On the Path of Faith

Thanks to L for sending me this quote related to certitude. It provides some clear guidance about the importance of detachment for developing certitude and faith.

"…they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly - their ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth."
- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 1

Letting Go

"Regardless of the nature of each experience, always let it pass.

It may surprise you to learn that people hang on to experience by trying to analyze or understand. That just keeps the condition around by feeding it with your attention and energy. Just let it go.

If you want to move past whatever situation you are in, simply let go and then direct yourself into the kind of situation you would like to experience more."

- John Morton

Detachment is a Process

I read an interesting piece by Deepak Chopra today on detachment. See: www.intentblog.com/archives/2006/09/cultivating_det.html
In it, he describes detachment as a process:

"Detachment is a process, not a pretense. And it seems to be a natural process, as one can learn by conversing with mature people who have deeply considered their own lives. The beauty of detachment is that it needn't be a doctrine or a religious dictum. It can be the way your life is going once you contact the inner person who wants more than material desires can bring." -Deepak Chopra

I find this way of thinking about detachment as particularly useful for avoiding self-judgment. Spiritual growth will always be a process. At no point are we likely to be fully detached from material wants. That doesn't mean we shouldn't seek to try to detach, which I understand to mean keeping from getting bogged down by material wants while continually readjusting our focus towards something higher. At times we will be more successful than others in this process of realignment. While I don't think we'll ever become absolutely perfect, we can certainly make progress towards the light of perfection.

This makes sense, too, in the light of The Hidden Words, wherein Bahá'u'lláh refers to "the path of detachment":
"I bear witness, O friends! that the favor is complete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest, and the evidence established. Let it now be seen what your endeavors in the path of detachment will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favor been fully vouchsafed unto you and unto them that are in heaven and on earth. All praise to God, the Lord of all worlds." —Bahá'u'lláh