The following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá highlight the importance of meditation:
| Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit -- the bestowal of the Spirit is given in reflection and meditation.
The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heavenly food. Meditation is the key for opening the doors of mysteries. In that state man abstracts himself: in that state man withdraws himself from all outside objects; in that subjective mood he is immersed in the ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate this, think of man as endowed with two kinds of sight; when the power of insight is being used the outward power of vision does not see. This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God. This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out; through it governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God. Nevertheless some thoughts are useless to man; they are like waves moving in the sea without result. But if the faculty of meditation is bathed in the inner light and characterized with divine attributes, the results will be confirmed. The meditative faculty is akin to the mirror; if you put it before earthly objects it will reflect them. Therefore if the spirit of man is contemplating earthly subjects he will be informed of these. But if you turn the mirror of your spirits heavenwards, the heavenly constellations and the rays of the Sun of Reality will be reflected in your hearts, and the virtues of the Kingdom will be obtained. -Paris Talks |
Meditation may look different for you than it does for others. If you are just learning to meditate try setting aside a small amount of time in which you will be uninterrupted. If you have trouble staying focused, or if you are concerned about needing to do something later, try setting an alarm. That can help you reach a goal of meditating for a set time, and help free your mind from worry about missing a later deadline. During this time you have set aside, try and be present in the moment. Thoughts of the future and concerns about life will probably fill your mind, but try and let those thoughts fall away. If you have trouble with this you can try focusing your thoughts on something relaxing like ocean waves coming in and out. If you feel as though you have found a mental space which is different from your ordinary one then you are approaching meditation. Another way to approach trying to meditate is by saying a prayer and then sitting quietly for a moment, and repeating this a few times. Try not to let your thoughts be consumed with issues of the day during this time.
As ‘Abdu’l-Bahá talks about in the quote above, meditation puts man in touch with God. We can bring to God unresolved questions, struggles we are facing, requests for assistance, or anything else. Thinking of something concerning to us, and bringing that issue to God during prayer and meditation should not be thought of as the same thing as those worldly thoughts which can prevent us from being able to meditate in the first place. Worldly thoughts we should try and let fall away may be about conversations we had with friends, things we saw on television, mistakes we've made in the past, responsibilities we'll have to do later, etc. Our mind does not need to be completely blank during meditation, we can ask God specific questions. But if we ask a question and immediately begin thinking about going to the movies later, it is unlikely we'll be prepared to receive a response.
Prayer[edit]
Prayer is complimentary to meditation and is a component of this process of communication with God. You can find Bahá’í prayers online or in a prayer book, these are words and tablets revealed for this specific purpose. Prayer books are categorized by topic and categories cover things like spiritual qualities, healing, forgiveness, children, etc. You can also look to the book Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh. I don't want to say too much else for fear of defining prayer too narrowly, except to suggest you read prayers with the specific mindset that this is communication with God.
As with all things, we must practice to improve and when we first begin we are not going to be very skilled. Perseverance in the path of prayer and meditation will be highly rewarding for every individual.
Next[edit]
The next page discusses the example set by the life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. To Bahá’ís, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá represented the perfect example of what it means to be a Bahá’í and live as a Bahá’í. The page begins with a series of stories, and ends with some questions to consider as we try following his example.
