1 Man—the true man—is soul, not body; though physically
man belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him
above the rest of creation. Behold how the light of the sun
iuluminates the world of matter: even so doth the Divine
Light shed its rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it
is which makes the human creature a celestial entity!
2 By the power of the Holy Spirit, working through his soul,
man is able to perceive the Divine reality of things. All great
works of art and science are witnesses to this power of the
Spirit. The same Spirit gives Eternal Life.!
3 The superiority of man over the rest of the created world is
seen again in this, that man has a soul in which dwells the
divine spirit; the souls of the lower creatures are inferior in
their essence.
4 There is no doubt then, that of all created beings man is
the nearest to the nature of God, and therefore receives a
greater gift of the Divine Bounty.
5 The mineral kingdom possesses the power of existing. The
plant has the power of existing and growing. The animal, in
addition to existence and growth, has the capacity of moving
about, and the use of the faculties of the senses. In the
human kingdom we find all the attributes of the lower
worlds, with much more added thereto. Man is the sum of
every previous creation, for he contains them all.
6 ‘Io man is given the special gift of the intellect by which he
is able to receive a larger share of the light Divine. The
Perfect Man is as a polished mirror reflecting the Sun of
Truth, manifesting the attributes of God.?
8 The reality of man is his thought, not his material body.
The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although
man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of
thought superior to all other created beings.®
9 Souls are like unto mirrors, and the bounty of God is like
unto the sun. When the mirrors pass beyond all coloring
and attain purity and polish, and are confronted with the
sun, they will reflect in full perfection its light and glory. In
this condition one should not consider the mirror, but the
power of the light of the sun, which hath penetrated the
mirror, making it a reflector of the heavenly glory.4
10 We have many times demonstrated and established that
man is the noblest of beings, the sum of all perfections, and
that all beings and all existences are the centers from which
the glory of God is reflected—that is to say, the signs of the
Divinity of God are apparent in the realities of things and
of creatures. Just as the terrestrial globe is the place where
the rays of the sun are reflected—as its light, its heat and its
influence are apparent and visible in all the atoms of the
earth—so, in the same way, the atoms of beings, in this infinite
space, proclaim and prove one of the divine perfections.
Nothing is deprived of this benefit; either it is a sign of the
mercy of God, or it is a sign of His power, His greatness,
His justice, His nurturing providence; or it is a sign of the
generosity of God, His vision, His hearing, His knowledge,
His grace and so on.
11 Without doubt each being is the center of the shining forth
of the glory of God—that is to say, the perfections of God
appear from it and are resplendent in it. It is like the sun,
which is resplendent in the desert, upon the sea, in the
trees, in the fruits and blossoms, and in all earthly things.
The world, indeed each existing being, proclaims to us one
of the names of God, but the reality of man is the collective
reality, the general reality, and is the center where the glory
of all the perfections of God shine forth—that is to say, for
each name, each attribute, each perfection which we affirm
of God there exists a sign in man. If it were otherwise, man
could not imagine these perfections and could not under-
stand them. So we say that God is the seer, and the eye is
the sign of His vision; if this sight were not in man, how
could we imagine the vision of God? For the blind (that is,
one born blind) cannot imagine sight; and the deaf (that is,
one deaf from birth) cannot imagine hearing; and the dead
cannot realize life. Consequently, the Divinity of God, which
is the sum of all perfections, reflects itself in the reality of
man—that is to say, the Essence of Oneness is the gathering
of all perfections, and from this unity He casts a reflection
upon the human reality. Man, then, is the perfect mirror
facing the Sun of ‘Truth and is the center of radiation: the
Sun of Truth shines in this mirror. The reflection of the
divine perfections appears in the reality of man, so he is the
representative of God, the messenger of God. If man did not
exist, the universe would be without result, for the object of
existence is the appearance of the perfections of God.•
12 When we consider beings with the seeing eye, we observe
that they are limited to three sorts—that is to say, as a whole
they are either mineral, vegetable or animal, each of these
three classes containing species. Man is the highest species
14 because he is the possessor of the perfections of all the
classes—that is, he has a body which grows and which feels.
As well as having the perfections of the mineral, of the vegetable
and of the animal, he also possesses an especial excellence
which the other beings are without—that is, the intellectual
perfections. Therefore, man is the most noble of beings.
15 Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the beginning
of spirituality—that is to say, he is the end of imperfection
and the beginning of perfection. He is at the last degree of
darkness, and at the beginning of light; that is why it has
been said that the condition of man is the end of the night
and the beginning of day, meaning that he is the sum of all the
degrees of imperfection, and that he possesses the degrees
of perfection. He has the animal side as well as the angelic
side, and the aim of an educator is to so train human souls that
their angelic aspect may overcome their animal side. Then
if the divine power in man, which is his essential perfection,
overcomes the satanic power, which is absolute imperfection,
he becomes the most excellent among the creatures; but if
the satanic power overcomes the divine power, he becomes
the lowest of the creatures. That is why he is the end of
imperfection and the beginning of perfection. Not in any
other of the species in the world of existence is there such
a difference, contrast, contradiction and opposition as in
the species of man. Thus the reflection of the Divine Light
was in man, as in Christ, and see how loved and honored
He is! At the same time we see man worshipping a stone, a
clod of earth or a tree. How vile he is, in that his object of
worship should be the lowest existence—that is, a stone or clay,
without spirit; a mountain, a forest or a tree. What shame is
greater for man than to worship the lowest existences? In the
same way, knowledge is a quality of man, and so is ignorance;
truthfulness is a quality of man; so is falsehood; trustworthiness
and treachery, justice and injustice, are qualities of man,
and so forth. Briefly, all the perfections and virtues, and all
the vices, are qualities of man.
16 Consider equally the differences between individual men.
Christ was in the form of man, and Caiaphas was in the
17 form of man; Moses and Pharaoh, Abel and Cain, Baha’u’llah
and Yahya,” were men.
Man is said to be the greatest representative of God, and he
is the Book of Creation because all the mysteries of beings
exist in him. If he comes under the shadow of the True
Educator and is rightly trained, he becomes the essence of
essences, the light of lights, the spirit of spirits; he becomes
the center of the divine appearances, the source of spiritual
qualities, the rising-place of heavenly lights, and the receptacle
of divine inspirations. If he is deprived of this education, he
becomes the manifestation of satanic qualities, the sum of
animal vices, and the source of all dark conditions.
18 The reason of the mission of the Prophets is to educate
men, so that this piece of coal may become a diamond, and
this fruitless tree may be engrafted and yield the sweetest,
most delicious fruits. When man reaches the noblest state
in the world of humanity, then he can make further
progress in the conditions of perfection, but not in state; for
such states are limited, but the divine perfections are endless.
19 Both before and after putting off this material form, there is
progress in perfection but not in state. So beings are consum-
mated in perfect man. There is no other being higher than a
perfect man. But man when he has reached this state can still
make progress in perfections but not in state because there
is no state higher than that of a perfect man to which he can
transfer himself. He only progresses in the state of humanity,
for the human perfections are infinite. Thus, however
learned a man may be, we can imagine one more learned.
20 Hence, as the perfections of humanity are endless, man can
also make progress in perfections after leaving this world.®
21 “Mirza Yahya (Subh-i-Azal), Baha’u’llah’s half-brother and His bitter enemy.
22 &
23 Know that nothing which exists remains in a state of repose—
that is to say, all things are in motion. Everything is either
growing or declining; all things are either coming from non-
existence into being, or going from existence into nonexistence.
So this flower, this hyacinth, during a certain period of time
was coming from the world of nonexistence into being, and
now it is going from being into nonexistence. This state of
motion is said to be essential—that is, natural; it cannot be
separated from beings because it is their essential requirement,
as it is the essential requirement of fire to burn.
Thus it is established that this movement is necessary to
existence, which is either growing or declining. Now, as the
spirit continues to exist after death, it necessarily progresses
or declines; and in the other world to cease to progress is
the same as to decline; but it never leaves its own condition,
in which it continues to develop. For example, the reality of
the spirit of Peter, however far it may progress, will not
reach to the condition of the Reality of Christ; it progresses
only in its own environment.
24 Look at this mineral. However far it may evolve, it only
evolves in its own condition; you cannot bring the crystal to
a state where it can attain to sight. This is impossible. So the
moon which is in the heavens, however far it might evolve,
could never become a luminous sun, but in its own condition
it has apogee and perigee. However far the disciples might
progress, they could never become Christ. It is true that
coal could become a diamond, but both are in the mineral
condition, and their component elements are the same.’
25 As to the soul of man after death, it remains in the degree
of purity to which it has evolved during life in the physical
body, and after it is freed from the body it remains plunged
in the ocean of God’s Mercy.
26 From the moment the soul leaves the body and arrives in the
Heavenly World, its evolution is spiritual, and that evolution
is: The approaching unto God.
27 In the physical creation, evolution is from one degree of perfec-
tion to another. The mineral passes with its mineral perfections
to the vegetable; the vegetable, with its perfections, passes
to the animal world, and so on to that of humanity. This
world is full of seeming contradictions; in each of these
kingdoms (mineral, vegetable and animal) life exists in its
degree; though when compared to the life in a man, the
earth appears to be dead, yet she, too, lives and has a life
of her own. In this world things live and die, and live again
in other forms of life, but in the world of the spirit it is
quite otherwise.
28 The soul does not evolve from degree to degree as a law—it
only evolves nearer to God, by the Mercy and Bounty of God.
It is my earnest prayer that we may all be in the Kingdom
of God, and near Him.®
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29 But regarding the progress of the spirit in the world of the
Kingdom after its ascension…It is like unto the progress of
the child from the world of the fetus to the world of maturity
and intelligence, from the world of ignorance to the world of
knowledge, from the station of imperfection to the pinnacle
of perfection.
30 As Divine Perfections are infinite, therefore the progress of
the spirit is limitless.
31 Tonight I will speak of the evolution or progress of the spirit.
32 Absolute repose does not exist in nature. All things either
make progress or lose ground. Everything moves forward
or backward, nothing is without motion. From his birth, a
man progresses physically until he reaches maturity, then,
34 having arrived at the prime of his life, he begins to decline,
the strength and powers of his body decrease, and he gradually
arrives at the hour of death. Likewise a plant progresses
from the seed to maturity, then its life begins to lessen until
it fades and dies. A bird soars to a certain height and having
reached the highest possible point in its flight, begins its
descent to earth.
35 Thus it is evident that movement is essential to all existence.
All material things progress to a certain point, then begin to
decline. This is the law which governs the whole physical
creation.
36 Now let us consider the soul. We have seen that movement
is essential to existence; nothing that has life is without
motion. All creation, whether of the mineral, vegetable or
animal kingdom, is compelled to obey the law of motion; it
must either ascend or descend. But with the human soul,
there is no decline. Its only movement is towards perfection;
growth and progress alone constitute the motion of the soul.
37 Divine perfection is infinite, therefore the progress of the soul
is also infinite. From the very birth of a human being the soul
progresses, the intellect grows and knowledge increases. When
the body dies the soul lives on. All the differing degrees of
created physical beings are limited, but the soul is limitless!
38 In the world of spirit there is no retrogression. The world of
mortality is a world of contradictions, of opposites; motion
being compulsory everything must either go forward or retreat.
In the realm of spirit there is no retreat possible, all move-
ment is bound to be towards a perfect state. ‘Progress’ is the
expression of spirit in the world of matter. The intelligence
of man, his reasoning powers, his knowledge, his scientific
achievements, all these being manifestations of the spirit,
partake of the inevitable law of spiritual progress and are,
therefore, of necessity, immortal…
39 My hope for you is that you will progress in the world of
spirit, as well as in the world of matter; that your intelligence
will develop, your knowledge will augment, and your under-
standing be widened.!•
40 ..a father and mother endure the greatest troubles and
hardships for their children; and often when the children
have reached the age of maturity, the parents pass on to the
other world. Rarely does it happen that a father and mother
in this world see the reward of the care and trouble they
have undergone for their children. Therefore, children, in
return for this care and trouble, must show forth charity
and beneficence, and must implore pardon and forgiveness
for their parents. So you ought, in return for the love and
kindness shown you by your father, to give to the poor for
his sake, with greatest submission and humility implore pardon
and remission of sins, and ask for the supreme mercy.!!
41 The wealth of the other world is nearness to God. Consequently,
it is certain that those who are near the Divine Court are
allowed to intercede, and this intercession is approved by
God. But intercession in the other world is not like interces-
sion in this world. It is another thing, another reality, which
cannot be expressed in words.
42 If a wealthy man at the time of his death bequeaths a gift
to the poor and miserable, and gives a part of his wealth to
be spent for them, perhaps this action may be the cause of
his pardon and forgiveness, and of his progress in the Divine
Kingdom…
43 It is even possible that the condition of those who have
died in sin and unbelief may become changed—that is to
say, they may become the object of pardon through the
bounty of God, not through His justice—for bounty is giving
without desert, and justice is giving what is deserved. As we
have power to pray for these souls here, so likewise we shall
45 possess the same power in the other world, which is the
Kingdom of God. Are not all the people in that world the
creatures of God? Therefore, in that world also they can make
progress. As here they can receive light by their supplications,
there also they can plead for forgiveness and receive light
through entreaties and supplications. Thus as souls in this
world, through the help of the supplications, the entreaties
and the prayers of the holy ones, can acquire development,
so is it the same after death. Through their own prayers
and supplications they can also progress, more especially
when they are the object of the intercession of the Holy
Manifestations.!2
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46 Question: Through what means will the spirit of man—that is
to say, the rational soul—after departing from this mortal
world, make progress?
47 Answer: The progress of man’s spirit in the divine world,
after the severance of its connection with the body of dust,
is through the bounty and grace of the Lord alone, or
through the intercession and the sincere prayers of other
human souls, or through the charities and important good
works which are performed in its name.!%
48 Know that the conditions of existence are limited to the
conditions of servitude, of prophethood and of Deity, but
the divine and the contingent perfections are unlimited.
When you reflect deeply, you discover that also outwardly
the perfections of existence are also unlimited, for you cannot
find a being so perfect that you cannot imagine a superior
one. For example, you cannot see a ruby in the mineral
kingdom, a rose in the vegetable kingdom, or a nightingale
in the animal kingdom, without imagining that there might
be better specimens. As the divine bounties are endless, so
human perfections are endless. If it were possible to reach
49 a limit of perfection, then one of the realities of the beings
might reach the condition of being independent of God,
and the contingent might attain to the condition of the
absolute. But for every being there is a point which it can-
not overpass—that is to say, he who is in the condition of
servitude, however far he may progress in gaining limitless
perfections, will never reach the condition of Deity. It is the
same with the other beings. A mineral, however far it may
progress in the mineral kingdom, cannot gain the vegetable
ower. Also in a flower, however far it may progress in the
vegetable kingdom, no power of the senses will appear. So
this silver mineral cannot gain hearing or sight; it can only
improve in its own condition and become a perfect mineral,
but it cannot acquire the power of growth, or the power of
sensation, or attain to life; it can only progress in its own
condition.
50 For example, Peter cannot become Christ. All that he can do
is, in the condition of servitude, to attain endless perfections;
for every existing reality is capable of making progress. As
the spirit of man after putting off this material form has an
everlasting life, certainly any existing being is capable of mak-
ing progress; therefore, it is permitted to ask for advancement,
forgiveness, mercy, beneficence and blessings for a man
after his death because existence is capable of progression.
That is why in the prayers of Baha’u’llah forgiveness and
remission of sins are asked for those who have died.!4
51 ‘Does the soul progress more through sorrow or through
the joy in this world?’
52 Abdu’l-Bahda: “The mind and spirit of man advance when he
is tried by suffering. The more the ground is ploughed the
better the seed will grow, the better the harvest will be. Just
as the plough furrows the earth deeply, purifying it of
weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free man
53 8&
54 from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at
a state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world
will be that of divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe:
the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back
to the times past and you will find that the greatest men
have suffered most.’
55 Regarding the “two wings” of the soul: These signify wings
of ascent. One is the wing of knowledge, the other of faith,
as this is the means of the ascent of the human soul to the
lofty station of divine perfections.!®
56 As to thy question, doth every soul without exception
achieve life everlasting? Know thou that immortality belongeth
to those souls in whom hath been breathed the spirit of life
from God. All save these are lifeless—they are the dead,
even as Christ hath explained in the Gospel text. He whose
eyes the Lord hath opened will see the souls of men in the
stations they will occupy after their release from the body.
He will find the living ones thriving within the precincts of
their Lord, and the dead sunk down in the lowest abyss of
perdition.!”
ook OK
57 Undoubtedly, those souls who are under the shadow of the
Blessed Cause, believing and assured, firm and steadfast,
and living in accord with the Divine exhortations and advices,
all of them are confirmed in the Everlasting Life.!8
58 A man should pause and reflect and be just: his Lord, out
of measureless grace, has made him a human being and
honored him with the words: “Verily, We created man in
the goodliest of forms’—and caused His mercy which rises
out of the dawn of oneness to shine down upon him, until
he became the wellspring of the words of God and the
place where the mysteries of heaven alighted, and on the
morning of creation he was covered with the rays of the
qualities of perfection and the graces of holiness.!9
59 O thou who seekest the Kingdom of heaven! This world is
even as the body of man, and the Kingdom of God is as the
spirit of life. See how dark and narrow is the physical world
of man’s body, and what a prey it is to diseases and ills. On
the other hand, how fresh and bright is the realm of the
human spirit. Judge thou from this metaphor how the
world of the Kingdom hath shone down, and how its laws
have been made to work in this nether realm. Although the
spirit is hidden from view, still its commandments shine out
like rays of light upon the world of the human body. In the
same way, although the Kingdom of heaven is hidden from
the sight of this unwitting people, still, to him who seeth
with the inner eye, it is plain as day.
60 Wherefore dwell thou ever in the Kingdom, and be thou
oblivious of this world below. Be thou so wholly absorbed
in the emanations of the spirit that nothing in the world of
man will distract thee.•
62 Moreover, as people in this world are in need of God, they
will also need Him in the other world. The creatures are
always in need, and God is absolutely independent, whether
in this world or in the world to come.?!
63 Likewise, ask thou of God that the magnet of His love
should draw unto thee the knowledge of Him. Once a soul
becometh holy in all things, purified, sanctified, the gates of
the knowledge of God will open wide before his eyes.??
64 Baha’u llah hath been made manifest to all mankind and
He hath invited all to the table of God, the banquet of Divine
bounty. ‘Today, however, most of those who sit at that table
are the poor, and this is why Christ hath said blessed are
the poor, for riches do prevent the rich from entering the
Kingdom; and again, He saith, ‘It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter
into the Kingdom of God.” If, however, the wealth of this
world, and worldly glory and repute, do not block his entry
therein, that rich man will be favored at the Holy Threshold
and accepted by the Lord of the Kingdom.?3
65 • Matthew 19:24; Mark 10:25.
66 Therefore, it follows that as each soul has its own possibility
of development, it is necessary for each soul to stand alone
before God. No one can stand for you in the Presence of
God in the ‘Last Day.’?4
67 You question about eternal life and the entrance into the
Kingdom. The outer expression used for the Kingdom is
heaven; but this is a comparison and similitude, not a reality
or fact, for the Kingdom is not a material place; it is sanctified
from time and place. It is a spiritual world, a divine world,
and the center of the Sovereignty of God; it is freed from
body and that which is corporeal, and it is purified and
sanctified from the imaginations of the human world. ‘To be
limited to place is a property of bodies and not of spirits.
Place and time surround the body, not the mind and spirit.
Observe that the body of man is confined to a small place; it
covers only two spans of earth. But the spirit and mind of
man travel to all countries and regions—even through the
limitless space of the heavens—surround all that exists, and
make discoveries in the exalted spheres and infinite distances.
This is because the spirit has no place; it is placeless; and
for the spirit the earth and the heaven are as one since it
makes discoveries in both. But the body is limited to a place
and does not know that which is beyond it.
68 For life is of two kinds: that of the body and that of the
spirit. The life of the body is material life, but the life of the
spirit expresses the existence of the Kingdom, which consists
in receiving the Spirit of God and becoming vivified by the
70 breath of the Holy Spirit. Although the material life has
existence, it is pure nonexistence and absolute death for the
holy saints. So man exists, and this stone also exists, but
what a difference between the existence of man and that of
the stone! Though the stone exists, in relation to the existence
of man it is nonexistent.
71 The meaning of eternal life is the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the
flower receives the gift of the season, the air, and the breezes
of spring. Consider: this flower had life in the beginning
like the life of the mineral; but by the coming of the season
of spring, of the bounty of the clouds of the springtime, and
of the heat of the glowing sun, it attained to another life of
the utmost freshness, delicacy and fragrance. The first life
of the flower, in comparison to the second life, is death.
The meaning is that the life of the Kingdom is the life of
the spirit, the eternal life, and that it is purified from place,
like the spirit of man which has no place. For if you examine
the human body, you will not find a special spot or locality
for the spirit, for it has never had a place; it is immaterial.
It has a connection with the body like that of the sun with
this mirror. The sun is not within the mirror, but it has a
connection with the mirror.
72 In the same way the world of the Kingdom 1s sanctified
from everything that can be perceived by the eye or by the
other senses—hearing, smell, taste or touch. The mind
which is in man, the existence of which is recognized—
where is it in him? If you examine the body with the eye,
the ear or the other senses, you will not find it; nevertheless,
it exists. Therefore, the mind has no place, but it is connected
with the brain. The Kingdom is also like this. In the same
way love has no place, but it is connected with the heart; so
the Kingdom has no place, but is connected with man.
73 Entrance into the Kingdom is through the love of God,
through detachment, through holiness and chastity, through
truthfulness, purity, steadfastness, faithfulness and the sacrifice
of life.
74 These explanations show that man is immortal and lives
eternally. For those who believe in God, who have love of
God, and faith, life is excellent—that is, it is eternal; but to
those souls who are veiled from God, although they have
life, it is dark, and in comparison with the life of believers
it Is nonexistence.
75 For example, the eye and the nail are living; but the life of
the nail in relation to the life of the eye is nonexistent. ‘This
stone and this man both exist; but the stone in relation to
the existence of man is nonexistent; it has no being; for
when man dies, and his body is destroyed and annihilated,
it becomes like stone and earth. Therefore, it is clear that
although the mineral exists, in relation to man it is nonexistent.
76 In the same way, the souls who are veiled from God, although
they exist in this world and in the world after death, are, in
comparison with the holy existence of the children of the
Kingdom of God, nonexisting and separated from God.?•
77 In the world of existence man has traversed successive degrees
until he has attained the human kingdom. In each degree of
his progression he has developed capacity for advancement
to the next station and condition. While in the kingdom of
the mineral he was attaining the capacity for promotion
into the degree of the vegetable. In the kingdom of the
vegetable he underwent preparation for the world of the
animal, and from thence he has come onward to the human
degree, or kingdom. Throughout this journey of progression
he has ever and always been potentially man.
78 In the beginning of his human life man was embryonic in
the world of the matrix. There he received capacity and
endowment for the reality of human existence. The forces
and powers necessary for this world were bestowed upon
80 him in that limited condition. In this world he needed eyes;
he received them potentially in the other. He needed ears; he
obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new
existence. The powers requisite in this world were conferred
upon him in the world of the matrix so that when he entered
this realm of real existence he not only possessed all necessary
functions and powers but found provision for his material
sustenance awaiting him.
81 Therefore, in this world he must prepare himself for the life
beyond. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom
must be obtained here. Just as he prepared himself in the
world of the matrix by acquiring forces necessary in this
sphere of existence, so, likewise, the indispensable forces of
the divine existence must be potentially attained in this world.
82 What is he in need of in the Kingdom which transcends the
life and limitation of this mortal sphere? That world beyond
is a world of sanctity and radiance; therefore, it 1s necessary
that in this world he should acquire these divine attributes.
In that world there is need of spirituality, faith, assurance,
the knowledge and love of God. These he must attain in
this world so that after his ascension from the earthly to the
heavenly Kingdom he shall find all that is needful in that
eternal life ready for him.
83 That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore,
man has need of illumination here. That is a world of love; the
love of God is essential. It is a world of perfections; virtues,
or perfections, must be acquired. ‘That world is vivified by
the breaths of the Holy Spirit; in this world we must seek
them. That is the Kingdom of everlasting life; it must be
attained during this vanishing existence.
84 By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he
obtain these merciful gifts and powers? First, through the
knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third,
through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth,
through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this
world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he
acquires these forces and attains to these requirements, he
85 will surely be deprived of the life that is eternal. But if he
possesses the knowledge of God, becomes ignited through
the fire of the love of God, witnesses the great and mighty
signs of the Kingdom, becomes the cause of love among
mankind and lives in the utmost state of sanctity and holiness,
he shall surely attain to second birth, be baptized by the
Holy Spirit and enjoy everlasting existence.
86 Is it not astonishing that although man has been created for
the knowledge and love of God, for the virtues of the human
world, for spirituality, heavenly illumination and eternal life,
nevertheless, he continues ignorant and negligent of all
this? Consider how he seeks knowledge of everything except
knowledge of God. For instance, his utmost desire is to
penetrate the mysteries of the lowest strata of the earth.
Day by day he strives to know what can be found ten meters
below the surface, what he can discover within the stone,
what he can learn by archaeological research in the dust.
He puts forth arduous labors to fathom terrestrial mysteries
but is not at all concerned about knowing the mysteries of the
Kingdom, traversing the illimitable fields of the eternal world,
becoming informed of the divine realities, discovering the
secrets of God, attaining the knowledge of God, witnessing
the splendors of the Sun of Truth and realizing the glories
of everlasting life. He is unmindful and thoughtless of these.
How much he is attracted to the mysteries of matter, and
how completely unaware he is of the mysteries of Divinity!
Nay, he is utterly negligent and oblivious of the secrets of
Divinity. How great his ignorance! How conducive to his
degradation! It is as if a kind and loving father had provided
a library of wonderful books for his son in order that he
might be informed of the mysteries of creation, at the same
time surrounding him with every means of comfort and
enjoyment, but the son amuses himself with pebbles and
playthings, neglectful of all his father’s gifts and provision.
How ignorant and heedless is man! The Father has willed
for him eternal glory, and he is content with blindness and
deprivation. The Father has built for him a royal palace, but
he is playing with the dust; prepared for him garments of
88 silk, but he prefers to remain unclothed; provided for him
delicious foods and fruits, while he seeks sustenance in the
grasses of the field.• ®
89 Acquainted With All Mysteries
The mysteries of which man is heedless in the earthly
world, those will he discover in the heavenly world, and
there will he be informed of the secrets of the truth; how
much more will he recognize or discover persons with
whom he has been associated. Undoubtedly the holy souls
who find a pure eye and are favored with insight will, in the
kingdom of lights, be acquainted with all mysteries, and will
seek the bounty of witnessing the reality of every great soul.
They will even manifestly behold the Beauty of God in that
world. Likewise will they find all the friends of God, both
those of the former and recent times, present in the heavenly
assemblage.
90 The difference and distinction between men will naturally
become realized after their departure from this mortal
world. But this distinction is not in respect to place, but in
respect to the soul and conscience. For the Kingdom of
God is sanctified (or free) from time and place; it is another
world and another universe. And know thou for a certainty
that in the divine worlds the spiritual beloved ones will recog-
nize one another, and will seek union with each other, but a
spiritual union. Likewise a love that one may have entertained
for anyone will not be forgotten in the world of the Kingdom,
nor wilt thou forget there the life that thou hadst in the
material world.?’
91 As to the question whether the souls will recognize each
other in the spiritual world: This fact is certain; for the
Kingdom is the world of vision where all the concealed realities
will become disclosed. How much more the well-known
souls will become manifest. The mysteries of which man is
heedless in this earthly world, those he will discover in the
heavenly world, and there will he be informed of the secret of
truth; how much more will he recognize or discover persons
with whom he hath been associated. Undoubtedly, the holy
souls who find a pure eye and are favored with insight will,
in the kingdom of light, be acquainted with all mysteries,
and will seek the bounty of witnessing the reality of every
great soul. Even they will manifestly behold the Beauty of
God in that world. Likewise will they find all the friends of
God, both those of the former and recent times, present in
the heavenly assemblage.• ®
92 Thou didst write as to the question of spiritual discoveries.
The spirit of man is a circumambient power that encom-
passeth the realities of all things. Whatsoever thou dost see
about thee—wondrous products of human workmanship,
inventions, discoveries and like evidences-each one of these
was once a secret hidden away in the realm of the unknown.
The human spirit laid that secret bare, and drew it forth
from the unseen into the visible world. There is, for example,
the power of steam, and photography and the phonograph,
and wireless telegraphy, and advances in mathematics: each
and every one of these was once a mystery, a closely guarded
secret, yet the human spirit unraveled these secrets and
brought them out of the invisible into the light of day. Thus
is it clear that the human spirit is an all-encompassing power
that exerteth its dominion over the inner essences of all
94 created things, uncovering the well kept mysteries of the
phenomenal world.
95 The divine spirit, however, doth unveil divine realities and
universal mysteries that lie within the spiritual world. It is
my hope that thou wilt attain unto this divine spirit, so that
thou mayest uncover the secrets of the other world, as well
as the mysteries of the world below.?9
96 As to thy question regarding discoveries made by the soul
after it hath put off its human form: certainly, that world is
a world of perceptions and discoveries, for the interposed
veil will be lifted away and the human spirit will gaze upon
souls that are above, below, and on a par with itself. It 1s
similar to the condition of a human being in the womb,
where his eyes are veiled, and all things are hidden away
from him. Once he is born out of the uterine world and
entereth this life, he findeth it, with relation to that of the
womb, to be a place of perceptions and discoveries, and he
observeth all things through his outer eye. In the same way,
once he hath departed this life, he will behold, in that world
whatsoever was hidden from him here: but there he will
look upon and comprehend all things with his inner eye.
There will he gaze on his fellows and his peers, and those
in the ranks above him, and those below.??
• OK
97 Consider how a being, in the world of the womb, was deaf
of ear and blind of eye, and mute of tongue; how he was
bereft of any perceptions at all. But once, out of that world
of darkness, he passed into this world of light, then his eye
saw, his ear heard, his tongue spoke. In the same way, once
he hath hastened away from this mortal place into the King-
dom of God, then he will be born in the spirit; then the eye
of his perception will open, the ear of his soul will hearken,
98 and all the truths of which he was ignorant before will be
made plain and clear.
99 An observant traveler passing along a way will certainly recall
his discoveries to mind, unless some accident befall him
and efface the memory.• !
100 ‘lo tamper with psychic forces while in this world interferes
with the condition of the soul in the world to come. These
forces are real, but, normally, are not active on this plane.
The child in the womb has its eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc.,
but they are not in activity. The whole purpose of life in the
material world is the coming forth into the world of Reality,
where those forces will become active. They belong to that
world.
101 “Can a departed soul converse with someone still on earth?”
Abdu’l-Baha: “A conversation can be held, but not as our
conversation. There is no doubt that the forces of the higher
worlds interplay with the forces of this plane. The heart of
man is open to inspiration; this is spiritual communication.
As in a dream one talks with a friend while the mouth is
silent, so is it in the conversation of the spirit. A man may
converse with the ego within him saying: ‘May I do this?
Would it be advisable for me to do this work?’ Such as this
is conversation with the higher self.”
103 When the souls leave the bodies, they do not assume elemental
bodies. Whatever man thinks regarding this is but his own
imagination.
104 When man desires help and communication from holy
souls, he puts himself in a condition of selfunconsciousness
and becomes submerged in the sea of meditation, then a
spiritual state, which is sanctified from matter and all material
things, becomes visible and apparent to him. Then he thinks
he beholds a form. Its appearance is like unto a vision.
105 Man beholds in the world of vision various images, commu-
nicates with them, and receives benefits, and in that world
of vision he thinks they are physical temples and material
bodies, while they are purely immaterial.
106 Briefly, the reality of the soul is sanctified and purified
above matter and material things, but like unto the world of
vision, it manifests itself in these material forms and visages.
Likewise, in the psychic condition, one beholds the spirits
like unto physical forms and visages.
107 ‘To be brief, the holy souls have great influence and intense
effect, and their influence and continuity does not depend
upon physical existence and elemental composition.
108 Ponder ye, that during sleep the human body and the five
physical senses, viz., sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch are
passive—i.e., all physical forces are inactive. Notwithstanding
this, human reality has spiritual life, and the spiritual powers
are penetrative; and wonderful disclosures are made in both
the East and the West, and perchance one may discover
some matters, which, after a long time, may become apparent
in the physical world. Therefore, it has become evident that
the continuity and influence of the human reality does not
depend upon the physical instrumentality; nay, rather, the
physical body is an instrument over which the human spirit
spreads a luminosity. It is like unto the sun which, shining
upon the mirror, causes its brilliancy, and when the reflection
109 is withdrawn from the mirror, it becomes dark. Likewise,
when the luminosity of the human spirit is withdrawn from
the body, that instrument becomes useless.
To be brief, Humanity consists of the spiritual reality, and
that reality is penetrative in all things, and it is that reality
which discovers the invisible mysteries, and through that
reality all sciences, arts, and inventions become known and
manifest. Whatever thou beholdest of the worlds of man is
but a faint ray of that reality. It encircles all things and
comprehends all things.
Reflect thou that all these existent sciences, crafts, industries,
and arts were at one time in the world of invisibility, unknown
and. concealed mysteries. As the spirit of man environs all
things, therefore he has discovered them and brought them
from the unknown world into the arena of manifestation.
Therefore, it is evident and established that the human spirit
is the discoverer of things, the seer of things, and the com-
prehender of things.• 4
110 Question: Some people believe that they achieve spiritual
discoveries—that is to say, that they converse with spirits.
What kind of communion is this?
Answer: Spiritual discoveries are of two kinds: one kind is of
the imagination and is only the assertion of a few people;
the other kind resembles inspiration, and this is real—such
are the revelations of Isaiah, of Jeremiah and of St. John,
which are real.
111 Reflect that man’s power of thought consists of two kinds.
One kind is true, when it agrees with a determined truth.
Such conceptions find realization in the exterior world; such
are accurate opinions, correct theories, scientific discoveries
and inventions.
113 The other kind of conceptions is made up of vain thoughts
and useless ideas which yield neither fruit nor result, and
which have no reality. No, they surge like the waves of the
sea of imaginations, and they pass away like idle dreams.
114 In the same way, there are two sorts of spiritual discoveries.
One is the revelations of the Prophets, and the spiritual
discoveries of the elect. The visions of the Prophets are not
dreams; no, they are spiritual discoveries and have reality.
They say, for example, “I saw a person in a certain form,
and I said such a thing, and he gave such an answer.” ‘This
vision is in the world of wakefulness, and not in that of
sleep. Nay, it is a spiritual discovery which is expressed as if
it were the appearance of a vision.
115 The other kind of spiritual discoveries is made up of pure
imaginations, but these imaginations become embodied in
such a way that many simple-hearted people believe that
they have a reality. That which proves it clearly is that from
this controlling of spirits no result or fruit has ever been
produced. No, they are but narratives and stories.
116 Know that the reality of man embraces the realities of
things, and discovers the verities, properties and secrets of
things. So all these arts, wonders, sciences and knowledge
have been discovered by the human reality. At one time
these sciences, knowledge, wonders and arts were hidden and
concealed secrets; then gradually the human reality discovered
them and brought them from the realm of the invisible to
the plane of the visible. Therefore, it is evident that the
reality of man embraces things. Thus it is in Europe and
discovers America; it is on the earth, and it makes discoveries
in the heavens. It is the revealer of the secrets of things, and
it is the knower of the realities of that which exists. ‘These
discoveries corresponding to the reality are similar to revela-
tion, which is spiritual comprehension, divine inspiration
and the association of human spirits. For instance, the
Prophet says, “I saw, I said, I heard such a thing.” It is,
therefore, evident that the spirit has great perception without
the intermediary of any of the five senses, such as the eyes or
ears. Among spiritual souls there are spiritual understandings,
117 discoveries, a communion which is purified from imagination
and fancy, an association which is sanctified from time and
place. So it is written in the Gospel that, on Mount Tabor,
Moses and Elias came to Christ, and it is evident that this
was not a material meeting. It was a spiritual condition
which is expressed as a physical meeting.
118 The other sort of converse, presence and communications
of spirits is but imagination and fancy, which only appears
to have reality.
119 The mind and the thought of man sometimes discover
truths, and from this thought and discovery signs and results
are produced. This thought has a foundation. But many
things come to the mind of man which are like the waves
of the sea of imaginations; they have no fruit, and no result
comes from them. In the same way, man sees in the world
of sleep a vision which becomes exactly realized; at another
time, he sees a dream which has absolutely no result.
120 What we mean is that this state, which we call the converse
and communications of spirits, is of two kinds: one is simply
imaginary, and the other is like the visions which are men-
tioned in the Holy Book, such as the revelations of St. John
and Isaiah and the meeting of Christ with Moses and Elias.
These are real, and produce wonderful effects in the minds
and thoughts of men, and cause their hearts to be attracted.• 5
121 Question: …is it possible for persons to receive messages or
trumpet communications from departed souls, etc.?
122 O, thou maidservant of God! There is a wonderful power
and strength which belongs to the human spirit, but it must
receive confirmation from the Holy Spirit. The rest of
which you hear is superstition. But if it is aided by the
Bounty of the Holy Spirit, it will show great power; it will
124 discover realities; it will be informed of the mysteries. Direct
all the attention to the Holy Spirit, and call the attention of
every soul to It. Then will you see wonderful signs.
125 ..Outside of the Bounty of the Holy Spirit all that thou
hearest concerning mesmerism or trumpet communications
from the dead are sheer imagination.
126 But thou canst say whatever thou desirest concerning the
Bounty of the Holy Spirit, and what thou hearest from the
Holy Spirit and obey. But the people who are mentioned,
those in connection with the trumpets, are entirely bereft of
this Bounty, and they have no portion therein. Theirs is
imagination.• ©
127 When you do not know it, and are in a receptive attitude,
they are able to make suggestions to you, if you are in difficulty.
This sometimes happens in sleep.%”
128 Regarding the materialization of spirits through mediums: A
person finding himself in a state of trance, or unconsciousness,
is like one who sleeps; whatever he feels and sees he imagines
to be matter and of material things, but in reality they are
wholly immaterial.• ®
129 Outside the bounty of the Holy Spirit, whatsoever thou
hearest as to the effect of trances, or the mediums’ trumpets,
conveying the singing voices of the dead, is imagination pure
and simple. As to the bounty of the Holy Spirit however,
130 relate whatsoever thou wilt—it cannot be overstated; believe,
therefore, whatsoever thou hearest of this. But the persons
referred to, the trumpet-people, are entirely shut out from
this bounty and receive no portion thereof; their way is an
illusion.?9
131 You have asked regarding the influence of evil spirits. Evil
spirits are deprived of eternal life. How then can they exercise
any influence? But as eternal life is ordained for holy spirits,
therefore their influence exists in all the divine worlds.
At the time you were here, this question was accordingly
answered, that after the ascension of the godly souls, great
influence and widespreading bounties are destined for
them, and all-encircling signs in the seen and unseen are
decreed for them.• ?
132 Those who have ascended have different attributes from
those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.
In prayer there is a mingling of station, a mingling of condition.
Pray for them as they pray for you!• !
133 …the center of the Sun of Truth is in the supernal world—the
Kingdom of God. Those souls who are pure and unsullied,
upon the dissolution of their elemental frames, hasten away
to the world of God, and that world is within this world.
135 The people of this world, however, are unaware of that world,
and are even as the mineral and the vegetable that know
nothing of the world of the animal and the world of man.•
136 Those souls that, in this day, enter the divine kingdom and
attain everlasting life, although materially dwelling on earth,
yet in reality soar in the realm of heaven. Their bodies may
linger on earth but their spirits travel in the immensity of
space. For as thoughts widen and become illumined, they
acquire the power of flight and transport man to the king-
dom of God.• 8
137 When Abdu’|Baha was asked how it was that the heart often
turns with instinctive appeal to some friend who has passed
into the next life, He answered: “It is a law of God’s creation
that the weak should lean upon the strong. Those to whom
you turn may be mediators of God’s power to you, even as
when on earth. But it is the One Holy Spirit that strengthens
all men.”44
138 Asked whether it was possible through faith and love to
bring the New Revelation to the knowledge of those who have
departed from this life without hearing of it, Abdu’l-Baha
replied: “Yes, surely! since sincere prayer always has its effect,
and it has a great influence in the other world. We are never
cut off from those who are there. The real and genuine
influence is not in this world but in that other.”4•
139 When relationship, union and concord exist between the
two from a physical and spiritual standpoint, that is the real
union, therefore everlasting. But if the union is merely from
the physical point of view, unquestionably it is temporal and
at the end separation is inevitable.‘
took OK
140 The marriage of the Baha’is means that both man and
woman must become spiritually and physically united, so
that they may have eternal unity throughout all the divine
worlds and improve the spiritual life of each other. This is
Baha’i matrimony…
141 The souls who sacrifice self, become detached from the perfec-
tions of the realm of man and free from the shackles of this
ephemeral world, assuredly the splendors of the rays of divine
union shall shine in their hearts and in the eternal paradise
they shall find ideal relationship, union and happiness.‘
142 Verily, I say unto thee that the gifts of thy Lord are encircling
thee in a similar way as the spirit encircles the body at the
beginning of the amalgamation of the elements and natures in
the womb; the power of the spirit begins then to appear in
the body gradually and successively according to the prepara-
tion and capacity to receive that everlasting abundance.• ®
143 Question: What is the condition of children who die before
attaining the age of discretion or before the appointed time
of birth?
145 Answer: These infants are under the shadow of the favor of
God; and as they have not committed any sin and are not
soiled with the impurities of the world of nature, they are
the centers of the manifestation of bounty, and the Eye of
Compassion will be turned upon them.•
146 As to the subject of babes and infants and weak ones who
are afflicted by the hands of oppressors: This contains great
wisdom and this subject is of paramount importance. In
brief, for those souls there is a recompense in another
world and many details are connected with this matter. For
those souls that suffering is the greatest mercy of God. Verily
that mercy of the Lord is far better and preferable to all the
comfort of this world and the growth and development of
this place of mortality.>•
147 ..the souls of the children of the Kingdom, after their separa-
tion from the body, ascend unto the realm of everlasting
life. But if ye ask as to the place, know ye that the world of
existence is a single world, although its stations are various
and distinct. For example, the mineral life occupieth its own
plane, but a mineral entity is without any awareness at all of
the vegetable kingdom, and indeed, with its inner tongue
denieth that there is any such kingdom. In the same way, a
vegetable entity knoweth nothing of the animal world, remain-
ing completely heedless and ignorant thereof, for the stage
of the animal is higher than that of the vegetable, and the
vegetable is veiled from the animal world and inwardly denieth
148 the existence of that world—all this while animal, vegetable
and mineral dwell together in the one world. In the same
way the animal remaineth totally unaware of that power of
the human mind which graspeth universal ideas and layeth
bare the secrets of creation—so that a man who liveth in the
east can make plans and arrangements for the west; can
unravel mysteries; although located on the continent of
Europe can discover America; although sited on the earth
can lay hold of the inner realities of the stars of heaven. Of
this power of discovery which belongeth to the human
mind, this power which can grasp abstract and universal
ideas, the animal remaineth totally ignorant, and indeed
denieth its existence.
149 In the same way, the denizens of this earth are completely
unaware of the world of the Kingdom and deny the existence
thereof. They ask, for example: ‘where is the Kingdom?r
Where is the Lord of the Kingdom?’ These people are even
as the mineral and the vegetable, who know nothing whatever
of the animal and the human realm; they see it not; they
find it not. Yet the mineral and vegetable, the animal and
man, are all living here together in this world of existence.>!
150 Know thou that every soul is fashioned after the nature of
God, each being pure and holy at his birth. Afterwards,
however, the individuals will vary according to what they
acquire of virtues or vices in this world. Although all existent
beings are in their very nature created in ranks or degrees,
for capacities are various, nevertheless every individual is born
holy and pure, and only thereafter may he become defiled.
151 And further, although the degrees of being are various, yet all
are good. Observe the human body, its limbs, its members, the
eye, the ear, the organs of smell, of taste, the hands, the finger-
nails. Notwithstanding the differences among all these parts,
each one within the limitations of its own being participateth
153 in a coherent whole. If one of them faileth it must be healed,
and should no remedy avail, that part must be removed.• ?
154 ..another friend referred to the communing of Jesus on the
Mount of ‘Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah; and Abdu’l-
Baha said: “The faithful are ever sustained by the presence
of the Supreme Concourse. In the Supreme Concourse are
Jesus, and Moses, and Elijah, and Baha’u’llah, and other
supreme Souls: there, also, are the martyrs.”
155 The meaning of ‘angels’ is the confirmations of God and
His celestial powers. Likewise angels are blessed beings who
have severed all ties with this nether world, have been released
from the chains of self and the desires of the flesh, and
anchored their hearts to the heavenly realms of the Lord.
These are of the Kingdom, heavenly; these are of God, spiritual;
these are revealers of God’s abounding grace; these are
dawning-points of His spiritual bestowals.>4
156 Now punishments and rewards are said to be of two kinds:
first, the rewards and punishments of this life; second, those
of the other world. But the paradise and hell of existence
are found in all the worlds of God, whether in this world or
in the spiritual heavenly worlds. Gaining these rewards is
the gaining of eternal life. That is why Christ said, “Act in
such a way that you may find eternal life, and that you may
157 be born of water and the spirit, so that you may enter into
the Kingdom.””
The rewards of this life are the virtues and perfections
which adorn the reality of man. For example, he was dark
and becomes luminous; he was ignorant and becomes wise;
he was neglectful and becomes vigilant; he was asleep and
becomes awakened; he was dead and becomes living; he
was blind and becomes a seer; he was deaf and becomes a
hearer; he was earthly and becomes heavenly; he was material
and becomes spiritual. Through these rewards he gains spiritual
birth and becomes a new creature. He becomes the mani-
festation of the verse in the Gospel where it is said of the
disciples that they “were born, not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”• —that is to
say, they were delivered from the animal characteristics and
qualities which are the characteristics of human nature, and
they became qualified with the divine characteristics, which
are the bounty of God. This is the meaning of the second
birth. For such people there is no greater torture than being
veiled from God, and no more severe punishment than sensual
vices, dark qualities, lowness of nature, engrossment in carnal
desires. When they are delivered through the light of faith
from the darkness of these vices, and become illuminated
with the radiance of the sun of reality, and ennobled with
all the virtues, they esteem this the greatest reward, and
they know it to be the true paradise. In the same way they
consider that the spiritual punishment—that is to say, the
torture and punishment of existence—is to be subjected to
the world of nature; to be veiled from God; to be brutal
and ignorant; to fall into carnal lusts; to be absorbed in
animal frailties; to be characterized with dark qualities, such
as falsehood, tyranny, cruelty, attachment to the affairs of
the world, and being immersed in satanic ideas. For them,
these are the greatest punishments and tortures.
158 Likewise, the rewards of the other world are the eternal life
which is clearly mentioned in all the Holy Books, the divine
159 • John 3:5.
• John 1:13.
161 perfections, the eternal bounties and everlasting felicity.
The rewards of the other world are the perfections and the
peace obtained in the spiritual worlds after leaving this
world, while the rewards of this life are the real luminous
perfections which are realized in this world, and which are
the cause of eternal life, for they are the very progress of
existence. It is like the man who passes from the embryonic
world to the state of maturity and becomes the manifestation
of these words: “Blessed, therefore, be God, the most excellent
of Makers.’’• The rewards of the other world are peace, the
spiritual graces, the various spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of
God, the gaining of the desires of the heart and the soul,
and the meeting of God in the world of eternity. In the
same way the punishments of the other world—that is to
say, the torments of the other world—consist in being deprived
of the special divine blessings and the absolute bounties,
and falling into the lowest degrees of existence. He who is
deprived of these divine favors, although he continues after
death, is considered as dead by the people of truth.• >
162 Relative to the Paradise explained by Muhammad in the Qur’an,
such utterances are spiritual and are cast into the mold of
words and figures of speech; for at that time people did not
possess the capacity of comprehending spiritual significances.
It is similar to that reference to His Highness Christ who,
addressing His disciples said, “I shall not partake of the fruit
of the vine anymore until I reach the Kingdom of My Father.”
Now it is evident His Highness Christ did not mean material
grapes, but it was a spiritual condition and a heavenly state
which He interpreted as this fruit.
163 • Qur’an 23:14.
164 The Human Form in the Afterlife
…in the other world the human reality doth not assume a
physical form, rather doth it take on a heavenly form, made
up of elements of that heavenly realm.5’
165 No Tests or Trials in the Next Life
…the tests and trials of God take place in this world, not in
the world of the Kingdom.• 8
166 As to those souls who are born into this life as ethereal and
radiant entities and yet, on account of their handicaps and
trials, are deprived of great and real advantages, and leave
the world without having lived to the full—certainly this is a
cause for grieving. This is the reason why the universal
Manifestations of God unveil Their countenances to man,
and endure every calamity and sore affliction, and lay down
Their lives as a ransom; it is to make these very people, the
ready ones, the ones who have capacity, to become dawning
points of light, and to bestow upon them the life that fadeth
never. This is the true sacrifice: the offering of oneself, even
as did Christ, as a ransom for the life of the world.• 9
167 ‘Today I have been speaking from dawn until now, yet because
of love, fellowship and desire to be with you, I have come
here to speak again briefly. Within the last few days a terrible
event has happened in the world, an event saddening to
every heart and grieving every spirit. I refer to the Titanic
169 disaster, in which many of our fellow human beings were
drowned, a number of beautiful souls passed beyond this
earthly life. Although such an event is indeed regrettable,
we must realize that everything which happens is due to
some wisdom and that nothing happens without a reason.
Therein is a mystery; but whatever the reason and mystery,
it was a very sad occurrence, one which brought tears to
many eyes and distress to many souls. I was greatly affected
by this disaster. Some of those who were lost voyaged on
the Cedric with us as far as Naples and afterward sailed
upon the other ship. When I think of them, I am very sad
indeed. But when I consider this calamity in another aspect,
I am consoled by the realization that the worlds of God are
infinite; that though they were deprived of this existence,
they have other opportunities in the life beyond, even as
Christ has said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”
They were called away from the temporary and transferred
to the eternal; they abandoned this material existence and
entered the portals of the spiritual world. Foregoing the
pleasures and comforts of the earthly, they now partake of
a joy and happiness far more abiding and real, for they
have hastened to the Kingdom of God. The mercy of God
is infinite, and it is our duty to remember these departed
souls in our prayers and supplications that they may draw
nearer and nearer to the Source itself.
170 These human conditions may be likened to the matrix of the
mother from which a child is to be born into the spacious
outer world. At first the infant finds it very difficult to reconcile
itself to its new existence. It cries as if not wishing to be
separated from its narrow abode and imagining that life is
restricted to that limited space. It is reluctant to leave its home,
but nature forces it into this world. Having come into its
new conditions, it finds that it has passed from darkness into
a sphere of radiance; from gloomy and restricted surround-
ings it has been transferred to a spacious and delightful
environment. Its nourishment was the blood of the mother;
now it finds delicious food to enjoy. Its new life is filled
with brightness and beauty; it looks with wonder and delight
171 upon the mountains, meadows and fields of green, the rivers
and fountains, the wonderful stars; it breathes the life-
quickening atmosphere; and then it praises God for its release
from the confinement of its former condition and attainment
to the freedom of a new realm. This analogy expresses the
relation of the temporal world to the life hereafter—the
transition of the soul of man from darkness and uncertainty
to the light and reality of the eternal Kingdom. At first it is
very difficult to welcome death, but after attaining its new
condition the soul is grateful, for it has been released from
the bondage of the limited to enjoy the liberties of the
unlimited. It has been freed from a world of sorrow, grief
and trials to live in a world of unending bliss and joy. The
phenomenal and physical have been abandoned in order
that it may attain the opportunities of the ideal and spiritual.
Therefore, the souls of those who have passed away from
earth and completed their span of mortal pilgrimage in the
Titanic disaster have hastened to a world superior to this.
They have soared away from these conditions of darkness
and dim vision into the realm of light. These are the only
considerations which can comfort and console those whom
they have left behind.
172 Furthermore, these events have deeper reasons. Their object
and purpose is to teach man certain lessons. We are living
in a day of reliance upon material conditions. Men imagine
that the great size and strength of a ship, the perfection of
machinery or the skill of a navigator will ensure safety, but
these disasters sometimes take place that men may know
that God is the real Protector. If it be the will of God to
protect man, a little ship may escape destruction, whereas
the greatest and most perfectly constructed vessel with the
best and most skillful navigator may not survive a danger
such as was present on the ocean. The purpose is that the
people of the world may turn to God, the One Protector;
that human souls may rely upon His preservation and know
that He is the real safety. These events happen in order that
man’s faith may be increased and strengthened. Therefore,
although we feel sad and disheartened, we must supplicate
174 God to turn our hearts to the Kingdom and pray for these
departed souls with faith in His infinite mercy so that, although
they have been deprived of this earthly life, they may enjoy
a new existence in the supreme mansions of the Heavenly
Father.
175 Let no one imagine that these words imply that man should
not be thorough and careful in his undertakings. God has
endowed man with intelligence so that he may safeguard
and protect himself. Therefore, he must provide and surround
himself with all that scientific skill can produce. He must be
deliberate, thoughtful and thorough in his purposes, build
the best ship and provide the most experienced captain; yet,
withal, let him rely upon God and consider God as the one
Keeper. If God protects, nothing can imperil man’s safety; and
if it be not His will to safeguard, no amount of preparation
and precaution will avail.©
176 The death of that beloved youth and his separation from
you have caused the utmost sorrow and grief; for he winged
his flight in the flower of his age and the bloom of his
youth to the heavenly nest. But he hath been freed from
this sorrow-stricken shelter and hath turned his face toward
the everlasting nest of the Kingdom, and, being delivered
from a dark and narrow world, hath hastened to the sanctified
realm of light; therein lieth the consolation of our hearts.
177 The inscrutable divine wisdom underlieth such heart-rending
occurrences. It is as if a kind gardener transferreth a fresh
and tender shrub from a confined place to a wide open
area. This transfer is not the cause of the withering, the lessen-
ing or the destruction of that shrub; nay, on the contrary, it
maketh it to grow and thrive, acquire freshness and delicacy,
become green and bear fruit. This hidden secret is well
known to the gardener, but those souls who are unaware of
178 this bounty suppose that the gardener, in his anger and
wrath, hath uprooted the shrub. Yet to those who are aware,
this concealed fact is manifest, and this predestined decree
is considered a bounty. Do not feel grieved or disconsolate,
therefore, at the ascension of that bird of faithfulness; nay,
under all circumstances pray for that youth, supplicating for
him forgiveness and the elevation of his station.
I hope that ye will attain the utmost patience, composure
and resignation, and I entreat and implore at the Threshold
of Oneness, begging for forgiveness and pardon. My hope
from the infinite bounties of God is that He may shelter
this dove of the garden of faith, and cause him to abide on
the branch of the Supreme Concourse, that he may sing in
the best of melodies the praise and glorification of the Lord
of Names and Attributes.®!
179 Grieve thou not over the ascension of my beloved Break-
well, for he hath risen unto a rose garden of splendors within
the Abha [the Most Glorious] Paradise, sheltered by the
mercy of his mighty Lord, and he is crying at the top of his
voice: ‘O that my people could know how graciously my
Lord hath forgiven me, and made me to be of those who
have attained His Presence!’
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Where now is thy fair face? Where is thy fluent tongue?
Where thy clear brow? Where thy bright comeliness?
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Where is thy fire, blazing with God’s love? Where is thy
rapture at His holy breaths? Where are thy praises, lifted
unto Him? Where is thy rising up to serve His Cause?
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Where are thy beauteous eyes? Thy smiling lips? The
princely cheek? The graceful form?
181 O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou hast quit this earthly world and risen upward to the
Kingdom, thou hast reached unto the grace of the invisible
realm, and offered thyself at the threshold of its Lord.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou hast left the lamp that was thy body here, the glass
that was thy human form, thy earthy elements, thy way of
life below.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou hast lit a flame within the lamp of the Company on
high, thou hast set foot in the Abha Paradise, thou hast
found a shelter in the shadow of the Blessed ‘Tree, thou hast
attained His meeting in the haven of Heaven.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou art now a bird of Heaven, thou hast quit thine earthly
nest, and soared away to a garden of holiness in the kingdom
of thy Lord. Thou hast risen to a station filled with light.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thy song is even as birdsong now, thou pourest forth verses
as to the mercy of thy Lord; of Him Who forgiveth ever,
thou wert a thankful servant, wherefore hast thou entered
into exceeding bliss.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thy Lord hath verily singled thee out for His love, and hath
led thee into His precincts of holiness, and made thee to
enter the garden of those who are His close companions,
and hath blessed thee with beholding His beauty.
182 O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou hast won eternal life, and the bounty that faileth never,
and a life to please thee well, and plenteous grace.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
Thou art become a star in the supernal sky, and a lamp
amid the angels of high Heaven; a living spirit in the most
exalted Kingdom, throned in eternity.
183 O Breakwell, O my dear one!
I ask of God to draw thee ever closer, hold thee ever faster;
to rejoice thy heart with nearness to His presence, to fill
184 thee with light and still more light, to grant thee still more
beauty, and to bestow upon thee power and great glory.
O Breakwell, O my dear one!
At all times do I call thee to mind. I shall never forget thee.
I pray for thee by day, by night; I see thee plain before me,
as if in open day.
185 O Breakwell, O my dear one!®?
186 O thou assured soul, thou maidservant of God… Be not
grieved at the death of thy respected husband. He hath,
verily, attained the meeting of His Lord at the seat of Truth
in the presence of the potent King. Do not suppose that
thou hast lost him. The veil shall be lifted and thou shalt
behold his face illumined in the Supreme Concourse. Just
as God, the Exalted, hath said, ‘Him will we surely quicken
to a happy life.’ Supreme importance should be attached,
therefore, not to this first creation but rather to the future life.®
• OK
187 O thou seeker of the Kingdom! Thy letter was received.
Thou hast written of the severe calamity that hath befallen
thee—the death of thy respected husband. That honorable
man hath been so subjected to the stress and strain of this
world that his greatest wish was for deliverance from it.
Such is this mortal abode: a storehouse of afflictions and
suffering. It is ignorance that binds man to it, for no comfort
can be secured by any soul in this world, from monarch
down to the most humble commoner. If once this life
should offer a man a sweet cup, a hundred bitter ones will
follow; such is the condition of this world. The wise man,
therefore, doth not attach himself to this mortal life and
doth not depend upon it; at some moments, even, he eagerly
wisheth for death that he may thereby be freed from these
sorrows and afflictions. Thus it is seen that some, under
extreme pressure of anguish, have committed suicide.
189 As to thy husband, rest assured. He will be immersed in the
ocean of pardon and forgiveness and will become the recipient
of bounty and favor. Strive thine utmost to give his child a
Baha’i training so that when he attaineth maturity he may
be merciful, illumined and heavenly.®4
190 O thou beloved maid-servant of God, although the loss of
a son is indeed heart-breaking and beyond the limits of
human endurance, yet one who knoweth and understandeth
is assured that the son hath not been lost but, rather, hath
stepped from this world into another, and she will find him
in the divine realm. That reunion shall be for eternity, while
in this world separation is inevitable and bringeth with it a
burning grief.
191 Praise be unto God that thou hast faith, art turning thy face
toward the everlasting Kingdom and believest in the existence
of a heavenly world. Therefore be thou not disconsolate, do
not languish, do not sigh, neither wail nor weep; for agitation
and mourning deeply affect his soul in the divine realm.
That beloved child addresseth thee from the hidden world:
‘O thou kind Mother, thank divine Providence that I have
been freed from a small and gloomy cage and, like the
birds of the meadows, have soared to the divine world—a
world which is spacious, illumined, and ever gay and jubilant.
Therefore, lament not, O Mother, and be not grieved; I am
not of the lost, nor have I been obliterated and destroyed.
I have shaken off the mortal form and have raised my banner
in this spiritual world. Following this separation is everlasting
companionship. Thou shalt find me in the heaven of the
Lord, immersed in an ocean of light.’®
192 I loved him [Mulla Ali-Akbar] very much, for he was delight-
ful to converse with, and as a companion second to none.
One night, not long ago, I saw him in the world of dreams.
Although his frame had always been massive, in the dream
world he appeared larger and more corpulent than ever. It
seemed as if he had returned from a journey. I said to him,
“Jinab, you have grown good and stout.” “Yes,” he answered,
“praise be to God! I have been in places where the air was
fresh and sweet, and the water crystal pure; the landscapes
were beautiful to look upon, the foods delectable. It all
agreed with me, of course, so | am stronger than ever now,
and I have recovered the zest of my early youth. The
breaths of the All-Merciful blew over me and all my time
was spent in telling of God. I have been setting forth His
proofs, and teaching His Faith.” (The meaning of teaching
the Faith in the next world is spreading the sweet savors
of holiness; that action is the same as teaching.) We spoke
together a little more, and then some people arrived and he
disappeared.®•
193 By the All-Glorious! I am astonished to find what a veil has
fallen across their eyes, and how it blinds them even to such
obvious necessities as these. And there 1s no doubt whatever
that when conclusive arguments and proofs of this sort are
advanced, they will answer, out of a thousand hidden spites
and prejudices: “On the Day of Judgment, when men stand
before their Lord, they will not be questioned as to their
education and the degree of their culture—rather will they
195 be examined as to their good deeds.” Let us grant this and
assume that man will not be asked as to his culture and
education; even so, on that great Day of Reckoning, will not
the leaders be called to account? Will it not be said to them:
“O chiefs and leaders! Why did ye cause this mighty nation
to fall from the heights of its former glory, to pass from its
place at the heart and center of the civilized world? Ye were
well able to take hold of such measures as would lead to the
high honor of this people. This ye failed to do, and ye even
went on to deprive them of the common benefits enjoyed
by all. Did not this people once shine out like stars in an
auspicious heaven? How have ye dared to quench their light
in darkness! Ye could have lit the lamp of temporal and
eternal glory for them; why did ye fail to strive for this with
all your hearts? And when by God’s grace a flaming Light
flared up, why did ye fail to shelter it in the glass of your
valor, from the winds that beat against it? Why did ye rise
up in all your might to put it oute”
196 “And every man’s fate have We fastened about his neck:
and on the Day of Resurrection will We bring it forth to
him a book which shall be proffered to him wide open.”®’
197 Now as to what thou askest concerning the spirit and its
“return” to this world of humanity and this elemental space:
Know that spirit in general is divided into five sorts—the
vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit
of faith, and the divine spirit of sanctity.
198 The vegetable spirit is the virtue augmentative, or growing or
vegetative faculty, which results from the admixture of the
simple elements, with the cooperation of water, air and heat.
The animal spirit is the virtue perceptive resulting from the
admixture and absorption of the vital elements generated in
the heart, which apprehend sense-impressions.
199 The human spirit consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning
faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible
and perceptible.
200 Now these “spirits” are not reckoned as Spirit in the terminology
of the Scriptures and the usage of the people of the Truth,
inasmuch as the laws governing them are as the laws which
govern all phenomenal being in respect to generation, corrup-
tion, production, change and reversion, as is clearly indicated
in the Gospel where it says: “Let the dead bury their dead”;
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is Spirit”; inasmuch as he who would bury
these dead was alive with the vegetative, animal and rational
human soul, yet did Christ—-to whom be glory!—declare
such dead and devoid of life, in that this person was devoid
of the spirit of faith, which is of the Kingdom of God.
201 In brief, for these three spirits there is no restitution or “return,”
but they are subordinate to reversions and production and
corruption.
202 But the spirit of faith which is of the Kingdom consists of
the all-comprehending grace and the perfect attainment and
the power of sanctity and the divine effulgence from the
Sun of ‘Truth on luminous light-seeking essences from the
presence of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is the life of
the spirit of man, when it is fortified thereby, as Christ
saith: “That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” And this
Spirit hath both restitution and return, inasmuch as it consists
of the Light of God and the unconditioned grace. So, having
regard to this state and station, Christ announced that John
the Baptist was Elias, who was to come before Christ. And
the likeness of this station is as that of lamps kindled: for
these in respect to their glasses and oil-holders, are different,
but in respect to their light, One, and in respect to their
illumination, One; nay, each one is identical with the other,
without imputation of plurality, or diversity or multiplicity
or separateness. This is the Truth and beyond the Truth
there is only error.®®
204 Thou didst write of reincarnation. A belief in reincarnation
goeth far back into the ancient history of almost all peoples,
and was held even by the philosophers of Greece, the Roman
sages, the ancient Egyptians, and the great Assyrians. Never-
theless such superstitions and sayings are but absurdities in
the sight of God.
205 The major argument of the reincarnationists was this, that
according to the justice of God, each must receive his due:
whenever a man is afflicted with some calamity, for example,
this is because of some wrong he hath committed. But take a
child that is still in its mother’s womb, the embryo but newly
formed, and that child is blind, deaf, lame, defective—what sin
hath such a child committed, to deserve its afflictions? ‘They
answer that, although to outward seeming the child, still in
the womb, is guilty of no sin—nevertheless he perpetrated
some wrong when in his previous form, and thus he came
to deserve his punishment.
206 These individuals, however, have overlooked the following
point. If creation went forward according to only one rule,
how could the all-encompassing Power make Itself felt? How
could the Almighty be the One Who ‘doeth as He pleaseth
and ordaineth as He willeth’?
207 Briefly, a return is indeed referred to in the Holy Scriptures,
but by this is meant the return of the qualities, conditions,
effects, perfections, and inner realities of the lights which
recur in every dispensation. The reference is not to specific
individual souls and identities.
208 It may be said, for instance, that this lamplight is last night’s
come back again, or that last year’s rose hath returned to
the garden this year. Here the reference is not to the individual
reality, the fixed identity, the specialized being of that other
rose, rather doth it mean that the qualities, the distinctive
characteristics of that other light, that other flower, are
present now, in these. Those perfections, that is, those graces
209 and gifts of a former springtime are back again this year.
We say, for example, that this fruit is the same as last year’s;
but we are thinking only of the delicacy, bloom and freshness,
and the sweet taste of it; for it is obvious that that impreg-
nable center of reality, that specific identity, can never return.
210 What peace, what ease and comfort did the Holy Ones of
God ever discover during Their sojourn in this nether
world, that They should continually seek to come back and
live this life again? Doth not a single turn at this anguish,
these afflictions, these calamities, these body blows, these
dire straits, suffice, that They should wish for repeated visits
to the life of this world? This cup was not so sweet that one
would care to drink of it a second time.
211 Therefore do the lovers of the Abha [the Most Glorious]
Beauty wish for no other recompense but to reach that station
where they may gaze upon Him in the Realm of Glory, and
they walk no other path save over desert sand of longing for
those exalted heights. They seek that ease and solace which
will abide forever, and those bestowals that are sanctified
beyond the understanding of the worldly mind.
212 tion: What is the truth of the question of reincarnation,
which is believed by some people?
213 Answer: The object of what we are about to say is to explain
the reality—not to deride the beliefs of other people; it is
only to explain the facts; that is all. We do not oppose anyone’s
ideas, nor do we approve of criticism.
214 Know, then, that those who believe in reincarnation are of
two classes: one class does not believe in the spiritual punish-
ments and rewards of the other world, and they suppose
that man by reincarnation and return to this world gains
rewards and recompenses; they consider heaven and hell to be
restricted to this world and do not speak of the existence of
216 the other world. Among these there are two further divisions.
One division thinks that man sometimes returns to this
world in the form of an animal in order to undergo severe
punishment and that, after enduring this painful torment,
he will be released from the animal world and will come
again into the human world; this is called transmigration.
The other division thinks that from the human world one
again returns to the human world, and that by this return
rewards and punishments for a former life are obtained;
this is called reincarnation. Neither of these classes speak of
any other world besides this one.
217 The second sort of believers in reincarnation affirm the
existence of the other world, and they consider reincarnation
the means of becoming perfect—that is, they think that man,
by going from and coming again to this world, will gradually
acquire perfections, until he reaches the inmost perfection.
In other words, that men are composed of matter and
force: matter in the beginning—that is to say, in the first
cycle—is imperfect, but on coming repeatedly to this world
it progresses and acquires refinement and delicacy, until it
becomes like a polished mirror; and force, which is no other
than spirit, is realized in it with all the perfections.
218 This is the presentation of the subject by those who believe
in reincarnation and transmigration. We have condensed it;
if we entered into the details, it would take much time. ‘This
summary is sufficient. No logical arguments and proofs of
this question are brought forward; they are only suppositions
and inferences from conjectures, and not conclusive arguments.
Proofs must be asked for from the believers in reincarnation,
and not conjectures, suppositions and imaginations.
219 But you have asked for arguments of the impossibility of
reincarnation. This is what we must now explain. The first
argument for its impossibility is that the outward is the expres-
sion of the inward; the earth is the mirror of the Kingdom;
the material world corresponds to the spiritual world. Now
observe that in the sensible world appearances are not repeated,
for no being in any respect is identical with, nor the same as,
another being. The sign of singleness is visible and apparent
220 in all things. If all the granaries of the world were full of
grain, you would not find two grains absolutely alike, the
same and identical without any distinction. It is certain that
there will be differences and distinctions between them. As
the proof of uniqueness exists in all things, and the Oneness
and Unity of God is apparent in the reality of all things, the
repetition of the same appearance is absolutely impossible.
Therefore, reincarnation, which is the repeated appearance
of the same spirit with its former essence and condition in
this same world of appearance, is impossible and unrealizable.
As the repetition of the same appearance is impossible and
interdicted for each of the material beings, so for spiritual
beings also, a return to the same condition, whether in the
arc of descent or in the arc of ascent, is interdicted and
impossible, for the material corresponds to the spiritual.
221 Nevertheless, the return of material beings with regard to
species is evident; so the trees which during former years
brought forth leaves, blossoms and fruits in the coming
years will bring forth exactly the same leaves, blossoms and
fruits. This is called the repetition of species. If anyone
makes an objection saying that the leaf, the blossom and
the fruit have been decomposed, and have descended from
the vegetable world to the mineral world, and again have
come back from the mineral world to the vegetable world,
and, therefore, there has been a repetition—the answer is
that the blossom, the leaf and the fruit of last year were
decomposed, and these combined elements were disintegrated
and were dispersed in space, and that the particles of the
leaf and fruit of last year, after decomposition, have not
again become combined, and have not returned. On the
contrary, by the composition of new elements, the species
has returned. It is the same with the human body, which
after decomposition becomes disintegrated, and the elements
which composed it are dispersed. If, in like manner, this
body should again return from the mineral or vegetable
world, it would not have exactly the same composition of
elements as the former man. Those elements have been
decomposed and dispersed; they are dissipated in this vast
223 space. Afterward, other particles of elements have been
combined, and a second body has been formed; it may be
that one of the particles of the former individual has entered
into the composition of the succeeding individual, but these
particles have not been conserved and kept, exactly and
completely, without addition or diminution, so that they
may be combined again, and from that composition and
mingling another individual may come into existence. So it
cannot be proved that this body with all its particles has
returned; that the former man has become the latter; and
that, consequently, there has been repetition; that the spirit
also, like the body, has returned; and that after death its
essence has come back to this world.
224 If we say that this reincarnation is for acquiring perfections
so that matter may become refined and delicate, and that
the light of the spirit may be manifest in it with the greatest
perfection, this also is mere imagination. For, even supposing
we believe in this argument, still change of nature is impossible
through renewal and return. The essence of imperfection,
by returning, does not become the reality of perfection;
complete darkness, by returning, does not become the
source of light; the essence of weakness is not transformed
into power and might by returning, and an earthly nature
does not become a heavenly reality. The tree of Zaqqum
[the infernal tree mentioned in the Qur’an], no matter how
frequently it may come back, will not bring forth sweet
fruit, and the good tree, no matter how often it may return,
will not bear a bitter fruit. Therefore, it is evident that return-
ing and coming back to the material world does not become
the cause of perfection. This theory has no proofs nor evidences;
it is simply an idea. No, in reality the cause of acquiring
perfections is the bounty of God.
225 The Theosophists believe that man on the arc of ascent [of
the Circle of Existence] will return many times until he
reaches the Supreme Center; in that condition matter becomes
a clear mirror, the light of the spirit will shine upon it with
its full power, and essential perfection will be acquired.
Now, this is an established and deep theological proposition,
226 that the material worlds are terminated at the end of the
arc of descent, and that the condition of man is at the end
of the arc of descent, and at the beginning of the arc of
ascent, which is opposite to the Supreme Center. Also, from
the beginning to the end of the arc of ascent, there are
numerous spiritual degrees. The arc of descent is called begin-
ning [bringing forth], and that of ascent is called progress
[producing something new]. The arc of descent ends in
materialities, and the arc of ascent ends in spiritualities. The
point of the compass in describing a circle makes no retrograde
motion, for this would be contrary to the natural movement
and the divine order; otherwise, the symmetry of the circle
would be spoiled.
Moreover, this material world has not such value or such
excellence that man, after having escaped from this cage,
will desire a second time to fall into this snare. No, through
the Eternal Bounty the worth and true ability of man becomes
apparent and visible by traversing the degrees of existence,
and not by returning. When the shell is once opened, it will
be apparent and evident whether it contains a pearl or
worthless matter. When once the plant has grown it will
bring forth either thorns or flowers; there is no need for it
to grow up again. Besides, advancing and moving in the
worlds in a direct order according to the natural law is the
cause of existence, and a movement contrary to the system
and law of nature is the cause of nonexistence. The return
of the soul after death is contrary to the natural movement,
and opposed to the divine system.
227 Therefore, by returning, it is absolutely impossible to obtain
existence; it is as if man, after being freed from the womb,
should return to it a second time. Consider what a puerile
imagination this is which is implied by the belief in reincar-
nation and transmigration. Believers in it consider the body as
a vessel in which the spirit is contained, as water is contained
in a cup; this water has been taken from one cup and
poured into another. This is child’s play.
228 They do not realize that the spirit is an incorporeal being,
and does not enter and come forth, but is only connected
230 with the body as the sun is with the mirror. If it were thus,
and the spirit by returning to this material world could pass
through the degrees and attain to essential perfection, it
would be better if God prolonged the life of the spirit in
the material world until it had acquired perfections and
graces; it then would not be necessary for it to taste of the
cup of death, or to acquire a second life.
231 The idea that existence is restricted to this perishable world,
and the denial of the existence of divine worlds, originally
proceeded from the imaginations of certain believers in
reincarnation; but the divine worlds are infinite. If the divine
worlds culminated in this material world, creation would be
futile: nay, existence would be pure child’s play. The result
of these endless beings, which is the noble existence of
man, would come and go for a few days in this perishable
dwelling, and after receiving punishments and rewards, at
last all would become perfect. The divine creation and the
infinite existing beings would be perfected and completed,
and then the Divinity of the Lord, and the names and qualities
of God, on behalf of these spiritual beings, would, as regards
their effect, result in laziness and inaction! “Glory to thy
Lord, the Lord Who is sanctified from all their descrip-
tions” (Qur’an 37:180).
232 Such were the limited minds of the former philosophers,
like Ptolemy and the others who believed and imagined that
the world, life and existence were restricted to this terrestrial
globe, and that this boundless space was confined within
the nine spheres of heaven, and that all were empty and
void. Consider how greatly their thoughts were limited and
how weak their minds. Those who believe in reincarnation
think that the spiritual worlds are restricted to the worlds of
human imagination. Moreover, some of them, like the
Druzes and the Nusayris, think that existence is restricted to
this physical world. What an ignorant supposition! For in
this universe of God, which appears in the most complete
perfection, beauty and grandeur, the luminous stars of the
material universe are innumerable! Then we must reflect
how limitless and infinite are the spiritual worlds, which are
233 the essential foundation. “Take heed ye who are endued
with discernment” (Qur’an 59:2).
But let us return to our subject. In the Divine Scriptures
and Holy Books “return” is spoken of, but the ignorant
have not understood the meaning, and those who believed
in reincarnation have made conjectures on the subject. For
what the divine Prophets meant by “return” is not the return
of the essence, but that of the qualities; it is not the return
of the Manifestation, but that of the perfections. In the Gospel
it says that John, the son of Zacharias, is Elias. These words
do not mean the return of the rational soul and personality
of Elias in the body of John, but rather that the perfections
and qualities of Elias were manifested and appeared in John.
234 A lamp shone in this room last night, and when tonight
another lamp shines, we say the light of last night is again
shining. Water flows from a fountain; then it ceases; and
when it begins to flow a second time, we say, this water is
the same water flowing again; or we say this light is identi-
cal with the former light. It is the same with the spring of
last year, when blossoms, flowers and sweet-scented herbs
bloomed, and delicious fruits were brought forth; next year
we say that those delicious fruits have come back, and those
blossoms, flowers and blooms have returned and come
again. This does not mean that exactly the same particles
composing the flowers of last year have, after decomposi-
tion, been again combined and have then come back and
returned. On the contrary, the meaning is that the delicacy,
freshness, delicious perfume and wonderful color of the
flowers of last year are visible and apparent in exactly the
same manner in the flowers of this year. Briefly, this expres-
sion refers only to the resemblance and likeness which exist
between the former and latter flowers. The “return” which 1s
mentioned in the Divine Scriptures is this: it is fully explained
by the Supreme Pen [Baha’u’llah] in the Kitab-i-Iqan. Refer
to it, so that you may be informed of the truth of the divine
mysteries.
236 Know that, speaking generally, there are five divisions of
the spirit. First the vegetable spirit: this is a power which
results from the combination of elements and the mingling
of substances by the decree of the Supreme God, and from
the influence, the effect and connection of other existences.
When these substances and elements are separated from
each other, the power of growth also ceases to exist. So, to
use another figure, electricity results from the combination of
elements, and when these elements are separated, the electric
force is dispersed and lost. Such is the vegetable spirit.
237 After this is the animal spirit, which also results from the
mingling and combination of elements. But this combination
is more complete, and through the decree of the Almighty
Lord a perfect mingling is obtained, and the animal spirit—
in other words, the power of the senses—is produced. It will
perceive the reality of things from that which is seen and
visible, audible, edible, tangible, and that which can be
smelled. After the dissociation and decomposition of the
combined elements this spirit also will naturally disappear.
It is like this lamp which you see: when the oil and wick
and fire are brought together, light is the result; but when
the oil is finished and the wick consumed, the light will also
vanish and be lost.
238 The human spirit may be likened to the bounty of the sun
shining on a mirror. The body of man, which is composed
from the elements, is combined and mingled in the most
perfect form; it is the most solid construction, the noblest
combination, the most perfect existence. It grows and develops
through the animal spirit. This perfected body can be compared
to a mirror, and the human spirit to the sun. Nevertheless,
if the mirror breaks, the bounty of the sun continues; and
if the mirror is destroyed or ceases to exist, no harm will
happen to the bounty of the sun, which is everlasting. This
spirit has the power of discovery; it encompasses all things.
All these wonderful signs, these scientific discoveries, great
239 enterprises and important historical events which you know
are due to it. From the realm of the invisible and hidden,
through spiritual power, it brought them to the plane of the
visible. So man is upon the earth, yet he makes discoveries
in the heavens. From known realities—that is to say, from
the things which are known and visible—he discovers unknown
things. For example, man is in this hemisphere; but, like
Columbus, through the power of his reason he discovers
another hemisphere—that is, America—which was until then
unknown. His body is heavy, but through the help of vehicles
which he invents, he is able to fly. He is slow of movement,
but by vehicles which he invents he travels to the East and
West with extreme rapidity. Briefly, this power embraces all
things.
240 But the spirit of man has two aspects: one divine, one satanic—
that is to say, it is capable of the utmost perfection, or it is
capable of the utmost imperfection. If it acquires virtues, it
is the most noble of the existing beings; and if it acquires
vices, it becomes the most degraded existence.
241 The fourth degree of spirit is the heavenly spirit; it is the
spirit of faith and the bounty of God; it comes from the
breath of the Holy Spirit, and by the divine power it becomes
the cause of eternal life. It is the power which makes the
earthly man heavenly, and the imperfect man perfect. It
makes the impure to be pure, the silent eloquent; it purifies
and sanctifies those made captive by carnal desires; it makes
the ignorant wise.
242 The fifth spirit is the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the
mediator between God and His creatures. It is like a mirror
facing the sun. As the pure mirror receives light from the
sun and transmits this bounty to others, so the Holy Spirit
is the mediator of the Holy Light from the Sun of Reality,
which it gives to the sanctified realities. It is adorned with
all the divine perfections. Every time it appears, the world
is renewed, and a new cycle is founded. The body of the
world of humanity puts on a new garment. It can be compared
to the spring; whenever it comes, the world passes from
244 one condition to another. Through the advent of the season
of spring the black earth and the fields and wildernesses
will become verdant and blooming, and all sorts of flowers
and sweet-scented herbs will grow; the trees will have new
life, and new fruits will appear, and a new cycle is founded.
The appearance of the Holy Spirit is like this. Whenever it
appears, it renews the world of humanity and gives a new
spirit to the human realities: it arrays the world of existence
in a praiseworthy garment, dispels the darkness of ignorance,
and causes the radiation of the light of perfections. Christ
with this power has renewed this cycle; the heavenly spring
with the utmost freshness and sweetness spread its tent in
the world of humanity, and the life-giving breeze perfumed
the nostrils of the enlightened ones.
245 In the same way, the appearance of Baha’u’llah was like a
new springtime which appeared with holy breezes, with the
hosts of everlasting life, and with heavenly power. It estab-
lished the Throne of the Divine Kingdom in the center of
the world and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, revived
souls and established a new cycle.”
246 Question: Does man in the beginning possess mind and spirit,
or are they an outcome of his evolution?
247 Answer: The beginning of the existence of man on the terres-
trial globe resembles his formation in the womb of the
mother. The embryo in the womb of the mother gradually
grows and develops until birth, after which it continues to
grow and develop until it reaches the age of discretion and
maturity. Though in infancy the signs of the mind and spirit
appear in man, they do not reach the degree of perfection;
they are imperfect. Only when man attains maturity do the
mind and the spirit appear and become evident in utmost
perfection.
248 So also the formation of man in the matrix of the world
was in the beginning like the embryo; then gradually he
made progress in perfectness, and grew and developed until
he reached the state of maturity, when the mind and spirit
became visible in the greatest power. In the beginning of
his formation the mind and spirit also existed, but they
were hidden; later they were manifested. In the womb of
the world mind and spirit also existed in the embryo, but
they were concealed; afterward they appeared. So it is that
in the seed the tree exists, but it is hidden and concealed;
when it develops and grows, the complete tree appears. In
the same way the growth and development of all beings is
gradual; this is the universal divine organization and the
natural system. The seed does not at once become a tree;
the embryo does not at once become a man; the mineral
does not suddenly become a stone. No, they grow and develop
gradually and attain the limit of perfection.
All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and
complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them
by degrees. The organization of God is one; the evolution
of existence is one; the divine system is one. Whether they be
small or great beings, all are subject to one law and system.
Each seed has in it from the first all the vegetable perfections.
For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist
from the beginning, but not visibly; afterward little by little
they appear. So it is first the shoot which appears from the
seed, then the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruits; but
from the beginning of its existence all these things are in
the seed, potentially, though not apparently.
249 In the same way, the embryo possesses from the first all
perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell,
the taste—in one word, all the powers—but they are not visible
and become so only by degrees.
250 Similarly, the terrestrial globe from the beginning was created
with all its elements, substances, minerals, atoms and organisms;
but these only appeared by degrees: first the mineral, then
the plant, afterward the animal, and finally man. But from
252 the first these kinds and species existed, but were undeveloped
in the terrestrial globe, and then appeared only gradually.
For the supreme organization of God, and the universal
natural system, surround all beings, and all are subject to this
rule. When you consider this universal system, you see that
there is not one of the beings which at its coming into existence
has reached the limit of perfection. No, they gradually grow
and develop, and then attain the degree of perfection.”
253 Know that, although the human soul has existed on the
earth for prolonged times and ages, yet it is phenomenal.
As it is a divine sign, when once it has come into existence,
it is eternal. The spirit of man has a beginning, but it has no
end; it continues eternally. In the same way the species existing
on this earth are phenomenal, for it is established that there
was a time when these species did not exist on the surface
of the earth. Moreover, the earth has not always existed, but
the world of existence has always been, for the universe is
not limited to this terrestrial globe. The meaning of this is that,
although human souls are phenomenal, they are nevertheless
immortal, everlasting and perpetual; for the world of things
is the world of imperfection in comparison with that of
man, and the world of man is the world of perfection in
comparison with that of things. When imperfections reach
the station of perfection, they become eternal. This is an
example of which you must comprehend the meaning.”
254 The wisdom of the appearance of the spirit in the body is
this: the human spirit is a Divine Trust, and it must traverse
all conditions, for its passage and movement through the
conditions of existence will be the means of its acquiring
perfections. So when a man travels and passes through different
regions and numerous countries with system and method,
it is certainly a means of his acquiring perfection, for he will
see places, scenes and countries, from which he will discover
the conditions and states of other nations. He will thus become
acquainted with the geography of countries and their wonders
and arts; he will familiarize himself with the habits, customs
and usages of peoples; he will see the civilization and
progress of the epoch; he will become aware of the policy
of governments and the power and capacity of each country.
It is the same when the human spirit passes through the
conditions of existence: it will become the possessor of each
degree and station. Even in the condition of the body it will
surely acquire perfections.
255 Besides this, it is necessary that the signs of the perfection
of the spirit should be apparent in this world, so that the
world of creation may bring forth endless results, and this
body may receive life and manifest the divine bounties. So,
for example, the rays of the sun must shine upon the earth,
and the solar heat develop the earthly beings; if the rays
and heat of the sun did not shine upon the earth, the earth
would be uninhabited, without meaning; and its development
would be retarded. In the same way, if the perfections of
the spirit did not appear in this world, this world would be
unenlightened and absolutely brutal. By the appearance of
the spirit in the physical form, this world is enlightened. As
the spirit of man is the cause of the life of the body, so the
world is in the condition of the body, and man is in the
condition of the spirit. If there were no man, the perfections
of the spirit would not appear, and the light of the mind
257 would not be resplendent in this world. This world would
be like a body without a soul.
258 This world is also in the condition of a fruit tree, and man
is like the fruit; without fruit the tree would be useless.
259 Moreover, these members, these elements, this composition,
which are found in the organism of man, are an attraction
and magnet for the spirit; it is certain that the spirit will
appear in it. So a mirror which is clear will certainly attract
the rays of the sun. It will become luminous, and wonderful
images will appear in it—that 1s to say, when these existing
elements are gathered together according to the natural
order, and with perfect strength, they become a magnet for
the spirit, and the spirit will become manifest in them with
all its perfections.
260 Under these conditions it cannot be said, “What is the necessity
for the rays of the sun to descend upon the mirror?”—for
the connection which exists between the reality of things,
whether they be spiritual or material, requires that when the
mirror is clear and faces the sun, the light of the sun must
become apparent in it. In the same way, when the elements
are arranged and combined in the most glorious system,
organization and manner, the human spirit will appear and
be manifest in them. This is the decree of the Powerful,
the Wise.”4
261 You have asked why it was necessary for the soul that was
from God to make this journey back to God?…
262 The reality underlying this question is that the evil spirit,
Satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower
nature in man. This baser nature is symbolized in various
ways. In man there are two expressions: One is the expression
263 of nature; the other, the expression of the spiritual realm.
The world of nature is defective. Look at it clearly, casting
aside all superstition and imagination. If you should leave a
man uneducated and barbarous in the wilds of Africa,
would there be any doubt about his remaining ignorant?
God has never created an evil spirit; all such ideas and
nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere human or
earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil
of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow
from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower
state and baser product of nature.
264 It is evident, therefore, that man is in need of divine education
and inspiration, that the spirit and bounties of God are essential
to his development. That is to say, the teachings of Christ
and the Prophets are necessary for his education and guidance.
Why? Because They are the divine Gardeners Who till the
earth of human hearts and minds. They educate man, uproot
the weeds, burn the thorns and remodel the waste places
into gardens and orchards where fruitful trees grow. The
wisdom and purpose of Their training is that man must
pass from degree to degree of progressive unfoldment until
perfection is attained. For instance, if a man should live his
entire life in one city, he cannot gain a knowledge of the
whole world. ‘lo become perfectly informed he must visit
other cities, see the mountains and valleys, cross the rivers
and traverse the plains. In other words, without progressive
and universal education perfection will not be attained.
265 Man must walk in many paths and be subjected to various
processes in his evolution upward. Physically he is not born
in full stature but passes through consecutive stages of fetus,
infant, childhood, youth, maturity and old age. Suppose he
had the power to remain young throughout his life. He then
would not understand the meaning of old age and could
not believe it existed. If he could not realize the condition
of old age, he would not know that he was young. He
would not know the difference between young and old
without experiencing the old. Unless you have passed
through the state of infancy, how would you know this was
267 an infant beside your If there were no wrong, how would
you recognize the right? If it were not for sin, how would
you appreciate virtue? If evil deeds were unknown, how
could you commend good actions? If sickness did not exist,
how would you understand health? Evil is nonexistent; it is
the absence of good. Sickness is the loss of health; poverty,
the lack of riches. When wealth disappears, you are poor;
you look within the treasure box but find nothing there.
Without knowledge there is ignorance; therefore, ignorance
is simply the lack of knowledge. Death is the absence of life.
Therefore, on the one hand, we have existence; on the other,
nonexistence, negation or absence of existence.
268 Briefly, the journey of the soul is necessary. The pathway of
life is the road which leads to divine knowledge and attain-
ment. Without training and guidance the soul could never
progress beyond the conditions of its lower nature, which is
ignorant and defective.”
269 Question: In the Bible it is said that God breathed the spirit
into the body of man. What is the meaning of this verse?
270 Answer: Know that proceeding is of two kinds: the proceeding
and appearance through emanation, and the proceeding
and appearance through manifestation. The proceeding
through emanation is like the coming forth of the action
from the actor, of the writing from the writer. Now the
writing emanates from the writer, and the discourse emanates
from the speaker, and in the same way the human spirit
emanates from God. It is not that it manifests God—that is
to say, no part has been detached from the Divine Reality
to enter the body of man. No, as the discourse emanates
from the speaker, the spirit appears in the body of man.
271 But the proceeding through manifestation is the manifestation
of the reality of a thing in other forms, like the coming forth
of this tree from the seed of the tree, or the coming forth
272 of the flower from the seed of the flower, for it is the seed
itself which appears in the form of the branches, leaves and
flowers. This is called the proceeding through manifestation.
The spirits of men, with reference to God, have dependence
through emanation, just as the discourse proceeds from the
speaker and the writing from the writer—that is to say, the
speaker himself does not become the discourse, nor does
the writer himself become the writing; no, rather they have
the proceeding of emanation. The speaker has perfect ability
and power, and the discourse emanates from him, as the
action does from the actor. The Real Speaker, the Essence
of Unity, has always been in one condition, which neither
changes nor alters, has neither transformation nor vicissitude.
He is the Eternal, the Immortal. Therefore, the proceeding
of the human spirits from God is through emanation.
When it is said in the Bible that God breathed His spirit
into man, this spirit is that which, like the discourse, emanates
from the Real Speaker, taking effect in the reality of man.
273 But the proceeding through manifestation (if by this is
meant the divine appearance, and not division into parts),
we have said, is the proceeding and the appearance of the
Holy Spirit and the Word, which is from God. As it is said
in the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God”; then the Holy Spirit and the
Word are the appearance of God. The Spirit and the Word
mean the divine perfections that appeared in the Reality of
Christ, and these perfections were with God; so the sun
manifests all its glory in the mirror. For the Word does not
signify the body of Christ, no, but the divine perfections
manifested in Him. For Christ was like a clear mirror which
was facing the Sun of Reality; and the perfections of the
Sun of Reality—that is to say, its light and heat—were visible
and apparent in this mirror. If we look into the mirror, we
see the sun, and we say, “It is the sun.” Therefore, the Word
and the Holy Spirit, which signify the perfections of God,
are the divine appearance. This is the meaning of the verse
in the Gospel which says: “The Word was with God, and the
Word was God” [John 1:1]; for the divine perfections are not
different from the Essence of Oneness. The perfections of
275 Christ are called the Word because all the beings are in the
condition of letters, and one letter has not a complete
meaning, while the perfections of Christ have the power of
the word because a complete meaning can be inferred from
a word. As the Reality of Christ was the manifestation of
the divine perfections, therefore, it was like the word. Why?
Because He is the sum of perfect meanings. This is why He
is called the Word.
276 And know that the proceeding of the Word and the Holy
Spirit from God, which is the proceeding and appearance
of manifestation, must not be understood to mean that the
Reality of Divinity had been divided into parts, or multiplied,
or that it had descended from the exaltation of holiness and
purity. God forbid! If a pure, fine mirror faces the sun, the
light and heat, the form and the image of the sun will be
resplendent in it with such manifestation that if a beholder
says of the sun, which is brilliant and visible in the mirror,
“This is the sun,” it is true. Nevertheless, the mirror is the
mirror, and the sun is the sun. The One Sun, even if it
appears in numerous mirrors, is one. This state is neither
abiding nor entering, neither commingling nor descending; for
entering, abiding, descending, issuing forth and commingling
are the necessities and characteristics of bodies, not of spirits;
then how much less do they belong to the sanctified and
pure Reality of God. God is exempt from all that is not in
accordance with His purity and His exalted and sublime
sanctity.
277 The Sun of Reality, as we have said, has always been in one
condition; it has no change, no alteration, no transformation
and no vicissitude. It is eternal and everlasting. But the
Holy Reality of the Word of God is in the condition of the
pure, fine and shining mirror; the heat, the light, the image
and likeness—that is to say, the perfections of the Sun of
Reality—appear in it. That is why Christ says in the Gospel,
“The Father is in the Son”—that is to say, the Sun of Reality
appears in the mirror [John 14:11; 17:21]. Praise be to the
one Who shone upon this Holy Reality, Who is sanctified
among the beings!/6
278 There are in the world of humanity three degrees; those of
the body, the soul, and spirit.
279 The body is the physical or animal degree of man. From the
bodily point of view man is a sharer of the animal kingdom.
The bodies alike of men and animals are composed of elements
held together by the law of attraction.
280 Like the animal, man possesses the faculties of the senses, is
subject to heat, cold, hunger, thirst, etc.; unlike the animal,
man has a rational soul, the human intelligence.
281 This intelligence of man is the intermediary between his
body and his spirit.
282 When man allows the spirit, through his soul, to enlighten
his understanding, then does he contain all Creation; because
man, being the culmination of all that went before and thus
superior to all previous evolutions, contains all the lower
world within himself. Illumined by the spirit through the
instrumentality of the soul, man’s radiant intelligence makes
him the crowning-point of Creation.
283 But on the other hand, when man does not open his mind
and heart to the blessing of the spirit, but turns his soul
towards the material side, towards the bodily part of his
nature, then is he fallen from his high place and he becomes
inferior to the inhabitants of the lower animal kingdom. In
this case the man is in a sorry plight! For if the spiritual
qualities of the soul, open to the breath of the Divine Spirit,
are never used, they become atrophied, enfeebled, and at
last incapable; whilst the soul’s material qualities alone being
exercised, they become terribly powerful—and the unhappy,
misguided man, becomes more savage, more unjust, more
vile, more cruel, more malevolent than the lower animals
themselves. All his aspirations and desires being strengthened
by the lower side of the soul’s nature, he becomes more
and more brutal, until his whole being is in no way superior
285 to that of the beasts that perish. Men such as this, plan to
work evil, to hurt and to destroy; they are entirely without
the spirit of Divine compassion, for the celestial quality of
the soul has been dominated by that of the material. If, on
the contrary, the spiritual nature of the soul has been so
strengthened that it holds the material side in subjection,
then does the man approach the Divine; his humanity becomes
so glorified that the virtues of the Celestial Assembly are
manifested in him; he radiates the Mercy of God, he stimulates
the spiritual progress of mankind, for he becomes a lamp to
show light on their path.
286 You perceive how the soul is the intermediary between the
body and the spirit. In like manner is this tree the intermediary
between the seed and the fruit. When the fruit of the tree
appears and becomes ripe, then we know that the tree is
perfect; if the tree bore no fruit it would be merely a useless
growth, serving no purpose!
287 When a soul has in it the life of the spirit, then does it
bring forth good fruit and become a Divine tree. I wish you
to try to understand this example. I hope that the unspeakable
goodness of God will so strengthen you that the celestial
quality of your soul, which relates it to the spirit, will for
ever dominate the material side, so entirely ruling the senses
that your soul will approach the perfections of the Heavenly
Kingdom. May your faces, being steadfastly set towards the
Divine Light, become so luminous that all your thoughts,
words and actions will shine with the Spiritual Radiance
dominating your souls, so that in the gatherings of the
world you will show perfection in your life.
Some men’s lives are solely occupied with the things of this
world; their minds are so circumscribed by exterior manners
and traditional interests that they are blind to any other
realm of existence, to the spiritual significance of all things!
They think and dream of earthly fame, of material progress.
Sensuous delights and comfortable surroundings bound
their horizon, their highest ambitions center in successes of
worldly conditions and circumstances! They curb not their
lower propensities; they eat, drink, and sleep! Like the animal,
288 they have no thought beyond their own physical well-being.
It is true that these necessities must be despatched. Life is
a load which must be carried on while we are on earth, but
the cares of the lower things of life should not be allowed
to monopolize all the thoughts and aspirations of a human
being. The heart’s ambitions should ascend to a more glorious
goal, mental activity should rise to higher levels! Men
should hold in their souls the vision of celestial perfection,
and there prepare a dwelling-place for the inexhaustible
bounty of the Divine Spirit.
289 Let your ambition be the achievement on earth of a Heavenly
civilization! I ask for you the supreme blessing, that you
may be so filled with the vitality of the Heavenly Spirit that
you may be the cause of life to the world.”
290 Question: What is the difference between the mind, spirit
and soul?
291 Answer: … The human spirit which distinguishes man from
the animal is the rational soul, and these two names—the
human spirit and the rational soul—designate one thing.
This spirit, which in the terminology of the philosophers is
the rational soul, embraces all beings, and as far as human
ability permits discovers the realities of things and becomes
cognizant of their peculiarities and effects, and of the qualities
and properties of beings. But the human spirit, unless assisted
by the spirit of faith, does not become acquainted with the
divine secrets and the heavenly realities. It is like a mirror
which, although clear, polished and brilliant, is still in need
of light. Until a ray of the sun reflects upon it, it cannot
discover the heavenly secrets.
292 But the mind is the power of the human spirit. Spirit is the
lamp; mind is the light which shines from the lamp. Spirit
is the tree, and the mind is the fruit. Mind is the perfection
of the spirit and is its essential quality, as the sun’s rays are
the essential necessity of the sun.’8
294 Paris is becoming very cold, so cold that I shall soon be
obliged to go away, but the warmth of your love still keeps
me here. God willing, I hope to stay among you yet a little
while; bodily cold and heat cannot affect the spirit, for it is
warmed by the fire of the Love of God. When we under-
stand this, we begin to understand something of our life in
the world to come.
295 God, in His Bounty, has given us a foretaste here, has given
us certain proofs of the difference that exists between body,
soul and spirit.
296 We see that cold, heat, suffering, etc., only concern the body,
they do not touch the spirit.
297 How often do we see a man, poor, sick, miserably clad, and
with no means of support, yet spiritually strong? Whatever
his body has to suffer, his spirit is free and well! Again, how
often do we see a rich man, physically strong and healthy,
but with a soul sick unto death.
298 It is quite apparent to the seeing mind that a man’s spirit is
something very different from his physical body.
299 The spirit is changeless, indestructible. The progress and
development of the soul, the joy and sorrow of the soul, are
independent of the physical body.
300 If we are caused joy or pain by a friend, if a love prove true
or false, it is the soul that is affected. If our dear ones are
far from us—it is the soul that grieves, and the grief or trouble
of the soul may react on the body.
301 Thus, when the spirit is fed with holy virtues, then is the
body joyous; if the soul falls into sin, the body is in torment!
302 When we find truth, constancy, fidelity, and love, we are
happy; but if we meet with lying, faithlessness, and deceit,
we are miserable.
303 These are all things pertaining to the soul, and are not bodily
ills. Thus, it is apparent that the soul, even as the body, has
its own individuality. But if the body undergoes a change,
the spirit need not be touched. When you break a glass on
which the sun shines, the glass is broken, but the sun still
shines! If a cage containing a bird is destroyed, the bird is
unharmed! If a lamp is broken, the flame can still burn
bright! The same thing applies to the spirit of man. Though
death destroy his body, it has no power over his spirit—this
is eternal, everlasting, both birthless and deathless.’9
kk ok
304 Question: After the body is put aside and the spirit has obtained
freedom, in what way will the rational soul exist? Let us
suppose that the souls who are assisted by the bounty of the
Holy Spirit attain to true existence and eternal life. But
what becomes of the rational souls—that is to say, the veiled
spirits?”
Answer: Some think that the body is the substance and exists
by itself, and that the spirit is accidental and depends upon
the substance of the body, although, on the contrary, the
rational soul is the substance, and the body depends upon
it. If the accident—that is to say, the body—be destroyed, the
substance, the spirit, remains.
305 Second, the rational soul, meaning the human spirit, does
not descend into the body—that is to say, it does not enter
it, for descent and entrance are characteristics of bodies,
and the rational soul is exempt from this. The spirit never
entered this body, so in quitting it, it will not be in need of
an abiding-place: no, the spirit is connected with the body,
as this light is with this mirror. When the mirror is clear
and perfect, the light of the lamp will be apparent in it, and
when the mirror becomes covered with dust or breaks, the
light will disappear.
306 “Veiled spirits” here signify rational souls, souls not possessing the spirit
of faith.
308 The rational soul—that is to say, the human spirit—has neither
entered this body nor existed through it; so after the disintegra-
tion of the composition of the body, how should it be in
need of a substance through which it may exist? On the
contrary, the rational soul is the substance through which
the body exists. The personality of the rational soul is from
its beginning; it is not due to the instrumentality of the
body, but the state and the personality of the rational soul
may be strengthened in this world; it will make progress
and will attain to the degrees of perfection, or it will remain
in the lowest abyss of ignorance, veiled and deprived from
beholding the signs of God.8•
309 Spirit cannot be perceived by the material senses of the
physical body, excepting as it is expressed in outward signs
and works. The human body is visible, the soul is invisible.
It is the soul nevertheless that directs a man’s faculties, that
governs his humanity.
310 The soul has two main faculties. (a) As outer circumstances
are communicated to the soul by the eyes, ears, and brain
of a man, so does the soul communicate its desires and
purposes through the brain to the hands and tongue of the
physical body, thereby expressing itself. The spirit in the
soul is the very essence of life. (b) The second faculty of the
soul expresses itself in the world of vision, where the soul
inhabited by the spirit has its being, and functions without
the help of the material bodily senses. There, in the realm
of vision, the soul sees without the help of the physical eye,
hears without the aid of the physical ear, and travels without
dependence upon physical motion. It is, therefore, clear
that the spirit in the soul of man can function through the
physical body by using the organs of the ordinary senses,
and that it is able also to live and act without their aid in
the world of vision. This proves without a doubt the superiority
311 of the soul of man over his body, the superiority of spirit
over matter.
312 For example, look at this lamp: is not the light within it
superior to the lamp which holds it? However beautiful the
form of the lamp may be, if the light is not there its purpose
is unfulfilled, it is without life—a dead thing. The lamp
needs the light, but the light does not need the lamp.
313 The spirit does not need a body, but the body needs spirit,
or it cannot live. The soul can live without a body, but the
body without a soul dies.
314 If a man lose his sight, his hearing, his hand or his foot,
should his soul still inhabit the body he lives, and is able to
manifest divine virtues. On the other hand, without the spirit
it would be impossible for a perfect body to exist.®!
315 Now concerning mental faculties, they are in truth of the
inherent properties of the soul, even as the radiation of
light is the essential property of the sun. The rays of the sun
are renewed but the sun itself is ever the same and unchanged.
Consider how the human intellect develops and weakens,
and may at times come to naught, whereas the soul
changeth not. For the mind to manifest itself, the human
body must be whole; and a sound mind cannot be but in a
sound body, whereas the soul dependeth not upon the
body. It is through the power of the soul that the mind
comprehendeth, imagineth and exerteth its influence, whilst
the soul is a power that is free. The mind comprehendeth
the abstract by the aid of the concrete, but the soul hath
limitless manifestations of its own. The mind is circumscribed,
the soul limitless. It is by the aid of such senses as those of
sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, that the mind com-
prehendeth, whereas, the soul is free from all agencies. The
soul as thou observest, whether it be in sleep or waking, is
317 in motion and ever active. Possibly it may, whilst in a
dream, unravel an intricate problem, incapable of solution
in the waking state. The mind, moreover, understandeth
not whilst the senses have ceased to function, and in the
embryonic stage and in early infancy the reasoning power is
totally absent, whereas the soul is ever endowed with full
strength. In short, the proofs are many that go to show that
despite the loss of reason, the power of the soul would still
continue to exist.8?
318 Now regarding the question whether the faculties of the
mind and the human soul are one and the same. These
faculties are but the inherent properties of the soul, such as
the power of imagination, of thought, of understanding;
powers that are the essential requisites of the reality of man,
even as the solar ray is the inherent property of the sun.
The temple of man is like unto a mirror, his soul is as the
sun, and his mental faculties even as the rays that emanate
from that source of light. The ray may cease to fall upon the
mirror, but it can in no wise be dissociated from the sun.®3
319 It is manifest that beyond this material body, man is endowed
with another reality which is the world of exemplars constituting
the heavenly body of man. In speaking, man says, “I saw,”
“I spoke,” “I went.” Who is this “I”? It is obvious that this
“I” is different from this body. It is clear that when man is
thinking, it is as though he were consulting with some other
person. With whom is he consulting? It is evident that it is
320 another reality or one aside from this body with whom he
enters into consultation when he thinks, “Shall I do this
work or not?” “What will be the result of my doing this?” Or
when he questions the other reality, “What is the objection to
this work if I do it?” And then that reality in man commu-
nicates its opinion to him concerning the point at issue.
Therefore that reality in man is clearly and obviously other
than his body, an ego with which man enters into consultation
and whose opinion man seeks.
Often a man makes up his mind positively about a matter;
for instance he determines to undertake a journey. Then he
thinks it over, that is, he consults his inner reality and finally
concludes that he will give up his journey. What has happened?
Why did he abandon his original purpose? It is evident that
he has consulted his inner reality which expresses to him
the disadvantages of such a journey, therefore he defers to
that reality and changes his original intention.
321 Furthermore man sees in the world of dreams. He travels in
the East, he travels in the West, although his body is stationary,
his body is here. It is that reality in him which makes the
journey while the body sleeps. There is no doubt that a
reality exists other than the outward, physical reality. Again
for instance a person is dead, is buried in the ground. After-
ward you see him in the world of dreams and speak with
him although his body is interred in the earth. Who is the
person you see in your dreams, talk to and who also speaks
with you? This again proves that there is another reality
different from the physical one which dies and is buried.
Thus it is certain that in man there is a reality which is not
the physical body. Sometimes the body becomes weak but
that other reality is in its own normal state. The body goes
to sleep, becomes as one dead but that reality is moving
about, comprehending things, expressing them and is even
conscious of itself.
322 This other and inner reality is called the heavenly body, the
ethereal form which corresponds to this body. This is the
conscious reality which discovers the inner meaning of things,
324 for the outer body of man does not discover anything. The
inner ethereal reality grasps the mysteries of existence, discovers
scientific truths and indicates their technical application. It
discovers electricity, produces the telegraph, the telephone
and opens the door to the world of arts. If the outer material
body did this, the animal would likewise be able to make
scientific and wonderful discoveries, for the animal shares
with man all physical powers and limitations. What then is
that power which penetrates the realities of existence and
which is not to be found in the animal? It is the inner reality
which comprehends things, throws light upon the mysteries
of life and being, discovers the heavenly Kingdom, unseals
the mysteries of God and differentiates man from the
brute. Of this there can be no doubt.®4
325 The philosophers of the world are divided into two classes:
materialists, who deny the spirit and its immortality, and the
divine philosophers, the wise men of God, the true illuminati
who believe in the spirit and its continuance hereafter. The
ancient philosophers taught that man consists simply of the
material elements which compose his cellular structure and
that when this composition is disintegrated the life of man
becomes extinct. They reasoned that man is body only, and
from this elemental composition the organs and their functions,
the senses, powers and attributes which characterize man
have proceeded, and that these disappear completely with
the physical body. This is practically the statement of all the
materialists.
326 The divine philosophers proclaim that the spirit of man is
everliving and eternal, and because of the objections of the
materialists, these wise men of God have advanced rational
proofs to support the validity of their statement. Inasmuch as the
materialistic philosophers deny the Books of God, Scriptural
demonstration is not evidence to them, and materialistic
327 proofs are necessary. Answering them, the men of divine
knowledge have said that all existing phenomena may be
resolved into grades or kingdoms, classified progressively as
mineral, vegetable, animal and human, each of which possesses
its degree of function and intelligence. When we consider
the mineral, we find that it exists and is possessed of the
power of affinity or combination. The vegetable possess the
qualities of the mineral plus the augmentative virtue or
power of growth. It is, therefore, evident that the vegetable
kingdom is superior to the mineral. ‘The animal kingdom in
turn possesses the qualities of the mineral and vegetable
plus the five senses of perception whereof the kingdoms
below it are lacking. Likewise, the power of memory inherent
in the animal does not exist in the lower kingdoms.
Just as the animal is more noble than the vegetable and
mineral, so man is superior to the animal. The animal is
bereft of ideality—that is to say, it is a captive of the world
of nature and not in touch with that which lies within and
beyond nature; it is without spiritual susceptibilities, deprived
of the attractions of consciousness, unconscious of the
world of God and incapable of deviating from the law of
nature. It is different with man. Man is possessed of the
emanations of consciousness; he has perception, ideality
and is capable of discovering the mysteries of the universe.
All the industries, inventions and facilities surrounding our
daily life were at one time hidden secrets of nature, but the
reality of man penetrated them and made them subject to
his purposes. According to nature’s laws they should have
remained latent and hidden; but man, having transcended
those laws, discovered these mysteries and brought them
out of the plane of the invisible into the realm of the
known and visible. How wonderful is the spirit of man…
328 In the physical powers and senses, however, man and the
animal are partners. In fact, the animal is often superior to
man in sense perception. For instance, the vision of some
animals is exceedingly keen and the hearing of others most
acute. Consider the instinct of a dog; how much greater
than that of man. But, although the animal shares with man
330 all the physical virtues and senses, a spiritual power has
been bestowed upon man of which the animal is devoid.
This is a proof that there is something in man above and
beyond the endowment of the animal—a faculty and virtue
peculiar to the human kingdom which is lacking in the lower
kingdoms of existence. This is the spirit of man. All these
wonderful human accomplishments are due to the efficacy
and penetrating power of the spirit of man. If man were
bereft of this spirit, none of these accomplishments would
have been possible. This is as evident as the sun at midday.
331 All the organisms of material creation are limited to an
image or form. That is to say, each created material being
is possessed of a form; it cannot possess two forms at the
same time. For example, a body may be spherical, triangular
or square; but it is impossible for it to be two of these
shapes simultaneously. It may be triangular, but if it is to
become square, it must first rid itself of the triangular
shape. It is absolutely impossible for it to be both at the
same time. Therefore, it is evident in the reality of material
organisms that different forms cannot be simultaneously
possessed. In the spiritual reality of man, however, all geomet-
rical figures can be simultaneously conceived, while in physical
realities one image must be forsaken in order that another
may be possible. This is the law of change and transformation,
and change and transformation are precursors of mortality.
Were it not for this change in form, phenomena would be
immortal; but because the phenomenal existence is subject
to transformation, it is mortal. The reality of man, however,
is possessed of all virtues; it is not necessary for him to give
up one image for another as mere physical bodies do.
Therefore, in that reality there is no change or transformation;
it is immortal and everlasting. ‘The body of man may be in
America while his spirit is laboring and working in the Far
Kast, discovering, organizing and planning. While occupied
in governing, making laws and erecting a building in Russia,
his body is still here in America. What is this power which,
notwithstanding that it is embodied in America, is operating
332 at the same time in the Orient, organizing, destroying, up-
building? It is the spirit of man. This is irrefutable.
When you wish to reflect upon or consider a matter, you
consult something within you. You say, shall I do it or shall
I not do it? Is it better to make this journey or abandon it?
Whom do you consult? Who is within you deciding this
question? Surely there is a distinct power, an intelligent ego.
Were it not distinct from your ego, you would not be consult-
ing it. It is greater than the faculty of thought. It is your
spirit which teaches you, which advises and decides upon
matters. Who is it that interrogates? Who is it that answers?
There is no doubt that it is the spirit and that there is no
change or transformation in it, for it is not a composition
of elements, and anything that is not composed of elements
is eternal. Change and transformation are peculiarities of
composition. There is no change and transformation in the
spirit. In proof of this, the body may become weakened in
its members. It may be dismembered, or one of its members
may be incapacitated. The whole body may be paralyzed;
and yet the mind, the spirit, remains ever the same. The
mind decides; the thought is perfect; and yet the hand is
withered, the feet have become useless, the spinal column is
paralyzed, and there is no muscular movement at all, but
the spirit is in the same status. Dismember a healthy man;
the spirit is not dismembered. Amputate his feet; his spirit
is there. He may become lame; the spirit is not affected.
The spirit is ever the same; no change or transformation
can you perceive, and because there is no change or trans-
formation, it is everlasting and permanent.
333 Consider man while in the state of sleep; it is evident that
all his parts and members are at a standstill, are functionless.
His eye does not see, his ear does not hear, his feet and
hands are motionless; but, nevertheless he does see in the
world of dreams, he does hear, he speaks, he walks, he may
even fly in an airplane. Therefore, it becomes evident that
though the body be dead, yet the spirit is alive and permanent.
Nay, the perceptions may be keener when man’s body is
asleep, the flight may be higher, the hearing may be more
334 1LD
335 acute; all the functions are there, and yet the body is at a
standstill. Hence, it is proof that there is a spirit in the man,
and in this spirit there is no distinction as to whether the
body be asleep or absolutely dead and dependent. The spirit
is not incapacitated by these conditions; it is not bereft of
its existence; it is not bereft of its perfections. The proofs
are many, innumerable.
336 These are all rational proofs. Nobody can refute them. As
we have shown that there is a spirit and that this spirit is
permanent and everlasting, we must strive to learn of it.
May you become informed of its power, hasten to render it
divine, to have it become sanctified and holy and make it
the very light of the world illumining the East and the West.®
337 Already we have talked once or twice on the subject of the
spirit, but our words have not been written down.
338 Know that people belong to two categories—that is to say,
they constitute two parties. One party deny the spirit and
say that man also is a species of animal; for they say: Do we
not see that animals and men share the same powers and
senses? These simple, single elements which fill space are
endlessly combined, and from each of these combinations
one of the beings is produced. Among these beings is the
possessor of spirit, of the powers and of the senses. The
more perfect the combination, the nobler is the being. The
combination of the elements in the body of man is more
perfect than the composition of any other being; it is mingled
in absolute equilibrium; therefore, it is more noble and
more perfect. “It is not,” they say, “that he has a special
power and spirit which the other animals lack: animals possess
sensitive bodies, but man in some powers has more sensation,
although, in what concerns the outer senses, such as hearing,
339 sight, taste, smell, touch and even in some interior powers
like memory, the animal is more richly endowed than
man.” “The animal, too,” they say, “has intelligence and
perception.” All that they concede is that man’s intelligence
is greater.
340 This is what the philosophers of the present state; this is
their saying, this is their supposition, and thus their imagina-
tion decrees. So with powerful arguments and proofs they
make the descent of man go back to the animal, and say
that there was once a time when man was an animal, that
then the species changed and progressed little by little until
it reached the present status of man.
341 But the theologians say: No, this is not so. Though man has
powers and outer senses in common with the animal, yet an
extraordinary power exists in him of which the animal is
bereft. The sciences, arts, inventions, trades and discoveries
of realities are the results of this spiritual power. This is a
power which encompasses all things, comprehends their
realities, discovers all the hidden mysteries of beings, and
through this knowledge controls them. It even perceives
things which do not exist outwardly—that is to say, intellectual
realities which are not sensible, and which have no outward
existence because they are invisible; so it comprehends the
mind, the spirit, the qualities, the characters, the love and
sorrow of man, which are intellectual realities. Moreover, these
existing sciences, arts, laws and endless inventions of man at
one time were invisible, mysterious and hidden secrets; it is
only the all-encompassing human power which has discovered
and brought them out from the plane of the invisible to the
plane of the visible. So telegraphy, photography, phonography
and all such inventions and wonderful arts were at one time
hidden mysteries. The human reality discovered and
brought them out from the plane of the invisible to the plane
of the visible. There was even a time when the qualities of
this iron which you see—indeed of all the minerals—were
hidden mysteries; men discovered this mineral, and wrought
it in this industrial form. It is the same with all the other
discoveries and inventions of man, which are innumerable.
343 This we cannot deny. If we say that these are effects of
powers which animals also have, and of the powers of the
bodily senses, we see clearly and evidently that the animals
are, in regard to these powers, superior to man. For example,
the sight of animals is much more keen than the sight of
man; so also is their power of smell and taste. Briefly, in the
powers which animals and men have in common, the animal
is often the more powerful. For example, let us take the
power of memory. If you carry a pigeon from here to a
distant country, and there set it free, it will return, for it
remembers the way. Take a dog from here to the center of
Asia, set him free, and he will come back here and never
once lose the road. So it is with the other powers such as
hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch.
Thus it is clear that if there were not in man a power different
from any of those of the animals, the latter would be superior
to man in inventions and the comprehension of realities.
Therefore, it is evident that man has a gift which the animal
does not possess. Now, the animal perceives sensible things
but does not perceive intellectual realities. For example, that
which is within the range of its vision the animal sees, but
that which is beyond the range of sight it is not possible for
it to perceive, and it cannot imagine it. So it is not possible
for the animal to understand that the earth has the form of
a globe. But man from known things proves unknown
things and discovers unknown truths. For example, man
sees the curve of the horizon, and from this he infers the
roundness of the earth. The Pole Star at Akka, for instance,
is at 33• —that is to say, it is 33• above the horizon. When a
man goes toward the North Pole, the Pole Star rises one
degree above the horizon for each degree of distance that
he travels—that is to say, the altitude of the Pole Star will be
34• , then 40• , then 50• , then 60• , then 70• . If he reaches
the North Pole the altitude of the Pole Star will be 90• or
have attained the zenith—that is to say, will be directly over-
head. This Pole Star and its ascension are sensible things.
The further one goes toward the Pole, the higher the Pole
Star rises; from these two known truths an unknown thing
has been discovered—that is, that the horizon is curved,
344 meaning that the horizon of each degree of the earth is a
different horizon from that of another degree. Man perceives
this and proves from it an invisible thing which is the
roundness of the earth. This it is impossible for the animal
to perceive. In the same way, it cannot understand that the
sun is the center and that the earth revolves around it. The
animal is the captive of the senses and bound by them; all
that is beyond the senses, the things that they do not control,
the animal can never understand, although in the outer
senses it is greater than man. Hence it is proved and verified
that in man there is a power of discovery by which he is
distinguished from the animals, and this is the spirit of man.
Praise be to God! man is always turned toward the heights,
and his aspiration is lofty; he always desires to reach a greater
world than the world in which he is, and to mount to a
higher sphere than that in which he is. The love of exaltation
is one of the characteristics of man. I am astonished that
certain philosophers of America and Europe are content to
gradually approach the animal world and so to go backward;
for the tendency of existence must be toward exaltation.
Nevertheless, if you said to one of them, “You are an animal,”
he would be extremely hurt and angry.
What a difference between the human world and the world of
the animal, between the elevation of man and the abasement of
the animal, between the perfections of man and the ignorance
of the animal, between the light of man and the darkness of
the animal, between the glory of man and the degradation
of the animal! An Arab child of ten years can manage two
or three hundred camels in the desert, and with his voice
can lead them forward or turn them back. A weak Hindu
can so control a huge elephant that the elephant becomes
the most obedient of servants. All things are subdued by the
hand of man; he can resist nature while all other creatures
are captives of nature: none can depart from her require-
ments. Man alone can resist nature. Nature attracts bodies
to the center of the earth; man through mechanical means
goes far from it and soars in the air. Nature prevents man
from crossing the seas; man builds a ship, and he travels
346 and voyages across the great ocean, and so on; the subject
is endless. For example, man drives engines over the mountains
and through the wildernesses, and gathers in one spot the
news of the events of the East and West. All this is contrary
to nature. The sea with its grandeur cannot deviate by an
atom from the laws of nature; the sun in all its magnificence
cannot deviate as much as a needle’s point from the laws of
nature, and can never comprehend the conditions, the state,
the qualities, the movements and the nature of man.
347 What, then, is the power in this small body of man which
encompasses all this? What is this ruling power by which he
subdues all things?
348 One more point remains. Modern philosophers say: “We have
never seen the spirit in man, and in spite of our researches
into the secrets of the human body, we do not perceive a
spiritual power. How can we imagine a power which is not
sensible?” The theologians reply: “The spirit of the animal
also is not sensible, and through its bodily powers it cannot
be perceived. By what do you prove the existence of the
spirit of the animal? There is no doubt that from its effects
you prove that in the animal there is a power which is not
in the plant, and this is the power of the senses—that is to
say, sight, hearing and also other powers; from these you
infer that there is an animal spirit. In the same way, from
the proofs and signs we have mentioned, we argue that
there is a human spirit. Since in the animal there are signs
which are not in the plant, you say this power of sensation
is a property of the animal spirit; you also see in man signs,
powers and perfections which do not exist in the animal;
therefore, you infer that there is a power in him which the
animal is without.”
349 If we wish to deny everything that is not sensible, then we
must deny the realities which unquestionably exist. For example,
ethereal matter is not sensible, though it has an undoubted
existence. The power of attraction is not sensible, though it
certainly exists. From what do we affirm these existences?
From their signs. Thus this light is the vibration of that ethereal
matter, and from this vibration we infer the existence of ether.®6
350 When asked about the individual persistence of the animal’s
personality after death, Abdu’l-Baha said: “Even the most
developed dog has not the immortal soul of the man; yet
the dog is perfect in its own place. You do not quarrel with
a rose-tree because it cannot sing!”87
351 The whole physical creation is perishable. These material
bodies are composed of atoms; when these atoms begin to
separate decomposition sets in, then comes what we call
death. This composition of atoms, which constitutes the body
or mortal element of any created being, is temporary. When
the power of attraction, which holds these atoms together,
is withdrawn, the body, as such, ceases to exist.
With the soul it is different. The soul is not a combination
of elements, it is not composed of many atoms, it is of one
indivisible substance and therefore eternal. It is entirely out
of the order of the physical creation; it is immortal!
352 Scientific philosophy has demonstrated that a simple element
(‘simple’ meaning ‘not composed’) is indestructible, eternal.
The soul, not being a composition of elements, is, in character,
as a simple element, and therefore cannot cease to exist.
353 The soul, being of that one indivisible substance, can suffer
neither disintegration nor destruction, therefore there is no
reason for its coming to an end. All things living show signs
of their existence, and it follows that these signs could not
of themselves exist if that which they express or to which
they testify had no being. A thing which does not exist, can,
of course, give no sign of its existence. The manifold signs
of the existence of the spirit are for ever before us.
The traces of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the influence of His
Divine Teaching, is present with us today, and is everlasting.
355 A non-existent thing, it is agreed, cannot be seen by signs.
In order to write, a man must exist—one who does not exist
cannot write. Writing is, in itself, a sign of the writer’s soul
and intelligence. The Sacred Writings (with ever the same
leaching) prove the continuity of the spirit.
356 Consider the aim of creation: is it possible that all is created
to evolve and develop through countless ages with this small
goal in view—a few years of a man’s life on earth? Is it not
unthinkable that this should be the final aim of existence?
357 The mineral evolves till it is absorbed in the life of the
plant, the plant progresses till finally it loses its life in that
of the animal; the animal, in its turn, forming part of the
food of man, is absorbed into human life.
358 Thus, man is shown to be the sum of all creation, the superior
of all created beings, the goal to which countless ages of
existence have progressed.
359 At the best, man spends four-score years and ten in this
world—a short time indeed!
360 Does a man cease to exist when he leaves the body? If his life
comes to an end, then all the previous evolution is useless,
all has been for nothing! Can one imagine that Creation has
no greater aim than this?
361 The soul is eternal, immortal.
362 Materialists say, “Where is the soul? What is it? We cannot
see it, neither can we touch it.’
363 This is how we must answer them: However much the
mineral may progress, it cannot comprehend the vegetable
world. Now, that lack of comprehension does not prove the
non-existence of the plant!
364 ‘Io however great a degree the plant may have evolved, it is
unable to understand the animal world; this ignorance is no
proof that the animal does not exist!
365 The animal…cannot imagine the intelligence of man, neither
can he realize the nature of his soul. But, again, this does not
prove that man is without intellect, or without soul. It only
366 demonstrates this, that one form of existence is incapable
of comprehending a form superior to itself
This flower may be unconscious of such a being as man,
but the fact of its ignorance does not prevent the existence
of humanity.
In the same way, if materialists do not believe in the existence
of the soul, their unbelief does not prove that there is no
such realm as the world of spirit. The very existence of
man’s intelligence proves his immortality; moreover, darkness
proves the presence of light, for without light there would
be no shadow. Poverty proves the existence of riches, for,
without riches, how could we measure poverty? Ignorance
proves that knowledge exists, for without knowledge how
could there be ignorance?
Therefore the idea of mortality presupposes the existence
of immortality—for if there were no Life Eternal, there
would be no way of measuring the life of this world!
If the spirit were not immortal, how could the Manifestations
of God endure such terrible trials?
Why did Christ Jesus suffer the fearful death on the cross?
Why did Muhammad bear persecutions?
Why did the Bab make the supreme sacrifice and why did
Baha’u’llah pass the years of his life in prison?
Why should all this suffering have been, if not to prove the
everlasting life of the spirit?
Christ suffered, He accepted all His trials because of the
immortality of His spirit. Ifa man reflects he will understand
the spiritual significance of the law of progress; how all
moves from the inferior to the superior degree.
367 It is only a man without intelligence who, after considering
these things, can imagine that the great scheme of creation
should suddenly cease to progress, that evolution should
come to such an inadequate end!
368 Materialists who reason in this way, and contend that we are
unable to see the world of spirit, or to perceive the blessings
370 of God, are surely like the animals who have no understand-
ing; having eyes they see not, ears they have, but do not
hear. And this lack of sight and hearing is a proof of nothing
but their own inferiority; of whom we read in the Qur’an,
“They are men who are blind and deaf to the Spirit.’ They do
not use that great gift of God, the power of the understand-
ing, by which they might see with the eyes of the spirit, hear
with spiritual ears and also comprehend with a Divinely
enlightened heart.
371 The inability of the materialistic mind to grasp the idea of
the Life Eternal is no proof of the non-existence of that life.
372 The comprehension of that other life depends on our spiritual
birth!
373 My prayer for you is that your spiritual faculties and aspirations
may daily increase, and that you will never allow the material
senses to veil from your eyes the glories of the Heavenly
Illumination.®8
374 The logical proof of the immortality of the spirit is this, that
no sign can come from a nonexisting thing—that is to say, it
is impossible that from absolute nonexistence signs should
appear—for the signs are the consequence of an existence,
and the consequence depends upon the existence of the
principle. So from a nonexisting sun no light can radiate;
from a nonexisting sea no waves appear; from a nonexisting
cloud no rain falls; a nonexisting tree yields no fruit; a non-
existing man neither manifests nor produces anything.
Therefore, as long as signs of existence appear, they are a
proof that the possessor of the sign is existent.
375 Consider that today the Kingdom of Christ exists. From a
nonexisting king how could such a great kingdom be
manifested? How, from a nonexisting sea, can the waves
mount so high? From a nonexisting garden, how can such
376 fragrant breezes be wafted? Reflect that no effect, no trace,
no influence remains of any being after its members are
dispersed and its elements are decomposed, whether it be
a mineral, a vegetable or an animal. ‘There is only the human
reality and the spirit of man which, after the disintegration
of the members, dispersing of the particles, and the destruc-
tion of the composition, persists and continues to act and to
have power.
377 This question is extremely subtle: consider it attentively.
This is a rational proof which we are giving, so that the wise
may weigh it in the balance of reason and justice. But if the
human spirit will rejoice and be attracted to the Kingdom
of God, if the inner sight becomes opened, and the spiritual
hearing strengthened, and the spiritual feelings predominant,
he will see the immortality of the spirit as clearly as he sees
the sun, and the glad tidings and signs of God will encom-
pass him.®89
378 Know that the power and the comprehension of the human
spirit are of two kinds—that is to say, they perceive and act
in two different modes. One way is through instruments
and organs: thus with this eye it sees; with this ear it hears;
with this tongue it talks. Such is the action of the spirit, and
the perception of the reality of man, by means of organs—
that is to say, that the spirit is the seer, through the eyes; the
spirit is the hearer, through the ear; the spirit is the speaker,
through the tongue.
379 The other manifestation of the powers and actions of the
spirit is without instruments and organs. For example, in the
state of sleep without eyes it sees; without an ear it hears;
without a tongue it speaks; without feet it runs. Briefly, these
actions are beyond the means of instruments and organs. How
often it happens that it sees a dream in the world of sleep,
and its signification becomes apparent two years afterward
381 in corresponding events. In the same way, how many times
it happens that a question which one cannot solve in the
world of wakefulness is solved in the world of dreams. In
wakefulness the eye sees only for a short distance, but in
dreams he who is in the East sees the West. Awake he sees
the present; in sleep he sees the future. In wakefulness, by
means of rapid transit, at the most he can travel only twenty
farsakhs” an hour; in sleep, in the twinkling of an eye, he
traverses the East and West. For the spirit travels in two
different ways: without means, which is spiritual traveling;
and with means, which is material traveling: as birds which
fly, and those which are carried.
382 In the time of sleep this body is as though dead; it does not
see nor hear; it does not feel; it has no consciousness, no
perception—that is to say, the powers of man have become
inactive, but the spirit lives and subsists. Nay, its penetration
is increased, its flight is higher, and its intelligence is greater.
383 ‘Io consider that after the death of the body the spirit perishes
is like imagining that a bird in a cage will be destroyed if
the cage is broken, though the bird has nothing to fear
from the destruction of the cage. Our body is like the cage,
and the spirit is like the bird. We see that without the cage
this bird flies in the world of sleep; therefore, if the cage
becomes broken, the bird will continue and exist. Its feelings
will be even more powerful, its perceptions greater, and its
happiness increased. In truth, from hell it reaches a paradise
of delights because for the thankful birds there is no paradise
greater than freedom from the cage. That is why with utmost
joy and happiness the martyrs hasten to the plain of sacrifice.
384 In wakefulness the eye of man sees at the utmost as far as
one hour of distance• because through the instrumentality
of the body the power of the spirit is thus determined; but
with the inner sight and the mental eye it sees America, and
it can perceive that which is there, and discover the conditions
385 “One farsakh is equivalent to about four miles.
• It is a Persian custom to reckon distance by time.
386 of things and organize affairs. If, then, the spirit were the
same as the body, it would be necessary that the power of
the inner sight should also be in the same proportion.
Therefore, it is evident that this spirit is different from the
body, and that the bird is different from the cage, and that
the power and penetration of the spirit is stronger without
the intermediary of the body. Now, if the instrument is
abandoned, the possessor of the instrument continues to
act. For example, if the pen is abandoned or broken, the
writer remains living and present; if a house is ruined, the
owner is alive and existing. This is one of the logical evidences
for the immortality of the soul.
387 There is another: this body becomes weak or heavy or sick,
or it finds health; it becomes tired or rested; sometimes the
hand or leg is amputated, or its physical power is crippled;
it becomes blind or deaf or dumb; its limbs may become
paralyzed; briefly, the body may have all the imperfections.
Nevertheless, the spirit in its original state, in its own spiritual
perception, will be eternal and perpetual; it neither finds
any imperfection, nor will it become crippled. But when the
body is wholly subjected to disease and misfortune, it is
deprived of the bounty of the spirit, like a mirror which,
when it becomes broken or dirty or dusty, cannot reflect
the rays of the sun nor any longer show its bounties.
388 We have already explained that the spirit of man is not in
the body because it is freed and sanctified from entrance
and exit, which are bodily conditions. The concoction of
the spirit with the body is like that of the sun with the mirror.
Briefly, the human spirit is in one condition. It neither becomes
ill from the diseases of the body nor cured by its health; it
does not become sick, nor weak, nor miserable, nor poor,
nor light, nor small—that is to say, it will not be injured
because of the infirmities of the body, and no effect will be
visible even if the body becomes weak, or if the hands and
feet and tongue be cut off, or if it loses the power of hearing
or sight. Therefore, it is evident and certain that the spirit is
different from the body, and that its duration is independent
of that of the body; on the contrary, the spirit with the utmost
390 greatness rules in the world of the body; and its power and
influence, like the bounty of the sun in the mirror, are apparent
and visible. But when the mirror becomes dusty or breaks,
it will cease to reflect the rays of the sun.%•
391 The earthly things have an existence, though they must
perish. All creatures have this same existence; all created
things must die. The wise man sees them as perished. But
that which belongs to the Divine Kingdom of Heaven is
everlasting. The souls of those who are awake and mindful
will take heed unto this and turn to the Everlasting Kingdom
before it is too late. The outward and perishable is but the
sign of the inward and imperishable. How many celebrated
people have come and gone since Christ lived! How many
kings and princes, famous men, and men considered wonderful
for their learning have arisen and passed away! No sign of
them remains, no result, therefore no existence. But those
humble, meek, and unimportant men who partook of the
Cup of Christ’s Teachings shine forever in the Spiritual
Horizon, although they were looked upon as having no
knowledge. That which is of the Divine Kingdom is everlast-
ing; that which belongs to the kingdom of the world will
fade away and perish.®!
392 All divine philosophers and men of wisdom and understanding,
when observing these endless beings, have considered that
in this great and infinite universe all things end in the mineral
kingdom, that the outcome of the mineral kingdom is the
vegetable kingdom, the outcome of the vegetable kingdom is
the animal kingdom and the outcome of the animal kingdom
393 the world of man. The consummation of this limitless universe
with all its grandeur and glory hath been man himself, who
in this world of being toileth and suffereth for a time, with
diverse ills and pains, and ultimately disintegrates, leaving
no trace and no fruit after him. Were it so, there is no
doubt that this infinite universe with all its perfections has
ended in shame and delusion with no result, no fruit, no
permanence and no effect. It would be utterly without
meaning. They were thus convinced that such is not the case,
that this Great Workshop with all its power, its bewildering
magnificence and endless perfections, cannot eventually
come to naught. That still another life should exist is thus
certain, and, just as the vegetable kingdom is unaware of
the world of man, so we, too, know not of the Great Life
hereafter that followeth the life of man here below. Our
non-comprehension of that life, however, is no proof of its
non-existence. The mineral world, for instance, is utterly
unaware of the world of man and cannot comprehend it,
but the ignorance of a thing is no proof of its nonexistence.
Numerous and conclusive proofs exist that go to show that
this infinite world cannot end with this human life.9?
394 The wise man works not for the present moment but for
the good results of the future. See in the winter how bare
and lifeless the trees and plants seem, without leaves and
without fruit. Suppose one should pass by at this time who
knew nothing of the condition of the earth and saw a man
ploughing it up and casting grain in the furrow. Would he
not say, “How foolish this man is. He is troubling himself
for no result, working for no purpose and wasting that
which would give him food?” But in due time the showers
descend upon the earth, the sun shines, the breezes blow
and we see the result in a great beauty and production.%
396 A friend asked: “How should one look forward to death?”
Abdu’]-Baha answered: “How does one look forward to the
goal of any journey? With hope and with expectation. It is
even so with the end of this earthly journey. In the next
world, man will find himself freed from many of the disabilities
under which he now suffers. Those who have passed on
through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed
from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but
it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with
us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise,
and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man.
Those who have ascended have different attributes from
those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.”• 4
397 O thou who art attracted to the Kingdom of God! Every
soul seeketh an object and cherisheth a desire, and day and
night striveth to attain his aim. One craveth riches, another
thirsteth for glory and still another yearneth for fame, for
art, for prosperity and the like. Yet finally all are doomed to
loss and disappointment. One and all they leave behind
them all that is theirs and empty-handed hasten to the
realm beyond, and all their labors shall be in vain. To dust
they shall all return, denuded, depressed, disheartened and
in utter despair.
398 But, praised be the Lord, thou art engaged in that which
secureth for thee a gain that shall eternally endure; and that
is naught but thine attraction to the Kingdom of God, thy
faith, and thy knowledge, the enlightenment of thine heart,
and thine earnest endeavor to promote the Divine Teachings.
399 Mortal charm shall fade away, roses shall give way to thorns,
and beauty and youth shall live their day and be no more.
But that which eternally endureth is the Beauty of the True
One, for its splendor perisheth not and its glory lasteth for
ever; its charm is all-powerful and its attraction infinite. Well
is it then with that countenance that reflecteth the splendor
of the Light of the Beloved One! The Lord be praised, thou
hast been illumined with this Light, hast acquired the pearl
of true knowledge, and hast spoken the Word of Truth.%
400 This phenomenal world will not remain in an unchanging
condition even for a short while. Second after second it
undergoes change and transformation. Every foundation
will finally become collapsed; every glory and splendor will
at last vanish and disappear, but the Kingdom of God is
eternal and the heavenly sovereignty and majesty will stand
firm, everlasting. Hence in the estimation of a wise man the
mat in the Kingdom of God is preferable to the throne of
the government of the world.9’
401 O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s love! Grieve
thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether
world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both
shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave,
or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted
image on the desert serve as refreshing waters? No, by the
Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance
of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy
and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.
403 Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this
nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow
hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and
nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming
as pictures to the eye.%
404 When thou lookest about thee with a perceptive eye, thou
wilt note that on this dusty earth all humankind are suffering.
Here is no man at rest, to compensate for sins he expiated
in a former life; nor is there anyone so blissful as seemingly
to pluck the fruit of bygone anguish. And if a human life,
with its spiritual being, were limited to this earthly span,
then what would be the harvest of creation? Indeed, what
would be the effects and the outcomes of Divinity Itself?
Were such a notion true, then all created things, all contingent
realities, and this whole world of being—all would be meaning-
less. God forbid that one should hold to such a fiction and
gross error.
405 For just as the effects and the fruitage of the uterine life are
not to be found in that dark and narrow place, and only when
the child is transferred to this wide earth do the benefits
and uses of growth and development in that previous world
become revealed—so likewise reward and punishment, heaven
and hell, requital and retribution for actions done in this
present life, will stand revealed in that other world beyond.
And just as, if human life in the womb were limited to that
uterine world, existence there would be nonsensical, irrelevant—
so too if the life of this world, the deeds here done and
their fruitage, did not come forth in the world beyond, the
whole process would be irrational and foolish.
406 Know then that the Lord God possesseth invisible realms
which the human intellect can never hope to fathom nor
the mind of man conceive. When once thou hast cleansed
the channel of thy spiritual sense from the pollution of this
407 worldly life, then wilt thou breathe in the sweet scents of
holiness that blow from the blissful bowers of that heavenly
land.99
408 The souls of the well-favored among the concourse on high,
the sacred dwellers of the most exalted Paradise, are in this
day filled with burning desire to return unto this world, that
they may render such service as lieth in their power to the
threshold of the Abha Beauty [Baha’u’llah].10•
409 O ye loved ones of God! Know ye that the world is even as
a mirage rising over the sands, that the thirsty mistaketh for
water. The wine of this world is but a vapor in the desert,
its pity and compassion but toil and trouble, the repose it
proffereth only weariness and sorrow. Abandon it to those
who belong to it, and turn your faces unto the Kingdom of
your Lord the All-Merciful, that His grace and bounty may
cast their dawning splendors over you, and a heavenly table
may be sent down for you, and your Lord may bless you,
and shower His riches upon you to gladden your bosoms
and fill your hearts with bliss, to attract your minds, and
cleanse your souls, and console your eyes.!• !
410 All the sufferings you pass through in gaining the Kingdom
of God will be obliterated when you attain its perfect happi-
ness. It is as a man who has been ill and helpless for two or
412 three years and afterwards becomes well and strong, then
all remembrance of his pain vanishes. The happiness of the
Kingdom is a perfect one unlike the imperfection of our
best earthly conditions and is never again to be clouded by
any vestige of sorrow. Whatever troubles we have on our
way to the Kingdom are a test to the soul. When man enters
this world it is in troubles and hardships, but he comes
from the invisible to the visible to gain great things for himself.
As the material birth is a time of trouble, so also is the spiritual.
The way to God is strewn with troubles and difficulties, but
remember always what Christ said: “Though the body is
weak the spirit is powerful.”!0?
413 These few brief days shall pass away, this present life shall
vanish from our sight; the roses of this world shall be fresh
and fair no more, the garden of this earth’s triumphs and
delights shall droop and fade. The spring season of life shall
turn into the autumn of death, the bright joy of palace shall
give way to moonless dark within the tomb. And therefore
is none of this worth loving at all, and to this the wise will
not anchor his heart.
414 He who hath knowledge and power will rather seek out the
glory of heaven, and spiritual distinction, and the life that
dieth not. And such a one longeth to approach the sacred
Threshold of God; for in the tavern of this swiftly-passing
world the man of God will not lie drunken, nor will he
even for a moment take his ease, nor stain himself with any
fondness for this earthly life.