition of "the place that is not a p
lace,
and the feeling that is not a feeling"
|
Kent:
I would call what you wrote an type of a meditation. In my own case, my
best meditations are through writing.
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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Poststructuralist
Guest
|
| Posted: Thu Jul 17, 2008 8:35 pm Post subject: Re: Methods of Meditation |
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Kent Johnson wrote:
| Quote: | Hi Mark, yeah well what I wrote does fit the academic definition of a
meditation, but the writing of it was not the value of it.
|
Well, Shoghi Effendi referred to Baha'u'llah's devotional texts as
"meditations."
| Quote: | I wrote it to try to communicate "that mystic feeling that unites man w
ith
God'. We could call it my meditation on how one can live one's life in
prayerful attitude and mystic feeling.
|
Yes, whether is facilitates communion with God.
--
Regards, Mark A. Foster, Ph.D. * http://www.markfoster.net
"... the modern challenge is how to live with uncertainty. The
basic fault lines today are not between people with different
beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an
element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with
a pretense of certitude." — Peter L. Berger, sociologist |
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