"Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper
education hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess.
Through a word proceeding out of the mouth of God he was called into being; by
one word more he was guided to recognize the Source of his education; by yet
another word his station and destiny were safeguarded. The Great Being saith:
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."
Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
CXXII, pp. 259-260
In his book,
A Companion to the Study of the
Kitáb-i-Iqán, Hooper Dunbar lists learning as one of the nine
purposes defined in the
Kitáb-i-Iqán (1). In my opinion,
one way to approach the book is to consider it as a compendium of what
humankind needs to know; a discussion of perception as it relates to learning
what is needful; intellectual honesty; and the results of various learning
experiences.
All Bahá'ís should be intimately involved with learning.
Bahá'u'lláh revealed:
"Strain every nerve to
acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath
ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without. It is not
desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a
barren tree. Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must
deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual
perception and eloquent speech." (2)
This paper will consider briefly what kinds of knowledge Bahá'ís acquire; how
what is known becomes understood in ways that are meaningful; and how what is
understood to have true meaning becomes the basis for our actions. For
example, we can know something that we believe is true: God has sent a number
of Manifestations to His creatures so that they might know how to follow His
straight Path. The next step is to understand what the statement we believe to
be true means. Then, having some understanding of the grace given to us
through God's bounty, it is up to us to act in some way that reflects our
understanding.
Each day of our lives we are engaged in learning new things about the physical
world in which we live. Babies learn how to communicate by making sounds and
moving hands and feet. At first the sounds and movements are random, but they
quickly become purposeful as responses are noted. We learn to do everyday
activities by mimicking the examples of others. For example, children feed
themselves, ride bikes, and do simple chores by paying attention to what
parents or older siblings do and then imitating the action. Later on, we
attend schools to acquire a wider range of knowledge about the world in which
we live. This type of learning often leads us to a life's occupation through
which we are able to provide shelter and food for others and ourselves. All
this kind of learning is necessary for us to survive on this plane of existence
and for humankind to profit and progress.
In
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh
reveals:
"Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of
being, and are conducive to its exaltation. Knowledge is as wings to man's
life, and a ladder for his ascent. Its acquisition is incumbent upon everyone.
The knowledge of such sciences, however, should be acquired as can profit the
peoples of the earth, and not those which begin with words and end with
words..." (3)
Material lessons are necessary and can be beneficial to humankind, but the
obvious material reality is not the most significant element in the lessons
learned by humankind. True knowledge for humankind is spiritual, not physical.
The actual importance of physical lessons is that these lessons lead us to some
greater spiritual understanding. If it is to be of true value, everything we
learn should serve to increase our awareness and understanding of the Creator
and our relationship to His great Plan.
In the
Kitáb-i-Iqán Bahá'u'lláh
reveals:
"Consider, how can he that faileth in the day of
God's Revelation to attain unto the grace of the "Divine Presence" and to
recognize His Manifestation, be justly called learned, though he may have spent
aeons in the pursuit of knowledge, and acquired all the limited and material
learning of men? It is surely evident that he can in no wise be regarded as
possessed of true knowledge. Whereas, the most unlettered of all men, if he be
honoured with this supreme distinction, he verily is accounted as one of those
divinely-learned men whose knowledge is of God; for such a man hath attained
the acme of knowledge, and hath reached the furthermost summit of learning."
(4)
That we have the faculty of reason, of understanding, is a gift from God. In
the
Gleanings we read:
"Know thou that, according to
what thy Lord, the Lord of all men, hath decreed in His Book, the favors
vouchsafed by Him unto mankind have been, and will ever remain, limitless in
their range. First and foremost among these favors, which the Almighty hath
conferred upon man, is the gift of understanding. His purpose in conferring
such a gift is none other except to enable His creature to know and recognize
the one true God - exalted be His glory. This gift giveth man the power to
discern the truth in all things, leadeth him to that which is right, and
helpeth him to discover the secrets of creation." (5)
We may use our gift wisely to understand the inner realities that God has
caused to be revealed, or we can become entranced with the gift itself and find
ourselves caught up in our own interpretations and insights that often have
little to do with what God has for us to learn and understand. Many of the
passages in the
Kitáb-i-Iqán point out the destructiveness
of dwelling behind the veils of our imaginations and idle fancies.
Bahá'u'lláh writes:
"Know verily that
Knowledge is of two kinds: Divine and Satanic. The one welleth out from the
fountain of divine inspiration; the other is but a reflection of vain and
obscure thoughts. ...
"The heart must needs therefore be cleansed from the idle sayings of men, and
sanctified from every earthly affection, so that it may discover the hidden
meaning of divine inspiration, and become the treasury of the mysteries of
divine knowledge..." (6)
Just as our parents play a key role in our early learning experiences about
physical realities, so do they play a key role in our learning the spiritual
realities that underlie all we can comprehend. Bahá'u'lláh
emphasizes the responsibility of families and Institutions in safeguarding
learning opportunities for children, so that their learning is directed toward
the knowledge that comes from Divine inspiration rather than personal desire.
He revealed:
"We prescribe unto all men that which will lead to the exaltation of the Word
of God amongst His servants, and likewise, to the advancement of the world be
being and the uplift of souls. To this end, the greatest means is education of
the child. To this must each and all hold fast. We have verily laid this
charge upon you in manifold Tablets as well as in My Most Holy Book. Well is
it with him who deferreth thereto.
"We ask God that He will assist each and every one to obey this inescapable
command that hath appeared and been caused to descend through the Pen of the
Ancient of Days." (7)
There is no way to downplay the heavy responsibility we have for directing our
own learning and the learning of the young people around us to what is
spiritually profitable. In one passage, which sounds at first reading rather
harsh, Bahá'u'lláh underscores the vital importance of education
and training. He said: "There are many things which will, if neglected, be
wasted, and come to nothing. How often in this world do we see a child who has
lost his parents and who, unless attention be devoted to his education and
training, can produce no fruit. And better off dead than alive is he who
produceth no fruit." (8)
Our spiritual obligation is clear, but in our search for knowledge and
understanding we may be hindered by the very educational system that presents
us with facts to assimilate. In his book,
Lectures on Bahá'í Inspired
Curricula, Dr. Arbab points out this danger:
"...We live
at a time in history when a certain brand of liberalism is vigorously being
promoted in all aspects of human life. One of the characteristics of liberal
movements is that they are simultaneously bearers of positive and negative
forces. On the positive side, they work for the abolition of prejudice and
bigotry, they free man from the grips of despotism, they resist the imposition
of narrow thought, they foster respect for basic human rights, and they open
space for human imagination and creativity. However they are prone to
overstepping acceptable bounds. In fact, extreme liberal thinking tends to
deny the very existence of limits and bounds. When this tendency is mixed with
extreme relativism - the complete denial of absolutes - it becomes a negative
force that can only lead to slavery to one's lower passions. In the context of
education, adherents of this type of thinking would be in full agreement with
all those aspects of Bahá'í discourse that extol the powers of
man and endeavor to develop his great potentials. However, they would have
difficulty with statements that define limits for man or speak of his corrupt
inclinations. `Tearing away the veils of the imaginations of men' would not be
a popular subject in educational circles that are infatuated with liberalism
and relativism. Yet this is an essential aspect of the educational process,
for if such veils are not torn away, how can human powers and potentials fully
manifest themselves." (9)
Bahá'ís must be cautious, then, that the way in which we are
taught does not limit our true learning. There are many worthy ideas available
to us from human beings who have spiritual insights and the well-being of
humankind in their minds, but these ideas are only of value as they support the
Writings of the Manifestation of God, Who is the Messenger of God for this day
and does bring the prescription for a new way of life on God's straight Path.
The knowledge we acquire is valuable only to the extent that it enables us to
understand our Creator, His Manifestations and the Messages they bring, and our
true mission on this plane of existence. If we are truly sincere about
developing an understanding of what we know, we must follow the path of search
and become true seekers after enlightenment.
Bahá'u'lláh describes the condition necessary for us to attempt
to begin our journey of understanding. He writes: "But, O my brother, when a
true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading to the
knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse and purify
his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God,
from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the
embodiments of satanic fancy. ..." (10)
In order to truly learn the lessons God has provided for us, we must abandon
what we know and our pride in any scholarship we may possess. True
understanding depends on the realization that, in fact, we understand nothing.
Once we have admitted and accepted our own poverty, it is possible to testify
to God's wealth and to receive a portion of its vast ocean.
Bahá'u'lláh quotes the Qur'an 29:69: "Whoso maketh efforts for
Us, ... In Our ways shall We assuredly guide him." (11)
Bahá'u'lláh explains the mechanism by which we gain
understanding:
"Only when the lamp of search, of earnest
striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of
rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled with in the seeker's heart, and the breeze of
His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be
dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of
knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the mystic
Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit shine forth from the City of
God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will
awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of negligence.
Then will the manifold favours and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting
Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed
with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate
the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of
the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a
door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover
in all things the mysteries of divine Revelation and the evidences of an
everlasting manifestation." (12)
Knowledge and understanding in the Bahá'í Faith lead to action.
From the passages quoted above, we know that we must engage in material
pursuits that are profitable to humankind, that we must be actively engaged in
promoting the education of children, that we must seek greater levels of
comprehension and understanding with respect to what will enhance our spiritual
development and share these insights with others by directing them to the life
and Writings of the Manifestation of God, and that we are ever vigilant to
maintain our recognition of our own station in the Worlds of God. Of great
help in maintaining the recognition of who we are is the Tablet of Visitation
revealed by `Abdu'l-Bahá, a Tablet that reminds us our ultimate station,
our dearest wish, is to serve the Cause of God and His loved ones. True
learning is the means to this end.
Footnotes
- Dunbar, Hooper C., A Companion to the Study of the
Kitáb-i-Iqán, George Ronald, Oxford, 1998, p. 181.
- Bahá'í Education: A Compilation. Extracts from the
Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi
Effendi. Comp., The Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1977, p. 5
- Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf,
tr. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1976
p. 26
- Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Iqán:
The Book of Certitude, tr. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing
Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1983, p. 145-146
- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, tr. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1971, p. 194
- Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqán, pp.
69-70
- Bahá'í Education: A Compilation. Extracts from the
Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi
Effendi, p. 4
- Ibid., p. 5
- Arbab, Farzam, Lectures on Bahá'í-Inspired
Curricula, Palabra Publications, Riviera Beach, FL, 1994, pp. 8-9
- Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Iqán, p.
192
- Ibid., p. 195
- Ibid, pp.195-196
Bibliography
Arbab, Farzam,
Lectures on Bahá'í-Inspired
Curricula, Palabra Publications, Riviera Beach, FL, 1994
Bahá'í Education: A Compilation. Extracts from the Writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi.
Comp., The Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.
Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL, 1977
Bahá'u'lláh,
Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, tr. Shoghi
Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL 1976
Bahá'u'lláh,
Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, tr. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í
Publishing Trust, Wilmette, IL 1971
Bahá'u'lláh,
The Kitáb-i-Iqán: The Book of
Certitude, tr. Shoghi Effendi, Bahá'í Publishing Trust,
Wilmette, IL, 1983
Dunbar, Hooper C.,
A Companion to the Study of the
Kitáb-i-Iqán, George Ronald, Oxford, 1998
