25 April 1912
Talk to Theosophical Society at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Parsons
Washington, D.C.
The greatest power in the realm and range of human existence
is spirit—the divine breath which animates and pervades all things. It is
manifested throughout creation in different degrees or kingdoms. In the
vegetable kingdom it is the augmentative spirit or power of growth, the animus
of life and development in plants, trees and organisms of the floral world. In
this degree of its manifestation spirit is unconscious of the powers which
qualify the kingdom of the animal. The distinctive virtue or plus of the animal
is sense perception; it sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels but is incapable,
in turn, of conscious ideation or reflection which characterizes and
differentiates the human kingdom. The animal neither exercises nor apprehends
this distinctive human power and gift. From the visible it cannot draw
conclusions regarding the invisible, whereas the human mind from visible and
known premises attains knowledge of the unknown and invisible. For instance,
Christopher Columbus from information based upon known and provable facts drew
conclusions which led him unerringly across the vast ocean to the unknown
continent of America. Such power of accomplishment is beyond the range of
animal intelligence. Therefore, this power is a distinctive attribute of the
human spirit and kingdom. The animal spirit cannot penetrate and discover the
mysteries of things. It is a captive of the senses. No amount of teaching, for instance,
would enable it to grasp the fact that the sun is stationary, and the earth
moves around it. Likewise, the human spirit has its limitations. It cannot
comprehend the phenomena of the Kingdom transcending the human station, for it
is a captive of powers and life forces which have their operation upon its own
plane of existence, and it cannot go beyond that boundary.
There is, however, another Spirit, which may be termed the
Divine, to which Jesus Christ refers when He declares that man must be born of
its quickening and baptized with its living fire. Souls deprived of that Spirit
are accounted as dead, though they are possessed of the human spirit. Jesus
Christ has pronounced them dead inasmuch as they have no portion of the Divine
Spirit. He says, “Let the dead bury their dead.” In another instance He
declares, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit.” By this He means that souls, though alive in the human
kingdom, are nevertheless dead if devoid of this particular spirit of divine
quickening. They have not partaken of the divine life of the higher Kingdom,
for the soul which partakes of the power of the Divine Spirit is, verily,
living.
This quickening spirit emanates spontaneously from the Sun
of Truth, from the reality of Divinity, and is not a revelation or a
manifestation. It is like the rays of the sun. The rays are emanations from the
sun. This does not mean that the sun has become divisible, that a part of the
sun has come out into space. This plant beside me has risen from the seed;
therefore, it is a manifestation and unfoldment of the seed. The seed, as you
can see, has unfolded in manifestation, and the result is this plant. Every
leaf of the plant is a part of the seed. But the reality of Divinity is
indivisible, and each individual of humankind cannot be a part of it as is
often claimed. Nay, rather, the individual realities of mankind, when
spiritually born, are emanations from the reality of Divinity, just as the
flame, heat and light of the sun are the effulgence of the sun and not a part
of the sun itself. Therefore, a spirit has emanated from the reality of
Divinity, and its effulgences have become visible in human entities or
realities. This ray and this heat are permanent. There is no cessation in the
effulgence. As long as the sun exists, the heat and light will exist, and
inasmuch as eternality is a property of Divinity, this emanation is
everlasting. There is no cessation in its outpouring. The more the world of
humanity develops, the more the effulgences or emanations of Divinity will
become revealed, just as the stone, when it becomes polished and pure as a
mirror, will reflect in fuller degree the glory and splendor of the sun.
The mission of the Prophets, the revelation of the Holy
Books, the manifestation of the heavenly Teachers and the purpose of divine
philosophy all center in the training of the human realities so that they may
become clear and pure as mirrors and reflect the light and love of the Sun of
Reality. Therefore, I hope that—whether you be in the East or the West—you will
strive with heart and soul in order that day by day the world of humanity may
become glorified, more spiritual, more sanctified; and that the splendor of the
Sun of Reality may be revealed fully in human hearts as in a mirror. This is
worthy of the world of mankind. This is the true evolution and progress of
humanity. This is the supreme bestowal. Otherwise, by simple development along
material lines man is not perfected. At most, the physical aspect of man, his
natural or material conditions, may become stabilized and improved, but he will
remain deprived of the spiritual or divine bestowal. He is then like a body
without a spirit, a lamp without the light, an eye without the power of vision,
an ear that hears no sound, a mind incapable of perceiving, an intellect minus
the power of reason.
Man has two powers; and his development, two aspects. One
power is connected with the material world, and by it he is capable of material
advancement. The other power is spiritual, and through its development his
inner, potential nature is awakened. These powers are like two wings. Both must
be developed, for flight is impossible with one wing. Praise be to God!
Material advancement has been evident in the world, but there is need of
spiritual advancement in like proportion. We must strive unceasingly and
without rest to accomplish the development of the spiritual nature in man, and
endeavor with tireless energy to advance humanity toward the nobility of its
true and intended station. For the body of man is accidental; it is of no
importance. The time of its disintegration will inevitably come. But the spirit
of man is essential and, therefore, eternal. It is a divine bounty. It is the
effulgence of the Sun of Reality and, therefore, of greater importance than the
physical body.
I pray for you. You have come to visit me, and I am most
grateful. I shall ask confirmation and assistance for you from God, the
Generous, the Bestower, that you may be aided in serving the world of humanity.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by
‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)
