Freedom from excessive attachment to outcomes, possessions, or ego.
How to read this bridge: Read the insight, explore how traditions connect, then read each passage in full at the end. Skip to passages
Clinging to outcomes, possessions, or status tends to distort how we act and who we become. These passages suggest that loosening that grip is not passivity but a kind of clarity. What withers or passes away need not govern the will.
6 ways these traditions speak to each other—the first is open; tap + on others to read each connection.
Each connection draws on two passages only. We bridge voices across traditions with respect—we do not claim they share the same religion or doctrine.
Passages in this connection
Bahá'í
Bahai Writings (detachment)
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more
Christianity
Matthew 6:19 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
How they connect
The Bahá'í text warns against rejoicing in prosperity or grieving abasement, because both conditions are transient. Matthew 6:19 shifts attention to material accumulation specifically, noting that earthly treasures are subject to decay and theft. Both passages argue against investing one's security in what is perishable, though the Bahá'í framing addresses emotional states while the Christian verse addresses the storing of goods. The shared counsel is to resist anchoring oneself to what will not last.
Passages in this connection
Bahá'í
Bahai Writings (detachment)
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more
Sanatan Dharma (Hindu)
2:47
Your right is only to work, but not to its results; do not let the results of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
How they connect
The Bahá'í passage counsels equanimity toward both prosperity and abasement, since neither state is permanent. The Sanatan Dharma (Hindu) verse from the Bhagavad Gītā focuses on the act itself: work is one's proper domain, not the fruit it yields. One tradition orients the practitioner toward impermanence of circumstance; the other reorients the practitioner toward the nature of action itself. Both discourage letting results become the anchor of one's inner life.
Passages in this connection
Bahá'í
Bahai Writings (detachment)
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more
Islam
57:20
Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: And worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur; and pardon from God, and favour for those who renounce it: For this present life is no other than a deceitful provision
How they connect
The Bahá'í passage distills the point briefly: prosperity and abasement both pass away. Qur'ān 57:20 elaborates at length, likening worldly life to rain-fed plants that green, yellow, and become dry stubble. The Islamic verse adds that clinging to worldly grandeur carries a moral consequence, while renouncing it opens the way to pardon and favor. The Bahá'í text offers a quiet axiom; the Qur'ānic verse builds an extended image to make the same impermanence vivid.
Passages in this connection
Christianity
Matthew 6:19 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Islam
57:20
Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: And worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur; and pardon from God, and favour for those who renounce it: For this present life is no other than a deceitful provision
How they connect
Matthew 6:19 uses the concrete images of moth, rust, and theft to show that earthly treasure is inherently unreliable. Qur'ān 57:20 uses the image of crops that flourish briefly then turn to dry stubble, adding that desire for worldly grandeur carries serious consequence. Both passages employ vivid images of decay to make the case for detachment from material accumulation. The Christian verse stops at the observation of impermanence; the Islamic verse extends it into an explicit statement about what renunciation yields.
Passages in this connection
Sanatan Dharma (Hindu)
2:47
Your right is only to work, but not to its results; do not let the results of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
Christianity
Matthew 6:19 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
How they connect
The Sanatan Dharma (Hindu) verse addresses the inner motivation behind action, urging the practitioner not to make results the driver of work. Matthew 6:19 addresses outward behavior, discouraging the accumulation of perishable goods. One passage is about how one works; the other is about what one stores. Together they touch complementary aspects of attachment — the craving for outcomes and the craving for possessions — without sharing the same metaphysical framework.
Passages in this connection
Sanatan Dharma (Hindu)
2:47
Your right is only to work, but not to its results; do not let the results of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
Islam
57:20
Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: And worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur; and pardon from God, and favour for those who renounce it: For this present life is no other than a deceitful provision
How they connect
The Sanatan Dharma (Hindu) text from the Bhagavad Gītā locates detachment within the ethics of action: one should work without the fruit of work as one's motive. Qur'ān 57:20 locates detachment within a cosmic perspective: the whole of worldly life — riches, children, glory — is compared to vegetation that inevitably withers. The two passages approach detachment from different angles, one focusing on the practitioner's intention and the other on the nature of the world itself. Both arrive at the same practical counsel: do not let transient gains govern you.
Voices from each tradition—read in full after the connections above.
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Bahá'í
Bahai Writings (detachment)
Should prosperity befall thee, rejoice not, and should abasement come upon thee, grieve not, for both shall pass away and be no more
Sanatan Dharma (Hindu)
2:47
Your right is only to work, but not to its results; do not let the results of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
Christianity
Matthew 6:19 KJV
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Islam
57:20
Know that this present life is only a toy and a vain amusement: And worldly pomp, and the affectation of glory among you, and the multiplying of riches and children, are as the plants nourished by the rain, the springing up whereof delighteth the husbandmen; afterwards they wither, so that thou seest the same turned yellow, and at length they become dry stubble. And in the life to come will be a severe punishment for those who covet worldly grandeur; and pardon from God, and favour for those who renounce it: For this present life is no other than a deceitful provision