Wellspring of Guidance/The Paramount Goal of Teaching
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The Paramount Goal of Teaching
[edit]We have recently sent to those national spiritual assemblies which are engaged in mass teaching the enclosed extracts from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and from the letters of Shoghi Effendi. We feel that they will also be of great assistance to all other national spiritual assemblies.
The paramount goal of the teaching work at the present time is to carry the Message of Bahá’u’lláh to every stratum of human society and every walk of life. An eager response to the teachings will often be found in the most unexpected quarters, and any such response should be quickly followed up, for success in a fertile area awakens a response in those who were at first uninterested.
The same presentation of the teachings will not appeal to everybody; the method of expression and the approach must be varied in accordance with the outlook and interests of the hearer. An approach which is designed to appeal to everybody will usually result in attracting the middle section, leaving both extremes untouched. No effort must be spared to ensure that the healing Word of God reaches the rich and the poor, the learned and the illiterate, the old and the young, the devout and the atheist, the dweller in the remote hills and islands, the inhabitant of the teeming cities, the suburban businessman, the laborer in the slums, the nomadic tribesman, the farmer, the university student; all must be brought consciously within the teaching plans of the Bahá’í community.
Whereas plans must be carefully made, and every useful
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means adopted in the furtherance of this work, your assemblies must never let such plans eclipse the shining truth expounded in the enclosed quotations: that it is the purity of heart, detachment, uprightness, devotion, and love of the teacher that attracts the Divine confirmations and enables him, however ignorant he be in this world’s learning, to win the hearts of his fellowmen to the Cause of God.
[October 31, 1967]*
[Extracts enclosed with above letter]
“Whoso ariseth, in this Day, to aid Our Cause, and summoneth to his assistance the hosts of a praiseworthy character and upright conduct, the influence flowing from such an action will, most certainly, be diffused throughout the whole world.”
“Whoso ariseth to teach Our Cause must needs detach himself from all earthly things, and regard, at all times, the triumph of Our Faith as his supreme objective. . . . And when he determineth to leave his home, for the sake of the Cause of his Lord, let him put his whole trust in God, as the best provision for his journey, and array himself with the robe of virtue. . . . If he be kindled with the fire of His love, if he forgoeth all created things, the words he uttereth shall set on fire them that hear him.”
“I swear by Him Who is the Most Great Ocean! Within the very breath of such souls as are pure and sanctified far-reaching potentialities are hidden. So great are these [Page 126]
potentialities that they exercise their influence upon all created things.”
p. 19)
“He is the true servant of God, who, in this day, were he to pass through cities of silver and gold, would not deign to look upon them, and whose heart would remain pure and undefiled from whatever things can be seen in this world, be they its goods or its treasures. I swear by the Sun of Truth! The breath of such a man is endowed with potency, and his words with attraction.”
p. 19)
“The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct. The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world, and may quicken the dead, inasmuch as the purpose of the Manifestation of God and the dawning of the limitless lights of the Invisible is to educate the souls of men, and refine the character of every living man.”
“If you observe that a soul has turned his face completely toward the Cause of God, his intention is centralized upon the penetration of the Word of God, he is serving the Cause day and night with the utmost fidelity, no scent of selfishness is inhaled from his manners and deeds, and no trace of egotism or prejudice is seen in his personality—nay rather is he a wanderer in the wilderness of the love of God, and one intoxicated with the wine of the [Page 127]
knowledge of God, occupied wholly with the diffusion of the fragrances of God, and attracted to the signs of the Kingdom of God; know ye of a certainty that he is confirmed with the powers of the Kingdom, assisted by the heaven of might; and he will shine, gleam, and sparkle like unto the morning star with the utmost brilliancy and splendor from the horizon of the everlasting gift. If he is alloyed with the slightest trace of passion, desire, ostentation, or self-interest, it is certain that the results of all efforts will prove fruitless, and he will become deprived and hopeless.
- (Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—Volume I, p. 42)
“The aim is this: the intention of the teacher must be pure, his heart independent, his spirit attracted, his thought at peace, his resolution firm, his magnanimity exalted, and in the love of God a shining torch. Should he become as such, his sanctified breath will even affect the rock; otherwise there will be no result whatsoever. As long as a soul is not perfected, how can he efface the defects of others! Unless he is detached from aught else save God, how can he teach the severance to others!”
- (‘Abdu’l-Bahá—Quoted in Bahá’í World Faith, p. 427)
“One thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.”
- (From a letter written by the Guardian to the American believers, dated September 24, 1924, quoted in Bahá’í Administration, p. 66)
“. . . having attained sufficiently the individual regeneration—the essential requisite of teaching—let us arise to teach His Cause with righteousness, conviction, [Page 128]
understanding, and vigor. Let this be the paramount and most urgent duty of every Bahá’í.”
(From a letter written by the Guardian to the American believers, dated November 24, 1924, quoted in Bahá’í Administration, p. 69)
“The first and most important qualification of a Bahá’í teacher is, indeed, unqualified loyalty and attachment to the Cause. Knowledge is, of course, essential; but compared to devotion it is secondary in importance.
“What the Cause now requires is not so much a group of highly cultured and intellectual people who can adequately present its teachings, but a number of devoted, sincere, and loyal supporters who, in utter disregard of their own weaknesses and limitations, and with hearts afire with the love of God, forsake their all for the sake of spreading and establishing His Faith.”
(From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to an individual believer, published in Bahá’í News No. 102, August 1936, p. 2)
“They must remember the glorious history of the Cause, which . . . . was established by dedicated souls who, for the most part, were neither rich, famous, nor well educated, but whose devotion, zeal, and self-sacrifice overcame every obstacle and won miraculous victories for the Faith of God.”
(From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma dated June 29, 1941)
“ . . . .what raised aloft the banner of Bahá’u’lláh was the love, sacrifice, and devotion of His humble followers and the change that His Teachings wrought in their hearts and lives.”
(From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the
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British National Spiritual Assembly, dated June 20, 1942)
“It is the quality of devotion and self-sacrifice that brings rewards in the service of this Faith, rather than means, ability, or financial backing.”
(From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the National Spiritual Assembly of Australia and New Zealand, dated May 11, 1948)
“One wise and dedicated soul can so often give life to an inactive community, bring in new people, and inspire them to greater sacrifice. He hopes that whatever else you are able to do during the coming months, you will be able to keep in circulation a few really good Bahá’í teachers.”
(From a letter written on the Guardian’s behalf to the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America, dated June 30, 1952)