Detachment is as the sun

Today I am inspired by DETACHMENT. I know I need it, being the human I am. Here are some quotations from the writings that come to mind regarding this essential virtue. But let it be known that this theme runs as a golden thread throughout the Bahá'í writings, and is central to a religious, God-fearing life.

Regarding the effect of detachment on the soul, the Bahá'í writings state:

"Detachment is as the sun; in whatsoever heart it doth shine it quencheth the fire of covetousness and self."

Detachment is manifested through understanding:

"He whose sight is illumined with the light of understanding will assuredly detach himself from the world and the vanities thereof."

We can demonstrate detachment thus:

"....Let not the world and its vileness grieve you. Happy is he whom riches fill not with vain-glory, nor poverty with sorrow."

(Baha'u'llah, cited in The Baha'i World, and here)

Another of my favorite passages on the subject is the following, which invites us to make use of "the power of the Most Great Name (i.e. derivatives of the word Bahá, such as Bahá'u'lláh, Alláh-u-Abhá and Yá Bahá'u'l-Abhá) and so become a source of spiritual energy to the world:

Walk thou high above the world of being through the power of the Most Great Name, that thou mayest become aware of the immemorial mysteries and be acquainted with that wherewith no one is acquainted. Verily, thy Lord is the Helper, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Be thou as a throbbing artery, pulsating in the body of the entire creation, that through the heat generated by this motion there may appear that which will quicken the hearts of those who hesitate.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 142-3)

And in a similar vein regarding the imperative of avoiding fanaticism (excessive attachment to one's own beliefs) and strife:

It behoveth him who expoundeth the Word of God to deliver it with the utmost goodwill, kindness, and compassion. As to him that embraceth the truth and is honoured with recognizing Him, his name shall be recorded in the Crimson Book among the inmates of the all-highest Paradise. Should a soul fail, however, to accept the truth, it is in no wise permissible to contend with him. In another connection He saith: “Blessed and happy is he that ariseth to promote the best interests of the peoples and kindreds of the earth.” Likewise He saith: “The people of Bahá should soar high above the peoples of the world.” In matters of religion every form of fanaticism, hatred, dissension and strife is strictly forbidden.

(Bahá’u’lláh, The Tabernacle of Unity, 2.35)

And in the following passage we are called upon not to contend with anyone regarding the things of this world; in other words, to be detached from our hopes and ideas about them:

Dispute not with any one concerning the things of this world and its affairs, for God hath abandoned them to such as have set their affection upon them. Out of the whole world He hath chosen for Himself the hearts of men—hearts which the hosts of revelation and of utterance can subdue. Thus hath it been ordained by the Fingers of Bahá, upon the Tablet of God’s irrevocable decree, by the behest of Him Who is the Supreme Ordainer, the All-Knowing.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings, p. 278 )

"Piety and detachment" are essential to success in teaching, and qualify the one who attains to them for a "supreme station, [a] habitation of transcendent holiness and sublimity":

At one time this sublime Word was heard from the Tongue of Him Who is the Possessor of all being and the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below—exalted is the glory of His utterance—: Piety and detachment are even as two most great luminaries of the heaven of teaching. Blessed the one who hath attained unto this supreme station, this habitation of transcendent holiness and sublimity.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 253)

What, then, is the "essence" of detachment?

The essence of detachment is for man to turn his face towards the courts of the Lord, to enter His Presence, behold His Countenance, and stand as witness before Him.

(Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas, p. 155)

Guidance on how to live a detached life may be found in the compilation "Living the Life". Therein is included, among other things, the following passage, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, that relates the Bahá'í concept detachment to the requirements of life on earth:

Baha'u'llah says that the highest form of detachment in this day is to be occupied with some profession and be self-supporting. A good Baha'i, therefore, is the one who so arranges his life as to devote time both to his material needs and also to the service of the Cause.

(Living the Life, #1278)

Finally, here is a prayer that may be said for detachment:

Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and to abide within the precincts of Thy court, for remoteness from Thee hath well-nigh consumed me. Cause me to rest under the shadow of the wings of Thy grace, for the flame of my separation from Thee hath melted my heart within me. Draw me nearer unto the river that is life indeed, for my soul burneth with thirst in its ceaseless search after Thee. My sighs, O my God, proclaim the bitterness of mine anguish, and the tears I shed attest my love for Thee.
I beseech Thee, by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself and the glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own Essence, to grant that we may be numbered among them that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy sovereignty in Thy days. Help us then to quaff, O my God, from the fingers of mercy the living waters of Thy loving-kindness, that we may utterly forget all else except Thee, and be occupied only with Thy Self. Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest. No God is there beside Thee, the Mighty, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Glorified be Thy name, O Thou Who art the King of all Kings!

—Bahá’u’lláh, BP 48