Walking on a path of service
All of us want to see the world become a better place. We look forward to a future when universal peace has been established and the human family lives in harmony. Such a future is not a dream and can be built as more and more of us exert effort to contribute to the betterment of the world. Deep in our hearts each of us has the desire to serve our communities. What we need is to develop our capacity to undertake selfless acts of service for the common good.
We can think about our service to humanity by imagining a path of service on which we walk together. This path is open to all. We each make the choice to enter it, and we advance on it at our own pace. We do not walk this path alone; we serve alongside our friends. learning together and accompanying one another.
About the program
The sequence of courses for youth and adults strengthen the participants’ capabilities to serve their community. In general, small groups of participants, working with the assistance of a tutor, meet together in an atmosphere of joy, calm and meditative serenity to engage in close study of the course materials. By studying these courses, they gain the spiritual insights and the practical skills needed to move forward on the path of service together.
As the participants advance from one course to the next, their capacity to carry out increasingly complex acts of service grows. All along, they are accompanied by their tutor and, in time, they naturally come to accompany friends with less experience. From the start, they are all protagonists of personal and social transformation, eagerly assuming responsibility for their own learning and for service to the community.
Educational material
The sequence of courses has been developed by the Ruhi Institute with the purpose of increasing the capacity of youth and adults to serve their community. The content and order of the courses are based on a series of acts of service, the practice of which creates capacity in the individual to meet the exigencies of dynamic, developing communities. These acts of service are intended to establish a dynamic pattern of action that will lead to the sound development of local communities. This pattern of action involves the establishment of devotional meetings, a program of home visits, children’s classes, junior youth groups and study circles for youth and adults.
To learn more: https://www.ruhi.org/programs-and-materials/
In practice
Study circles may be held regularly in various gathering places, such as a private residence, a community center or a park. Some groups may also choose to spend several days together to study in an intensive manner in a camp or a seminar. The study can be complemented by sports, artistic and recreational activities, and is always accompanied by a component of service to the community.
