# Psychology and Knowledge of Self

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'u'lláh, Psychology and Knowledge of Self, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Psychology and Knowledge of Self
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Shoghi Effendi
> 
> Universal House of Justice
> 
> Universal House of Justice, Research Department
> 
> , compiler
> 
> n.d.
> 
> From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
> 
> The first Taraz and the first effulgence which hath dawned from the horizon
> of the Mother Book is that man should know his own self and recognize that
> which leadeth unto loftiness or lowliness, glory or abasement, wealth or
> poverty . . .
> (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas
> (Haifa: Bahá'í World Center, 1982), pp.
> 34
> -
> 35
> )
> [1]
> 
> True loss is for him whose days have been spent in utter ignorance of his
> self.
> (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p.
> 
> 156
> )
> [2]
> 
> Through the Teachings of this Day Star of Truth every man will advance and
> develop until he attaineth the station at which he can manifest all the
> potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed. It is
> for this very purpose that in every age and dispensation the prophets of God
> and His chosen Ones have appeared amongst men, and have evinced such power
> as is born of God and such might as only the Eternal can reveal.
> 
> (Gleanings
> from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1983),
> sec.
> XXVII
> , p.
> 68
> )
> [3]
> 
> Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self .
> . .
> (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> XLIII
> , p.
> 94
> )
> 
> [4]
> 
> And now, concerning thy question regarding the creation of man. Know thou
> that all men have been created in the nature made by God, the Guardian, the
> Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath been prescribed a pre-ordained measure,
> as decreed in God's mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye
> potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own
> volition. Your own acts testify this truth . . .
> (Gleanings from the
> Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> LXXVII
> , p.
> 149
> )
> [5]
> 
> Whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth is a direct evidence
> of the revelation within it of the attributes and names of God, inasmuch as
> within every atom are enshrined the signs that bear eloquent testimony to
> the revelation of that most Great Light. Methinks, but for the potency of
> that revelation, no being could ever exist. How resplendent the luminaries
> of knowledge that shine in an atom, and how vast the oceans of wisdom that
> surge within a drop! To a supreme degree is this true of man, who, among all
> created things, hath been invested with the robe of such gifts, and hath
> been singled out for the glory of such distinction. For in him are
> potentially revealed all the attributes and names of God to a degree that no
> other created being hath excelled or surpassed. All these names and
> attributed are applicable to him. Even as He hath said: "Man is My mystery,
> and I am his mystery." Manifold are the verses that have been repeatedly
> revealed in all the Heavenly Books and the Holy Scriptures, expressive of
> this most subtle and lofty theme. Even as He hath revealed: "We will surely
> show them Our signs in the world and within themselves." Again He saith:
> "And also in your own selves: will ye not, then, behold the signs of God?"
> And yet again He revealeth: And be ye not like those who forget God, and
> whom He hath therefore caused to forget their own selves." In this
> connection, He Who is the eternal King -- may the souls of all that dwell
> within the mystic Tabernacle be a sacrifice unto Him -- hath spoken: "He
> hath known God who hath known himself."
> (Gleanings from the
> Writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> XC
> , pp.
> 177
> -
> 78
> )
> [6]
> 
> The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He
> perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy.
> Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration.
> The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the
> same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with
> the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its
> exigencies and requirements.
> (Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh,
> sec.
> CVI
> , p.
> 213
> )
> [7]
> 
> Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can,
> alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit
> therefrom . . .
> (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> 
> CXXII
> , p.
> 
> 260
> )
> [8]
> 
> From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favour and bounty He
> hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His knowledge, so that
> none of His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each
> according to its capacity and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror
> of His beauty in the world of creation . . .
> 
> There can be no doubt whatever that, in consequence of the efforts which
> every man may consciously exert and as a result of the exertion of his own
> spiritual faculties, this mirror can be so cleansed from the dross of
> earthly defilements and purged from satanic fancies as to be able to draw
> nigh unto the meads of eternal holiness and attain the courts of everlasting
> fellowship. . .
> (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> 
> CXXIV
> , p.
> 
> 262
> )
> [9]
> 
> Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all
> else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them
> that hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will
> not influence the heart of the seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of
> them that give good counsel to others but forget to follow it themselves . .
> .
> (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> CXXVIII
> , p.
> 277
> )
> 
> [10]
> 
> Blessed art thou for having utterly abolished the idol of self and of vain
> imagination, and for having rent asunder the veil of idle fancy, through the
> power of the might of thy Lord, the Supreme Protector, the Almighty, the one
> Beloved . . .
> (Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> CXXXV
> ,
> p.
> 
> 291
> )
> [11]
> 
> O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and
> bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid
> yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true
> knowledge of your own selves -- a knowledge which is the same as the
> comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all
> else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as
> manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My
> loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies,
> your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the
> luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station . . .
> (Gleanings from
> the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, sec.
> CLIII
> , p.
> 326
> -
> 27
> )
> [12]
> 
> . . . certain invalid souls have confined the lands of knowledge within the
> wall of self and passion, and clouded them with ignorance and blindness, and
> have been veiled from the light of the mystic sun and the mysteries of the
> Eternal Beloved; they have strayed afar from the jewelled wisdom of the
> lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers, have been shut out of the sanctuary
> of the All-Beauteous One, and banished from the Ka'bih of splendour. Such is
> the worth of the people of this age!
> (The Seven Valleys and The Four
> Valleys
> (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1986), pp.
> 19
> -
> 20
> )
> 
> [13]
> 
> From the Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
> 
> Today the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abha are with those who renounce
> themselves, forget their own opinions, cast aside personalities and are
> thinking of the welfare of others. Whosoever has lost himself has found the
> universe and the inhabitants thereof. Whosoever is occupied with himself is
> wandering in the desert of heedlessness and regret. The "master-key" to
> self-mastery is self-forgetting. The road to the palace of life is through
> the path of renunciation.
> (Star of the West, vol. 17, no. 2, p. 348)
> 
> [14]
> 
> From letters written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi
> 
> . . . self has really two meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá'í
> writings; one is self, the identity of the individual created by God. This
> is the self mentioned in such passages as "he hath known God who hath know
> himself", etc. The other self is the ego, the dark, animalistic heritage
> each one of us has, the lower nature that can develop into a monster of
> selfishness, brutality, lust and so on. It is this self we must struggle
> against, or this side of our natures, in order to strengthen and free the
> spirit within us and help it to attain perfection . . . .
> (10 December
> 1947
> to an individual believer)
> [15]
> 
> Life is a constant struggle, not only against forces around us, but above
> all against our own "ego". We can never afford to rest on our oars, for if
> we do, we soon see ourselves carried downstream again. Many of those who
> drift away from the Cause do so for the reason that they had ceased to go on
> developing. They became complacent, or indifferent, and consequently ceased
> to draw the spiritual strength and vitality from the Cause which they should
> have. Sometimes, of course, people fail because of a test they just do not
> meet, and often our severest tests come from each other. Certainly the
> believers should try to avert such things, and if they happen, remedy them
> through love. Generally speaking nine-tenths of the friends' troubles are
> because they don't do the Bahá'í thing, in relation to each other, to the
> administrative bodies or in their personal lives.
> (8 January 1949
> to an
> individual believer, published in Principles of Bahá'í Administration: A
> Compilation (London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1973), pp. 87-88)
> 
> [16]
> 
> From letters written by or on behalf of the Universal House of Justice
> 
> Your letter of 4 December reports certain pilgrim's notes which have
> attributed to the beloved Guardian unfavourable comments on psychiatry and
> psychology. For your assistance we offer an excerpt from a letter from the
> Guardian published in U.S. Bahá'í News No. 236, October 1950, in which it is
> stated:
> 
> There is nothing in our teachings about Freud and his method. Psychiatric
> treatment in general is no doubt an important contribution to medicine, but
> we must believe it is still a growing science rather than a perfected
> science. As Bahá'u'lláh has urged us to avail ourselves of the help of good
> physicians Bahá'ís are certainly not only free to turn to psychiatry for
> assistance but should, when available, do so. This doesn't mean
> psychiatrists are always wise or always right; it means we are free to avail
> ourselves of the best medicine has to offer us.
> 
> Doubtless what the Guardian has said about psychiatry may also in general be
> said about psychology, including child psychology, but we have not found any
> texts to support this view.
> (18 February 1972 written by the
> Universal House
> of Justice to an individual believer)
> [17]
> 
> In all this we have been speaking about the attitude that Bahá'ís should
> have towards the law of Bahá'u'lláh. You, however, as a doctor working
> mainly as a counsellor in family and sexual problems, will mostly be
> concerned with advising non-Bahá'ís who do not accept, and see no reason to
> follow, the laws of Bahá'u'lláh. You are already a qualified practitioner in
> your field, and no doubt you give advice on the basis of what you have
> learned from study and experience -- a whole fabric of concepts about the
> human mind, its growth, development and proper functioning, which you have
> learned and evolved without reference to the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. Now,
> as a Bahá'í, you know that what Bahá'u'lláh teaches about the purpose of
> human life, the nature of the human being and the proper conduct of human
> life, is divinely revealed and therefore true. However, it will inevitably
> take time for you not only to study the Bahá'í teachings so that you clearly
> understand them, but also to work out how they modify your professional
> concepts. This is, of course, not an unusual predicament for a scientist.
> How often in the course of research is a factor discovered which requires a
> revolution in thinking over a wide field of human endeavour. You must be
> guided in each case by your own professional knowledge and judgement as
> illuminated by your growing knowledge of the Bahá'í teachings; undoubtedly
> you will find that your own understanding of the human problems dealt with
> in your work will change and develop and you will see new and improved ways
> of helping the people who come to you. Psychology is still a very young and
> inexact science, and as the years go by Bahá'í psychologists, who know from
> the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh the true pattern of human life, will be able to
> make great strides in the development of this science, and will help
> profoundly in the alleviation of human suffering.
> (12 January 1973
> written
> by the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> 
> [18]
> 
> As for the system called individual psychology, there is nothing in the
> Writings which supports any particular theory of that science . . .
> Doubtless, in time, Bahá'ís of talent and scholarly bent who will have
> access to the full Texts of the Holy Writings will effect great progress in
> the development of psychology, as in other sciences, for the benefit of all
> mankind.
> (21 June 1976 written on behalf of the Universal House of
> Justice
> to an individual believer)
> [19]
> 
> The Universal House of Justice has received your letter of 24 April on the
> matter of some modern concepts of psychology and has asked us to transmit
> its comments.
> 
> Your concern about the overemphasis upon the self and ego echoes a central
> theme of the Manifestation Himself, and it is the subject of many allusions
> in His Writings wherein, for example, He speaks of "the evil of egotism" and
> of those who are "captives of egotism." The Master refers to "the rust of
> egotism" and tells of ". . . the subtlety of the ego of man. It is the
> Tempter (the subtle serpent of the mind) and the poor soul not entirely
> emancipated from its suggestions is deceived until entirely severed from all
> save God." In another passage He says: "As long as the ego is subjected to
> carnal desires, sin and error continue." And He promised that with assiduous
> effort "Man will become free from egotism; he will be released from the
> material world . . . ".
> 
> Extracts from letters written on behalf of the beloved Guardian by his
> secretaries will be most helpful in clarifying certain of your questions.
> 
> Regarding the question you asked in your letter: The only people who are
> truly free of the "dross of self" are the Prophets, for to be free of one's
> ego is a hallmark of perfection. We humans are never going to become
> perfect, for perfection belongs to a realm we are not destined to enter.
> However, we must constantly mount higher, seek to be more perfect.
> 
> The ego is the animal in us, the heritage of the flesh which is full of
> selfish desires. By obeying the laws of God, seeking to live the life laid
> down in our teachings, and prayer and struggle, we can subdue our egos. We
> call people "saints" who have achieved the highest degree of mastery over
> their ego.
> 
> There is no contradiction between Gleanings" p.
> 66
> and p.
> 262
> . In one place
> He says the mirror will never be free from dross, in the other He says it
> will be "so cleansed . . . as to be able," etc. It is relative thing;
> perfection will never be reached, but great, and ever greater, progress can
> be make.
> (To an individual believer dated 8 January 1949)
> 
> The believers, as we all know, should endeavour to set such an example in
> their personal lives and conduct that others will feel impelled to embrace a
> Faith which reforms human character. However, unfortunately, not everyone
> achieves easily and rapidly the victory over self. What every believer, new
> or old, should realize is that the Cause has the spiritual power to
> re-create us if we make the effort to let that power influence us, and the
> greatest help in this respect is prayer. We must supplicate Bahá'u'lláh to
> assist us to overcome the failings in our own characters, and also exert our
> own will power in mastering ourselves.
> (To an individual believer
> dated 27
> January 1945)
> 
> Regarding the points you refer to in your letter: the complete and entire
> elimination of the ego would imply perfection -- which man can never
> completely attain -- but the ego can and should be ever increasingly
> subordinated to the enlightened soul of man. This is what spiritual
> progress implies.
> (To an individual believer dated 14 December
> 1941)
> 
> For further assistance in this complex matter of self and its attributes you
> may find it helpful to consult Bahá'ís who have been trained in psychology
> and psychiatry and who may be able to elucidate the differences between the
> current scientific concepts of the mind and it functions and those concept
> which emerge from the Holy Writings.
> 
> The Writings are rich in allusions to the individual and his integrity, but
> also to the social disciplines based upon the moral precepts of the Faith,
> precepts which each of us must heed lest we fail to reflect in our lives
> those virtues propounded by the great Teacher for our day, and hence fail to
> meet our true destinies as spiritual beings.
> (4 August 1977 written
> on
> behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> 
> [20]
> 
> Regarding your request to know what concepts of psychology are valid
> according to Bahá'í standards, the House of Justice suggests that an
> intensive study of Part IV of "Some Answered Questions", particularly chapter
> XLVIII on "The Difference which exists between Man and the Animal", will
> help you to view, in their proper perspective, any concepts being taught in
> your doctoral program. As a Bahá'í you will be able to detect when a concept
> ignores the spiritual part of a human being.
> (14 September 1980
> written on
> behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> 
> [21]
> 
> Your inquiries into matters of mental health are timely, for of all medical
> science studies, remedies for disorders of the brain and mind are possibly
> the most important for mankind. In a letter written on behalf of the beloved
> Guardian, which refers to Freudian methods, it is stated that "psychiatric
> treatment . . . is still a growing rather than a perfected science," hence
> requires contemporary disciplined study. In another letter he provides
> guidance by suggesting that, despite the many mental diseases and troubles
> of the present day, the power in the Faith is such that it can sustain
> Bahá'ís, whatever their ailments may be, on a much higher level than is
> given to others who are denied its healing grace.
> (8 July 1986
> written on
> behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> 
> [22]
> 
> You are advised to bear in mind the fact that mental illness is not
> spiritual, although its effects may hinder and be a burden to an individual
> who is striving toward spiritual progress. In a letter written on behalf of
> the Guardian is found the following passage: "You must always remember, no
> matter how much you or others may be afflicted with mental troubles . . .
> that your spirit is healthy, near to our Beloved, and will in the next world
> enjoy a happy and normal state of soul."
> 
> The House of Justice advises you to persevere in your efforts to secure good
> medical assistance, from psychiatrists or others, and to follow the advice
> of these specialists. It also suggests that through daily prayer, and
> specially by observing the daily obligatory prayers, through study of the
> Writings, through active participation in teaching efforts and in the
> activities of the community, and through constant effort to sacrifice for
> the Faith you love so well, you will obtain a spiritual counterpart to the
> professional help you will receive from the experts. In general, the best
> results for the healing process are found when the spiritual approach is
> combined with the remedy offered by competent doctors.
> (26 July
> 1988 written
> on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> 
> [23]
> 
> Regarding your question about the term "scientific system of healing", that
> phrase was first used by the beloved Guardian; subsequently the Universal
> House of Justice was asked whether the meaning of "scientific" might not
> vary from country to country. In response, the House of Justice concurred
> that the term "scientific" is not fixed, its connotative meanings may vary.
> 
> What the friends must try and grasp, however, is that the Bahá'í Faith at
> this stage in its evolution cannot place its seal of approval on any one of
> the plethora of healing techniques. In the rising Bahá'í society of the
> future, it may then be possible to make definitive judgement or to evolve
> practices more directly predicated on the Bahá'í Writings. However, there is
> at present enough development in the medical field and a wide record of
> experience to enable a person after reasonable investigation to choose a
> suitable doctor or medical institution to deal with a case of illness.
> 
> The basic instruction in the Writings to one who is ill is to find a doctor
> in whom confidence can be placed, to follow his advice and to put one's
> trust in God through prayer. Of course, no healing technique which would
> lead the practitioner or the patient to contradict the Laws of the Faith is
> acceptable. We must be careful not to fall prey to quackery or to
> unnecessarily endanger the lives and health of either ourselves or of the
> loved ones with whose welfare we have been entrusted because of an arbitrary
> distrust of scientific methods of healing. If one feels that one in unable
> to make valid distinctions, it would be well to turn to others for advice,
> whether to Assemblies or to individuals possessing good judgement.
> 
> (10 May
> 1990 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual
> believer)
> [24]
> 
> The House of Justice is pleased that you are making a determined effort to
> resolve the problems in your marriage and that you are consulting with a
> professional therapist. You should feel under no obligation to continue to
> consult with someone in whom you have lost confidence or who you believe may
> cause you to act contrary to the teachings of the Faith. However, it should
> be understood that counselling of the type you are receiving may cause a
> variety of emotions to surface as a normal part of the therapy. Individuals
> sometimes feel close attachment to their therapist or experience other
> feelings which might be unsettling because they are unexpected; such
> emotions may simply represent a beginning of helpful change and need prove
> no danger to one's own moral standards.
> (7 September 1990 written
> on behalf of
> the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
> [25]
> 
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> — *Psychology and Knowledge of Self (Used by permission of the curator)*