(Part 2) Top products from r/bahai

Dreams were and are paid attention to and considered of significance in the faith, according to the writings. They are not to be taken lightly, but interpretation, and how that may influence and shape decisions, can be a tricky matter to navigate.

This paper might be of some related interest,
Dreams and Their Interpretation in the Baha'i Faith: Some Preliminary Remarks, (or in PDF form, a little easier to read here).
Another paper recounts some of the dreams pertaining to the Bab, Baha'u'llah and other Baha'i's historically, as well as recorded comments from Abdu'l Baha amongst others, regarding dreams and their nature Dreams mentioned in Baha'i literature.

In Gleanings I think, Baha'u'llah discusses the nature of dreams. I'll see if I can track that down..

My point of view is as follows (none of this is official Baha'i):

Regarding the specific symbols in your dream, triangles and circles have multiple meanings and associations throughout various traditions (including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, through to aspects of the occult, alchemy, and metaphysics amongst others. All of these traditions and disciplines have symbols and concepts that find a concurrence or fulfillment in Baha'i). The triangle and the circle, and relationships between them, are considered significant spiritually in terms of metaphysics and symbolic concepts after the Primordial Tradition or the Perennial Philosophy, (which are also related to Baha'i, in terms of expressions and conceptions of universalism of religion), as is light in general, and points of light. The circle in particular, whether alone or with a singular dot in the center, is numerously associated as an image symbolising God. A triangle in a dream or inscribed, depending on whether it is inverted or not, for that can change its meaning, can be read as symbolic of a mountain (which in some traditions an upright triangle represents this precisely). In a traditional or metaphysical sense, the image-symbol of a mountain alludes to the spiritual Center, which in its revealed form is centered itself around or through the Prophet or Manifestation. The three points that become linked could be read as pertaining to oneself, the Manifestation and God, within a linked relationship, which in the Baha'i writings we are told is the case, in terms of spiritual relationship and how things are arranged metaphysically (not the trinity, after Christianity, but similarly we exist and attain unto God in and through a relationship to the Manifestation. There are three identifiable 'points' in that relationship: God, the Manifestation and us, that is individually and en masse). However this kind of associational linking is expansive, broad and too detailed to explore here (further associations come to mind: 'The Primal Point' of the Bab, which has an indirect affiliation with the bindu of Hinduism, that the official Baha'i symbol is a five-sided star, which can be constructed from a series of triangles, numerical relationships and associations that could be worked out through the Abjad numerical system, as well as meanings pertaining to light and the sky or 'heavens' and 'stars', alchemical triangles and circles, and so on).

I think of it as akin to interpreting and 'reading' a work of art; multiple meanings can be drawn and alluded to, and none are necessarily 'wrong', yet, on the other hand, depending on what framework one uses as a means of interpretation, there can be very particular meaning-associations able to be made (this then heads into questions concerning legitimacy and authority, in terms of what symbols mean beyond the subjective). In terms of metaphysics say, some of these associations of meaning are specific and definitive, with a fixed quality. Similarly this fixed, definitive quality associated with symbols can also be found in alchemy (which has been demonstrated elsewhere to have a relationship to the language and content of dreams).

Keep in mind dreams 'speak' through the language of symbols, and symbolic thinking and its correlative concepts are the vernacular or vehicle of metaphysics, which informs religion (also reliant on symbols to convey deeper and complex meaning more simply), after the mystical realities which religion proceeds from. There is a close relationship between these differing domains through symbolism.

Also perhaps to keep in mind, these kinds of symbols are very old if not ancient, as is the architecture of our body-minds that produce and are receptive to them. So although the symbols themselves don't appear to speak directly to anything unequivocally Baha'i at first sight, there may well indeed be meaning concordance in terms of Baha'i able to be discerned, if indeed that was the dreams intention (I have read discussion of the 'meaning' of a dream not to be revealed through its apparent content but more through its occurrence and activation in ones psyche, ones body-mind, that the meaning is the event of the dream and the after-effect of it, not the symbolic content per se). However it would probably require a careful and scholarly degree of research to draw out such direct affiliation between the imagery in your dream and Baha'i symbols and meanings.

Really, in terms of any meaning construction after the event, it depends in the end on how you read it and come to understand it. The subjective has value in this sense. In some states (or indeed stages) one can become so intuitively attuned as to know directly, intuitively, what a particular dream, whether ones own or anothers, means (there are descriptions of this in a variety of scripture, some of which is quoted in the papers linked to above).

There are a multiplicity of theories as to how dreams function as much as what meaning can be conveyed and gleaned through them, from early Freudian depth psychology for example to Gestalt, amongst others. Conventional 'scientific' psychology doesn't seem to offer much yet in terms of defining the purpose of dreams let alone what sort of meaning they might convey.

Much of the interpretive process, as others ITT have already mentioned, is subjective, and in terms of meaning interpretation depends heavily on the state of the individual dreamer, how 'in tune' and 'in sync' spiritually and intuitively with themselves they are. Certainly different kinds of dreams can occur, and discernment of differing qualities can be apparent with these (from personal unconscious content dreams, to archetypal dreams through to prophetic dreams that portend to 'real' world matters to take place in time at some future juncture). Archetypal dreams tend to take on a deeper and richer quality and leave a profound sensation, sometimes elation and illumination, in waking consciousness, from experience and observation. Your dream would appear to be of that kind, after your description and its effects.

If you were not already aware of them, a preeminent person who investigated and developed a sophisticated understanding and still influential set of theories in relation to dreams in the 20th Century was Carl Jung. The notion of an archetypal dream mentioned above follows Jung's conceptualisation.There is a compilation on his theory of dreams available, Dreams. You might find some helpful clues pertaining to your own dream (and dreams) there.

Incidentally one can train ones waking self to more faithfully be able to recall dreams through keeping a dream journal and learning how to pay attention to the imagery upon waking. Asking for guidance and 'signs' can be an instrumental part of that process, which you sound like you're already doing.

>I was wondering if the dream I am about describe has any symbolic significance in your religion or ideas that may lead to me figuring things out. If there is, I would like the source of the supposed connection (religious scripture or writing quoted or something like that if available relating to the connection is what I am really looking for).

Edit: Here's a link to an article The Mountain and the Cave,
that discusses some of the content mentioned above in terms of symbolic meaning and associations that might be read as pertinent to your dream, depending on how one views it. Its an example of the rich detail, and accord that is found across other religions in terms of these domains of knowledge. Baha'i is applicable and concomitant with these where it meets in universality and shared concepts, though, of course, how that applies to details in your dream is up to you to discern and decide.
It isn't explicitly clear from your dream if there is any clear-cut connection with Baha'i or not that I can readily perceive, other than perhaps what I've only lightly touched on above.

Discussion of mysticism, symbolism and metaphysical concepts in Baha'i draws heavily on Islamic metaphysics and mysticism (Sufism). Some scholarship in this terrain might prove helpful for your own questions (and answers), and may in turn also throw some light on your dreams, dealing as it is in symbolism. These two philosophers-scholars come to mind in particular: Henry Corbin, and Rene Guenon. Neither of them were Baha'i, but much of what they say illuminates Baha'i in profound ways. They expound and expand on Islamic mystical concepts and spirituality addressed through symbols with profuse detail.

Hey lampshade! Welcome, and thanks for the question.

A good place to start if you're looking for Baha'i books is the Baha'i Reference Library, which has a number of authoritative Baha'i texts. You can also find all of these for purchase at the Baha'i Bookstore online, and for free in e-book form.

The order you read them in kind of depends on your own background and what you're interested in, but a good place to start is with Bahá'u'lláh's Hidden Words, which is like a distillation of the spiritual teachings that lie at the core of all of the world's great religions.

If you have a strong mystical bent, you might want to follow that up with Bahá'u'lláh's Seven Valleys and Four Valleys, or Gems of Divine Mysteries. Both of these are essentially letters to individuals who had asked about certain spiritual truths, such as the path taken by a soul on its spiritual journey.

If you're really interested in Bahá'u'lláh's teachings on the evolution of religion throughout history, and His interpretation of past religious prophecies, you should definitely read the Book of Certitude, aka the Kitáb-i-Íqán. I've known a lot of people who've started learning about the Bahá'í Faith through this book; it really delivers some penetrating spiritual insights.

There are also more general introductory books about the Bahá'í Faith that are available. Two commonly recommended books for those interested in reading about the Bahá'í Faith are A Short History of the Bahá'í Faith by Peter Smith, and A Short Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith by Moojan Momen. If you want a very quick foretaste of both books, you can check out this combined review. Smith has also published a newer book, An Introduction to the Baha'i Faith, which you might want to consider as well.

This is a long and complex topic. I would take the time to read: https://bahai-library.com/dibdin_bahai_view_bible and https://bahai-library.com/uhj_old_new_testaments

For purposes of discussion with Christians and some Jews, we generally regard the Bible as part of the sacred record of God's history but not necessarily complete, accurate or reliable from a historical standpoint. In the Baha'i Faith, only the actual, verified Writings of the Bab, Baha'u'llah, and 'Abdu'l-Baha are considered authentic and sacred and only the Words of the Bab and Baha'u'llah are the Word of God. Similarly, we regard only the Qur'an as the authentic revelation of Muhammad and the traditions (hadiths) later reported are given far less weight unless confirmed in the Baha'i Writings. But that reflects the greater documentation and standards of this time and would be unreasonable to apply to a prior age. The following quotes are illuminating:

>The Four Gospels were written after Him [Christ]. John, Luke, Mark and Matthew - these four wrote after Christ what they remembered of His utterances. Baha'u'llah (From a previously untranslated Tablet)
>
> Know ye that the Torah is that which was revealed in the Tablets to Moses, may peace be upon Him, or that to which He was bidden. But the stories are historical narratives and were written after Moses, may peace be upon Him. 'Abdu'l-Baha    (From a previously untranslated Tablet)
>
>From Shoghi Effendi:
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>...The Bible is not wholly authentic, and in this respect is not to be compared with the Qur'an, and should be wholly subordinated to the authentic writings of Bahá'u'lláh . (28 July 1936 to a National Spiritual Assembly)
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>...we cannot be sure how much or how little of the four Gospels are accurate and include the words of Christ and His undiluted teachings, all we can be sure of, as Bahá'ís, is that what has been quoted by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master must be absolutely authentic. As many times passages in the Gospel of St. John are quoted we may assume that it is his Gospel and much of it accurate. (23 January 1944 to an individual believer)
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>When 'Abdu'l-Bahá states we believe what is in the Bible, He means in substance. Not that we believe every word of it to be taken literally or that every word is the authentic saying of the Prophet. (11 February 1944 to an individual believer)
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>We cannot be sure of the authenticity of any of the phrases in the Old or the New Testament. What we can be sure of is when such references or words are cited or quoted in either the Quran or the Bahá'í writings. (4 July 1947 to an individual believer)
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>We have no way of substantiating the stories of the Old Testament other than references to them in our own teachings, so we cannot say exactly what happened at the battle of Jericho. (25 November 1950 to an individual believer)
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>Except for what has been explained by Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, we have no way of knowing what various symbolic allusions in the Bible mean. (31 January 1955 to an individual believer) https://bahai-library.com/uhj_old_new_testaments

​

>"We sent forth Noah and Abraham, and bestowed on their offspring prophethood and the Scriptures... After them We sent other apostles, and after those Jesus the son of Mary. We gave him the Gospel..."[21] (the Qur'an)
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>"Regard not yourselves as being like unto the people to whom the Qur'an or the Gospel or the other Scriptures of old were given."[22] (The Báb)
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>Manifold are the verses that have been repeatedly revealed in all the heavenly Books and the holy Scriptures,..."[23] (Bahá'u'lláh)
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>"You must know the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God"[24] ('Abdu'l-Bahá)
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>"Surely the Bible is the book of God"[25] ('Abdu'l-Bahá)
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> "...all the Prophets of Israel were centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of inspiration, but what a difference between the inspiration of the Word of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah!"[33] ('Abdu'l-Bahá)
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> "When 'Abdu'l-Bahá states we believe what is in the Bible, He means in substance. Not that we believe every word of it to be...the authentic saying of the Prophet."[34] (written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi) https://bahai-library.com/dibdin_bahai_view_bible

Mirza 'Abu'l-Fadl, an early Baha'i scholar, expressed a more nuanced position where he acknowledged the lack of historical evidence for the story of Exodus as told and much of the historical portions of the Old Testament as being highly embellished and inaccurate (but based on real people and real events, just not like those told).

> Regarding the Old Testament, Fadl said that it contained two types of teaching: a) revelation from God, such as the 10 commandments of Moses, the Psalms of David and the books of the Prophets, and b) historical information, such as the books Joshua, Samuel, Kings and Chronicles "...which contain no statement, sign or hint of being divine speech and therefore should not be considered as revelation."[17]
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>Concerning the Book of Christ, he wrote that "The Holy Gospels alone contain teachings which can be regarded as the true Words of God; and these teachings do not exceed the contents of a few pages."[18]
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>Mírza Abú'l-Fadl's contributions are original and lucid, and appear to me to be in harmony with the understanding of the Bible which is argued for in the present paper. https://bahai-library.com/dibdin_bahai_view_bible

A number of good academic texts and research has increasingly confirmed his statements in this regard, such as Finkelstein and Silberman, The Bible Unearthed, 2001, Dever, Beyond the Texts, 2016. There is an entire volume of academic research on the Exodus with contributions by numerous scholars in 2015 and Friedman's Exodus is an excellent view that the Exodus story is probably true but reflected the fleeing from Egypt of a much smaller tribe led by Moses that later infiltrated into Israel and whose religion became increasingly adopted in Israel and Judea (which agrees in some ways with Finkelstein).

While studying the Bible I would highly recommend two good academic texts as references: Cooper and Chapman, https://www.amazon.com/Old-Testament-Historical-Introduction-Scriptures/dp/019060865X for the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible; and Bart Ehrman, https://www.amazon.com/New-Testament-Historical-Introduction-Christian/dp/0190909005/ref=dp_ob_title_bk . These are probably the two most recognized texts used in introductory academic courses on Bible history. Cooper is one of the foremost authorities in his field, as is Ehrman. Ehrman is more controversial though because he went to study as an evangelical and left as an agnostic as he was confronted with the evidence of contradictions and factual errors in the texts. Ehrman's text is used by Robert Stockman, the director of the Wilmette Institute, who teaches introduction to the New Testaments as an academic scholar (Ph.D. in sociology/religious studies).

There's an interesting book by Jamshid Fozdar (The God of Buddha) that looks into the notion of God as from a Buddhist perspective - http://www.amazon.com/The-God-Buddha-Jamshed-Fozdar/dp/0210223952

Haven't completed the book yet but it's quite an interesting read based on an important reflection on historical occurrences, and non-explicit but quite clear references to a Divine Force akin to God (not purely a Divine Force such as sometimes referred to as the 'forces of nature', etc.).

The methodology in which God's teachings are revealed in each age are of course particular to the audience, however spiritual truths. There are those that believe Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are independent Gods within Hinduism, others that perceive the reference to Brahman as the one God and Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as 'attributes' of that one God, and other trains of thought too.

Still, interesting thoughts/take, /u/The_Goa_Force.

I can't agree more. I'd like to add that there's an extreme economic incentive to promote continued growth and people should note that while there is a lot of conflicting information out there - and honest researchers on both sides of the debate - the money is on the side of continued growth. Lots and lots of money. Our entire global financial system is based on exponential growth - growth that is based on natural resources that are finite. The cost of energy is the limitation to that growth - and energy is not getting cheaper. There is, admittedly, hope in the distant future for virtually free (by current standards) energy. And this is the optimism I share with OP. I just don't believe we're going to make the transition before we run into a massive speed-bump and a significant fraction of the global population perishes.

Richard Heinberg is a researcher who has done extensive work on peak energy. I read his book titled, The End of Growth, and found it very persuasive (here is a video lecture he gave on the subject). Many, many people are sounding warning calls like this and the logic is difficult to contest. Appeals are often made to advancing technology and efficiency, but the costs of running our societies continues to rise.

I think one of the outcomes of the impending catastrophe will be the common knowledge we'll share that - despite all the scientific evidence - our political and business leaders (with their monopoly of the mainstream media) deliberately mislead us for their own benefit and risked all of human civilization in the process. Once this is undeniable people won't allow it to happen again. We'll look to create a system that minimizes these types of risks. A system based on science and reason, that reduces or eliminates the clout of special interest groups, and that is concerned for the well-being of the planet and humanity. And in that search for such an ideal system I think the greater public will discover the Baha'i Faith and see the potential it holds to revolutionize how we relate to each other and ultimately govern ourselves.

I am! As always! Just make sure it has the correct updated dates for the Holy Days; would love quotes in there; and make sure the squares are big enough. (But they usually are in planners, right?)

I really want a good huge wall calendar like the Mom Calendars/Family Planner calendars, like this or this with reminders in that actually relate to our Baha'i lifestyle/rhythm of the year, and BIG ENOUGH spaces that we can fit everyone's engagements on the same day. People using the existing Baha'i calendars with the tiny squares either have nothing going on in their lives or just use it for referencing the date or something.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there is quite a bit of marriage prep training around, both as books and workshops and as part of Assembly engagement with the process of, well, engagement. I was given a copy of Marriage Can Be Forever, Preparation Counts! as a youth, and although I didn't go through the entire thing with my spouse, I did find it helpful in framing some of my questions. Coming from a family of divorce (my family is not Baha'i, so doesn't play into your first question), this eased some of my fears about marriage.

I feel like Assemblies that are functioning on a higher level do a better job of this in many cases than very new Assemblies, just because they have experience. But quite a few large Assemblies drop the ball. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.

One thing I'd like to add. When reading the gospels and acts, firstly keep in mind that Acts is the part two of the Gospel of Luke. I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but I think it's important. Secondly, if you can, find an annotated Bible that is used for critical, historical study of the Bible. The annotations and commentary on these Bibles may or may not be written by Christians, but they do a good job of looking into the original, spiritual and/or metaphorical interpretations of the text by putting it into it's historical context and comparing it with common motifs and metaphors of the time. I personally like this Bible. It's the one we use for my Intro to the Bible class at University

blinks. He's a tenured behavioural psychologist citing well known research. When you read peer reviewed papers they're often hyper focused on a particular facet of human attraction and so you're better off reading a book or listening to an expert distil it down.

Also, in particular, which arguments do you want sources for? I've made many.

A most fascinating book that comes to mind is called "Why women have sex" and based on interviews with 1400 women.

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Women-Have-Sex-Everything/dp/0312662653/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495828392&sr=8-1&keywords=why+women+have

Here are some other links.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolution-Desire-Strategies-Human-Mating/dp/0465097766/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0465097766&pd_rd_r=VYY1T032QJ8Z4939ECE5&pd_rd_w=rTQyP&pd_rd_wg=6yFrD&psc=1&refRID=VYY1T032QJ8Z4939ECE5



https://www.amazon.com/Sperm-Wars-Infidelity-Conflict-Bedroom/dp/1560258489/ref=pd_sim_14_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1560258489&pd_rd_r=VYY1T032QJ8Z4939ECE5&pd_rd_w=rTQyP&pd_rd_wg=6yFrD&psc=1&refRID=VYY1T032QJ8Z4939ECE5

I recommend reading the book Islam and the Baha'i Faith. It is a fantastic book. The Amazon link is below.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0853984468/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479934024&sr=8-2&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=islam+and+the+baha%27i+faith&dpPl=1&dpID=6135IfNtAyL&ref=plSrch

I would love a resource like you've described, but haven't found it yet. Currently my favorite book for such study is The Study Qur'án, because it draws from historical sources and multiple interpretations, rather than emphasizing one particular way to read the Qur'án.

Other posters here have referred you to books about Baha'u'llah based on stories from those who knew Him. I'd also like to recommend Baha'u'llah: A Short Biography by Moojan Momen. Although written by a believer, it is far from a hagiography. It is a sober and scholarly examination of Baha'u'llah's life, based on primary historical sources and the accounts of those who met Him.

Bahai Star Men's Tie Clip Tack Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XH5VB47/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.KQDCbNAH74J7

For grandpa!