Live unattached to all the things of this world, live a life of detachment.

 

237. Unattached to this world. We need to live our lives in detachment free from the materialism of this world and the things of this life: We are told by God’s messengers: Don’t become confounded by the glitter and allure this world seems to hold over the more materialistic minded individuals of this world if you are truly seeking the path of the eternal enlightened one: Islam: 28. “And keep thy soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking his Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.” (The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah  18) Living life for the pursuit of material goods and worldly desires is the road to spiritual depravation and death. When a man places his hopes and desires on the world he reflects the aspects of the world and not the aspects of the spiritual kingdom of God. He becomes worldly, engulfed in the darkness of this world, which, as stated can lead to a spiritual form of death to the soul for those truly attached to their wealth.  Judaism: Psalms 27:16 “A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” Ecclesiastes 5:15 “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.” Psalms 62:10 “If riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” Be detached from all such worldly attainments! Psalms 49:6 “They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;” Psalms 49:7 “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:” Proverbs 15:16 “Better is little with the fear of The LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” Psalms 69:32 “Your heart shall live that seek God,” Ezra 39. “Flee the shadow of this world, receive the joyfulness of your glory:” (Deuterocanonical Apocrypha, Esdras 2 (Ezra 4))

BAHA’I FAITH: “Delight not yourselves in the things of the world and its vain ornaments, neither set your hopes on them. Let your reliance be on the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 127)

 BABI RELIGION: “You are the first Letters that have been generated from the Primal Point, the first Springs that have welled out from the Source of this Revelation. Beseech The Lord your God to grant that no earthly entanglements, no worldly affections, no ephemeral pursuits, may tarnish the purity, or embitter the sweetness, of that grace which flows through you.”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 93)

 JUDAISM: Job 31:23 “For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of His highness I could not endure.” Job 31:24 “If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;” 31:25 “If I rejoice because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;” 31:26 “If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;” 31:27 “And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:” 31:28 “This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.” Proverbs 10:2 “Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.” Proverbs 10:20 “The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.” Proverbs 11:4 “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.” Psalms 37:16 “A righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.” Proverbs 8:10 “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.” Proverbs 8:19 “My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;” Proverbs 18:10 “The name of The LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Proverbs 18:11 “The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.” Proverbs 18:12 “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” Isaiah 55:3 “Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live;” Ezra 39. “Flee the shadow of this world,”  Christianity: 1 Timothy 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” Matthew 19:22 “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (money).” 1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” The world is anything that turns us away from God and attracts us to the vanities of this life. Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through rudiments of the world.” Colossians 3:2 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” 2 Peter 1:4 “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Romans 8:5 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:7 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:13 “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.” Luke 12:33 “Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.” Luke 12:34 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,” 2:12 “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” Revelations 3:17 “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

BAHA’I FAITH: “Whatsoever deterreth you, in this Day, from loving God is nothing but the world. Flee it, that ye may be numbered with the blest. Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to wear its apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm can befall him, if he alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him and God, for God hath ordained every good thing, whether created in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His servants as truly believe in Him. Eat ye, O people, of the good things which God hath allowed you, and deprive not yourselves from His wondrous bounties. Render thanks and praise unto Him, and be of them that are truly thankful.” “Cast away that which ye possess, and, on the wings of detachment, soar beyond all created things.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, pp. 139 and 276)

 BABI RELIGION: “Such must be the degree of your detachment, that into whatever city you enter to proclaim and teach the Cause of God, you should in no wise expect either meat or reward from its people. Nay, when you depart out of that city, you should shake the dust from off your feet. As you have entered it pure and undefiled, so must you depart from that city. For verily I say, the heavenly Father is ever with you and keeps watch over you.”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 92)

 ISLAMLetter: 3. “Your mind will corroborate and confirm this if it is kept free from intemperate ambitions, from lust for alluring things, from sensuality and from vicious affections and attachments.”

        (Islam, Ali b. Abi Taalib, Letters from Nahjul Balaagh)

Islam: 28. “And keep thy soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking his Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life;” 60. “The (material) things which ye are given are but the conveniences of this life and the glitter thereof; but that which is with Allah (God) is better and more enduring: will ye not then be wise?”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 18 and 28)

Islam: 46. “Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world: but the things that endure, Good Deeds, are best in the sight of thy Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah  18)

Islam: 1. “The mutual rivalry for piling up (the good things of this world) diverts you (from the more serious things),” “O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calleth you to that which will give you life;”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 8 and 102)

Islam: 24. “O ye who believe! give your response to Allah and His Messenger, when He calleth you to that which will give you life;” 97. “Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily, to him will We give a new life, a life that is good and pure,”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 8 and 16)

Islam: 77. “Seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief.”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah  28)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: “When the devotee is fully established in detachment he does not pray for anything, for he can do without everything. That is the meaning of Kshathram (nonchalance).” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 268)

“Nonchalance (detachment) is the best gift of Mazda (God).” (ZOROASTER, Hymns of Atharvan p. 736)

Denkard. Zoroaster, “The shining invisible power is the power that gives the remedy-adopting faculty to the living (man). The separation (of man) from relations with this invisible power is owing to his turning at once towards the dark power connected with this world.”

 HINDUISM: “They comprehend not, the Unheavenly, How Souls go forth from Me; nor how they come Back unto Me: nor is there Truth in these, Nor purity, nor rule of Life. ‘This world Hath not a Law, nor Order, nor a Lord,’ So say they: ‘nor hath risen up by Cause Following on Cause, in perfect purposing, But is none other than a House of Lust.’ And, this thing thinking, all those ruined ones- Of little wit, dark-minded- give themselves To evil deeds, the curses of their kind. Surrendered to desires insatiable, Full of deceitfulness, folly, and pride, In blindness cleaving to their errors, caught Into the sinful course, they trust this lie As it were true- this lie which leads to death- Finding in Pleasure all the good which is, And crying ‘Here it finisheth!”’

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 16)

 Hinduism: 16. “Let him not, out of desire (for enjoyments), attach himself to any sensual pleasures, and let him carefully obviate an excessive attachment to them, by (reflecting on their worthlessness in) his heart.” 80. “When by the disposition (of his heart) he becomes indifferent to all objects, he obtains eternal happiness both in this world and after death.”

(Hindu, Laws of Manu chapters 4 and 6)

 Hinduism: “Detachment, lightly holding unto home, Children, and wife, and all that bindeth men; An ever-tranquil heart in fortunes good And fortunes evil, with a will set firm To worship Me- Me only!”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 13)

 Hinduism: 11. “Let him never, for the sake of subsistence, follow the ways of the world; let him live the pure, straightforward, honest life of a Brahmana.”

(Hindu, Laws of Manu chapter 4)

 BUDDHISM: “The purpose of the Holy Life does not consist in acquiring alms, honor, or fame. That unshakable deliverance of the heart: that, verily, is the object of the Holy Life, that is its essence, that is its goal. Though one were to live a hundred years immoral and with a mind unstilled by meditation, the life of a single day is better if one is moral and practices meditation. He who drinks in the Truth will live happily with a peaceful mind.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards) and The Eightfold Path)

 Buddhism: “Under all circumstances you should free yourselves from attachment to objects; toward them your attitude should be neutral and indifferent. Let neither success nor failure, neither profit nor loss, worry you.” (Buddha, Sixth Patriarch)

 Buddhism: 13. “Don’t practice an ignoble way of life, don’t indulge in a careless attitude. Don’t follow a wrong view, and don’t be attached to the world.” 24. “People beset by desire run here and there, like a snared rabbit, and those trapped in the bonds of attachments keep Returning for a long time to suffering. So one should get rid of one’s craving if it is freedom from desire that one wants.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

 Buddhism: 17. “Abandon anger, give up pride, and overcome all fetters. Suffering does nor befall him who is without attachment to names and forms, and possesses nothing of his own.” 18. “Hard is the life of a modest one Who ever seeks after purity, Who is strenuous, humble, Cleanly of life, and discerning.”

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 and 3 (tr. J. Richards))

 SABEANISM: “Those who listen to the speech of the Life (Haiyi, God) Will be greatly increased, Will be enriched and will not lack.” “Life (is) for those who know, Life (is) for those who believe.” (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapters 88 and 171)

Sabeanism: “Be no son of the House, the world.” “Adam, look upon the world which is a completely unreal thing. It is a unreal thing, in which you can put no trust.” (Sabeanism, Instruction of Adam)

 BABI RELIGION: “Lo, The Lord thy God is come, and with Him is the company of His angels arrayed before Him!‘ Purge your hearts of worldly desires, and let angelic virtues be your adorning. Strive that by your deeds you may bear witness to the truth of these words of God, and beware lest, by ‘turning back,’ He may ‘change you for another people.”

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 93)

BAHA’I FAITH: “If the health and welfare of man be spent in sensual desires, in a life on the animal plane, and in devilish pursuits — then disease is better than such heath; nay, death itself is preferable to such a life.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu’l-Baha v1, p. 207)

Baha’i Faith: “Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadoweth the entire creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 34)

 BABI RELIGION: “Quddus emerged from his tent and, gathering together his companions, addressed them in these words: ‘You should show forth exemplary renunciation, for such behaviour on your part will exalt our Cause and redound to its glory. Anything short of complete detachment will but serve to tarnish the purity of its name and to obscure its splendour. Pray the Almighty to grant that even to your last hour He may graciously assist you to contribute your share to the exaltation of His Faith.”’

The Bab: (Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 401)

BAHA’I FAITH: “Purge your hearts from love of the world, and your tongues from calumny, and your limbs from whatsoever may withhold you from drawing nigh unto God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Say: By the world is meant that which turneth you aside from Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you unto that which is unprofitable unto you. Verily, the thing that deterreth you, in this day, from God is worldliness in its essence.” “That which is conducive to the regeneration of the world and the salvation of the peoples and kindreds of the earth hath been sent down from the heaven of the utterance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. Give ye a hearing ear to the counsels of the Pen of Glory. Better is this for you than all that is on the earth. Unto this beareth witness My glorious and wondrous Book.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Baha’u’llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 54 and Tablets of Baha’u’llah, p. 222)