This material is prepared by Eric Hadley-Ives for a fireside on November 15, 1997. The materials are divided into three styles. A question style is italicized. A commentary style represents Eric's opinion and is intended to encourage debate, but has no authority. A larger font is used to present quotations from the Baha'i Writings or elsewhere. Eric has underlined words to give them emphasis specific to this fireside. Bahá’ís should focus on these revealed words in their discussions of the questions. Quotations from published collections of notes taken during 'Abdu'l-Bahá's talks should not always be regarded as authoritative or scriptural. The accuracy of the notes and translations from books such as Promulgation of Universal Peace, Paris Talks, and so forth have not always been checked. Some accounts of these lectures were based on original Persian notes, or were translated into Persian for 'Abdu'l-Bahá's approval of their accuracy, but many others were not.
AFTERLIFE:
• Aside from the Baha'i Scriptures is there any logical or reasonable argument for the survival hypothesis that we survive death? That is, has any evidence been gathered to support the idea that our existence continues after we die?
Some non-religious persons believe in survival. They can be convinced by ghosts and apparitions, possession phenomena, reincarnation phenomena, near death experiences, or simple logic (to me it always seems like rather poor logic, or even wishful thinking.)
Since this material is intended for a Baha'i meeting a discussion of such evidence for survival may be brief. I've read about these issues and had a few experiences of my own, and my opinion is that there is room for reasonable and rational people to believe in survival. However, the evidence cannot be called conclusive because it is not the sort of evidence that can be reproduced in controlled situations (scientific experimentation).
Most religions teach survival, but not all. Anthropologists have found a few ethnic groups without belief in personal survival of death. What "survival" means varies considerably. The Jewish and Buddhist religions seem to downplay survival, while Christianity seems to emphasize it.
• What happens to us after death according to a belief system that rejects supernatural or spiritual realities.
Once the brain is deprived of oxygen the cells and chemicals within it will begin to break down as metabolism stops and temperature drops. The body then decays. Various insects, worms, and microscopic life devour it. The consciousness, the memories, the emotions, and the personality of the person exist through the body, and as the body decays those elements of the person are lost.
A person may be said to “survive” in the sense that the actions that person has done continue to leave consequences in the world. Friends and family remember the person and behave in ways influenced by the person’s actions. Genetic code from the person is passed on to descendants. Contributions to civilization, society, and science made by that person may continue. Things owned, used, or made by the dead person may be considered a part of that person’s being, and these survive.
...The second proposition is that existence and nonexistence are both relative. If it be said that such a thing came into existence from nonexistence, this does not refer to absolute nonexistence, but means that its former condition in relation to its actual condition was nothingness. For absolute nothingness cannot find existence, as it has not the capacity of existence. Man, like the mineral, is existing; but the existence of the mineral in relation to that of man is nothingness, for when the body of man is annihilated it becomes dust and mineral. But when dust progresses into the human world, and this dead body becomes living, man becomes existing. Though the dust--that is to say, the mineral--has existence in its own condition, in relation to man it is nothingness. Both exist, but the existence of dust and mineral, in relation to man, is nonexistence and nothingness; for when man becomes nonexistent, he returns to dust and mineral.
Therefore, though the world of contingency exists, in relation to the existence of God it is nonexistent and nothingness. Man and dust both exist, but how great the difference between the existence of the mineral and that of man! The one in relation to the other is nonexistence. In the same way, the existence of creation in relation to the existence of God is nonexistence. Thus it is evident and clear that although the beings exist, in relation to God and to the Word of God they are nonexistent. ...
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, p. 281
• What are the rational or logical advantages to the materialistic conception of death?
It seems to me there is a lot of evidence that the human memory, personality, and our very essence is a manifestation of processes taking place in the brain. I can be fairly certain that if my brain is damaged my personality, my thought, and my consciousness will be altered. Although I understand there are cases in which people evidently perceived or communicated with dead persons, these contacts seem rare and fleeting compared to the circumstances that prevail usually at death. Even if one could demonstrate evidence for survival in a few scattered cases or in some statistical analysis of probabilities I think Occam's razor (prefer the simple explanation to the more complicated one) would encourage skepticism of ideas about eternal afterlife,
In practical terms, while we’re here in this world, most people act as if we do not survive death.
O SON OF THE SUPREME! I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?
Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words. #32 from the Arabic
...By materialists, whose belief with regard to Divinity hath been explained, is not meant philosophers in general, but rather that group of materialists of narrow vision who worship that which is sensed, who depend upon the five senses only, and whose criterion of knowledge is limited to that which can be perceived by the senses. All that can be sensed is to them real, whilst whatever falleth not under the power of the senses is either unreal or doubtful. The existence of the Deity they regard as wholly doubtful....
...Now concerning mental faculties, they are in truth of the inherent properties of the soul, even as the radiation of light is the essential property of the sun. The rays of the sun are renewed but the sun itself is ever the same and unchanged. Consider how the human intellect develops and weakens, and may at times come to naught, whereas the soul changeth not. For the mind to manifest itself, the human body must be whole; and a sound mind cannot be but in a sound body, whereas the soul dependeth not upon the body. It is through the power of the soul that the mind comprehendeth, imagineth and exerteth its influence, whilst the soul is a power that is free. The mind comprehendeth the abstract by the aid of the concrete, but the soul hath limitless manifestations of its own. The mind is circumscribed, the soul limitless. It is by the aid of such senses as those of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind comprehendeth, whereas the soul is free from all agencies. The soul as thou observest, whether it be in sleep or waking, is in motion and ever active. Possibly it may, whilst in a dream, unravel an intricate problem, incapable of solution in the waking state. The mind, moreover, understandeth not whilst the senses have ceased to function, and in the embryonic stage and in early infancy the reasoning power is totally absent, whereas the soul is ever endowed with full strength. ...
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Tablet to August Forel pp. 7, 8-9
• What do the Baha'i Writings tell us about our survival of death?
The Baha'i teachings do say we survive death, but what aspect of us survives death is not clear to me. It seems sometimes that only those aspects of our existence that mirror God’s attributes will survive death. Since much of my personality, most of my emotions, and many other aspects of myself are not reflections of divine attributes I wonder if much of “who I am” will be destroyed when I die, and that only the deepest core of my being, or my residual “best” self will survive.
I find it interesting that in some passages it seems the Bahá'í argument is simply trying to convince humanity that there must be a spiritual reality in addition to the material one. It is almost as if once we accept a spiritual or supernatural reality we will then believe everything else we are told about the nature of our spirits or souls.
It seems to me that often the quotations about the afterlife are directed to those of us for whom Baha'u'llah speaks with a voice of authority. People who do not accept Baha'u'llah may find the quotations to be unsupported declarations of fact without basis in evidence.
The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits. All things must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse in the world of being. The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation. Such an existence is a contingent and not an absolute existence, inasmuch as the former is preceded by a cause, whilst the latter is independent thereof. Absolute existence is strictly confined to God, exalted be His glory. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh LXXXI, p. 156-157.
...Consider the rational faculty with which God hath endowed the essence of man. Examine thine own self, and behold how thy motion and stillness, thy will and purpose, thy sight and hearing, thy sense of smell and power of speech, and whatever else is related to, or transcendeth, thy physical senses or spiritual perceptions, all proceed from, and owe their existence to, this same faculty. So closely are they related unto it, that if in less than the twinkling of an eye its relationship to the human body be severed, each and everyone of these senses will cease immediately to exercise its function, and will be deprived of the power to manifest the evidences of its activity. It is indubitably clear and evident that each of these afore-mentioned instruments has depended, and will ever continue to depend, for its proper functioning on this rational faculty, which should be regarded as a sign of the revelation of Him Who is the sovereign Lord of all. Through its manifestation, all these names and attributes have been revealed, and by the suspension of its action they are all destroyed and perish.
It would be wholly untrue to maintain that this faculty is the same as the power of vision, inasmuch as the power of vision is derived from it and acteth in dependence upon it. It would, likewise, be idle to contend that this faculty can be identified with the sense of hearing, as the sense of hearing receiveth from the rational faculty the requisite energy for performing its functions.
This same relationship bindeth this faculty with whatsoever hath been the recipient of these names and attributes within the human temple. These diverse names and revealed attributes have been generated through the agency of this sign of God. Immeasurably exalted is this sign, in its essence and reality, above all such names and attributes. Nay, all else besides it will, when compared with its glory, fade into utter nothingness and become a thing forgotten. ...
...It is clear and evident that when the veils that conceal the realities of the manifestations of the Names and Attributes of God, nay of all created things visible or invisible, have been rent asunder, nothing except the Sign of God will remain--a sign which He, Himself hath placed within these realities. This sign will endure as long as is the wish of the Lord thy God, the Lord of the heavens and of the earth. If such be the blessings conferred on all created things, how superior must be the destiny of the true believer, whose existence and life are to be regarded as the originating purpose of all creation. Just as the conception of faith hath existed from the beginning that hath no beginning, and will endure till the end that hath no end, in like manner will the true believer eternally live and endure. His spirit will everlastingly circle round the Will of God. He will last as long as God, Himself, will last. He is revealed through the Revelation of God, and is hidden at His bidding. It is evident that the loftiest mansions in the Realm of Immortality have been ordained as the habitation of them that have truly believed in God and in His signs. Death can never invade that holy seat. Thus have We entrusted thee with the signs of Thy Lord, that thou mayest persevere in thy love for Him, and be of them that comprehend this truth. ...
The previous page’s quotation comes from Bahá'u'lláh, Commentary on “He who knoweth his self knoweth his Lord” Majmu`ih-yi Matbu`ih-yi Alvah-i Mubarakih, ed. Muhyi'd-Din Sabri (Wilmette, Ill.: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1978), pp. 346-361. Translations by Shoghi Effendi and found in places such as Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh LXXIII.
...Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your
corrupt desires. Ye, and all ye
possess, shall pass away. 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...
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh CXVI [letter to kings of Christendom] (p. 247)
Disencumber yourselves of all attachment to this world and the vanities thereof. Beware that ye approach them not, inasmuch as they prompt you to walk after your own lusts and covetous desires, and hinder you from entering the straight and glorious Path.
Know ye that by "the world" is meant your unawareness of Him Who is your Maker, and your absorption in aught else but Him. The "life to come," on the other hand, signifieth the things that give you a safe approach to God, the All-Glorious, the Incomparable. Whatsoever deterreth you, in this Day, from loving God is nothing but the world. Flee it, that ye may be numbered with the blest.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh CXXVIII, p. 276.
The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it. Break not the bond that uniteth you with your Creator, and be not of those that have erred and strayed from His ways. Verily I say, the world is like the vapor in a desert, which the thirsty dreameth to be water and striveth after it with all his might, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it to be mere illusion. It may, moreover, be likened unto the lifeless image of the beloved whom the lover hath sought and found, in the end, after long search and to his utmost regret, to be such as cannot "fatten nor appease his hunger."
O My servants! 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. Worlds, holy and
spiritually glorious, will be
unveiled to your eyes. You are
destined by Him, in this world and
hereafter, to partake of their benefits, to share in their joys, and to obtain a portion of their sustaining grace. To each and every one of them you will, no doubt, attain.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh CLIII, p. 328-329.
In short, the point is this, that the world of man is supernatural in its relation to the vegetable kingdom, though in reality it is not so. Relatively to the plant, the reality of man, his power of hearing and sight, are all supernatural, and for the plant to comprehend that reality and the nature of the powers of man's mind is impossible. In like manner for man to comprehend the Divine Essence and the nature of the great Hereafter is in no wise possible. The merciful outpourings of that Divine Essence, however, are vouchsafed unto all beings and it is incumbent upon man to ponder in his heart upon the effusions of the Divine Grace, the soul being counted as one, rather than upon the Divine Essence itself. This is the utmost limit for human understanding.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Tablet to August Forel, p. 25
Believers in it [one form of reincarnation and transmigration] consider the body as a vessel in which the spirit is contained, as water is contained in a cup; this water has been taken from one cup and poured into another. This is child's play. They do not realize that the spirit is an incorporeal being, and does not enter and come forth, but is only connected with the body as the sun is with the mirror. If it were thus, and the spirit by returning to this material world could pass through the degrees and attain to essential perfection, it would be better if God prolonged the life of the spirit in the material world until it had acquired perfections and graces; it then would not be necessary for it to taste of the cup of death, or to acquire a second life.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, pp. 286-287
It is evident that human personality appears in two aspects: the image or likeness of God, and the aspect of Satan. The human reality stands between these two: the divine and the satanic. It is manifest that beyond this material body, man is endowed with another reality, which is the world of exemplars constituting the heavenly body of man. In speaking, man says, "I saw," "I spoke," "I went." Who is this I? It is obvious that this I is different from this body. It is clear that when man is thinking, it is as though he were consulting with some other person. With whom is he consulting? It is evident that it is another reality, or one aside from this body, with whom he enters into consultation when he thinks, "Shall I do this work or not?" "What will be the result of my doing this?" Or when he questions the other reality, "What is the objection to this work if I do it?" And then that reality in man communicates its opinion to him concerning the point at issue. Therefore, that reality in man is clearly and obviously other than his body--an ego with which man enters into consultation and whose opinion man seeks.
Often a man makes up his mind positively about a matter; for instance, he determines to undertake a journey. Then he thinks it over--that is, he consults his inner reality--and finally concludes that he will give up his journey. What has happened? Why did he abandon his original purpose? It is evident that he has consulted his inner reality, which expresses to him the disadvantages of such a journey; therefore, he defers to that reality and changes his original intention.
Furthermore, man sees in the world of dreams. He travels in the East; he travels in the West; although his body is stationary, his body is here. It is that reality in him which makes the journey while the body sleeps. There is no doubt that a reality exists other than the outward, physical reality. Again, for instance, a person is dead, is buried in the ground. Afterward, you see him in the world of dreams and speak with him, although his body is interred in the earth. Who is the person you see in your dreams, talk to and who also speaks with you? This again proves that there is another reality different from the physical one which dies and is buried. Thus it is certain that in man there is a reality which is not the physical body. Sometimes the body becomes weak, but that other reality is in its own normal state. The body goes to sleep, becomes as one dead; but that reality is moving about, comprehending things, expressing them and is even conscious of itself.
This other and inner reality is called the heavenly body, the ethereal form which corresponds to this body. This is the conscious reality which discovers the inner meaning of things, for the outer body of man does not discover anything. The inner ethereal reality grasps the mysteries of existence, discovers scientific truths and indicates their technical application. It discovers electricity, produces the telegraph, the telephone and opens the door to the world of arts. If the outer material body did this, the animal would, likewise, be able to make scientific and wonderful discoveries, for the animal shares with man all physical powers and limitations.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace pp. 465-466
The
wealth of the other world is nearness to God. Consequently, it is certain that those who are near the
Divine Court are allowed to
intercede, and this intercession is approved by God. But
intercession in the other world is not like intercession in this world. It is another thing, another reality, which cannot be expressed in
words.
If
a wealthy man at the time of his death bequeaths a gift to the poor and miserable, and gives a
part of his wealth to be spent for
them, perhaps this action may be the cause of his pardon and forgiveness, and of his progress in the
Divine Kingdom.
Also
a father and mother endure the greatest troubles and hardships for their children; and often when the
children have reached the age of
maturity, the parents pass on to the other world. Rarely does it happen that a father and mother in this world see the reward of
the care and trouble they have
undergone for their children. Therefore, children, in
return for this care and trouble, must show forth charity and beneficence, and must
implore pardon and forgiveness for
their parents. So you ought,
in return for the love and kindness shown you by your father, to give to the
poor for his sake, with greatest submission and humility implore pardon and
remission of sins, and ask for the supreme mercy.
It is even possible that the condition of those who have died in sin and unbelief may become changed--that is to say, they may become the object of pardon through the bounty of God, not through His justice--for bounty is giving without desert, and justice is giving what is deserved. As we have power to pray for these souls here, so likewise we shall possess the same power in the other world, which is the Kingdom of God. Are not all the people in that world the creatures of God? Therefore, in that world also they can make progress. As here they can receive light by their supplications, there also they can plead for forgiveness and receive light through entreaties and supplications. Thus as souls in this world, through the help of the supplications, the entreaties and the prayers of the holy ones, can acquire development, so is it the same after death. Through their own prayers and supplications they can also progress, more especially when they are the object of the intercession of the Holy Manifestations.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, pp. 231-232
They say: `Where is Paradise, and where is Hell?'
Say: `The one is reunion with Me; the other thine own self, O thou who dost associate a partner with God and doubtest.'
- “Tablet of Ishraqat,” found in Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 276.
You question about eternal life and the entrance into the Kingdom. The outer expression used for the Kingdom is heaven; but this is a comparison and similitude, not a reality or fact, for the Kingdom is not a material place; it is sanctified from time and place. It is a spiritual world, a divine world, and the center of the Sovereignty of God; it is freed from body and that which is corporeal, and it is purified and sanctified from the imaginations of the human world. To be limited to place is a property of bodies and not of spirits. Place and time surround the body, not the mind and spirit. Observe that the body of man is confined to a small place; it covers only two spans of earth. But the spirit and mind of man travel to all countries and regions--even through the limitless space of the heavens--surround all that exists, and make discoveries in the exalted spheres and infinite distances. This is because the spirit has no place; it is placeless; and for the spirit the earth and the heaven are as one since it makes discoveries in both. But the body is limited to a place and does not know that which is beyond it....
...Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God, through detachment, through holiness and chastity, through truthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness and the sacrifice of life.
These explanations show that man is immortal and lives eternally. For those who believe in God, who have love of God, and faith, life is excellent--that is, it is eternal; but to those souls who are veiled from God, although they have life, it is dark, and in comparison with the life of believers it is nonexistence.
For example, the eye and the nail are living; but the life of the nail in relation to the life of the eye is nonexistent. This stone and this man both exist; but the stone in relation to the existence of man is nonexistent; it has no being; for when man dies, and his body is destroyed and annihilated, it becomes like stone and earth. Therefore, it is clear that although the mineral exists, in relation to man it is nonexistent.
In the same way, the souls who are veiled from God, although they exist in this world and in the world after death, are, in comparison with the holy existence of the children of the Kingdom of God, nonexisting and separated from God.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, pp. 241, 242-243
Among the people of Baha, however,
marriage must be a union of the body and of the spirit as well, for here both
husband and wife are aglow with the same wine, both are enamoured of the same
matchless Face, both live and move through the same spirit, both are illumined
by the same glory. This connection
between them is a spiritual one, hence it is a bond that will abide forever. Likewise do they enjoy strong and
lasting ties in the physical world as well, for if the marriage is based both
on the spirit and the body, that union is a true one, hence it will endure. If, however, the bond is physical
and nothing more, it is sure to be only temporary, and must inexorably end in
separation.
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.
In the same way, when any souls grow to be true believers, they will attain a spiritual
relationship with one another, and show forth a tenderness which is not of this
world. They will, all of them,
become elated from a draught of divine love, and that union of theirs, that
connection, will also abide forever. Souls, that is, who will consign their own selves to oblivion,
strip from themselves the defects of humankind, and unchain themselves from
human bondage, will beyond any doubt be illumined with the heavenly splendours
of oneness, and will all attain unto real union in the world that dieth not.
...The
true marriage of Baha'is is this, that husband and wife should be united both
physically and spiritually, that they may ever improve the spiritual life of
each other, and may enjoy everlasting unity throughout all the worlds of God. This is Baha'i marriage.
- Selections from
the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 117-118
And now concerning thy question whether human souls continue to be conscious one of another after their separation from the body. Know thou that the souls of the people of Baha, who have entered and been established within the Crimson Ark, shall associate and commune intimately one with another, and shall be so closely associated in their lives, their aspirations, their aims and strivings as to be even as one soul. They are indeed the ones who are well-informed, who are keen-sighted, and who are endued with understanding. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
The people of Baha, who are the
inmates of the Ark of God, are, one and all, well aware of one another's state
and condition, and are united in the bonds of intimacy and fellowship. Such a state, however, must depend
upon their faith and their conduct. They that are of the same grade and
station are fully aware of one another's capacity, character, accomplishments
and merits. They that are of a
lower grade, however, are incapable of comprehending adequately the station, or
of estimating the merits, of those that rank above them. Each shall receive his share from thy
Lord.
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh LXXXVI, p. 169-170.
...The love which exists between the hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love is attained through the knowledge of God, so that men see the Divine Love reflected in the heart. Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in the soul, and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one another in love. This love will make all men the waves of one sea, this love will make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This love will bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of real unity.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 180-181
Here are further questions to consider:
• Should we hope to survive death?
• Do the dead have any knowledge of us or any help for us?
• Can we help the dead?
• What about Baha'i teachings regarding reincarnation?
• What rewards or punishments can we expect after death?
• Can we draw closer to God after death?
• Is there a heaven?
• What do Bahá’ís say about Near Death Experiences?
• What do Bahá’ís say about ghosts and apparitions of the dead?
• Do we stay with our families in the next world?
• Does everyone survive death, even those who had no belief,
even those who were wicked?
• How is death related to dreaming states?
• What
about us survives death, according to Baha'i teachings?
From quotations already given above it seems clear our rational faculty survives. So does our ability to feel some emotions (“blissful joy” is mentioned, and probably regret or shame are implied by the “reckoning” and “Judgment” passages). Memories may also survive since these would be important in bringing to account our deeds. Also, since connections among friends and family can continue in the next life, some memories of people must survive. However, it seems much of this love for our friends and family survives as a love for God as God is manifested in those persons. Somehow we will continue to influence this world as lights illuminating this world, although this may be conditional upon the way we ascend after death (it’s not clear to me). It’s clear from other writings that our individual identity survives, yet we will be “as one soul” implying (to me) that much of our individuality is lost. In fact, it seems a sign of maturity to desire the destruction of some aspects of our selves. Consider, for example, the mystical writings in the Seven Valleys in which we are supposed to reach a station of “dying from self and living in God.”
It seems that our will becomes much more attuned to the Divine Will, which is very much like saying our egotistical or selfish will may evaporate. Likewise I think it reasonable to conclude from these passages that our attachment to this world (and thus, our concerns about how other people perceive us or care about us) will vanish in the afterlife, thus eliminating the need for much of our personality (Much of our personalities, it seems to me, are artificial constructs we cultivate to help us identify ourselves in relation to our social matrix or to win the approval and acceptance of people around us).
Many people in this world seem to find pleasure and joy in doing awful things. Some people have no interest in God or God’s Will or anything spiritual. I very much wonder whether such persons would be interested in the afterlife as described by Baha’i scriptures. I mean, do people really want to “everlastingly circle round the Will of God” or would they rather do something else? Certainly the God imagined and worshipped by many people does not appeal to me as the sort of entity to whom I would like to surrender my will. I believe the problem here is that people just have too narrow and anthropomorphic ideas about God. People also seem to have false ideas about what we are. It seems to me we are at our core and deepest reality signs of God, and much of what we take as being “us” is really a matter of veils and wrappings.
After death we all return to God.
Persons who have not developed spiritual capacities (so-called “evil” people) have such a limited existence that it is practically non-existence in the afterlife.
We are not eternally “stuck” in a particular level when we die, but rather we progress, and can be helped by others, living and dead.
We maintain an individual identity after death.
The afterlife is as different from this world as this world is from the experience of a baby in the mother’s womb. We cannot understand the afterlife.
At least some emotions and memories remain after death, but is unclear to me whether these are localized in our individual identity or shared with a greater whole or reality.
That aspect of us which survives death is often called the spirit or soul, and we are told it exists completely outside the time-space universe observed with our five senses.
Heaven and hell are described as spiritual conditions, and are not believed to be physical places.
In some cases we have been warned that if we really understood the afterlife and how it compares to this world we would not bear to remain alive here. There is one case in Baha’i history of a devoted believer who was granted his wish to perceive the spiritual reality beyond this world. Historians tell us he is one of the few Bahá’ís who committed suicide but was considered a martyr rather than a self-murderer. Suicide is generally forbidden to Bahá’ís.
Baha’i teachings reject the notion that we will get back our bodies in perfect form and return to this planet in a physical existence at some future resurrection day. Instead, the “Resurrection Day” and “Day of Judgment” are understood and metaphorical references to events or circumstances that exist outside our experience of time.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, when asked about reincarnation, described the beliefs and interpretations of people who believe in reincarnation, and then argued that those understandings were mistaken. He did not directly say that reincarnation phenomena are false or non-existent.
Baha’i teachings recognize that the dead may communicate with the living, but the nature of that communication is spiritual, and often comes in dreams, and so it can easily be confused with fantasy and imagination. Therefore, communication with the dead is not to be sought, and when it appears to happen, the quality and meaning of the experience can be understood as a special bounty to an individual.
Near Death Experiences are mostly a result of modern medical techniques, and so it seems no one asked Bahá’u’lláh or ‘Abdu’l-Bahá about these experiences. Some Bahá’ís claim to have had such experiences. As with other paranormal phenomena that suggest survival, individuals can decide for themselves whether these things provide evidence of life after death.
Much of the Bahá’í writings about the afterlife emphasize that there is a spiritual reality quite independent of our material reality. The material human existence depends on spirit, but the spirit does not depend upon the material.
- My Baha'i Web Page.
- My Springfield, Illinois Baha'i Community
- Webpage for the Baha'i Community of the Saint Louis Area.
