1: Unit 1: Understanding the Baha’i Writings

Unit 1:  Understanding the Baha’i Writings pp. 9-18

Purpose:  To develop the capacity to read the Baha’i Writings and to meditate on their meaning in order to fulfill the obligation of studying the Writings every day.

Practice:  Read daily, in the morning and the evening, some of the Writings of the Faith.

Excerpted from “To the Collaborators”:  This section’s purpose is to develop in the participants the habit of reading the Writings and thinking about them, beginning at first with one-sentence statements.  To read the Holy Writings every day, at least in the morning and at night, is one of the very important ordinances of our Faith.  But reading the Writings is not the same as reading the thousands of pages that a literate person sees during a lifetime.  To read the Sacred Word is to drink from the ocean of Divine Revelation.  It leads to true spiritual understanding and generates forces that are necessary for the progress of the soul.  In order to reach true understanding, however, one must think deeply about the meaning of each statement and its application in one’s own life and in the life of society. “

Section 1

“The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct….” (Bahá’u'lláh, cited in The Advent of Divine Justice pp.24-25)

“Beware, O people of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds.” (Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, CXXXIX, p.305)

“O Son of Being! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning…” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Arabic No. 31)

“Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Persian No. 5)

“Holy words and pure and goodly deeds ascend unto the heaven of celestial glory.” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Persian No. 69)

Section 5

“A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It is the bread of the spirit, it clotheth the words with meaning, it is the fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.” (Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, CXXXII, p. 289)

“O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself of God’s grace.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í World Faith – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Section, p. 445)

“Nothing whatever can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this Cause than dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the loved ones of God.” (Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, V, p. 9)

“Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 16)

“When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 29)

Section 7

“…backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the life of the soul.” (Bahá’u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u'lláh, CXXV, p.265)

“Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner.” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Arabic No. 27)

“Speak no evil, that thou mayest not hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that thine own faults may not appear great…” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Persian No. 44)

“O Son Of Being! How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.” (Bahá’u'lláh, The Hidden Words – Arabic No. 26)