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
comprehendeth, whereas the soul is free from all agencies. The soul as thou
observest, whether it be in sleep or waking, is 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.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablet to August Forel’)
