DRAFT - NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION GIVING: THE SPIRITUAL BASIS OF PROSPERITY Ruhj Institute, Columbia Section 1 This is a new day, Bahé’u'lléh the new Manifestation, has appeared. He has told us that God’s Holy purpose for mankind is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. As Baha’, it is our privilege to witness the birth of this new day and to be aware of its significance. “The Banner of the Holy Spirit is uplifted, and men see it, and are assured with the knowledge that this is a new day. This is a new cycle of human power. All the horizons of the world are luminous and the world will become indeed as a garden and a paradise, It is the hour of unity of the sons of man and the drawing together of all races and all.classes”! Complete the following sentences: The of the is uplifted. Men are assured with the that this is a We are in the new cycle of. . 1. 2. 3. 4. All the horizons of the are luminous. 5. The world will become like a anda 6. 1. This is the hour of the of the sons of man, This is the time of the drawing together of all and all The banner of the Holy Spirit is . of human power. 0. The will become like a garden and a paradise. 1. This is the hour when all races and classes are 8, 9. Weare in anew q 1Section 2 Baha'u'llah has given a spirit to mankind. This new spirit will regenerate the world, He has also revealed universal principles for the guidance of mankind. But Baha'u'llah has done more than this. Shoghi Effendi says: “In addition to these He, as well as Abdu’l-Baba after Him, has, unlike the Dispensation of the past, clearly and specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite Institutions and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. these are destined to be a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the Most Great Peace and the one agency for the unification of the world and the proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon the earth.” 1. What three things have Bahé’u’llh and Abdu’l-Bahé clearly created that are different from previous religion? a b. c 2. Decide whether the following are Bahai Laws: a. To say the Obligatory Prayer everyday. yes mo___ b. To fast in the month of Baha. yes m0 c. To refrain from eating pork. yes mo d. To abstain from drinking alcohol. yes no 3. Decide whether the following are Bah4’t Institutions: a, Local Spiritual Assemblies yes mo b. the Red Cross yes mo c. International Bahé’i Fund yes mo 4. Continental Board of Counsellors yes no 4, Decide which of the following are elements of a Divine Economy: .. The rich willingly share their wealth for the Pp ‘g00d of mankind. yes mo b. Every capable person has a useful occupation. yes m0 ©. Industry exploits its workers. yes no 4. Profits are shared justly between management. and workers yes no.5. The Laws, Institutions and Divine Economy have created to be: a. apattem for b. a supreme instrument for ¢. and the one agency for and and Section 3 One of the greatest joys of being a Bahé’f is to partake of this new spirit and contribute to the establishment of the Most Great Peace. However, this task of building a new World Order is not easy. The world is disintegrating. There is a great deal of hate and rebellion. Humanity is tumed away from God. We, the Baha'is, although small in number are embarked on building a new society. This is a great challenge; but we have faith that the building of this new order is God’s will and His holy purpose for mankind, ‘Shoghi Effendi writes to the Baha’ is of the world: “Let us pray to God that in these days of world-encircling gloom, when the dark forces of nature, of hate, rebellion, anarchy and reaction are threatening the very stability of human society, when the most precious fruits of civilization are undergoing severe and unparallel tests, we may all realize, more profoundly than ever that though but a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world, we are in this day of the chosen instruments of God’s grace, that our mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity and fortified by these sentiments, arise to achieve God’s holy purpose for mankind.”* 1. The Guardian talks about the “dark forces”. Hate is dark force, Anarchy is a dark force. Anarchy means lawlessness, disorder and confusion. Decide which of the following examples of dark forces are: yes no yes no Materialism _ ___Ineligion eee Nationalism — = Harmony =a Moderation —_ = Detachment oe Violence —— = Righteousness eens Love — = Fanaticism ne Unity —_ = Racialism _ Superstition = = Purity _ = Magnanimity —_ = Reteltion on Prejudice = = Courtesy zsThe Guardian talks about the “precious fruits of civilization”, ‘These are the good elements in society and they are being threatened by the dark forces. Decide which of the following are examples of the precious fruits of civilization: yes no yes no Strong Family Honesty — = Divorce “= = NiceLanguage = Education __ = Politeness = War __ __ Wife Beating mets Justice — = Respect = Murder = = Stealing T= Kindness —_ tying Bo EE Alcoholism —_ __ Friendship _ Drug Abuse — = Bad Language aoa Cleanliness —— = Marriage ee “Seething masses” means a large number of agitated and excited people. A crowd at a football game is a seething mass and the people in a big city are a seething mass. Give another example of “seething masses” “A mere handful” means a small quantity of something. Circle the sentence which best explain the phrase “a mere handful amidst the seething masses of the world” : a. A small group of people isolated from the rest of mankind. b. A small group of people in the middle of the masses of humanity. Who are the “chosen instruments of God’s grace”? Are there many of these chosen instruments? Should we wait until there are more of us before arising? The Guardian tell us “that our mission is most urgent and vital to the fate of humanity”. Urgent means: 1. postponing immediate action. b. calling for immediate action. ¢. not acting at all, Vital means: a, unimportant ». insignificant. . of crucial importance. “Fortified by these sentiments” means to be strengthened by certain ideas.By what sentiments are we fortified? $$ 10. Does “fortified by these sentiments” imply faith and reliance on God? 11, Since we have faith we are God's chosen instruments and that our mission is urgent and vital, when will we arise to achieve God's holy purpose for mankind? Section 4 In the previous section we leamed that as Bahd’is we have the privilege of contributing to the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth. The Universal House of Justice in its message of September 1964 explains the minimum role that each individual Bahd’i plays in the construction of the Divine Kingdom. This message tells us that healthy development of the Cause requires... “.-the dedicated effort of every believer in teaching, in living the Baha’ life, in contributing to the Fund, and particularly in the persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation...”* 1. In this paragraph, the Universal House of Justice mentions four of the minimum tasks that every Bahé’i can do. What are they? pose 2. What does it means to “make a persistent effort to understand more and more the significance of Baha’ u’llah’s Revelation”? 3. What is deepening?In the following words from the same message, the Universal House of Justice continues to explain what is required of each believer: “In the human body, every cell, every organ, every nerve has its part to play. When II do so the body is healthy, vigorous, radiant, and ready for every call made upon it, No cell, however humble, lives apart from the body, whether in serving it or receiving from it. This is true of the body of mankind in which God has endowed each humble being with ability and talent, and is supremely true of the body of the Bahd’i world community, for this body is already an organism, united in its aspirations, unified in its methods, seeking assistance and confirmation from the same Source, and illumined with the conscious knowledge of its unity. Therefore, in this organie, divinely guided, blessed, and illumined body the participation of every believer is of the utmost importance, and is a source of power and vitality as yet unknown to us.”* 1. When is the human body healthy, vigorous and radiant? 2. Can any cell live apart from the body? 3. Can any person live apart from the body of mankind? 4, Can any Baha’ live apart from the body of the Bahé’i world community? 5. Complete the following sentence: The body of the Baha’i world community is already an united in its » unified in its , seeking d from the same Source, and illumined with the Knowledge of its unity.” 6. What is of the utmost importance in the body of the Baha'i world community? 7. Why is the participation of every believer of the utmost importance? 8. What is a source of power in the Faith? Further on in the same message, the Universal House of Justice says: “ In addition to teaching, every believer can pray. Every believer can strive to make his own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Baha’u’llah. Every believer can contribute to the Fund. Not all believers can give public talks,not all are called upon to serve on administrative institution, But all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body, and which in its turn will give rise to farther growth and the showering of greater blessings on all of us.” 1, What can each believer do in addition to teaching? 2. What can each believer do in addition to teaching and praying? 3. What can each believer do in addition to teaching, praying, and fighting his own spiritual battles? 4. Must every believer contribute to the Fund? 5. What will happen if every believer will carry out these sacred duties? In the last paragraph of the same message, the Universal House of Justice says: “The real secret of universal participation lies in the Master’s oft-expressed wish that the friends should love each other, constantly encourage each other, work together, be as one soul in one body, and in so doing become a true, organic, healthy body animated and illumined by the spirit. In such a body all will receive spiritual health and vitality from the organism itself, and the most perfect flower and fruits will be brought forth.”” 1. Where does the real secret of universal participation lie? a c. b. a 2. A healthy body is animated by the spirit with it. The better the body function, the more the spirit can be expressed. a, Must the different part of your body cooperate with each other in order to function properly? b. Could your body function properly if your stomach refused to digest the food that your other organ need for energy?. Do the different organs of your body fight with each other? |. If one part of your body is sick, does it affect the whole body? . If harmony and co-operation do not exist among the parts of your body, can it be strong and full of vitality? Can an individual cell of your body fulfill its purpose without giving anything to the body? . When is your body harmonious? |. When is the Baha’ world community harmonious? Must the Bahé’fs cooperating with each other in order for the Baha'i community to function properly? Should individual within the Bah4’{ community fight with each other? . If one individual of the Baha’i community is negative or unhappy does it affect the whole community? If harmony and co-operation do not exist in the Bahd’i community, can it be strong and full of vitality? . Can an individual Baha'i fulfill his spiritual purpose without participating in the life of the community? |. Can an individual Bahé’t fulfill his spiritual purpose without contributing to the Bahé’i Fund? All parts of the Baha’ community need to be unified and active in order for the community to function. Can the community be healthy if the Baha’i Fund cannot sustain Baha’{ activities? . The activities of the human body are sustained by a continuous flow of fresh blood. ‘Whaat is the life blood of the body of the Baha’i world community?Section 5 Tn every way that Bahé’is participate in the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth, there is a material part. For example, the Bahé’is teaches. What material things do we need in order to teach? Do we need pamphlets and teaching tools? Do we need to travel? What do we need for deepening? Do we need to print Bahé’{ books? Each of these activities requires material resources, Make a list of other Bahé’t activities necessary for the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth. Next to each activity, write some material things that will be needed to do it. To help you, some examples are given. ACTIVITIES MATERIAL PART Children’s Class Lessons and coloring sheets Deepening Books Nineteen Day Feast Institute Courses We can see that the majority of Bahé'i activities require a material part and therefore money is needed to carry them out. This money is called the Bahé’{ Fund. In order to understand the Fund, we should learn the answer to questions like the following: Where should this money ‘come from? Who should contribute to the Bahé"i Fund? Who can do it? Who cannot do it? So, to help us understand the Baha’ Fund, let us begin by studying the following information. 5 1. THE LOCAL FUND To support their activities, the Bahé’is of each community contributes to the Local Fund. This Fund is administered by the Local Spiritual Assembly. It is used to pay for the expenses of the local administration and teaching work. These include, among other activities: children’s classes, deepening classes, Nineteen Day Feast, celebration of the Holy Days, purchase and maintenance of the local properties (such as the Bahd’{ Centreand endowments), and Baha'i publications and correspondence. The Local Spiritual Assembly may also use the Fund to assist the poor, sick and needy according to its ability and judgement. To better understand the needs of the Local Fund, think of your own community and make a list of the average monthly expenses: ACTIVITIES, EXPENSES Children’s Classes Deepening Classes ‘Nineteen Day Feast Holy Days Maintenance of the Local Centre Savings to Buy an Endowment Baha’ Publications Tutorial School Teaching Materials Teaching Trips Donation to the National Fund Social Services TOTAL P THE NATIONAL FUND For the activities at the national level, the Bahé’is contribute to the National Fund. This Fund is administered by the National Spiritual Assembly and is used for the administration, teaching and proclamation of the Faith in each country. 10With the help of your tutor, see if you can make a list of some of the annual expenses of your National Fund: Activities Expenses 1 Teaching Institute Courses Teaching and Proclamation Materials Teaching and Proclamation Campaigns Travel and Teaching Visits to Communities Radio Station Other 2. Administration National Secretariat Treasury National Teaching Committee Legal Expenses Regional Convention ‘National Convention Local Spiritual Assembly Election ‘National Bulletin 3. Mai ice and Properties ‘National Centre Institutes Vehicles Endowments 4. Donations to Other Baha’i Funds 5. Special Projects (For this last category think of some special projects that can be done in one year in your country and make an estimate of their costs.) THE CONTINENTAL FUND This Fund is a little less well known than the previous ones. It supports the activities of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, the Auxiliary Boards and their Assistants. nCan you mention some of the activities of the members of the Continental Board of Counsellors and the members of the Auxiliary Board? ACTIVITIES. THE INTERNATIONAL FUND This Fund is under the direct administration of the Universal House of Justice. It enables the Universal House of Justice to help further the work of the Cause in receptive but impoverished areas, to assist new national assemblies to begin their work, to contribute to major international undertakings of the teaching plans and to beautify the lands surrounding the Holy Shrines at the World Center of the Faith. SPECIAL FUNDS Sometimes there are special funds created to serve specific purpose. Temple funds are created each time a new temple is under construction, Another special fund is the Arc Fund, This fund was created to finance the construction of the building of the administrative centre of Faith. From time to time other special funds will be created for specific purpose as designated by the Universal House of Justice, Section 6 Now we are going to study some of the special characteristics of the Baha’{ Fund, ‘What do you think the word “characteristics” means? Make a list of the characteristics that you think the Baha’ Fund has.Now, let us discover some characteristics of the Fund as defined by quotations from the { Writings. Who can contribute to the Baha'i Fund? “Contributing to the Fund is a service that every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy...”* “The backbone of the Fund must be the regular contribution of every believer.” ? Is contributing to the Fund a sacred and spiritual duty? “It is the sacred obligation of every conscientious and faithful servant of Bahd’u’lléh...”" “...this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important.” " Is it enough to contribute small amounts to the fund or should one contribute to the greatest extent possible? “All the friends of God...should contribute to the extent possible, however modest their offering may be.” ? What makes a contribution meaningful? “It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmation.” Does one contribute to the Fund voluntarily? “I feel urged to remind you of the necessity of ever bearing in mind the cardinal principle that all contributions to the Fund are to be purely and strictly voluntary in character.” '* Is it acceptable to pressure or force the believers to contribute to the Fund? “It should be made clear and evident to every one that any form of compulsion, however slight and indirect, strikes at the very root of the principle underlying the formation of the Fund ever since its inception.” "© “There is no objection to the contributors, and sums receiv Bahi’'is to contribute...” '* Spiritual Assembly keeping a record of the names of but no pressure must ever be brought on the10. IL. 12. Is it a secret who or how much one contributes to the Fund? must be voluntary, and should be considered confidential...” '” Who administers the Baha’i Fund? is of absolute necessity that immediately after the establishment of local as well as National Spiritual Assemblies, the Baha’ Fund be established, to be placed under the exclusive control of the Spiritual Assembly.” '® How is one’s contribution given? “All donations and contributions should be offered to the Treasurer of the Assembly...” ¢ friends can give their contributions to the treasurer, or ... a receptacle can be provided.” *° For what purpose is the Baha'i Fund to be used? r the express purpose of promoting the interests of the Cause, throughout that locality or country...The members of the Spiritual Assembly will at their own discretion expend it to promote the Teaching Campaign, to help the needy, to establish educational Bahé’i Institutions, to extend in every way possible their sphere of service.” " Is the Bahé’f Fund for the well-being of any person in particular? “... the general interests of the Cause take precedence over the interests of the particular individuals. For instance, contributions to the welfare of individuals are secondary to contributions to the National and Local Funds and that of the Temple.” * Can people who are not Bahd"is contribute to the Baha'i Fund? “He wishes me to stress again that under no circumstances the believer should accept any financial help from non-Bahd’is for use in connection with specific administrative activities of the Faith such as the Temple construction fund, and other local or national Baha’{ administrative funds.” ” Now, make a new list of the characteristics of the Baha'i Fund as you understand them from the above quotations. 1. 2. & 310. uM. 12, aus Using your list as a reference, decide whether the following statements are true or false: 10. A Baha’ who is poor cannot contribute to the Fund. A person can contribute to the Fund as soon as he Declares his faith in Baha'u'llah, Giving to the Fund is a material act with no spiritual significance. One believer is a prosperous farmer married with no children. He contributes a small amount to the Fund at every Nineteen Day Feast. This believer is contributing to the greatest extent possible. ‘One believer gives to the Fund when he has extra money left over. Another believer goes without something he wants in order to give to the Fund. The second believer contributes with a spirit of sacrifice. One of the believers thought that another Bahé’i was not contributing to the Fund and decided to remind him of his sacred obligation to give. The first believer is doing a good service to the Faith. The Assembly can report the total amount contributed to the Fund but not how much each believer gave. There can be no Local Fund if there is no Local Spiritual Assembly to administer it. One believer needs to repair the roof on his house. Since he has little money for the repairs, he asks his Local Spiritual Assembly to give him funds that are being saved to build a community Baha’i center. The Assembly should give him the money. One believer's non-Baha’{ husband wants to donate money to help with the construction of a local Bahé’i center. The Assembly should not accept his contribution. TRUE EALSE 1sNow study this description, based on these quotations and others, and discuss it among yourselves: The voluntary act of contributing to the Fund is the privilege of every believer. It is not a favor we do for God. The Bahd’i Fund is not a charity. Usually, we give to a charity from what is left over. Giving from what is left over does not necessarily imply any sacrifice on the part of the giver. Contributions to the Fund must be made with sacrifice. If there is no sacrifice in the amount that we give, we will not be completely fulfilling our spiritual obligation. Although it is a material act, contributing to the Fund is a sign of our love for the Cause and an integral part of our work in constructing the Kingdom of God on earth. ‘The Bahé’s Fund is sacred and is to be used to fulfill God’s holy purpose for mankind. It is not used to maintain a clergy. The Baha'i Fund is a community fund. It belongs to the poor child, the widow, the laborer, the young, the old, in short, the whole community. To take from the Fund and use it unjustly or selfishly would be like stealing from the poor and needy of our community. Together, as a community, we need to consult during the Nineteen Day Feast to offer suggestion on the activities that our community should undertake. The Local Spiritual Assembly will consider the suggestions and decide on which activities to follow. It will use the funds with care, wisdom and frugality to carry out these activities. The Assembly is the trustee of the Fund. We trust the Assembly and accept its decision. The Assembly reports its decision to the community, but the community should not question the Assembly’s decisions. The Local Fund is used to promote the general interests of the Cause in a locality. It should not be used for the benefit of individuals, although there are cases when an Assembly may wish to assist an individual. For instance, the Fund may be used to help individuals in their teaching efforts for a short time when they, themselves, cannot afford to pay all the expenses of their teaching activities. It may also be used for humanitarian assistance, such as if a family has lost its house because of fire. The Fund might be used to pay the teachers salaries at a Baha’i- sponsored school or to build the school building. It may be used to build and run an orphanage or a home for old people. The Fund is also used for administrative expenses such as postage, paper and other secretariat supplies. As the community grows, the demands become greater and there are many more ways that the Fund will need to be used. Besides meeting its local expenses, each community will also want to designate an amount from its Local Fund to be sent each month to the National and International Funds of the Faith and to the special funds, such as the Arc Fund. The Local Spiritual Assembly and the community consult together to set goals for how much they will send to these funds each year. These goals are reached through the contributions made by each and every believer. Our contributions to the Local Fund are given to the Local treasurer or put in some kind of box which is placed out during the Nineteen Day Feasts or other Bahé’i gatherings. We knowthat a portion of the funds we contribute to the Local Fund will be sent to the National Fund by our Local Spiritual Assembly. But, we can also make direct contributions to the National Fund. ‘These can be given or sent to the National Treasurer or, we can give our contribution to one of a few trusted believers named by the National Treasurer to act on his behalf. For the other Funds of the Faith, certain believers may be designated to receive our contributions. For example, one of the Counsellors is named as a Trustee to receive our contributions to the Continental Fund, ‘We know that only Baha’fs have the privilege of contributing to the Bahé’i Fund. There are reasons why only Bahd’is may contribute to the Fund. First, the Baha’t institution that we are building are our gift to humanity. Gifts are free and they should not be paid for by the recipients. Secondly, accepting money for specific Bahé’i use from people who are not Bahé’is would eventually lead to complications and difficulties. This could cause harm for the Faith. However, if someone who is not a Baha’t insists that he wants to give a donation to our Baha'i community it may be accepted as long as it is not spent in connection with activities directly related to the Faith. It can be accepted only if it is spent for humanitarian purposes and it is expended in the name of the donor. Should Bahd"is contribute to humanitarian causes in addition to the Bahé’i Fund? Of course, we are free to do so and this would be praiseworthy. But, we Bahé’s are so few in number and the needs of the world is great that our donations to charities cannot solve the problems of the world. It is only through the Cause of Baha'u'llah that the world can truly be lifted up from misery. Our contributions to the Fund are the best way that we can help mankind, Section 7 Until now, we have learned something about the nature of the Bahé’i Fund. Its characteristics and its role in the construction of the Kingdom of God on earth. Now, there is a question that every Bahé’{ must ask himself and must answer before contributing to the Fund. Is ‘my contribution to the Fund something that I should do when I want to or is it an obligation that I ‘must fulfill? The answer is, of course, that the contribution is an obligation, To understand the spiritual meaning of this obligation it is necessary to consider more deeply the meaning of sacrifice. To begin, read carefully ‘Abdu’l-Bahd’s explanation of the meaning of sacrifice: “The moth is a sacrifice to the candle. The spring is a sacrifice to the thirsty one. The sincere is a sacrifice to the loved one and the longing one is a sacrifice to the beloved. The point lies in this: He must wholly forget himself, become a wanderer ( in the Abode of the Beloved ) enamoured with His Tresses. He must consign to oblivion the body and soul, the life, comfort and existence. He must seek the good pleasure of the True One; desire the Face of the True One; and walk in the Path of the True One... This is the first station of sacrifice. 710. “The second station of sacrifice is as follow: Man must become...like unto the iron thrown within the furnace of fire. The qualities of iron, such as blackness, coldness and solidity which belong to the earth disappear and vanish while the characteristics of fire, such as redness, glowing and heat, which belong to the Kingdom become apparent and visible. Therefore, iron hath sacrifice its qualities and grades to the fire, acquiring the virtues of that element. “Likewise, when the souls are released from the fetters of the world, the imperfections of mankind and that animalistic darkness, and have stepped into the Realm of Abstraction, have partaken a share from the outpouring of the Placcless and have acquired Toray perfections, they are the ‘ransomed ones’ (or the martyrs) of the Sun of Truth... . What is meant by “the moth is a sacrifice to the candle"? ‘What is meant by “the spring is a sacrifice to the thirsty one”? ‘Whaat is meant by “the sincere lover is a sacrifice to the loved one”? ‘What is meant by “the longing one is a sacrifice to the beloved”? ‘What is the common point that between the sacrifice of the moth, the spring, the sincere lover and the longing one? To wholly forget oneself means “consign to oblivion the body and soul, the life, and existence.” What does it mean to “consign to oblivion”? ‘What must a sincere lover of God seek? What must a sincere lover of God desire? ‘What is the first station of sacrifice? The second station of sacrifice is the process of transformation. What qualities does the iron sacrifice when it is thrown into the fire?11, What qualities does iron acquire when it is thrown into the fire? 12. What qualities does man lose when his soul is released from the fetters of the world? 13. What qualities does man acquire when his soul is released from the fetters of the world? 14. What is meant by “man must become like unto the iron thrown within the furnace of the fire”? a 15. What is the second station of sacrifice? The following words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahé helps us to further understand the nature of sacrifice: “Therefore, we learn that nearness to God is possible through devotion to Him, through entrance into the Kingdom and service to humanity; it is attained by unity with mankind and through loving-kindness to all; it is dependent upon investigation of truth, acquisition and praiseworthy virtues, service in the cause of universal Peace and personal sanctification. In a word, nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him. Nearness is likeness.” *° 1. How is it possible to become near to God? a b. c a 2. How is neamess to God attained? a SSS b. — 3. Upon what is nearness to God dependent? a — a a aege Ina word, what does neamess to God necessitate? a SSS b. ceNow reflect upon the following theme: Is it possible to progress without sacrifice? Consider the seed of a tree. Within the seed there exist the potential for growing and becoming a fruitful tree, but to do this it must cease being a seed. The seed must be broken so that the tree may come out. In a very profound sense, the seed sacrifice itself so that the tree may develop and be fruitful. Consider an adolescent who desires to be a man. Can he become one if he does not discard the characteristics of the child to acquire those of a man? He must sacrifice the pleasure of the child to achieve the more enduring pleasure of a mature being. Let us imagine that we want to fill a glass with a delicious beverage, but it is full of a less desirable one. Is it possible to refill the glass without first emptying it? If a vessel wants to be filled with something new, it ‘must sacrifice what it already contains to free the necessary space. Now then, is it possible for our beloved Cause to progress without us making any sacrifice? Are we sincere in our desire to construct the Kingdom of God on earth if we do not give regularly and generously to the Fund of the Faith? Section 8 In the last section we learned that we must be willing to sacrifice if we want to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. As we know this requires material resources, we contribute to the Fund. Only we, ourselves, know if we contribute with sacrifice or not. God knows too. It is in this sense that the quantity is not fixed because we choose the amount for ourselves. To help us think about giving with sacrifice, we ask you, in your own mind, to play the role of a believer born in a village to a poor family. In this life story, you will receive a good education and work hard. Eventually, you will marry and have a family, a successful business, and many responsibilities. We will follow you through your life and, at each stage, examine the amount you give to the Fund in the context of sacrifice. ‘The money of the country in which you live is measured in junars. 1. When you were a child you lived with your parents on a farm. You did not have much money but your parents gave you one junar every day to ride the bus to school. You decide to walk to school once a week and gave one junar to the Local Baha'i Fund each ‘week. Obviously, you were giving with sacrifice, a. Now that you look back, do you consider that this small amount was an important contribution to the Fund? b. Did your sacrifice at this early age have an effect on your later success? c. What effect did it have your life?‘Your parents sent you to technical school in the city to leam a trade. You worked part- time as a dishwasher to help support yourself. You gave one evening wages, 6 junars, to the Fund each week. The amount was not high, but when compared to the amount you were earning, it was a significant contribution, a At the time you were doing this, sometimes you had doubts whether to save the money for your education instead of giving it to the Fund. What do you think about it now?, Po When you graduated from technical school, you went back to your village to get married. You had a piece of land, built a house, and became a farm worker. Your income was 600 Junars a month. You spent 400 junars a month on food. You had 200 junars every month {o use for the rest of your needs. A dress for your wife and trousers and shirt for you cost. 50 junars. You knew you were going to have children. Sometimes you liked to go out for entertainment. You and your wife sat down to consult about your contribution to the Fund. You were still the same generous, self-sacrificing soul. You knew the value of sacrifice and that you should give more to the Fund than when you were in school. You hhad many things to discuss and many choices to make. Your consultation may have gone something like this: “When I was single, making sacrifice only affected me. Now that I’m married and have responsibilities, my choice also affects you and our future children.” “Well, maybe we should think about our future and save some money to make improvements on the house.” “If we want to start a family soon, we need to put some money aside cach month.” “That doesn’t leave us a lot of extra money to give to the Fund. But, there must be some things that we are now spending our money on that we could give up. Let’s think about it.” “We could spend a junar less a day on food. What’s the difference? Then we would be spending about 370 junars a month and would give us 30 junars to contribute to the Fund.” “We could cut back on the money we spend on entertainment each month.” “I could start sewing more of our clothes instead of buying all of them.” 2“If that’s the case, we could probably save 40 junars a month on clothes, entertainment and other things we don’t need.” “But we give so much time to the Faith, maybe we do not need to make these extra sacrifices.” “No, the Fund needs our contribution and these sacrifices are important for the spiritual growth of our family.” a. So, suppose at the end of your consultation you decided to give 70 junars a month to the Fund. Why did you and your wife decide this? b. You could have decided to contribute only 30 or 40 junars a month, given your added responsibilities. Why did you decide not to do this? Several years later, you had bought a few cows and a horse for your land. You also built a chicken coop and began a small farm. You had two children and your wife was expecting another baby. In your village, you were well-known for your honesty. Your income was then 1200 junars a month. You were so busy meeting the needs of your growing family that you had forgotten to give regularly to the Local Fund. One day, you sat with your wife and counted the receipts from the local Baha'i treasurer. You discovered that you had only given 400 junars during the last year. Most of it was given at one conference when you were excited about reports of teaching success. You became very upset with yourself. You and your wife had not even realized how little you were giving compared to your increased income. It had been a long time since you had discusses your contribution to the Fund. So you and your wife took this opportunity to re-evaluate your situation, a. What had happened that had made you neglect the Fund? b. What did you do to make sure this did not happen again? ¢. At the end of your consultation, how much did you decide to give? 2d. Describe here the reasoning for your decision: $$ en Ten years later, you had a family with six children, The older ones were helping with the farm and you had opened a small mechanic shop on your property. Your income had increased to 400 junars a month, but your expenses had also grown. The family’s food cost 1700 junars a month and additional sums were spent on clothes, education, and improvements to the house, All during this time you continued contributing regularly and generously to the Local Fund. You and your family spent your weekends busily engaed in Baha’ activities. This was a source of great joy and unity for your family. At a Bahd’i Summer School you heard the National Treasurer speak about the Funds and the goals of the Faith. You and your wife realized that you could play a greater role in achieving theses goals by contributing directly and regularly to the National and International Funds. You wondered how you would do this without decreasing your contribution to the Local Fund, a What changes did you make in your life so that you were able to begin contributing to the National and International Funds? b. You knew your children were also affected by your sacrifices. For example, you noted that they each began giving regularly to the Local Fund through their own sacrifices. What other positive changes did you see in your family? ne a ¢. How did contributing to the National and International Funds make you feel more connected to the Baha’ world? eA Later, your mechanic shop was doing well. But, the demands of your customers occupied ‘most of your time. Your sons had taken over the responsibilities of the farm. On the weekends you and your family were still active in the local teaching work. Your income had increased to 5500 junars a month. You were spending this as you had before, which include contributing regularly to the funds of the Faith. ‘You and your wife decided to take 900 junars from your savings to buy a color television, Then at a Nineteen Day Feast you learned that the National Spiritual Assembly was launching a six-month teaching campaign. You were excited and wanted to participate. But you knew that you could not leave your business during those six months. You consulted with your Auxiliary Board member. He suggested that you could provide some 2Bfunds which would allow another person to travel teach. You remembered the words of Bahé'u'Ilsh: “Center your energies in the propagation of the Faith of God. Whoso is worthy of so high a calling, let him arise and promote it. Whoso is unable, it is his duty to appoint him who will, in his stead, proclaim this Revelation, whose power hath caused the foundations of the mightiest structures to quake, every mountain to be crushed into dust, and every soul to be dumbfounded.” * You were delighted about the idea of deputizing another Bahé’i to participate in the campaign. You consulted with your wife and decided that instead of buying a new television, you would give 900 junars to the National Spiritual Assembly to deputize a traveling teacher. a. This decision made you so happy. What did this teach you about true happiness? In this exercise you have played the role of an imaginary believer, Of course, each individual playing this part had different answer to the above questions. Each had to decide for himself how much he would give to the Fund, What did you leam by playing the role of this believer? Section 9 We have just followed the life of a devoted believer, first when he was alone and later when he had a wife and family. We have seen that he and his family found true happiness in dedicating their lives to the building of a new world order. This, we learned, included their contributions to the Fund which they understood could help to bring about a better world. Because they understood that the condition of the old world were getting worse and worse, they did not allow themselves to become captive to the values of their society which were based on Promoting material needs and self-interest. However, we have seen that this was sometimes a challenge for them. How did our friend and his family keep themselves focused on building the new world order when there were so many distractions in the world around them? Each of them had to...in his inmost heart resolve not to be seduced by the ephemeral allurements of the ty around him, not to be drawn into its feuds and short-lived enthusiasms, but instead to transfer all he can from the old world tom that new one which is the vision of his longing and will be the fruit of his labours.” *” 30% What does “inmost heart” mean? ‘What does it mean “to be seduced”? ‘An ephemeral allurement attracts and attaches people to the passing conditions and comforts of the world. A feud is a lasting hostility between people. A short-lived enthusiasm excites people for a short time but quickly bores them. We should not be seduced by the drawn into its and of the society, nor How did our friend and his family avoid being seduced by the allurements of society and drawn into its feuds and enthusiasms? Instead of being seduced by the allurements, feuds and enthusiasms of society, what did our friends resolve to do? Because our friend and his family were firm in their resolve, they did not waste their money buying things which did not contribute to their community. But, they saw many people around them buying things they did not need and spending their money unwisely. These were becoming poorer and poorer because others were taking advantage of them to become richer and richer. They were not aware that they were being manipulated by false advertisement, dishonest sales schemes, subtle pressures, corrupt leaders, and even misguided friends Give tree examples of manipulation which you have seen in your own life? a b. e How can advertisement convince us to buy things we do not need? How can we protect ourselves from the influence of false advertisement? 2sWhat are example of good advertisement? To help us understand how people can be manipulated, we will look in detail at one situation that occur frequently all over the world: people who do not have much money are taken advantage of by dishonest credit schemes. First, let us review how credit schemes work. To buy something on credit, you sign a contract to make a “down payment” and a fixed number of “weekly or monthly payments”. A “down payment” is a small portion of the total cost of the purchase. After paying it, you take the product home. From then on, you make “weekly or monthly payments” of a fixed sum for a period of time that is determined in the contract. Now, let us study the following case: A couple decided to buy a refrigerator. This was a big expense for them. They knew that it would cost more than they would be able to afford immediately. So, they decided to save a little money each week until they could afford it. In the meantime, they went to town one day to check the prices and models. When they were in the store looking at the reftigerator that they really liked, a salesman approached them. He suggested that they consider buying the reftigerator on credit. They were delighted with the idea of taking the refrigerator home right away. And it was easy for them to afford the down payment with the money they had been saving. They even thought it would be easy to make the small monthly payments. So, they signed the contract. Although the credit scheme made it easy for them to buy the refrigerator, was it used to take advantage of them? Let us see. a. Think of an imaginary cost of a refrigerator. _ b. The contract signed by the couple stated that the down payment is 1/10 of the cost of the refrigerator. According to your imaginary cost, what would this be? ¢. The contract also stated that they must make 24 monthly payments. Each one is the same amount as the down payment. According to your imaginary cost, each monthly payment would be And the total sum of all 24 monthly payments would be 4. After 24 months, the couple would have paid a total sum of in monthly payments and a down payment of The total amount they would have paid for their refrigerator is . 6¢. Now compare the total amount they would have paid for the refrigerator to the imaginary cost you began with. How much more did they pay for their refrigerator by buying it on credit? ee ae £. If the couple had made these calculations beforehand, would they have accepted this credit scheme? SS 8. Could the couple have looked for a more just credit scheme? h, What other alternatives did they have? ‘Now, we have seen how easy it can be for people, if they are not thinking, to be taken advantage of by dishonest credit scheme. Are we going to allow ourselves to be cheated by such scheme? How can we distinguish between honest credit schemes and dishonest credit schemes? 6. One of the reasons we buy things we do not need is because of the influence of people around us. Give some example: a. b. ©. 7. Do we sometimes buy things because our friends have them? 8. What qualities can we develop to help us influence the society around us rather than being influenced by it: Qualities like the one you listed above are some of those which our friend and his family worked hard to acquire throughout their lives. These qualities helped them play an active part in building the Kingdom of God on earth. Little by little, they became known in their community as trustworthy, honest, loyal and God-fearing, Throughout their lives they developed a pattern of giving generously and sacrificially to the Fund. They did not waste their money on unnecessary things. This does not mean that they did not value material comfort. They did. They tried always to improve the conditions of their lives. They worked and they prospered and, through their giving, their community began to prosper as well. This is the way Shoghi Effendi tells us we should be living our lives: a“We must be like the fountain or spring that is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant ing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good — this is the secret of 1 To help us understand giving, Shoghi Effendi tells us we should be like 2. A fountain is continually emptying itself of all that it has and is continually being refilled from an invisible source. What does this tell us about giving? 3. What does “undeterred” means? 4. If we are continually giving out, like a fountain, for the good of our fellow man, we should be: a b. 5. What is the “Source of all wealth and all good”? 6. What is the secret of right living? 7. How does giving relate to prosperity? f course, prosperity does not only refer to material bounties. It refers to spiritual bounties as well. We have seen this in the lives of our friends and his family. Their giving brought them true inner happiness. This happiness was manifested in the joyful way they lived their lives. There are some people who may think this family lived a boring life. They may even think that the family’s sacrifice made them severe, unhappy people. This is not true at all. They were very happy people. They enjoyed being with friends and entertaining. Their home was often a place where people gathered to share food and music with one another. As a family, they went to community festivals and culturai and sporting events. Sometimes, they actually helped to organize such events. These were especially joyous occasions for them, But they also were content just to be with one another in their warm and loving home. Their lives were full of joy. 28Section 10 To help us understand the true nature of happiness, let us study the following quotations: --human happiness consists only in drawing closer to the Threshold of Almighty God, and in securing the peace and well-being of every individual member, high and low alike, of the human race; and the supreme agencies for accomplishing these two objectives are the excellent qualities with which humanity has been endowed.” * Human happiness consists in: SSS 2 SSS ‘Whaat are the supreme agencies for drawing closer to the Threshold of Almighty God and securing the peace and well-being of every individual of the human race? SSS Name some of the excellent qualities with which humanity has been endowed: 2. “Senses and faculties have been bestowed upon us, to be devoted to the service of the general good; so that we, distinguished above all other forms of life for erceptiveness and reason, should labor at all times and along all lines, whether the occasion be great or small, ordinary or extraordinary, until all mankind are safely gathered into the impregnable stronghold of knowledge. We should continually be establishing new bases for human happiness and creating and promoting new instrumentalities toward this end.” a. Why have senses and faculties been bestowed upon us? How is mankind distinguished above all other forms of life? es ‘What does “impregnable” mean? What is “the impregnable stronghold of knowledge”?3. a. What brings honor and distinction to the individual? b. By what means does an individual become the cause of peace and well- being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? . Give an example of a service you have done for your community that has made you feel the described by Abdu’!-Baha in this quotation: MEMORIZE THESE QUOTATION “In truth, knowledge is a veritable treasure for man , and a source of glory, of bounty, of joy, of exaltation, of cheer and gladness unto him.” “That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race. The Great Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.” * “How happy for us that God has so decided that we may work together for the coming of the Kingdom!” °* Section 11 We now know that giving generously to the fund brings us happiness. And, as we saw in the case of our friend and his family, giving is one of the spiritual causes of prosperity. But, we should not be motivated to give simply by the bounties we receive from it. We should always remember that giving is a requirement of justice. Let us analyze this by going back to the story of our friend and his family. From early on in his life, our friend accepted the fact it was a requirement of justice to give. When he was young, he was poor; but he knew that there were others who were even poorer than himself. So, he gave from the few bounties he had. When he became better off, he felt that he 30should give more generously, because he knew that there were many other people who were more needy. He loved to give; but he also felt it was his responsibility to give. Later, as his blessings increased, this feeling became even stronger because he saw that he had to work for the transformation of society and the establishment of divine justice.” * “We ask God to endow human souls with justice so that they may be fair, and may strive to provide for the comfort of all, that each member of humanity may pass his life in the utmost comfort and welfare. Then this material world will become the very paradise of the Kingdom, this elemental earth will be in a heavenly state and all the servants of God will live in the utmost joy, happiness and gladness. We must all strive and concentrate all our thoughts in order that such happiness may accrue to the world of humanity, ” °° 1, Why are human souls endowed with justice? a. b. — 2. If human souls are fair and strive to provide for the comfort of all, how will each member of humanity pass his life? 3. When mankind becomes truly just... a. the material world will become b. the elemental world will be ¢. alll the servants of God will live iving a requirement of justice? Of course, our friend knew that he could give directly to the poor and he often did. When there were campaigns by various organizations to collect money to assist the needy or victims of natural disasters, he always gave. But our friend and his family were faced with the fact that, as there were so many needy people in the world, their contributions to charities could only help a few. So, they knew that this could never really be an answer to solving the question of poverty in the world. The well-being of all mankind, they knew, depended on the establishment of a just society. They could see that unless one builds justice, misery and poverty will always exist. So, for our friend and his family, contributing to the Fund has a special meaning. By contributing to the Fund, they Knew that they were contributing to the establishment of the World order of 31Bahd’u'Ildh. This is the only way to truly transform human society and remove the injustices that have so long afflicted the world. “,..our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of Bahé’w'lléh — Divine in origin ~ that the world can be gotten on its feet and want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated.” *” 1. What is the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind? 2. How will injustice such as want, fear, hunger and war be eliminated? 3. Since it is only through the System of Baha'u'llah that the world can be gotten on its feet and want, fear, hunger and war be eliminated, what is the surest way for us to help establish justice on the earth? So, let us each remember that when we give to the fund, we are upholding justice. Now, memorize these two quotations. “We hope that thou wilt cause the light of justice to shine more brightly. By the righteousness of God! Justice is a powerful force. It is, above all else, the conqueror of the citadels of the hearts and souls of men, and the revealer of the secrets of the world of being, and the standard-bearer of love and bounty.” * “O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behoveth thee to be. Verily justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving- kindness. Set it then before thine eyes.” ” 2References 1. ‘Abdu'l-Bahd in London: Addresses, and Notes of Conversations (London: Baha’ Publishing Trust, 1987), 19. 2. The World Order of Bahd'u'lldh: Selected Letters (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), p.19, 3. Baha'i Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932 (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1974), p, 52. 4. Wellspring of Guidance: Messages 1963-1968 (Wilmette: Bahé’{ Publishing Trust, 1976) , p. 37. 5. Ibid., pp. 37-38. 6. Ibid, p. 38. 7. Ibid., pp. 38-39 8. Ibid., p. 19. 9. Messages from the’ Universal House of Justice, 1968-1973 (Wilmette: Bahd’i Publishing Trust, 1976), p. 59. 10. Baha'i Administration, pp. 41-42. 11. Wellspring of Guidance, p. 19. 12, Bahd't Prayers: A Selection of Prayers Revealed by Bahd'w'lldh, the Bab, ‘Abdu'l- Bahé (Wilmette: Bahd’i Publishing Trust, 1985), p. 84. 13, Wellspring of Guidance, p. 19. 14, Baha'i Administration, p. 101. 15. Ibid, p.101 16, Later dated 26 October 1945 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in Lifeblood of the Cause, a compilation issued by the Universal House of Justice (London: Bahd’i Publishing Trust, 1975), p. 12. 17. Ibid, p. 12. 18, Baha'i Administration, p. 41. 19, Ibid., p. 41. 20. Letter dated 29 September 1951 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in Lifeblood of the Cause, p. 13. 21. Bahé'i Administration, pp. 41-42. 22. “United States Baha'i News”, No. 59, February 1932, p. 3. 23. Letter dated 12 July 1938 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in Lifeblood of the Cause, p.17. 24. Tablets of ‘Abdu'l-Bahé ‘Abbds vol. 2 (Chicago: Baha'i Publishing Committee, 1930 printing), pp.354-55, 25. The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu'l-Bahé during His visit to the United States and Canada in 1912 rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahd’i Publishing Trust, 1982), 148, 26. Gleanings from the Writings of Bahé'w’lléh (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1983), pp. 196-97. 27 Letter dated 18 December 1963 from the Universal House of Justice to the Baha'is of East and West, published in Homby, Helen, comp., Lights of Guidance: A Bahd't Reference File, rev. ed. (New Delhi: Bahé’ Publishing Trust, 1983), p.95. 3328. Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, published in “Baha'i Procedure”, 1942 edition, pp. 8-9, cited in Lifeblood of the Cause, p. 12. 29. The Secret of Divine Civilization (Wilmette: Bahé?i Publishing Trust, 1990)., p. 60. 30. Ibid, pp. 3-4. 31. Ibid, p. 4. 32. Ibid, pp. 2-3. 33. Tablets of Bahd'w'lldh Revealed after the Kitéb-i-Aqdas (Wilmette: Baha’ Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 52. 34. Ibid, p. 167. 35. Paris Talks: Addresses given by ‘Abdu'l-Bahé in Paris in 1911-1912 (London: Bahai Publishing Trust, 1979), p. 40. 36. Foundations of World Unity (Wilmette: Baha’ Publishing Trust, 1945), p. 43. 37. Letter dated 8 December 1947 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, cited in Lifeblood of the Cause, p. 13. 38. Epistle to the Son of the Wolf (Wilmette: Bahé’ Publishing Trust, 1988), p. 32. 39. The Hidden Words (Wilmette: Baha’ Publishing Trust, 1990), pp. 3-4, Arabic No. 2. 4