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BOOK 2
The Joy of Teaching SECTION
6:
Detachment
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We have decided that, of all the things we do in our lives, the
moments we spend
sharing the Word of God with others are invested with special
blessings. But we should
always remember that the joy we feel when we teach comes from the act
of teaching itself,
from being engaged in discussion and reflection on the Word of God. If
we forget this, other
thoughts will be allowed to diminish and even extinguish the light of
joy in our hearts. If we
give too much importance to how others respond to the Teachings of the
Faith, if we are
overly affected by other people's criticisms, if we expect praise for
what we do, then we lose
the joy of teaching. That which should inspire us to teach is the love
of God, not the desire to have success, to receive benefits, to gain
recognition or to be praised by others. Detachment from all these things is a requirement of joyful teaching.
Studying the following
quotations will help you reflect on this all-important theme:
"0 Man of Two Visions! Close one eye and
open the other. Close one to the
world and all that is therein, and open the other to the hallowed
beauty of the
Beloved."
"0 friends! Abandon not the
everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die,
and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust."
"0 Son of Utterance! Turn thy face unto Mine and renounce all save Me;
for
My sovereignty endureth and My dominion perisheth not. If thou seekest
another than Me, yea, if thou searchest the universe forevermore, thy
quest will
be in vain."
"0 Befriended Stranger! The candle of thine heart is lighted by the
hand of My
power, quench it not with the contrary winds of self and passion. The
healer of
all thine ills is remembrance of Me, forget it not. Make My love thy
treasure
and cherish it even as thy very sight and life."
"Detachment is as the sun; in whatsoever heart it doth shine it
quencheth the
fire of covetousness and self. He whose sight is illumined with the
light of
understanding will assuredly detach himself from the world and the
vanities
thereof. . .. Let not the world and its vileness grieve you. Happy is
he whom
riches fill not with vain-glory, nor poverty with sorrow.."
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Does being detached from this world mean living like a
hermit? |
Yes
No |
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Is it possible to be detached from this world and to possess
things at the same time ? |
Yes
No
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Is a person who dedicates practically every hour of his life
to his work detached from the things of the world? |
Yes
No
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Is a person who works only enough to satisfy his basic needs
and spends the rest of his time doing nothing detached from this
world? |
Yes
No |
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There
are many things to which we can be attached besides material
possessions. To
what would you be attached if you were a person who:
a. Feels sad when he performs a service to the Faith and no one
recognizes it?
b. Feels demoralized when someone does not accept the
Message he is offering?
c. Only goes to teach in a nearby village if one of his
friends takes him in his car?
d. Does not let people know he is a Baha'i if he thinks they
will reject him?
e. Often spends
money to go on outings and picnics, but never has money to go to
Baha'i conferences?
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6)
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We know that we should not seek praise for our services
to the Cause. Nevertheless,
it is important for us to share with others stories of our teaching
experiences. In
doing so, however, we should be careful not to brag about our own
accomplish-
ments. Below are a few statements one might make after participating
in a teaching
campaign. Mark those you would make without feeling that you were
overstepping
the bounds of modesty: |
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I have so much experience in teaching campaigns that it's easy for me
to enroll 15 or 20 new believers in a day. |
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Today
I met a woman with suchprofound spiritual insight that, with little
explanation, she accepted the Faith. Most of the time I spent with her
was in deepening her, rather than in convincing her of the truth of Baha'u'llah's Revelation. |
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Doreen
has become such a good teacher. I really taught her the Faith well. |
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I
knew that if I didn't come along with the teaching team they wouldn't
enroll very many new believers, so I took the day off work to
participate in the campaign. |
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My
heart was filled with joy when I saw Mario, one of the new believers
we enrolled last week, teaching the Faith to his family. |
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I
finally figured out how to present the Faith so that people just can't
say "no". |
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Each
rime I participate in a teaching campaign, I am amazed at the
transforming power of the Word of God. |
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I'm
still overcome by emotion because when I began to explain the Teachings to this older couple, the man said he had had a dream earlier in
the
week that someone would come to them with a Message from God. |
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January 20, 2004