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The role of the individual in the World Order
2/16/2008 9:43:16 AM
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Hello friends and dear diligent readers
Thank you for looking into this precious divine System , The World Order of Bahaullah.
You might wonder what are the prime requisites for those people who serve at the institutions of the Bahai Faith. I'll tell you about that today.
"Spiritual Standards
A great responsibility which falls on the shoulders of those who are called upon to serve on Spiritual Assemblies is to ensure that the administrative principles revealed by the Pen of Bahaullah, elaborated by Abdu'l-Baha and explained in detail by Shoghi Effendi, are faithfully applied in the working of these institutions.
An important instance of these principles is on the occasion of consultation in the Spiritual Assembly. The standards which, according to Bahaullah and Abdu'l-Baha, the members of the Spiritual Assemblies must uphold during their consultations are very high indeed.
'The prime requisites for them that take counsel together, ...are purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attraction to His Divine Fragrance, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties, and servitude to His exalted Threshold...The first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the Assembly. They must be wholly free from estrangement and must manifest in themselves the Unity of God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the stars of one heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard, the flowers of one garden.'(Abdu'l-Baha)
It is the application of these spiritual standards which makes Bahai consultation a testing ground for every member of the Assembly. All the virtues of the individual, his faith, his courage and his steadfastness in the Covenant, undergo a rigorous test as the Assembly sits around the table to consult. Here the spiritual battle within the soul of the individual begins and will continue as long as the ego is the director. ...... In this battlefield the forces of light and darkness are arrayed against each other. On the one side stands the spiritual entity, the soul of the Believer, on the other a great enemy, the self or ego.
The spiritual standard is carried aloft by the Master (Abdu'l-Baha) and should the individual turn his heart to the Realm of Glory he can unmistakably hear, with the ears of the spirit, at every Assembly meeting the vibrant voice of the Master summoning him to:
'purity of motive'
'radiance of spirit'
'detachment'
'attraction to the Divine Fragrance'
'patience and long-suffering in difficulties'
'servitude'
'love'
'harmony'
'devotion'
courtesy'
'dignity'
'care'
'moderation'
'freedom from estrangement'
These and many more such attributes are the prime requisites of Bahai consultation. Whenever the soul hearkens to these lofty standards set by Abdu'l-Baha and, when the occasion demands, applies them during consultation, the ego, defeated, will reced into the background. The soul emerges victorious in this battle and will become radiant with the light of faith and detachment. The application of these spiritual principles, however, must be genuine and not merely superficial. The feelings of love, unity, detachment and harmony must come from the heart. They must not be manifested in an outward form only. Humility and servitude, radiance, devotion, courtesy and patience, along with all the other virtues, are qualities of the spirit. These cannot be manifested by paying lip service to them. If this is the case then the ego is the victor.
PRESENCE OF BAHAULLAH
It may not be easy for anyone to attain to such lofty standards during Bahai consultation. No matter how sincere and devoted, man often fails to apply these principles at Assembly meetings. But within the Spiritual Assembly there is a mighty force, often overlooked, which is capable of transforming human failures and shortcomings into noble aspirations and praiseworthy actions. It can change the atmosphere of the Spiritual Assembly from one of tension and discord into one of love and unity. Freed from the entanglement of argument and controversy, the Assembly can then become a perfect channel for the outpouring of the spirit of the Cause to mankind. This potent force is the presence of Bahaullah in the Assembly. ...(He) has stated that when the members assemble in the council-chamber they should regard themselves as being in the presence of God, which is indeed the presence of Bahaullah. This presence is real and not imaginary, for He calls on them not only to consider themselves in His presence but to 'see Him Who cannot be seen'.
In this life things which are real are often not seen with the human eye. This contingent world and all that can be seen within it, is but a shadow. The world of reality is spiritual, and for this comprehension man needs spiritual qualities.The presence of Bahaullah in the Spiritual Assembly is more real than anything else whithin that body and, as the members assemble, they are indeed seated in His presence as He Himself has affirmed. When the members of the Assembly become truly conscious of this and, with the eye of the spirit, see Bahaullah in their midst, they will be immersed in the ocean of humility and self-effacement, will be filled with a new spirit and will become radiant. The presence of Bahaullah will fuse the nine members into one body and they will no longer dwell on the faults and shortcomings of one another.
Every word that a member utters, every idea that he puts forward, every contribution that he makes during consultation will, in reality, be addressed to Bahaullah in a spirit of humility and servitude. Within such an atmosphere Bahai consultation becomes truly constructive, for every member cannot help but offer his ideas frankly and cordially. The inhibitions which could often, for various reasons, such as the possibility of his becoming unpopular within the community or of offending other members of the Assembly, prevent one member from expressing his views will disappear and be replaced by courage and wisdom. Indeed, in this instance, when the individual turns to Bahaullah with a pure motive, the words he utters will produce such an effect on his hearers that no one will be offended.
The consciousness of the presence of Bahaullah in the Assembly will create a spiritual atmosphere, souls will become humble, any feelings of superiority will vanish and the ego will be swept aside. For, in the presence of Bahaullah, who could consider himself superior to his fellow members? Who would belittle the opinion of another whether outwardly or in his heart? Who would lose his temper, raise his voice, interrupt or argue with his friend in the Assembly, or who would adopt an attitude, or speak in a way, that could offend another soul?
Dear friends. Maybe you are really wondering- who is Bahaullah, then?Having come so far with me?
You will know in your heart who He is, by studying His Scriptures while turning to God with an open mind and simultaneously shoving all human learning aside. All and everybody can do this if the heart is willing.
Isn't that what you have always done when you turn to God?Having an open mind, heart open to God's Love? You also have learned that God is the One Owner of the Standard by which everything else is to be judged.
By the way, Jesus also said; that whenever a few friends come together I will also be there. (Those are the words I remember) Only Jesus did not found any institutions. They are all manmade, except the coming together to share the bread and the wine in His memory The bread of His teachings and the wine of His love..
Now when I have come close to this text (by A.Taherzade) above I feel that I long to be in an Assembly meeting again, in spite of the shortcomings I do have, but, as for me I am here alone on the countryside among the mountains above the Gota alv river. On my own,getting another a job here, sometimes succeeding to tell a few words to someone about this Immense Revelation, and I have chosen this. The people hereabouts also have to have a glimpse of the Word of God for this Age, the Age of Fulfillment..
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bahaullah+and+the+bahai+faith&search=Searchwww.Bahai.org www.Bahai.us
Bye for now and
Good Luck in your studies
Laila
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