ASSOCIATION OF BAHÁ’Í WOMEN
(NORTHERN IRELAND)
Providing resources for the empowerment of women everywhere:
Workshop: Legacy
This will concentrate on the statement that all humanity is created
from the same dust and no one should exalt himself over another. It also looks
to the future as to what we want to leave behind us in the form of a legacy for
the future.
O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your
hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same
substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same
feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost
being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of
detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of
light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the
tree of wondrous glory. (i)
Read the Golden Rules Page
To improve our lives we need to plan our daily activity according to golden
rules, and virtues which are the common elements of spirituality found in all
sacred traditions, some times this can prove to be difficult but we need to
consciously work at it and by making affirmations, at the time of reflection we
can improve the quality of our life for our self and others.The simple way to
bring out the best in us is to align our life with God's plan for humanity The
primary purpose of life is to know and to worship God, and to contribute to an
ever-advancing global civilization.
Do the Dare to Dream activity (15 minutes)
The group divides into pairs for a short while, say 15 minutes, and spend
that time finding out something about each other's dreams and hopes.
The Golden Rule
The golden rule can be found in all the great religions of the world: This
rule emphasizes that we should treat others, as we ourselves would wish to be
treated.
Buddhism: "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find
hurtful." Udana-Varqa, 5:18.
Zoroastrianism: "That nature only is good when it shall not do
unto another whatever is not good for its own self." Dadistan-i Dinik,
94:5.
Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men.
That is the entire Law, all the rest is commentary." The Talmud, Shabbat,
31a.
Hinduism: "This is the sum of all true righteousness: deal with
others as thou wouldst thyself be dealt by. Do nothing to thy neighbour which
thou wouldst not have him do to thee after." The Mahabharata.
Christianity: "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also
to them likewise." Luke 6:31
Islam: "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his
brother that which he desires for himself."
Taoism: The good man "ought to pity the malignant tendencies of
others; to regard their gains as if they were his own, and their losses in the
same way." The Thai-Shang.
Confucianism: "Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not
unto others that you would not have them do unto you." Analects, XV, 23
Bahá'í Faith: "He should not wish for others that
which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not
fulfill." Gleanings.
Dare to Dream activity
Dream a little by completing these sentences:
1. When I was a kid, I always imagined that
I'd………………………
…………………………………………………………………………..
2. I've always wanted to
visit……………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………..
3. If I had the time, I
would………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………..
4. My life would be better
if……………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………….
5. When am I most naturally
myself?………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………..
6. If I could start over, I
would…………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………..
7. Three things I must do in my lifetime are:
a.
…………………………………………………………………………
b.
…………………………………………………………………………
c.
…………………………………………………………………………
The spiritual qualities in others
We all know of people who show excellent qualities and who can inspire us
to higher levels of spirituality. Here participants are asked to think for a
while about someone they know and admire, and to identify and write down the
spiritual virtues in that person that they would like to emulate. This can be
difficult as we are trained by today's media to focus on each other's faults
rather than their qualities. How are these qualities demonstrated in that
person's life? And how there action has influenced others for good. These
thoughts can be shared with the group.
The worth of our deeds: suggested questions: " How would we feel if we
have led an evil life, when we estimate the worth of it, realising that it is
over and cannot be put right? " How would we feel if we had done a great
many good deeds?
There is a medieval Christian mystery play in which the lead character asks
who will come with him into the grave to support him at his last judgement.
"Not I", said his friends. Not I", said his children Not
I", said his wife Not I", said his priest Not I", said his
fields of grain, his cattle and his sheep, his gold, and all his treasures.
"I will stay with you" said his Actions, upon which they leapt into
the grave to be by his side. Arm in arm, they knocked at the door of death -
together. What do you take with you into the city of death? Not a suitcase, not
a purse, not even the pictures in your wallet. You never see a hearse followed
by a moving van. Nothing goes with you except the sum of what your life has
been. (ii)
Give each participant a copy of 'Some passages on purpose of life'
The Purpose of Life
The child in the womb has its eyes, ears, hands and feet, but these powers
are not in activity. The whole purpose of the womb-life is the coming forth
into this world. So, the whole purpose of this matrix-world life is the coming
forth into the world of Reality, where all these (psychic) forces will be
active. They belong to that world.
All this is the outcome of material civilization; therefore, although
material advancement furthers good purposes in life, at the same time it serves
evil ends. The divine civilization is good because it cultivates morals.
Consider what the Prophets of God have contributed to human morality. Jesus
Christ summoned all to the Most Great Peace through the acquisition of pure
morals. If the moral precepts and foundations of divine civilization become
united with the material advancement of man, there is no doubt that the
happiness of the human world will be attained and that from every direction the
glad tidings of peace upon earth will be announced. Then humankind will achieve
extraordinary progress, the sphere of human intelligence will be immeasurably
enlarged, wonderful inventions will appear, and the spirit of God will reveal
itself; all men will consort in joy and fragrance, and eternal life will be
conferred upon the children of the Kingdom. Then will the power of the divine
make itself effective and the breath of the Holy Spirit penetrate the essence
of all things. Therefore, the material and the divine, or merciful,
civilizations must progress together until the highest aspirations and desires
of humanity shall become realized. (iii)
O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the
home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in
employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world of
holiness -bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of
nearness - choose not the homeland of the dust.Set before thine eyes God's
unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that Balance
thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere
thou art summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength to
stand for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be
made to tremble (iv)
In this condition physical bodies play no part; the command and authority
are in the hand of the spirit. When the spirit becometh all inclusive, the
spiritual union shall be attained. Night and day endeavor to attain perfect
harmony; be thoughtful concerning your own spiritual developments and close
your eyes to the shortcomings of one another. By good deeds, pure lives,
humility and meekness be a lesson for others. (v)
We should not belittle anyone and call him ignorant, saying: 'You know not,
but I know'. Rather, we should look upon others with respect, and when
attempting to explain and demonstrate, we should speak as if we are
investigating the truth, saying: 'Here these things are before us. Let us
investigate to determine where and in what form the truth can be found.' The
teacher should not consider himself as learned and others ignorant. Such a
thought breedeth pride, and pride is not conducive to influence. The teacher
should not see in himself any superiority; he should speak with the utmost
kindliness, lowliness and humility, for such speech exerteth influence and
educateth the souls.
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 Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience
and long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold.
Strive ye by day and night to cultivate your unity to the fullest degree.
Let your thoughts dwell on your own spiritual development, and close your eyes
to the deficiencies of other souls. Act ye in such wise, showing forth pure and
goodly deeds, and modesty and humility, that ye will cause others to be
awakened. (vi)
O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards mercy, forsake the things that
profit thee, and cleave unto that which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes
be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor that which thou
choosest for thyself. Humility exalteth man to the heaven of glory and power,
whilst pride abaseth him to the depths of wretchedness and degradation. (vii)
Yet it behoveth the people of truth that the signs of humility should shine
upon their faces, that the light of sanctity should radiate from their
countenances, that they should walk upon the earth as though they were in the
presence of God and distinguish themselves in their deeds from all the dwellers
of the earth. Such must be their state that their eyes should behold the
evidences of His might, their tongues and hearts make mention of His name,
their feet be set towards the lands of His nearness, and their hands take fast
hold upon His precepts. And were they to pass through a valley of pure gold and
mines of precious silver, they should regard them as wholly unworthy of their
attention. (viii)
Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for
the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it. Mothers will not
give their sons as sacrifices upon the battlefield after twenty years of
anxiety and loving devotion in rearing them from infancy, no matter what cause
they are called upon to defend. There is no doubt that when women obtain
equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind. (ix)
They who are the beloved of God, in whatever place they gather and
whomsoever they may meet, must evince, in their attitude towards God, and in
the manner of their celebration of His praise and glory, such humility and
submissiveness that every atom of the dust beneath their feet may attest the
depth of their devotion. The conversation carried by these holy souls should be
informed with such power that these same atoms of dust will be thrilled by its
influence.
O FRIENDS! Abandon not the everlasting beauty for a beauty that must die,
and set not your affections on this mortal world of dust (x)
First activity (10 minutes):
Using one of the above quotes from 'the purpose of life' ask the
participants in pairs to present it in an art form to the whole group. They can
do this by drawing, singing, poetry, miming, or by the performance of a play.
Give them time to prepare. (to develop the skill and capacity of artistic
expression)
Second activity (20 minutes)
Hand out the Virtues list, get each group member to pick a virtue and talk
about someone who had/has that virtue. Is there a virtue they feel is the most
important to them?
Third activity (20 minutes)
Give out the Legacy Handout. Complete the handout. Think about the kind of
legacy you would like to leave behind. Think in terms of your children, your
family, your friends, your community, humanity. (to empower and inform your
vision of the future)
Virtues
Assertiveness
Caring
Cleanliness
Compassion
Confidence
Consideration
Courage
Courtest
Creativity
Detachment
Determination
Enthusiasm
Excellence
Faithfulness
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Friendliness
Generosity
Gentleness
Helpfulness
Honesty
Humour
Humility
Idealism
Joyfulness
Justice
Kindliness
Love
Loyalty
Mercy
Moderation
Modesty
Obedience
Orderliness
Patience
Peacefulness
Prayerfulness
Purposefulness
Reliability
Respect
Responsibility
Reverence
Self-discipline
Service
Steadfastness
Tact
Thankfulness
Tolerance
Trust
Trustworthiness
Truthfulness
Unity
YOUR LEGACY
To your children:
To your family:
To your firneds
To your community:
References
(i) Bahá'u'lláh, Arabic Hidden Words
(ii) From 'Essential Sufism' edited by J Fadiman and R Frager
(iii) Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 109
(iv) Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 236
(v) Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith - Abdu'l-Bahá
Section, p. 365
(vi)Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá,
(vii) Bahá'u'lláh Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 29
(viii) Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 59
(ix) Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 175
(x) Bahá'u'lláh, Persian Hidden Words)
These courses are made available as a community resource for anyone to use.
We ask only that the source is attributed: Association of
Bahá’í Women (Northern Ireland).
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