To know that it is possible to reach a
state of perfection, is good; to march forward on the path is better. We know
that to help the poor and to be merciful is good and pleases God, but knowledge
alone does not feed the starving man, nor can the poor be warmed by knowledge
or words in the bitter winter; we must give the practical help of
Loving-kindness.
(Abdu'l-Baha in London:60)
So far I have presented seven of the ten virtues of
prosperity: love, truthfulness, trustworthiness, faith, generosity,
gratitude, humility.
The eighth virtue is detachment. Detachment is the opposite of
attachment. If wealth is to
flow freely and humanity is to achieve prosperity, detachment from material
things is necessary so wealth may flow, so that all may be affluent. But detachment, in turn, stems from a
real consciousness of humanity’s oneness, and from a sense of inner well-being.
Baha’u’llah wrote: “Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That
no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts
how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it
is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat
with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by
your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may
be made manifest.” (The Hidden Words Arabic
#68) With detachment
the fires of greed and avarice will be stilled, and the fears of insecurity
dissolved.
In the realm of action, detachment is to leave all things
to God, the Universal, infinite Mind, to achieve any result wished for. But to be receptive to whatever God
decides is not to put our desire out there and do nothing except enter into a
passive state of listless waiting. That
would make apathy appear principled. While
working diligently, we should let go of any notion of how we think the desire
must be realized because the infinite Mind knows far better than we do how to
organize things to accomplish our wish through the universal relationships
organizing the world. The essence of detachment in economic circumstances
was summed up by Baha’u’llah this way: “Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice
not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away
and be no more.” (The Hidden Words Arabic
#52) That is, true
detachment is from the world entirely, from both its prosperity and its
abasement. The reason for
this is that, as we read earlier, fear and peril are embedded in material
riches. We should flee from the world and its false promises of wealth by accumulation and turn to
God for security and help, for He is the help in peril, and give generously of our substance. We are potentially in peril just by
being in the world. Detachment is an ark.
The ninth virtue is contentment. Contentment is the obverse of
detachment. They work together. Baha’u’llah
writes: “Put away all covetousness and seek contentment; for the covetous hath
ever been deprived, and the contented hath ever been loved and praised.” (The
Hidden Words Persian
#50) The soul in the Valley
of Contentment, Bahá’u’lláh says: “…feeleth the winds of divine contentment blowing
from the plane of the spirit. He burneth away the veils of want, and with
inward and outward eye, perceiveth within and without all things the day of:
“God will compensate each one out of His abundance.” (The Seven Valleys and
the Four Valleys: 29)
Contentment means to be satisfied with whatever comes our
way. If we have the desire
for some goal, work hard for its realization yet with detachment
from result, practice the virtues faithfully, and still the desired
reality does not manifest, then it is for the best. Believing this enables contentment to
kick in. All desires should
be with the proviso: “If God so wishes.” In
this regard Bahá’u’lláh wrote to a petitioner: “Concerning thine own affairs,
if thou wouldst content thyself with whatever might come to pass it would be
praiseworthy. To engage in some profession is highly commendable, for when
occupied with work one is less likely to dwell on the unpleasant aspects of
life.” (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh:175) Truly contentment is a wonderful
gem.
The tenth virtue is Action. This is perhaps the most important
virtue. At least it is the
one that, like a convex lens, brings the radiant light of the other virtues
into a single focal point of energy. To
one individual Shoghi Effendi gave a concise and comprehensive outline of the
steps to take to solve problems or meet challenges. In his full explanation the Guardian
listed five steps, the first four—prayer, meditation, determination,
confidence—tell how to get up some inner steam. But the fifth step is action. But it is action of a certain kind
which many of us should keep in mind. It
is the action of the supreme talisman.
The recorder wrote: “Then, he said, lastly, ACT; Act as
though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And
as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power
to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to
flow through you. Many pray but do not remain for the last half of the first
step. Some who meditate arrive at a decision, but fail to hold it. Few have the
determination to carry the decision through, still fewer have the confidence
that the right thing will come to their need. But how many remember to act as
though it had all been answered? How true are those words – “Greater than the
prayer is the spirit in which it is uttered” and greater than the way it is
uttered is the spirit in which it is carried out.” (Principles of Baha’i
Administration: A Compilation:91.)
These are my ten personal virtues of prosperity. While it may be hard to believe that,
given humanity’s supposedly selfish nature, such virtues are possible to
achieve and maintain, the reason lies not in our nature, but in an education
that has brought us down to a poverty of self-understanding. The fault is not in something we are
and, therefore, cannot change, but something we have learned to be and can,
therefore, unlearn. But to prove these assertions is not possible through words
alone. Models of behavior
must demonstrate the efficacy of spiritual principle to transform the self and
society. But this, too, by
itself may not generate a transformative power within the soul. Shoghi Effendi admonished the Baha’is
regarding their own work to advance the influence of their Faith: “One thing
and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the undoubted triumph of
this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our own inner life and private
character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal
principles proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh.” (Baha'i Administration: 66) The same kind of admonition goes for
practicing nobility.
Let us turn to the final question and discuss how to
practically apply this spiritual knowledge.
A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a. It is now also in Kindle.
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