Book 7, Walking Together on a Path of Service. The last book in the first series of books in the Ruhi curriculum. This is the one that ends the look at the individual and their path of service. I mean, that's not quite true. The later books do, also, but this is the one that really finishes this grouping. The next one deal more with the community as a body and society as a whole.
Here we get a better idea of how to assist others in their path of service through tutoring the previous books in the sequence.
And 7:1 really helps us maintain this humble posture of learning.
It helps us look at the various qualities we need to be a more effective tutor, and understand that our true value in tutoring comes not from ourselves, but from our ability to help reflect the light of God. It also comes from our ability to help others reflect this light. We look at the capacity of those in our study circles, and really take our joy in watching them grow and develop in their service. We look at the the attributes they are showing, such as love, the appropriate fear of God (true fear, that mild discomfort, not terror), hope, that longing to act continually and constantly, their awareness of true sacrifice, and most of all, joy. We watch as their joy grows greater and greater.
From there, we move into 7:2 and actually begin the act of tutoring others. We explore our motivations to do this, as well as the motivation of those whom we will be accompanying. We look at the concept of understanding and its relationship to motivation. We examine the various aspects of a study circle that are conducive to making the most joyous learning space possible, such as the beauty of the place and the loving atmosphere created. We even discuss things like how we understand our role as a tutor, and the pacing of the group. We see a greater connection between the working with adults in this setting and the teaching of children in a children's class. Now we have a far better understanding of how Books 3 and 5 were preparatory for tutoring.
It is only after exploring all these aspects of the study circle in brief, and really becoming more aware of our role as a tutor who accompanies others on their path, that we go into the books. Each section from 7:2:12 - 7:2:17 look at just a bit of the book, just a small component that helps us gain a greater appreciation of this series. They help us focus on the greater themes of the book by consciously being aware of them, and allowing us that greater ability to keep the group focused on them, too.
Then, after this brief glance, we look at the nature of the study circle itself. What is its purpose? How does it operate? What is the role of the tutor? How do the tutors grow and develop in their capacities? What is this tutor gathering they are talking about? (I don't know about you, but I still rarely see tutor gatherings. They seem to get confused for reflection meetings in many communities, even though they are very different. But hey, we're still learning as a community. That's ok.) What is the impact of the institute on the individual, the institutions and the community?
All of this discussion, which tends to be both highly enthusiastic and encouraging, helps us gain a greater appreciation of the dynamics of the study circle and how it contributes to the moral and spiritual empowerment of the participants.
It's truly wonderful. And I've only given the briefest of overviews here.
But wait a second! What about 7:3? After all of this, what on earth can be left for 7:3?
The arts.
Do you recall from your own studies that every study circle is to have an arts or craft component? There is a great wisdom in this, even though so many of the study circles have skipped it due to lack of time.
When we think about community, what is it that helps bind a community together? Well, one thing is its sense of being part of a culture. And what defines that culture? One thing, a major component, is the arts. Many of the study circles I've been in, when looking at this section focus on the "how" of the arts, but I think it's real importance is in the "why" of them.
In this unit we begin our exploration into the breadth and purpose of the arts, the importance of harmony, and our natural attraction to beauty. This latter finds its highest expression, of course, in our attraction to the Blessed Beauty.
We also explore some of the types of arts found in cultures all over the world, whether its music or story telling, drama or crafts. We learn a little bit about the importance of promoting the arts as a way and means of promoting community and culture.
We also, through this, begin to get a reminder that there is far more to the arts out there than we would see through the mass media. (You don't need to be highly polished and perfect in your craft to get enjoyment out of it.) And we are also reminded that each and every culture out there contributes its share to the global arts scene.
What a way to end this sequence. Wow.
Oh, but wait a second. We've noticed that every final section in each and every book has led us on to the next book in the sequence. Is this book somehow an exception?
Of course not.
This leads us right into Book 8 and the universal nature of Baha'u'llah's Covenant. But more on that later.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Friday, November 10, 2017
A Broad Outline for Ruhi 6
Teaching the Cause. Ruhi Book 6.
It seems to me that a number of years ago a lot of the friends went from Book 1 to Book 6, sometimes visiting Book 2 along the way. And at that time, many of us missed doing the practices, and then wondered why we weren't seeing these wonderful changes in our culture that we were expecting.
Well, as you know, dear Reader, without a change in our behaviour, the rest is immaterial.
Going from Book 1 to Book 6 was, as regards to the practices, just too big a leap for most of us. We honestly had little to no clue what designing and implementing our own personal teaching plan meant. And besides, most of our communities didn't have a teaching campaign in place that we could join.
No. We really needed to start with the basic practices of studying a prayer with a friend, and then presenting some simple concepts to them through the talks in Book 2. We needed to begin to understand what it meant to tell a story in an effective manner, through our practice of Book 4. And getting a working understanding of what it meant to work with children and junior youth really gave us the grounding for working with adults, who often act in childish manners.
Once we had these basics down, and had the wonderful experience of having our tutors walking with us on our own personal path of service, accompanying us through our difficulties, and rejoicing in our victories, then we had a far better understanding of the greater dynamics of truly teaching the Cause, instead of merely mentioning the name of the Faith to someone as we quickly passed by them on the trail.
So, Book 6. The first unit, 6:1, talks about the significance of teaching, and the importance of both "being" and "doing". They remind us that there are certain things that we have to do in our life, and that we don't need to shy away from something that is a "duty". It's like food, to me. I could, if I wanted, lament the fact that I have to eat, and do all that I can to avoid this onerous duty. Or, if I prefer, I could take joy in the cooking process, preparing foods that I love, researching the ones that are healthy, and savoring each and every meal, sharing it with friends and family.
They go on to really drive home the spiritual pieces that we need to develop in ourselves in order to be more effective teachers of the Cause. After all, I may be wrong, but I don't think anyone is going to want to listen to what I have to say about the love of God when I'm moping and miserable. No. They talk about how our own spiritual state directly affects our effectiveness. (I can't believe I got those two words in their correct position in that previous sentence.) But they also remind us that all success in this arena comes from God.
And what is meant by success? Declarations? Not necessarily. Success is found in the sharing of these ideas, hopefully to someone who is open to hearing about them. Success is found in watching as these ideas latent within the Word of God take root, both within others and within ourselves, and begin to grow in the hearts. Success is found in witnessing this transformative process continually taking place in our lives.
That is part of the spiritual nature of this process of teaching.
6:2 goes further into this. They focus specifically on the qualities and attitudes of the teacher, so much so that they've even called the unit that. It is a time to not only look at these various qualities, but to also identify the implications of each of them. It gives us the opportunity to really look at how each and every one of the qualities and attitudes, whether it is purity, selflessness, courage, wisdom, or any of the other myriad attributes they look at, affect our teaching work.
They remind us of the importance of that posture of learning, taking simple steps of action, and then reflecting on the actual experience we have jut had. We are reminded that there is no singular method, but that we must continually look at our situation and decide upon the appropriate method for any given moment. And we are encouraged to consult with others. After all, it is a community based on the sacred Word that we are trying to build. If we are to teach by example, then being part of an integrated community is part of that example.
And all this leads us right into 6:3.
Now, this is a good time to remember a bit about what we have already learned in Book 2. Remember those simple presentations in Book 2? We learned a little bit about presenting a simple topic, usually no more than a dozen lines. Here we go into a bit more depth, with Anna's presentation.
Aside: Anna's presentation caused a lot of problems for a lot of people a few years back. I remember so many of us going door to door, meeting people for the first time, and trying to get through all of this presentation, which our friends had so thoughtfully printed in a little booklet for us.
Why?
We looked at the talks, but forgot to look at what was around them.
Anna and Emilia (remember Emilia?) are friends. They have had many conversations, as evidenced in 6:3:7, where the presentation begins "From our previous conversations..." In later sections we will see that they have other conversations in the midst of all of this presentation. Anna regularly checks with Emilia to make sure it's ok to continue.
But most of all, to me, Emilia likes the logical way in which Anna presents all this stuff.
Why is this important to me?
Simple. I know what I'm talking about, so I have no trouble following it. Others don't. That is why they go into detail about understanding the concepts we are sharing, in 6:3:4. This becomes our outline, ensuring that we keep the presentation on topic, and simple, adding in information and details as necessary. It keeps us from making those frenzied hour-long talks in which we try to get in as much information as we can, force feeding it to our audience, out of fear that we may never be able to talk to them again about the Faith, and thereby ensuring that will likely run away if we ever try to approach them about the Faith again.
By looking at the concepts, we can see the outline of Anna's presentation, and see just how logical it is. She begins with recognizing that Faith is continual, and that God is essentially unknowable. From there, she points out that we do, however, know that God loves us, since He sent us Messengers, leading into the Eternal Covenant. From there, she goes into Baha'u'llah, as the latest step in this eternal and progressive Revelation from God to humanity.
And that's the first part. That's it. A wonderful place to pause.
Next she talks about unity and diversity, which just makes sense as unity is the pivot around which all of Baha'u'llah's teachings revolve.
The third talk is more about Baha'u'llah, and the fourth is about the Bab. The next little talk introduces the wonderful figure of 'Abdu'l-Baha. You see the progression?
After this she talks a bit about the laws of the Faith, and then the concept of community, inviting her to join it, if she wishes.
When you outline it, this talk just makes sense. And you will notice that it's a very different order of presentations to those that were given in Book 2. one of my favorite exercises is to take all three outlines, 2:2, 2:3 and 6:3, and look at different types of people. Which of these outlines would you use for an atheist? How about a born-again Christian? What about a new mother? Since we now have three outlines to look at, we can be more discerning in which one we would use at any given moment.
This is, in a sense, the beginning of a coherent teaching plan. We identify our contacts, and make a note of their perspective and interests. From there, we can choose the most effective approach.
Once we understand our own basic personal teaching plan, we can then integrate our plans together into a more comprehensive community teaching plan.
As we learn to reflect on our own teaching work, we can begin to get a better idea of receptive populations. For example, if I have a dozen people that I am teaching, and other community members do, too, we may discover that I have one contact from a particular community, and so does everyone else. I won't think of them as a receptive population, but someone who is looking at all the teaching plans, who is in contact with all the teachers, may recognize this trend. And they may be in a position to help us see this, thereby focusing our attention on this receptive group.
And finally, once we've identified a group that is receptive, we need to work systematically to effectively teach this population. The last few sections deal with this. What does a teaching campaign look like? What are the nitty grity details of the day to day aspects of the campaign? Well, this is where we draw on the experience of other communities, and learn from them. They conclude with just a little bit about how the training institute plays a part in this teaching campaign, and that, dear Reader, leads us into Book 7, where we help to fulfill the need for more tutors to offer Book 1 to all those who express interest through this campaign in which we have just engaged.
It seems to me that a number of years ago a lot of the friends went from Book 1 to Book 6, sometimes visiting Book 2 along the way. And at that time, many of us missed doing the practices, and then wondered why we weren't seeing these wonderful changes in our culture that we were expecting.
Well, as you know, dear Reader, without a change in our behaviour, the rest is immaterial.
Going from Book 1 to Book 6 was, as regards to the practices, just too big a leap for most of us. We honestly had little to no clue what designing and implementing our own personal teaching plan meant. And besides, most of our communities didn't have a teaching campaign in place that we could join.
No. We really needed to start with the basic practices of studying a prayer with a friend, and then presenting some simple concepts to them through the talks in Book 2. We needed to begin to understand what it meant to tell a story in an effective manner, through our practice of Book 4. And getting a working understanding of what it meant to work with children and junior youth really gave us the grounding for working with adults, who often act in childish manners.
Once we had these basics down, and had the wonderful experience of having our tutors walking with us on our own personal path of service, accompanying us through our difficulties, and rejoicing in our victories, then we had a far better understanding of the greater dynamics of truly teaching the Cause, instead of merely mentioning the name of the Faith to someone as we quickly passed by them on the trail.
So, Book 6. The first unit, 6:1, talks about the significance of teaching, and the importance of both "being" and "doing". They remind us that there are certain things that we have to do in our life, and that we don't need to shy away from something that is a "duty". It's like food, to me. I could, if I wanted, lament the fact that I have to eat, and do all that I can to avoid this onerous duty. Or, if I prefer, I could take joy in the cooking process, preparing foods that I love, researching the ones that are healthy, and savoring each and every meal, sharing it with friends and family.
They go on to really drive home the spiritual pieces that we need to develop in ourselves in order to be more effective teachers of the Cause. After all, I may be wrong, but I don't think anyone is going to want to listen to what I have to say about the love of God when I'm moping and miserable. No. They talk about how our own spiritual state directly affects our effectiveness. (I can't believe I got those two words in their correct position in that previous sentence.) But they also remind us that all success in this arena comes from God.
And what is meant by success? Declarations? Not necessarily. Success is found in the sharing of these ideas, hopefully to someone who is open to hearing about them. Success is found in watching as these ideas latent within the Word of God take root, both within others and within ourselves, and begin to grow in the hearts. Success is found in witnessing this transformative process continually taking place in our lives.
That is part of the spiritual nature of this process of teaching.
6:2 goes further into this. They focus specifically on the qualities and attitudes of the teacher, so much so that they've even called the unit that. It is a time to not only look at these various qualities, but to also identify the implications of each of them. It gives us the opportunity to really look at how each and every one of the qualities and attitudes, whether it is purity, selflessness, courage, wisdom, or any of the other myriad attributes they look at, affect our teaching work.
They remind us of the importance of that posture of learning, taking simple steps of action, and then reflecting on the actual experience we have jut had. We are reminded that there is no singular method, but that we must continually look at our situation and decide upon the appropriate method for any given moment. And we are encouraged to consult with others. After all, it is a community based on the sacred Word that we are trying to build. If we are to teach by example, then being part of an integrated community is part of that example.
And all this leads us right into 6:3.
Now, this is a good time to remember a bit about what we have already learned in Book 2. Remember those simple presentations in Book 2? We learned a little bit about presenting a simple topic, usually no more than a dozen lines. Here we go into a bit more depth, with Anna's presentation.
Aside: Anna's presentation caused a lot of problems for a lot of people a few years back. I remember so many of us going door to door, meeting people for the first time, and trying to get through all of this presentation, which our friends had so thoughtfully printed in a little booklet for us.
Why?
We looked at the talks, but forgot to look at what was around them.
Anna and Emilia (remember Emilia?) are friends. They have had many conversations, as evidenced in 6:3:7, where the presentation begins "From our previous conversations..." In later sections we will see that they have other conversations in the midst of all of this presentation. Anna regularly checks with Emilia to make sure it's ok to continue.
But most of all, to me, Emilia likes the logical way in which Anna presents all this stuff.
Why is this important to me?
Simple. I know what I'm talking about, so I have no trouble following it. Others don't. That is why they go into detail about understanding the concepts we are sharing, in 6:3:4. This becomes our outline, ensuring that we keep the presentation on topic, and simple, adding in information and details as necessary. It keeps us from making those frenzied hour-long talks in which we try to get in as much information as we can, force feeding it to our audience, out of fear that we may never be able to talk to them again about the Faith, and thereby ensuring that will likely run away if we ever try to approach them about the Faith again.
By looking at the concepts, we can see the outline of Anna's presentation, and see just how logical it is. She begins with recognizing that Faith is continual, and that God is essentially unknowable. From there, she points out that we do, however, know that God loves us, since He sent us Messengers, leading into the Eternal Covenant. From there, she goes into Baha'u'llah, as the latest step in this eternal and progressive Revelation from God to humanity.
And that's the first part. That's it. A wonderful place to pause.
Next she talks about unity and diversity, which just makes sense as unity is the pivot around which all of Baha'u'llah's teachings revolve.
The third talk is more about Baha'u'llah, and the fourth is about the Bab. The next little talk introduces the wonderful figure of 'Abdu'l-Baha. You see the progression?
After this she talks a bit about the laws of the Faith, and then the concept of community, inviting her to join it, if she wishes.
When you outline it, this talk just makes sense. And you will notice that it's a very different order of presentations to those that were given in Book 2. one of my favorite exercises is to take all three outlines, 2:2, 2:3 and 6:3, and look at different types of people. Which of these outlines would you use for an atheist? How about a born-again Christian? What about a new mother? Since we now have three outlines to look at, we can be more discerning in which one we would use at any given moment.
This is, in a sense, the beginning of a coherent teaching plan. We identify our contacts, and make a note of their perspective and interests. From there, we can choose the most effective approach.
Once we understand our own basic personal teaching plan, we can then integrate our plans together into a more comprehensive community teaching plan.
As we learn to reflect on our own teaching work, we can begin to get a better idea of receptive populations. For example, if I have a dozen people that I am teaching, and other community members do, too, we may discover that I have one contact from a particular community, and so does everyone else. I won't think of them as a receptive population, but someone who is looking at all the teaching plans, who is in contact with all the teachers, may recognize this trend. And they may be in a position to help us see this, thereby focusing our attention on this receptive group.
And finally, once we've identified a group that is receptive, we need to work systematically to effectively teach this population. The last few sections deal with this. What does a teaching campaign look like? What are the nitty grity details of the day to day aspects of the campaign? Well, this is where we draw on the experience of other communities, and learn from them. They conclude with just a little bit about how the training institute plays a part in this teaching campaign, and that, dear Reader, leads us into Book 7, where we help to fulfill the need for more tutors to offer Book 1 to all those who express interest through this campaign in which we have just engaged.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
A Broad Outline for Ruhi 5
Junior Youth. An entire book about working with junior youth, that "special group with special needs" who require "(c)reative attention...that will engage their interests, mold their capacities for teaching and service, and involve them in social interaction with older youth."
Now, before I look at the book, I just want to offer a bit of a rant, you know, because I can. It's "junior" youth. Not "pre" youth. "Pre" youth would mean that they are too young to be young. They are youth. I mean, we all know they're not quite in the same category as children anymore, for they are developing in ways that children haven't yet, but they are at the younger end of the youth category. Once things settle down in their bodies a bit, and they have begun to adapt to their new powers of both perception and reflection, then they are more distinctly youth. But for now, they are junior youth. And this group of not-quite-little humans is not based solely on age. That is why the Universal House of Justice said that they were "say, between the ages of 12 and 15". It's a rough guesstimate. It all depends on when their particular body begins changing. After all, their very brains are being re-wired. So please, don't stick your 10 year-old in a junior youth group unless they've already begun this very significant change within. I mean, unless there is nothing else for them. But please, parents, honour their own pace of development and don't get on some sort of ego-thing and say, "Oh, but mt child is special." It's not about you. It's about them, and their moving into awareness of the world around them, as dictated by their own individual body.
Ok. Rant over. Sorry about that. I'm just tired of seeing these junior youth groups that are actually being held back in their extremely important discussions by the presence of children, who are quite wonderful, but better suited to children's classes.
Oh, and for point of reference, at the time of this writing, my own son is 12. We were asked by some members of our community to put him in a JY program, but recognized that he wasn't ready for it yet. I mean, sure, maybe he was mentally capable of following the discussion, but really, the depth of questions dealt with in the interpersonal stuff was quite beyond him until very recently. Now, the questions he is asking my wife and I, and his own observations of the world around him are amply demonstrating that he is ready for the JY groups.
On to Book 5, Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth.
5:1, as you can imagine, sets the vision. But let's be clear, the vision is that of junior youth. We look at our vision for the group itself, as well as a healthy vision of youth. They make a clear distinction between how society. in general, sees them, and how we do. We see this age group as filled with such potential as to change the whole world. We recognize that they want to address injustices and help serve humanity. We see our role as helping them achieve that noble goal.
But 5:1 doesn't stop there. They also remind us that the transformation of the individual is not fully possible, nor complete, without the transformation of society, too. The vision of youth that they give us helps us gain a greater vision of the civilization of the future towards which we are all working.
When we get to unit 5:2, they go into more specific detail about the the training of junior youth, and add in a few warnings. They begin by talking about the actual changes that are occurring within the individual, and how they can be affected by those around them. They remind us of the dangers of the ego, and how we need to be careful to train the individual to rise to the heights of self-sacrifice and service to humanity, without giving rise to the ego. They also talk about various spiritual issues such as the concept of crisis and victory, and how that plays out in the individual. They talk about the effects of the social environment on the youth, and how we can help them to counteract the detrimental effects that it may have. But then, towards the end of the unit, they go into actual stories of real youth. They allow us to explore the motivations in these stories and help discover those "gems of inestimable value" that were described in Book 3. They conclude the unit with a reminder of our role, as animators, in the group.
5:3 deals with the actual books of the Junior Youth groups. They take a few excerpts from each book, and then add in a few relevant quotes from the Writings to help us explore some of the main themes in each of them. I could go into details here, but really, the unit is self-explanatory. A few exercises to help us maintain focus, and a few examples so that were familiar with the texts.
It's a remarkable book, dealing with a remarkable time in someone's life. And as we are all aware, it is this group that seems to be the key, in most communities, to helping open up the greater community to beauty of the Faith.
Now, before I look at the book, I just want to offer a bit of a rant, you know, because I can. It's "junior" youth. Not "pre" youth. "Pre" youth would mean that they are too young to be young. They are youth. I mean, we all know they're not quite in the same category as children anymore, for they are developing in ways that children haven't yet, but they are at the younger end of the youth category. Once things settle down in their bodies a bit, and they have begun to adapt to their new powers of both perception and reflection, then they are more distinctly youth. But for now, they are junior youth. And this group of not-quite-little humans is not based solely on age. That is why the Universal House of Justice said that they were "say, between the ages of 12 and 15". It's a rough guesstimate. It all depends on when their particular body begins changing. After all, their very brains are being re-wired. So please, don't stick your 10 year-old in a junior youth group unless they've already begun this very significant change within. I mean, unless there is nothing else for them. But please, parents, honour their own pace of development and don't get on some sort of ego-thing and say, "Oh, but mt child is special." It's not about you. It's about them, and their moving into awareness of the world around them, as dictated by their own individual body.
Ok. Rant over. Sorry about that. I'm just tired of seeing these junior youth groups that are actually being held back in their extremely important discussions by the presence of children, who are quite wonderful, but better suited to children's classes.
Oh, and for point of reference, at the time of this writing, my own son is 12. We were asked by some members of our community to put him in a JY program, but recognized that he wasn't ready for it yet. I mean, sure, maybe he was mentally capable of following the discussion, but really, the depth of questions dealt with in the interpersonal stuff was quite beyond him until very recently. Now, the questions he is asking my wife and I, and his own observations of the world around him are amply demonstrating that he is ready for the JY groups.
On to Book 5, Releasing the Powers of Junior Youth.
5:1, as you can imagine, sets the vision. But let's be clear, the vision is that of junior youth. We look at our vision for the group itself, as well as a healthy vision of youth. They make a clear distinction between how society. in general, sees them, and how we do. We see this age group as filled with such potential as to change the whole world. We recognize that they want to address injustices and help serve humanity. We see our role as helping them achieve that noble goal.
But 5:1 doesn't stop there. They also remind us that the transformation of the individual is not fully possible, nor complete, without the transformation of society, too. The vision of youth that they give us helps us gain a greater vision of the civilization of the future towards which we are all working.
When we get to unit 5:2, they go into more specific detail about the the training of junior youth, and add in a few warnings. They begin by talking about the actual changes that are occurring within the individual, and how they can be affected by those around them. They remind us of the dangers of the ego, and how we need to be careful to train the individual to rise to the heights of self-sacrifice and service to humanity, without giving rise to the ego. They also talk about various spiritual issues such as the concept of crisis and victory, and how that plays out in the individual. They talk about the effects of the social environment on the youth, and how we can help them to counteract the detrimental effects that it may have. But then, towards the end of the unit, they go into actual stories of real youth. They allow us to explore the motivations in these stories and help discover those "gems of inestimable value" that were described in Book 3. They conclude the unit with a reminder of our role, as animators, in the group.
5:3 deals with the actual books of the Junior Youth groups. They take a few excerpts from each book, and then add in a few relevant quotes from the Writings to help us explore some of the main themes in each of them. I could go into details here, but really, the unit is self-explanatory. A few exercises to help us maintain focus, and a few examples so that were familiar with the texts.
It's a remarkable book, dealing with a remarkable time in someone's life. And as we are all aware, it is this group that seems to be the key, in most communities, to helping open up the greater community to beauty of the Faith.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
A Broad Outline for Ruhi 4
Well, here we are: Ruhi Book 4, The Twin Manifestations. One of my favorites. Why? Because I'm a huge fan of storytelling.
Now, it's worth mentioning here that there is a good reason for this to follow Book 3, and not just because the parents are likely to ask you questions about the Twin Manifestations. No. I think it's because in Book 2 you learned a little bit about presenting a simple topic to someone. In Book 3 we had the experience of telling a simple story to children. Now we can further develop this skill through the more complex stories found in this book.
As you know, 4:1 talks about the greatness of this day, which is why it's called "The Greatness of this Day". Or maybe that's just the title of this unit, which is why it's called that. Who knows?
Anyways, it's a very interesting unit because it gives us a great perspective of what is happening in the world right now. I mean, just look at 4:1:1 and the basic outline of the 4 questions. The first is the vision of where we are heading. The second question deals with the obstacles in our way, while the third one talks about the methods of obstruction that are being used. The fourth question gives us hope, a reminder of the victories that have always occurred.
From there, after we are reminded of what is happening, they go into the signs of His Revelation, and a little bit about what we can do to help act on this great vision. We are reminded to cheer the downcast, and consider why some people have not recognized Baha'u'llah. We look a bit at the effect that study the Word of God has on our life, and reminded of the nature of the battle in which we are engaged. Finally, the urgency of the situation is called to our attention.
Once we have this clearer vision of the world today, both the trials and triumphs that await, we look back at the story of the Bab's life. It doesn't go into great detail, but gives us the skeleton of the story on which we can build more and more of the details as we become more familiar with it. It's a story of great drama, and we are asked to gain an appreciation of the potency of His life. But in the end, it's a very simple and straightforward telling of this story.
When we move on to the unit about Baha'u'llah's life, things get a bit more complex. You see, dear Reader, in this curriculum we always start with the simple and build complexity as we go. It is worth noting that 4:3 alternates sections. The odd numbered section deal with the biographical aspect of it, while the even numbered sections focus on some other aspect of the story. For example, 4:3:1 tells a few stories of His childhood, while 4:3:2 deals with the question of innate versus acquired knowledge. 4:3:3 talks about His declaration as a follower of the Bab, while the next section talks about the Bab's promises regarding "Him Whom God shall make manifest".
Every pair of section in 4:3 go back and forth between a bit of His life and some spiritual aspect related to that story. It helps us see the connections between these stories and the spiritual themes that abound. It helps us remember that when we are telling a story we can always add in some aspect of the teachings that arise from that story.
4:3:5 talks about His arising as a Babi, and 4:3:6 talks a little bit about the issue of teaching the Cause. Stories of the martyrs are followed by a section on His serenity and calmness. (I just mis-typed that as clam-ness, which gives a very different perspective, and not one that is accurate, so I fixed. I mean, really? Clam-ness? I can't even begin to think what that would imply. After all, He would obviously be more like an oyster, having given birth to that priceless pearl. )
What I love about this is that we can easily see how these stories relate to today. And this allows us to work backwards, too. We can look at some issue that a friend is dealing with, and we can now more easily relate it to a story from His life. We should not underestimate the effect of this. I remember a talk from a Counsellor years ago, and they made the comment that every Christian know the story from Easter to Christmas, and everything in between, while the Baha'is know the social principles.
Stories are what touch people's hearts.
We, as humanity, have known this for thousands of years. We collectively grew up with these stories around the campfire. And if we can learn to tell these stories of Baha'u'llah with a degree of accuracy, the proper amount of detail for our audience (don't bore them to tears with too much info), and connect them to our audience's life, then we will touch them far more deeply, allowing the potent and transformative Word of God to have an even greater effect on their hearts.
Now, it's worth mentioning here that there is a good reason for this to follow Book 3, and not just because the parents are likely to ask you questions about the Twin Manifestations. No. I think it's because in Book 2 you learned a little bit about presenting a simple topic to someone. In Book 3 we had the experience of telling a simple story to children. Now we can further develop this skill through the more complex stories found in this book.
As you know, 4:1 talks about the greatness of this day, which is why it's called "The Greatness of this Day". Or maybe that's just the title of this unit, which is why it's called that. Who knows?
Anyways, it's a very interesting unit because it gives us a great perspective of what is happening in the world right now. I mean, just look at 4:1:1 and the basic outline of the 4 questions. The first is the vision of where we are heading. The second question deals with the obstacles in our way, while the third one talks about the methods of obstruction that are being used. The fourth question gives us hope, a reminder of the victories that have always occurred.
From there, after we are reminded of what is happening, they go into the signs of His Revelation, and a little bit about what we can do to help act on this great vision. We are reminded to cheer the downcast, and consider why some people have not recognized Baha'u'llah. We look a bit at the effect that study the Word of God has on our life, and reminded of the nature of the battle in which we are engaged. Finally, the urgency of the situation is called to our attention.
Once we have this clearer vision of the world today, both the trials and triumphs that await, we look back at the story of the Bab's life. It doesn't go into great detail, but gives us the skeleton of the story on which we can build more and more of the details as we become more familiar with it. It's a story of great drama, and we are asked to gain an appreciation of the potency of His life. But in the end, it's a very simple and straightforward telling of this story.
When we move on to the unit about Baha'u'llah's life, things get a bit more complex. You see, dear Reader, in this curriculum we always start with the simple and build complexity as we go. It is worth noting that 4:3 alternates sections. The odd numbered section deal with the biographical aspect of it, while the even numbered sections focus on some other aspect of the story. For example, 4:3:1 tells a few stories of His childhood, while 4:3:2 deals with the question of innate versus acquired knowledge. 4:3:3 talks about His declaration as a follower of the Bab, while the next section talks about the Bab's promises regarding "Him Whom God shall make manifest".
Every pair of section in 4:3 go back and forth between a bit of His life and some spiritual aspect related to that story. It helps us see the connections between these stories and the spiritual themes that abound. It helps us remember that when we are telling a story we can always add in some aspect of the teachings that arise from that story.
4:3:5 talks about His arising as a Babi, and 4:3:6 talks a little bit about the issue of teaching the Cause. Stories of the martyrs are followed by a section on His serenity and calmness. (I just mis-typed that as clam-ness, which gives a very different perspective, and not one that is accurate, so I fixed. I mean, really? Clam-ness? I can't even begin to think what that would imply. After all, He would obviously be more like an oyster, having given birth to that priceless pearl. )
What I love about this is that we can easily see how these stories relate to today. And this allows us to work backwards, too. We can look at some issue that a friend is dealing with, and we can now more easily relate it to a story from His life. We should not underestimate the effect of this. I remember a talk from a Counsellor years ago, and they made the comment that every Christian know the story from Easter to Christmas, and everything in between, while the Baha'is know the social principles.
Stories are what touch people's hearts.
We, as humanity, have known this for thousands of years. We collectively grew up with these stories around the campfire. And if we can learn to tell these stories of Baha'u'llah with a degree of accuracy, the proper amount of detail for our audience (don't bore them to tears with too much info), and connect them to our audience's life, then we will touch them far more deeply, allowing the potent and transformative Word of God to have an even greater effect on their hearts.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
A Broad Outline for Ruhi 3
Sure, sure. Of course they have a good outline for Books 1 and 2, but what about 3? Well, I'm glad you asked, dear Reader, for that's what I want to look at today. (All right, I know you didn't really ask that, but it's early and I'm tired. I still want to get this out today, and I can't think of a snappy way to begin, so there you go.)
First, before we look at Book 3, take a look at the last theme in Book 2: Universal Education. You see how they naturally lead us straight into this book? This is such a great demonstration of coherency, where everything naturally follows upon what came before.
Given that, it is such a simple and logical step from Book 2 to Book 3. Universal education? Sure, let's look at that in Book 3.
But where to begin? Well, simply put, they begin with the basic principles of education. For most teachers, this would mean things like class curriculum an focusing on course outlines and lesson plans. Not these guys. Their first order of business is the people, the children themselves, as well as the attitude of the teacher. You see, people come first. If you discuss the curriculum first, then you are placing the information above the people, and the people are now irrelevant to what you are teaching.
They begin with praise for the teacher, the encouragement that is needed to undertake such a task. They remind the teacher of the great station to which they are striving to arise, and remind them to "offer praise with each breath" for being given the bounty of being able to offer such a service.
From there, in 3:1:2, they offer a glimpse of the experience of teaching, and how each child will become precious to you in their own unique way. They go on, in 3:1:3 and 4, to help ensure that we have a healthy vision of the children. They are not empty cups to be tediously filled a drop at a time, but rather are like mines rich with priceless gems just waiting for someone to take the time to uncover their great treasures.
For the rest of the unit they go on about various attributes of the teacher / child relationship. Look at their potential, and lovingly help them to develop it. At the same time, remember to develop your own spiritual qualities. You both need to be aware of the many bounties you receive in your life. There are many such attributes that are being cultivated, and they are just helping us be aware that we should be conscious of what we are doing.
By the time we get to 3:1:13 we are ready for some examples of what might occur in a class, and how we can be prepared to respond.
Once we do this, we move on to unit 2, the actual lessons for grade 1. Of course, they don't actually begin the unit with the lessons. No, they begin with a little bit of a discussion about how the lesson plans are constructed, and why they may be constructed in that manner. They talk about the various components of the lessons, and why each part is important. They also remind us, at the very beginning, 3:2:1, that teaching is beautiful blending of both the sciences and the arts, and will "be gradually learned through study and experience."
Naturally, the first thing they talk about in regards to the curriculum itself is the Writings. Start simple. Explain any words that may be difficult for them. Give examples of the quote in action. It's all like what they did in 1:1 for the adults who were just beginning to look at the Writings.
Once they understand the quote, the next step is to memorize it, 3:2:3. From there, they go on to songs and then storytelling. Right after memorization comes the arts. And this basic level of storytelling follows our simple presentations from Book 2. In Book 2 we explained a simple concept. Now we move on to the more difficult skill of telling an actual story. But these stories are simple, and an easy place to begin. And our audience is the most forgiving audience we will ever encounter, children.
After the story comes the games. The children likely need to move around at this point, and games not only help them burn off some energy, they also help them learn and practice many skills and concepts. The Ruhi books help us understand that games are a natural part of a children's life, and provide many tools that are both useful and necessary for good development.
Finally, the last part of the class is drawing, another art. But this time, the children are the creators, not merely participants as in the singing of a song someone else wrote, or an audience as in the case of the story. Here they get to express their own creativity.
Only after this wonderful explanation of the various components of the lessons do we get the lessons themselves. And what are these lessons? Well, the themes are as follows: unity, purity of heart, justice, love, service, truthfulness, steadfastness, humility, sharing, honesty, generosity, kindness, obedience, the stronghold of God's love, and trust.
From here, I could talk a bit about the order of these lessons, and how they begin with unity, for without unity you won't have a good class experience. But really, by this point, you can probably see the wisdom of this path yourself.
Let's move on.
Unit 3, conducting the children's classes. Here they go into some of the practical aspects behind the classes. They let us know, in 3:3:2, that the order of the lesson plans isn't fixed. You may need to change the order around a bit, depending on your actual class, and that's ok. There is, however, a wisdom in reminding us that the very manner in which we enter the class is important, and worthy of note. Prayers at the beginning, once you are in the space, is always a good idea. From there, discipline and class rules are mentioned, for they should be consciously decided upon and all should be aware of them. The way we all speak to each other is also important. The manner in which we address the children will set the primary example of how the children should interact with each other.
Now, following on the rules, there also need to be rewards and sanctions, for these are the twin pillars of justice. What better place to begin to learn about justice than here in the classroom? They talk a bit about sharing, and give us some exercises that may help us see past behaviour and into possible motivation. This is extremely useful, especially if you are a new teacher. A noisy child is not an indication that they are a bad child, as some in society would have us believe, but may actually be an indication that they are bored. This section, 3:3:11, helps us be more patient and forgiving, as well as offer us possible solutions to difficulties we may face in the classroom.
Finally, there is the register. Being systematic can help in so may ways. You can look at a class register and know at a glance if someone has stopped showing up for some reason. You can quickly see if your class is growing or shrinking. And you can easily see who may need some extra follow-up. This leads us to a section about our work with the families, for a children's class is not just about the children. It is about the family, and, in fact, about the whole community.
The work you do here will impact everyone.
Of course, not everyone in the community will be Baha'i. They will be free to look at the lesson plans, and perhaps even join you in the classroom, if you wish. We have nothing to hide. They will come to see the beauty of the lessons, and of course, they may want to know a bit about our own background. Who are we? What is this "Baha'i" thing? And Who is Baha'u'llah?
Which, naturally, leads us into Book 4.
First, before we look at Book 3, take a look at the last theme in Book 2: Universal Education. You see how they naturally lead us straight into this book? This is such a great demonstration of coherency, where everything naturally follows upon what came before.
Given that, it is such a simple and logical step from Book 2 to Book 3. Universal education? Sure, let's look at that in Book 3.
But where to begin? Well, simply put, they begin with the basic principles of education. For most teachers, this would mean things like class curriculum an focusing on course outlines and lesson plans. Not these guys. Their first order of business is the people, the children themselves, as well as the attitude of the teacher. You see, people come first. If you discuss the curriculum first, then you are placing the information above the people, and the people are now irrelevant to what you are teaching.
They begin with praise for the teacher, the encouragement that is needed to undertake such a task. They remind the teacher of the great station to which they are striving to arise, and remind them to "offer praise with each breath" for being given the bounty of being able to offer such a service.
From there, in 3:1:2, they offer a glimpse of the experience of teaching, and how each child will become precious to you in their own unique way. They go on, in 3:1:3 and 4, to help ensure that we have a healthy vision of the children. They are not empty cups to be tediously filled a drop at a time, but rather are like mines rich with priceless gems just waiting for someone to take the time to uncover their great treasures.
For the rest of the unit they go on about various attributes of the teacher / child relationship. Look at their potential, and lovingly help them to develop it. At the same time, remember to develop your own spiritual qualities. You both need to be aware of the many bounties you receive in your life. There are many such attributes that are being cultivated, and they are just helping us be aware that we should be conscious of what we are doing.
By the time we get to 3:1:13 we are ready for some examples of what might occur in a class, and how we can be prepared to respond.
Once we do this, we move on to unit 2, the actual lessons for grade 1. Of course, they don't actually begin the unit with the lessons. No, they begin with a little bit of a discussion about how the lesson plans are constructed, and why they may be constructed in that manner. They talk about the various components of the lessons, and why each part is important. They also remind us, at the very beginning, 3:2:1, that teaching is beautiful blending of both the sciences and the arts, and will "be gradually learned through study and experience."
Naturally, the first thing they talk about in regards to the curriculum itself is the Writings. Start simple. Explain any words that may be difficult for them. Give examples of the quote in action. It's all like what they did in 1:1 for the adults who were just beginning to look at the Writings.
Once they understand the quote, the next step is to memorize it, 3:2:3. From there, they go on to songs and then storytelling. Right after memorization comes the arts. And this basic level of storytelling follows our simple presentations from Book 2. In Book 2 we explained a simple concept. Now we move on to the more difficult skill of telling an actual story. But these stories are simple, and an easy place to begin. And our audience is the most forgiving audience we will ever encounter, children.
After the story comes the games. The children likely need to move around at this point, and games not only help them burn off some energy, they also help them learn and practice many skills and concepts. The Ruhi books help us understand that games are a natural part of a children's life, and provide many tools that are both useful and necessary for good development.
Finally, the last part of the class is drawing, another art. But this time, the children are the creators, not merely participants as in the singing of a song someone else wrote, or an audience as in the case of the story. Here they get to express their own creativity.
Only after this wonderful explanation of the various components of the lessons do we get the lessons themselves. And what are these lessons? Well, the themes are as follows: unity, purity of heart, justice, love, service, truthfulness, steadfastness, humility, sharing, honesty, generosity, kindness, obedience, the stronghold of God's love, and trust.
From here, I could talk a bit about the order of these lessons, and how they begin with unity, for without unity you won't have a good class experience. But really, by this point, you can probably see the wisdom of this path yourself.
Let's move on.
Unit 3, conducting the children's classes. Here they go into some of the practical aspects behind the classes. They let us know, in 3:3:2, that the order of the lesson plans isn't fixed. You may need to change the order around a bit, depending on your actual class, and that's ok. There is, however, a wisdom in reminding us that the very manner in which we enter the class is important, and worthy of note. Prayers at the beginning, once you are in the space, is always a good idea. From there, discipline and class rules are mentioned, for they should be consciously decided upon and all should be aware of them. The way we all speak to each other is also important. The manner in which we address the children will set the primary example of how the children should interact with each other.
Now, following on the rules, there also need to be rewards and sanctions, for these are the twin pillars of justice. What better place to begin to learn about justice than here in the classroom? They talk a bit about sharing, and give us some exercises that may help us see past behaviour and into possible motivation. This is extremely useful, especially if you are a new teacher. A noisy child is not an indication that they are a bad child, as some in society would have us believe, but may actually be an indication that they are bored. This section, 3:3:11, helps us be more patient and forgiving, as well as offer us possible solutions to difficulties we may face in the classroom.
Finally, there is the register. Being systematic can help in so may ways. You can look at a class register and know at a glance if someone has stopped showing up for some reason. You can quickly see if your class is growing or shrinking. And you can easily see who may need some extra follow-up. This leads us to a section about our work with the families, for a children's class is not just about the children. It is about the family, and, in fact, about the whole community.
The work you do here will impact everyone.
Of course, not everyone in the community will be Baha'i. They will be free to look at the lesson plans, and perhaps even join you in the classroom, if you wish. We have nothing to hide. They will come to see the beauty of the lessons, and of course, they may want to know a bit about our own background. Who are we? What is this "Baha'i" thing? And Who is Baha'u'llah?
Which, naturally, leads us into Book 4.
Monday, November 6, 2017
A Broad Outline for Ruhi 2
Book 2 of the Ruhi curriculum also shows us a beautiful path, or series of paths, for exploring the Writings and applying them in our daily lives.
Oh, by the way, one thing I forgot to mention is that this became more obvious to me when I began adding my own titles to each section, so as to make it easier for me to recall what they were about. Once I did that, I then transferred the titles to the first page of each unit. This gave me a working table of contents, enabling me to find what I was looking for more easily. This has been incredibly useful when tutoring. What surprised me, however, was how obvious it made the over outline of the series to me.
Back to Book 2, though. Arising to Serve.
2:1 talks about the joy of service. As the entire primary theme of all the books is service to humanity, founded on the Writings of Baha'u'llah, it makes sense that they would choose this as the broad theme for Book 2. After all, once you have a better understanding of your goal in life, service is the natural outcome. Natural, for what it's worth, means that this sense of wanting to serve grows organically, slowly over time, getting stronger and stronger. It doesn't mean that you have it in full strength as soon as you are done with Book 1. It means that the seed has been planted and will grow, given the right conditions.
As they are aware, through experience, of the many pitfalls that can occur during service, they have recognize that the need for joy is a primary element that is required to sustain it. Throughout this section we learn that the joy is in the service itself, much like writing a blog. I mean, I don't actually get to see you read this. I rarely get feedback. I am not able to see any possible changes that you make in your life as you consider what little bit I have to offer, and look at the Writings again with these few thoughts in mind. I almost never hear about your reflections, your thoughts, and your insights. I only trust that my little grain of sand offered here will be of some use to someone out there. If not, at least it helps clarify my own thoughts, and that's worth something, too. I find joy in thinking about these issues, and discussing them, and recognizing as I type these words how the Writings have changed my life over the years.
The joy of service. Without it, or if the joy is found in results instead of in the service itself, then the act of serving is too easily diminished.
Now that we have looked at this a little bit, they go into the idea of a particular line of service that can easily be offered: visiting someone in their home and talking with them about real issues.
In 2:2:1, we begin with the attitude we have when sharing ideas with others. Like the unit on the joy of teaching, this is a wonderful reminder.
From there we go on to the themes themselves: the Eternal Covenant, Baha'u'llah, unity, the Feast, the fund, and teaching the Cause.
Why these? And why in this order?
As usual, I'm not really sure, but here are my thoughts on it.
By starting with the Eternal Covenant, a member of any faith background can relate. The only significant difference is where they may feel that covenant last stopped. In many ways, this shows the same wisdom of establishing a good starting point that Baha'u'llah used in the Kitab-i-Iqan. No matter their faith, we agree with them that the messengers of God in their religion are true. By beginning with this theme, we continue the conversation by saying that not only are they correct, but that God's promie in their own faith is also true.
From there we go on to Baha'u'llah, the latest of God's Messengers in that Eternal Covenant. Now don't forget, this is not a single conversation. Every one of these themes is a conversation unto themselves. While we may begin with a presentation based on the talks of 'Abdu'l-Baha, there are likely questions that follow. Over tea, or lunch, or a snack, the conversation probably goes on from the talk into all sorts of thoughts they may have, or questions the want to ask. This talk about Baha'u'llah is another conversation entirely, but logically follows on the first.
After this talk, the most likely question is "What did He teach?" In a word, unity. This is the very pivot around which all His teachings revolve. Eternal Covenant to Baha'u'llah to unity. It's a very simple, straightforward, logical path.
And these, by the way, are the three themes that we are to share with others as the practice for this unit. They are themes that we can easily share with anyone at all. History, history, and a basic concept. No problem.
From there, unity leads to community, which is what we need to hold a Feast. The Feast strengthens and reinforces the community, gives it shape and guidance. At the Feast, one of the things we naturally talk about is the Fund. After all, a community needs money to do some of the the things that it wants to do. And what does it want to do? Teach. So unity leads to the Feast which gets us to talk about financial issues, which are needed to help fund our teachings efforts, either through the rental of space, or the purchase of materials, or all sorts of other things that a community might require.
There you have it, 2:2. A beautiful path of concepts that lead us to teaching and service. The Eternal Covenant to Baha'u'llah to unity to the Feast to the funds to teaching. Straightforward and systematic, all leading from pretty much any starting point to teaching.
Fine, I can hear you say, but what about 2:3? Surely that can't be as logical and straightforward, can it?
Well, let's see. It begins, in 2:3:1, with a basic review, and the thought of how to introduce the teachings naturally in our conversations. The reminders in this short section are numerous, and very important, and I'd encourage you to go back and look at it again, even though I know you've done this book many times, dear Reader.
After this review, and simple guidance, we look briefly at the Master, and how He taught. I mean, this just makes sense, right? After all, we're using His talks as our launching point, and we've already looked a little bit at the life of Baha'u'llah. Might as well look at the Master, too, and His example.
From there, we get right into it: Baha'i' beliefs.
We begin with a short section on the need for an educator. Now, remember 2:2:2, and the talk on the Eternal Covenant? Well, what if the person is an atheist? Starting with a talk about the Eternal Covenant would be silly. They'd disagree with you right there. No. This is a much better starting point for a conversation about the Faith. Every atheist I have ever met would agree with this concept. However, and this is a big however, they would also say that you can't just take any teacher's word for it.
And that leads us right into the next teaching: Independent investigation of the truth. This is another theme that almost everyone will agree with. And, of course, it leads to lots of questions. One of the most common questions is what it is that we need to study. What is it that we are investigating? For us not only is it science, but also questions of moral behaviour.
Not surprisingly, this leads us into our third teaching: the need for a Manifestation. Depending on the person I am talking with, I will phrase this in many different ways. I won't insist on my own comfortable terms, but will try to use terms that have meaning to them. In the end, it allows us to talk about where we learn morality, and the difference between the Founders of the various Faiths, and where those faiths have gone since their founding.
This leads me to talk about Baha'u'llah's life, once again. You see, it always comes back to sharing a bit about Baha'u'llah Himself. And again, this is in a historical context, not in the lofty "Lo! A child was born unto the house of Mirza Buzurg" sort of thing you see when Baha'i's fall over themselves in awe of His station. No. It's more in the sense of "Hey, have you heard about this great teacher from the 19th century?" I mean, I'm happy to talk about Gandhi, so why not Baha'u'llah?
Anyways, this leads us into the next theme, which is the maturation of humanity. Anyone with half a brain cell can see that something in the life of humanity has changed in the past 200 years. By talking about our collective life and likening it to a maturing individual, not only is it a good analogy, but it also makes the person with whom we're having this conversation feel a bit better about themselves. They are more likely to agree with you. From there you can begin to talk about the various signs of maturity, and on and on.
But what is the greatest sign of moving through the turbulent times of adolescence to adulthood? Peace. There is generally a greater sense of peace both within and without once you move past that stage. And in terms of world peace, one of the greatest parts of that puzzle is the oneness of humanity. The realization of our basic oneness will lead to a greater sense of justice throughout the world. True justice will naturally help us realize, in our everyday reality, the equality of women and men, for most of the problems in this vast arena are based on basic injustices. To help us realize the equality of women and men, we best begin by teaching it to children, and therefore universal education is also of prime importance.
So, 2:3 begins with the need for an educator which leads us to the independent investigation of truth, which has the component of the need for a Manifestation, which leads us to Baha'u'llah. His Revelation is a sign of the maturation of humanity which will lead us to world peace, which is based on the oneness of humanity, which leads to justice which helps us recognize the equality of women and men, which is most easily taught to children. Another great path to share a whole whack of concepts in a logical and straightforward manner.
There you have it: Book 2, in a nutshell. A wide number of topics, all laid out like pearls on a string. You can stop and examine any single one of them to your heart's content, or carry on to whichever theme you prefer, knowing all the while that they all relate one to the other, as we arise to serve.
Oh, by the way, one thing I forgot to mention is that this became more obvious to me when I began adding my own titles to each section, so as to make it easier for me to recall what they were about. Once I did that, I then transferred the titles to the first page of each unit. This gave me a working table of contents, enabling me to find what I was looking for more easily. This has been incredibly useful when tutoring. What surprised me, however, was how obvious it made the over outline of the series to me.
Back to Book 2, though. Arising to Serve.
2:1 talks about the joy of service. As the entire primary theme of all the books is service to humanity, founded on the Writings of Baha'u'llah, it makes sense that they would choose this as the broad theme for Book 2. After all, once you have a better understanding of your goal in life, service is the natural outcome. Natural, for what it's worth, means that this sense of wanting to serve grows organically, slowly over time, getting stronger and stronger. It doesn't mean that you have it in full strength as soon as you are done with Book 1. It means that the seed has been planted and will grow, given the right conditions.
As they are aware, through experience, of the many pitfalls that can occur during service, they have recognize that the need for joy is a primary element that is required to sustain it. Throughout this section we learn that the joy is in the service itself, much like writing a blog. I mean, I don't actually get to see you read this. I rarely get feedback. I am not able to see any possible changes that you make in your life as you consider what little bit I have to offer, and look at the Writings again with these few thoughts in mind. I almost never hear about your reflections, your thoughts, and your insights. I only trust that my little grain of sand offered here will be of some use to someone out there. If not, at least it helps clarify my own thoughts, and that's worth something, too. I find joy in thinking about these issues, and discussing them, and recognizing as I type these words how the Writings have changed my life over the years.
The joy of service. Without it, or if the joy is found in results instead of in the service itself, then the act of serving is too easily diminished.
Now that we have looked at this a little bit, they go into the idea of a particular line of service that can easily be offered: visiting someone in their home and talking with them about real issues.
In 2:2:1, we begin with the attitude we have when sharing ideas with others. Like the unit on the joy of teaching, this is a wonderful reminder.
From there we go on to the themes themselves: the Eternal Covenant, Baha'u'llah, unity, the Feast, the fund, and teaching the Cause.
Why these? And why in this order?
As usual, I'm not really sure, but here are my thoughts on it.
By starting with the Eternal Covenant, a member of any faith background can relate. The only significant difference is where they may feel that covenant last stopped. In many ways, this shows the same wisdom of establishing a good starting point that Baha'u'llah used in the Kitab-i-Iqan. No matter their faith, we agree with them that the messengers of God in their religion are true. By beginning with this theme, we continue the conversation by saying that not only are they correct, but that God's promie in their own faith is also true.
From there we go on to Baha'u'llah, the latest of God's Messengers in that Eternal Covenant. Now don't forget, this is not a single conversation. Every one of these themes is a conversation unto themselves. While we may begin with a presentation based on the talks of 'Abdu'l-Baha, there are likely questions that follow. Over tea, or lunch, or a snack, the conversation probably goes on from the talk into all sorts of thoughts they may have, or questions the want to ask. This talk about Baha'u'llah is another conversation entirely, but logically follows on the first.
After this talk, the most likely question is "What did He teach?" In a word, unity. This is the very pivot around which all His teachings revolve. Eternal Covenant to Baha'u'llah to unity. It's a very simple, straightforward, logical path.
And these, by the way, are the three themes that we are to share with others as the practice for this unit. They are themes that we can easily share with anyone at all. History, history, and a basic concept. No problem.
From there, unity leads to community, which is what we need to hold a Feast. The Feast strengthens and reinforces the community, gives it shape and guidance. At the Feast, one of the things we naturally talk about is the Fund. After all, a community needs money to do some of the the things that it wants to do. And what does it want to do? Teach. So unity leads to the Feast which gets us to talk about financial issues, which are needed to help fund our teachings efforts, either through the rental of space, or the purchase of materials, or all sorts of other things that a community might require.
There you have it, 2:2. A beautiful path of concepts that lead us to teaching and service. The Eternal Covenant to Baha'u'llah to unity to the Feast to the funds to teaching. Straightforward and systematic, all leading from pretty much any starting point to teaching.
Fine, I can hear you say, but what about 2:3? Surely that can't be as logical and straightforward, can it?
Well, let's see. It begins, in 2:3:1, with a basic review, and the thought of how to introduce the teachings naturally in our conversations. The reminders in this short section are numerous, and very important, and I'd encourage you to go back and look at it again, even though I know you've done this book many times, dear Reader.
After this review, and simple guidance, we look briefly at the Master, and how He taught. I mean, this just makes sense, right? After all, we're using His talks as our launching point, and we've already looked a little bit at the life of Baha'u'llah. Might as well look at the Master, too, and His example.
From there, we get right into it: Baha'i' beliefs.
We begin with a short section on the need for an educator. Now, remember 2:2:2, and the talk on the Eternal Covenant? Well, what if the person is an atheist? Starting with a talk about the Eternal Covenant would be silly. They'd disagree with you right there. No. This is a much better starting point for a conversation about the Faith. Every atheist I have ever met would agree with this concept. However, and this is a big however, they would also say that you can't just take any teacher's word for it.
And that leads us right into the next teaching: Independent investigation of the truth. This is another theme that almost everyone will agree with. And, of course, it leads to lots of questions. One of the most common questions is what it is that we need to study. What is it that we are investigating? For us not only is it science, but also questions of moral behaviour.
Not surprisingly, this leads us into our third teaching: the need for a Manifestation. Depending on the person I am talking with, I will phrase this in many different ways. I won't insist on my own comfortable terms, but will try to use terms that have meaning to them. In the end, it allows us to talk about where we learn morality, and the difference between the Founders of the various Faiths, and where those faiths have gone since their founding.
This leads me to talk about Baha'u'llah's life, once again. You see, it always comes back to sharing a bit about Baha'u'llah Himself. And again, this is in a historical context, not in the lofty "Lo! A child was born unto the house of Mirza Buzurg" sort of thing you see when Baha'i's fall over themselves in awe of His station. No. It's more in the sense of "Hey, have you heard about this great teacher from the 19th century?" I mean, I'm happy to talk about Gandhi, so why not Baha'u'llah?
Anyways, this leads us into the next theme, which is the maturation of humanity. Anyone with half a brain cell can see that something in the life of humanity has changed in the past 200 years. By talking about our collective life and likening it to a maturing individual, not only is it a good analogy, but it also makes the person with whom we're having this conversation feel a bit better about themselves. They are more likely to agree with you. From there you can begin to talk about the various signs of maturity, and on and on.
But what is the greatest sign of moving through the turbulent times of adolescence to adulthood? Peace. There is generally a greater sense of peace both within and without once you move past that stage. And in terms of world peace, one of the greatest parts of that puzzle is the oneness of humanity. The realization of our basic oneness will lead to a greater sense of justice throughout the world. True justice will naturally help us realize, in our everyday reality, the equality of women and men, for most of the problems in this vast arena are based on basic injustices. To help us realize the equality of women and men, we best begin by teaching it to children, and therefore universal education is also of prime importance.
So, 2:3 begins with the need for an educator which leads us to the independent investigation of truth, which has the component of the need for a Manifestation, which leads us to Baha'u'llah. His Revelation is a sign of the maturation of humanity which will lead us to world peace, which is based on the oneness of humanity, which leads to justice which helps us recognize the equality of women and men, which is most easily taught to children. Another great path to share a whole whack of concepts in a logical and straightforward manner.
There you have it: Book 2, in a nutshell. A wide number of topics, all laid out like pearls on a string. You can stop and examine any single one of them to your heart's content, or carry on to whichever theme you prefer, knowing all the while that they all relate one to the other, as we arise to serve.
Sunday, November 5, 2017
A broad outline for Ruhi 1
I've had the wonderful bounty of tutoring a number of study circles over the years, and one of my favorite things to look at, when training new tutors, is to look at the outline of the books. In fact, when I encounter those numerous people, and you know what I mean, who say, "Oh, I don't need to do Ruhi anymore. I did it umpteen years ago." I usually reply by asking them for the first theme in section 1 of Book 1. Naturally, they usually don't know, for many of us don't look at this way. We look at the quotes, the questions, a bit of discussion, and rarely go deeper than that.
But, dear Reader, when we look at the progression of themes, we uncover something new.
Now I'm sure there are many of you who are aware of all this, but I get asked for this outline often enough that I thought I'd post it here.
Oh, and just to clarify my terms and numbers, each book has three units, each of which is made up of a number of sections. Rather than typing Book 1, Unit 2, Section 4, I will just type "1:2:4". Make sense? Good.
Now, Book 1, Unit 1, or 1:1, is a little unusual in that in English the themes stretch out over 2 sections, rather than 1 in most other languages. Why this is, I have no clue, but there you go.
Anyways, Book 1, Unit 1. The very first theme in it is "deeds", or "action". I mean, if you look at the quotes, they are all about this important theme. In fact, when you look at the pedagogy of the series, their primary importance is the application of the teachings. This is reflected in the idea that out of all the themes and quotes they could have chosen to begin this whole journey, this path of service, they started with "The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct." (And I didn't even need to look that up.) After all, if the teachings aren't applicable in deeds, what good are they?
From there, the next theme is truthfulness. This only makes sense, for if your deeds are not based on truth, then hey're not really good deeds, are they?
The third theme is kindliness. Why? Well, you might be truthful, but sort of mean. After all, you could always tell someone, "Wow, that outfit looks really horrible on you", but that wouldn't be nice, would it? To say it more kindly, you might want to phrase it, "Wow. You know, I think green would look even better on you." Kindliness. It's a very nice thing. Oh, and to reinforce this, there is that one exercise in which they ask which of the following phrases proceed from a kindly tongue. When tutoring this section, I usually ask people, if the phrase is not kindly, how they would re-phrase it in a more kindly manner. This especially had an impact on one participant who came back the next session and said that she had had a very trying day at work. She was about to snap at someone when she had recalled this exercise, and the question I had asked. She ended up pausing, reflecting, considering, and saying what she wanted to say in a more kindly way, thus defusing a potentially difficult situation. "Wow", I thought, "this actually changer her behaviour. How cool!"
The final theme in 1:1 is about backbiting: don't do it. In other words, you may want to act, might actually be truthful, think you're being kind, but really be backbiting. Beware of this.
Then there is that quote in 1:1:7, in which we are told that if we backbite the light of our heart is quenched, and the life of our soul has been extinguished. "Whoa!" I thought when I first read this. "I'm really in trouble." But not to fear. 1:2:4 comes to the rescue. In it we discover that prayer can kindle our soul. "To kindle", as you know, means to either ignite a fire, or make it grow in size and intensity. What a saving grace.
So, 1:2 helps us remember to turn daily towards God in prayer. And then 1:3 helps give us a vision for our entire life, where we want to go, and how we want to dedicate our fleeting moments.
And then, to finish off Book 1, we are asked to consider, in 1:3:18, how we will live our life now that we have begun to consider these elements of our life. Naturally, many of the participants want to begin discussing these ideas with their friends. And that, dear Reader, leads us straight into Book 2, Arising to Serve.
Oh, and just in case that isn't cool enough, there is another marvelous path discovered when we examine the themes in Book 2. But maybe I'll talk about that tomorrow.
But, dear Reader, when we look at the progression of themes, we uncover something new.
Now I'm sure there are many of you who are aware of all this, but I get asked for this outline often enough that I thought I'd post it here.
Oh, and just to clarify my terms and numbers, each book has three units, each of which is made up of a number of sections. Rather than typing Book 1, Unit 2, Section 4, I will just type "1:2:4". Make sense? Good.
Now, Book 1, Unit 1, or 1:1, is a little unusual in that in English the themes stretch out over 2 sections, rather than 1 in most other languages. Why this is, I have no clue, but there you go.
Anyways, Book 1, Unit 1. The very first theme in it is "deeds", or "action". I mean, if you look at the quotes, they are all about this important theme. In fact, when you look at the pedagogy of the series, their primary importance is the application of the teachings. This is reflected in the idea that out of all the themes and quotes they could have chosen to begin this whole journey, this path of service, they started with "The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct." (And I didn't even need to look that up.) After all, if the teachings aren't applicable in deeds, what good are they?
From there, the next theme is truthfulness. This only makes sense, for if your deeds are not based on truth, then hey're not really good deeds, are they?
The third theme is kindliness. Why? Well, you might be truthful, but sort of mean. After all, you could always tell someone, "Wow, that outfit looks really horrible on you", but that wouldn't be nice, would it? To say it more kindly, you might want to phrase it, "Wow. You know, I think green would look even better on you." Kindliness. It's a very nice thing. Oh, and to reinforce this, there is that one exercise in which they ask which of the following phrases proceed from a kindly tongue. When tutoring this section, I usually ask people, if the phrase is not kindly, how they would re-phrase it in a more kindly manner. This especially had an impact on one participant who came back the next session and said that she had had a very trying day at work. She was about to snap at someone when she had recalled this exercise, and the question I had asked. She ended up pausing, reflecting, considering, and saying what she wanted to say in a more kindly way, thus defusing a potentially difficult situation. "Wow", I thought, "this actually changer her behaviour. How cool!"
The final theme in 1:1 is about backbiting: don't do it. In other words, you may want to act, might actually be truthful, think you're being kind, but really be backbiting. Beware of this.
Then there is that quote in 1:1:7, in which we are told that if we backbite the light of our heart is quenched, and the life of our soul has been extinguished. "Whoa!" I thought when I first read this. "I'm really in trouble." But not to fear. 1:2:4 comes to the rescue. In it we discover that prayer can kindle our soul. "To kindle", as you know, means to either ignite a fire, or make it grow in size and intensity. What a saving grace.
So, 1:2 helps us remember to turn daily towards God in prayer. And then 1:3 helps give us a vision for our entire life, where we want to go, and how we want to dedicate our fleeting moments.
And then, to finish off Book 1, we are asked to consider, in 1:3:18, how we will live our life now that we have begun to consider these elements of our life. Naturally, many of the participants want to begin discussing these ideas with their friends. And that, dear Reader, leads us straight into Book 2, Arising to Serve.
Oh, and just in case that isn't cool enough, there is another marvelous path discovered when we examine the themes in Book 2. But maybe I'll talk about that tomorrow.
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