THE Secret of an THE Secret of an Excellent TutorExcellent Tutor

THE Secret of an THE Secret of an Excellent TutorExcellent Tutor

Section 29, Book 7

• The purpose of a study circle is to contribute to the spiritual and moral empowerment of the participants … to be an effective tutor one must learn to nurture others

• You need to learn the art of encouragement and develop the ability to cultivate talent

• This is only possible if you detach yourself from your own accomplishments and rejoice in the growth and progress of your fellow believers

• This may well be the secret of an excellent tutor

Section 1, Unit 2 – Book 7

• Serving as tutor .. helping a group go through one book after another is NOT a trivial pursuit

• We can strive to be good tutors … then try to become an excellent tutor

• There are qualities, attitudes, skills and abilities that we have to develop, essential concepts that we must understand, and areas of knowledge we have to explore in order to be capable of guiding a study circle effectively

•CONCEPTS, •ATTITUDES, •QUALITIES &•SKILLS

CONCEPT

• WALKING THE SPIRITUAL PATH • .. As you advance in this path, you grow spiritually and enhance your capacity to contribute to the progress of the Cause, participating in increasingly more complex areas of activity• .. You wish to assist others to initiate and follow a similar path

WE NEED TO BEGIN BY FIRST HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH

CONCEPT: the Mirror of the Heart • What is the difference between the material things we

possess and the spiritual qualities we possess?• What is the relationship between spiritual qualities and the

human heart?• … like the sun and the mirror … spiritual qualities are NOT

in us (we do not possess them) .. They are reflected in us• The light that reflects in a mirror is its wealth .. Without the

light the mirror is worth little• Our spiritual qualities, our knowledge , our service to

humanity … are our true wealth

“our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them”

Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches ..”

Happiness , greatness, rank and station and pleasure and peace ..of an individual lies in .. his excellent character, his high resolve, breadth of his learning, and ability to solve difficult problems ....”

Excellence is Potentially in every person

• Every human being is endowed with capacity to know God, to love Him and to carry out His commandments

• The measure of capacity is not the same for everyone .. And God does not ask beyond our capacity .. What we are asked to do is to develop to its fullest that we potentially possess

WE must be fixed on EXCELLENCE and not satisfied with MEDIOCRITY

People think excellence is achieved through competition with others … in fact it entangles us even further in the trappings of society. Striving for excellence means to develop to the fullest that which God has endowed us.

The chosen ones of God .. Should not content themselves with relative distinction and excellence .. They should fix their gaze upon nobler heights by setting the counsels and exhortations of the Pen of Glory as their supreme goal

LOVE OF GOD AND FEAR OF GOD

• The Human Heart is created to Love .. Its nature is to be bound or attached to something

• God’s love is unlimited … all other forms of love are limited including love for family, friends, community, nation ..

• When our hearts are pure and reflect His love we express unlimited love and unselfish love for the entire human race … otherwise it will manifest itself in undesirable characteristics .. Jealousy, possessiveness and prejudice

LOVE IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED BY FEAR .. The fear of loosing our loved ones or their love

• Together with the love of God we must have the fear of God in our hearts – fear that our actions, our wrong doings will prevent the love of God from reaching us• the development of spiritual qualities is entirely on both the love of God and the fear of God … two essential forces of our spiritual lives

“For true love, real love, is the love for God, and this is sanctified beyond the notions and imaginings of men.”

The Laws of God

• We are all walking a path towards God .. The ultimate object of our love and devotion.

• … that which illumines this path is the law of God .. Unless we obey the laws, we will find ourselves in darkness and lose the path

“O ye peoples of the world! Know assuredly that My commandments are the lamps of My loving providence among My servants, and the keys of My mercy for My creatures.”

“In all these journeys the traveler must stray not the breadth of a hair from the ‘Law’ , for this is indeed the secret of the ‘Path’ and the fruit of the Tree of Truth ….”

Concepts: Faith & Certitude• We cannot walk the path that leads us to the presence of God

blindly.• Recognition of the Manifestation of God opens our eyes …

and become aware of God’s purpose for humankind .. The knowledge we gain through the Manifestation of God and the love we feel towards Him gives us assurance .. Our hearts no longer vacillate and tremble

• Faith is not merely “knowing” .. We must act upon it … Knowing the truth but acting contrary to it or hesitating to act upon that which we know shows weakness of faith

Herein lies the difference: By faith is meant, first, consciousness knowledge, and second, the practice of good deeds”.

What is the difference between the animal that labour for man and a man who labor for the betterment of others??

Hope and Longing Desire

• Faith is the bedrock upon which we build our spiritual existence. Our knowledge of God’s spiritual and material creation is limited, and we never know what is to happen from one day to the next. So, with hearts full of hope, we constantly anticipate the outpourings of God’s bounties. .. Ours is to submit our will to His

• A close companion of hope is longing desire. .. Longing and desire are properties of the human heart. The object of desire must be heavenly qualities, spiritual joy, acceptance at the divine threshold and humble service in His Cause.

• If dictates of self and passion direct our desire towards the world and vanities, the very force that impels progress of the soul will be exhausted.

“Stop being conscious of your frailties, therefore; have a perfect reliance upon God; let your heart burn with desire to serve His mission and proclaim His call; and you will observe how eloquence and the power to change human hearts will come as a matter of course.”

Will and Effort

• To accomplish anything, we must have the will to do so.

“All that which ye potentially posses can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition. Your own acts testify to this truth.”

Sacrifice

• The mystery of sacrifice is that we renounce that which is ours in order to receive that which belongs to God

• sacrifice involves parting with things to which we are attached, and therefore, it entails pain

• .. For the knowing heart the pain is sweet, for it is the bearer of true joy ..

“..nearness to God necessitates sacrifice of self, severance and the giving up of all to Him. Nearness is likeness”.

JOY• Regardless of hardships and moments of crisis, we walk the path

of spiritual growth in a state of joy. Joy is a quality of the human soul and not an emotion resulting from outside influences

• The fundamental condition of our hearts is one of joy – the joy of knowing God, the joy of recognising His Manifestation, the joy of being immersed in the ocean of His mercy.

• Throughout your life, you should regularly read the words of Abdul Baha, memorise them and reflect on their meaning while remembering the example of His life. So intense should be the study of His words and statements that they become integral part of your thinking. At every moment, whether happy or sad, in difficulty or ease, at work or rest, you should be able to call His words to mind, remember Him and be filled with joy.

“If only thou could know what a high station is destined for those souls who are severed from the world, are powerfully attracted to the Faith, and are teaching, under the sheltering shadow of Baha’u’llah! How thou wouldst rejoice, how thou wouldst, in exultation and rapture, spread thy wings and soar heavenward – for being a follower of such a way, and a traveler toward such a Kingdom.”