# Meditation and Health

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Paul Friedman, Meditation and Health, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> 54                                                   Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> Meditation and Health
> Paul Friedman
> 
> Outline
> 
> 1. Prayer and Meditation: Synergistic Forces of Spiritual Transformation
> 2. What is Meditation According to the Bahá’í Writings?
> 3. Meditation as Pondering, Reflecting and Thinking Deeply
> 4. Meditation as Silent Wordless Reflection, Seeking Divine Wisdom
> 5. Meditation Using Repetition of Words or Phrases
> 6. Forms of Bahá’í Meditation
> 7. Forms of Meditation With Proven Health Effects
> 8. Transcendental Meditation and the Bahá’í Teachings
> 9. Transcendental Meditation and Health
> 10. Conclusions
> 
> The aims of this article are:
> 
> 1. To develop a deeper understanding of the practice of meditation accord-
> ing to the Bahá’í Writings
> 
> 2. To explore the effects of meditation on health.
> 
> Meditation has been practiced in diverse forms throughout the world for
> thousands of years. In an attempt to understand meditation, scientists have
> studied it in highly controlled settings. According to Professor Deane Shapiro,
> such controlled scientific experiments often remove meditation from its spir-
> itual and religious contexts [1]. These studies can address certain aspects of
> meditation such as stress reduction and relaxation but are ill-equipped to deal
> with broader elements.
> Shapiro asserts that most published studies of meditation have examined
> Eastern forms meditation from Vedic or Buddhist traditions; few studies have
> examined meditation from Africa, North or South America [1].
> There are many forms of meditation such as:
> Meditation and Health                                                          55
> 
> 1. Contemplation
> 2. Concentration without contemplation (e.g. focus on breathing or watch-
> ing a flame)
> 3. Mindfulness
> 4. Zen meditation pondering words or phrases, often paradoxical (e.g. if the
> Buddha stands in the way of your enlightenment kill him)
> 5. Visualizing or imagining certain states such as love
> 6. Transcendental Meditation, in which sounds without meaning are repeated
> to attain a state of restful alertness where the mind is silent (the effect of
> the sounds is linked to their resonance frequencies)
> 7. Meditation designed for people living a monastic life
> 
> Activities not typically considered meditation, such as immersion in natural
> beauty in mountains, or waterfalls may foster episodes of meditation. Many
> people use music to relax and in some cases meditate; the Bahá’í writings
> have called music a ladder for your souls to ascend to the world of spirit
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 38]. Likewise, certain activities such as
> fishing may lead to periods of contemplation and reflection.
> Before considering the relationship between meditation and health it is
> important to define health. The word health comes from the term wholeness.
> The World Health Organization has defined health as the optimal state of
> physical and mental well-being rather than the absence of disease. Accord-
> ing to this rigorous definition, few people are truly healthy. In this age of
> medical syndromes, the rarest of all syndromes has been described by a New
> Zealand comedian, Gary McCormack, as TNP: totally normal person!
> Palliative care of people in their last months of life offers rather different
> definitions of health as a state of peace and acceptance of death in which
> symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath are controlled. In this model
> a person about to die can be seen as whole whereas a person with no measur-
> able disease can be quite unhealthy and wishing she or he was dead.
> I have organised this article into ten topics. For each topic I will examine
> pertinent references from the Bahá’í Writings and from books and articles
> about specific forms of meditation. I have employed Mars for Windows, a
> computer database of the Bahá’í Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and
> Shoghi Effendi, to sample the relative frequencies and associations of terms
> such as meditation, contemplate, reflect and ponder. Because Mars for Win-
> dows lists certain quotations twice when they appear in different books, the
> absolute number of citations for a given word is not a perfect measure of the
> frequency of that term. The table below shows that the most frequently cited
> term is reflect followed by ponder and meditation. The least frequently cited
> term is commune. None of these key words were linked within 10 words to
> health or healing suggesting that the Bahá’í writings either do not or rarely
> connect meditative practices to health or healing.
> 56                                                       Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> Word                       Citations                  Health / Healing
> 
> Reflect                       253                                           0
> 
> Ponder                        199                                           0
> 
> Meditation                    100                                           0
> 
> Meditate                      95                                            0
> 
> Contemplate                   53                                            0
> 
> Transcend                     24                                            0
> 
> Commune                       32                                            0
> 
> 1. Prayer and Meditation: Synergistic Forces of Spiritual
> Transformation
> The Bahá’í Writings often associate the words prayer and meditation in
> the same sentence. The words meditate or meditation appear in 100 citings
> from Mars for Windows. In fifty one percent of these citings, the words
> meditate (tion) and prayer appeared within 10 words of one another; in 47%
> these terms were within three words of one another. Bahá’í book titles link-
> ing meditation and prayer include Prayers and Meditations and The Impor-
> tance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude: A Compilation. The
> Bahá’í month of fasting is also a month of meditation [Kitáb-i-Aqdas Notes,
> pp. 176-177].
> Here are several examples of exhortations to pray and meditate:
> 
> The first thing to do is to acquire a thirst for Spirituality, then Live the
> Life! Live the Life! Live the Life! The way to acquire this thirst is to
> meditate upon the future life. Study the Holy Words, read your Bible, read
> the Holy Books, especially study the Holy Utterances of Bahá’u’lláh;
> Prayer and Meditation, take much time for these two. Then will you know
> this Great Thirst, and then only can you begin to Live the Life!
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Importance of Deepening, p. 204]
> 
> For the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man
> with God. This state of spiritual communion can be brought about and
> maintained by means of meditation and prayer.
> [Shoghi Effendi. Directives of the Guardian, p. 86]
> Meditation and Health                                                             57
> 
> The Guardian has thus linked prayer and meditation with communion
> with God. In summary, meditation is depicted as a necessary companion to
> prayer in the journey of spiritual transformation. The Bahá’í Teachings
> also link study with prayer and meditation: ‘These gifts of the spirit are
> received through prayer, meditation, study of the Holy Utterances and serv-
> ice to the Cause of God....’
> [Shoghi Effendi. The Importance of Deepening, p. 232]
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh has emphasized the link between worship and bliss: ‘Who-
> soever experienceth the holy ecstasy of worship will refuse to barter such an
> act or any praise of God for all that existeth in the world’
> [The Importance of Obligatory Prayer and Fasting, p. 5].
> 
> Dr Hossain Danesh, a Bahá’í psychiatrist and academic, has explained that:
> 
> While meditation is directly connected with our capacity to know, prayer
> is indispensable to our capacity to love. Through prayer we commune with
> the ultimate object of our love. Prayer is love talk. The lover earnestly
> supplicates the Beloved, humbly entreating the loved one to shower her or
> him with loving bounties. In the context of spiritual transformation, the
> loved one is God - the source of all truth, love, and assistance. Therefore
> when we pray we enkindle our soul, open our heart and mind, attract the
> hearts of other people, and help to create a reciprocal relationship of love,
> truth and service.
> [Danesh. The Psychology of Spirituality. From Divided Self to Integrated
> Self p. 230]
> 
> 2. What is Meditation According to the Bahá’í Writings?
> Perhaps the best explanation of meditation within the Bahá’í Writings is in
> a passage from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that appears in Paris Talks. Because the meaning
> of this passage is so concentrated, I will analyse it sentence by sentence. To
> begin, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá cites Bahá’u’lláh stating that contemplation is essential
> for understanding and that this process requires the meditator to remain silent:
> ‘Bahá’u’lláh says there is a sign (from God) in every phenomenon: the sign of
> the intellect is contemplation and the sign of contemplation is silence, because
> it is impossible for a man to do two things at one time - he cannot both speak
> and meditate’ [`Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 174].
> The word contemplate was cited 53 times in Mars for Windows but never in
> association with meditate or meditation.
> Next, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá depicts meditation as speaking with your own spirit -
> asking questions and receiving answers:
> 58                                                       Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> ‘It is an axiomatic fact that while you meditate you are speaking with
> your own spirit. In that state of mind you put certain questions to your
> spirit and the spirit answers: the light breaks forth and the reality is
> revealed’
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 174].
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá labels meditation as an essential feature distinguishing hu-
> mans from animals:
> 
> ‘You cannot apply the name ‘man’ to any being void of this faculty of
> meditation; without it he would be a mere animal, lower than the beasts’
> [`Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 175].
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us that God bestows the breath of the Holy Spirit
> during 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’
> [`Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 175].
> 
> He further asserts that we are inspired, strengthened and informed of new
> wisdom during meditation, receiving spiritual nutrition:
> 
> ‘The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened during medita-
> tion; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before his
> view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heav-
> enly food’
> [`Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 175].
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us that we can unlock the doors of mysteries during
> meditation:
> 
> 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.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 175]
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá emphasizes the importance of meditation to advancing sci-
> ence, art and civilization:
> Meditation and Health                                                           59
> 
> 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 fac-
> ulty 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.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 175]
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enjoins us to direct the mirror of meditation towards spir-
> itual matters and issues that benefit humanity:
> 
> 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. Therefore let us keep this faculty
> rightly directed - turning it to the heavenly Sun and not to earthly objects
> - so that we may discover the secrets of the Kingdom, and comprehend
> the allegories of the Bible and the mysteries of the spirit.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, pp. 175-176]
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to prayers that ‘transcend the murmur of syllables
> and sounds ...’ [Bahá’í Prayers (US edition), pp. 70-71]:
> 
> Adorn our bodies with the robe of Thy bounty, and remove from our
> eyes the veil of sinfulness, and give us the chalice of Thy grace; that the
> essence of all beings may sing Thy praise before the vision of Thy gran-
> deur. Reveal then Thyself, O Lord, by Thy merciful utterance and the mys-
> tery of Thy divine being, that the holy ecstasy of prayer may fill our souls
> - a prayer that shall rise above words and letters and transcend the mur-
> mur of syllables and sounds - that all things may be merged into nothing-
> ness before the revelation of Thy splendor.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahá’í Prayers (US edition), pp. 70-71]
> 
> Might such prayers not represent a meditation that leaves the plane of
> thinking and travels towards the absolute Being?
> I propose that Bahá’í meditation comprises three or more distinct proc-
> esses:
> 60                                                     Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> 1. Contemplation or thinking in a conscious state.
> In this paper I will use the term contemplation to refer to this process. An
> example is reading the Writings and pondering the meaning using logic
> or intuition.
> 2. Silent wordless reflection, seeking Divine wisdom
> In this paper I will use the term wordless reflection to denote this process.
> 3. Reflection on repeated words or phrases
> An example is repeating the Greatest Name [Allah-u-Abhá] ninety-five
> times.
> In this article I will use the term reflection on words to refer to this process.
> 
> 3. Meditation as Pondering, Reflecting and Thinking Deeply
> There are a number of passages in the Bahá’í Writings which depict medi-
> tation as pondering, reflecting and thinking deeply as opposed to a process
> which goes beyond or transcends formal thinking. Bahá’u’lláh enjoined
> meditation for a thousand years:
> 
> ‘It is necessary for them to meditate, to meditate for a thousand thou-
> sand years, that haply they may attain unto a sprinkling from the ocean of
> knowledge, and discover the things whereof they are oblivious in this day.’
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 126-127]
> 
> He particularly emphasized pondering the Divine verses:
> 
> Do thou meditate on that which We have revealed unto thee, that thou
> mayest discover the purpose of God, thy Lord, and the Lord of all worlds.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings, p. 153]
> 
> Meditate profoundly, that the secret of things unseen may be revealed
> unto you, that you may inhale the sweetness of a spiritual and imperish-
> able fragrance, and that you may acknowledge the truth that from time
> immemorial even unto eternity the Almighty hath tried, and will continue
> to try, His servants, so that light may be distinguished from darkness,
> truth from falsehood, right from wrong, guidance from error, happiness
> from misery, and roses from thorns.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. The Kitáb-i-Iqan, p. 8]
> 
> Meditate on the world and the state of its people.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 56]
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh has assured us that meditation, like reflection, is a highly
> condensed form of worship:
> Meditation and Health                                                             61
> 
> ‘...the meditation referred to in the words “One hour’s reflection is
> preferable to seventy years of pious worship” must needs be observed...’
> [Bahá’u’lláh. The Kitáb-i-Iqan, p. 238].
> 
> Shoghi Effendi has assured us that meditation would confer Divine inspi-
> ration; I cannot determine whether the Guardian was referring to contempla-
> tion or another type of meditation in this passage.
> 
> The inspiration received through meditation is of a nature that one
> cannot measure or determine. God can inspire into our minds things that
> we had no previous knowledge of, if He desires to do so. We cannot clearly
> distinguish between personal desire and guidance, but if the way opens,
> when we have sought guidance, then we may presume God is helping us.
> [Shoghi Effendi. Directives of the Guardian, pp. 77-78]
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have linked the words meditate and pon-
> der in a number of passages: Referring to the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, Bahá’u’lláh
> enjoined his followers to peruse, meditate and ponder the Most Holy Book:
> ‘Blessed those who peruse it! Blessed those who apprehend it! Blessed those
> who meditate upon it! Blessed those who ponder its meaning!’ [Bahá’u’lláh.
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas Other Sections, p. 16]. The separate instructions suggest a
> hierarchy from peruse (survey in superficial study) to apprehend (logical study)
> and meditate (seeking Divine inspiration).
> In other passages, ponder and meditate have been linked:
> 
> The sanctified souls should ponder and meditate in their hearts re-
> garding the methods of teaching.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 200]
> 
> It is incumbent upon you to ponder in your hearts and meditate upon
> His words, and humbly to call upon Him, and to put away self in His
> heavenly Cause.
> (‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 241)
> 
> The words ponder and reflect are often linked in the Bahá’í Writings:
> 
> Ponder and reflect how mighty and potent hath the Cause of God be-
> come!
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Selections p. 99]
> 
> O SON OF MAN! Ponder and reflect. Is it thy wish to die upon thy
> bed, or to shed thy life-blood on the dust, a martyr in My path, and so
> 62                                                     Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> become the manifestation of My command and the revealer of My light in
> the highest paradise? Judge thou aright, O servant!
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Arabic Hidden Words, p. 46]
> 
> Pondering can release extraordinary power. In the Fire Tablet, the Blessed
> Beauty advised us: ‘Should all the servants read and ponder this, there shall
> be kindled in their veins a fire that shall set aflame the worlds’ [Bahá’u’lláh.
> Bahá’í Prayers (US), p. 221]. Thus, reading the Fire Tablet is only one step
> in the process of enkindlement - pondering is also necessary. Elsewhere
> Bahá’u’lláh writes:
> 
> Do thou ponder on the penetrative influence of the Word of God’
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 75-76]
> 
> “Blessed the man”, He, moreover, has stated, “who will read it, [the
> Kitáb-i-Aqdas] and ponder the verses sent down in it by God, the Lord of
> Power, the Almighty.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Kitáb-i-Aqdas Other Sections, p. 16]
> 
> In more than one passage Bahá’u’lláh asks his followers to ponder with
> their hearts:
> 
> Ponder this in thine heart, that the truth may be revealed unto thee,
> and be thou steadfast in His path.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings, p. 76].
> 
> Ponder this in your hearts, O people of Bahá, and render thanks unto
> your Lord, the Expounder, the Most Manifest.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings, p. 117]
> 
> Ponder this in your hearts, O people, and be not of those who have
> turned a deaf ear to the admonitions of Him Who is the Almighty, the
> All-Praised.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 13]
> 
> We are also enjoined to ponder with our inner and outer eyes. Outer
> vision is essential for most of our daily activities. How much more important
> is inner vision to our spiritual development:
> 
> Ponder a while thereon, that with both your inner and outer eye, ye
> may perceive the subtleties of Divine wisdom and discover the gems of
> heavenly knowledge...
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings, p. 144]
> Meditation and Health                                                         63
> 
> O My Brother! Until thou enter the Egypt of love, thou shalt never
> come to the Joseph of the Beauty of the Friend; and until, like Jacob, thou
> forsake thine outward eyes, thou shalt never open the eye of thine inward
> being; and until thou burn with the fire of love, thou shalt never commune
> with the Lover of Longing.
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Seven Valleys and Four Valleys, p. 9]
> 
> What is our inner and outer eye? Could the inner eye refer to a state of
> detachment with our minds focused on or opened towards God in wordless
> reflection? Bahá’u’lláh writes, ‘O MAN OF TWO VISIONS! Close one eye
> and open the other. Close one to the world and all that is therein, and open
> the other to the hallowed beauty of the Beloved’ [Bahá’u’lláh. Persian Hid-
> den Words, p. 12].
> Thus, meditation may be compared to opening our spiritual eye to be-
> come more conscious of the perfection of God and less aware of the imper-
> fections of the world.
> Bahá’u’lláh has enjoined His followers to reflect on the Teachings:
> 
> Reflect: Who in this world is able to manifest such transcendent power,
> such pervading influence?
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Kitáb-i-Iqan, p. 235]
> 
> This subject needs deep thought. Then the cause of these changes will
> be evident and apparent. Blessed are those who reflect!
> (‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, p. 96)
> 
> Study groups in the Ruhi institute collectively reflect on the teachings:
> 
> The posture of learning avoids searching for formulas that are to be
> followed strictly. Decisions are carried out, after consultation, with the
> understanding that the developments which follow will be observed and
> reflected upon. This community reflection is done in light of the wisdom
> enshrined in the Writings.
> [Institute Training Programs, June 1995]
> 
> In the Ridván 157 Message of April 2000 the Universal House of Justice
> enjoined the Bahá’ís to meditate on the sacred word. This passage is most
> likely referring to conscious contemplation of the Writings: ‘...members of
> our worldwide community also gave more attention to drawing on the power
> of prayer, to meditating on the sacred Word, and to deriving the spiritual
> benefits of participation in devotional gatherings’ [Ridván 157 Message, p.
> 3].
> 64                                                    Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> Bahá’u’lláh enjoined His followers to ‘...Bring thyself to account each
> day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning...’ (Bahá’u’lláh. Arabic Hidden
> Words, p. 31). Contemplation and reflection is a suitable process of review-
> ing each day and correcting our behaviour.
> 
> 4. Meditation as Silent Wordless Reflection, Seeking Divine
> Wisdom
> In the Book of the River, Bahá’u’lláh asserts that experience and ob-
> servation is necessary to understanding - logic is not sufficient:
> 
> ...human reason is not a sufficient standard. When viewed with the
> eye of insight, no phenomenon on earth could be comprehended by
> any human, whether high or low, without prior observation and expe-
> rience. Observe the sun in the heavens... Certainly, human reason
> would not be inclined to accept the possibility of the existence of such
> a thing by means of any rational definition or description without ac-
> tual observation and experience.
> [Sahifiy-i-Shattiyyih (Book of the River) Revealed by Bahá’u’lláh. A
> Provisional Translation. By Nader Saiedi. Journal of Bahá’í Studies 1999;
> 9:3, p. 57]
> 
> Nader Saiedi concludes that: ‘After actual observation and experi-
> ence, reason takes for granted all the wonders of natural phenomena and
> reduces them to necessary rational truths capable of deduction through
> rational analysis’ [Concealment and Revelation in Bahá’u’lláh’s Book of
> the River. Journal of Bahá’í Studies 1999; 9:3, p. 301].
> These passages from the Book of the River have particular relevance
> to the Bahá’í approach to meditation. If meditation is a direct communi-
> cation channel with God, then it can provide the experience of knowing
> God, which is far more important than knowing about God. This experi-
> ence of knowing God is not and cannot be put into words.
> Reflection without words may follow periods of prayer, communion
> with God or study of the Writings. Just as prayer can be viewed as speak-
> ing to God, reflection without words may represent listening to God or
> communing without the constraints of language.
> Various passages in the Writings refer to entering the Divine Presence
> and being immersed in the love and bounties of God: ‘...the people of
> Bahá have entered the blissful abode of the Divine Presence, and quaffed
> the wine of reunion, from the chalice of the beauty of their Lord, the
> All-Possessing, the Most High’ (Bahá’u’lláh. Gleanings, p. 32).
> Meditation and Health                                                         65
> 
> 5. Meditation Using Repetition of Words or Phrases
> As mentioned above, Bahá’ís repeat the Greatest Name, [Allah-u-Abhá],
> ninety-five times per day. When believers repeat the Greatest Name they are
> using a phrase with meaning as opposed to a mantra, which is a sound with-
> out meaning. The mantra in Transcendental Meditation is used to settle the
> mind in a deep state of restful alertness, at which time the meditator pas-
> sively lets go of the mantra. If one persists repeating the sound after one
> starts to transcend, then the mind is drawn back to the intellectual level and
> out of transcendence. The repetition of the Greatest Name is different from
> repeating a mantra until a state of transcendence is reached. However, Jan
> Dietrick has suggested that ‘the Greatest Name is so transcendental in its
> meaning that it can support the mind to transcend its meaning’ [personal
> communication]. She recommends that during repetition of the Greatest Name
> one should ‘slow down and turn inward to the Self between words’ [personal
> communication].
> There are a number of Bahá’í prayers which use repetition in a manner
> that fosters meditation. One of the prayers for the Fast re-affirms our spiritual
> lifeline fourteen times, reminding us that we are: ‘...clinging to the hem of the
> cord to which has clung all in this world and in the world to come’
> [Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’í Prayers US Edition pp. 238-245]. Each verse of the
> Tablet of the Holy Mariner except for the last three ends with the phrase
> ‘Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!’ [Bahá’u’lláh. Bahá’í Prayers US
> Edition pp. 220-229]. The long prayer for the departed includes nineteen
> repetitions of six separate phrases, emphasizing each as a separate medita-
> tion on the greatness of God.
> 
> 6. Forms of Bahá’í Meditation
> The Guardian stated that there is no set form of Bahá’í meditation -
> believers may choose whichever forms suit them: ‘As to meditation: This
> also is a field in which the individual is free. There are no set forms of medi-
> tation prescribed in the teachings, no plan as such, for inner development.
> The friends are urged - nay enjoined - to pray, and they also should meditate,
> but the manner of doing the latter is left entirely to the individual’ [Shoghi
> Effendi. Directives of the Guardian, p. 35].
> Bahá’ís are not to teach specific methods of meditation at Bahá’í summer
> school because this could be divisive and the Faith does not endorse one
> method over another method:
> 
> There are, of course, other things that one can do to increase one’s
> spirituality. For example, Bahá’u’lláh has specified no procedures to be
> followed in meditation, and individual believers are free to do as they
> wish in this area, provided that they remain in harmony with the teachings,
> 66                                                       Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> but such activities are purely personal and should under no circumstances
> be confused with those actions which Bahá’u’lláh Himself considered to
> be of fundamental importance for our spiritual growth. Some believers
> may find that it is beneficial to them to follow a particular method of
> meditation, and they may certainly do so, but such methods should not be
> taught at Bahá’í Summer Schools or be carried out during a session of
> the School because, while they may appeal to some people, they may repel
> others. They have nothing to do with the Faith and should be kept quite
> separate so that enquirers will not be confused.
> [Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National
> Spiritual Assembly, September 1, 1983) Lights of Guidance, p. 542]
> 
> The Guardian affirmed that meditation connects us with God: ‘Through
> meditation doors of deeper knowledge and inspiration may be opened. Natu-
> rally, if one meditates as a Bahá’í he is connected with the Source... Medita-
> tion is very important, and the Guardian sees no reason why the friends should
> not be taught to meditate, but they should guard against superstitions or fool-
> ish ideas creeping into it’ [Shoghi Effendi. Directives of the Guardian, p.
> 47].
> Meditation, like prayer, should be linked with action and bear fruit: ‘Prayer
> and meditation are very important factors in deepening the spiritual life of
> the individual, but with them must go also action and example, as these are
> the tangible results of the former. Both are essential’ [Shoghi Effendi. Lights
> of Guidance, p. 457]. Prayer and meditation are the prelude for action, par-
> ticularly service. Shoghi Effendi has indicated that we act in cycles, with
> periods of reflection and meditation followed by periods of action and serv-
> ice, precluding a monastic existence:
> 
> Dear friends, this is the day of faithfulness; this is the day of unity;
> this is the day of service. Let us not wait, nor ponder, but, detached from
> the world and its concerns, clad in the armour of faith, filled with the
> divine spirit of love, and quickened by His life-giving exhortations, let us
> arise in utmost love and harmony, hasten to the field of service, and sub-
> due the domain of hearts with the arms of the love of God and the sword
> of peace and brotherhood.
> [Shoghi Effendi. Bahiyyih Khanum, p. 164]
> 
> 7. Forms of Meditation With Proven Health Effects
> Bahá’í Writings either do not or rarely directly link meditation with health
> or healing. As mentioned previously, the Mars for Windows database con-
> tains no sentences in which the words meditate, meditation, ponder, reflect,
> or contemplate includes the words health or healing. The absence of such
> links, however, do not prove that the Bahá’í Teachings do not connect the
> Meditation and Health                                                        67
> 
> two subjects. In fact, the Writings advise us to study health and treatment of
> disease.
> 
> Let them also study whatever will nurture the health of the body and
> its physical soundness, and how to guard their children from disease.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Selections, p. 124]
> 
> Thou shouldst endeavour to study the science of medicine.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Health and Healing, p. 461]
> 
> Individual Bahá’ís are encouraged to compare the Writings to scientific
> knowledge. Thus the admonitions to refrain from smoking and drinking al-
> cohol would be reinforced by scientific studies demonstrating the harmful
> health effects of smoking and alcohol abuse.
> Although health is not the primary purpose of Bahá’í meditation, medita-
> tion could have as a secondary purpose the goal of health improvement. For
> example, although we regard the ‘procreation of children as the sacred and
> primary purpose of marriage’ [Shoghi Effendi. World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,
> p. 188] there are many other important purposes of marriage. In the Tablet to
> a Physician, Bahá’u’lláh warns that ‘anger burneth the liver.’ If anger is
> harmful to health, then it follows that measures that prevent or control anger
> can protect against the damage from anger. Meditation and other forms of
> relaxation can dissipate anger and may indirectly improve health conditions
> influenced by anger. Furthermore, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá assures us that communion
> with God attracts a power to understand the secrets of the universe, which
> presumably include secrets about our health and well-being:
> 
> ...if thy mind become empty and pure from every mention and thought
> and thy heart attracted wholly to the Kingdom of God, forget all else
> besides God and come in communion with the Spirit of God, then the
> Holy Spirit will assist thee with a power which will enable thee to pen-
> etrate all things, and a Dazzling Spark which enlightens all sides, a Bril-
> liant Flame in the zenith of the heavens, will teach thee that which thou
> dost not know of the facts of the universe...
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Bahá’í World Faith, p. 369]
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá enjoins us to focus our attention or ponder the Divine teach-
> ings: ‘Now, if thou wishest to know the true remedy which will heal man from
> all sickness and will give him the health of the divine kingdom, know that it is
> the precepts and teachings of God. Focus thine attention upon them’
> [`Abdu’l-Bahá. Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 152].
> Evaluation of the health effects of the meditation of Bahá’ís would be
> extraordinarily difficult given that the practice is completely individualized
> 68                                                  Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> and unique for each person. It may however be possible to examine the health
> effects of elements of Bahá’í prayer or meditation such as recitation of the
> Greatest Name ninety-five times.
> The form of meditation that has been most widely studied with respect to
> health and healing is Transcendental Meditation.
> 
> 8.      Transcendental Meditation and the Bahá’í Teachings
> Transcendental Meditation, often labelled TM, is the most widely re-
> searched form of meditation. TM claims to create a state of restful alertness
> different to that of waking, dreaming or sleeping without dreaming. TM
> involves repetition of a sound without meaning for twenty minutes twice
> daily, in the morning and late afternoon or early evening. This sound is used
> to quieten the mind; once in a state of quietness the meditator does not con-
> sciously repeat the sound.
> Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a physicist by training, developed TM after study-
> ing Vedic scriptures under a spiritual master. Although Maharishi did not
> originate TM, he made it accessible for Westerners and helped to establish its
> scientific basis. He remains the central figure in TM.
> About one-third of TM research has studied an advanced technique known
> as the TM-Sidhi program. Outcomes of conventional TM must be analysed
> separately from the outcomes of the TM-Sidhi program in the same way that
> an exercise group doing a 15 minute light warmup four times per week would
> be analysed separately from another group running 10 km four times per
> week after a 15 minute light warmup.
> The basis of TM shares much in common with the Bahá’í teachings. In
> the following list, numbers in square brackets refer to the page number from
> Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Science of Being and the Art of Living. Tran-
> scendental Meditation:
> 
> 1. One almighty God
> 2. All religions come from the same Absolute Being
> 3. Meditation is essential
> 4. Live a life of service to others
> 5. Individuals responsible for their own spiritual progress
> 6. World government to bring world peace
> 7. Spiritual basis for solving economic problems
> 8. Obey the government and abide by law of the land [166]
> 9. Moderation in all things [170, 225]
> 10. Alcohol is harmful and should be avoided [117, 162, 291]
> 11. Follow the scriptures of your own Faith [132]
> 12. Unity in diversity. [351]
> 13. A set of natural laws underpin the universe [323]
> Meditation and Health                                                          69
> 
> Some teachings of Maharishi contradict those of the Bahá’í Writings, such
> as:
> 
> 1. Follow Your Own Religion - do not look to other Faiths [131-132]
> 2. Reincarnation [110]
> 3. Behave naturally, do not plan or ponder how to behave [112]
> 4. The ‘Bhagavad-Gita is the highest divine wisdom ever revealed to man...’
> [321]
> 5. Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Movement, continuing in the
> world, will create an ideal civilization. [author not stated p. 333]
> 6. No reference to the Bahá’í Faith in TM literature
> 
> These teachings, however, do not relate to the practice of TM. Hence the
> practice of TM does not conflict with Bahá’í principles.
> TM proponents are permitted to earn money through the teaching and
> application of TM in publishing, health spas and other areas whereas Bahá’ís
> do not as a general rule earn money from teaching or applying the Bahá’í
> teachings.
> The Bahá’í Writings praise the word transcendental: ‘No one except Thy-
> self can unravel the secret of Thy nature, and naught else but Thy transcen-
> dental Essence can grasp the reality of Thy unsearchable being’ [Bahá’u’lláh.
> Gleanings, p. 64]. Shoghi Effendi has labelled Bahá’u’lláh as transcenden-
> tal: ‘Dominating the entire range of this fascinating spectacle towers the in-
> comparable figure of Bahá’u’lláh, transcendental in His majesty, serene,
> awe-inspiring, unapproachably glorious’ [World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 97]
> The Bahá’í Writings further depict a set of universal laws similar to Natu-
> ral Law in TM:
> 
> This Nature is subjected to an absolute organization, to determined
> laws, to a complete order and a finished design, from which it will never
> depart - to such a degree, indeed, that if you look carefully and with keen
> sight, from the smallest invisible atom up to such large bodies of the world
> of existence as the globe of the sun or the other great stars and luminous
> spheres, whether you regard their arrangement, their composition, their
> form or their movement, you will find that all are in the highest degree of
> organization and are under one law from which they will never depart.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, p. 3]
> 
> It is said that Nature in its own essence is in the grasp of the power of
> God, Who is the Eternal Almighty One: He holds Nature within accurate
> regulations and laws, and rules over it.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Some Answered Questions, p. 4]
> 70                                                    Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to natural law in at least three passages:
> 
> The world of creation is bound by natural law, finite and mortal.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Paris Talks, p. 57]
> 
> The phenomenal world is entirely subject to the rule and control of
> natural law.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 17]
> 
> Man is not the captive of nature, for although according to natural
> law he is a being of the earth, yet he guides ships over the ocean, flies
> through the air in airplanes, descends in submarines; therefore, he has
> overcome natural law and made it subservient to his wishes.
> [‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 17]
> 
> Maharishi describes natural law somewhat differently than ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
> According to Maharishi, natural law cannot be overcome or made subservi-
> ent.
> I will now compare features of meditation mentioned in the Bahá’í Writ-
> ings to the practice of Transcendental Meditation:
> 
> 1. Contemplate in silence (do not speak while meditating)
> 2. Speak with your own spirit
> 3. Ask questions of the spirit and receive answers
> 4. Meditation unlocks the doors of mysteries
> 5. Meditation informs and strengthens the spirit
> 6. Meditation is like a mirror which should be turned towards spiritual, sci-
> entific and artistic themes that benefit humanity
> 7. Meditation as prayer that transcends the murmur of syllables and sounds
> 8. Meditation should generate action
> 9. Prayerful meditation on the Bahá’í Teachings, particularly meditations
> written by Bahá’u’lláh
> 
> Starting with the first feature, Transcendental Meditation is practiced in
> silence:
> ...sanctuaries of silence be constructed in the midst of noisy market-
> places of big cities, before going to their businesses, and after completing
> their businesses of the day, may enter into silent meditation rooms, dive
> deep within themselves, and be profited by undisturbed, regular, and deep
> meditations... it seems necessary that such silent meditation centers also
> be constructed in the holiday resorts where people go on weekends to
> stay for one or two days.
> [Maharishi p. 300]
> Meditation and Health                                                       71
> 
> Maharishi regards contemplation as an intellectual path towards God con-
> sciousness, different from TM:
> 
> ... the intellectual path of God realization through contemplation is
> not a path for practical men...No man remaining active in the world...can
> possibly succeed in infusing the divine nature into his mind through this
> method of contemplation. The intellectual path of divine revelation suits
> those who have nothing to do with practical life... The silence which a
> recluse enjoys is such that it keeps him away from work. He is in silence
> most of the time...
> [Maharishi p. 282]
> 
> Although TM is not portrayed as contemplation, Maharishi does not op-
> pose contemplation as an adjunct to meditation. TM is a specific form of
> meditation whereas the Bahá’í Writings define meditation more broadly.
> The second feature of Bahá’í meditation, speaking with your own spirit,
> is not a phrase used by Maharishi, who depicts TM as communication with
> the Absolute. TM refers to this process as returning to the Absolute Self.
> The third feature of Bahá’í meditation, asking questions of the spirit and
> receiving answers, is likewise not a phrase used by Maharishi. He refers to
> this phenomenon as creative intelligence, in which the meditator receives
> inspiration from the Absolute to gain unlimited imagination, energy and joy:
> 
> Because absolute Being is the source of all thought and of all crea-
> tion, when the conscious mind comes to that level, it comes in contact
> with the unlimited creative intelligence of absolute Being. Great creative
> intelligence enters into the nature of the mind; constructive imagination,
> the power of creative thinking, increases along with joyfulness and con-
> tentment. The mind coming in tune with the field of Being gains the source
> of unlimited energy. Such a powerful, energetic mind naturally has very
> powerful thoughts.
> [Maharishi, p. 116]
> 
> The forth feature of Bahá’í meditation, unlocking the doors of mysteries,
> is related to the creative intelligence released by TM as previously described.
> The fifth feature of Bahá’í meditation, that meditation informs and
> strengthens the spirit, is consistent with the writings of Maharishi on TM and
> creative intelligence. The elimination of stress in the mind and body while
> practicing TM strengthens the mind and body as well as spirit and can em-
> power an easier pursuit of a devotional life.
> The sixth feature of Bahá’í meditation is that meditation is like a mirror
> which should be turned towards spiritual, scientific and artistic themes that
> 72                                                     Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> benefit humanity. Maharishi’s writings support this view of using medita-
> tion; after meditation the mind is more open to right thought which will in
> turn create right action.
> The seventh feature of Bahá’í meditation, in which meditation is viewed
> as prayer that transcends the murmur of syllables and sounds, is consistent
> with TM, which does not employ words with meaning to achieve a state of
> higher consciousness.
> The eighth feature of Bahá’í meditation, that meditation should generate
> action, is consistent with TM. Maharishi has explained the unique role of
> meditation in creating right action:
> 
> A right thought will be that which will produce a good, harmonious,
> useful and life-supporting influence for the doer and for the entire uni-
> verse in the present and for all times... It does not seem possible to enter-
> tain thoughts which are always right by trying to think rightly. Any con-
> scious attempt on the part of the mind to entertain only right thoughts will
> only mean straining the mind on a plane over which there can be no con-
> trol. In order that the mind succeed in entertaining only right thoughts, it
> should be cultured so that by nature it picks up only a right thought.
> [Maharishi p. 140]
> 
> The ninth feature of Bahá’í meditation, prayerful meditation on the Bahá’í
> Teachings, particularly meditations written by Bahá’u’lláh, would be regarded
> by TM as contemplation rather than meditation.
> 
> 9. Transcendental Meditation and Health
> TM is associated with health promotion, disease prevention and improved
> health status. A large number of scientific studies have been published in
> refereed medical and scientific journals to support the role of TM and the
> TM-Sidhi in prevention and treatment of disease and risk factors for disease.
> Less than one-quarter of the studies randomized subjects to either TM or a
> control method, in part because it is difficult to gain adherence to a life-style
> change not selected by the participants. By comparison, it is very easy to
> randomise subjects to take a tablet once daily that might contain an active
> treatment or a placebo.
> Review of these studies [3-29 below] indicates that:
> 
> 1. TM reduces risk factors for vascular disease and dementia such as blood
> pressure, serum cholesterol, smoking and anxiety [7, 8, 21, 24, 25, 28]
> 2. TM practice may virtually eradicate essential hypertension, the most com-
> mon form of high blood pressure [10, 13, 21, 22]
> 3. TM prevents all forms of stroke based on its effects on blood pressure,
> Meditation and Health                                                       73
> 
> smoking and prevention of heart disease [7]
> 4. TM reduces symptoms of many conditions such as angina [5], headache,
> pain [25] and asthma [29]
> 5. TM reduces the rate of hospital admission by 50% in North America [9]
> We cannot extrapolate this finding to Australia or New Zealand
> 6. TM reduces hospital admissions in all categories except childbirth [9]
> 7. TM improves cognitive performance [18, 23]
> 8. TM reduces biological aging as measured by DHEA-S levels, systolic
> blood pressure, visual and auditory thresholds and intellectual perform-
> ance [3, 4, 15, 27]
> 9. TM improves psychological health and stress hardiness [6, 11, 12, 14, 16,
> 17, 19, 20]
> 
> These studies suggest that the benefits of TM are cumulative: groups
> practicing for five years have greater benefit than novices while those
> practicing for ten years have greater benefit than those practicing for five
> years.
> 
> 10. Conclusions
> According to the Bahá’í Writings, meditation is essential for our spiritual
> growth. The regular practice of meditation is exalted to the level of prayer
> and fasting. The Bahá’í Writings also encourage natural preventative prac-
> tices to maintain health and thereby serve mankind. Bahá’ís are required to
> seek competent physicians when they are ill and follow the physician’s in-
> structions. A growing number of health practitioners are recommending TM
> for preventative and curative health benefits. Bahá’ís consider learning TM
> as part of their health.
> ‘Abdu’l-Bahá asserted that the meditator must observe silence. Medita-
> tion should generate action such as service. There is no set form of Bahá’í
> meditation. Therefore individuals are free to choose processes that enhance
> their spiritual development. There are at least three processes involved in
> meditation: 1) contemplation or thinking in a conscious state, as exemplified
> by reflecting on the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh or calling ourselves to account
> each day; 2) wordless reflection in an altered state of consciousness, as sug-
> gested by prayer that ‘transcends the murmur of syllables and sounds.’ TM
> qualifies as one such meditative practice; 3) repetition of words and phrases
> such as the Greatest Name. These words and phrases may be separated by
> periods of contemplation or wordless reflection.
> Scientific evidence on the health benefits of Transcendental Meditation is
> quite strong. Further research is needed to identify health benefits from other
> forms of meditation and to assess the effects of different forms of meditation
> on the well-being and health of Bahá’ís.
> 74                                                   Australian Bahá’í Studies, Vol. 3, 2001
> 
> Acknowledgements
> The author deeply appreciates the constructive remarks from Felicity
> Rawlings-Sanaei, Jan Dietrick and Ron Whitehurst on the draft paper pre-
> sented at the Australian Association for Bahá’í Studies Conference in Octo-
> ber 2000.
> 
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> — *Meditation and Health (Used by permission of the curator)*