Field Visit: Joining a fireside at the Hong Kong Baha'i Centre
Date and time: 1.30 p.m. Oct 5, Saturday, 2019
Quota per visit: 30
Address: Baha'i Hall, 7/F, Parkview Commercial Building, 9-11 Shelter Street, Causeway Bay
Quota per visit: 30
Address: Baha'i Hall, 7/F, Parkview Commercial Building, 9-11 Shelter Street, Causeway Bay
Visit programme and remarks
1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m.
Welcome speech, introduction and get into small groups.
2.00 p.m.-2.45 p.m.
Introduction—History and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. The community will assign some youth to present the basic teachings and history of the Faith. You are encouraged to take note of their explanations and views. How do they explain their teachings? Why are the pilgrim cities important to the believers? What motivates them to take part in the communal activities? These are the notable parts you may want to know.
Prayer session and communal worship. A Bahá’í prayer session is usually conducted in a quite environment with serene background music of any kind. Our host will prepare several slips of prayer sentences for you to read aloud; it might be Words by Bahá'u'lláh or `Abdu'l-Bahá, or it might be messages from the Universal House of Justice. If you have your own religion and would like to pray in passages that you are more familiar with, you can ask for permission before the session begins.
2.45 p.m.-3.30 p.m.
Small group discussion. Each group will have 5-6 students and each group’s discussion will be led by a representative of the community. Here you would have the chance to ask more questions where you can learn more about some of their personal stories or even some deeper spiritual experiences within the Bahá’í Faith.
3.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m.
Sharing session, Q&A and conclusion. You can share some of your reflections and thoughts and ask questions.
1.30 p.m.-2.00 p.m.
Welcome speech, introduction and get into small groups.
2.00 p.m.-2.45 p.m.
Introduction—History and teachings of the Bahá’í Faith. The community will assign some youth to present the basic teachings and history of the Faith. You are encouraged to take note of their explanations and views. How do they explain their teachings? Why are the pilgrim cities important to the believers? What motivates them to take part in the communal activities? These are the notable parts you may want to know.
Prayer session and communal worship. A Bahá’í prayer session is usually conducted in a quite environment with serene background music of any kind. Our host will prepare several slips of prayer sentences for you to read aloud; it might be Words by Bahá'u'lláh or `Abdu'l-Bahá, or it might be messages from the Universal House of Justice. If you have your own religion and would like to pray in passages that you are more familiar with, you can ask for permission before the session begins.
2.45 p.m.-3.30 p.m.
Small group discussion. Each group will have 5-6 students and each group’s discussion will be led by a representative of the community. Here you would have the chance to ask more questions where you can learn more about some of their personal stories or even some deeper spiritual experiences within the Bahá’í Faith.
3.30 p.m.-4.30 p.m.
Sharing session, Q&A and conclusion. You can share some of your reflections and thoughts and ask questions.
Introduction—a world religion
The Bahá’í Faith can be known as a world religion established in Persia (now Iran) in the year of 1844. Since its birth over a century and a half ago, the Faith has reached out to more countries than any other religion except Christianity, establishing more than 10,000 Bahá’í communities in various parts of the world.[1] Bahá'u'lláh, born in 1817 in a wealthy Persian family, proclaimed himself the Manifestation of God in the year of 1863 in the time when he and his followers were being arrested and forced to move from Tehran to Baghdad. After the revelation, Persian authorities pressured Turkish officials to exile the group further away from Persia, and for more than ten years of exile and imprisonment (1853-1868), detouring the periphery of Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt and moving across the Mediterranean Sea, Bahá'u'lláh finally arrived ‘Akka in 1868 where he spent the last 24 years of his life.
For more information about the life and teachings of Baha’u’llah, please watch the video Light to the World (2017) produced by The Bahá’í World Centre.[2] To learn more about the other important figures of the Faith, such as the Bab, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Soghi Effendi, please browse the webpage “Bahá'u'lláh and His Covenant”: http://www.bahai.org/beliefs/bahaullah-covenant/
For more information about the life and teachings of Baha’u’llah, please watch the video Light to the World (2017) produced by The Bahá’í World Centre.[2] To learn more about the other important figures of the Faith, such as the Bab, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and Soghi Effendi, please browse the webpage “Bahá'u'lláh and His Covenant”: http://www.bahai.org/beliefs/bahaullah-covenant/
YouTube video: Light to the World (2017)
An Unknowable God, Divine Manifestations, and Progressive Revelation
Bahá'u'lláh teaches, “That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He, the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception of man.” From a Bahá’í perspective, the essence of God is unseen and unknowable to human beings; however, the divine qualities such as love, solidarity, peace can be known through the Manifestations of God. The Manifestations are the pure and stainless souls who have acted as the intermediary between God and humanity.[3] The Bahá’í believe that Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent of God’s Manifestations of the One, the same God, that Moses, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad had manifested in the past. Here, one might ask if the great religions in the world, as Bahá'u'lláh claimed, should “have one foundation; Their teachings, proofs and evidences are one,” why were different religions bearing different names, tenets, and structures?[4] To answer this question, the Bahá’í Faith does not attribute the differences in religious teachings to human fallibility of the founders, but to the different requirements of the ages when the revelations occurred, which, now and then, the Bahá’í understand as “progressive revelation.”[5] For more information, check the webpage “God and His Creation”: http://www.bahai.org/beliefs/god-his-creation/
The Shrine of the Báb in Haifa, Israel
Spiritual Principles
The writings and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh can be understood as “spiritual principles” summed up in ten lines as follows:[6]
The oneness of humanity
The independent investigation of the truth
Unity as the purpose of religion
The harmony of religion and science
The elimination of prejudices
The equality of men and women
Universal education
Auxiliary international language
Economic justice
Universal peace through collective action
The independent investigation of the truth
Unity as the purpose of religion
The harmony of religion and science
The elimination of prejudices
The equality of men and women
Universal education
Auxiliary international language
Economic justice
Universal peace through collective action
The Bahá’í uses the term “spiritual” to describe a reality that underlies and transcends the material world, by which the believers assert such principles can shape a reality that appeals to every human being. In other words, the attraction to such spiritual reality and perfection is a universal quality of human nature.[7] The concept of “spiritual principles” ties motivation, goals, and action to an ontological foundation of spirituality in four dimensions: (1) it describes an aspect of spiritual reality, (2) it refers to the consciousness of this reality within us, (3) it describes an outer social state in which its this inner consciousness finds its expression, and (4) it guides our action in the realization of the inner yearning toward its outer expression.[8] One can study the application of the spiritual principles among Bahá’í s communities in the four dimensions outlined above.
For example, the oneness of humankind, taken as a spiritual principle, describes the idea that it is (1) a reflection of divine reality; (2) an inner spiritual consciousness of and yearning for oneness and unity among all people; (3) a social ideal that manifests our inner aspiration for oneness; and (4) a guiding principle, according to which any effort to build more peace and oneness must itself follow the requirements and realities of the principle of oneness—the ends do not justify the means. You may find out more about the connection between spiritual principles and practices during the visit where the Bahá’í friends would introduce various forms of social actions and community activities they have been working on. You are encouraged to ask them more about it during the small group discussion.
For example, the oneness of humankind, taken as a spiritual principle, describes the idea that it is (1) a reflection of divine reality; (2) an inner spiritual consciousness of and yearning for oneness and unity among all people; (3) a social ideal that manifests our inner aspiration for oneness; and (4) a guiding principle, according to which any effort to build more peace and oneness must itself follow the requirements and realities of the principle of oneness—the ends do not justify the means. You may find out more about the connection between spiritual principles and practices during the visit where the Bahá’í friends would introduce various forms of social actions and community activities they have been working on. You are encouraged to ask them more about it during the small group discussion.
Slideshow: The Houses of Worship in various parts of the World. Find out more at
http://www.bahai.org/action/devotional-life/mashriqul-adhkar
http://www.bahai.org/action/devotional-life/mashriqul-adhkar
The Bahá’í Administrative Order
The Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel
A unique feature of the Bahá’í institutional structure that makes the Faith distinguishable from the other religions is that it strictly forbids any form of clergy.[9] We cannot find pastor, father, imam, priest, or abbot alike individuals in the community. However, the religious authority is conferred on elected administration bodies which are called “spiritual assemblies”—at the local level that handles local and communal activities as well as at the national level that manages nationwide affairs. Atop of the national and local level, the Universal House of Justice (UHJ) at the worldwide level serves as the central governing body of the Administrative Order. The Bahá’í Faith website explains, “Under its guidance, elected bodies, known as Local Spiritual Assemblies (LSA) and National Spiritual Assemblies (NSA) tend to the affairs of the Bahá’í community at their respective levels, exercising legislative, executive, and judicial authority.” UHJ, NSA, and LSA are all bodies formed by elections where local and national delegates have the right to vote. The Bahá’í believe that participation in elections and services of the Administrative Order is a “sacred duty” that implies special spiritual significance;[10] and yet, members of the Bahá’í community are not allowed to run any election or promotion campaign, and no candidate should engage in lobbying and advertising for self-interests. In addition, although any election may resemble the system of partisan politics in western world as it may see, the Bahá’í must stay strictly abstain from political involvement of any kind. Baha’u’llah asserted that political action being partisan and divisive in nature does not hold the answers to problems.[11] For more information, please browse the webpage “The Bahá’í Administration Order”: http://www.bahai.org/beliefs/essential-relationships/administrative-order/
The Bahá’í Faith in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Baha'i Community (Facebook page 2017)
The Hong Kong Bahá’í Centre that we are going to visit, a mid-sized but cosy flat located right at the hustle and buzzle area of Tsim Sha Tsui, was purchased by the community in 1968 when the Bahá’í in Hong Kong grasped the opportunity of property price drop and received financial help from the sister assemblies in Malaysia, Japan and Iran. Indeed, it was only 15 years after the year of 1954 when the Mr. and Mrs. Datwani, the first Hong Kong Bahá’í family, arrived and decided to stay in the city.[12] The Datwani family and the other early Bahá’í in Hong Kong can be known as the pioneers who served the Faith in the early rapid growth stage during 1960s-1990s—a period when the believers were ardently introducing the Bahá’í Faith to people and were purposely establishing more and more local assemblies in different countries and regions.[13]
In 1956, the first Local Spiritual Assembly in Hong Kong was elected in Kowloon; and later in 1974, the community formed and elected its head institution the National Spiritual Assembly for the region.[14] The community received a congratulation message from the Universal House of Justice in the same year, which reads, “To the north and to the west live millions of souls nearly a quarter of the world’s population, the vast majority of whom have not yet had the bounty of hearing of the Teachings. To your community is given the challenge to play a preponderating role in winning the hearts of the Chinese people for Baha’u’llah.”[15] And two years later in 1976, the Universal House of Justice wrote to the friends assembled at the International Teaching Conference in Hong Kong, “May this Conference become a landmark in the process of attracting vast numbers of the great Chinese race scattered throughout the world. May it be a prelude to the unprecedented expansion of the Faith in all the countries of Asia.”[16] The messages echoed closely with what the perfect exemplar `Abdu'l-Bahá called on, “China, China, China-ward the Cause of Bahá'u'lláh must march.”[17]
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‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921)
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After the pioneering stage when the Bahá’í completed the incorporation of local and national spiritual assemblies, the community enters a new phase of consolidation and small group community building since the 1990s. The Bahá’í and their adherents have shifted their labour and resources towards low-key community activities, such as children class, junior youth spiritual empowerment programme, study circle, fireside gathering, which are often open to non-Bahá’í participants (“Non-Bahá’í” refers to adherents who have not formally signed the Bahá’í Declaration Card). Recently, it was reported that in the four years from 2008 to 2012, the number of active individuals in the community gently grew from 216 to 312.[18] For more information about the Hong Kong Bahá’í Community, please check their website: http://hk.bahai.org/2017/en-gb
[1] Vafai, Teachings, History, and Practices, i.
[2] The video was produced to celebrate the “Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh” in 2017.
[3] Vafai, Teachings, History, and Practices, 1-2.
[4] Vafai, Teachings, History and Practices, 7-8.
[5] Hatcher & Martin, The Emerging Global Religion, 83.
[6] Vafai, Teachings, History, and Practices, 26.
[7] Palmer, “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” 53-54.
[8] Palmer, “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” 54-55.
[9] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 83.
[10] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 83.
[11] Hatcher & Martin, The Emerging Global Religion, 161.
[12] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 20, 46.
[13] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 80.
[14] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 46.
[15] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 94.
[16] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 97.
[17] Mentioned in one of the opening pages of The Challenging Years written by Datwani.
[18] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,” 86.
[2] The video was produced to celebrate the “Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh” in 2017.
[3] Vafai, Teachings, History, and Practices, 1-2.
[4] Vafai, Teachings, History and Practices, 7-8.
[5] Hatcher & Martin, The Emerging Global Religion, 83.
[6] Vafai, Teachings, History, and Practices, 26.
[7] Palmer, “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” 53-54.
[8] Palmer, “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” 54-55.
[9] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 83.
[10] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 83.
[11] Hatcher & Martin, The Emerging Global Religion, 161.
[12] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 20, 46.
[13] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,’” 80.
[14] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 46.
[15] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 94.
[16] Datwani, The Challenging Years, 97.
[17] Mentioned in one of the opening pages of The Challenging Years written by Datwani.
[18] Palmer, “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building,” 86.
Photo credits: http://www.bahai.org/
Suggested further reading
Palmer, David A. “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” in Religion and Public Discourse in an Age of Transition: Reflections on Bahá’í Practice and Thought edited by Ben Schewel and Geoff Cameron, 37-69. Guelph, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2018.
Palmer, David A. “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society.” | |
File Size: | 855 kb |
File Type: |
Palmer, David A. “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building’: Localizing the Bahá’í Faith in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.” Chinese Sociological Review 45(2): 78-98, 2013.
Palmer, David A. “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building.’” | |
File Size: | 101 kb |
File Type: |
Online resources
The Bahá’í Faith—The website of the worldwide Bahá’í community: http://www.bahai.org/
Hong Kong Baha'i Community website: http://hk.bahai.org/2017/en-gb
Hong Kong Baha'i Community website: http://hk.bahai.org/2017/en-gb
References
Datwani, Lachmi (in collaboration with Rose Ong). The Challenging Years: Early History of the Bahá’í Faith in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í s of Hong Kong, 1991.
Hatcher, William S. & J. Douglas Martin. The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion. New York: Harper & Row, 1984.
Palmer, David A. “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building’: Localizing the Bahá’í Faith in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.” Chinese Sociological Review 45(2): 78-98, 2013.
Palmer, David A. “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” in Religion and Public Discourse in an Age of Transition: Reflections on Bahá’í Practice and Thought edited by Ben Schewel and Geoff Cameron, 37-69. Guelph, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2018.
Vafai, Shahin. The Bahá’í Faith: Teachings, History, and Practices. Florida: Palabra, 2011.
Hatcher, William S. & J. Douglas Martin. The Bahá’í Faith: The Emerging Global Religion. New York: Harper & Row, 1984.
Palmer, David A. “From ‘Congregations’ to ‘Small Group Community Building’: Localizing the Bahá’í Faith in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.” Chinese Sociological Review 45(2): 78-98, 2013.
Palmer, David A. “Religion, Spiritual Practices, and Civil Society,” in Religion and Public Discourse in an Age of Transition: Reflections on Bahá’í Practice and Thought edited by Ben Schewel and Geoff Cameron, 37-69. Guelph, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2018.
Vafai, Shahin. The Bahá’í Faith: Teachings, History, and Practices. Florida: Palabra, 2011.