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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