Timothy248

Hello everyone, I've decided to start sharing my significant spiritual realizations with the Baha'i forum to help spread understanding through the community I now consider myself a part of and to productively debate with people whose beliefs align with mine.

I used to believe through logical reasoning that all negativity was a bad thing and should be removed to advance spiritually. However I realized that this path actually leads to suffering as a result of emptiness, because dislike and like are both aspects of the same thing, for example you can't like light without disliking darkness.

At first it seems this would imply that spirituality is pointless because like and dislike are always balanced exactly so their will be an equal amount of love and suffering in our lives despite our actions. However this isn't the case because while these things are balanced in regards to creation, in regards to experience we can learn to focus more on the things we like.

GenuineSeeker

Hello Timothy. I have not declared, but am on my journey with the writings/prayers/Ruhi Books a part of it. I have come to believe to deny the dark side sometimes is like The Emperor's New Clothes. Denial does not change what is. So, for me, I now have to accept what is before I can decide how to deal with it and then move on.

Timothy248

Hi Genuine. Your comment reminds me of the first thing Buddha asked after reaching enlightenment; why do we suffer?, and he instantly realized that all suffering is caused by ignorance, aka denial of the way it is.

tonyfish58

You could be on a Logical Path of reasoning

After all with magnetism you have two unlike poles that attract

This world is full of opposing forces to which we have to find the balance

Regards Tony

GenuineSeeker

Thank you! Acceptance is a wonderful thing. Sometimes the ball is not in our court. Having said that, I still believe prayer changes things and many times what is changed is ourselves.

Timothy248

The truth can be categorized into two groups, the eternal truth and the temporary truth, the eternal truth is truth that cannot change, for example the truth of matter, energy, time, dimensions, consciousness, light, love, suffering, and free will, temporary truth is truth that can change therefore exists temporarily within the eternal timeline, such as your spiritual progress, which prayer defiantly has the potential to change!

GenuineSeeker

So, our spiritual progress STARTS in this world? Then, we progress spiritually in the next world, right? The ultimate goal is to get closer to God in this life and in the next, from what I understand.

Could you give me some examples of how we could progress in this world?

Noexalt

I agree that negativity is valuable. Denial is much more dangerous...1000000 times more dangerous.

I am always tagged as being "negative" and that's only because I absolutely detest denial. Look, it is what it is, stop saying that it's not.

"Not for the foolish and faint of heart". The cold hard truths should not be seen as cold and hard, they are just truths. If we are truly seekers and lovers of truth, then by denying reality we are betraying ourselves as Baha'is.

aji

Abdu'l-Baha says:

"Bahá’u’lláh proclaims in the Hidden Words that God inspires His servants and is revealed through them. He says, “Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My Manifestation.” Therefore, we learn that nearness to God is possible through devotion to Him, through entrance into the Kingdom and service to humanity; it is attained by unity with mankind and through loving-kindness to all; it is dependent upon investigation of truth, acquisition of praiseworthy virtues, service in the cause of universal peace and personal sanctification. In a word, nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him. Nearness is likeness."

GenuineSeeker

[QUOTE=aji;34116]Abdu'l-Baha says:

"Bahá’u’lláh proclaims in the Hidden Words that God inspires His servants and is revealed through them. He says, “Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My Manifestation.” Therefore, we learn that nearness to God is possible through devotion to Him, through entrance into the Kingdom and service to humanity; it is attained by unity with mankind and through loving-kindness to all; it is dependent upon investigation of truth, acquisition of praiseworthy virtues, service in the cause of universal peace and personal sanctification. In a word, nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him. Nearness is likeness."

Thanks for the quote. That is very helpful

Timothy248

That's correct, and their are many things you can do to advance spiritually!:
Seeking the truth
Developing good character
Doing the right thing
Maintaining your health
Praying to and believing in god
Learning the word of god and meditating on it; Baha'i Reference Library.

Their's also our daily prayers; http://www.bahaiprayers.org/obligshort.htm if you choose to become a Baha'i its important to maintain these.

I could list pages of methods but our minds can only handle so much information.