5 Realms of Existence - Baha'i Cosmology - Part 1

Part 1 of a multi-series presentation on this subject. Time stamps below 👇
Spiritual Cosmology examines the structure of reality, it's different stations and realms of Being: God, Angels, Manifestations, Prophets, etc
We explore its importance, how it furthers world unity, and lays out a basic Baha'i model.

Sections:

1. 0:31 Introduction
2. 2:01 Unity of Religion Problems
3. 3:41 Shallow Unity
4. 6:26 Heliocentric vs Geocentric
5. 10:52 Inherent - Not Ad Hoc
6. 13:09 Different Models
7. 14:59 5 Realms Model
8. 21:24 Conclusion

Download MP3 and PDF here: https://bit.ly/39i0SYB
Baha’i Cosmology Wiki: https://bit.ly/2UGNEPx

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Ambient music by: Relaxing Piano Music https://tinyurl.com/yxpwwu6c
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
Hello, friends. Today we're going to start the first video in the series of videos related to the high cosmology. What is behind cosmology? This is the study of the large scale structure, not of the physical universe, but of the spiritual universe. Examining what are the layers of ontology, the layers of being layers of reality that the higher writings teach us exist, Theo, different times that have actually presented on this. Individuals will come up after and they'll say, Look, that was very interesting. There was a lot of text brought to bear in this examination. At the same time, isn't there more relevant studies that we could do something that has to do with how we treat our fellow human beings? Now we move out into the world and deal with social reality, and this is important and I want to actually place this in context. One of the things I'm often sent is is that it's important to realize that when we look at scriptures, whether it be the New Testament to the cran, you punish odds. The different Buddhist scriptures, the Hindu scriptures. When we look at them, they're not actually simply representations of ethical teachings. They talk about God about a relationship of cod. They talk about the nature, for example of Jesus Christ, where they express the reality or give us an intimation into who Krishna is. What is the nature of the Buddha? They look a different realms of God. They speak of angels, if you will, of bodies advise they talk about lesser deities, divine beings throughout reality and how our lives in this day in this moment relate to this greater structure. A great deal of the writings of the holla. The Bob Abdul Baha and Suge Effendi speak about the nature of the manifestation of God, or of Leicester profits and how our lives are to be aligned with the teachings of these messengers. And when we look from the by perspective, which is the perspective of unity of religion, and we'd look out to the greater picture if you will. The grand tapestry of humankind's religious heritage, very often individuals from outside of my community or struck with what seemed to be very difficult problems. The way, for example, that Jesus Christ has talked about in the New Testament seems to be different than the way the Prophet Mohammed has spoken off within the crown. The nature of the Buddha seems to be different from that of the nature of Krishna. For another example, the God of the Old Testament doesn't seem to be, if you will, identical to the God of the New Testament, which seems to be a tri une god. Once again, the concept of Brahman within the punish odds once more seems to be a different picture. So what I'm hoping to do here is to, if you will lay some groundwork as a conversation starter to try to have a deeper understanding of what the pie writings from my perspective, of course, seem to be saying about the reality of divinity, the reality of the manifestation of God. So that from that perspective, we can come to if you will reach out now to try to better understand the New Testament or better understand the Koran. But I understand the Hindu or Buddhist scriptures and see that many of the categories of reality, these layers of reality, these layers of ontology can be seen as different facets of one fundamental picture that we can derive from the by writings. Now that will be remained to be seen. And I think what this brings forward is is this difference from ABI perspective or able highs perspective? Trying to look at the buy ratings of the difference to what I would call shallow unity and deep unity is he? Many people will say, Look, of the different world religions will say, Well, so many of these different faiths teach love of the sacred, for example, an abstract concept of the sacred. And they will teach the way that we should relate to each other as fellow human beings are there gonna be divergence is these, and maybe these can be chalked up to the different historic circumstances of the different cultures in which they were expressed. Yet when it comes, if you will once again to the nature of the messenger themselves, the nature of Jesus, the reality of Krishna, reality of Buddha he seemed to diverge. Likewise, the nature of the divine room itself that ground of the sacred, whether we're looking at, if you will, the Hindu conception of the sacred of the Hindu consumption of Brahmin or the doorman Buddhism or if you will, ya way within the Old Testament, what is the nature of the son of God in the New Testament. And how can that be reconciled with the concepts represented within the cran? That don't seem to be the same as this trial you and being that we find within the New Testament. Likewise, how can the tri une conception of reality in the nature of, say, Jesus Christ, be reconciled with the Old Testament which does not seem to teach these concepts? I would suggest at all they seem radically different on the surface. And if we're going to be claiming the unity of religion, we have to be ableto have a perspective where we can see these as really expressions of one, if you will underlying reality. And I hope to be able to show through a study of the Bohai writings first, what the behi Face seems to be teaching for my perspective, of course, and then to move on from there to a dialogue not on the social realities of our society but on the sacred to truly, truly, truly look at what these concepts conduce do to our understanding is my high is first of all, office see the back of a Geeta of Hinduism or the New Testament in the nature of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Father. Once we have this groundwork, then in other videos, if he will attendance to this will be able to then rely on this video here with a deeper understanding of the high theology and cosmology, these layers of ontology to begin to reach out and enable these bridges to be built between the different communities. When it comes to the concept of the study of God, his messengers and God's relationship to human reality is a reorientation of what it is that we're doing as human beings within the world. We live all right. The analogy that often comes up is the behi house of worship. Throughout the different continents, the behinds have been creating and building. These beautiful edifice is these houses of worship glorious places, elegant places where people from different traditions can come in and pray towards the divine towards God and express their love and devotion to that divine being. Some may not know, but the BIOS is a worshipper supposed to have a series of dependencies, social arms, if you will. Players for the elderly, A dispensary for medication. Ah, hospital, a traveler's place, an education center, center for higher education. And I've had it time. This individual's asked me. Well, why aren't those built first? Why is it that he, for example, there's the Lotus Temple? And before saying he started building the temple in Santiago, right. Why didn't we build up all the dependencies from the Lotus Temple? And I want to offer will deal this more in another video, but a difference between what we might call a Helio centric perspective of spiritual reality and a geo centric perspective of spiritual reality. Helios and Drinking, Sun Centered and geo centric Hman her center What I am seeing within the my writings, that the fundamental principle and guiding relationship of humankind, his love of God and the seeing of that image of God within other human beings, to see them as expressions of God's love and of God's light so that we then have an inn well, indwelling desire to actually help these other individuals because we are all Children of one god. We share one grand common spiritual heritage that has been unfolded in different tales that are different. Seems, it seems, if you will on one grand, glorious tapestry of God's relationship. Deal in kind. And once this actually happens, that is why the temple itself or the house of worship comes first. It is a relationship has stated by Shoni if any mystic in origin that actually then gives rise to these other expressions that when I'm trying to be in a beautiful individual to other people, I am trying to share, if you will, that divine light and that love of God from myself to other human beings. The sun is at the center first, that glowing son of reality, the divine realm that then gives warmth and light and raise to all other how specks of social reality. So I believe this is why when we look at the behi writing, so much of it is prayer. So much of the behi writings actually discuss the nature of God, the manifestation of God and the different realms of reality. So we can see ourselves if you will part of this greater cosmology. This is why I think this into is so vital. In addition to the fact that once we get a clear picture of it, we can begin to reach out of you will and see the truth and beauty of the New Testament and how it expression expresses the nature of Jesus Christ. And then we can see that the New Testament isn't teaching something different than the current, even though on the surface it may seem so that we can then begin to reach out. And bridging beliefs is my channel stack name that we can begin to Bree create bridges between these different beliefs and begin to understand scriptures from prior to sensations like Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, et cetera. As part of once again, these different scenes of one grand tapestry. I believe in doing this study that we can come to ground ourselves with by writing. And once we ground ourselves from the by writings, we can see that when we begin to have a conversation, for example, with a Hindu about the nature of Krishna, that how we can see that or the nature of Brahman in Hinduism that we can begin to see that this is actually an outgrowth or ground and grounded in behind writings. Once again, when we begin to discuss the nature of the station of Jesus Christ or the relationship between God, the father and the son in the New Testament, we can once again see this as an outgrowth from the foundation of the behind writings, and this has an added benefit. Then all of a sudden, we see that we're not trying to be ad hawk and tryingto fix things on the fly, if you will, and be seen as if we're trying to use duct tape to tape together these days for different sensations. We can see that there isn't sort of a shallow unity where all these different traditions talk of the sacred and all these different traditions talk about some divine reality, which could be seen as nearly a social expression of human humankind. But rather, when we come from the by writings and we see these deep structures, we see that there actually is an underground reality, a foundation that unites them that isn't obvious from the first plants. And it is the uniting of seemingly diverse, concept, seemingly diverse phenomenon that even within the scientific room, has a ring of truth where we can take a series of data points where we can take a Siri's of ideas and then we show that will. If we have this theory, these all seem to actually come together that it actually is truth. Tracking it actually is, if you will, a guy do what is true. And in this way we're not, if you will, on the fly trying to stitch them together. We're trying to see what the BEHI ratings say on then from their branch out and reach out to the different dispensations and examine them. From that perspective. There are various different, if you will. Models are expressions of the layers of reality, of cosmology, of the structure of the metal structure, if you will of reality. Some of these air very commonly known to buys one is the ring symbol or the greatest name symbol of the greatest name, where you actually have three lines, and it's supposedly God, the manifestation of God in human guide. But there are others within the by writings. There's a seven realm model of night role model, and we will be looking at these in the future and seeing how they all actually do tie into each other. Yes, they are different vantage points and safer ways of looking at reality. The sacred reality yet they are not mutually exclusive. Where you have to be in one long or the other sort of, if you will, you can only see it as a duck or wrap those pictures, get stoned. Pictures that switch. No, I think there's this way in which, when we begin to try toe hash or what it is that he's writing saying When we get a bigger and bigger picture, all these different models come together. We begin to see there are different facets of one picture, some higher resolution, some lower resolution. But they are really are attempting to convey to us one central concept, one central series of concepts, if you will. And I believe the process of doing this is what enables us, then to pick up something like one of you punny shots from the principle of hunting shots in Peking to see in it, if you will, the images that we find within the Bohai writings, we begin to see why the Buddhist scriptures are the way they are and why the New Testament speaks the way it does. So we will be looking at other models, but we're going to start what we'll just call the five role model, a general hierarchy of the spiritual world. And in this first video, I just want to take two. Quick passage is one is actually from the Seven Valleys, and the other is from the long, obligatory prayer.

spk_1:   15:18
I testify unto that were and to have testified, all created things and the concourse on high and the inmates of the all highest paradise and beyond them, the tongue of grandeur itself, from the all glorious horizon, the Dow word God, that there is no God but the and that he who has been manifested is the hidden mystery, the treasured symbol through whom the letters B and E have been joined in it together. I testify that it is he whose name has been set down by the pen of the most high and who has been mentioned in the books of God, the Lord of the Throne on high and averse below.

spk_0:   15:59
Many of those watching have probably recited this section long, obligatory prayer, potentially hundreds or even thousands of times. This is from the one of the three obligatory prayers of the high faith. When we're saying this for never saying, we're going to testify under which have testified all of the creative world. The concourse and high have also testified. The inmates of the always paradise have also testified and beyond them that tongue of grandeur itself from the old glorious horizon that what that thou our God. And there is no God that but the so here we're always starting. We have created things One call course on high to inmates of the lies paradise three beyond them, the tongue of grandeur itself in all glorious rising for that our God And that he weapon manifested is the hidden mystery. And that this one that happened manifested is the one through whom the letters B and he had been joined and knit together. We have right here within long obligatory prayer, a series of levels actually being expressed. And this is, if you will, the if you will, the fundamental map that we're going to begin to use. We're now gonna quickly jump two a passage from the seven valleys.

spk_1:   17:17
Although there are many different statements as to these points to recount them in detail would result in weariness. Thus, some have said that the world of perpetual tea has neither beginning nor end and have named the world of eternity as the invisible, impregnable and period Others have called these the world of the Heavenly court La hoot of the imperial heaven Jabba Route of the Kingdom of the Angels Malik Oot and of the mortal world now suit

spk_0:   17:57
So we have no lawsuit The mortal world Malik Oot Kingdom of Angels Jabba route the Imperial in Heaven and loved the heavenly court Okay, Now none of these are speaking of God it himself rain So in a sense we seem to have five if you will Layers of ontology layers of being once again we have no lawsuit. The mortal world We have the Kingdom of Angels Malik Oot The Imperial Heaven Jabba route Heavenly Court lawsuit So what if what we're looking at here is that we actually have the mortal world? Paul created things Mala coat which is often within the by writing spoken of of the realm of the angelic realm. So we have the car course on Hi Malik oot the inmates of the old highest paradise the imperial heaven Jabba route and beyond them the tongue of grandeur itself long to heavenly court, right, that the Howard got. And then there was this one who has been manifested here through whom the letters being he had been joined in it together. No. Once again, this is one explanation or exposition of this topic, and we're going to be looking at serious if your quotes. But I want to propose at this stage that we begin to look at the high cosmology, layers of being layers of ontology cosmology, meaning the grand structure of the universe. From this vantage point from this, if you will concept of these five different realms the term that you often use within this structure, for if you will, the ultimate divine reality is how'd the realm of he the realm of that one. So we have the if you will, reality of God. Unmanned test, right. The heavenly court lawsuit, which I'm going to propose, is the manifestation of God, the tongue of grandeur, the one who has joined in it together. The letters of evening. Then we have this Imperium room or the inmates of the Ohio is paradise Malek Oot, Kingdom of Angels or the worlds beyond this world. And in some sense, we're gonna find that thes air in one sense, different domains or layers of reality. And at the same time they are stations of reality stations of being. And in some ways this has to be so because we see that a manifestation of God. Who for now let's say that this is actually from the heavenly Court that these air beings that are, if you will, manifested here representation of that one for whom the letters beginning have been joining it together. They manifest in this world, and that ended E a manifestation of God is here in sort of a geo location, if you will. But it is a station of being, and we're going to see me this more and more because the definition of an angel with the by writings appears to be a status or a level of reality that one can attain in many different rooms. So we're going to cut here for first just brief investigation. And I want to stress that this is a very, very complex and very rich study that I want to go through to be ableto have us better understand the reality of the spiritual world so we can send her our lives and our thoughts and our our devotion really on the divine and then see that flowed into the rest of the world. But in this case, it also enables us to reach out to our brothers and sisters within these dispensations and see that this true, these prior prior dispensations like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, et cetera are really different tellings of this same Siri's of images, the same fundamental principles that are being expressed within the bythe.