One day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park
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When in Bahá'í history
New York (today: New York, USA)
One day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park. After spending several hours in the Museum of Natural History, He came out to rest under the trees. A solicitous little old watchman inquired, ‘”Would you like to go back after you have rested? There are fossils and birds.”’ ‘Abdu’l-Bahá smiled and replied, ‘”No, I am tired of going about looking at the things of this world. I want to go above and travel and see the spiritual worlds. What do you think about that?”’ The watchman scratched his head he was puzzled. Then the Master queried, ‘”Which would you rather possess, the material or the spiritual world?”’ ‘”Well, I guess the material.”’ ‘”But,” continued ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “you do not lose it when you attain the spiritual. When you go upstairs in a house you do not leave the house. The lower floor is under you.”’ Suddenly the old man seemed to see the light.
Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 142
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: spiritual-life).
Discuss this story
For adults
- Read the closing lines once more. What single phrase stays with you?
- What might 'Abdu'l-Bahá's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- If you were to share this story aloud at a devotional gathering, which sentence would you read first?
For teens
- If you were in 'Abdu'l-Bahá's place, what might you have done?
- What does this story teach about devotion?
Reflection
- Read the passage a second time, slowly. What did you notice that you missed the first time?
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- If you could bring one quality from this story into your next conversation, what would it be?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "One day, during the Master’s visit to New York City, He paid a visit to Central Park" drawn from?
Where does this story take place?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/spiritual-life
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