Baha’ism : founded in 1862 by “Bahā’-Ullāh” (born Mīrzā Hosayn’-Alī Nūrī, 1817-92), sprang from Persia’s Shi’ite Shaikhism & Bābism. The former, who believed that a perfect Shi’ite would declare himself the Twelfth Imam in 1844 AD, accepted Sayyed’-Alī-Mohammad Šīrāzī when he proclaimed himself the Bāb-ed-Din (Gate of Faith) of the Twelfth Imam. Bābis were persecuted by orthodox Shi’ites supported by the Shah of Iran who executed the Bāb in 1850 & imprisoned their leaders among whom was Bahā Ullāh. He was exiled to Iraq, then to Istanbul & Edirne in Turkey. At Edirne, in 1863, he declared himself the spiritual “return” of the Bāb. In 1868 he was imprisoned in Akkā in Palestine but lead his Iranian followers by sending them his epistles & tablets. In 1873, he set down al-Ketāb-al-aqdas (Most Holy Book) in which among other things he emphasised the education of children of both sexes. In spite of continued persecution by the Iranian Govt. & Shi’ite Ulemas, Baha’ism spread not only among Iranian Shi’ites but also among Zoroastrians & Jews. By 1892 it had spread to Iraq, Turkey, Ottoman Syria, Egypt, Sudan, the Caucasus, Turkish Central Asia, India, & Burma. In the Arya, August 1915, Sri Aurobindo cited Baha’ism as one of the forms of Asian spiritual energy (with Buddhism, Vedantism, & other Oriental forms) which, along with European idealism, mysticism, & religionism, was attempting to usher a period of light & efflorescence in humanity’s evolution [SABCL Vol.16; CWSA 13:142]. In an informal talk in April 1924, he said, Bahā Ullāh used to see a Light descend on him when he was in meditation; it is with that force that he created Baha’ism; he had a remarkable power of telepathy & the power of the word which is regarded as a sign of a prophet; some of his prophecies came true. Abdul Bahā, his eldest son whom he had named his successor, also used to see some Light in meditation & used it to influence his disciples. He accepted certain mental concepts like toleration, universal brotherhood, equality of man & woman, etc., & was open even to Buddhism. If Mahomedans, Sri Aurobindo added, get a religion of that sort it is much better than what they are having now [A.B. Purani, Evening Talks…, 2007:459-61]. The website of Baha’ism (2016) says that God sent a series of his divine Manifestations… including Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, & Muhammad. Bahā Ullāh says: “The religions of the world come from the same Source & are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.”
... pages. The secret of the earth, the physical nature, was thus symbolically given. 5-4-1924 A letter from an American lady who is a preacher of Bahaism was read out. Sri Aurobindo : Do you know about the man who started Bahaism ? Disciple : I do not know, but it was Baha Ullah perhaps who started it. Sri Aurobindo : It seems he was an ignorant man in the beginning,... in the same way as Mad did. Disciple : The American lady says that Bahaism has taken a deep root in America. Sri Aurobindo : Yes, it is true and there are some followers in France also. Page 246 Disciple ; All sorts of things seem to go on well in the U.S.A. There is Vedanta, Theosophy, Bahaism and what not. Sri Aurobindo : Anything goes well in America, if only... drive. But this Bahaism is just what suits the common mind. There are now two sects run by his two sons. Abdul Baha is the younger one. He has some vital force from his father and he used to see some kind of Light in meditation and so he began to think of himself as the incarnation of the Light on earth, and whoever was received in the fold was supposed to be influenced by it. Bahaism has included ...
... India soon died a natural death, after however having succeeded in strengthening the Indian Muslims' sense of separateness. ** Unfortunately, this tendency was reversed and Bahaism proscribed in many Muslim countries; in Iran, Bahaism is still today the object of severe persecution and the official policy is "to block the Bahais' progress and development." Page 169 June 2, 1924 ... would not change their whole outlook. What is wanted is some new religious movement among the Mahomedans which would remodel their religion and change the stamp of their temperament. For instance, Bahaism in Persia which has given quite a different stamp to their temperament.** * * * _________________ * Mustapha Kemal, whose Nationalist forces deposed the Sultan in November, 1922 ...
... more latterly by its subtle influence in reawakening the Celtic, Scandinavian and Slavonic idealism, mysticism, religionism, and the direct and open penetration of Buddhism, Theosophy, Vedantism, Bahaism and other Oriental influences in both Europe and America.” 15 Christ, who according to Sri Aurobindo was influenced by Buddhism and Vaishnavism, brought the experience of the soul and therefore ...
... life she tried to contact persons who represented some aspect or other of her newly discovered values. She became acquainted with Abd ol-Baha, who had succeeded his father Baha Ullah as the head of Bahaism. Inayat Khan, the prophet of Sufism in the West, gave a talk in her house. She also visited occult séances and addressed various circles. And there was Alexandra David-Néel, the modern prophetess ...
... ty—in other words, the higher echelons of the mind. Almost every evening, she received at her home Madame David-Neel, who had just returned from her first journey to the Far East. Mother heard of Bahaism, Taoism, studied the discipline of meditation, Buddhist dhyana, Buddhist renunciation. But she was searching for something else. At Tlemcen, she had seen a world of an entirely different consciousness ...
... there is the certainty there is no room for struggle. Till now it was not done, probably because the hostile forces were very strong." ¹ 4 April. Talk on the supramental yoga. 5 April. Talk on Bahaism; descent of the Supermind into the physical; powers of disembodied spirits. 9 April. Talk on Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence. 14 April. Haribhai Amin of Broach, accompanied by an Englishman ...
... evening, She received Madame David-Neel there, just back from her first journey to the Far East and soon to become “the first woman to enter Lhasa," dis- i guised as a mendicant monk. Mother heard of Bahaism ; and Taoism, watched and listened to everything, explored disciplines of meditation, Buddhist dhyana, Buddhist renunciation; though, truly speaking, I never had much that experience of renunciation ...
... 112, 142 ·143, 149, 198,240 Asia, 25, 39, 157, 178 and the Communist pl an, 252·253 astronomy, 168 Augustus, 77 avatar, 49 , 89 , 91, 102 Azad, Abul Kalam, Maulana, 230, 238(fn) B Bahaism. 169 Baker, Edward, 47 (fn) Bakunin,93 Bande Mataram (mantra and national song), 9, 21,22, 37 ,154,222,223 Bande Mataram (English daily), 17,27,47 Banerjee, Jitendranath, 13 Banerji, S ...
... more latterly by its subtle influence in reawakening the Celtic, Scandinavian and Slavonic idealism, mysticism, religionism, and the direct and open penetration of Buddhism, Theosophy, Vedantism, Bahaism and other Oriental influences in both Europe and America. On the other hand, there have been two reactions of Europe upon Asia; first, the invasion of Alexander with his aggressive Hellenism which ...
... matter of fact, it was she who was leading and organising the Bahai group in Europe. In one of their group meditations Mother had some experience which none of the others had. DR. MANILAL: What is Bahaism, Sir? I find it mentioned in the Sunday Times too. SRI AUROBINDO: I think Abdul Baha was the son or grandson of Baha-ullah who established the Bahai sect. It is a modernised and liberalised form ...
... halves; she wrestled - no doubt with encouragement from Richard - with the philosophers and system-makers, the schools of meditation and inner culture. Buddhism, Vedanta, Sufism, Taoism, Zen, Shintoism, Bahaism... all was grist that came to the mill. Yet there was no real breakthrough, no storming of the Gates of Reality. Richard was in politics too, and partly a political mission and partly his quest ...
... it would not change their ,whole outlook. What is wanted is some new religious movement among the Madans which would remodel their religion and change the stamp of their temperament. For instance, Bahaism in Persia which has given quite a different stamp to their temperament. Next day (6th) it was announced that the Khalifa had to leave Turkey within 10 days. Reuter had cabled : "the chief wife ...
... Not a branch of knowledge was deliberately excluded - all approaches were permissible - and every mood, every quirk of sensibility, every leap of intelligence had its turn. Vaishnavism, Theosophy, Bahaism, Coueism, Gandhism, Nirvikalpa Samadhi, samatā. Grace and the Guru, Cosmic Consciousness, the Vedic Gods, Yogic miracles, Ouspensky, Jacob Boehme, M. Théon, astrology, the interpretation of dreams ...
... after the foundation of the Islamic Republic there in 1979. The bases of the Baha’i religion are racial and religious harmony and a universal faith consisting of the essence of the great religions. Baha’ism stands for equality of the sexes, an international auxiliary language, universal education and a universal representative government. It has no professional priests, initiation or ritual. Abdul Baha ...
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