Prayers and Meditations

Bahá'u'lláhProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 454K words
Chapters: 46

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláhAuthor: Bahá'u'lláh, 1817-1892,Language: English, Class: BP: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, Other and new beliefs, Release Date: Nov 2, 2005

Editor's review

This book is the English translation of Bahá'u'lláh's collection of prayers and meditations, one of the core spiritual texts of the Bahá'í Faith. Unlike general expositions of religious doctrine, it is presented in the form of prayers, meditative passages, and spiritual monologues; the language is solemn and rhythmic, suited to slow reading in quiet moments. For readers studying the Bahá'í Faith, comparative religion, or nineteenth-century Persian religious thought, it is an accessible primary text for direct contact with the original writings. Project Gutenberg's free electronic edition gives readers the full text without purchasing a print copy, making it especially suitable as a base text for reference and close reading. There is no need to pursue reading speed; it is better to take one or two passages a day and dwell on them repeatedly, experiencing their prayerful tone and spiritual orientation. Note that this is an English translation and the electronic edition lacks an introduction and notes, so first-time readers may need supplementary background material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Religious studies readers interested in the Bahá'í Faith and Bahá'u'lláh's writings
Those who need prayers and meditative material for personal spiritual practice or quiet reading
Students and researchers in comparative religion and Persian religious thought
Ebook readers who want free English translations of religious scripture

Not a good fit for

Beginner readers expecting systematic doctrinal explanation or historical background
Readers who prefer Chinese translations and are not used to reading English religious texts
General leisure readers seeking plot-driven reading or literary stories

Reading tips

Read one or two passages a day in a quiet setting and read slowly; there is no need to read the whole book at once.
Learn the basic background of the Bahá'í Faith before reading to help understand the text's context.
Keep a notebook to record passages that move you, for later rereading and meditation.
For research, use it alongside other translations or relevant introductory works.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book Bahá'u'lláh's original work or a translation?

This book is the English translation of Bahá'u'lláh's collection of prayers and meditations; the original is in Persian or Arabic. Project Gutenberg provides the public-domain English electronic text, suitable for reading and reference but without translator's notes or scholarly annotations.

Can I understand it without a Bahá'í background?

You can read it, but depth of understanding will be affected. The text consists mainly of prayers and meditations in solemn language and does not rely on complex argument; however, it involves Bahá'í terminology and allusions, so first-time readers had best add some background knowledge or read alongside introductory material.

What kind of reading approach suits the electronic edition?

The electronic edition is convenient for searching and excerpting, suitable for reading a little slowly each day and dwelling on it repeatedly, and also for researchers doing textual comparison. It is not advisable to read it continuously like a novel, as that easily loses the rhythm and meditative space characteristic of prayers.

Comments

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About the author

Bahá'u'lláh Author · Persian · 1817–1892

Bahá'u'lláh (1817–1892), originally named Mírzá Ḥusayn-ʻAlí, was born in Tehran, Persia, and is the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. His life was marked by imprisonment and exile spanning roughly forty years; in his later years he was confined in Acre, where he produced a large body of religious scripture under difficult circumstances. Twelve of his works are held in this collection, including The Kitáb-i-Íqán, The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, The Seven Valleys and the Four Valleys, Prayers and Meditations, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, The Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, and Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh Revealed after the Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Written mainly in Persian and Arabic, these works range across doctrinal exposition, spiritual reflection, prayers, letters, and admonitions, with the oneness of humanity and the common origin of religions at their core. They form the scriptural foundation of the Bahá'í Faith, have been translated into many languages, and continue to influence modern religious thought and intercultural dialogue.