Book 2: Arising to Serve RH2P1 – Nov 05, 2009
Melic在兰州为我们送上大雪纷飞的故事。虽有雪灾，希望这里来一场。
RH2P1: The Joy of Teaching
Purpose: To understand that the joy of teaching is in the very act of sharing with others the Word of God, independent of immediate results.
Section 6
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:
“O 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 hallowed beauty of the Beloved.”
“O Friends! Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die, and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust.”
“O 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.”
“O 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.”
– Baha’u'llah, The Hidden Words (Wilmette: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1994), Persian no. 12, p. 26 / no. 14, p. 26 / no. 15, p. 7 / no. 32, p. 33.“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.”
– Baha’u'llah, cited in The Baha’i World (Wilmette: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1980), vol. 1, p. 42.Exercise:
1. Does being detached from this world mean living like a hermit?
2. Is it possible to be detached from this world and to possess things at the same time?
3. Is a person who dedicates practically every hour of his life to his work detached from the things of the world?
4. Is a person who works only enough to satisfy his basic needs and spends the rest of his time doing nothings detached from this world?
5. 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 them?
e. Often spends money to go on outings and picnics, but never has money to go to Baha’i conferences?
6. 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 accomplishments. 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.
– I have so much experience in teaching campaigns that it’s easy for me to enroll 15 or 20 new believers in a day.
– Today I met a woman with such profound 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.
– Doreen has become such a good teacher. I really taught her the Faith well.
– 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.
– 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.
– I finally figured out how to present the Faith so that people just can’t say “no”.
– Each time I participate in a teaching campaign, I am amazed at the transforming power of the World of God.
– 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.
7. So important is detachment for a teacher of the Cause that it is suggested you memorize all the quotations in this section.
Section 7
Another condition which helps us maintain joy in our services to the Cause is our willingness to exert effort and to sacrifice. We use the word “sacrifice” frequently in our daily lives. If a good friend is daparting on a trip at dawn, we wake up early to be with him before he leaves. We say that we have sacrificed a few hours of sleep. Someone dear to us may be sick; we sacrifice a few hours of our favorite pastime to care fro him. We say that we are sacrificing our comfort if we have to walk a long distance to school every day and that we are sacrificing money, we would normally spend on our family when we contribute to a worthy cause.
Service to the Faith also involves sacrifice. We have to take time away from other things to attend Baha’i activities. We have to accept discomfort, expend some of our material means, and even renounce some of our plans and dreams. However, we should understand that, in doing so, we are leaving behind the things of this world and gaining spiritual happiness and furthering our spiritual progress. God forbid, we should ever think we are doing Him a favor when we serve the Faith. The opportunities of service with which we are presented are bestowed upon us by God, and our attitude in service should be one of humble gratitude and thankfulness. Baha’u'llah says:
“Labor is needed, if we are to seek Him; ardor is needed, if we are to drink of the honey of reunion with Him; and if we taste of this cup, we shall cast away the world.”
– Baha’u'llah, The Seven Valleys and The Four Valleys (Wilmette: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1986), p. 7.‘Abdu’l-Baha says:
“…rest ye not, seek ye no composure, attach not yourselves to the luxuries of this ephemeral world, free yourselves from every attachment, and strive with heart and soul to become fully established in the Kingdom of God. Gain ye the heavenly treasures. Day by day become ye more illumined. Draw ye nearer and nearer unto the threshold of oneness.”
– ‘Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 87.We should always remember that the true nature of sacrifice is to renounce that which is lower for that which is higher. Therefore, although sacrifice involves pain, it is in reality the bearer of joy. ‘Abdu’l-Baha says:
“Until a being setteth his foot in the plane of sacrifice, he is bereft of every favor and grace; and this plane of sacrifice is the realm of dying to the self, that the radiance of the living God may then shine forth.”
– Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Haifa: Baha’i World Centre, 1982), no. 36, p. 76.Exercises:
1. A young boy has a pocket full of stones. He comes across someone who offers him a handful of gems. He must throw away the stones in order to receive the gems. What is he sacrificing?
2. A farmer has an orchard of old trees which no longer bear fruit. He must cut them down in order to plant new ones. What is he sacrificing?
3. The seed accepts to be broken apart when it germinates. Why is it sacrificing itself?
4. Below are some phrases a person may say or only think to himself. For each pair, mark the phrase that you like best.
– I sacrificed the entire day to go teaching.
– I had thy joy and privilege of teaching all day.
–
– I will sacrifice three hours of study to go to the Nineteen Day Feast.
– Today I will study later than usual because I am going to the Nineteen Day Feast.
–
– I will sacrifice buying an extra pair of shoes so that I can give the money to the Fund.
– I will contribute the money I have saved for an extra pair of shoes to the Fund. Of course, I won’t mention it to anyone.
–
– Today I was working so hard for the Faith that I sacrificed having my lunch, even though I was very hungry, and ate only a small piece of bread.
– I was concentrating so much on my work for the Faith that, even though I was hungry, a piece of bread was enough for me.
5. In order to achieve our objectives, effort is needed. Below are listed several objectives of the Baha’i community. Under each are some related activities which reflect varying degrees of effort. For each objective, mark the activity that best reflects the amount of effort needed to achieve it.
The spiritual education of children:
– Having a children’s conference once a year.
– Gathering the children of each village together for a half an hour whenever a visiting teacher passes through.
– Training, every year, a number of youth from the villages so that they can hold regular weekly classes for children of various ages.
The strengthening of local communities:
– Visiting local communities once a year at Ridvan to assist them in electing their Local Spiritual Assemblies.
– Providing each Local Spiritual Assembly with a list of duties it should perform.
– Accompanying each local community and its Local Spiritual Assembly in their development, helping with matters such as holding Nineteen Day Feasts, conduction children’s classes, establishing the local fund, and carrying out local teaching plans.
The deepening of large numbers of believers:
– Calling a conference every few months at which the members of the institutions and other experienced friends give talks.
– Reminding the friends at every opportunity that it is important to study the Writings.
– Developing a systematic program for deepening believers which includes appropriate materials and teachers trained to use them.
The enrollment of individuals through personal teaching:
– Giving someone who shows interest in the Faith a handful of literature to read.
– Explaining with great enthusiasm the essential verities of the Faith to someone and, the minute he enrolls, leaving him to himself to continue studying if he wishes.
– Familiarizing oneself with an individual interested in the Faith, deciding how best to present the Message to him, showering him with kindness, nurturing him and aiding him to proclaim his acceptance of Baha’u'llah, and deepening him and assisting him until he reaches a stage where he himself arises to teach other souls.
这是上个星期四的内容，自己的记忆像个内存一样，睡一觉也就如被放电般全都无踪影。说明了重新开始带一只笔的重要性和紧迫性。离题一下，不知大伙是否曾经尝过被孤立的感觉？所处的地方就存在这种状况，有不同区域下的被孤立，但性质是一致的。明白那种感觉，仿佛束手无策，又似乎不能置之度外，如何去表达感同身受以及如何帮忙他们度过难关呢？等，then用脚投票吧。