What is an institute study circle?
A study circle is "a small group of individuals (who) come together on a
regular basis in their own locality with a trained tutor who helps them to
progress through a selected sequence of courses."
A study circle has three components: the course material (approved by the
Regional Training Institute), a service project, and extra-curricular
activities. It is usually held on a regular basis (often weekly) over several
weeks.
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How do we begin a study circle?
Contact the National Bahá'í Institute or any of it's
contacts or send us the
feedback form and we will identify tutors/facilitators
to serve you.
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How do we choose a curriculum or course?
The basic course track is determined by the National Baha'i Institute Board
after study of the guidance of the Universal House of Justice. The friends are lovingly invited to follow
this track to assist us in learning about the training process in a systematic
way.
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How often do study circles meet?
The study circle makes many decisions about its functioning through
consultation. Meeting times, length of sessions, frequency of meetings, are all
group decisions. (Experience does show that study circles have a difficult time
maintaining continuity if there is more than two weeks between meetings.)
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How do study circles choose their type of service?
This is also a group consultative process. Hopefully, the study circle will
eagerly seek out the advice of the Local Spiritual Assemblies in the cluster to
see what needs exist.
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What if I would like to attend a weekend, intensive training?
In addition to study circles, intensive trainings conducted over weekends are
periodically offered by the National Bahai Institute.
If you like to suggest a location or need for such a training, contact the
Coordinator.
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What if I don't like the "Ruhi method?"
This response is excerpted from Walking Together on a Path of Service , Ruhi
Institute Book 7. This section of Book 7 addresses many of the misconceptions
that exist about the Ruhi curriculum, and hopefully will assist the friends to
approach Ruhi courses with open hearts and minds. We hope it also enables those
who arise in service as tutors/facilitators to maintain a flexible, encouraging,
learning atmosphere in the study circles.
If there is one concept that we hope characterizes the approach of the Ruhi
Institute, it is flexibility. However, protecting a system from rigidity is not
an easy task, especially when it becomes widely used in diverse circumstances
around the world. There is a tendency in most of us to introduce unnecessary
rules and regulations into the pursuits we undertake. This is almost always done
with the best of intentions and, in fact, we are seldom aware that we are
yielding to a rather natural tendency. The following imaginary conversation
between someone serving as a tutor of Book 7 and a group of participants who
have just studied the previous sections may help you identify possible
rigidities and then learn to avoid them.
Participant 1: I am a little confused about what we have studied in Section 10.
When I first started studying the courses, I was told that the “Ruhi method”
consists of a series of steps: We read a passage from the Writings, each one
asks a question about what we read, someone answers the question following the
passage as closely as possible, and then we memorize it. I think that a couple
of other steps were also mentioned, but I don‘t remember just now.
• Participant 2: I first went through Book 1 in a three-day course in which
everything was fixed. There were many rules about what we could and could not
do. I actually enjoyed it because there was a very spiritual atmosphere. But I
remember that a few people became upset and left after the first morning
session. What is interesting to me is that when I joined a study circle and we
went through Book 2 at our own pace, my spirit was equally uplifted but without
all that pressure.
• Participant 3: I was surprised to notice that, in this unit, the word “tutor”
is seldom used to refer to someone; instead the phrases “acting as a tutor “and
“serving as a tutor” are repeated. I studied Book 1 with someone who was
actually quite humble but insisted on calling himself a “Ruhi trainer ", and I
understood that he had been trained by a person called a “Ruhi coordinator “.
• Participant 4: I went to a very stimulating course for training tutors of Book
1. For the first few hours we played games to get to know each other and trust
each other. Then someone suggested that we “empty” ourselves so we spent an
afternoon talking about whatever was on our minds. I thought that was part of
the “Ruhi method” and tried to do the same when I started a study circle and, I
must admit, several participants did not like it.
• Tutor: I don‘t think any of the ideas you have described is wrong or
undesirable in principle. The problem is that referring to them as elements of a
“Ruhi method” introduces rigidity into a process that is otherwise simple,
joyful, and sensitive to a diversity of needs. For example, you all remember
that at the beginning of Book 1, a technique is used whereby the participants
ask simple questions of one another. The use of this technique has a clear
purpose, which is to help the participants focus on Bahá'í text. But once such a
habit is created, why would one continue to employ a technique that can easily
become mechanical. Of course, there might be occasions now and then in other
units when the technique is useful, but it should certainly not be called the
“Ruhi method”. What is more, it is not necessary to ask everyone to repeat the
same question one after another, which would naturally only annoy them. Usually
after one or two repetitions, the purpose of the exercise is achieved.
The issue of games also has to be approached with sensitivity. I know for sure
that many study circles do not play the kind of games you mentioned, but I have
heard of others that wanted to include them in their group activities. As to the
question of “emptying” oneself in some group or another the participants may
have felt that they needed to talk about their thoughts and feelings a little to
get to know one another better, but surely this is not a requirement of a study
circle. Similarly, I have heard of study circles that wished to give themselves
a name in order to strengthen group identity. Again, there is nothing wrong with
this, but it is not a requirement. You should, of course, appreciate that the
Ruhi Institute cannot issue a series of do’s and don'ts since this would lead to
rigidity. Much is left, therefore, to the judgment of the tutor who should
decide which activities, in addition to the basic study of the material, are to
be introduced in order to enhance learning.
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Did we leave out your question?
We would appreciate your help to make this FAQs page more useful. Please email us if you have any further questions. We are honored to be of
service to you.
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