Deepening

Deepening is a general term for any activity which is designed to achieve, or actually does achieve, a deeper understanding of the Baha'i Faith, of the Station of Bahá'u'lláh, or of particular aspects of the Faith. As such, it can take many forms. A letter of Shoghi Effendi states the following regarding the importance of deepening:

"The deepening and enrichment of the spiritual life of the individual believer, his increasing comprehension of the essential verities underlying his Faith, his training in its administrative processes, his understanding of the fundamentals of the Covenants established by the Author and the authorized Interpreter of its teachings should be made the supreme objectives of the national representatives responsible for the edification, the progress and consolidation of these communities."

Forms of Deepening

Private Study

The simplest form of deepening to arrange is private study by the individual Bahá'í. It is an injunction of Bahá'u'lláh Himself to read from the Sacred Word every morning and evening. Although this is not usually thought of as "deepening", there should nevertheless be some form of assimilation of the Word and its meaning taking place here. Over and above the daily readings, an individual may set out to read a Bahá'í volume, with the specific aim of increasing knowledge/understanding/devotion, or even embark on a conscious "study" of the volume, with the help of some sort of study guide or study outline.

Deepening Classes

Deepening classes are organised meetings in which, usually, someone considered to be fairly adept in a particular subject, or who has at least studied it themselves, shares their knowledge and understanding with others. This could be on a historical aspect of the Faith, e.g. "The Travels of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", or on a particular text, e.g. "The Laws of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas". These tend to be organised locally, and usually involve only a handful of people.

Study Groups

In a study group, several Bahá’ís get together, on a more equal footing than is implied in a deepening "class", and set out to study a particular subject. This could well be with multiple copies of the text to hand, so particular items of Scripture which many Bahá’ís already possess could well be the subject, e.g. "The Seven Valleys" or "The Hidden Words".

Study Guides

Over the years, dedicated Bahá’ís have produced "study guides", which are either written pages or printed booklets devoted to deepening the believers' understanding on a particular aspect of the Faith. Noted examples might include, "The Gemstone Study Program" or the "Star Study Series".

In 1973, the Bahá’í Publishing Trust, United States, published "A Fortress for Well-Being" as part of the Bahá'í Comprehensive Deepening Program. Daniel Jordan was the Project Supervisor.

In 1974, it published "The Greatest Gift" as part of the Community Enrichment Program on Teaching.

Ruhi Books (Study Circles)

The Ruhi Institute, in rural Colombia, has produced a coherent, but not yet complete, programme of study which cover many basic Bahá’í principles, allowing it to serve as a deepening tool, however in a document prepared by the International Teaching Center it is stated that they should not be seen as being primarily for this purpose as they are also focused on training human resources for the community:

"Progress of many people through the sequence of courses is more likely to occur when the friends are able to associate their studies to specifc action. They are eager to study the next course in the sequence when they understand that moving together along a path of service enables them to contribute to the advancement of their community. Such progress may be impeded when the courses are inadvertently presented as an end in themselves or as a mere deepening"

Another letter written on behalf of the House notes that other deepening methods remain a means by which knowledge of the Faith can be gained:

"Local deepening classes and summer and winter schools, which remain an important feature of Bahá’í community life, will provide ample opportunities for them to deepen their knowledge of the teachings."

Games

A more random method of deepening uses other forms of stimulation, in various forms of game. One of the most widely used is Spiritual Pursuit, which, although available only in English, is frequently used in many countries, with one person as translator. In board/quiz games of this sort, questions may involve areas of Bahá’í knowledge in which individual players have hitherto shown little interest. The excitement of the game can lead the players into awakening new areas of interest.