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’)
