Walking Spiritual Path

Study circles for adults

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The Bahá’í teachings emphasize that each person is in charge of his or her own spiritual development. While institutions exist to guide and release energies, and Bahá’í community life is to be characterized by an atmosphere of cordial consultation and encouragement, the responsibility for spiritual growth ultimately rests with each individual. Indeed, there is no clergy in the Bahá’í Faith; the Bahá’í community can neither be described in terms of a pastor and congregation, nor as that of a body of believers led by learned individuals endowed with authority to interpret scriptures.

“Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday.”

— Bahá’u’lláh

Walking Spiritual Path

The dynamics of walking a spiritual path is a theme that Bahá’ís, both individually and collectively, are constantly exploring in their activities and consultations. Certain aspects are clear: that simply focusing on oneself proves counter-productive; that the path is to be walked in the company of others—each giving and receiving love, assistance and encouragement; that the tendency to allow self-righteousness to take hold needs to be conscientiously resisted; and that humility is a requisite of progress.

No soul walking this spiritual path may make a claim to perfection. Yet, the kind of relativism that condemns adherence to clearly stated ideals and principles finds no place. Each Bahá’í is asked to make daily effort to progressively reflect in his or her conduct the standards described by Bahá’u’lláh, no matter how difficult to attain they may seem.

A much more thorough explanation of Bahá’í belief on this subject, including articles and topic collections on the human soul, prayer, meditation, and the development of spiritual qualities, can be found in the section titled “The Life of the Spirit” within the “What Bahá’ís Believe” area of this website

Junior youth spiritual empowerment groups

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“Although your realities are shaped by a broad diversity of circumstances, yet a desire to bring about constructive change and a capacity for meaningful service, both characteristic of your stage of life, are neither limited to any race or nationality, nor dependent upon material means. This bright period of youth you share is experienced by all—but it is brief, and buffeted by numerous social forces. How important it is, then, to strive to be among those who, in the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, ‘plucked the fruit of life’.”

— The Universal House of Justice

Youth have played a vital role in Bahá’í history. The Báb Himself declared His mission when He was but twenty-five years old and so many among the band of His followers were in the prime of their youth when they embraced His Revelation. During the ministries of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, young people were at the forefront of efforts to proclaim the message of the new Faith and to share its teachings with others.

Following in the path that these and other extraordinary figures had opened, thousands of young Bahá’ís have arisen in each generation to respond to the call of Bahá’u’lláh. Their efforts are guided by the Head of the Bahá’í Faith—today, the Universal House of Justice—which encourages young Bahá’ís to draw on the zeal and enthusiasm characteristic of the period of youth and so make decisive contributions to the advancement of spiritual and material civilization.

The scope of the guidance and encouragement provided by the Universal House of Justice and of the response of young Bahá’ís today is too vast, and the activities it inspires too varied, to be described in their totality here. The pages of this topic collection, then, focus on one example: a series of youth conferences in 114 locations around the world which were held in 2013 along with waves of smaller gatherings that have been taking place ever since.

You may read a message of the Universal House of Justice addressed to the tens of thousands of young participants, view a series of short films titled “To Serve Humanity”, and view reports from each of the gatherings in 2013 in a special section of the Bahá’í World News Service website.

In addition, the articles presented below, which comprise extracts from the materials studied during the conferences and the subsequent gatherings, highlight aspects of the conversation among participants as they explored together themes central to their service to humanity.

 

Devotional Life

Devotional life

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“Praise be to God, thy heart is engaged in the commemoration of God, thy soul is gladdened by the glad tidings of God and thou art absorbed in prayer. The state of prayer is the best of conditions…”

— ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá

Service and worship are at the heart of the pattern of community life that Bahá’ís around the world are trying to bring into being. They are two distinct, yet inseparable elements that propel the life of the community forward. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes that, “Success and prosperity depend upon service to and worship of God”.

Devotional Life

Prayer is integral to Bahá’í life, whether at the level of the individual, the community, or the institutions. Bahá’ís turn their hearts in prayer to God repeatedly throughout the day—imploring His assistance, supplicating Him on behalf of loved ones, offering praise and gratitude, and seeking divine confirmations and guidance. In addition, meetings of consultation and gatherings where friends have come together to undertake one or another project commonly begin and end with prayers.

Bahá’ís also host gatherings in which friends, Bahá’ís and others alike, unite together in prayer, often in one another’s homes. Devotional meetings such as these serve to awaken spiritual susceptibilities within the participants, and in concert with the acts of service they perform, lead to a pattern of community life that is infused with the spirit of devotion and focused on the attainment of spiritual and material prosperity.

The integration of devotion and service finds expression in the institution of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár. The structure comprises a central building that forms the focal point of worship in a geographical area, and dependencies dedicated to the provision of education, healthcare and other services concerned with the social and economic progress of the community. Although there are but a few Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs in the world today, the seeds for their eventual establishment are being planted in an increasing number of communities, and in the future every locality will benefit from such a physical structure.

Family and Children

Children’s classes

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Bahá’ís see the young as the most precious treasure a community can possess. In them are the promise and guarantee of the future. Yet, in order for this promise to be realised, children need to receive spiritual nourishment. In a world where the joy and innocence of childhood can be so easily overwhelmed by the aggressive pursuit of materialistic ends, the moral and spiritual education of children assumes vital importance.

Devotional Life

“Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.”

— Bahá’u’lláh

The Bahá’í community at every level is highly sensitised to the need to respond to the spiritual aspirations of the young, and older youth are typically anxious to take responsibility for the development of those around them younger than themselves. Educational activities for children, then, are often among the first to multiply in a community.

In recent years, training institutes around the world have been playing an increasingly important part in the training of teachers to conduct classes for the spiritual education of children. The materials being developed for use by the institutes emphasise the acquisition of spiritual qualities—for example, truthfulness, generosity, purity of heart, and kindness, to name a few—which are considered attributes of God that are reflected in the mirror of the human heart. Year after year, the materials build on the understanding of these qualities and add lessons related to the history and the Writings of the Bahá’í Faith. The goal is for the children to reach a stage in which they can understand and act upon the imperative to tend to their own spiritual development and contribute to the well-being of society.

The institutions of the Faith also pay a great deal of attention to the question of raising human resources to conduct children’s classes. In this regard, they dedicate significant resources to bringing into being and maintaining an effective system of coordination for the training of teachers, opening channels for the flow of guidance, educational materials, and learning to and from the grassroots.