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Tag: "Mirrors"

tag name Mirrors type: Metaphors and allegories; Philosophy; Religion, general
web link bahai-library.com/tags/Mirrors
variations or
mis-spellings
mirát
related tags - Manifestations of God; Concepts, Philosophical; Concepts, Religious; Light; Moon; Soul, Human; Sun
referring tags Find Me standing within thee (phrase); Manifestations of God, Multiple stations; Realization of potentialities
notes

"... Upon the inmost reality of each and every created thing He hath shed the light of one of His names, and made it a recipient of the glory of one of His attributes. Upon the reality of man, however, He hath focused the radiance of all of His names and attributes, and made it a mirror of His own Self. Alone of all created things man hath been singled out for so great a favor, so enduring a bounty..."

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, XXVII

"... We must endeavor to increase our capacity daily, to strengthen and enlarge our capabilities for receiving them, to become as perfect mirrors. The more polished and clean the mirror, the more effulgent is its reflection of the lights of the Sun of Truth..."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, talk #10 (17 April 1912) (ABU0456)

"... the rational soul, or the human spirit, does not subsist through this body by inherence—that is to say, it does not enter it; for inherence and entrance are characteristics of bodies, and the rational soul is sanctified above this. It never entered this body to begin with, that it should require, upon leaving it, some other abode. No, the connection of the spirit with the body is even as the connection of this lamp with a mirror. If the mirror is polished and perfected, the light of the lamp appears therein, and if the mirror is broken or covered with dust, the light remains concealed..."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, chapter 66

"... Our meaning is that the life of the Kingdom is the life of the spirit, and that it is eternal and sanctified above time and place, even as the human spirit, which is placeless. For were you to search throughout the human body, you would be unable to find a specific place or location for the spirit. The spirit is absolutely placeless and immaterial, but it has a connection with the body, even as the sun has a connection with this mirror: The sun occupies no place within the mirror, but it has a connection with it...."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, chapter 67

"... Now regarding the question whether the faculties of the mind and the human soul are one and the same. These faculties are but the inherent properties of the soul, such as the power of imagination, of thought, of understanding; powers that are the essential requisites of the reality of man, even as the solar ray is the inherent property of the sun. The temple of man is like unto a mirror, his soul is as the sun, and his mental faculties even as the rays that emanate from that source of light. The ray may cease to fall upon the mirror, but it can in no wise be dissociated from the sun..."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablet to Dr. Auguste Forel

"... The fifth degree of spirit is the Holy Spirit, which is the mediator between God and His creation. It is like a mirror facing the sun: Just as a spotless mirror receives the rays of the sun and reflects its bounty to others, so too is the Holy Spirit the mediator of the light of holiness, which it conveys from the Sun of Truth to sanctified souls. This Spirit is adorned with all the divine perfections. Whensoever it appears, the world is revived, a new cycle is ushered in, and the body of humanity is clothed in a fresh attire..."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, chapter 36

"... Yet for that Essence of essences, that Truth of truths, that Mystery of mysteries, there are splendours, effulgences, manifestations, and appearances in the world of existence. The Daysprings of those effulgences, the Dawning-places of those revelations, and the Sources of those manifestations are those Exponents of holiness, those universal Realities and divine Beings Who are the true mirrors of the sanctified Essence of the Divinity. All the perfections, bounties, and splendours of the one true God are plainly visible in the realities of His Holy Manifestations, even as the light of the sun is fully reflected with all its perfections and bounties in a clear and spotless mirror. And if it be said that the mirrors are the manifestations of the sun and the dawning-places of the daystar of the world, this is not meant to imply that the sun has descended from the heights of its sanctity or has become embodied in the mirror, or that that limitless Reality has been confined to this visible plane. God forbid! This is the belief of the anthropomorphists. No, all these descriptions, all these expressions of praise and glory, refer to these holy Manifestations; that is, every description, praise, name, or attribute of God that we mention applies to Them..."

– 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, chapter 37

bahaidata.org Q5569   ·   Links to Bahá'í wikis (bahai9, bahaipedia, etc.)
references bahaipedia.org/Manifestation_of_God#Mirror_analogy; bahai9.com/wiki/Lawh-i-Hád; bahaiquotes.com/subject/mirror; www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/search#q=mirror

"Mirrors" has been tagged in:

33 results from the Main Catalog

from the main catalog (33 results; expand)

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  1. 2025-11. Prayer of the Báb on Divine Sovereignty and the True Mirror. The Báb, Mohammad Norozi, trans. . — On the omnipotence of God and the station of He Whom God shall make manifest, and the metaphor of th... Translations.
  2. 2025-09. Epistle of the Báb to Mullá ʿAbdu'l-Karím Qazvíní on Mirzá Yahyá, An. The Báb, Mohammad Norozi, trans. . — On a Tablet entrusting ʿAbdu’l-Karim with preserving the Writings of God, enshrining the prerogat... Translations.
  3. 2025. Bahá'í Work as Worship, Prayer as Practice: Chapter 15. Deborah Clark Vance. — Religion is logical and progressive; it moves humanity closer to a unified world; human reality is o... Articles.
  4. 2022-11-14. Tablet of the Gems of Unity, The (Lawh-i-Javáhir-i-Tawhíd). Bahá'u'lláh, Joshua Hall, trans. . — Composite authoritative and provisional translation, partially from Gleanings section 27. Translations.
  5. 2020-04-10. Writings of the Báb, The: Notes from Talks given by Dr. Nader Saiedi. Nader Saiedi, Anonymous, comp. . — Structured summarized notes from Dr. Saiedi’s 2019 talks on the Bab’s Writings, delivered at the... Talks.
  6. 2019-09. Worldview and the Laws of the Bayán. Nader Saiedi. — Explores the Persian Bayan's spiritual worldview and laws through four talks, offering insights into... Audio.
  7. 2019. Writings of the Báb: Lecture Series at the Norwegian Summer School. Nader Saiedi. — On topics including the concept of God; Manifestations of God; Day of Resurrection, heaven and hell;... Audio.
  8. 2018/2024. Additional Tablets and Extracts from Tablets Revealed by Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í World Centre, trans. . — 85 selections, last updated August 2024. Writings.
  9. 2015-04. Identity and the Spiritual Journey in the Badi Calendar. Nader Saiedi. — A 99-minute talk on various aspects of the nature and history of the Baha'i calendar. Audio.
  10. 2014. Text and Context in the Bahá'í Heroic Age. Nader Saiedi. — A series of 12 talks by Nader Saiedi exploring Baha'i history, key writings, and the need for schola... Audio.
  11. 2009-2025. Translation List: Provisional Translations of Baháʼí Texts. Adib Masumian, trans. — Index to talks, letters, and other items translated from Persian and Arabic to English by Adib Masum... Bibliographies.
  12. 2008. Gate of the Heart: Understanding the Writings of the Bab (contents and index only). Nader Saiedi. — A lengthy, detailed examination of the context, chronology, and content of the writings of the Bab. ... Excerpts.
  13. 2007. Messianic Concealment and Theophanic Disclosure. Moojan Momen. — The argument about exactly when Baha'u'llah became aware of his mission. Relevant issues and rival p... Articles.
  14. 2007. Hidden Gifts: Finding Blessings in the Struggles of Life. Brian Kurzius. — Compilation of Baha'i texts on the purpose of problems and tests in our lives. Introductory.
  15. 2005-11. Collected Essays. John Wiegley. — Dozens of essays on numerous topics of Baha'i thought and practice. Books.
  16. 2002. Selections from the Writings of His Holiness 'Abdu'l-Bahá': 2. Abdu'l-Bahá, Khazeh Fananapazir, trans. . — Provisional translations of four selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha'. Translations.
  17. 2001-09-02. Reason and the Bahá'í Writings: The Use and Misuse of Logic and Persuasion. Ian Kluge. — How to study the Baha'i Writings through the use of logic. Articles-unpublished.
  18. 2000. Fact and Fiction: Interrelationships between History and Imagination. Bahíyyih Nakhjavání. — On the tension between "fact" and "fiction," between objective history and our relative and subjecti... Articles.
  19. 2000. Surah of the Almighty (Surat al-Qadir). Bahá'u'lláh, Juan Cole, trans. . — Short tablet on the virtues and meaning of qadir, one of the 99 names of God Translations.
  20. 1999. Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith. Christopher Buck. — Study of Baha'i and Christian symbology, the "first academic monograph comparing Christianity and th... Books.
  21. 1999. Teaching Christians More Effectively: Handbook and Seminar. David F. Young. — Baha'i views of Christianity; questions Christians might ask; interpretation of the Bible; theology ... Presentations.
  22. 1998. Symbolic Profile of the Bahá'í Faith, A. Christopher Buck. — A “symbolic profile” of Baha’i consciousness as shaped by the writings of Baha’u’llah and ... Articles.
  23. 1997. Hindu Concept of God, The: Unity in Diversity. Anjam Khursheed. — The fundamental unity behind Hindu concepts of God and those found in the Semitic traditions, and th... Articles.
  24. 1997. Metaphor and the Language of Revelation. Ross Woodman. — To enter the realm of metaphor as the language of the soul is to come into direct contact with the W... Articles.
  25. 1996. Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings on Spiritual Reality. Paul Lample, comp. — The quest for spirituality, the spiritual life, material and spiritual reality, the progress of the ... Introductory.
  26. 1992. Structure of Existence in the Bab's Tafsir and the Perfect Man Motif, The. Todd Lawson. — The Perfect Man is the mediator between God and the World. He is the mirror in which creation sees G... Articles.
  27. 1976 [1921]. Tablet to Auguste Forel. Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, trans. . — A letter of ʻAbdu'l-Baha written in 1921, in reply to questions asked by the Swiss scientist August... Writings.
  28. 1972 (?) / 2018. Progressive Revelation and Oneness of Religion. William Sears. — A videotaped talk (possibly from 1972), along with a shorter animated 2018 presentation prepared by ... Talks.
  29. 1940/1967. Chosen Highway, The. Lady Sarah Louisa Blomfield. — Oral Baha'i histories collected by an eminent early English Baha'i, first published in 1940. Books.
  30. 1939-04-21. Manifestation, The. Albert P. Entzminger. — Explains the role and dual identities of the Manifestations of God, who guide humanity, and reveal s... Articles.
  31. 1937. Path to God, The: 1937 edition. Dorothy Baker. — Essay published as a pamphlet about the goal of life, revelation and access to heaven, self-improvem... Essays.
  32. 1912-06-24. Interview Between a Prominent Rabbi and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Abdu'l-Bahá. — Interview in New York, c. April 1912, emphasizing true religion and prophetic influence over traditi... Pilgrims.
  33. 1907-10. Extracts from Notes Taken at Acca. Aline Shane-Devin. — Discussion on spiritual concepts, prayer, the importance of loving and understanding God; creation a... Pilgrims.
 
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